The Thursday-Only Princess and the Fallen Prince

“What?!” I exclaimed. “Only one class a week?! How can this be?!” My shoulders slumped in utter defeat.

What a disappointment… Truly, it was a profound disappointment!

“Our school isn’t a specialized vocational school. Even in other schools, a home economics class is usually only once a week.”

Reality was reality; no matter how much one fretted or fussed, the earth would continue its steadfast rotation around the sun.

“Ah—” I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and let out a long sigh.

“I’ve lost all motivation for school now…”

“Don’t be like that.”

Leidi chuckled, gently shaking my shoulder, causing my head to wobble along with it.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, a frown creasing my brow.

“Leidi, I’ve been thinking these past two days. Perhaps I should just take off the ‘CHOKER’.”

“What’s wrong?” Leidi stretched, raising her hands above her head.

“Hearing every sentence twice, my ears were practically calloused…”

Whenever anyone wanted to communicate with me, for the sake of my disguise, I had to pretend not to understand. Consequently, I’d hear the translation once from the ‘CHOKER’ and then again from Leidi’s rephrasing, both delivering the exact same content… Initially, I found it somewhat amusing, but over time, maintaining the facade had become utterly exhausting.

“That would make communication with Senior impossible, you know~”

“Ah, you’re right.” I averted my gaze, turning my head.

Leidi had unerringly hit upon the crux of the matter; this was something I couldn’t refuse…

“Well then, let’s begin today as well~”

Leidi’s arm had slipped around my waist at some point without me noticing.

“Eh?!” A look of sheer terror contorted my face.

It was too late… How had I not noticed until now!

“Ehehe~”

“Kyaaa!!!”

Once again today, Leidi had stripped me bare with a cheerful smile…

****

“Leidi, why do I feel like there are so many people on the road today?” My eyes darted anxiously left and right.

Along the twenty-minute walk to school, the students’ gazes made me feel utterly self-conscious, as though they were meticulously licking every inch of my body with their eyes…

I clutched Leidi’s arm, pressing close to her. Though it felt a bit girlish, under such scrutiny— I had no choice but to surrender… It was genuinely terrifying…

“While there were fewer people yesterday, the intensity of their stares was probably similar, wasn’t it?” Leidi offered a playful smile, uttering something I found utterly implausible.

“Huh? Were they all looking at me like this yesterday too?! I feel like I’m about to be eaten alive…” Still clinging to Leidi’s arm, I looked up at her, seeking help.

“Ehh~ My demure, clinging little bird has returned. I was starting to wonder what I’d do if you stayed like yesterday.” Leidi chuckled, reaching out to pat my head. She exuded the aura of a doting older sister…

“Yesterday, I…”

What exactly had I done yesterday morning…?

“An aloof, imperious young lady, that was you yesterday.”

“Eh?!!!” My eyes widened as I desperately tried to recall my actions from yesterday morning.

It felt like I was hearing something utterly shocking…

“While it differs from my own prickly, ice-queen demeanor, those beautiful, shining eyes, that smile as radiant as the sun, capable of melting even an iceberg, and your light chestnut hair swaying with your graceful figure—truly, it was all incredibly captivating.” This time, Leidi happily leaned her head against mine.

Please don’t elaborate so emphatically! I’m not pleased about this in the slightest!

“Kya~!!”

“Wow~”

I heard the girls’ screams, followed by the slightly frivolous whistles from the boys.

If we continued walking with our heads so close, from behind, we must have looked like ‘sisters with a wonderful bond,’ right? What was so surprising about that?

Well, if forced to provide a reason, it would only be changing ‘sisters with a wonderful bond’ to ‘beautiful sisters with a wonderful bond’… Surely that wasn’t enough to warrant such a reaction?

“Ehh—”

With a helpless sigh, I pulled Leidi along and entered the school.

“Click!”

“Hmm?!” I thought I heard a familiar sound…

I lifted my head, looking towards the school building.

“Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!” ×∞

Facing me were boys swarming the windows like a writhing mass of insects!

“Eek—!!!”

How terrifying!

