Zero no Tsukaima Volume 4 Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Sailor Outfit and Louise's Jealousy[]

As the sunlight shone radiantly at Austri's Plaza, Saito was groveling on the ground and trembling violently. Then, raising his face, he gazed at the work of art he had produced, and once again started to go mad from his excitement.

"Hah, hah, hah..." His breathing became hot.

The throbbing of his heart reached its climax many times and brought Saito's heart to utopia.

Saito muttered quietly.

"s.h.i.+ver, my palpitation's beat."

"Throb, my heart of homesickness."

"s.h.i.+ver more and more heatedly, bless my genius......"

"The angel said. Said it here. I'm glad I'm alive......"

Saito tightly grasped the gra.s.s growing from the ground and yelled loudly.

"UooooooooooOOOOOOH! I'm, THE GREAAAAATESTT!"

Then he pointed at the angel in front of his eyes.

"Siesta is also the greaaaTTTESStt!!"

Siesta, dumbfounded, was staring at Saito's whole act of agony and excitement.

Saito-san... is strange......

She murmured unintentionally. That was exactly just how abnormal Saito was acting.

"B-but, these clothes......"

"Wh-what? Something wrong? Is there something flawed?!"

Saito sprung energetically towards her.

"W, well... I mean, this is a military uniform, right? Even if I wear this, it won't look good..."

"Don't say such stupid things!"

Saito's intimidating att.i.tude caused Siesta to go "Hii..." and back off.

"In thiiiIISS! W-W-World! That is certainly an outfit for the naval soldiers! BuuuUUUUT! In my woorrlLLD! Girls your age wear that and go to school! GoooOOOIIING in present progressive form!

"Y-Yes..."

Aah, Saito-san is surpa.s.sing strange...

Then Saito screamed while half-crying.

"It is called sailor uniform in my world! I'm shorrRRYYY for being born!"

Siesta thought So that is what this was about...

This is an outfit from Saito-san's birthplace...

Last night, Saito came to her and handed her the sailor uniform with a stiffened expression. When Saito said "I'll modify this outfit for you to wear", she honestly thought that he had lost his mind.

Even so, Siesta honestly felt happy that Saito bought clothes for her.

And now, to Saito who was delighting over having her dress in his birthplace's outfit, she felt darling.

If Saito was normal right now, pulling away from him would be the only thing possible to do, but for that reason, Siesta blushed.

"At first, I thought Saito-san went crazy, but he had such a reason......"

I understand! Siesta nodded, and turned around to face Saito seriously.

"What should I do to please you even more?"

Saito, once again, looked at Siesta's appearance from the top to bottom.

First, the upper half. It was a beautiful gem made from Albion's sailor suits. White long sleeves with black cuffs. The collar and scarf were deep blue in color. Three white lines ran across the collar.

And then, Saito condensed his genius into "length". Saito, to his utmost ability, instructed Siesta to make the waist area short. By shortening the length of the upper half, it only reached to the top of the skirt. Therefore, whenever Siesta twisted her body, he could see her belly b.u.t.ton. Saito was the real thing.

Now, the skirt. He shouldn't have done it, but he stole Louise's alternate uniform. It had a pleat on it, so he put it to practical use. This, as well, was shortened to the best he could. As a result, most likely the first skirt in this other world to be fifteen centimeters above the knees was created.

And then the socks. Those were the result from a clash between Saito's preferences and reality. Saito carefully chose and arranged deep blue socks.

Shoes. They were the high-laced boots Siesta always wore. It was the only scratch in this glittering work of art. He really wanted loafers here. But sadly, loafers did not exist in this world.

Anyways, these articles were all scrutinized and coordinated by Saito.

Her big b.r.e.a.s.t.s, usually covered and hidden by an ap.r.o.n, were raised up by the hand-made sailor uniform. Her slender legs, healthy like a serow's, were sucked into the fifteen-centimeter-above-knees skirt. Siesta usually didn't wear such short skirts, so the mix of nostalgia and freshness made him even more emotionally moved.

"Tell me! Saito-san! What should I do, to get closer to your birthplace?!"

Saito thought. Seriously, staking his life. He recalled all kinds of patterns. Like a high-powered calculator, Saito's head rotated.

The voice of his heart whispered.

Saito, IT CAN ONLY BE THAT.

Right. It can only be that... Only that...

With a almost-sobbing voice, he squeezed out

"Spin around."

"Eh?"

"Round and around, turn like that. Then, after that, say 'Sorry to keep you waiting!' cheerfully to me."

