The next day, as decided during the family meeting at the school festival, I head to the designated meeting place. The plan for today is to find me clothes for the party, it seems. Which will probably be a dress.
âA dress for me, huh.â
âI canât really imagine you wearing a dress, though. Since you always wear that for your casual attire.â
âHow do I say this, itâs really nice how I donât need to choose. Though I do want a bit more variation.â
The said meeting place is the usual cafe. Today, while being a weekday, is a compensatory holiday for the academy, so thereâs no class. I originally would have been working today, but the situation says otherwise.
âAt least buy some winter clothes. Youâre definitely going to catch a cold wearing that.â
âThatâs true. I guess Iâll ask you to pick for me then, Kaori. I donât really have much confidence in my choices, you see.â
âWell, I could help with at least that much. In exchange though, treat me to something.â
âPlease keep it economical.â
While waiting for mother to pick me up, Iâm chatting with Kaori. When I told her what happened yesterday, her jaw dropped just like the others. I was really surprised to see the Gojima pair pale early this morning, though.
âStill, Kotone, why do things always get out of hand when it comes to you?â
âLike Iâd know why. I admit that things went really out of hand this time, though.â
âMainly with the afterparty, right? Normally, itâs easy to imagine that it would definitely be trouble.â
âWell, I mean, Iâve interacted with them too much, so I didnât really have them being important people in mind.â
And since I know them underneath the surface, I donât think of them as being larger than life individuals. If I had to say, I see them as absurd people. Kotori is the only exception. Sheâs just a normal good girl.
âJust being one of the twelve families makes them big names. Well, which also goes for you.â
âI wonder what the common person would think about a so-called big name working at a cafe.â
Itâs already exposed to the academy though. Itâs probably hard to believe for the common folk. For them, they must think that I donât have to work and Iâm only enjoying life in luxury. Iâve been doing the exact opposite though.
âPersonally, my mental image of you broke to pieces when I first met you. Now, I find you to be easy to get along with, which I like.â
âThank you.â
Itâs embarrassing to hear you say that so directly, though. Moreso since Iâm formerly male.
âStill, your motherâs pretty late, Kotone. Isnât it already beyond the designated time?â
âMaybe something happened back at the mansion. Maybe the invitation letter arrived?â
We planned to meet at 1 pm, yet itâs already 30 minutes past that. Since itâs mother, I imagined her arriving there before then, but maybe thereâs some sort of incident.
âYour familyâs pretty complicated.â
âItâs honestly a lot better now. Before, it was terrible. Which was due to me and my father, and one of these problems is now resolved.â
Only my father remains, but I donât think anything can help rehabilitate him at this point. Even going as far as splitting the family. Though itâll be only him alone on his side. But even with this, itâll be impossible to win against him.
âThinking about it, itâs amazing that youâre reformed now.â
âThe world works in mysterious ways.â
Itâs seriously a mystery. While I donât think I can just chalk it up to that, itâs impossible to figure out what caused it to begin with, so Iâve already given up.
âStill, sheâs really late.â
âBy the way, have you asked where youâre heading to?â
âI havenât, but itâs probably going to be the same place as before.â
Since weâll probably be going to our usual shop. Kotone really troubled that shop in the past, too. I have memories of giving them unreasonable demands. I know that they tried their all to accomplish those demands. But being Kotone, she still nitpicked.
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âRemembering it, I feel bad now.â
âDid you cause trouble there?â
âThatâs about right.â
âThen why donât you show off just how much youâve changed today? Itâs not like youâre going to be unreasonable this time.â
âRather, I donât even know what to ask for. Iâll just leave the choice to the shop.â
Iâve neither gifted any dresses to girls in my past life, nor have I been in a situation where I need to wear one. So I have no idea how to choose dresses.
âIâm pretty curious about how youâll look in a dress, so send me a picture later.â
âIf you promise not to spread it, then sure.â
âI wonât. But if youâre going with the president, then itâs best that you warn him instead.â
âNo, itâs useless anyways.â
I donât imagine a simple warning ever stopping him. Maybe I could just ask him to keep it private? Rather, how do you even make those hedonists behave?
âRather, soon we canât be calling him president anymore.â
âKotone, youâre not joining the next student council, right?â
âI only joined as a helper, so itâs just a one off thing. And even if the principal ever tries to persuade me, Iâll hold this incident against him.â
The current student council saw Kotone not for who she was but who she is now, which is why I joined for a long period of time. However, I donât think the new student council shares the same mindset. Or rather, they just donât.
âLady Kotone is likely the only person who can talk about the Satsuki family in that manner.â
âThis maid just casually joined in and sat with us, but do you know her, Kotone?â
âSheâs my personal attendant. Donât feed her any snacks.â
Especially the sweet ones. As for why she just casually joined us, itâs likely because sheâs targeting the snacks right in front of us. I guess itâs time to eat them.
âLady Kotone, please, just a mouthful.â
âNo.â
These are prototypes that could end up on the cafe menu in the future. Kaori and I were in the middle of judging its taste, so we couldnât just feed it to other people. After all, sheâll definitely gobble them all up and just say itâs delicious.
âI can give one of mine.â
âNo. Just as I said earlier, donât feed her any snacks.â