What was this rapid-fire sound?! Was this a machine gun?!

As soon as we stepped onto campus, we were assailed by countless shutter clicks and camera flashes!

“Wow, this is even more exaggerated than yesterday~” Leidi covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, seemingly accustomed to the chaos.

Ignoring Leidi’s protests, I grabbed her hand and quickly dashed towards the school building’s main entrance, our destination being the shoe lockers in the entryway.

“Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!” ×∞

Stop this 360-degree surround sound barrage at once!!!

“Haa—haaa—”

I leaned against the shoe locker bearing my name, panting heavily. Though the distance was hardly extensive, I felt as though I’d just completed a city-wide marathon…

Opening the locker, I prepared to change my shoes.

“Whoosh—! Whoosh—!”

My expression froze, my mouth agape, as I remained rooted to the spot, still holding the cabinet door open.

An undeniably excessive number of various envelopes came tumbling out of the shoe locker with a distinct rustling sound…

“It’s stuffed full again, just like yesterday.”

Leidi chuckled, helping me pick up the envelopes from the floor.

“Huh? You mean this happened yesterday too?! Why don’t I remember?!” I pointed at the locker, my jaw practically unhinged itself.

“I’m starting to wonder if you were sleepwalking yesterday,” Leidi remarked, eyeing me askance as she held a stack of envelopes.

“I’m wondering the same…”

My face clouded with gloom…

It seemed I had gotten overly excited yesterday morning at the prospect of a chance to show off… Was I truly suffering from a split personality…?

As I opened the classroom door once more, everyone in the class uniformly turned to look at us. For some reason, their eyes brimmed with a peculiar sense of anticipation.

But—

“Eek!” I was startled again, immediately hiding behind Leidi.

“Eh?!!!”

A collective groan of disappointment echoed from everyone in the class.

“Leidi-chan, what’s wrong with Bye-chan? Why has she reverted to her previous ‘abandoned kitten’ state again…?” Takagi stepped forward, asking with concern.

“Actually, this child only seems to enter that sparkling state when she’s cooking, you see. She’s a Thursday-only princess, hahahaha.” Leidi laughed, scratching her head.

Blushing furiously, I buried my head in Leidi’s hair, rubbing against it. This was something I truly couldn’t refute!

“A Thursday-only princess, huh…” A collective sigh of disappointment emanated from the boys in the class.

I peeked out from behind Leidi, glancing at everyone watching us, and my gaze inadvertently met someone else’s.

“Ugh!” I shyly buried my head again.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

Huh? What was that sound?! Had they all collectively crashed into their desks?

“Eww! It splattered! How disgusting!”

“Hey! Tissues! The boys are having nosebleeds again!!!”

“Th-th-the infirmary! Quickly, take the boys who’ve fainted to the infirmary!!”

…

…

I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… Next time, I’ll make you brown sugar rice cakes or something! ‘They’re for replenishing blood…’

In summary… Leidi and I spent another morning without any boys in class…

And the expressions of the male math teacher and the female biology teacher had become remarkably complex…

I’M SO SORRY!!!!!

****

During lunchtime, after the morning classes had concluded, boys from other classes were plastered all over the outside of the classroom windows.

Yes, that’s right… plastered…

It was truly… disgusting… Hey! Don’t stare at me with those drooling eyes! You’ll make me bristle!

“Has anyone found out what’s going on?” Leidi glanced outside with an expression of profound distaste, asking Takagi, who had just returned with Aki and Ami.

Leidi and I didn’t dare go out… So we had to ask Takagi and the others.

“Those boys are here to see Bye-chan…” Underneath Takagi’s gleaming round spectacles, a cloud of gloom settled upon her face…

“Apparently, it’s the result of the news spreading that ‘the boys in our class were all sent to the infirmary again,’” Aki added, her face also clouded with gloom.

“As a result, their abundant curiosity made them stick to the glass like freshly caught octopuses,” Ami supplemented, her expression conveying, “Haven’t they ever seen a beautiful girl before?”

“Honestly… At this rate, forget eating lunch outside… I can’t even go to the restroom like this…” Leidi rubbed her forehead, looking a little troubled.

