Category Archives: Kenkyo Kenjitsu

Reika-sama – 131

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If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


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It took no time at all after that for Mao-chan and Yuuri-kun to make up. By now they were back to their lovey-dovey selves. How envious. I hope she spends her whole life away from the Forever Alone Village.

Thanks to us sharing both a mutual enemy and a mutual problem, the bonds between Mao-chan and I rapidly deepened.

Mao-chan told me, “I’m not going eating with Haruto-niisama anymore!” which was a sentiment that I shared. It wouldn’t be nice to Erika-san after all.

“Besides,” she said, “If Haruto-niisama likes trying restaurants so much then he has Erika-san. She’s his girlfriend after all, so she should go. And then, all we have to do is wait for her to get fat… Ku ku ku ku ku!”

Nooooo! Stop ittt! Stop using your adorable face to laugh like a villaaain! Go back to being the innocent Mao-chaaan!

But right after that her expression turned a little anxious.

“Even if I don’t have Haruto-niisama, you’ll still go out with me, right, Reika-oneesama?”

It was so cute that I hugged her just on instinct. What a cute little sister I have!

Unable to bear her cuteness, I invited her to come over and play during the summer. We were going to have a lot of fun, the two of us. Oh, and Yuuri-kun too, of course.

As for Ichinokura-san, apparently he had received quite a shock from being suddenly hated by his beloved niece. I got a panicked phone call from him.

“Mao-chan is angry at me, and says she won’t come eat with me anymore…”

“Oh my.”

“What should I do, Reika-san? Can’t you talk to her somehow?”

“I apologise, Ichinokura-sama, but Mao-chan is more important to me than you are, so I am on her side in this.”

“Reika-san…”

“You need not worry. Once she calms down a little I am sure she will forgive you. Mao-chan loves you very much, Ichinokura-sama.”

“I hope so… The other day when I met her, she told me that since I was her mother’s brother she would call me Ojisan from now on. It was quite a shock…”

I could hear the emotional damage even over the phone. It must have been rough for a man of only 26 to be called an ojisan. But the punishment for hurting a maiden’s feelings was severe. Ukekekeke!

*

*

Today, Mao-chan told me she wanted to try visiting the salon of the Pivoine proper, so I brought her and Yuuri-kun with me. On the way though, she started to get cold feet.

“Maybe I shouldn’t after all… I wouldn’t want to bother anyone.”

“No need to worry,” I reassured her, “We are all members of the Pivoine, after all. And did you not visit once before?”

“I guess…”

I remembered her coming all the way to the salon to invite me to her birthday party. Nobody had any problems back then either, so there was no need to worry at all.

Sure enough, the adorable couple were welcomed the moment we arrived.

“My! How cute! These two are from the Petite, aren’t they? I am Okishima Fuyuko, the current President of the Pivoine, and I’m very pleased to meet you.”

“Yes! I hope we’ll get along!”

“They really are so cute.”

Since the President was fond of them they could expect smooth sailing at school.

We were entertaining my tiny guests when Enjou and Kaburagi came along. The two of them looked confused about the two kids in the room. Mao-chan on the other hand had lost her cool because the famous Emperor and his friend appeared.

Enjou must have noticed because he put on a kind smile and spoke to her.

“Hello. Might you two be from the Petite Pivoine?”

Yes!”

“Do you know my brother then? His name is Enjou Yukino.”

“Yes! I talk to him quite a lot in the salon!”

“I see. Thanks for getting along with him. You’ll keep looking after him, won’t you?”

“Yes, I will!”

“So what’s he like in the Petite Pivoine?”

“Ummm…”

Enjou’s charming smile was causing her to flush.

“Huh. Friends of Yukino, then?” asked Kaburagi in a rare show of friendliness.

He tapped her on the shoulder lightly.

“If Yukino causes you any trouble, lemme know,” he said.

By now, Mao-chan had turned as red as beetroot. I was just waiting for the steam to start shooting from her ears.

Yuuri-kun on the other hand looked a little sullen. So cuuuuuute!

Oblivious to his mood, the blushing Mao-chan began telling Enjou all about how Yukino gave it his all at school.

Kaburagi on the other hand did notice.

“You’re jealous?” he asked.

Yuuri-kun looked startled. Kaburagi! Don’t you have any delicacy!?

“Get your act together, man! Are you going to let Shuusuke of all people take her from you!” he joked before mussing Yuuri-kun’s hair.

“That isn’t it at all!”

“In that case tell me all about it. C’mon, let’s hear your love troubles,” he said before dragging Yuuri-kun over to a sofa in the corner.

What the-! Kaburagi! Nobody asked for your indoctrination! And to begin with, Mao-chan likes him back so Yuuri-kun is already in another realm compared to you! You should be asking him for advice! You haven’t made any progress with Wakaba-chan at all, have you! What’s the meaning of that!

Anyhow, I was worried so I tried to listen in on their conversation. Not that I was expecting differently, but Kaburagi was totally useless at romance so it took no time at all for them to start talking about soccer instead. Thank goodness… It would have been terrible if Kaburagi had influenced him badly.

Mao-chan, finally noticing that Yuuri-kun was gone, rushed over to him in a panic. Maybe she was feeling worried.

Kaburagi seemed to find the little couple amusing, and went over to play the Minute Waltz on the piano.

Mao-chan ended up entranced and excited again, and Yuuri-kun ended up pouting──

That day, Kaburagi took every one of Mao-chan’s requests, and pretty much had his own little piano recital. Thanks to that, all the female Pivoine members begged her to come again.

On the way back, Mao-chan placed her hands on her chest and muttered,

“That was so dreamy…”

but for never lying to her, and always being by her side to protect her, I thought Yuuri-kun was a much more wonderful man.

Still though, the power of music was incredible~ Not that I’d ever heard any rumours of Dite being popular.

The next day, Enjou would tell me with a beaten smile that when Yukino-kun heard that we had gone to the Pivoine proper, he ended up sulking a little. I’m sorry, Yukino-kun!

*

*

When I came home, Oniisama suddenly asked me,

“Would you prefer the aquarium or the zoo?”

I had no idea what was going on, but it was summer so I told him the aquarium.

“The damage didn’t seem too bad this time, so maybe just a one day trip…?”

Seriously, what was he muttering about?

Still, did this mean Oniisama was going to take time out of his busy schedule to take me to the aquarium? I’d be so happy if it were true! Oh, I know! I could invite Mao-chan! If the position of Oniisama was taken from him, I could already see Ichinokura-san taking another blow. Ukekekeke.


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Reika-sama – 130

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


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Woke up a bit early to do this so likely to have mistakes though, so if you see one please comment. Actually, please check the comments before you comment. No matter how many times you guys notify me, I can only fix the chapter once after all.


──It appears that for a moment I may have lost myself…
How scary. I hope that was not possession.
Thank goodness I regained my sanity before delving into the world of onmyou and dark magic.

*

*

Now then. If I wanted to look reality in the eyes, then I needed a suitable advisor.
When I left the room for some reason Otousama was standing silently right outside my door. Scary! What was he trying to accomplish by standing outside his daughter’s room like this.

“Did you need something, Otousama?”

“…Reika-chan, did something happen? You can talk to Otousama about it. Otousama would do anything for you, you know? Come! Voice your worries to me!”

“Hah?”

What was all this, all of a sudden? Was he in shock because I rejected those cakes?
I didn’t quite understand but right now I was busy, so sorry, but I rejected him and headed for the living room. The tanuki called “Reika~ Reika~” from behind me. Ugh, that was actually really scary… Wasn’t Otousama the one with worries here?

Okaasama was drinking tea in the living room.

“Reika-san, please be quiet indoors. I heard something like a wild animal.”

“Ah, my apologies.”

So they heard the scream of my soul.

Is that why Otousama was trying to peep on me? In that case sorry. Don’t worry. I just accidentally tapped into my demonic side for a bit.

I sat down besides Okaasama.

“Say, Okaasama. Have I gotten fatter?”

Having thought about it for a while, I realised the only person I could ask in this household was Okaasama. Otousama was sweet on me and he was tubby himself, so no way would he call me fat. Oniisama on the other hand was a gentleman, so he definitely wouldn’t be clear with me either. In the end I could only ask a fellow woman like Okaasama if I wanted it to be given to me straight.

When Okaasama heard my words, her eyes widened. Then after a moment, she nodded quietly. I knew it!

“So you’ve noticed as well, Reika-san…”

“Okaasama! Why did you not tell me earlier!”

Isn’t a parent supposed to be strict sometimes for their children’s sake!?

“I’m sorry. Okaasama just couldn’t say it…”

“Okaasama…”

I suppose as the mother to a girl at a delicate age, there were just some things hard to say.

“When did you notice, Okaasama?”

“Let’s see. I suppose for one or two months now…”

“I see…”

The other day we went to a hotel lunch buffet at Mao-chan’s request too. I shouldn’t have done something stupid like trying to conquer all of the desserts…

“But you know, Reika-san, I have some terrific news for you!”

Suddenly Okaasama looked really happy as she handed me an envelope.

I looked inside and there was a pamphlet for a detox course, run by the Kaburagi Group’s hotel.

“This is…”

“Remember that fasting course we went on last year? They invited us this year too. But it’s a detox instead this time. Apparently we’ll go to health salons, eat macrobiotic foods, and exercise. So, Reika-san, come with Okaasama?”

