"Hehehe~ Come on, try on this maid outfit that Kuroko specially customized for you, Onee-sama~"
As Sonoko Natsume reached the second-floor landing of the student dormitory, she could already hear the distinctive, lilting voice of Shirai Kuroko from down the hall.
The door to Room 208 suddenly flew open, and Misaka Mikoto emerged with a slightly troubled expression, closely pursued by Shirai, who was brandishing a maid dress.
A barely perceptible, mischievous smile played on Shirai's lips as her twin tails swished through the air, darting around Misaka like a persistent satellite.
"Kuroko, I am absolutely not wearing this outfit."
A clear look of reluctance was etched on Misaka's face as she diligently maintained a distance of at least three meters from Shirai.
"Onee-sama! Everyone has worked so hard preparing for the Midsummer Festival. Please don't disappoint the hopes of the entire student body! You must wear this outfit, poured with the heartfelt efforts of everyone! That way, everyone will achieve happiness!"
Shirai took a deep breath, her entire demeanor suddenly turning solemn and serious, as if she were some utterly selfless, righteous character.
"Kuroko, why would me not wearing this equate to disappointing the entire student body? Care to explain that to me?"
Misaka's steps suddenly slowed. She seemed to take issue with Shirai's confident declaration, stopping in her tracks with a dissatisfied expression.
"Besides, I've been meaning to ask, why is my maid outfit different from everyone else's? Mine is the only one with such a short skirt, and the hem is actually lace-trimmed! When you say 'all the students,' you really just mean yourself, don't you? All to satisfy your own perverted ideas."
The more Misaka talked, the angrier she seemed to get, clearly holding a significant grudge against her designated outfit.
Shirai took a few steps back, her imposing aura deflating instantly.
"Well, that's precisely why it's specially customized! It's naturally different from the standard design. After all, you're Tokiwadai's Ace! How could you possibly dress like a commoner? Only these beautiful lace patterns are worthy of your status, Onee-sama!"
Shirai pressed on doggedly, seemingly not yet ready to give up on persuading Misaka.
"What an infuriating line of reasoning. It seems I've been far too gentle with you lately. I think you need some... special attention."
"Plus, you went and signed me up for a performance at the Midsummer Festival without my knowledge! And it somehow got unanimously approved!" A faint blue vein finally throbbed on Misaka's forehead.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a few light chuckles reached her ears. Misaka, as if waking from a dream, glanced around.
She only then noticed that quite a crowd had gathered in the corridor without her realizing, and even Sonoko Natsume was watching the scene with curious, blinking eyes. Misaka couldn't help but blush.
"Ahem, well, you see, we were just joking around! Just a little friendly banter between pals, please pay us no mind."
Misaka rubbed the back of her head, offering an awkward smile. Then, with one precise motion, she snagged the collar of Shirai's shirt and, ignoring Shirai's look of utter despair, dragged her back into Room 208.
"As expected of Lady Misaka."
A few whispering Tokiwadai students murmured, their eyes filled with a peculiar sort of admiration.
Within the Tokiwadai dorms, Misaka Mikoto was undeniably a star figure; everything she did seemed to carry a certain halo effect.
Sonoko Natsume hesitated for a moment outside Room 208, seemingly hearing Shirai's distinctive mix of pained and pleasurable cries from within, before ultimately deciding not to disturb them any further.
Returning to her own room, Sonoko finished her nightly routine and flopped face-first onto the sofa. She hadn't slept well last night and was determined to catch up on her rest today.
--+--
The outfit consisted of a black one-piece dress, a white fitted apron, and a pure white maid headdress that looked like a small cap.
Since her signature bun clashed horribly with the cap, and upon the 'kind suggestion' of the Dorm Supervisor, Sonoko had been forced to let her hair down, resulting in shoulder-length locks.
Sonoko wasn't thrilled about it. Her loose hair kept tickling her ears, an annoying sensation she found hard to bear. But there was no arguing with the Dorm Supervisor's formidable authority, so she had strategically compromised.
"Endure it, just endure it. It's only for one day. Everyone else can handle it, there's no reason I should be the exception."