Siesta drew back. Saito was coinciding with the type of men her mother told her not to get close to when she was young. Still, Siesta wanted to please him.

As if to prepare herself, "Y-yes..." she nodded, and Siesta spun around. Her scarf and skirt lightly flew up into the air.

"So-sorry to keep you waiting."

"Wroooong!"

"Hii!"

"At the end, you raise a finger and go "ne". Cheerfully. One more time."

Nodding, Siesta repeated what she was told. Seeing this, Saito cried.

"Thank you for y-y, y, your bravery."

Is this okay, Siesta? Is it really okay for this person? She kind of felt that from the more composed part of her, but Siesta shut off that negativity.

Every person has hobbies and preferences that they can't tell others. Saito-san is no exception. Yeah, that's all... Yes, that's it! She told herself brightly and smiled. Siesta was strong.

"What should I do next?"

"Um, next is..."

When Saito folded his arms and started pondering over this, a group of two walked over to them in an awkward manner.

It was Guiche and the fat Malicorne. An unusual duo. It seemed the two had been staring at Siesta from some shelter.

"Ehem", Guiche coughed to grab attention.

"That is... what? What are those clothes?!"

For some reason, Guiche was furious while looking like he was going to cry. Malicorne, too, pointed to Siesta while trembling.

"O-o, o, outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Isn't that right?! Guiche!"

"Aah, this! I've never seen such an outrageous outfit before! It-it-it!"

"It directly attacks the br-br-brain!"

The two's eyes glittered heatedly, and stared at Siesta as if to eat into her. Waaan, the headaches multiplied, Siesta felt miserable, but these two were n.o.bles. Because she had to, Siesta forcibly smiled.

That smile and sailor uniform seemed to have completely damaged Malicorne and Guiche, since they started to draw near her in a staggering gait like a somnambulist's. Siesta, sensing danger to her body, said "Well, I'm going back to work!" and ran away.

"How lovely..." Guiche murmured in a dreaming tone as he watched her run off.

"Absolutely..." Malicorne also murmured, spellbound.

"What did you come here for?!"

When Saito yelled, the two finally came back to their senses. Then, Guiche embraced Saito's shoulders.

"H, hey, you. Where did you buy that outfit?"

"What do you plan to do by asking?"

Guiche said with an embarra.s.sed smile

"Th-there is a person I want to give the outfit to as a present."

"The Princess?"

"Idiot! Too much! That's too much! Her Majesty the Princess is now Her Majesty the Queen! Aah, she has gone to a high place where I cannot reach... It was better when she was a princess, but now as the queen..."

What high place? You never had a chance since the beginning. Saito thought, but he decided to stay silent and listen.

"There, I finally remembered. That person who was always beside me, constantly looking at me with her lovely eyes... That beautiful blond hair. That sweet, perfume-like smile..."

Ah, his ex-girlfriend. Saito realized.

"Monmon?"

"Not Monmon! It's Montmorency!"

"I see. You want to be close to her again. You know, you really don't have any integrity."

"I don't want to be told by you. Now then, tell me. Where is that outfit sold?"

"Hmph. Like you could ever understand art."

Saito spat out. He didn't want someone like Guiche dishonoring his birthplace's memories.

"It can't be helped. I will not only report today's events, but also ask Louise as well."

Those were most certainly magic words.

"I still have two more. Use them as you please."

It pulled out Saito's maximum concession instantly.

"But still, just what is that outfit? I think I've seen that somewhere before... Don't sailors wear these clothes? For, hmm, a girl to wear it and give off such charms! How mysterious."

Folding his arms together, Saito puffed up his chest with pride.

"Of course. It has the charming magic from my birthplace cast on it."

Now then, on the night of that day.

Montmorency, prideful of her long, curly golden hair and vivid blue eyes, was mixing a potion in her room at the dormitory. Leaning her tall body on a chair, she was engrossed in mixing a secret potion inside a pot with a wooden pestle.

Montmorency the "Fragrance", a mage of the "water" element, had a hobby of magical medicine... potion making. And just like her second name suggested, her specialty was perfume making. The perfumes she made were known for the uniquely lovely fragrance they emitted, and she was extremely popular with the ladies and town girls.

Today, Montmorency was zealously creating a certain potion.

It was not just any potion. What a thing, how wrong that it was a forbidden potion. By the country's proclamation, it was an item forbidden to be created or used.

Montmorency sold the perfumes she made in the town and slowly saved up money. And then, today, this day, she used the money she saved up and obtained the recipe for the forbidden potion, as well as the high priced secret medicine needed for the mixing, at a dark magic store. Hobbies won over morals. Getting fed up over making normal potions, Montmorency felt like creating something forbidden despite knowing that an enormous fine would be imposed on her if she was discovered.