“Okaasama…”

…Okaasama, this was premeditated wasn’t it?
While I was getting fat, the reason you didn’t say anything was because you wanted me to go on this course with you, wasn’t it? It’s because you didn’t want to go by yourself, Okaasama!
You fiend! There was a real fiend in this room!

“To be blunt, I do not think I could burn off my fat with such a mild course.”

I was annoyed at Okaasama, so I refused. For her own purposes, she sat by and watched her daughter grow fat.
Okaasama begged me in panic.

“Reika-san! Please, come with me? If you hadn’t been there last year Okaasama wouldn’t have been able to bear it. Please? Please, Reika-san!”

“No.”

I turned my head away.

“Mrs. Kaburagi said she wanted you to come too. She told me during that last party. You’ll come, won’t you, Reika-san?”

“Ehhh~”

Now that she had brought up Kaburagi’s mum there was even more reason to refuse. Okaasama started pointing out stuff in the brochures like ‘developing a body that gains less fat’ and ‘natural-style cooking’ and stuff but I was having none of it.
Irritated by my complete refusal, Okaasama changed her tune.

“Then are you saying you want to be this fat forever, Reika-san! It’s summer! The season where you wear less clothing! Are you going to pass summer with that thick waist of yours!”

“Oww! Okaasama, that hurts!”

Okaasama was pulling at my midsection with both hands. Oww!

“You must come, Reika-san! I won’t accept a refusal!”

She was getting angry at me now!? The victim!? People often said that guilty people would try to hide their sins with anger. Okaasama was the very picture of that.

Having lost to her intensity, I trudged back to my room. I didn’t wanna go…

The spirit of my hatred was still lying around in my room, so I gave it a small pyre as a funeral.

*

*

On Monday morning I was putting my shoes away at school when Ririna came up to me and pointed right at my face.

“Reika-san, you’ve gotten fat!”

A moment later, Minami-kun and companions had taken her away. That idiot came up to me first thing in the morning to say that?

Should I punch her…?

*

The summer holiday was coming soon, so Class Rep and I were collecting the printouts for that. When we headed to the Student Council room, Fellow Stalking Horse was there.

Come to think of it, the summer break would be when the Student Council members passed their roles over, wouldn’t it. I guess that made Fellow Stalking Horse the next President after all.

“Kisshouin-san, could you take this half?”

“Okaaay.”

He may have said ‘half’, but the ratio was actually 3 to 2 his way. He might have been a maiden at heart, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t also a gentleman.
After we made sure we had them all, the two of us were about to leave when Stalking Horse called out to stop me.

“Did you need something?” I asked.

“…I’m sorry for the bias I showed you back then.”

“Pardon?”

What was this?

“Tomoe-senpai also told me off for having preconceived notions of you.”

“Eh-, Tomoe-senpai did!?”

What’s this? What’s this about Tomoe-senpai now!? I want to hear it! Tell me about Tomoe-senpai!

“The other day I met with him, and you came up in conversation. That was when he scolded me…”

Ehhh~!? Stalking Horse met with Tomoe-senpai!? Sneaky! I wanted to meet him too!

“If you have any complaints about what I’ve done, I’m willing to hear them.”

“I have no complaints against you in particular, Mizusaki-kun.”

Mm. I just wanted to know how Tomoe-senpai was doing. I have nothing to say to you, Comrade. I suppose if I really had to say something, I’d be telling you to actually do your job as the village vice-chief. Don’t think you can graduate from this village before I do!

Obviously I couldn’t actually say this, so I left the room even as he looked dissatisfied.

“Kisshouin-san, did something happen between you two?”

“Who knows. I cannot say I quite understand it myself… Nothing bad happened though, so pay no mind.”

“That makes sense.”

After that he talked about his love life until we reached the classroom.

“Apparently Honda-san is going to be doing the summer vacation remedials, so I’m thinking about doing them too.”

I was listening to him talk when a while later Iwamuro-kun came down in the other direction.

“Master! Let me carry those!”

And so even though we were in different classes, he ended up carrying them for me.

“Also, I have something I want your advice on, Master…”

Advice for Iwamuro-kun… I bet it was about avoiding tanning for the summer.

In the hallway with our classrooms I saw Miharu-chan and Nonose-san talking merrily to each other. When Class Rep saw them, he turned into a maiden.

I think the two of them liked the fantasy genre. I overheard them speaking about it a lot. By “mercenary” did that mean they were reading a war novel at the moment?


I just accidentally tapped into my demonic side for a bit.”
Originally actually referenced https://theatrenohgaku.wordpress.com/2014/08/23/kanawa-%E9%89%84%E8%BC%AA/


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Reika-sama – 129

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


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“She was my classmate in university. This is Yumiyama Erika-san.”

“Hello.”

Smiling besides Ichinokura-san, Yumiyama Erika-san was slender like a model. Actually not ‘like’. I had seen her in fashion magazines before. She was literally a model.

“What are you having, Erika?”

“I’ll just go with a salad. I have a photo shoot soon.”

Mao-chan and I had arrived earlier and already ordered, so sitting in front of us now were countless plates.

Mao-chan looked at her own orders, and then looked at Erika-san’s salad.

We couldn’t exactly waste food that we ordered either, so in front of Erika-san and her tiny salad, Mao-chan and I were forced to awkwardly eat our usual fill of calories.

“I’ve heard so much about you two from Haruto,” she smiled. “He’s always talking about how cute his niece and her friend are. And gosh was he right! You really are as cute as a doll~!”

She clapped her hands together in happiness.

“Didn’t I tell you? Mao and Reika-san are like adorable little sisters. Just going out to eat with them is enough to do away with all my stress.”

Ichinokura-san flashed a smile beside her.

“You’re such a gourmand, Haruto~” she replied. “Actually, I’ve known about Mao for quite a while now, but recently he began telling me about you as well, Reika-san, and I just had to meet you.”

I was startled.

“Umm, I apologise for always going out to eat with him. I had no idea he was taken, and did not mean anything by it… If I upset you in any way, I will make up for it.”

Uh oh. Don’t tell me she had to meet me to stop taking her boyfriend out to play?!

We weren’t playing though. We were eating.

Ah! Didn’t we go to Taiwan the other day!? Although to be honest it was a one-day trip so you couldn’t really call it going on vacation with somebody.

But still! Don’t tell me I was in the position of some housewrecker!? Aahh! Reika! Didn’t you learn anything after that time with Kasumi-sama!?

‘Adultery’…

‘Demanding reparations’…

“No! I didn’t mean it like that! You didn’t do anything to upset me at all!” she exclaimed as she waved her hands in denial. “Actually, I’m really happy that he finally has somebody to eat with, you know?”

…Really?

“You know how much Haruto loves food, don’t you? I’ve been trying to eat out with him as much as I can, but I just can’t. But then recently I heard that you and Mao were going places with him and I was just so relieved. Haruto always tells me how much he enjoys his meals with you two, you know?”

I put on a smile and nodded along.

“You’re just a small eater, Erika,” said Ichinokura-san, “You don’t have to force yourself to come with me. And Reika-san, when I first met you you wouldn’t even touch the food. I was really worried, you know? But thankfully when we met again at Mao’s birthday I found you happily eating away. Erika has never eaten much, and now her job needs it too, but you two are still growing so you need to eat. Oh, what should we get for dessert?”

With that, Ichinokura-san showed the dessert menu to the two of us, even after all of the food──

*

*

*

We talked about how they first met, or about Erika-san’s modelling job, and to be honest it was a nice enough lunch. And there had been no need for me to worry about Taiwan either, because Erika-san had said to me with a smile, “It must have been tiring going to Taiwan. I’m glad the xiaolongbao were good. I’ve been drinking the tea Haruto got me every day.”

Ichinokura-san spoke.

“Now then, what shall we do? Erika wanted to go with you wherever you two wanted.”

“Yes. How about shopping? I could get you two clothes that would look good on you. Oh, or did you want to go eat something else?”

Mao-chan and I made eye contact.

“No, I am afraid I must be excusing myself. I would not want to disturb you on your date.”

“Me too! I’m full so I’m going to go home now!”

“Eh? You don’t have to worry about that,” said Ichinokura-san.

“Yeah! We only just met too, and you’re leaving already?” agreed Erika-san.

“I simply cannot accept disturbing you two further,” I said cheerfully.

“You’re right, Reika-oneesama. Haruto-niisama, you’re the one who shouldn’t be holding back. Go enjoy your date!” smiled Mao-chan.

The two of them gave slightly troubled smiles at our teasing.

“Then at least let us send you off,” he said.

“No need. My family will send a car. Please, go on.”

“Reika-oneesama, in that case could you drop me off too?”

“Of course, Mao-chan.”

“Hmm… Is this really okay?” he asked.

‘It is, it is’ the two of us cheerfully reassured him.

“We’ll definitely meet again right?” asked Erika-san, “Mao-chan, I’d be really happy if you called me ‘oneesan’ too.”

Mao smiled at her bashfully.

And so the two of us saw the couple off with a smile before silently walking in the other direction.

“…Mao-chan, shall we go somewhere?”

“…Yes”

The two of us entered a nearby café and ordered something sweet to drink.

“What the heck was that! Haruto-niisama’s girlfriend was exactly skin and bones!” exploded Mao-chan.

“She was a model after all…”

“Unbelievable! He kept saying over and over that plump girls were better than skinny ones and then he chooses a skinny model!? What’s wrong with him!”

