“...It's delicious,” Rin said, putting the remaining half of the cookie into her mouth. This time, instead of looking down at the plate, she kept her eyes on Qiluo.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Qiluo's phone screen lit up with messages from their class group chat.
Rei had sent three messages in a row, each starting with “URGENT” and followed by at least five exclamation marks.
Her gaze lingered on the screen, her brow furrowing slightly.
“What's wrong?” Yuki turned to look at her before she could even finish tying the ribbon on the bag in her hands, placing it on the table.
“The class group chat,” Qiluo said, turning her screen toward her. “The voting results for the school festival theme are out.”
On the screen, the class representative had pinned a message. The wording was formal, but it couldn't hide the bubbling excitement: After a class-wide vote, our school festival booth theme has been decided as the Magical Girl Café.
Below that was Rei's follow-up explanation, stating that wearing Magical Girl cosplay outfits to serve as waitstaff was completely voluntary, but she hoped everyone would actively participate.
The last one was a direct message from Rei: “Tian Gong-san, you have an amazing figure! It would be such a waste if you didn't wear it!!!”
Yuki stared blankly at the words “amazing figure.”
She seemed to want to ask something, but the words didn't come out. Instead, she gently placed the half-tied cookie bag onto the table.
“...A Magical Girl Café? Are themes like that popular for school festivals nowadays?”
Rin recalled how Yuki used to sit glued to the television when they were kids.
“Probably because Magical Girls got the most votes,” Yuki said, snapping out of her daze. She pulled her eyes away from the screen and picked up the ribbon again.
“By the way, how many people in our class volunteered to wear the cosplay outfits?” Qiluo typed rapidly, sending the question to Rei.
The reply came almost instantly: “Five so far! But we're still short one! Tian Gong-san, won't you really consider it? Please, I'm begging you!!!”
Qiluo looked at the side of Yuki's face as she quietly worked on the ribbon, then glanced at the messages still popping up from Rei. She suddenly felt that this wasn't really that complicated.
Still, wearing a Magical Girl cosplay outfit... felt a bit strange.
I am a genuine Magical Girl myself. Even though I usually use my Lightweaver identity, playing a Magical Girl as an ordinary student feels a bit...
Yet, looking at Rei's messages, Qiluo could easily picture her with her hands pressed together and her eyes sparkling through the screen.
Ha, that girl... She was a bit dramatic, but being praised so bluntly didn't feel half bad.
Besides, it was a good opportunity to blend in with the class.
She had always wanted to live a normal school life, and participating in this kind of group activity was the perfect cover, wasn't it?
Furthermore, if she refused, Rei would definitely pester her all day, maybe even all week.
While being coaxed by Rei was quite amusing, Qiluo didn't want to be nagged constantly either.
It was just cosplay anyway, not actual combat, so it shouldn't be a big deal.
She typed a reply to Rei: “Stop begging. If you keep begging, I'll start raising my price. Count me in.”
She then set her phone down and looked at Yuki, who was quietly eating a cookie.
The words “amazing figure” were still swirling in Yuki's head.
She knew Qiluo had a great figure; she had known ever since Qiluo stepped out of the bathroom after changing in the apartment.
But now that Rei had said it so openly, it felt as if the entire class had noticed.
It felt as though something that belonged to her had suddenly been dragged out into the open for everyone to see.
Yet Qiluo had agreed. She had agreed so quickly.
With a brief smile at her screen and a few taps of her fingers, she had given herself away.
Yuki imagined Qiluo standing at the classroom door in a Magical Girl cosplay outfit.
Not a complex battle suit, but likely just a rented costume. The skirt might be a bit short, the waist tailored perfectly, and a fake star-shaped badge pinned to the collar.
She would definitely choose the classic white and light gold design, as the colors would complement her hair perfectly.
Many people would steal extra glances at her while waiting in line, and boys from neighboring classes would make detours just to catch a glimpse after hearing about her.
Rei would surely drag her around for photos, posting them to the class group album with the caption “Our Class Mascot.”
Meanwhile, Yuki would only be able to sit in the café, wearing her maid outfit and holding a tray, watching Qiluo get surrounded by a crowd.
“...Are you planning to wear it?” she finally asked, her voice quiet.
“Wear what?”
“The Magical Girl outfit.”
“Do you want me to?”
Her older sister was still standing across from them, but Yuki could no longer bring herself to care.
She looked up into Qiluo's eyes, only to find that Qiluo was already looking back at her.
Saying she wanted her to would make it seem like she was eagerly looking forward to seeing her in it.
Even though she was indeed looking forward to it, saying so would expose her feelings.
But saying she didn't want her to was simply impossible.
The longer the silence stretched, the harder it became to suppress the heat rising in her ears.
“...You look good in anything,” she finally answered, cleverly dodging the choice. The moment she spoke, she turned around to place the cookie bag into a larger tote, hiding her expression with her back.
Behind her, Qiluo let out an unconcealed laugh.
“Then I'll wear it,” Qiluo said, tying the knot of the last cookie bag and placing it on the table, the ends of the ribbon curling up like a pair of rabbit ears.
“But I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
Yuki's mind was already racing. Was it to not take photos? No matter what the condition was, she would find a way to meet it.
Leaning against the refrigerator door, Qiluo crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head at her.
“If you stand at the classroom door in a maid outfit, the entire class will definitely stare. And with your personality, you'll probably get so overwhelmed by the attention that you'll hide in a corner of the café and refuse to come out.”
Yuki opened her mouth to argue, but realized she had indeed imagined exactly that scenario, and the outcome wasn't much different from what Qiluo described.
“So, when you aren't wearing your maid outfit, you have to come help out as extra staff at our class's Magical Girl Café that day. You don't need to do anything complicated—just help me adjust my costume, or carry a few drinks when the line gets too long.”
Qiluo paused, then added, “Of course, it won't be for free. In exchange, when I'm wearing the Magical Girl cosplay, you can stand in the spot closest to me and watch—completely out in the open.”
You don't have to hide. I'm giving you permission to watch.
And I'm only giving it to you.
Rin Kurokawa silently chewed on her matcha cookie, suddenly finding its taste much more bitter than usual.
She knew she could never intervene.
She walked around the counter and headed to the living room to pour herself a cup of tea.
Watching the two of them felt like looking at a beautiful painting.
Qiluo's response to Yuki made Rin happy for her younger sister, but it also brought a faint, dull ache to a quiet corner of her own heart.
Rin felt like an observer standing just outside the picture frame.
It wasn't until she raised the cup and took two sips that she realized she had forgotten to put in the tea leaves.
It turned out their mother had always been right—once a person's mind wandered, even the simplest things could go wrong.
Rate on N.U.