Along with the mashed up fragrant wood, dragon sulfur, and mandragora, at last, to pour in the essential secret medicine... the liquid that she had paid a large amount of money to obtain, she grabbed the small bottle beside her.

Just a small quant.i.ty... For just this little amount of liquid stored in the perfume bottle, Montmorency used up pretty much all of the money she had saved up. 700 in écu gold coins. An amount of money a commoner could use to live five to six years.

When she tilted the small bottle to the pot, being careful not to spill anything...

Someone knocked on the door, causing Montmorency to leap up.

"Wh-who is it... At a time like this..."

She placed the ingredients and utensils that were on the desk inside the drawer. After that, she headed towards the door while combing her hair upwards.

"Who is it?"

"It's me! Guiche! Your eternal servant! Open this door for me!"

Who?is?an eternal servant, Montmorency muttered. She knew about his unfaithful nature quite well. When they walked together in the town, he would get distracted and look restlessly around at the beautiful women. When they drank wine at a bar, he would make advances at the waitresses whenever she left her seat for a bit. Finally, he would forget about a date promise and go pick flowers for a girl somewhere else. It was quite annoying to hear him say 'eternal'.

Montmorency spoke in an irritated voice.

"Why did you come here? I already broke up with you."

"I don't think like that at all. But if you think that way, then it is my fault... After all, see, I love beautiful things. In other words, I am a servant to beauty... Like you already know, art, that's right, art! I'm too weak against beautiful things..."

You love art? For someone with bad tastes, you sure can say things. She thought. The color of the s.h.i.+rt he wore for dates was gingira violet, and she got a headache the time he came wearing a red and green scarf.

"But I've made sure that I will no longer accept any art except you. After all, you seem to be the most art-like. Um, like your blond hair."

Are you an idiot?

"Go away. I am busy."

When Montmorency said that coldly, silence fell for a while. After that, Guiche breaking down and crying could be heard in the corridor.

"I understand... Being told like that, I can only perish on this spot. If I'm hated by you, who I love, so badly, then there is no worth at all in life."

"Do what you want."

Men like Guiche couldn't die just because they get rejected. Montmorency kept up her indifferent att.i.tude.

"Now then, I want to, at least... on the door of the room you live in, I will carve proof that I have lived... that I have loved you."

"Wh-what are you doing?! Stop that!"

The sound of something hard could be heard scratching on the door.

"The man who sacrificed himself for love, Guiche de Gramont. Destroyed by eternal love, he dies here... There."

"Not 'there'! Geez!"

Montmorency opened the door. Guiche was standing there with a full smile on his face.

"Montmorency! I love you! I really love you! I love you! I love you!"

And then, he embraced her tightly. Montmorency was enthralled for a moment. Anyways, Guiche continuously said "I love you". It was because of his lack of vocabulary, but no matter how many times he said that, she didn't feel bad.

Then, Guiche handed the bundle he was holding to Montmorency.

"...What is this?"

"Open it up. It is a present for you."

Montmorency opened up the bundle. It was the sailor uniform. Saito had asked Siesta to remake the uniform to fit Montmorency's body, Guiche always memorized the sizes of the girls he got along with.

"What a strange outfit..."

Montmorency raised her eyebrows.

"How about you wear it? It will definitely fit you. Your purity will be amplified manyfold. Come on. Hurry. What, I'm facing in another direction."

Facing backwards, Guiche started to bite his nails restlessly. Seeing the inevitable, Montmorency took off her s.h.i.+rt and put on the outer garment.

"I'm done."

Turning around, Guiche's face brightened energetically.

"Aah, Montmorency~... You really are pure... My cute Montmorency~..."

While muttering that, Guiche tried to kiss her. Right away, Montmorency obstructed him.

"Monmon..."

Guiche's face distorted sadly.

"Don't misunderstand. I opened the door to my room, but I didn't open this door. I haven't decided to make up with you yet. Also, who are you calling Monmon?"

With just that, Guiche was happy. There was still some hope left.

"My Montmorency~! You feel like considering it, I see!"

"If you understand, then leave! I was in the middle of something!"

Saying "Yes, yes, of course I'll leave. If you say so, I'll leave any time." Guiche left the room hopping.

Montmorency reflected herself in the mirror.

"What is this... There's no way I could wear something so embarra.s.singly short-lengthed!"

Unintentionally, her face reddened. Though looking carefully, this outfit was quite cute. Guiche had purposely prepared this outfit for her sake.