Mao-chan was clenching her fists in rage.

I thought it was unbelievable too. Erika-san’s legs were as skinny as my upper arm. Were her legs too skinny, or were my arms too thick…

“She truly ate nothing but salad, it seems.”

Even though Ichinokura-san had completely denounced diets to the two of us…

“Right!? We ate so much but she was the only one eating just a salad! It was like she was laughing at us for eating so much!”

Mm…

“I was sure that the person Haruto-niisama chose would be a plump girl who loved food and was good at cooking. But instead she was a dieter who ate nothing but salad!”

Mao-chan’s cheeks were turning red from rage.

I silently drank my banana au lait.

Mao-chan was hanging her head when she muttered.

“…I’ve gotten fat.”

“Eh!?”

“You and Haruto-niisama said I wasn’t but I’ve been thinking about what Yuuri-kun said… I got on the scales and they said I was fatter. But Okaasama said I didn’t look fat at all, so I thought that maybe I was still okay…”

Are you actually me, Mao-chan?

“Yuuri-kun was right… Haruto-niisama is a big fat liar!”

Mao-chan looked bitter and frustrated.

“I see… I guess I got fat too…”

“Reika-oneesama!”

Mao-chan looked at me in shock.

“I have somewhat noticed it as well. That my weight has increased recently. But I turned away from reality.”

“No, Oneesama! You don’t look fat at all, Oneesama!”

“No. I look like a pear under this…”

“…!”

Mao-chan and I held each others’ hands tightly.

Looking around, all of the girlfriends in the café had tiny cakes, and they used forks to make even tinier bites to eat from. Every one of them without exception was cute and skinny. Nobody ate more than two or three bites.

I was fooled by Alice’s owner’s sweet words, and before I knew it I had transformed into Humpty Dumpty…

*

*

When I got home, a happy tanuki came over.

“Reika! Otousama bought you your favourite cakes, so come eat with me!”

I glared at him and returned to my room.

Hate…! I hated all the men in this world…! Liars! Liars! Liars!

They spouted lies about men liking plumper girls but in the end they always chose the skinny ones! What they said and what they thought were complete opposites!

They said they liked girls who could eat a lot but in their hearts they were laughing at us! That was the truth!

“Nuoooooohhhhhh!!!”

I vented all of my hatred and frustration into my needle felt. Stab! Stab stab stab!

Elohim, Essaim! Elohim, Essaim!

“Uohhhhhhh!!!”

My roar filled the Kisshouin house.

A pox on all the lying men in the world!


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Reika-sama – 128

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


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I was studying for my term end exams at night when I suddenly felt a little hungry. That’s why I began eating some chocolate snacks made by a company named after the Rococo Queen’s dynasty. Crunchy and delicious. They were light too, so I couldn’t stop eating them. I hadn’t skipped dinner or anything either.

Actually, lately I was starting to feel suspicious that whatever controlled fullness in my brain had gone haywire… I think maybe my stomach had gotten bigger after all the times with Ichinokura-san…

Still, you couldn’t win a war on an empty stomach. Although nobody had noticed, I had still gotten rank 29 last time. I fully intended to hold the line. Even as my hands provided supplies to my brain, I was memorising and memorising.

It was all part of my plan. I had heard that after memorising you could move it into long-term memory by sleeping. That’s why I went to bed fully expecting success so why was it that after I woke up everything was gone!? What was the meaning of this!?

Far from ‘long-term memory’ I had to painstakingly re-memorise almost half of everything I did last night. I couldn’t go on. It was going to be a failure for me… Aahh, just how on earth did Wakaba-chan study? I really wanted to know.

I thought that maybe better blood circulation to my brain would help with memorising so I got in the bath and tried to remember the timeline for my history course but then I just got dizzy and things got even worse.

Do your best, Reika!

*

*

Anyhow, I studied, the exams came, and then I did the exams. The result was me at rank 30. Uohhh! I just managed to stay on the ranking boards by the skin of my teeth, but I did it!

“Goodness! Reika-sama, you’re rank 30!”

“You’re amazing, Reika-sama!”

This time, the girls around me noticed. I was so happy…! But I couldn’t exactly show it.

“Oh. So I am, hohoho,” I laughed, pretending like I didn’t care.

Little did they know that I had actually studied half to death for that result. And they never would.

“As expected of you, Reika-sama!”

Serika-chan and Kikuno-chan kept praising me, so I said,

“Thank you. But in truth I actually dropped in rankings, you know? I could not quite find the time to study this time around…” casually emphasizing my previous achievement.

“Truly!?”

“Dropped to 30th place? You really are different to us, Reika-sama!”

“To think that you made 30th place without studying!”

The praise came more and more.

I was so happy that I started to smirk, so I had to quickly cover my mouth with my hand.

“I think that will do, everyone. My results were nothing special. Kaburagi-sama and the others are the ones we should be praising, no?”

I changed the subject because they were praising me so much it started to sound like sarcasm.

“Oh, you’re right! As expected of the Emperor of Zui’ran!”

This time Kaburagi had made a comeback and reclaimed his spot in 1st place. Not only that but Enjou was 2nd place. Wakaba-chan was 3rd.

With Kaburagi and Enjou in 1st and 2nd place, unlike last time everybody was celebrating instead. ‘Did you see that!? That’s the power of our representative!’ was the feeling they gave.

Wakaba-chan was staring at the board with her mouth hanging open. Some girls who didn’t like her started talking about how it was just a fluke last time.

“It’s Kaburagi-sama and Enjou-sama!”

Like Moses parting the ocean, the crowd moved out of the way as they came. Everybody watched as they looked at the board. Oh, for a moment one side of Kaburagi’s mouth twitched upwards.

“Kaburagi-sama, congratulations on 1st place!”

“You’re amazing, Enjou-sama!”

Enjou smiled and gave his thanks amongst the storm of praise, while Kaburagi acted as though his result were natural.

Somebody said “As if he could lose to the likes of Takamichi-san,” which caused him to look her way.

With a smile, he approached her.

“Ah well. Do your best next time,” he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder, before leaving magnificently together with Enjou.

Left behind, Wakaba-chan was now suffering from some inexplicable jealousy at being pat on the shoulder…

Kaburagi really hated losing.

Kaburagi, I bet you studied your butt off this time, didn’t you.

*

*

*

Since the exams were over, Ichinokura-san invited me out to celebrate. And this time he said there was somebody he wanted to introduce. Apparently it was his lover!

Apparently Mao-chan had no idea about ‘Haruto-niisama’s lover’ so it came as quite a shock to her. When I went to visit her in the Petite salon she was looking a little down. And Yuuri was absent from her side again. Apparently he had asked if she had gotten even fatter.

“I had no idea that Haruto-niisama had a girlfriend…”

“Yes, it was my first time hearing it too.”

To Mao-chan, it must have felt like her beloved Oniisama was being taken away. She seemed lonely, so I wrapped my arm behind her and patted her on the shoulder.

If Oniisama was taken away by a lover, would it be a shock to me as well…?

“I wanted Haruto-niisama to date you, Reika-oneesama…”

“Eh!?”

That was… I mean, there was quite an age difference. Ichinokura-san was 26 now, wasn’t it? Dating me would be a crime, you know?

He used some killer words back at the flower viewing party so my heart had throbbed a little, but once we got to know each other better he was more like my foodie comrade. And he said that it was fun eating with somebody else who really enjoyed their food. He was really relaxing and soothing to be around, and was comfortable in a different way to Oniisama. Even if he had a girlfriend, I hoped our relationship could continue. There was nobody else whose taste in foods meshed this well, after all.

“Mao-chan, Ichinokura-san’s happiness is important, yes? Should you not be happy for him?”

“…Yes.”

She gave a little nod.

“I wonder what kind of person she is. Ichinokura-san chose her after all. She must be wonderful.”

“I think she must be somebody who loves eating with Haruto-niisama!” said Mao-chan with a smile.

It looked like she was feeling better now. And mmn, I agreed. I could see somebody touring restaurants with him.

“She must be somebody plump the way Haruto-niisama likes.”

“I think I agree.”

Since it was Ichinokura-san’s girlfriend, she had to be a huge eater.

“I find myself looking forward to this weekend.”

Mao-chan and I nodded to each other with a smile.

*

*

*

That weekend, Mao-chan and I met his girlfriend in the early afternoon. She was slender and dainty like a model.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?


Incidentally, the brand she was talking about at the beginning: http://www.bourbon.co.jp/product/


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Reika-sama – 127 – The Handicrafts Club’s Shop Boy

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


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The Handicrafts Club’s Shop Boy

Because of my grandma’s influence I’ve enjoyed handicrafts since I was young. Whenever winter came I would always begin to knit with her. Anything simple enough to make, I made. Whenever I finished something I could show it to everyone, and it really made me happy when they praised me for it.

My favourite had to be embroidery. Creating a complex design with nothing but thread took a lot of hard work. It was hard to describe just how fulfilling it was when I completed one.

But it wasn’t long before I found out that boys were mocked for doing these things. I was teased quite a lot in primary and middle school because of it. I didn’t join the Home Economics Club in middle school for that reason. I figured that I could just do it at home.

I hadn’t planned to change my mind in high school either. But Zui’ran was my first choice and I went to their school festival to scout it out. The moment I laid eyes on the wedding dress centrepiece for the Handicrafts Club, my heart was stolen.

