E-book bonus: Original Short Story
──Lunch break.
As usual, accompanied by the silver-haired maid Himeji, who had prepared a bento for me, I was visiting the academy’s courtyard. While we sometimes eat in the classroom, we tend to eat outside a bit more often.
“Hm…?”
At the bench we usually use, we spotted familiar faces and instinctively stopped in our tracks—a mischievous little devil with fluffy twin-tails swaying coyly, Akizuki Noa, and a blonde gyaru boldly showing off her well-proportioned bare legs, Asamiya Nanase. In other words, the 6-star female duo from Class 3-A. And they weren’t just eating lunch. The two were huddled close, sharing a single pair of earphones—one in each ear—while peering at the same device screen.
“…Master.”
As I was captivated by the sight, Himeji whispered softly into my ear.
“It might be best not to disturb them. I sense a certain yuri vibe.”
“…Well, I was kind of thinking the same thing.”
I agreed in a hushed tone. Their heads were touching ever so slightly, and both of them seemed a little bashful, creating an atmosphere practically indistinguishable from that of a couple in love.
With that in mind, we decided to discreetly leave the scene to avoid intruding.
“Oh, Hiroto-kun!”
“Huh? …Oh, it’s really Shino and Yukirin! Hiii~!”
Unfortunately, the two looked up just then and spotted us, forcing us to halt. There was no real reason to walk away after they’d called out to us.
“Yo, Akizuki, Asamiya. What were you two looking at?”
“This is the new PV from sigma, a band I totally love! It just dropped yesterday, and it’s super cool, so I thought I’d take the chance to get Noa-chi into it too!”
As she spoke, Asamiya pulled out her earphone and showed me the device screen. A four-member band was playing an ultra-fast, intense song—probably what you’d call JROCK. It was cool and stylish, and I could see why it was a favorite.
That aside, though.
“Wired earphones, huh?”
After enjoying the song for a bit, I decided to ask about something that had caught my attention. Maybe it’s just because the population here skews younger, but wireless earphones are overwhelmingly common on this island. In fact, I only own wireless ones myself.
Beside me, Himeji nodded repeatedly, her silver hair swaying.
“Indeed, it’s quite rare. …However, Master, wired earphones have their own merits, don’t they? For instance, as we just saw, they’re perfect for lovers—or those in a similar relationship—to use while sitting close together.”
“Well… yeah, that’s definitely something you can’t do with wireless.”
“Exactly. On the other hand, using them as a bold move to appeal to someone who isn’t quite a lover might be a bit too forward… but since it naturally brings you closer, it’s bound to make your heart race a little.”
Himeji gazed at me steadily with her azure eyes, her silver hair swaying lightly as she spoke in a cool, expressionless tone. I couldn’t help but feel my own heart skip a beat, but that’s beside the point.
“Ugh! …I-Is it really that obvious? Maybe?”
Asamiya visibly flinched at Himeji’s words. Himeji tilted her head slightly with a curious “?”, while Akizuki let out a playful “Ehehe~” and flashed a mischievous grin.
“By the way, this was totally Mia-chan’s idea, not mine, okay?”
“Tch… that’s not—well, it’s not not true!”
Caught by that teasing remark, Asamiya, perhaps to hide her embarrassment, boldly crossed her legs and started twirling a strand of hair around her ear with her index finger. Her eyes darted around as she muttered, seemingly to no one in particular.
“It’s… it’s not like that, okay? It’s not like I wanted to try something like this with someone or anything. It’s not like I saw it in a magazine and thought it looked nice, so I went out and bought wired earphones on purpose. And it’s definitely not like I got too shy to ask Shinji about it, so I asked Noa-chi to practice with me instead… It’s not like that at all!”
“““Ohhh…?”””
“W-Wait, what’s with those lukewarm stares?! Yukirin, help me out here!”
“If there’s anything I can do to assist, please let me know, Lady Asamiya. I’ll be happy to cooperate.”
“Ugh, that’s sweet but not helpful! It’s not like that! I totally hate Shinji, okay?!”
Himeji bowed her head with a gentle smile, causing Asamiya’s ears to flush bright red.
…How do I put this?
Despite Enomoto and Asamiya being known as a cat-and-dog duo, I was starting to understand why the Class 3-A crowd always seemed to watch them with such warm, amused expressions.