Umumumu...

Well, yeah, being told "I love you" like that, she was in a pretty good mood. They were going out originally, so she didn't hate him.

"What to do? Forgive him?"

But, she remembered the way Guiche cheated on her in the past.

Even if I go out with him again, won't everything just repeat all over again. She was fed up with getting worried over his cheating.

What should I do? While she was thinking that, she remembered the potion she had been mixing.She opened the drawer. She saw the secret medicine inside the perfume bottle that she had hid a moment ago.

Montmorency tilted her head and started to ponder.

U?n, it is a good trade... I can also test for the effectiveness...

How about I use this potion a bit after it is completed, Montmorency thought.

The next day, everyone's attention focused on Montmorency simultaneously when she entered the cla.s.sroom.Why, she had appeared wearing the sailor uniform.

The male students reacted quickly to this.

Sailor outfit and girl... Feeling a fresh tidiness at this exquisite grouping that they'd never imagined before, they stared engrossed at Montmorency. In regards to the way the guys reacted, the female students quickly felt jealousy and envy, and they glared at her.

Montmorency managed to monopolize the glances of everyone in the cla.s.s, so she was in a good mood. Putting her hand on her hip, she looked upwards and pridefully put on airs and headed to her seat.Louise was also staring at Montmorency while gaping. If I'm right, isn't that the sailor outfit of the Albion army that Saito bought in town?

Louise poked Saito, who was beside her and s.h.i.+vering for some reason.

"Hey, aren't those the clothes you bought? Why is Montmorency wearing it?"

"Ah, aah... Well, ehe, ah, Guiche told me to give it to him..."

Louise remembered that Guiche and Montmorency had been going out with each other.

"Why did you give it to Guiche?" Saito started s.h.i.+vering even more.

"Eh? Because, he said he wanted it..."

Louise felt something suspicious from Saito's att.i.tude.

"Heey, are you hiding something from me?" She glared ferociously at him.

"Eh? Eeeh? I'm not hiding anything! Come on now..."

Saito felt damp cold sweat streaming down him. He didn't think Montmorency would wear it to cla.s.s.

c.r.a.p, if Louise finds out it was a present for Siesta...

Louise would definitely get angry. It seems that this girl finds it boring when I, her familiar, get along with other girls. Even though she doesn't love me or anything, she can't forgive that.

Definitely, just like Louise always says, "Ignoring your master and getting along with other girls" irritates her.

What the heck? Anyways, her desire was to monopolize her familiar, Saito interpreted. She was getting mad at him because her pet dog was more attached to others than her. Never in his wildest dreams did Saito think Louise harbored feelings for him. Very Saito-like, it was a considerably roundabout way to misunderstand.

Aah, when she found out I took a bath with Siesta a while ago, it was horrible. Resentfully, Saito looked at the restraints that were once again placed on him.

That incident... If Louise found out he had Siesta wear a sailor uniform and enjoyed the skirt spinning... His face stiffened in fear.

Hung on the ceiling, and send electricity at him repeatedly...

In the end, taste an attack of "Void"...

Get scattered like that straw bundle...

I might die...

Saito started s.h.i.+vering violently. Don't s.h.i.+ver, it'll be suspicious! The more he thought that, the more he s.h.i.+vered. In the end, should I have just presented that sailor uniform to Louise in the first place? No, the high-prided Louise would never wear it. Besides, Siesta fits the sailor uniform better. Her hair is black, and she's one-eighth j.a.panese. Louise's pink-blond wouldn't fit the sailor uniform. Her body is small too, so it would get baggy.

What?

Th-that's it! d.a.m.n, that would be quite good too. Th-that would have been good too. d.a.m.n! Calculation error! What have I done......?

Saito shook his head to chase out those delusions. Either way, all I wanted was to enjoy the atmosphere from my birthplace. There is nothing to feel guilty about. It's a lie, but not.

His face was ghastly blue, he was violently s.h.i.+vering, and was muttering under his breath, so it wasn't just Louise that found him suspicious.

"Hey. What are you hiding? I won't forgive you if you hide something from me."

Louise's eyes hung up.

"I-I'm not hiding anything."

Too suspicious. Louise tried to question him again, but she had to give up when the teacher entered the cla.s.sroom.

When school ended, Saito left an absolutely impossible reason of "I have to feed the pigeons" and disappeared out of the cla.s.sroom.

"When did he get a pigeon?"

Louise muttered with a very grumpy face. For some reason, a really bad premonition could be felt.

Saito ran to the kitchen. He hadn't been able to talk to Siesta because she looked busy during lunch and Louise's surveillance was severe.