I heard from others that the club had worked together to create it. I wondered if I could make something like that too if I joined…

*

After desperate study, I managed to get accepted. It was overwhelming just how incredible the facilities were compared to any other school I knew.

In my middle school I had been one of the more well-off students, but the wealth of the Internal Students was a different order of magnitude. And the students called the Pivoine were simply beyond comparison.

I had heard stories about them before entering. About how not only were they wealthy, but they held the power at school. There was a room called the Salon that was exclusive to them, and it was unthinkable to cross them because they could do anything they wanted without consequence. According to the rumours, if you angered one they could torment you until you dropped out of school… It was frightening. My own grade supposedly held ten of them. I realised that I had to avoid their attention or else…

*

Despite the trouble I had adjusting to a new school, I was ready to visit the club that I longed for.
Completely as expected, the club was nothing but girls. I wasn’t sure what to do, and considered giving up on it after all.

But the new model of embroidery machine had gotten hold of me. I was a firm believer of manual embroidery but I wanted to try all of it! The weaving machine seemed like fun!

I happily listened to all the senpai speak about handicrafts. I would probably be made fun of again, but I really wanted to join.

At some point I noticed a row of torso mannequins in the back of the room. By chance I caught sight of a full mannequin wearing our uniform.

My curiosity drew me over. What lay beyond was an intricately made life-sized doll of a girl with ringlets. Or so I thought but she was alive! She was a human! Eh? Why on earth was she sitting there, I wondered.

The girl didn’t notice me and never lifted her head. Upon closer inspection I realised that she was absorbed with stabbing something with a needle. Eh… A voodoo spell…?

She seemed like a dangerous person… I wondered if this club was actually suspicious…

While I was stuck watching with my heart thumping in my chest, somebody called me from behind. I couldn’t help but let out a small shriek.

“Is something wrong?” the Club President had whispered.

“Umm… Who is that person?” I whispered back.

For a moment I saw her eyes swim.

“That’s a member of our club from 2nd Year.”

…I fearfully asked just one more question.

“Just… what is she doing?”

Black magic?

We were talking right beside her, but Ringlets-senpai was completely engrossed in her work. Actually it was like she couldn’t hear us at all, and continued stabbing obsessively at the figure in her hand.

“Ohh. We call that needle felting. It’s a crafts technique that’s been pretty popular recently. You stab wool with a needle to create shapes out of it.”

So that’s what she was doing. I had no idea.

“Reika-sama.”

Reika-sama?

The President had moved one of the torsos out of the way, and called out to Ringlets-senpai who looked up at us in blank bemusement.

She had the face of a doll as well.

“This is a 1st year who’s come to see our club. I think he’s interested in your needle felting, Reika-sama.”

Suddenly, Ringlets-senpai’s face lit up.

“This is needle felting, where you use a needle to make things. It is simple and fun, you know? This is the red panda I am making. Look!”

She held out the figure in one hand to show me, but instead of looking like a red panda on two legs, it really just looked like a voodoo doll to me…

But she told me “Please do join our club!” and her smile was so bright and happy that I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Reika-sama might seem unapproachable at first, but once you talk to her you’ll realise that she’s very kind and loves handicrafts a lot. You won’t have to worry, all right?”

“Yes.”

The club had a rather odd senpai in it, but the club members seemed to freely enjoy themselves which is why I made up my mind to join.

Never would I have imagined that the funny senpai I met was actually a member of the Pivoine, and one of the most powerful people in 2nd Year──

*

Not long after the term began, Kisshouin Reika-senpai became well-known amongst my grade as well.

There were a number of famous senpai at our school, and the most famous amongst them was the Emperor, Kaburagi Masaya-senpai. The first time I saw him I was overawed by his presence and charisma. Amazing, I thought. This person who people called an emperor was like a different existence to me. He brought the words ‘ruler’ and ‘conqueror’ came to mind.

Kisshouin Reika-senpai was included amongst those celebrities. She was the daughter of the Kisshouin family, and was the leader of the largest faction of 2nd year girls. It was said that if Kaburagi-senpai was an emperor, then Kisshouin-senpai was an empress.

When I heard that story I finally realised what an outrageous person I had gotten entangled with, and couldn’t stop the shivers.

How could that have been a voodoo doll. There was no need for voodoo. If she wanted she could erase anybody she wanted with ease.

I didn’t know what to do. How could I have known that an unassuming club like the Handicrafts Club could have had a Pivoine member. And not just any Pivoine but the Empress of all people. People had told me that if a Pivoine ever bothered with a club, then the girls would almost always join the Flower Arrangement Club or the Tea Ceremony Club…

After realising the truth I was terrified for a while. But despite my apprehensions, Kisshouin-senpai always attended the club with passion, and was always enthusiastic about participating. She might have been clearly different to everybody else there, but she seemed strangely at home to me.

“Your embroidery is amazing, Minami-kun. I already know you will shine during the school festival,” Kisshouin-senpai smiled brightly at me like always.

Thanks to that, before I knew it I was replying to her normally. When I mentioned that I was thinking of embroidering a tapestry for the school festival she praised me and cheered me on. I asked her what she was planning on doing, but her expression turned troubled and she told me,

“Actually, I might really like handicrafts but admittedly I am not very good at them…”

“What’s your favourite technique?” I asked, and it was, as expected, needle felting.

I asked her why she couldn’t just go with that then but she was worried that it would look pathetic next to the rest.

Hmm…

“Then why not use needle felting to make something wonderful that you can be proud of?” I asked.

I held out my hands and gestured something large enough to hold in both arms.

Senpai’s face immediately lit up.

“I shall go discuss this with the Club President at once!”

With that, she flew off.

…She might have been a member of the Pivoine, but Kisshouin-senpai really wasn’t scary at all, was she.

*

At least that was what I thought. One day I was being harassed by boys from my class, and was being mocked for enjoying handicrafts again. They had done this a lot since finding out what club I had joined. I spent each day nervous that it would finally escalate into bullying.

I had hoped that I could just endure it. But when they snatched the bag with my tapestry in it I couldn’t bear with it any longer.

It was at that moment that Kisshouin-senpai appeared.

She was like a different person to the senpai who attended club activities with a carefree smile. Kisshouin-senpai confronted my classmates head-on, and gave them a terrifying warning with a smile. Panicked by the appearance of a big-shot from the Pivoine, my classmates ran with their tails between their legs.

I was really happy when she said that I was important to her.

And just a moment ago she had the same aura of a ruler that the Emperor did. It was so cool.

I decided that until she graduated I would follow her all the way!

When we entered the classroom, senpai had transformed into her usual self completely.

With a new pair of men’s socks in her hand, she said to me,

“I want to embroider a tanuki on these, so could you please help?”

Why tanuki on socks, I wondered, and asked her as much.

“To harass a lying tanuki,” she replied.

After I taught her how to do it, she muttered,

“None of the socks will escape…” as she began embroidering some mysterious creature onto it.

I supposed that a commoner like me would never understand the taste of a noble…

*

*

*

The next day I was summoned by Kotou-san from the class next door. Kotou-san was a famous External Student who entered during middle school. Despite that she was bold and unrestrained, and back when she made an enemy out of scores of Internal Students she shot back,

“Not only do you second-rates have worse marks than me, but you have less money as well! A half-baked rabble like you have no grounds to complain!”

At the end of it all she even formed her own faction. She was scary. And I had no clue why she had called me out…

While I was standing there filled with anxiety, Kotou-san raised her chin haughtily and declared with equal arrogance,

“Well, if you’re Reika-san’s kouhai then I guess I have no choice but to protect you too. If anybody bothers you, report to me. I’ll crush them!”

Surprised, I asked her why she was doing this only to find out that shockingly, Kisshouin-senpai was her cousin. I commented that they must have gotten along well, but she denied it and yelled at me instead.

With Kisshouin-senpai and Kotou-san behind me, the boys in my class had all gone quiet.

Speaking of Kotou-san, although she was wilful and had a strong ego, she was the type to protect her own. Thanks to that, she had a lot of companions, both boys and girls. Now it looked like I was set to be one as well.

One day she gave me an order.

“Reika-san has been getting fat recently. Shop Boy. Go and let her know that she’s getting fat.”

Naturally there was no way I could say that!

I flat-out refused, but instead she replied,

“Then I’ll go tell her!”

before trying to rush out of the classroom.

“Noooo! Please don’t!” screamed a number of my classmates. Somehow they succeeded in stopping her but now Kotou-san was pouting.

“But Reika-san…” she sulked.

She really did love Senpai, didn’t she?

Anyhow, I wasn’t exactly happy about it but she gave me the nickname ‘Shop Boy’.

It had all begun with this.

“So your name is Minami Raita? Then it’s Minarai(Apprentice) for short, isn’t it. From today on you’re Apprentice.”

I told her that I didn’t want a nickname like that.

“Oh. Then since you’re an apprentice, Shop Boy it is.”

That was how I was stuck with something even worse… Urgh…

But oddly enough, it seemed like people started talking to me more after I turned into ‘Shop Boy’.

Because I had Senpai and Kotou-san, nobody used me as a gopher even though I was a Shop Boy, and everybody remembered me now too.

I guess in that sense being a Shop Boy wasn’t so bad then…?

