Infinite Stratos - Volume 5, page 7
As for Nohohon-san, she likes ochazuke, and there's a large piece of salmon fillet on it. Tha-That's really luxurious...
"Hey hey hey? What tea do you take when you eat ochazuke? Coarse tea? Green tea or relaxing red tea? I take Oolong tea~"
Sitting down on the empty seat, she suddenly asked me. She mixed the food in the bowl with chopsticks, and it really looked rather corroded.
"I think it should be here~"
"..Over where?"
"I'm adding raw egg in."
*Kapak*—Woah! She really added it!
"Spin spin spin spin~"
The stickiness of the rice increased, and it looked even more messed up! Nohohon-san happily smiled.
...On the other hand, I've lost all my appetite already.
"I'm tucking in! *Gobble* *gobble* *gobble*..."
"WAA, STOP MAKING NOISES WHEN YOU EAT!"
"Huh--? That's impossible~ Making sounds when you eat is what a gourmand should do~"
"THAT'S FOR SOBA NOODLES!"
"I'll try it then~ *ciu* *ciu* *ciu*..."
Hu...it got slightly quieter...no, wait, what were we talking about?
"Ahem...Ichika-san?"
"Hm? What is it, Cecilia? Why did you become so formal out of a sudden?"
"If you find that it's tough living in that room, it can't be helped then. I should help others with a bushi's heart[5B 7]; How about you come over to my room?"
...Ahh, are you talking about the room where the bed took up nearly all the place?
"Hold on, Cecilia! Wait! Ichika, come over to my room! I have poker cards."
"Trying to bait me with poker cards? I'm not a primary school kid!"
"Then how about Kompeito?"[5B 8]
"Are you intending to kidnap some kindergarten kids!?"
And she lowered the standard for some reason. Rin, I really don't understand you.
"What? Are beans better?"
"ARE YOU FEEDING THE PIGEONS!?"
...Oh well, I don't want to talk anymore. The more I talk, the more tired I'll get.
"I'm going back to my room..."
With heavy feelings, I got up from my seat and left the cafeteria for my room.
I should sleep a little before Tatenashi-san comes back. Thinking about that, I placed my hand on the door handle.
"Welcome back. Do you want dinner, a bath, or do, you, want, me?"
Two seconds after I opened the door, I saw sempai.
Losing all my strength, I collapsed with my knees first to the floor.
Chapter 3: Clear Melody of Cinderella's Heel
The school anniversary's finally here.
As the school anniversary's not opened to everyone, there won't be any opening fireworks, but the students' excitement was enough to fight against enemies, and everyone's feeling really pumped up.
"You're lying, right? You'll be greeted by that Orimura-kun if you go to class one?"
"And he will be wearing a tuxedo too?"
"And you can take photos with him if you win! A two-people photo! A two-people photo! We must go!"
And, in front of the 'Service Café' of class 1-1, we've been working our backs out since early in the morning.
Even so, if I have to put it, I'm the only one who's really busy because I'm too popular and lack a body double. The other people are all enjoying it as per normal.
"Welcome♪. Please walk here, ojou-sama."
Charl in the maid outfit looked really happy as she had been smiling since morning.
(Is it because I said that it suits her? Even so, she's been feeling really happy.)
On a side note, the attendants outside (the cosplayers) are me, Charl, Cecilia, and unexpectedly, Houki and Laura.
(Even if Laura had to take part since she proposed this, Houki unexpectedly agreed...)
That really surprised me. But she would sulk when I told her to invite the customers in, so it didn't look like she would fit in anyway. She would look especially frustrated when the customers asked me when I would be serving them...is it because she lacks calcium?
(But, well...)
Seeing the girls in maid outfits running in and out, my heart fluttered for some reason.
Dan used to say 'maid outfit, school swimsuit and bloomers! No guy will be unmoved by these three outfit!' or something like that...un?
Leaving that aside, the remaining classmates are divided into two groups. One's the cooking staff in the kitchen, and the other is the miscellaneous stuff.