Seeing Saito, who was panting by the time he got there, Siesta's face s.h.i.+ned happily.

"Waah! Saito-san!"

The head cook, old man Marteau, also came up to him and wrapped his thick arm around Saito's neck.

"Hey! Our sword! It's been a while!"

"He-h.e.l.lo..."

"Yai! Lately, you haven't been coming here! Siesta's always so lonely, you know!"

"Wahahaha" Came laughing voices throughout the kitchen. Becoming bright red in the face, Siesta, who had been was.h.i.+ng stuff, grasped a plate tightly. Saito quickly drew his mouth near Siesta's ear.

"Siesta."

"Ye-yes..."

"About those clothes... When you're done with your job, could you bring them with you?"

"Eh?"

"Let's see... Someplace where no one will see us is good... In the Vestri plaza, there's a staircase leading up a tower, right? Bring them there."

Siesta blushed in amazement.

Afterwards, Saito jogged off and disappeared.

"Aah... I'm..."

"What's wrong, Siesta. A promise for a rendezvous?"

Hooting came flying, but they no longer entered Siesta's ears. Her face completely reddened, Siesta whispered absentmindedly.

"What should I do? Aah, I'm, going to be s.n.a.t.c.hed away..."

Now then, on the other side, Louise was walking around the school and searching for her familiar.

Ever since he said he was going to feed his pigeon, Saito had not shown himself.

Getting to the tower of fire, she peeked inside Mister Colbert's laboratory. Even if you call it a laboratory, it's just a worn-out shack. Whenever Colbert had free time, he usually hung out in there.

But, Saito was not there. Colbert, by himself, was doing something noisily to the Dragon's Raiment that was left in front of his laboratory.

Louise asked Colbert.

"Mister Colbert, have you seen Saito?"

"I don't know... He hasn't come here for two or three days."

Louise looked at the Zero fighter and was astonished. The engine part of the nose had been removed from the body and placed on the ground, and it had been tragically disa.s.sembled.

"Oh, this! I just got interested in the structure. I didn't get permission from Saito-kun, but I lightly disa.s.sembled it. It's complicated, but theoretically speaking, it is not much different from the 'Joyful Snake-kun' I designed. Still, this is quite a fragile thing. If it flies once, it has to be precisely disa.s.sembled and have the parts looked over. Otherwise, not only will it fail to perform to its original efficiency, there is also a chance it will break..."

Colbert finally started talking about the engine's structure and maintenance.

"Ha, hah... Well then, pardon me."

Louise didn't really have interest in that conversation, so she bowed her head and started to run once again. Colbert shouted at her back.

"Miss! If you meet Saito-kun, tell him this! I have placed a surprising new weapon onto this 'Dragon's Raiment'!

The next place Louise visited was the tower of wind. In the magic academy, towers were arranged into a pentagram with the main tower in the center. The tower of wind was one of them. It was mostly only used for lessons. There was only one entrance.

Louise witnessed the suspicious shadow of a person disappearing through the door into the tower. Whitish clothing... a large collar.

Clearly, it was the sailor outfit worn by Montmorency just a while ago.

Who is it? If it was Montmorency, then it would be blond hair... The person who entered a moment ago had black hair. Louise secretly followed the person.

Opening the door to the tower of wind, she ran straight down the corridor that had semicircular rooms arranged to the left and right.

Slowly pus.h.i.+ng the door open, she heard the sound of footsteps steadily climbing up the staircase.

After Louise held her breath on the first floor for a while, she pursued after the person. She heard the sound of a door opening and closing on the second floor.

To keep herself from making sounds from her footsteps, Louise cautiously came up to the door. There, Louise leaned her body closely to it. This should be the warehouse. Just what does the person wearing the white sailor outfit plan to do here?

Louise pushed back her pink-blond hair and placed her ear on the door. She heard a strange voice from inside. An intermittent one......

"Haah, Nn, Haahaa..."

That kind of voice. Louise's eyebrows bent into a "?". Because it was small, she could not figure out who it was.

But, it was a guy's.

At a place like this, calling out someone wearing those garments... A person who can make those voices...

Louise thought up a terrible delusion inside her mind.

"Haa! Cu-cu, cute..."

Cute? At that moment, something flipped inside Louise's head.

Baang! She opened the door and pounced into the room.

"What are you doing?!"

"Hiiiiii!"

The person there turned around. The person was wearing the sailor outfit, and what's more, was wearing a skirt below. Sure enough, it was the fat Malicorne.

"Ma-Ma, Malicorne?"