*

My new friend, who was oddly well-informed, told me a rumour. Apparently the Emperor had given Kisshouin-senpai a love poem anthology, and had played her a song on the piano. Not only that but his best friend, Enjou-senpai, had shared an umbrella with her on the way home, and had gotten a gift too, and she was just living an incredibly splendorous life. That was Kisshouin-senpai for you~

When I looked out the window I think I saw Senpai and her friends being attacked by a flock of pigeons. But I must have made a mistake. How could that have happened to Kisshouin-senpai?

*

The senpai in the Student Council often worried about Externals like us. The other day they told me,

“If you end up in trouble with any of the Internal Students, and particularly any of the Pivoine, please come and talk to us.”

I threw out my chest and replied,

“I have Kisshouin-senpai so I’ll be fine!”


*

*

*

Translator’s note:

“I was really happy when she said that I was important to her.”

To clarify, the line she originally used in chapter 125 was literally,

‘Minami-kun is my club’s daiji na kouhai’

Daiji literally translates to important, but to simplify the explanation it can generally be taken as meaning ‘valuable’ (e.g. in the sense of strategic or exhaustible resources), ‘precious’ (e.g. in the sense of friends, family, or a loved one), or somewhere in-between.

The joke is that (although she obviously doesn’t really mean it) she’s treating him as a valuable war asset, but he thinks that she’s saying that she and the club cherish him as a member.

“Minami-kun is somebody very important to my club.”

“I was really happy when she said that I was important to her.”

was how I tried conveying the ‘misunderstanding’. What do you think?


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Reika-sama – 126

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


Join the Evil God Army on discord!
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I continued to eat out with Ichinokura-san and Mao-chan each week.

Ichinokura-san really did seem to love food. The other day when I told him I felt like xiaolongbao, he replied,

“I know the best place. I’ll take you.”

It seems that he meant it because that weekend we ended up in Taiwan.

After leaving the airport we headed directly to the restaurant where they brought out xiaolongbao in those stacked bamboo steamer things, so we ate and ate.

Xiaolongbao is a type of steamed bun, traditionally filled with pork. One popular and common variant is pork with minced crab meat and roe.

At first I had wondered if there was any need to go to Taiwan just to eat xiaolongbao but by the end of it I was convinced. This was definitely the best xiaolongbao I had ever had. When I heard about red bean xiaolongbao I thought it was some mistake, but when I tried them they were delicious too.

Besides the xiaolongbao we also had steamed jiaozi and siu maai and stuff. By the end of it I was so full I could burst.

After that we went and bought some tea as a souvenir. Some Jasmine tea, as well as this other tea whose name caught my attention. Dongfang Meiren(Oriental Beauty). It was advertised as being good for weight loss, so I ended up buying it too. If possible I would definitely be onboard with burning away all that I ate today. I was so full that it felt like my stomach would burst.

I also bought a tea set with a cute drawing of a pigtailed girl. Drinking from this would probably be fun. It gave the right atmosphere.

There was apparently something popular with women around so I had a look and found a flower blooming in boiled water. It was flowering tea. I bought it without a thought. I could gift this to Mao-chan.

We never went to a single sightseeing location during our blitz tour. All we did was eat xiaolongbao and then come back from Taiwan. It showed me just how seriously Ichinokura-san took food.

But it was fun, even if all we did was eat. I wanted to go there again with somebody else, this time for longer. The problem was that I didn’t have somebody to invite… I’d rather not go alone.

When I got home I excitedly tried some of the flowering tea. But when I poured the hot water in, it turned out kind of gross. Like a bundle of caterpillar fungus… Sorry, Mao-chan.

*

*

*

I hated how it rained every day.

Feeling a bit gloomy, I opened the door to the salon to Kaburagi playing Chopin’s Raindrop.

The people in the salon were enchanted. It wasn’t often that he’d play the piano here but sometimes he’d feel like it and show us just how skilled he was in music.

Before I realised it I was drawn in as well. Just standing there and listening. I even unknowingly swayed my body to it.

When he was done, everybody broke into applause. Myself included, of course. He was really good. My mood seemed to have lifted as well. Maybe had I come earlier I could have heard the start too. What a shame.

“That was a wonderful performance, Kaburagi-sama!”

“Hearing you play ‘Raindrop’ makes me think that the rainy season might be a good thing.”

“Kaburagi-sama, could you not play us another song?”

The girls were already surrounding him.

I was just watching them blankly when Enjou came along.

“Since you’re already listening, how about a request, Kisshouin-san?” he said as he pushed me into the ring.

“Masaya, play a song that Kisshouin-san likes.”

“Eh!?”

I was startled. What on earth was he saying! I looked at him with wide eyes but he whispered,

“As thanks for Yukino.”

Hah?

Everybody was looking at me now. Kaburagi was looking at us suspiciously.

“We’re always in your care, Kisshouin-san. So any song, just name it.”

“Oi, who’s supposed to be playing this exactly?”

“Hm? Well you, Masaya,” smiled Enjou.

Everybody was already well aware that Kaburagi only played the piano when Kaburagi felt like it. He wouldn’t play just because you requested something. Wouldn’t this be shaming me if he said no!? Gahhhh!

“…What song?”

“Eh!?”

Kaburagi stared at me. Don’t tell me he was really going to play?!

I could already hear the girls sighing dreamily.

“Ummm…”

Oh no, oh no. I hadn’t thought about what song to ask for so my eyes were swimming and I was completely panicked. Aah, stop looking at me!
Fine! Something upbeat then!

“Then, Chopin’s Fantasie-Impromptu please.”

After saying it I realised it was a hard one so I was about to take it back, but Kaburagi looked up in thought for a moment and agreed.

“Got it.”

Eh!? Was he going to play without any rehearsal!? The Fantasie-Impromptu!?

Leaving me to my shock, Kaburagi stretched his fingers and then began to play with vigour.

*

*

*

Today I was having another outing with Mao-chan and Ichinokura-san. Although Yuuri-kun usually came, he wasn’t here today.

“Will Yuuri-kun not be joining us today?” I asked.

Mao-chan puffed her cheeks out.

“I had a fight with Yuuri.”

“A fight? But you seem to get along so well.”

“Yuuri said to me, ‘Did you get fatter recently?’ Fatter!? Don’t you think that was so mean? I don’t need Yuuri anymore!”

Oh my god. Yuuri-kun!?

“How could he say that to a girl. He’s the worst! Don’t you think so, Reika-oneesama?”

“I suppose.”

Mao-chan was in a really bad mood. After being told that, I could see why she was hurt and angry.

Ichinokura-san was listening as well, so he consoled her.

“You aren’t fat at all, Mao. You’re still growing so you shouldn’t worry about these things. Actually, it makes you even cuter.”

“…Reika-oneesama, did I get fat?”

“Of course not! You are adorable, Mao-chan.”

But now that I looked closer, she did seem a little rounder than usual…

“It’s not cute when girls are all skin and bones. You’re always cute, Mao, so you shouldn’t worry.”

It took some effort but we finally cheered her up and went for some delicious dessert.

Asking if somebody got fat recently… Nobody had actually said that to me yet, but was I still okay…?

But then Ichinokura-san said that plump girls were cuter than ones that were skin and bones… So I was still fine, right?

Mao-chan and I ate our desserts with smiles.


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Reika-sama – 125

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


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Enjou told me that Yukino-kun had been discharged so I immediately went to the Petite salon to visit him.

“Yukino-kun! Welcome back!”

“Reika-oneesan!”

He greeted me with the smile of an angel but I noticed that he was a little thinner than the last time I saw him. Maybe he wasn’t all better yet. Was it okay for him to come to school?

Unaware of my worries, he stood up from the couch and trotted over to my side.

“Ahh! You should stay seated, Yukino-kun!”

“Ehh~ I can at least stand, you know?”

“No, no, you only just left the hospital. Come now, sit.”

“Okayyy.”

It was a relief that he did as I asked.

“You were unwell recently, so you must avoid pushing yourself.”

“But I’m not pushing myself. I’m fine.”

“But…”

“I’m really fine. But thanks for worrying, Reika-oneesan.”

Uuu… If he smiles at me like that I can’t really keep nagging him. But he’s really okay, right?

Sitting beside me, Yukino-kun was enjoying warm black tea.

“Oh, that reminds me! Thank you so much for the book. It was really interesting.”

“Really? Thank goodness. Your oniisama told me that you were feeling bored so I wondered how I could help with that.”

“Yeah. It was so interesting I read it twice.”

“I am glad that you enjoyed it. …Was it rough living in the hospital?”

“No, it was just like usual.”

“Like usual… How many times have you been hospitalised?”

“Ehh~ I don’t really remember… How many times has it been?”

Eh!? He’s been in hospital more times than he can remember!?

“I’ve always gone to the hospital whenever I have a bad attack. But there are lots of kids my age there, so it’s fun, you know? And the doctor puts on a Santa costume during Christmas and we have a party.”

“Eh!? You’ve been to hospital during Christmas as well!?”

“Yes, just the once though.”

No! Christmas should be one of the most important days for a child!

To think that he was forced to spend his Christmas in the hospital instead of having fun with his family at home… Here I was, living happily and thoughtlessly while somebody his age was suffering. It made me feel kind of guilty…

“Don’t look like that, Reika-oneesan. My family came to visit me and gave me lots of presents. And last year I was feeling better so I celebrated at home too.”

“I see. Then you enjoyed yourself with all of your family last Christmas?”

“Yes. Ah, but Niisama wasn’t there.”

“My! And after you were finally at home to celebrate too!”

