“If you’re worried about money, don’t worry about it. I’ll treat both Sara and Akasaki-kun. It’s just like when it was my turn… It seems Akasaki-kun helped Rin too. I want to thank you properly, and this is a good opportunity.”
Yuna smiled.
“Eh? Akasaki-san, did you help Yuna-san too?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you, Sara? He’s one of the people who helped me rediscover my passion for basketball… That’s how we became friends.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Sara gave Haruya a sharp look, as if to say,
[You didn’t tell me! Didn’t you say the other day that there was nothing between you and Yuna-san?] Haruya felt his stomach tighten.
“Well, I appreciate the offer, but you don’t need to treat me. I’d feel bad.”
“Me too, Yuna-san.”
In Sara’s case, her eyes seemed to hold the question, “Why me too?”
Sensing this, Yuna said, “Because…”
“Sara, you played the role of Cinderella for us. The best Cinderella. That’s my thanks.”
“…Oh, I see.”
“Yeah. And I made you practice for so long.”
“I enjoyed it, so it’s fine. Besides, aren’t we friends? Let’s just say we’re even.”
“R-really?”
Yuna asked, looking a bit guilty.
Haruya nodded, following Sara’s lead.
“That’s right! As friends, it would help me if we could forget about treating each other.”
Knowing the conscientious Yuna, a.k.a. Nayu-san,
she probably wouldn’t be satisfied with just that reason.
So Haruya added:
“…If you’re not convinced and still want to thank me somehow, I’d like you to continue supporting Kohinata-san as a friend, no matter how she changes in the future.”
This was just insurance. He thought it would probably be fine, but there’s always a possibility.
It wouldn’t hurt to lay some groundwork here.
“What do you mean by that?”
Yuna immediately asked, seemingly puzzled.
“Well, I might just be overthinking things, so it would help if you could just take the words at face value.”
“As her friend, you don’t need to worry about that.”
“O-okay, I understand.”
Sara answered immediately, while Yuna’s response was a bit hesitant, perhaps still not fully grasping the meaning of the words.
At that moment, their orders arrived.
As one of the maids was leaving, she bowed politely.
“Please enjoy your time~!”
The cheerful and bright voice made Haruya involuntarily think of Kohinata-san from the café.
His expression must have softened because Yuna jumped in,
with a slightly teasing, mischievous smile.
“So that senior is Akasaki-kun’s type.”
“Huh…”
“I-is that so?!”
Sara leaned forward significantly as she raised her voice.
(Did I really like that senior? I’m the one who wants to ask that…)
Haruya couldn’t hide his confusion.
Sara, realizing how loud her voice was, glanced around at her surroundings before looking down.
“Um, can I ask why you think that?”
Haruya asked, genuinely curious.
“Oh, was I wrong? You usually have a stern expression, but just now, Akasaki-kun, your expression softened.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s… well…”
Trying not to sound strange or unnatural,
Haruya carefully chose his words.
“I just thought the maid outfit looked nice.”
“That maid outfit is really nice, isn’t it?”
“It sure is~”
Yuna and Sara agreed.
While not overly revealing, it was a very cute maid outfit.
The white knee-high socks covering both legs extending from the gothic lolita-style skirt with frills, along with the white frilled headband on the head, made for an eye-catching costume.
“If our class had decided on a maid café, we could have worn outfits like that too.”
“Everyone would have looked absolutely adorable for sure~”
If we were to entertain all the “what-ifs,” there’d be no end to it. But certainly, if our class had decided on a maid café for our event, it would have been quite the spectacle.
As Haruya was pondering this, a bespectacled maid approached our table.
“Did I hear you say you like these maid uniforms? Are you absolutely sure about that? Really, really sure?!”
She cupped her hands around her mouth like a microphone, waiting for Sara and Yuna’s response.
“Huh?”
The three, including Haruya, uttered the same word simultaneously.
“Actually, most of the students are waiting backstage. If you’d like to try them on, we’d be delighted to let you wear these maid uniforms. What do you say? In fact, I’d love for you two to wear them!”