The miscellaneous stuff group's busy with the refilling of the food that's used up, the clearing of the tables, and controlling the crowds who're queuing up on the corridor, which would be the toughest for them.
"Sorry, but I've been waiting for two hours."
"Please relax, there won't be any problem. We'll continue operations until the festival ends."
They're busy dealing with the customers who are complaining about all sorts of things (well, it seems that they're all complaining about waiting for too long).
(Would it really be alright to have a longer queue than in the morning...?)
Thinking about this, I used the gap between the attendants to look outside the classroom.
"Ah, there's a signboard for the last in line."
"Huh? What kind of games do they have?"
"I heard that there's janken, memory match and dart shooting. It seemed that they designed these choices for the people who aren't good with certain games."
"Huh-can't we go in yet?"
The crowd outside seem to flood the entire first year corridor, and there's people, people, and more people everywhere. I do think that the maids in our class would be suffering trying to serve so many people.
"Ah, it's Orimura-kun!"
(Uh oh, they found me.)
As I thought that, several of my classmates who were organizing the crowd rushed to me and pushed me back into the classroom.
"Ara—I told you not to come outside the classroom—!"
"You'll make things even more chaotic!"
"The fun must only be enjoyed at the end."
U-Un? What does the last sentence mean?
"""Okay, hurry up and head back!!!"""
Now that they said that, I couldn't say anything back, and can only serve the customers now.
"Hey, the butler over there, bring me to my seat!"
(This voice is—)
A familiar and slightly crude voice. I turned around, and as expected, it's Rin.
Though it's Rin, she...
"What are you doing...?"
Rin, who's dressed in a cheongsam[5C 1], is just standing there.
It seemed that only one piece of cloth is used, and the slits are rather daring. There's a picture of a dragon on the red cloth, and there's gold lace and delicate embroidery. Well...
"Sh-Sh-Shut up! Our class' doing a Chinese teahouse!"
"I see, so it's a teahouse?"
"I'm supposed to be the waitress, but because your class is just beside us, we don't have any customers at all!"
My second childhood friend is fuming.
"Hm? That's strange? Rin, your hairstyle's different from usual. What are the bun-bun things on your hair?"
"Chignons."
"Tha-That's right. It really suits you."
"Uu...we-well, I think it suits me since I'm Chinese..."
Why must she be so shy?
"An-Anyway! Help me find a seat!"
"Ye-Ye— Then, ojou-sama, please walk here."
"O-Ojou-sama...?"[5C 2]
"This is how I should be calling you now."
"Fu-Fuun! Anyway, it can't be helped if you've been told to do this...yup, can't be helped."
Why must she repeat the same thing twice? I harbored this simple question as I brought Rin to an empty table.
On a side note, the furniture was already past a school anniversary's level. Cecilia prepared them all herself.
The insistence she had on the quality of the tables and chairs was especially shocking. They looked so classy, I had to wonder how much one set was worth.
The tea accessories were all intricately chosen, and the classmates in charge of these seemed to be trying their best not to let their hands tremble.
"Then, may I know what would your order be, ojou-sama?"
"Le-Let me see..."
Perhaps the high class of the furniture made her uneasy, as Rin twisted about twice before sitting properly and looking through the menu.
On a side note, we can't let the ojou-samas hold onto the menus on their own, so I or the maids will have to hold it for them to read...I do feel that it's really scary to start getting used to such things.
"What's this 'Reward a Butler Set Meal'?"
...
"Do you want to try our shop's cakes?"
"Hey hey, are you trying to change the topic?"
"There's no such thing, I can assure you that."
"...Don't say that, it's disgusting."
"Why are you calling me disgusting!? I'm working now!"
"Then I'll have a 'Reward a Butler Set Meal'."
...
"Ojou-sama, would you like a 'Reward a Maid Set Meal'?"
"Ichika, this meal has something to do with you, right?"
*GYUU!!!*
"You really like to make jokes, ojou-sama."