Damn that Enjou. How could he leave his cute little brother like that. I bet a popular guy like him was on a date with some girl. A little harem world where he was waited on hand and foot by all of his little followers. What an unbelievable guy. Unforgivable. Going on harem dates while I spent every Christmas single…

“Niisama went with Masaya-niisama to the Sea of Japan. He brought back crabs as a souvenir, you know? I heard that because of the blizzard the sea was really dark and stormy.”

“…”

…Sorry for the misunderstanding, Enjou. You had an even rougher Christmas than I did, didn’t you… A Christmas, spent with another guy, at the Sea of Japan, in the middle of a snowstorm. And with that other guy completely unresponsive because of heartbreak. I bet you had to experience it yourself to really understand that kind of suffering…

“Still, I had no idea that you were so ill that you had to be repeatedly hospitalised… The treatment must be rough.”

“It’s just inhalers and an IV, so it’s fine.”

“So they give you an IV as well…”

Given that my health was one of my few redeeming features, I had never used an IV before. It sounded so scary, having a needle stuck in your arm the whole time… I’d always been afraid of needles…

“Actually this time they couldn’t use the vein in my arm so they used the back of my hand instead. See?”

“Eh-, the back of your hand!?”

He showed me the red mark on the back of his hand. They stabbed his hand for this!? Just looking at it was painful!

“It doesn’t hurt that much, you know? What really hurt was when they used the back of my foot. Just once was enough.”

“Foot!?”

There was almost no flesh there! Uooohhhh! Painful!
Why did Yukino-kun who was as cute as an angel have to keep suffering these things!

“Yukino-kun! If there is anything I can do to help, let me know!”

“Thanks, Reika-oneesan!”

I’m serious, you know? I’m kind of useless but for you I’ll do anything, you know?

After that he told me about how he liked animals but couldn’t keep one because of his asthma, so I showed him the pictures of Bea-tan that Umewaka-kun sent me. He found her cute and lit up. All of the affection her owner gave her wasn’t just for show. Her hair was definitely glossy and cute. That owner on the other hand…

Yukino-kun said that he liked cats too, so I decided to ask Ichinokura-san for photos next time.

*

*

*

This year the Handicrafts Club had a boy member join. His name was Minami-kun and he was really good at it. Particularly his embroidery. Thanks to that we were hoping for a lot out of him for the wedding dress we were making for the school festival this year.

And it was Minami-kun that I spotted being teased by other boys in the hallway leading to our clubroom.

“Minami, I heard you entered the Handicrafts Club?”

“Are you a tranny or something?”

“So you knit and stuff? Holy shit, you’re a loser!”

Minami-kun was a quiet type, so he was standing stock and bearing it. Ah. They poked him.

“Oi, Minami, show us what you’re making!”

“Stop it!”

They were trying to snatch his bag from him now. This wouldn’t do.

“What might you all be doing?” I asked.

All of them turned my way at once.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“You dumbass! That’s the 2nd year Kisshouin Reika…-san! From the Pivoine!

“Eh-, the Pivoine!?”

“Minami-kun is a member of my club. Did you need something?”

I walked up to them, making sure my Pivoine badge flashed in the light, but the boys picking on Minami-kun flinched and backed away.

“Ummm…”

“Um, we were just…”

They looked at each other for help.

“Just now I think I heard you make light of the Handicrafts Club. Was it my imagination?”

“Eh!?”

They stiffened.

“No, we didn’t mean it like that… Right?”

“Yeah,” one agreed.

“Yes…” agreed another.

“Oh?” I asked, “Minami-kun is somebody very important to my club. Please do not forget that if you come up with any strange ideas about Minami-kun then you can consider having made an enemy of me. All right?”

I flashed a bright smile to finish it off.

The boys who had been teasing Minami-kun all gave very acceptable responses before hurrying off. Goodness, you shouldn’t run in the hallways, you know?

“Umm! Kisshouin-senpai, thank you very much!” bowed Minami-kun.

“It was no problem at all. Protecting my kouhai is my job as a member of the club. If anything happens again, do tell me. Now come. Shall we head to the club?”

“Yes!!” he nodded energetically.

As if I could allow one of our key strategic resources to run off because of some idiots. I couldn’t do embroidery at all.

With his bag held tightly in both hands, Minami-kun half-ran after me.

*

*

I heard that the next day Ririna declared to him,

“Well, if you’re Reika-san’s kouhai then I guess I have no choice but to protect you too.”

Wasn’t he basically invincible amongst his peers now?


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Reika-sama – 124

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


Join the Evil God Army on discord!
https://discord.gg/0uufyDAsTZXQaMz1


I think Wakaba-chan read my letter. When I was walking down the hallway she stepped out of the way and bowed to me.

Personally I didn’t really like the idea of her bowing to me but it demonstrated that she was willing to accede to the President’s wishes. Hopefully this would make things easier on her.

*

*

Mao-chan told me that Yukino-kun had fallen ill because of all the rain. Oh my god! The poor boy!
I hoped he was okay. They did say that he had a weak constitution.
Just remembering the little angel call me ‘Reika-oneesan’ was making my chest hurt now…

Enjou was in the salon so I called out to him on impulse.

“Ummm, Enjou-sama, is it true that Yukino-kun is feeling ill…?”

“Hm? You heard about that fast. Yeah. We had him admitted into hospital because of his asthma.”

“Eh!? Hospital!?”

It was that bad!? I thought he was just resting in bed, but now…

I grimaced as I imagined him suffering in hospital.

“Oh, it’s not that big of a deal, okay? It happens every year around this time. We’re just having him stay in the hospital in case.”

“But if it warrants a hospital admittance then is that not quite bad already?”

“Well, not exactly? It’s just quicker to have responders if he’s already in hospital. And I think he’s used to being admitted to hospital already.”

“Ehh!?”

In both my lives not once had I ever been sick enough to go to the hospital. I’d never ridden an ambulance either. Going to the hospital felt really serious to me.

Yukino-kun…

“It’s fine. My brother himself is just feeling bored from lying around in bed all the time. I visit him every day after school and it’s always complaints from him.”

“I see…”

He was only six still. It must have been incredibly lonely and discouraging to be separated from his home and family like that…
And hospitals had to be really scary at night… I hoped he wasn’t crying.

“Enjou-sama! If that is the case then should you not be heading there right now instead of wasting time drinking tea? He must be so lonely!”

“There’s no need to rush. He’s used to it already, so it’s fine.”

“How cold!”

How could it be fine for a child to be hospitalised so often he was used to it.

“Right now Yukino-kun must be staring out of his rainy window, waiting silently for his oniisama to visit him. ‘Is Oniisama coming yet? It’s so lonely…‘ Uuu, Yukino-kun…!”

Once I imagined it in my head I just…

“I’m pretty sure he’s watching a DVD or playing a game right now.”

“…”

“Haha! Sorry. Anyway, you really don’t have to worry so much. Today I’m going there with Masaya so we’ll be heading out the moment he’s here.”

“Goodness. Kaburagi-sama is going as well?”

Yukino-kun must have been happy to be getting more visitors. He did mention something about Kaburagi making a snowman for him, didn’t he. What on earth was he doing anyway. Hurry up already, Kaburagi! Yukino-kun is waiting, you know!

“Kaburagi-sama is taking a while. I wonder what his class is doing.”

I couldn’t help but begin tapping my foot.

“Well, I think he should be here soon… See? Speak of the devil.”

Kaburagi opened the door to the salon. About time!

“Shuusuke- Huh. What are you frowning about?” he asked me in confusion.

What was I frowning about?

“Kisshouin-san here has been getting annoyed at how slow you were. Right, Kisshouin-san?”

“Annoyed at me? Did she need something with me?”

“No, I did not. More importantly, I think you should hurry along. Visiting hours might be ending soon.”

“Huh?”

Get a move on! If you don’t…

“Kaburagi-samaaa! How about having some tea with us?”

See!? The President and her friends saw you already! Don’t sit! Don’t tarry!
Guohhhgh! Yukino-kun is waiting, damn you! Damn you!

I got the feeling that Enjou was giving a knowing smile to my side.

*

*

The next day I prepared a get-well gift for Yukino-kun. I remember that in my old life, once when I was sick with the cold my older cousin came to visit me. He gave me a fairy tale book as well as a letter written on a sheet with a cute snowman picture on it.

Anyhow, I was trying to get Enjou alone so that nobody would get weird misunderstandings about this but I was having a lot of trouble with it.

It wasn’t until after school that he was alone and heading to the car park that I caught him.

“Enjou-sama!”

“Kisshouin-san?”

It was showering faintly but I couldn’t be bothered with the umbrella and just ran over. Enjou covered me with his one.

“What’s up?”

“Could you please hand this to Yukino-kun?”

I held out a ribboned cloth parcel to him.

“What’s this?”

“A book. I thought it might help with his boredom.”

“Oh? Well thanks. Can I ask what kind of book?”

“Das Wirtshaus im Spessart. A fairy tale that I enjoyed as a child.”

“Fairy tale?”

“Yes. Eh!? Could it be that Yukino-kun does not enjoy fairy tales?”

Oh no! Had he already grown out of them by Year 1!?

“No, that’s not it. He loves books, so I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. Thanks for this,” he smiled after calming me down.

Was he lying…?

“Anyway, I’ll make sure he gets this.”

“Thank you. I apologise for holding you, Enjou-sama. I shall take my leave. Gokigen’yoh.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow. Oh, and take this umbrella.”

