Chapter 7
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Gothic Lolita Is Cutely Decorated With Frills V
Though I was anxious about when I might receive a call, two days passed without any contact from Rei-sama. I don’t know if she caught another girl or if she thought my presence would be ineffective, but I’m grateful for the peaceful school life I can enjoy.
I checked my phone’s call history to confirm there were no new entries and headed towards the school exit to go home.
“Nao, heading home? You should join a club or something.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Haruka-neesan walked towards me holding some band-aids and bandages. They seemed to be supplies for the club room. She must have picked them up from the infirmary. Even though it was still early after school, Haruka-neesan had already changed into her gym clothes.
“Haruka-neesan, are you in the kendo club?”
“I’m just the manager.”
“Haruka-neesan, you should try kendo yourself.”
I remember Haruka wearing a karate uniform and swinging a bamboo sword. With her back straight and her gaze fixed sharply ahead, she was cooler than any hero I saw on TV. She was my role model and someone I was proud of.
“It’s okay. I don’t like all the fuss people make around me.”
“Then how about something else—”
I stopped myself from continuing. For Haruka-neesan, other sports would be the same. She prefers to be called cute rather than cool. But she seems somewhat embarrassed to put in the effort to achieve that. In the end, it’s something that only she can change by her own efforts. I know those feelings all too well.
I was about to say goodbye when the noise at the school gate suddenly became quite loud.
“Do you think something happened?”
“Want to go and check it out?”
Haruka-neesan suggested this, but if I refused, she would probably pull me along anyway. In short, I didn’t have the right to refuse.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I quickly changed into my sneakers and headed towards the school gate. When I met up with Haruka-neesan and approached the gate, I saw students who, like me, weren’t in any club, inexplicably gathered in front of the gate, not leaving.
And there, despite the gate being wide open, nobody seemed to pass through. Beyond the gate, I saw a black luxury car filled with unpleasant memories. In front of it stood Rei-sama, along with two attendants in black suits.
“Wow, I wonder if they’re waiting for someone? Nao, you look pale.”
“Ah, yeah.”
I wondered if Rei-sama had come to evaluate another girl. Yes, that must be it. After all, Rei-sama didn’t know I was a boy. Since Haruka-neesan was heading to her club, she wouldn’t notice me even if I walked right in front of her. Even if I was noticed, I could probably just keep up the pretense.
“Are you alright? I don’t have a good feeling about this, given the scary-looking people she’s with. Nao, be careful.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
Haruka-neesan had a club to attend, so she couldn’t walk home with me, but it seemed like she intended to see me off. It might be better this way so that Rei-sama wouldn’t get suspicious of her presence.
I walked out alone, confidently, in front of the noisy school gate. I tried not to seem scared, so I maintained a nonchalant attitude.
“Ah, you finally came out.”
I heard a terrifying voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rei-sama, wearing the same pitch-black sailor suit as before, leaning against the car’s body with arms crossed. Since she was also dressed in black, her white face seemed to stand out.
“Nao, come here quickly.”
I had been discovered. Without a moment of deception, Rei-sama called my name. My intuition warned me that escaping here would only lead to a worse experience later.
“W-what are you doing?”
I resolved myself and approached Rei-sama. Without answering, Rei-sama’s gaze scanned me up and down, evaluating me.
“So, you really are a boy. I couldn’t believe it even after hearing the report.”
“Report?”
“Well, it’s fine. It’s more convenient for us to have the secret ourselves.”
Everything Rei-sama said was inconvenient for me. Uncontrollable cold sweat streamed down my face. Rei-sama, indifferent to my gloomy expression, smirked.
“You have quite the nerve pretending to be a girl without telling me.”
“It was just a misunderstanding on Rei-sama’s part.”
“But, you didn’t correct that misunderstanding, did you, Nao?”
“Well, that’s true.”
It was a losing battle. If Rei-sama declared here that I was cross-dressing in public, my life would plummet straight into disaster. For now, all I could do was nod in agreement. It was as if I were a puppet.
“Huh? Was Nao acquainted with this person? She’s such a beautiful girl.”
“Ah, Haruka-neesan.”
Haruka-neesan must have noticed that I was still there. She had somehow appeared behind me, and it seemed that all the students fumbling around near the gate had fled, leaving only me, Rei-sama, and Haruka-neesan.
“Ah, it’s the same as before.”
Seeing Haruka-neesan, Rei-sama’s smile turned suspicious again. Although she had only heard Haruka-neesan’s voice, it seemed Rei-sama recognized her from the arcade. There was no room for deception now. I was trapped, with no way out.
“Um, this person is—”
“Oh, are you Nao’s friend?”
Rei-sama was still looking at Haruka-neesan with the same smirk that carried hidden meanings. I felt the situation was getting more and more inconvenient for me by the moment.
“Friend, Maybe more like an older sister?”
Looking down at me, Haruka-neesan puffed out her chest proudly. Though I feel like I’ve been taking care of her more often.
“An older sister, huh? I’m Nakajo Rei.”
“Nakajo, as in that Nakajo?”
Haruka-neesan, of course, knew who Rei-sama was. I think more than half of the students at school probably knew her. Since Yuhigaoka is close to my high school, and the landowner is famously known to be wealthy.
Haruka-neesan stares at Rei-sama’s face with a commoner’s feeling. As a commoner myself, I understand how she feels. Even though rich people are humans just like us, there’s still a sense of feeling that they’re different from us. Rei-sama seems to be bothered by her gaze, as her cheeks twitch and she smiles awkwardly
“Yes, that Nakajo. And also—”
With a smile still on her face, Rei-sama took my arm and drew me close. As I staggered a step nearer, her body entwined with mine. Unlike the Gothic Lolita outfit, the school uniform felt less obstructive, and Rei-sama’s softness was more noticeable, making my face heat up.
“I’m Nao’s girlfriend.”
“‘Eh!?’”
Both Haruka-neesan and I were stunned.
“I’ll be taking Nao with me. See you later.”
Rei-sama pulled me into the car, leaving a stunned Haruka-neesan behind, and had the black-suited attendants start the car. The vehicle smoothly drove away from the now quiet school gate, leaving Haruka-neesan standing alone as if time had stopped.
“Wh—what’s happening!?”
I felt like repeating Haruka-neesan’s cry that I heard through the window.