The eve of the cultural festival.
Typically, to avoid disrupting regular classes, preparations for the cultural festival were reserved for the night before. Many students tasked with decorating the venue would stay overnight at school.
However, Class 1-A’s preparations progressed remarkably swiftly. Their eye-catching signboard had long since been crafted, requiring only placement by the entrance to be complete, and the remaining interior decorations were mostly hung after classes. At this moment, only…
“Three, two, one, smile!” the Class Monitor of 1-A called out, camera in hand, as the class’s maids lined up, each striking a playful, exaggerated grin.
“Hoshimori-san, Maid Chief, could you perhaps manage a less strained smile? And where is the distinctive heart-shaped cutout unique to the Maid Chief’s uniform?” The Class Monitor lowered her camera, addressing Shion, who stood amidst the other maids. Shion, following Ayane’s clever suggestion, had used Ayane’s small bear hair clip to pull up the heart-shaped cutout, the clip itself a charming little accessory that, surprisingly, quite suited Shion’s demeanor.
“Class Monitor, are you trying to get our class shut down by the Disciplinary Committee?” Shion retorted, her voice edged with displeasure.
Behind Shion, Shigure, who had been struggling to suppress her laughter, finally managed to quell the urge.
“Alright, one more shot. Hoshimori-san, could you do the Maid Chief’s signature pose again? The half-heart gesture, and the line…”
“I absolutely refuse to say the line! o(￣ヘ￣o＃)” Shion pouted, her lips forming a defiant moue.
“Fine, that works too…” The Class Monitor shook her head, conceding the point.
Shion swiftly pulled Shigure, who was standing beside her. Shigure’s swaying golden hair could not conceal the wide-eyed confusion and surprise in her gaze. Then, Shion formed half a heart with her hand, looking at Shigure expectantly.
“Eh?…” The introverted girl remained utterly bewildered.
“It’s a heart gesture! Iori-san, quickly, complete the other half!” Shion urged her, a hint of impatience in her voice.
“Oh, oh.” Shigure clumsily joined her hand to Shion’s half-heart. Though a blush crept across her cheeks, the joy in her heart shone through unmistakably.
Seeing this, the Class Monitor readied her camera. “Good, three, two, one! Smile!”
After the photos were taken, the Class Monitor reviewed them, then remarked, “Iori-san performed exceptionally well. How about this: I appoint you as Vice Maid Chief?”
“M-me?” Shigure pointed to herself, her face a mask of disbelief.
“Class Monitor, you’re not even pretending anymore! Wasn’t I chosen by election?” Shion grumbled from the sidelines.
“An urgent appointment,” the Class Monitor shrugged.
With the photoshoot concluded, the sun had yet to dip towards the west, casting a perfect golden light. Inside the classroom, the distinct chirping of summer cicadas remained clearly audible.
“Shion-san, I need to head back to the hospital now. Good luck tomorrow!” Shigure, having changed back into her school uniform, said to Shion at the classroom door. Whenever she faced Shion, Shigure seemed to experience a restless discomfort, unsure of how to stand. “Um, Shion-san, your maid outfit… it’s really cute.”
Shigure’s voice trailed off, growing softer with each word, but fortunately, Shion still caught it all.
‘Honestly, it would have been better if I hadn’t heard it at all… Anything else, but not a word about this maid outfit!’
****
Half an hour earlier, while changing in the locker room…
Shion crouched in a corner, incessantly drawing circles on the floor with her finger. A dark aura emanated from her, as if she were about to unleash some potent curse. Muttering curses, she declared, “I’m going to draw circles and curse you, Class Monitor…” A terrifying, twisted smile, utterly broken, then spread across her face.
Alas, the Miko (TL Note: A shrine maiden, typically serving a Shinto shrine.) of Hoshimori Shrine only knew how to wield a blade; she hadn’t a single shred of magical ability.
“Hoshimori-san, I heard your maid outfit is a special design. Could I take a look?” Ito-san, another classmate who would be working as a maid in the café, approached Shion from behind and gently tapped her back, asking.
By this time, Shion had already donned her maid outfit. It was a mystery why she had specifically chosen the most inconspicuous corner of the changing room to do so, or why she had changed with such remarkable speed. While other classmates were still fussing with the lace bows on their heads, Shion was already fully dressed—heaven knew how many times she must have practiced at home to achieve such swiftness…
“Ito-san, just a moment, there’s still one more clasp…” Shion took out the small bear hair clip Ayane had given her. With her back to the other gazes fixed upon her, she used the clip to fasten together the upper and lower parts of her chest’s cutout.
Shion took a deep breath, then turned around.
Gasps of surprise and admiration rippled through the female classmates. “Hoshimori-san looks absolutely perfect in that!”
Amidst the crowd, Shigure had also changed into her maid outfit. Hers was a standard uniform, identical to the others, with the same black base and white accents, though she seemed to have specially adorned her cap with a white lily motif.
While equally adorable, Shigure was generally an inconspicuous student in class. No one deliberately ostracized her, yet no one, apart from Shion, paid her particular attention. Consequently, she didn’t receive the same special focus as Shion, who had already been chosen as the Maid Chief.
Also gazing at Shion, Shigure’s face was likewise etched with surprise and admiration.
At this moment, Shion’s face was turning crimson, almost like a steam engine, and one could faintly discern wisps of steam seeming to drift from her head…
“Hoshimori-san, I recall the Class Monitor mentioning that your outfit was quite unique, especially around the chest area.” Ito-san, who had also finished changing into her maid uniform, gestured to her own chest.
Following Ito-san’s gesture, Shion’s gaze involuntarily followed. Truly… practically any girl in class seemed more developed than Shion. Shigure was, and now Ito-san was too…
“N-no, not at all, it’s just this small difference,” Shion stammered, pointing to the small bear clip on her chest, attempting to deflect the topic.
“But the Class Monitor told me the reason she specifically designated Hoshimori-san to wear this particular outfit was precisely because, with Hoshimori-san wearing it, the cutout part would least likely draw the attention of the Disciplinary Committee. After all, this was the only maid outfit left at the costume shop…” Ito-san recounted, recalling the Class Monitor’s words.
“What?!” Shion’s mouth twitched. “Ito-san, could you repeat that? What did the Class Monitor say?”
“The Class Monitor said that Shion-san wearing this wouldn’t be noticed by the Disciplinary Committee. That’s roughly what she meant,” Ito-san succinctly repeated.
‘Though it was a regrettable necessity due to the town’s costume shop being so ill-equipped, Shion couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is it too late to rush over and dispatch the Class Monitor now? I could just pretend she was an evil spirit slain by the Spirit Cutter (TL Note: A magical sword or spiritual weapon used to combat evil spirits.). No worries, no worries~”
Shion quickly shook her head, pulling herself back to the present. Even so, the thought of assassinating the Class Monitor stubbornly lingered in her mind.
“Is Iori Grandma doing better?” Shion asked. She knew, however, that Iori Grandma’s illness was far beyond the reach of ordinary medical treatment, being intrinsically linked to evil spirits.
Shigure nodded. “Actually, she’s been stable these past few days and has even improved a little. Praying at Shion-san’s shrine truly seems effective.”
“That’s wonderful! Then let’s focus on the cultural festival for the next few days!” Shion said with a smile.
‘Still, oh, what am I going to do about wearing this outfit for the cultural festival tomorrow!’