“No need. It is but a short run away. Goodbye!”

I began running back to the school building.

Oh. Even though I told Wakaba-chan not to run, here I was as a Pivoine running with all my might… Nobody was looking, right?

*

*

Two days later I got a letter back from Yukino-kun.

‘Thanks for the book and the letter, Reika-oneesan. The book was really interesting. It was so interesting that I stayed up reading it and then had a fit and they had to give me emergency treatment. Just kidding. Did I scare you?

My favourite story was Das kalte Herz. Which did you like the most? Tell me all about it when I’m back at school.

I go to the hospital a lot so I’m fine. The other day Masaya-niisama came by and we played games together. When we were done, Masaya-niisama gave me a DVD for a zombie movie but I’ve been too scared to watch it. What should I do…

– Yukino’

*

Kaburagiiiiiiiiiiii!


“Das Wirtshaus im Spessart. A fairy tale that I enjoyed as a child.”
The Inn in Spessart or – The Inn in Spessart Forest is a tale written by Wilhelm Hauff.
My favourite story was Das kalte Herz.
The Cold Heart or The Heart of Stone is written by Wilhelm Hauff as well.


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Reika-sama – 123

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


Join the Evil God Army on discord!
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In Japan, there is a folk belief regarding wooden buildings. When a tree is cut and used as a wooden pillar, if it is placed upside-down relative to its position in life, it can make strange noises at night, bring the house misfortune, or even engender disasters.

In a twist of the regular folklore are the patterned pillars of the Youmeimon gate at Nikkou Toushouguu shrine. One of them has reversed patterns but is said to be deliberate as a means of warding off a calamity that was prophesied to occur upon the perfection of the temple.


I woke up early the next morning and went to school an hour early.

After walking down the empty hallway I glanced into Wakaba-chan’s classroom. Good. Nobodywas here yet.

I had already checked in advance which desk was Wakaba-chan’s. All that was left now was to hide my letter in it. I then dashed out of the room before anybody caught me!

When I entered my own empty classroom, the elation of accomplishment welled up inside me. Mission complete.

Inside that letter was a list of things to be careful about if you were going to attend Zui’ran. No running outside while wearing our uniform, no napping on the train in our uniforms, avoid running in the hallways, stuff like that. Also other things like no rainboots, no raincoats, fans were fine but only folding fans and not uchiwas, no earmuffs, just as many things like that that I could think of. I mean, I didn’t think any high school girl in Tokyo was going to be wearing a raincoat to school, but after remembering the gumboots I realised that it could actually happen one day so I wrote it down anyway.

I also made sure to write down warnings for the Pivoine. Actually, you could say that this was the key focus of my letter. Don’t approach the reserved seats, move out of the way for members if they’re coming the other way, oh, and when it came to upperclassmen pretty much everybody did that along with a greeting and bow while waiting for them to pass. I even added in little details like which the President’s favourite menu items were and that it would be better to avoid ordering those.

I also included a list of every Pivoine member in high and middle school. The little peony badges could be hard to see so it was better to know them by face. I didn’t know all of the Petite members myself so I didn’t include them. The Petite salon was separate from ours so it would probably be okay. I did note that they sometimes had older siblings in the Pivoine proper though, so it would be better not to make light of them for being little. Of particular note was Yukino-kun in year one who was better to stay away from entirely.

Other advice included a list of names of the more reliable teachers, as well as a list of teachers who were completely in the Pivoine’s camp.

The letter also included a warning that if she went looking for ingredients in Zui’ran or if she was feeding a cat or other possible scenarios that she made sure to check her surroundings for possible onlookers first. Of course I couldn’t just write ‘Be careful while foraging for food!’ it would pretty much give me away right off the bat.

Ah, yes. This letter was written anonymously of course. To avoid being identified the envelope was blank and I avoided handwriting as well. For a while I considered using gloves to avoid fingerprints too, but then I remembered that this wasn’t a crime or anything so I decided not to bother.

My own safety came first which is why I couldn’t just cover for her in public, so the best I could do was help her avoid trouble with this. My apologies.

Just in case, the letter included an afternote that asked her not to show it to anybody else. I’m counting on you, Wakaba-chan. Please don’t suddenly go “Huh~? What’s this letter here~?” the moment you step into class.

*

*

I had come a whole hour early so now that I had delivered the letter there wasn’t anything for me to do. What now…

I looked out the window and saw members of the sports club already hard at practice. I never really thought about it.

After thinking about it for a little, if Wakaba-chan came early and saw the letter, with nobody else around I would be outed on the spot. It might be a good idea to find somewhere else to spend the time, at least until more students came. Maybe the salon~?

Suddenly, the idea of going to the usually abandoned library occurred to me. I could begin secretly studying in preparation for the next exams. Ohh! What a model student I am!

So when I arrived at the library I was shocked that people were already there. It occured to other students to study early in the morning!?

I took a seat in the corner and began skimming through today’s work. I was making a lot more progress here in the library since there were less distractions than in my room at home. Maybe it would be better to do all my studying here.

In my concentration I didn’t notice the time pass. Before I knew it the majority were at school already, so I picked up my bag and went back to class. Taking the chance, I took a peek at Wakaba-chan as well, but she didn’t behave any differently so I could relax for the moment.

Waking up early was starting to take its toll on me. I was really sleepy. I decided not to fight it so I opened mr textbook, leant my chin in my hands, faced downwards and then took a nap as I pretended to study.

Thanks to this flawless technique and my mastery of it, not once had I been caught napping in class before.

*

*

Later that day I stayed back because of my duties as a class rep. I hadn’t managed to get the busywork for the handouts done during break time, so I was doing them now. Not that I minded though, since I didn’t have club activities today anyhow.

While we were working, Class Rep lowered his voice and began to tell me about his progress with Miharu-chan.

“You know, it kind of feels like recently I’m getting to talk with Honda-san more. Nonose-san is in our class so she comes to visit sometimes too. When that happens the two of them sometimes come talk to me.”

“Goodness, lucky you.”

“Hehe. We only began talking after that field trip when Nonose-san took over your class rep duties. Honda-san helped that time too, and we ended up chatting a lot. After that Nonose-san and I started to get to know each other better. She was the one who told me that Honda-san was getting close with a boy, remember? It turns out that it wasn’t anything romantic. Well, not that I asked directly though.”

“I see~”

“It turns out that Honda-san just thinks that Enjou-kun is really cool. Apparently that isn’t the same as liking him romantically though. Actually, she said she thought he suited you.”

Haaah!? What on earth does that mean!?” I couldn’t help but shout.

That wasn’t something I could overlook.

“Eh-, ah, ummmm~ …On the other hand, Nonose-san said that Kaburagi-kun was more suited to you, but I told them that I was neutral.”

“Wha-! You were supposed to deny them!”

Oh my god. Yet another crazy conversation happened without my knowing.

“Are you not supposed to be on my side, Class Rep!”

“Mm, of course I am. If I can help then I will. The reason I got closer to Honda-san recently is thanks to you being late during the excursion as well, Kisshouin-san. I knew I could count on you, Love Guru!”

“Well, you are welcome. But more importantly, you need to dispel strange rumours about Enjou-sama, Kaburagi-sama and I!”

“Mmmmm…”

“Class Rep!”

“I mean, I want to help, but these rumours have been around since primary school. I’m not sure it would even be possible to clear them up.”

“What!?”

Why!? I almost never interacted with them!

I fell onto my desk in shock.

I didn’t want to gain enemies because of these baseless rumours that I didn’t know about, and if those two knew then what was most mortifying was if those two thought I really was interested in them!

And what if I became even more unpopular because of this…

“Oh? Kisshouin-san, some of your curls are going the other way you know?”

“Eh?”

I raised my head from the desk to find Class Rep lightly pulling some of the hair behind my head.

“See? Just this area.”

I used a pair of mirrors to check the back of my head. It was true. Looking carefully, about ten of the curls further in were actually going the wrong way.

“What on earth!?”

A flaw in my perfect hair!

“Nobody would have noticed since they’re so far in. I only saw them by chance too.”

My hair was permed, so it must have been a careless mistake…

Oh no… It might have been hidden, but would it be better to get my hair permed again…? I might not have noticed so far but now that I knew it was really bothering me.

“It feels like a good omen somehow.”

Class Rep was carefree while I was upset about it.

Stop treating my hair like the pillar of Youmeimon!

*

The next day I arrived at school to find a pleased-looking Class Rep headed my way.

“Today I happened to meet Honda-san in front of the gates, and then we talked about classwork all the way until the classrooms. It’s thanks to your blessing, Guru!”

“I see…”

This morning I checked countless times to make sure that they weren’t visible.

I wonder how that even happened though.

…Could it be that they foresaw calamity upon the perfection of my hair and deliberately left it incomplete!? Then maybe these locks of hair were actually Evil-Warding Hair Locks!

“Those reversed curls are a bit like a four-leafed clover aren’t they.”

“…”

As expected of the maidenly Class Rep… I see. So to a maiden a four-leafed clover would come to mind before a temple warding against evil then.

“I’ve even got plans with Honda-san and Nonose-san to study for the upcoming exams together. I’ve been really lucky since discovering those curls yesterday.”

“Good for you…”

Well, I suppose if he was happy about it then I was too. Studying with the person you like. It was a heart-thumping and irresistible scenario to any maiden. I’ve liked the idea since my last life. Not once had it actually happened though.