“How about we all go eat together on the lawn behind the school building? We’ll surround Leidi-chan and Bye-chan when we go out,” Aki suggested, seeking opinions from the other girls.

In truth, it wasn’t just Leidi and me; it seemed none of the girls had gone outside. We were definitely causing trouble for everyone else…

“Yes! I’m in! I’ve lost my appetite with them stuck there!”

“Me too! I’m joining!”

“I’ll go too!”

All the girls raised their hands.

I say, all of you pressed against the windows—no, you octopuses… You can hear us, can’t you…? Even after being so thoroughly disliked by the girls, you still won’t leave?! Get a grip, for heaven’s sake!

****

Afterward, we girls, like a huddled mass of ants, forcibly “pushed through” the throng of octopuses and made our way to the lawn behind the school building. Although a few daring ones followed, Leidi, with a frosty smile (a sneer, really) that warned, “Be careful, or you’ll be a virgin for life,” effectively froze them in their tracks.

Leidi, in full ‘Dark Princess’ mode, was incredibly formidable…

“Everyone, let’s find a tree and sit down,” Leidi suggested, holding her bento.

Even the boys probably disliked the merciless midday sun, so the girls quickly moved to find shade.

Leidi and I, Takagi, and the Umemiya sisters chose a tree with abundant leaves and sat down. We huddled close to the tree roots, spreading out four lunch cloths to create a combined eating area.

“Rustle~ Rustle~”

A gentle breeze picked up, and the lush leaves swayed, producing a pleasant sound. Everyone enjoyedably smoothed their hair.

Once settled, everyone brought out their bentos. Today, the maid had prepared steak for Leidi and me! Takagi’s bento consisted of a rice ball wrapped in nori, a plain white rice ball, some simple vegetables, and, amusingly, some small sausages shaped like octopuses.

Speaking of octopuses… I supposed they would soon be devoured with brutal bites…

“Curry here! Anyone want some?” ×2.

Aki and Ami, both smiling, had curry and white rice in their bentos. I caught the scent of beef; I should try some. I hadn’t tasted Japanese curry yet.

“I’ll have some.” Speaking in Chinese, I smiled and raised my hand towards Aki. She should understand what I meant, right?

“Rustle~ Rustle~” The tree leaves swayed.

“Screech—!!!!” A jarring screech suddenly pierced the air.

Pure instinct, in merely a fleeting moment.

“Leidi!” I suddenly cried out, lunging towards Aki and Ami, who were half-sitting.

“Got it!” Leidi responded, simultaneously lunging towards Takagi.

“Kya!” —from Takagi.

“Whoa!” ×2 —from Aki and Ami.

“Wooooooow~~~~~~~~~~~~” —from ?????

“Clang!”

“Splat!”

As the sound of our lunches being sacrificed echoed around us, Leidi and I tackled Takagi, Aki, and Ami onto the grass outside the tablecloths, shielding them beneath our bodies.

“W-what happened?”

“What’s going on?”

“Whoa!!!”

“Eek—!”

The surrounding girls, hearing the commotion, gathered around, but they seemed to have discovered something utterly astonishing.

I propped myself up and glanced behind me.

Good heavens… Why was there a boy who had fallen from the tree?! Steak from Leidi’s and my lunches clung to his hair, his face was obscured by our bentos, and curry splattered his clothes, making him look like a colorful, impromptu performance artist.

The girls helped us up, and we all stood around the fallen boy, at a loss for what to do.

“Hey, he’s not moving, is he dead?!”

“Don’t scare us!”

“That tree is pretty tall, how did he climb up there?”

“…”

While everyone chattered confusedly, yet no one dared approach—

“Ugh—” The boy slowly pushed himself up.

“Are you alright?” Leidi stepped forward to help him sit by the tree. He looked as though he might have sustained injuries.

I followed suit, taking out my handkerchief to wipe his rice-covered face first.

“Whoa! Thank you! I can do it myself!” He seemed flustered by my ministrations, excitedly snatching the handkerchief from my hand.

