CH 20

The GW and the Part-time Job and the Ojou-sama (3)

“Isn’t this kawaii?”

Yesterday, I received 12,000 yen for my 10 days of working part-time.

Currently, along with Subaru, I’m shopping for cute clothing to give to Mitsuki as a present. I don’t know much about fashion, plus I also had tons of things to ask Subaru. By that, I meant the matter with Madoka and Ikuto.

“Isn’t that too sexy? Mitsuki can’t wear something like that.”

Subaru held a pink frilly bare-back one-piece in her hands.

If Mitsuki’s back is bared like this, strange bugs will gather around her. Mitsuki’s skin is tender, white and glossy. It’ll definitely become dangerous if it’s showed to those wild animals. Rejected.

“Chotto~, Mako, aren’t you over-protective?”

“This isn’t being over-protective. Mitsuki is really cute.”

“You’ve completely become siscon, huh.”

I’m siscon. Yes, I’m a siscon. Is it bad to be siscon?

Because Mitsuki has a short stature and is delicate, won’t a somewhat loose summer knit and short pants suit her? A feminine one-piece might work too.

I grabbed a brightly-coloured checkered one-piece. The orange checkered pattern looks nice but occasionally a more serene blue would be good too.

Because Mitsuki is so remarkably cute and looks good in whatever she wears, I was unable to make a decision.

With a “kyah kyah” and  “ufufu”, Mitsuki did a fashion show in my head.

Clad in the orange checkered one-piece, with her large, watery eyes, Mitsuki looked at me with upturned eyes. Even the way her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment is kawaii.

“Mako-chan, does this look good?”

Good. It’s terrifically good.

With my palm, I restrained my mouth that involuntarily broke into a smile.

“Oi, oi, earth to Mako. Ah, this girl’s no good. I must quickly do something about this.”

Subaru’s exasperated voice brought me back to reality.

“I’ve decided. It’ll be this orange one-piece.”

“Isn’t that fine? It seems like it’ll suit Mitsuki.”

The checkered one-piece is about 6000 yen, so I have about enough to buy something else. Maybe I could get shoes or something?

I never liked choosing clothes for myself even from the time when I was female. But choosing clothes for Mitsuki is enjoyable to death.

For now I’ll just purchase the clothing. While acting pleased with my choice, I returned to Subaru’s side. I don’t know how happy a face I had on but Subaru gave me a look that seemed like it said, “there’s no cure for this girl”.

For the time being, since I bought what I wanted to buy, I decided to have lunch.

And it was naturally at the usual family restaurant. I’m already acquainted with the shop assistant here and we get along well enough to exchange a nod now.

“So? You met Madoka and Ikuto, rightー. How did it go?”

Pushed by the momentum of Subaru who delved right into the main subject right after sitting down, I expressed the uneasiness I’ve been feeling all along.

“You know how Mitsuki joined the Swimming Club? I’m worried that Madoka will bully her.”

It seems that Mitsuki had endeavored in Swimming Club activities throughout the entire Golden Week.

Onii-chan is also happy as Mitsuki seems to be enjoying herself a lot in the Swimming Club. However. It’s a different matter if joining the Swimming Club makes her a target of Madoka’s bullying.

“The flag shouldn’t be raised just by joining the Swimming Club, but, since even Ikuto appeared, that means something is going on~. Ma, technically there’s still other rival characters so be careful.”

“You mean there’s more?”

“I don’t know whether they’ll appear or not though. Ma, Madoka’s from Yasuchika’s routeー. There are different rivals for Soutarou’s, Kaname’s, the Prince’s and sensei’s routes.”

Having decided her order, Subaru called the shop assistant over.

I asked for a tonkatsu while Subaru ordered a shrimp au gratin.

“Ma, my character is technically the rival character for Yurino Tamaki’s route.”

“Why did you create something like rival characters……”

“It’s only when there’s rivals that there’s moe…… that there’s moe! Besides, Madoka is actually a good child, you know. That girl is carrying various burdens on her shoulders.”

I listened to Subaru while sipping cocoa.

Sure, Madoka being Madoka, she might be carrying various burdens, but all the same I won’t forgive her if she intends to harm Mitsuki.

While it wasn’t that she had done something yet, but I faintly felt some anxiousness when I think that it’s the calm before the storm now.

“Are? Isn’t it Mako-chan! Suba-chan’s here tooー”

At the same time when the shop assistant brought us the tonkatsu and shrimp au gratin, I heard a familiar voice.

This voice and energy, it must be Kaname. And naturally Soutarou was beside him.

Surprised, Soutarou’s face became dyed with red and while exuding flowers and mysterious sparkles, he looked at me.

“Oh, Kaname, Soutarou. Back from club activities?”

Kaname sat besides Subaru while Soutarou sat beside me.

Soutarou was wearing the white Izumino Gakuen Basketball Club jersey with blue lines. Kaname wore the unfashionable russet jersey and had a bag which contained a shinai[1] sleeve and protectors swung over his shoulder. Did he help out the Kendo Club this time?

To be able to do even kendo, Kaname, aren’t you too high-spec……

“Yup. I went for the Basketball Club’s practice match and Kana was helping out the Kendo Club.”

“So Kaname knows even kendo. That’s amazing.”

