Chapter 9

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Chapter 9: Gothic Lolita Is Cutely Decorated With Frills VII

I was led to Rei-sama’s room, which is located in the back of the mansion rather than in the tatami-floored room. As expected, just like my house, the modern room was also mercilessly laid out with tatami mats. The difference here is that the mats haven’t yellowed with age. I actually like the smell of fresh tatami.

It seems that the closet is being used for storage, and the room itself is quite simple. There’s no bed since it’s covered with tatami, nor is there a study desk like the one in my room. The only furniture consists of a bookshelf, a low table, and a wardrobe. There is also a small storage space for small items. It’s a purely traditional Japanese room.

“Feel free to sit wherever you liked.”

Following her instruction, I took a cushion from the corner of the room and sat down. When wearing a skirt, sitting cross-legged naturally turns into seiza. Sitting cross-legged would cause the skirt to spread out and cling uncomfortably, making it difficult for me to relax. I never imagined that my experience with kendo would be useful in this situation. In reality, I would have preferred not to have had to rely on that experience.

Soon, a woman in black clothing appeared with some snacks. Instead of high-quality jade green tea, she brought a dark soda and potato chips.

“Heeheehee, this is it!”

With a sinister smile like that of an evil overlord, Rei-sama gulped down the carbonated soda that had been poured from the plastic bottle into a glass. She endured the sharp, fizzing pain in her throat as she trembled with delight.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that I have to drink something like this in secret?”

“Well, it’s not great to keep eating this stuff even in an ordinary household”

I don’t often see these kinds of sweets at home. My grandfather apparently dislikes such snacks, so they’re rarely available at our place. Instead, for a healthier option, he offers things like dried sardines or cinnamon candies as snacks, neither of which I particularly enjoy.

But, since this isn’t something as luxurious as before, I found it easier to reach for. Rei-sama devoured the snacks and soda one after the other, so quickly with such enthusiasm that I almost forgot she was a young lady. These easily available items from supermarkets and convenience stores seemed like distant luxuries to her.

“Mmm, this is delicious. It’s a delight even as an offering to the gods.”

“That’s quite a reasonable god you’ve got there.”

As I watched Rei-sama’s excited reaction, the sweet flavor also stimulated my throat. Somehow, Rei-sama started to look childlike now. It seems sweets have a way of making people seem more childlike. When I first saw Rei-sama, she seemed mysterious and somewhat distant, but now when I look at her, she is just a normal girl.

“So, did you call me here today to lay down some ground rules?”

“That’s part of it. Also, I need to confirm if you’re really a boy and invite you over to my house, so that they’ll think that we’re good friends.”

Before Rei-sama could add more, there was a knock on the room’s door. Opening the lock that had been installed rather forcibly on the sliding door, Rei-sama let the woman in black clothing enter into the room.

“My Lady.”

“Again? Handling visitors alone is such a bother.” 

Rei-sama muttered, then left, saying she’d be back soon, and left me behind as she left the room. I suppose, as the daughter of a prestigious family, she has to attend to guests properly. It’s not easy to just ask them to come back later just because there are no adults around, like it was in my house.

Left alone in the room, I felt bad but couldn’t help but look around. Opportunities to enter a girl’s room like this are rare. I usually avoid looking at Haruka-nee’s room because it’s where I’m forced to dress in girls’ clothes, and I’d rather not develop any awkward traumas.

The room was neatly organized, with no unnecessary items. It looked even more sterile than my room. I finally realized it was because there were so few things. The bookshelf held textbooks, notebooks, reference books, and dictionaries. The bottom shelf was lined with encyclopedias, similar to what I had received from relatives but never opened.

“Huh?”

On top of the encyclopedia was a single black notebook lying flat. It didn’t seem unusual on its own. My bookshelf at home also has similar books. But in this tidy room, it seemed to assert its presence like noise.

The cover was a plain notebook with no title. Despite feeling guilty, my curiosity urged me to open it.

“Is this practice for manga drawing?”

Inside the plain white notebook were illustrations of men drawn one after another. It started with a single person standing alone, gradually increasing in number, with some pages featuring panel divisions, and others with just sketches of eyes.

As I continued flipping through the pages, I found notes beside the drawings of standing boys detailing various settings. I wondered if these would come together to make a manga. Even though I had bought manga at stores, I had never seen the drawing process, so it felt quite fresh.

However, seeing only cool-looking men made me feel sadly out of place, especially while dressed as a girl.

“So, this is going to become a manga?”

Engrossed in my admiration, I kept turning the pages, oblivious to the sound of the door opening.

“What—what are you looking at!?”

“Huh?”

Rei-sama returned from behind me through the sliding door. Without giving me a chance to respond, she swiftly snatched the notebook from my hands with cat-like agility. Staring at me with tearful eyes, she hugged the notebook to her chest protectively.