"Louise!" Malicorne tried to run and escape, but he wasn't used to the skirt, so his feet got tangled in it and he fell over.

"Ah! Nna! Ah! Fua! AAH!"

Malicorne shouted while writhing on the floor. With the look of an ogre, Louise trampled on Malicorne's back. In the warehouse was an old mirror. The "Liar's Mirror". It was a mirror that reflected ugly things beautifully and beautiful things unattractively, but for various reasons, it almost got broken, so it was shut here. It seemed Malicorne was finding self-satisfaction in reflecting himself in the mirror. What a preposterous pleasure.

"Why are you wearing that?"

"No, it was just too lovely... Bu-but, I don't have anyone to wear it for me..."

"So you wore it yourself?"

"Th-that's right! Is that wrong? I-I have to wear it myself! Guiche has Montmorency and your commoner of a familiar has that maid from the kitchen! But, I don't have a girlfriennnnnd!"

"What did you say? What about Saito and the maid?"

Louise's eyes went up.

"Eh? Well, he had the maid wear these clothes and spin around... Aah, it was moving! Just thinking back to it, my heart feels burnt from those lovely scenes! That's why I should at least reflect myself in this mirror wearing it as a memento of that memory... Aaah, I... I'm such a lovely fairy... AAAaaaaahh!"

Malicorne shouted. Louise trampled that face with her foot.

"Silence."

"Ah! Aah! Ah! Louise! Ah! Louise! Being stepped on by a beautiful girl like you... I feel like I'll lose my sense! Clear away my sins! Let me repent for it! Crush my sins of losing control over myself from acting like a lovely fairy in a place like this! There's something wrong with me! Ah! Ah! Nnnnaaaaaaaaa!"

Just like that, Louise trampled Malicorne's face and caused him to faint.

"Yeah, there is something wrong with you."

Louise muttered, her shoulders moving up and down from anger.

"I see... So that is what it was about... The maid is that good... So she's so good that you would give her a lovely outfit as a present... Plus, you had fun making her spin around and around? Don't joke with me."

Tightly squeezing her hands into fists, Louise growled.

"That familiar. Even though he kissed me."

At the corner of the appointed place, Vestri Plaza, Siesta came up to the staircase of the tower of fire after night had completely fallen. After her job ended, it took time to clean her body with a bath and finish dressing up.

She headed towards the landing of the staircase, but Saito was not there. There were only two barrels there. The surroundings were dim. Siesta worriedly looked around her.

"Saito-san..."

Discouragingly muttering that, the cover of a barrel opened up with a sound.

Siesta instinctively backed off, but Saito popped up from inside it.

"Siesta."

"Wah! Saito-san! Why are you there?!"

"Well, there were some circ.u.mstances... Wai-, eh?"

Saito looked at Siesta's appearance and his eyes widened. She was wearing that handmade sailor uniform.

"Y-you came wearing it?"

"Eh, yes... Because, I thought Saito-san would be happier if I wore this."

c.r.a.p. I should have said return it, instead of bring it. There's no way I can tell her to take it off right here. While Saito was panicking like that, Siesta spun around and raised a finger in front of her face.

The skirt lightly soared up.

"Un, um... Th-thanks for waiting."

Then Siesta smiled brightly. C, cute. Saito involuntarily blushed.

At that time, the sound of a barrel shaking behind them happened.

Siesta went "Kyaa!" and clung to Saito.

“Nyaa, nyaa” came the cry of a cat.

Saito stroked his chest in relief.

“Oh, just a cat...”

But, the problem wasn’t the cat. Siesta was pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s on him. They were squashed by Saito’s chest, and the handmade sailor uniform freely changed its shape.

Saito’s face paled. Th-th-th, this sensation is.

"S-Siesta, um..."

"What is it?"

"You aren't wearing a bra?"

Siesta looked blankly at him.

"What is a bra?"

"Eh? Eeeeehhh? You know, to the b.r.e.a.s.t.s, like this, protect it..."

But, Siesta still looked blankly at him. It seemed there were no bras in this world.

"I do wear drawers and a corset under my s.h.i.+rt when I am in my maid outfit though..."

Then she blushed.

"But, I am not wearing anything right now. Drawers would show if I wore it along with this short skirt..."

"What are drawers?"

"Eh? Um, undershorts."

Aah, those things that look like expanded spats.

Haah, so her b.r.e.a.s.t.s are like this when she isn't wearing a corset. Saito thought while looking up at the sky. He felt that he would get a nosebleed if he didn't do so.