"Sin-Since you called me ojou-sama, obey my words...I want a 'Reward a Butler Set Meal'."
I couldn't resist Rin, who's staring up and me, for the third time, and can only indicate that I understood unwillingly.
Even so, she seemed to be rather embarrassed about it. Is it because of the name of the dish? You're too naive, Rin, there're a lot of dishes with even more awkward sounding names like 'Lakeside Nightingale Cry Set Meal', 'Deep Forest Love Set Meal' and so on...uu, just thinking about it is making me uneasy.
"A 'Reward a Butler Set Meal'? Then please hold on."
Bowing politely, I left the ojou-sama, Rin.
On a side note, I don't have to head to the kitchen when I took the order, as the voice will be passed through the brooch-shaped mic when I repeated the order. Well, as for the insistence...as expected of the girls.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you then."
Returning to the bar counter, I took the 'Reward a Butler Set Meal'. The contents of the set meal includes iced tea and Pocky. It's cheap, and it only costs 300 yen.
The customers' smiles are treasures, but even then, I need to hold back the reluctant feeling to serve the customers as I walked back to the table with the cheongsam girl waiting there.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, ojou-sama."
"Don't mind."
What's with that answer? She really intends to be like a real ojou-sama, but it really feels weird.
"Then, if you excuse me."
"Huh?"
I sat down in front of Rin, and both of us are now facing each other at the 2 people table. One's dressed in a tuxedo while the other one's in a cheongsam...what's with this scene?
"Wh-Why are you sitting down...well, I guess, it-it doesn't really matter."
"Please allow me to explain."
"Oh, oh—I'll leave it to you then."
...
"WHAAAT!! I GIVE UP I GIVE UP! It's alright if I talk to Rin as if it's normal?"
"Gu, you're right...since your tone's so weird, Ichika, I'll forgive you."
YOUR TONE'S THE ONE THAT'S WEIRD!
"So what kind of set meal is this? It seems to be just snacks and drinks."
"...You can feed."
"What?"
"...I'm saying, that you can feed the butler with this set..."
Rin blinked, and her face immediately went red.
"Wh-Wha-What-What is this set meal...or rather, asking me to fork money out to feed dessert to you..."
"Can't cancel the order...really, that's why I don't want it."
"But, well...tha-that's right...since I ordered it...uu."
"What's wrong, Rin? It's not mandatory, so you don't need to feed me if you don't want to. I'll just leave if that's the case."
"I-I'll feed! I'll feed you! Service properly once you take the money! Really!"
"I got it, I got it. No need to be so angry."
"We-Well, that...say ahh..."
"Ahh—"
The crisp sound of the biscuit breaking could be heard from my mouth. The Pocky and the sundae glass were iced together, and so the chocolate bits won't melt immediately even after biting it. It feels like I was eating a protective layer, but it soon melted a few seconds later, and the sweetness that spread was great.
"I-I fed you, so you need to feed me—"
"There's no such service in this shop, ojou-sama."
Dressed in a maid outfit, Houki interrupted the stuttering Rin. Well, she really looks scary.
"Is-Is that so? I see."
"..."
"Erm, Houki? It's okay, isn't it? Speaking of which, aren't you taking orders from the third table?"
"I got it!"
Snorting coldly, Houki turned around.
"Why's she so angry...right?"
"I-I don't know."
For some reason, Rin blushed as she ate the pocky. The way she lowered her head like a squirrel's really cute.
"Rin."
"Hm?"
"You're rather cute."
"Guu—!!"
Rin spat out the iced tea in her mouth, and then coughed non-stop.
"H-Hey, are you alright?"
"Wh-Wha-What...What do you mean I'm alright?"
"Nothing, it's just that the way you ate the Pocky's really cute."
"Cu-Cute...?"
"Yeah, like a squirrel."
"...Like a squirrel—YOU-YOU IDIOT!"
*BAM!* I got a karate chop on the head. Gua, it really hurts.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"THAT SHOULD BE MY LINE!"