“Well, about there. For martial arts-types I can do kendo and archery[2], and a bit of karate.”

Kendo, archery, karate and the Basketball Club, the other day he also helped out the Boys’ Lacrosse Club.

What a frightening guy, Fujisaki Kaname. Undoubtedly Kaname is the most high-specs character from Renai Kakumei Revolution, huh.

“Are Makoto and Yurino-san hanging out?”

“Is it a date~?”

With a broad grin, Kaname poked fun at us.

Even though I already said before that I don’t have such a relationship with Subaru, this guy completely didn’t understand, huh.

“That’s right~. Ne, Makoto-kun.”

Subaru’s evil side surfaced, she looked at me with an inclined head and spoke in a high-pitched voice.

Geez, what ‘Makoto-kun’. She’s never called my name that way before.

“That’s not it. We went shopping for clothes. I wanted to get a present for Mitsuki.”

“So that’s it. I thought you betrayed the Singles Alliance~”

“Singles Alliance?”

Soutarou who opened the menu and was in the midst of deciding what to eat raised his head.

“The Singles Alliance that Mako-chan, Souta and I are in!”

With a devious wink, he raised his voice and loudly declared.

What a disturbing alliance.

But it doesn’t really matter since I’ve no intention of having a girlfriend or boyfriend in this world.

“What are you having, Soutarou?”

I quickly ignored the noisy Kaname and asked Soutarou.

Kaname was kicking up a fuss, saying “how mean, how mean” just a while ago but in the blink of an eye he begun chatting happily with Subaru, I guess it’s okay to ignore him.

“A, un. The tonkatsu Mako’s eating looks yummy but I feel like eating hamburger too, so I’m at a loss.”

“Ja, you can have half of my tonkatsu. I want to have desserts later anyway.”

If I remember correctly, there’s a Spring-limited strawberry fair going on now.

As I was planning to have strawberry parfait and strawberry gelato, it’d be just nice if Soutarou would eat half of my tonkatsu.

“Ja, I’ll have half then.”

“Ah, please do so.  Then, I can order the strawberry parfait and strawberry gelato. Soutarou, please eat half of this.”

“Okay. Makoto sure likes sweet things.”

Feeling a hot gaze on me, I lifted my head only to find Subaru looking in my direction while giving a thumbs-up.

It’s the face Subaru makes when she’s reading BL doujinshi. It’s the face she makes when there’s “kyun kyun” moments in BL games.

I gave her a glare full of admonition. However, she won’t stop blushing. For some unknown reason, Kaname who was sitting beside her was also grinning. Did he also become rotten? Maybe he’s the same species as Subaru. Or is this some kind of joke?

It’s no good, I don’t understand. I don’t understand the high school boys nowadays.

Gloomily, I stuffed my cheeks with tonkatsu. The batter is crispy and it’s delicious.

At this point, Soutarou’s fingertip brushed against the side of my lips. Looking at Soutarou, he was smiling and gazing at me with the warmth of a onii-chan.

“Mou, Mako, there’s sauce on you.”

“A, ah, there is……”

Just as I was about to thank him, my eyes met with Subaru’s and a fidgety feeling rose within me.

Waー, what a pretty smile. Her head is probably filled with repulsive delusions though.

But when Soutarou turned to look at Subaru, her face quickly changed into that of a perfect beauty’s so Soutarou was completely unaware of what happened.

Soutarou called the shop assistant over and made his orders.

“Heyー, come to think of itー, is Mako-chan and Suba-chan free tomorrow?”

“My schedule is open but is there something going on tomorrow?”

“Ah, tomorrow, there’s a basketball practice match at Touka University. Ma, it’s just for fun, but Kana and I will be playing tomorrow……”

Soutarou tried to explain to us with utmost effort. But I only had one possible answer.

“Sorry, I can’t.”

“Eh?”

“I have plans tomorrow.”

Soutarou gave me a blank look.

But I can’t go near Touka University. That Madoka is a student of Touka University. Madoka’s hospitalised so she won’t be at Touka University but I don’t want to take any chances.

“Eh~! Just a moment ago you said you were free!”

“Something urgent came up. I can’t go to Touka.”

“I see…… I thought Mako would come to support us……”

I could hear the “kyuu~” lonely cry of a dog beside me.

I definitely can’t look at him. If I see the cunning upturned eyes of the lonely Soutarou, I’ll definitely end up going to the practice match at Touka University to support them.

“Ne, Makoto, you really can’t come no matter what?”

With a “gyuu”, he grasped the hem of my clothes.

The atmosphere had become one where I must look at him, so when I timidly looked over, as expected, or should I say, as I thought, there was a sly dog. With his dog ears and tail, his eyebrows in a ハ shape, he fixedly looked at me with upturned eyes.

Am I the only one who can hear these “ku~un, ku~un” cries?

“Uu…….”

I really shouldn’t have looked.

Is this sly face and behaviour really not done intentionally?

Isn’t he making this face because he knows I can’t reject him if he does it?

“Mako?”

The next moment, words spilled from my mouth before I could stop them.

“I’ll go.”

“Really? I’m happy, Mako. Thank you.”

Soutarou’s dog ears stood up with a “pintto” and his tail waved so much as though it could fall 1000 men.

Ah, mou, I’m an idiot.