More importantly, there are no bras? I see. Now that I think about it, when I was was.h.i.+ng Louise's underwear, I have memories of was.h.i.+ng panties, chemise, and corsets, but no memories of bras. I thought it was because she didn't have b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but it seems bras themselves don't exist.

Also, while n.o.ble girls can wear laced underwear, it can't be the same way with commoner girls like Siesta, right? Eh? She isn't wearing anything right now?

Wh-which means......

"You're so mean, Saito-san... I do not possess any small laced underwear like the n.o.bles do... Yet, you have me wear such a, such a short skirt..."

In other words, she isn't wearing it.

INDEED!

Inside his head, fanfare resounded like banbakabaanbanbonbanbanbakabaan.

First place. Siesta-san, first place?

Siesta tightly leaned her body on Saito. Hugged his shoulders. Slowly, Siesta drew her lips closer to Saito's.

"U, um... Are, are we going to do it here?"

"Eh?"

"Well, yes, I am a village girl, so, um, I don't mind the location, but, um..."

"Siesta?"

"A more, um, cleaner place that people wouldn't go to would be better. Ah, but this is just a wis.h.!.+ So if Saito-san says this place is good, then I am fine too. Aah, I'm scared. After all, this is my first time. Mother, forgive me. I'm going to finally be s.n.a.t.c.hed away here."

It seemed she was really misunderstanding things. Saito only wanted her to return the sailor uniform here. But Siesta thought she was going to be s.n.a.t.c.hed away.

The moment he thought that he needed to explain...

Behind them, the cover of the other barrel popped straight up.

"Wh, what?!"

When Saito turned around, the fallen barrel cover directly hit his head.

"Gyaa!"

Then from inside the barrel, a silhouette stood up as the ground shook thunderously. Actually, the only thing that shook was the barrel, but it felt like the actual ground was trembling. That was just how angry the person inside the barrel was.

"L-Louise?"

Saito muttered with a trembling voice. Siesta was frightened by Louise, whose head was poking out of the barrel, and hid in Saito's shadow.

"Wh-why are you inside a barrel...?"

"I was tailing you and saw you secretly hide inside a barrel, so I copied you and hid inside the barrel beside you. I was really careful to not make a sound. But, I hit the barrel in anger a bit. The 'nyaa, nyaa' part."

Aah, that cat's cry was Louise. All of it, completely, she had heard our conversation just now.Louise's face was pale with anger. Her eyes raised up, her whole body was trembling like an earthquake. With a completely trembling voice, Louise murmured.

"That's quite a wonderful pigeon you're raising, isn't it. Heeh. A lovely outfit as a present, huh. Fine. I am kind, so I'll forgive something like that. I don't really mind you ignoring your master and sending your pigeon presents."

"Louise, listen."

"But, that pigeon said this. 'You have me wear such a short skirt'. Without any underwear, 'you have me wear such a short skirt'. The best. That's the best joke this century."

"Louise! Listen! Please!"

"Relax. It won't hurt. With my "Void", I won't leave a speck of you left."

Setting up her "Founder's Prayer Book", Louise began to chant her spell. Sensing danger to his life, Saito instinctively grasped Derflinger hung on his back.

Siesta had become scared and hid herself in a shelter.

"What is with you? Are you planning to oppose your master? Isn't that interesting?"

Louise muttering that was scary. More than a battles.h.i.+p, more than a dragoon, more than an orc demon, more than Wardes... Louise was scarier than anything up to now.

Saito's body trembled stiffly.

What's with this intensity...

I-i, is this "Void"...

"Partner, give up."

Derflinger whispered in a bored manner. Demonstrating foolhardiness, Saito pulled out his sword.

"Vo-vo-vo-void isn't anything! Bring it on!"

The rune on Saito's left hand shone... Louise swung her wand down half-way though her chanting.Boom! And the area in front of Saito exploded.

Being swallowed by the flash, Saito was blown off the landing and struck the ground below.

After striking the ground, Saito's face distorted with fear, and he stood up and ran away. Louise peeked out from the landing and shouted.

"Wait!"

Like I'd wait. If I wait, I'd die. Absolutely die.

Primeval fear took over Saito's mind. Saito, while falling over, desperately ran.

Louise chased after him.

Guiche was trying his very best in Montmorency's room to woo his lover.

About how Montmorency's appearance was like a rose, like a wild rose, like a white rose, how her eyes were like blue roses, anyways, he used roses and complimented her, and then he extolled her by using the spirit of water as comparison.

Montmorency, being no exception among the Tristain n.o.bles, was proud and conceited, so she did not hate flattery. However, her back was turned to Guiche, and she, acting, looked out the window wearily. It was the "Compliment me more" sign.

