Chapter 22
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Chapter 22: Maid Outfits Are Best With Long Skirts And Lace-Up Boots IX
Since I couldn’t escape anyway, I hurriedly changed clothes, and when I opened the curtain, I saw that inside the car, Bakuya-san was handing out herbal tea. Everyone here had already seen me in women’s clothes, so no one was surprised. They just acted like it was normal, which made me feel a little sad.
“This will help calm you down, so please make sure to drink it.”
“Bakuya, your expression is a bit scary.”
“Of course it is. Making a friend cry in public—before being a Nakajo, that’s a problem as a human being.”
“I think yelling and arguing in public is a problem too.”
I took a sip of herbal tea. My throat was dry after all the shouting.
“You look surprisingly good holding that cup. You look more refined than Rei, like an actual lady.”
“Minato, you should reflect on your actions. Whose fault do you think this all is?”
I still think the one most at fault is Rei-sama, who was lying in wait for us.
As the blame continued to be tossed around in the car, the atmosphere grew more chaotic. It was a bit noisy, but since there were no prying eyes inside the car, I decided to stay quiet and avoid expending any more energy.
“Enough already. So, what do we do about Haruka-san?”
It seemed they had finally realized how pointless their argument was, and by the time I finished my tea, Rei-sama and Minato-san had settled their dispute. The next issue that naturally came up was what to do about Haruka-nee.
Haruka-nee, having stopped crying and calmed down, seemed nervous about the unfamiliar luxury car she was sitting in, glancing anxiously at each of us in turn. Well, I understood her feelings—I had felt the same way the first time.
‘Hey, Nao. What’s going on?’
‘There’s really not much to explain…’
I didn’t know where to start. Plus, the root of this whole mess was Haruka-nee making me cross-dress, but explaining that would take too long.
“Just explained from the beginning.”
Haruka-nee, noticing my hesitation, firmly pressed me to explain before I even started. I could tell there’d be no way to dodge this. If only she could use that sharp insight in a different way.
I didn’t feel comfortable telling her everything about Rei-sama.
Bit by bit, my connection with Rei-sama was being exposed, but I was still keeping her manga project a secret. Although Rei-sama was leaking my cross-dressing secret all over the place, I didn’t want to reveal anything that involved her family, not even to Haruka-nee.
Minato-san seemed to understand most of the situation, keeping her head down in silence. Since Rei-sama couldn’t trust those around her, we had to make sure we didn’t betray her.
Yet, despite all this, Rei-sama, oblivious to our thoughts, had regained her confidence and was lounging smugly.
“What’s with the bossy attitude? What gives you the right to issue commands?”
“Answer my question.”
“Eek!”
A cute little shriek escaped. Haruka-nee had gone full “God Warrior” mode. Rei-sama, now visibly frightened, quickly hid behind Bakuya-san’s arm, nervously watching Haruka-nee. It’s because she gets angry like that, so people around her fear her. Not that I’d tell her that—if I did, Haruka-nee would start crying again.
Still, it was refreshing to see Rei-sama looking scared. I just hope she learns from this and reflects on her behavior.
Before I could give any explanation, we arrived at the Nakajo estate. After getting out of the car, I was once again overwhelmed by the sheer size of the mansion. Haruka-nee seemed equally astonished, her mouth hanging open as she stared up at the grand gate.
“Stop gawking. Walk faster.”
Hurried along by Rei-sama, we were guided into the vast garden. It was my second time here, and Minato-san, who seemed to have visited a few times, didn’t seem lost either. Just as we were about to enter, Rei-sama’s mother emerged from the house, dressed in Western clothing, as if heading out somewhere.
“Uh, hello.”
“Oh, it’s you.”
She looked a bit startled when she saw me. Well, it made sense. After all, Rei-sama had introduced me as her girlfriend. It was a little sad that she believed I was a girl just because I had changed clothes.
Now, seeing Rei-sama with two more girls—when she doesn’t usually have any friends—her mother seemed even more perplexed.
“Um, I have some errands to attend to, so please make yourselves at home.”
With a somewhat dazed expression, Rei-sama’s mother hurried past us. I could see another black luxury car, different from the one Kanshou-san had parked, pulling up to the gate. Of course, they had more than one car.
Once inside the mansion, we were led straight to Rei-sama’s room. Instinctively, I glanced at the lowest shelf of the bookcase, but today everything was properly put away—there was no sign of Rei-sama’s black practice notebooks.
“Ah, I’m exhausted. Why do things always turn out like this?”
“Maybe because you were waiting in such a conspicuous place, Rei-sama?”
“It’s Nao’s fault for not answering his phone. You might have tried to run away.”
That’s not fair. School rules require us to keep our phones off, after all. Phones are only meant to be used for emergencies. Sure, most students ignore that rule, but just because they do doesn’t mean I should break it too.
Once inside the room, the group was unable to get anything under control, but what silenced them was the sound of Haruka-nee, who slammed her hand on the low table.