Her eyes were intense.
Perhaps due to her excitement, the senior’s eyes were bloodshot as she pressed Sara and Yuna.
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“Um… well…”
“What should we do, Yuna-san…?”
The two girls exchanged glances, clearly flustered.
“Oh, come on! Just because the VIP guests have left, what are you thinking?”
Another maid approached. She seemed to be friends with the bespectacled senior.
Her familiar tone betrayed her exasperation.
Looking around once more, it appeared that all the other customers had already settled their bills.
That’s probably why the bespectacled senior had approached Haruya and the others so casually.
Well, if that’s the case, then it’s not a problem. No, it’s a huge problem.
As Haruya was making these retorts to himself, Sara chimed in with an observation.
“We’ve got some free time to explore the Eika Festival, but we haven’t taken any photos yet, have we?”
“You’re right…”
At this festival, students were allowed to use their phones on the condition that they only used them to take photos.
They must have already taken several pictures in the classroom, but Sara was referring to not having taken any during their free time.
The senior who had come to stop her bespectacled friend spoke up, seemingly taking pity on Sara and Yuna.
“…Oh, sorry about that. But if you’d like to try them on, feel free to wear them. Consider it a pre-closing service.”
“That’s right! Go ahead and take some pictures!”
The bespectacled senior was all for it.
After thinking for a moment, the two girls turned their gaze towards Haruya.
(What, am I supposed to decide?)
To be honest, it seemed like the girls had made up their minds the moment they mentioned not having taken any photos during their free time.
“Well, opportunities like this are rare, so I think it’s fine to take advantage of the seniors’ kindness…”
Hearing this, the two girls looked at each other and nodded.
“Then, may we accept your offer?”
“Sure. Can you both come this way?”
With that, the senior began moving towards the back entrance.
Haruya had planned to just sip his coffee alone, but…
“Hey, you should try on a maid uniform too!”
The bespectacled senior gestured to him with a quick wave of her hand.
Even the serious-looking senior paused and said, “That’s a good idea.”
(Oh, come on. Are you serious?)
Although the exposure was minimal, there was still considerable resistance to the idea of crossdressing.
When Sara heard this, her eyes lit up as she looked at Haruya.
(Even if you look at me with those eyes, I’m not wearing it. Absolutely not.)
For some reason, the senior was enthusiastic about the idea of changing together in the dressing room.
Yuna let out a sigh and went along with the seniors.
“Why not? I can’t even imagine Akasaki-kun in women’s clothes.”
“…No, that’s not right. Besides, me in the same changing room… that’s…”
His voice gradually grew softer. His face also began to feel hot.
He suddenly felt embarrassed imagining the scene of them wearing maid uniforms together.
Sara’s face also seemed to be turning red.
“…Pfft.”
Seeing Haruya’s ears turn red, the seniors and Yuna burst out laughing.
“We’re just kidding, you know?”
The two seniors said in unison.
“Of course. Akasaki-kun, your face is so red… You have a cute side, don’t you?”
Yuna answered with a giggle.
It seemed they had been teasing him.
Feeling embarrassed, Haruya returned to his seat.
He then sipped his coffee as if nothing had happened.
Seeing Haruya’s reaction, the seniors and Yuna laughed again.
This time, Sara joined in the laughter too.
(Hey, Himekawa-san, weren’t you on my side?)
As he was internally cursing her as a traitor, Yuna spoke again.
“…Cute.”
Yuna muttered mischievously with a grin.
He wanted to complain, but her cuteness made even those feelings waver.
(Ah, just kill me now!)
With these unbearable feelings, he waited for Sara and Yuna, who had gone to the back.
He could hear excited voices after they headed towards the back entrance, but he was too overwhelmed with embarrassment to pay attention.
“Hehe, these turned out really cute!”
As Haruya turned his face towards the senior’s words coming from the back entrance, he caught sight of Sara hiding behind the door.
“This is… more embarrassing than I thought.”
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