With the sound of the table and chairs colliding, we stood up forcefully.
At this moment, a fan appeared between Rin and I before opening, and the words written on it are 'Rasetsu'[5C 3]...erm, this must be...
"Okay okay, stop creating a commotion here. The other customers will be frightened, you know?"
"What? Se-Sempai? What's with that out—"
I'm shocked that she's wearing a maid outfit. When did she borrow it? That clothing type's completely the same as our class' outfit.
"Tatenashi."
"Heh?"
"I told you to call me by my name."
"Ta-Tatenashi-sempai."
"Good boy."
She kept the fan back in her direction, and folded it back with a snap. The refined movement sounded just like some comedic storyteller[5C 4] or a Japanese dance choreographer.
"Then I'll have some tea too."
"Aren't you serving the customers..."
"Nope."
"Then why are you dressed like that...oh well, forget that I asked."
Haa...just when I sighed for the umpteenth time, an extremely noisy girl rushed in.
"Hello, this is the News Club interrupting. I'm here to interview the butler Orimura!"
It's the news group ace Mayuzumi Kaoruko-san. We're rather familiar with each other since she often came here to take photos of me.
"Ah, Kaoruko-chan! Yohoo!"
"Wa! Ta-chan! That maid outfit suits you too! Ah, since we met, let me take a photo of you and Orimura-kun."
After saying that, she started pressing the shutter quickly, and Tatenashi-sempai already raised the 'YAY♪' victory pose...why did this happen? Are the second year sempais full of enthusiastic people?
"...I'm going back."
"What's wrong, Rin? Are you going back?"
"I still have my own class to attend to."
"I see. Oh, yeah, I might go to your side to take a look."
"Un, well, I'll serve you if you're a guest."
"Okay."
As I exchanged words with Rin, the photography situation changed as drastically as the clouds in the autumn sky.
"It's not good to not include girls in this."
"Didn't you take a photo of me?"
"Ta-chan's too overbearing, so it can't work. Ah, since it's a rare sight, we might as well get the other girls over. How about that?"
"Not a bad idea. I'll take care of the shop at this time."
"Okay, let's do it then! I'm going to take the photos. All the maids, please line up here."
(Why is it that everyone's ignoring my wishes...)
Just like that, sempai started taking photos.
First up, Cecilia.
"Ichika-san, you need to smile."
"Lik-Like this?"
"You're still looking stiff. This service won't do."
"Speaking of which, you're rather happy, Cecilia."
"Oh my, am I? Ufufufu."
"Hey, hey! Don't hook up my arm like that!"
"What's the problem? It's just a small movement."
(The girls around us are glaring at me. Maybe it's my imagination...)
Next up, Laura.
"But, well. Our height difference's rather significant."
"Mn? Oh, that's right."
"...That can do..."
"Huh?"
"You-You can...carry me if you want to..."
"Huh, that..."
"Th-This is for the photo! Do you understand!?"
"Cal-Calm down."
"I-I'm calm!"
(That's definitely a lie)
Third person, Charl.
"If-If you don't mind me asking you, Ichika, how's my outfit? Does it look weird for me to wear it?"
"No problem. It really suits you."
"Re-Really? More than the tuxedo?"
"A maid outfit suits you better, and the skirt's really cute too."
"C-Cute..."
"Yup."
"I-I see. So I'm cute...ehehe♪"
(I do feel that she's smiling a lot more radiantly than before...)
Fourth person, Houki.
"..."
"What's wrong? Hurry up and take the photo."
"I want to avoid ta-taking a photo in this outfit, but..."
"What about it? Aren't I in a similar outfit?"
"It's not the same! Completely different! Basically, you—"
"Okay okay, I got it. The shop's busy, so hurry up and take a shot."
"St-Sto-Stop holding onto my hand!"
"Sto-Stop moving!"
"Sh-Shut up, shut up!"
After some turmoil, all the maid and butler pair shots were finally taken.
Mayuzumi-san looked delighted as she looked through the preview photos on the digital camera.