Seeing this, Guiche searched his head even more and unleashed words to attract her affection.

"In front of you, wouldn't the spirit of water run away? See, this hair... It is like a golden gra.s.sland. It's a sea of glittering stars. Aah, any female besides you can no longer enter my eye."

Guiche kept going in and out of the room, and he had already spat out enough lines to make a drama. I guess this should be enough Montmorency thought.

Slowly, still facing backwards, she gently held out her left hand to Guiche. "Aah" Guiche let out a moan of wonder and kissed that hand.

"Aah, my Montmorency~..."

Guiche tried to bring his lips near hers, but it was stopped by her finger.

"Before that, let us drink some wine. Since you went through the trouble of bringing it here."

"Of, of course!"

On the top of the table, a vase with flowers in it, a bottle of wine, and two ceramic gla.s.ses were placed.

Guiche had come to Montmorency's room carrying those in his hand.

Guiche hurriedly poured the wine into the gla.s.s. Doing so, Montmorency suddenly pointed out the window.

"Oh? A naked princess is flying in the sky."

"Eh? Where? Where, where?"

Guiche's eyes widened and stared outside the window as if to eat into it. W-h-a-t i-s "any female besides you can no longer enter my eye", it seems that I have to use this. While thinking that, Montmorency secretly poured the contents of the small bottle she had hidden in her sleeves into Guiche's wine cup. The transparent fluid dissolved into the wine.

Montmorency smiled sweetly.

"Just a lie. Well, let us toast."

"Come on now, don't startle me like that..." The moment Guiche said that, the door opened with a bam and a whirlwind flew in.

Guiche was sent flying and tumbled onto the floor. It was Saito.

"Haa, haa, haa... Hi-hi-hi"

"Why are you here?!"

"Hide me!"

While saying that, Saito jumped in Montmorency's bed.

"Hey! Is there anyone who would jump into Montmorency's bed! Leave! You!"

"Wait, what are you doing?! Entering someone's room as you please..."

When Montmorency crossed her arms and shouted at Saito, another whirlwind flew into the room. Montmorency was sent flying and struck her nose severely on the floor.

"Louise!"

Guiche yelled. Why, it was Louise who had lost herself in anger.

"Wh-wh-wh, what are you two doing?!"

"Shut up! Where's Saito!"

Being pressured by Louise's threatening att.i.tude, Guiche and Montmorency exchanged glances and pointed at the bed. There was a thick bulge in the futon, s.h.i.+vering slightly.

In a low voice, Louise ordered towards the bed.

"Saito, come out."

A stiffened voice came out of the futon.

"Saito isn't here."

Louise picked up the wine gla.s.s from the table. Montmorency went "Ah!" in a quiet voice, but it was too late. Louise drank it all in one gulp.

"Buhah! I got thirsty from the running. Everything is all your fault. Fine, I'll be the one to go to you."

Louise pulled away the bed's futon.

Saito was there trembling.

"Prepare yourself... Nna?"

The moment she looked at him and said that, Louise's emotions changed.

Louise had chased Saito around because she couldn't forgive him for giving other girls presents despite having kissed her. If you kiss a girl like Louise, it is going to get troublesome.

In other words, it was a problem of pride.

But, the moment she saw Saito just now, her feelings toward Saito jumped straight up. Until then, well, she vaguely liked him. She wouldn't accept it herself, but she liked him. That was probably why she was so jealous...

In this moment, she loved with no hamper at all. That emotion was so big, even Louise herself was bewildered. Without thinking, Louise covered her cheeks with her hands.

Oh my... I liked him this much?

I loved him this... this much?

Tears overflowed from Louise's eyes.

Her feelings of sadness were bigger than her feelings of anger. She liked him so much, so why didn't Saito look at her. It was so sad, Louise started to sob.

"Louise?"

Saito suspiciously looked at Louise, whose att.i.tude had completely reversed, and stood up. Guiche was also watching Louise, who had suddenly started crying, with a surprised look.

Montmorency was holding her head and going "Oh no~~". The drug she had intended Guiche to drink had been drunk by Louise.

"Hey, Louise..."

Louise looked up at Saito and clung to his chest.

"Idiot!"

"Eh?"

"Idiot, idiot! Why? Why?"

Louise started hitting Saito.

"Louise, you... Just what..."

Even though she was angry like fire up to now, her att.i.tude was completely different. Saito panicked.

"Why won't you look at me! That's so mean! Uwee~~~~n!"

Louise buried her face in Saito's chest and wept.