“His reply was quite spirited, so it seemed his injuries weren’t too severe.” Leidi walked over to stand beside me, and the girls also gathered around.

The boy frantically wiped his face, removed the steak and vegetables stuck to him, and tried to clean the curry stains (though the curry was an impossible task). Finally, he patted his hair.

“Thank you.” The boy stood up and, with a smile, extended the handkerchief towards me. It seemed he no longer needed it.

“Whoa!”

“Whoa!”

“Whoa!”

“Whoa!”

Exclamations erupted from the surrounding girls. This boy was tall, at least twenty centimeters taller than Leidi and me, perhaps even 180cm.

However, I suspected this wasn’t the primary reason for their exclamations.

This guy…

He was surprisingly handsome?!

His hair was a bit yellowish, probably dyed. From his facial features, he looked Asian, likely Japanese, given the location. His hairstyle was a somewhat long, European prince style. His handsome face and smiling, narrowed eyes were also quite striking, and his teeth were perfectly straight, complete, and white. He was a truly dashing young man!

“Who are you? And why were you in the tree?” Leidi, with a somewhat frosty expression, squeezed between him and me, beginning her interrogation.

“I’m transferring in next week. My name is Prince Aoyama, and today I came to visit the school in advance,” the handsome boy replied cheerfully to Leidi.

“His name is Prince!”

“A name that matches his looks!”

“He’s exactly my type!”

“…” —from Leidi.

“…” —from me.

‘Are your parents called King and Queen…?’ Better not say that out loud…

“So, why were you in the tree?” Leidi ignored the sounds of girls already swooning and continued her interrogation.

“I don’t have a school uniform, so I climbed over the wall to get in.”

Prince Aoyama scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.

“I climbed up there earlier to hide from the school security guard, and because it took so long, I fell asleep in the tree.” He smiled foolishly, a little endearing.

“That’s very dangerous!”

“You could accidentally die!”

He was actually being fussed over by the girls… Was this the so-called ‘handsome guy effect’?

“It’s fine, my body is quite sturdy. Oh, cough~ cough~ cough-cough~”

Prince Aoyama pretended to be fine, patting his chest, but… he messed up…

“…” —from all the girls…

If it still hurts, don’t try to act tough… Was this the stubbornness of a handsome guy?

“I’d better take you to the infirmary,” Leidi said with a helpless smile, then turned to the other girls.

“Anyone else who wants to come can, but those who don’t, please help clean up this mess.”

“I’ll go! I’ll go!”

“Me too!”

“Count me in!”

“…”

A handsome guy really did have it easy… Maybe they’d even pay for his medical expenses… Wait… didn’t *everyone* just volunteer to go?!

“Thank you, I appreciate all your trouble.” He offered that captivating smile of his again…

“I’ll stay, Leidi. You all take him to the infirmary.” Someone still needed to clean up this mess, after all.

Prince Aoyama, not understanding my Chinese, showed no reaction.

“Wait!”

Leidi suddenly called out to me. She then turned to the girls.

“My apologies, everyone. You all take him. My sister and I will stay to clean up this rubbish.”

“Eh?” Prince Aoyama looked a little surprised, his smile becoming awkward.

After all, a beautiful girl was leaving him, wasn’t she? Haha.

Why were you so surprised, anyway? Did you really think everyone would flock to you? You’re dreaming too big, pal.

“Uh! Ugh!?”

“Let’s go, let’s go, Prince-sama~”

“That’s right, that’s right, let’s go quickly. It’s best to treat injuries early~”

Prince Aoyama was practically herded away by the girls. You all could at least thank Leidi, though…

I walked to the tree from which Prince Aoyama had fallen, and Leidi followed me. For now, we used the tablecloths to bundle up the now-ruined food and bento boxes… What a waste… The food must be weeping…

“That guy just had a look on his face that screamed, ‘Why aren’t you coming to see me off?’” Leidi said, smiling at me as she tied up the tablecloth.

“Just one of life’s three great illusions, I suppose~” I smiled back at Leidi.

Sorry, Prince-sama~ Leidi and I, however, are quite the unexpected anomaly.