*

So apparently these aren’t anti-evil curls, but good-luck curls instead. If you happen to catch sight of them, they’ll bring you good luck, you know?


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Reika-sama – 122

Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ. Thank you for your consideration, guys!


Join the Evil God Army on discord!
https://discord.gg/0uufyDAsTZXQaMz1


Tree doctors (jumokus) in Japan are officially certified arborists who have passed an examination accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanakusa-no-sekku

Seven Herbs of Spring. The custom of eating seven-herb congee on the Festival of Seven Herbs is said to bring longevity and health.


Wakaba-chan happened to have been walking down the hallway and talking with her friends when it happened, which is why it took the President no time at all to spot her.

“Takamichi-san.”

“Yes? Ah!”

The moment she saw who had spoken her expression tightened. The girls who had been with her discreetly moved away.

“Takamichi-san, is enough not yet enough? How much further must you besmirch the name of Zui’ran before you are satisfied?”

“Eh…? Have I done something again…?” timidly asked Wakaba-chan.

The President’s eyes immediately narrowed.

Done something! Today you rode to school on a bicycle, didn’t you. A student of Zui’ran, riding to school on a bicycle? What on earth were you thinking!”

The bystanders in the hallway began to whisper amongst themselves. Wakaba-chan, you rode to school on a bike…?

“I’m sorry… Umm… There wasn’t anything in the rules forbidding it so I thought it would be okay…”

Rules!? It’s because nobody at Zui’ran has ever done so that such a rule wasn’t necessary! Shameful! Disgraceful!”

“I’m sorry…”

Wakaba-chan lowered her head in a bow.

By now a number of students were directing unhappy expressions at her.

“A bicycle…?!” frowned my friends from beside me.

“Takamichi-san, this had better not be happening every day.”

“It isn’t! It’s just that today my train was cancelled because of an accident, and then I was worried about being late, so I thought maybe riding a bicycle would… No. I’m really sorry…”

But Wakaba-chan didn’t live very close to school did she. Just how freaking far did she pedal that thing!? Amazing. Oh, I suppose now wasn’t the time to be feeling admiration.
Wakaba-chan was looking really down. The President kept her eyes on her while letting out an affected sigh.

“Takamichi-san. Are you sure you’re attending the right school? If you wanted to ride a bicycle to school then wouldn’t it have been better to attend one of the public schools at your house?”

“I’m really very sorry…”

“At any rate, there will not be a second display of this disgrace. Your actions are becoming too much to bear. You had best be prepared if you bring any further shame upon Zui’ran.”

“I’m really sorry!”

Wakaba-chan continued to bow over and over while the President’s followers chirped comments like “Aren’t you getting full of yourself just because your grades are good?” and “Learn your place already.”

I suppose it was pretty bad for a student at Zui’ran to ride a bike to school, but was all this really necessary…?

“What’s wrong, Takamichi!?”

Attracted by the disturbance, Fellow Stalking Horse rushed onto the scene.

“And what are you supposed to be?” glared the President.

“I’m Mizusaki, a member of the Student Council.”

“I know that, obviously. I’m asking what a Student Council member thinks he’s doing here.”

“Resolving the problems in the school is the duty of the Student Council,” he replied with a severe expression.

Despite the way Stalking Horse towered over her, the President wasn’t cowered in the least and snorted mockingly at him.

“You seem to be feeling quite good about yourself for a lowly Student Council member. Even impudence has its limits!”

“Wha-…!”

“Stop, stop Mizusaki-kun! I was wrong, okay? Please, just stop,” begged Wakaba-chan in a panic.

She was pulling on his arm and quietly trying to stop him. I guess she didn’t want the incident to get any bigger than it already was.

“I’m sorry. From today onwards I won’t do such a thing again. I’m terribly sorry about today,” bowed Wakaba-chan once again.

The President huffed, but decided that it was enough.

“There will not be a second time.”

“…I understand.”

After directing a cold gaze at Wakaba-chan and Fellow Stalking Horse, the President turned on her heel and left. She was walking down the hallway when she spotted me and smiled.

“My! Reika-sama! Gokigen’yoh.”

“Gokigenyoh, Youko-sama.”

Uwah, she found me…

“I know it must be rough being swarmed by all these stray dogs. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to tell us, okay?”

“Goodness, hohoho…”

Stray dogs…?

I could feel my expression cramping. Everyone was looking at us now. My stomach hurt… Stop glaring, Fellow Stalking Horse.

“I hear that we have new tea at the salon today. You must come by.”

“Yes, I look forward to it.”

The President nodded magnanimously at me before heading back to the 3rd year classrooms.

Once they were gone, the people left behind in the hallway went into an uproar about what happened. The students that were particularly proud of being from Zui’ran began scolding her, so Wakaba-chan apologised to them as well.

Fellow Stalking Horse shielded her from them and then asked what happened.

“Actually, I end up biking it to school today…”

“Bike!? Why were you doing that?”

“This morning my train was stopped and it didn’t seem like I’d be able to find another way here on time. I didn’t want to lose the money for perfect attendance so I just…”

“…Couldn’t you have just gotten a late note in that case?”

“Aahh!”

Her whole body slumped. Wakaba-chan, I think the cost for that money is getting a little too high…

Later that day, Wakaba-chan stealthily rode her bike home…

*

*

Ever since incurring the wrath of the President, criticism of Wakaba-chan increased sharply. What was particularly rough was the way some people would pretend that she wasn’t there and badmouthed her.

Was she going to be okay…? She looked happy enough, but she had to be hurting inside…

One day I caught sight of Wakaba-chan heading into the Zui’ran Forest after school.

Zui’ran was well-known for all of the greenery it had. We called the most thickly grown region the Zui’ran Forest. With how thickly the vegetation grew, the centre was dim and dark. Because nobody really wanted to get dirty, pretty much nobody went in there. So why was Wakaba-chan…

I suddenly gasped as the words ‘Sea of Trees Manjuu’ flashed through my head.

It can’t be!

I rushed after Wakaba-chan in panic. Don’t be hasty, Wakaba-chan!

When I caught up with her I spotted Wakaba-chan together with the gardener. The man had a tree doctors certification and worked here exclusively for Zui’ran.

They talked for a bit before the gardener handed Wakaba-chan some sort of bag. Huh?

After talking for a while longer, Wakaba-chan waved goodbye and then went back the way she came with a smile.

I made sure she was gone before approaching the old gardener. Could it be that he talked her down…?

“My apologies for interrupting you at work. That girl from before. What was she doing here?”

“Eh!”

He turned around in surprise.

“Ohh, you scared me. I didn’t think anybody else was here. Are you asking about Wakaba-chan? She was here looking for wild vegetables.”

“…Vegetables?”

“There are a lot of weeds that grow around here, you see, and sometimes she comes looking for them. Taranome angelica shoots, renmai fern, myouga ginger, that sort of thing. ”

“Those grow here!?”

I had no idea! There was food growing here in Zui’ran!?

“Lots of them do. Although nobody really notices since they have no interest I suppose. This is the first time any student has gone looking for them. Last year I caught Wakaba-chan wandering around here with an encyclopaedia of wild herbs. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was looking for ingredients. She was interesting so I told her where she could find the good stuff.”

“Is that… not a problem?”

“Well they just sort of pop up on their own.
Nobody really planted them there. Picking flowers from the gardens would be one thing, but I don’t think the school would mind these at all.”

“My. I see.”

Thank god Wakaba-chan hadn’t been implicated in thievery.

“Apparently she was here looking for tempura ingredients today. She really wanted the myouga it seems, but it’s a bit early for those. She told me she wanted to spice them eat them with hiyayakko.

Hiyayakko (冷奴 cold tofu) is a Japanese dish made with chilled tofu and toppings, above with myouga.

In the end I told her to come back in a week. Oh, and she was looking for Jew’s ear as well. Said she wanted to make cellophane noodle salad.”

“…”

…Far from suffering, Wakaba-chan was enjoying every bit of Zui’ran to the fullest.

“Wakaba-chan is growing her own herbs and small vegetables too, so she comes here a lot for advice on growing them. Why, the other day she came here telling me about how she was in a bit of a pickle because her mint had overgrown. Because she didn’t know what to do with it all, she tried making mint tea she told me, and had brought a flask of it along. She really is an interesting girl.”

The gardener laughed.

I wasn’t without worries though. Just because the staff and administration were okay with it, if her haters or the Pivoine heard about this it would probably only fuel the fire. I could already hear rumours about how she was too poor to buy groceries… Not that her family actually was in poverty.

“Umm… Her ingredient searching is all well and good, but if possible could you keep it a secret from any other students who come asking? Some people might have a problem with it…”

“Hm? Really? Well, come to think of it maybe some people would. Then it’s just going to be a secret between us then. I’d feel bad if anything spoilt her fun. Ah, speaking of which, she came here in the middle of winter looking for spring herbs. Later she told me that she ended up making seven-herb congee and now she would be healthy all year. She has refined taste, doesn’t she.”

“Seven-herb congee…?”

Would you really call that refined…? A high school girl who braved the cold of winter to go ingredient-searching at her school, all because she wanted to make fresh seven-herb congee.

Apparently Wakaba-chan’s personality was both more bold and more shameless than I could have ever imagined…

But, well, as long as she was having fun…

*

*

For you, I head out to the fields to pick spring greens while snow falls upon my sleeves──


The last line:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_K%C5%8Dk%C5%8D#Poetry


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