Qiluo stared at the bento in front of her, falling into deep thought.
Why was it all fried chicken?
What was this? A fried chicken showdown between their older sisters?
But... I want to eat something else...
Qiluo stared at the fried chicken piling higher and higher in the bento box.
Protein, protein, and more protein...
She tried to find a piece of broccoli or a slice of carrot in the gaps between the two piles of fried chicken.
Two rolled omelets grinned up at her, leaving her feeling a bit helpless.
Had there been too many fried foods and sweets in her diet lately?
She gently poked a piece of fried chicken with her chopsticks and looked up at the two girls sitting next to her.
Yuki had neatly arranged the fried chicken in her bento box, while Kizuna tilted her head, staring at the ketchup smiley face on her rolled omelet, seemingly trying to decide where to take her first bite.
Their only common ground was her. If she didn't say anything, this meal would be incredibly awkward.
“By the way, how are the preparations for the school festival stalls coming along?”
“Our class is doing a Magical Girl-themed café. You just transferred, Asana-san, and you're already dragged into this troublesome event. You have terrible luck.”
“It's not a trouble at all!” Kizuna immediately put down her chopsticks and gestured with her hands. “I used to watch Magical Girl videos all the time from my hospital bed. I never expected I'd get to participate in an event like this on my very first day of school.”
“Oh, right, Tian Gong-san, has your class decided on which Magical Girls to cosplay? During recess, I heard some classmates say you have several officially licensed outfits. Which one did you choose?”
She really knew how to bring up the most awkward topic.
“...Meruru.”
Yuki stopped her chopsticks and looked up at her.
Yuki hadn't expected Qiluo to choose such a... sweet style.
She thought Qiluo would wear something cooler, but in her heart, she was actually looking forward to seeing Qiluo in Meruru's outfit.
“It suits you.”
But Kizuna didn't let her off.
The moment she heard “Meruru,” Kizuna's expression changed.
The light in her eyes instantly shifted from curiosity to a kind of expectation that Qiluo wasn't quite ready to face.
“Tian Gong-san will definitely look amazing in Meruru's outfit! I saw the showcase photos on the official website before—the pink skirt with the music-note hair accessory is super—cute!”
It was as if she was already imagining Qiluo wearing it.
Seeing Kizuna's sparkling eyes, Qiluo felt a bit of a headache coming on.
This girl was clearly misunderstanding. She probably thought Qiluo chose this outfit because she was a die-hard fan of Meruru.
Her sister, Yuzuki, had already misunderstood once in front of the vending machine, and now the younger sister was taking over the baton.
No! She had to clear this up quickly.
She had only chosen Meruru because there weren't many options left, and Lightweaver's outfit was too flashy. She was definitely not a fan.
“I just happened to get assigned that one,” Qiluo said, pausing her chopsticks and speaking to Kizuna with what she thought was a very serious expression. “I don't particularly like or dislike it. Besides, it's a Classic Model, so a lot of new students choose it.”
But Kizuna had clearly filtered out her explanation.
Her new deskmate was looking at her with sparkling eyes, her lips moving to silently mouth the word “Meruru” as her eyes crinkled into a smile.
What are you smiling at!
Why are you two sisters so bad at listening to what people actually say?
Qiluo decided to give up the struggle and stuffed a piece of fried chicken into her mouth.
Forget it. The more she explained, the worse it got. Once she put on that pink skirt on the day of the school festival, nothing she said would matter anyway.
“What about you, Kurokawa-san?” Kizuna turned to the other side. She had noticed that Yuki Kurokawa hadn't said much and was just quietly eating her own bento. “What is your class's theme?”
“A maid café,” Yuki said, placing her chopsticks neatly to the side with the grace of a traditional young lady, then looking up at Kizuna.
Her tone was still relatively flat, but at least it lacked the cold edge she had when she first walked in.
“Oh—will Kurokawa-san wear a maid outfit then?” Kizuna leaned forward slightly, her hair sliding off her shoulder.
“...Yes.”
Yuki's fingers tightened slightly around her chopsticks.
Yuki didn't look at Qiluo, but Qiluo knew exactly what she was thinking.
Last time on the balcony, she had said, “I will only serve you.”
She obviously couldn't repeat those words in front of Kizuna, but her silence spoke volumes, and her expression completely gave her away.
The students in the classroom began packing up their bento boxes one after another.
Kizuna stuffed the last piece of rolled omelet into her mouth. With her cheeks puffed out, she chewed and asked Yuki in a muffled voice whether the apron of the maid outfit was white or pink.
Yuki answered them one by one.
Qiluo noticed that although Yuki still looked cold, she was at least answering Kizuna's questions seriously and had stopped using that distant tone.
This was a good sign.
I need to find a way to help them get along better.
Since both of them are contractors, if they can get along well, it will save me a lot of worry.
“Kurokawa-san will definitely look great in a maid outfit,” Kizuna said, closing her bento box and looking at Yuki earnestly.
“You're tall and have great posture, so the apron will make your waistline look beautiful. Unlike me—when I tried on my sister's clothes last time, the skirt dragged on the floor like a wedding dress.”
“Thank you...”
Yuki's tone softened slightly. Since she had decided to make a change, she couldn't just limit it to Qiluo.
Kizuna probably didn't notice this subtle change. She had already turned to Qiluo, pulling a small notebook out of her schoolbag and flipping to a blank page.
“Oh, right! Tian Gong-san, I still don't quite understand what our class is doing for the school festival. What exactly does a Magical Girl-themed café do?”
“Wear cosplay outfits, act as servers, serve coffee, and deliver desserts,” Qiluo said, leaning back in her chair and counting on her fingers. “The class rep said we have to say transformation catchphrases when greeting customers. Rei is already memorizing hers.”
“Who is Rei?” Kizuna asked, looking up from her notebook with her pen poised.
“A classmate of ours. You've seen her—the one with twin tails.”
Qiluo glanced out the window, where a few students on the sports field were carrying mats for gym class.
“She has a pretty lively personality. She was probably in the crowd crowding around you to ask questions when you arrived, but there were so many people that you might not have remembered her. She's been memorizing Mingyue's transformation catchphrase lately.”
“Is memorizing catchphrases part of the service too...?”
“No, she just wants to do it herself.” Qiluo wanted to laugh for some reason just thinking about Rei. “She really loves Magical Girls, so she wants to recreate it for the school festival. Last time, she shouted her lines into thin air in the hallway and startled a passing disciplinary committee member.”
Yuki listened quietly from the side.
The disciplinary committee member was Shizuru Kirishima, and Yuki knew this better than anyone.
She was currently imagining the scene.
What kind of expression would be on Shizuru's serious face when she was hit head-on by Rei's sudden shout during her hallway patrol?
Yuki silently pitied her senior for half a second in her heart.
Rate on N.U.