Pumping herself up internally, a spark of confidence flashed in Sonoko's eyes. She'd spent day in and day out with Tsuchimikado; surely she could manage being a maid for a single day.
After a hurried breakfast, the group gathered in the main hall of the Tokiwadai student dormitory.
"Is that clear everyone? I trust I don't need to repeat each of your individual assignments?" The Dorm Supervisor adjusted her glasses, standing squarely in the center of the hall.
"Tokiwadai Middle School is never open to the public under normal circumstances. The Midsummer Festival is the sole exception. All the distinguished guests you have invited will be arriving today, so you must demonstrate the awareness befitting a Tokiwadai student. There must be no lapses in your speech or conduct; you must attend to every guest perfectly."
"Furthermore, members of Anti-Skill will also be present to maintain order. Everyone is to cooperate fully with them. Is that understood?!"
"Understood!"
Her throat suddenly felt a bit sore. Sonoko rubbed it gently; probably she'd been a bit too enthusiastic with the chanting.
What an unlucky start to the day.
Standing at the main entrance of the student dormitory, Sonoko's face was slightly flushed, and she tried her best to avoid looking directly at the stream of people arriving for the Midsummer Festival.
Sonoko's job for the day was to be a junior greeter and pamphlet distributor for the Tokiwadai dorm.
Not only did she have to stand at the entrance, but she also had to hand out a stack of pamphlets. It was the boring work she'd expected, and she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up playing tour guide too.
'I need to stay in the shadows, or I'll die.'
Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic.
Accustomed to hiding in the darkness and being a happy wallflower, Sonoko felt intensely uncomfortable being stared at in such a public setting, especially while wearing a maid outfit.
The feeling was genuinely awkward.
'Right now, I am Tsuchimikado. What would Tsuchimikado normally do?' Sonoko hypnotized herself, her entire demeanor shifting slightly.
The first to arrive were the Anti-Skill officers maintaining order. Since Tokiwadai was an all-girls' school, the officers sent were the female teachers, Yomikawa-sensei and Tsuzuri-sensei. Not that there were any other options, really.
"Ah, Natsume-san, so you live here." Tsuzuri-sensei, who remembered Sonoko quite well, recognized her immediately standing guard at the entrance.
She recalled a certain incident where someone had directed an armored vehicle to evade a monster's attack, which seemingly also led to a major water outage in District 7—though the blame for that was ultimately pinned on that giant tentacle monster.
While Sonoko's signature bun was now gone, replaced by loose hair and a simple maid outfit, she still stood out like a beacon in the night, easily spotted.
"Huh? Tsuzuri-sensei? And Yomikawa-sensei?" Sonoko blinked in surprise and, out of habit, handed them each a pamphlet.
"Alright, carry on with your work."
Yomikawa-sensei accepted the pamphlet, gave Sonoko an encouraging pat on the shoulder, and the two teachers stepped through the dormitory's main gate.
'If everything went smoothly, things should be wrapped up on Kiyama-sensei's end by now. Maybe Edasaki and the others have already woken up.'
As time passed, Sonoko stood at the entrance, her mind briefly wandering to Kiyama-sensei's situation. But she'd only been distracted for a few seconds before she suffered a sudden blow.
"It's not good to space out while working, you know?"
"Ouch!"
A sharp pain erupted on her head. Thinking it was the Dorm Supervisor, Sonoko looked up—or rather, she didn't really need to look up. She just had to glance slightly downward to see a young girl dressed in pink.
"Komoe-sensei, you pack quite a punch," Sonoko said ruefully, rubbing the sore spot on her head.
"Natsume-san, thank you so much for inviting me!" Komoe-sensei offered a sweet smile.
Aside from Juufuku Miho, Sonoko had invited quite a few people: Komoe-sensei, Kongou-senpai, Wannai-san, Awatsuki-san, and others, though many of them had already received invitations anyway.
Tokiwadai Middle School had two student dormitories.
Kongou-senpai and the others lived in the dormitory located inside the School Garden. This Midsummer Festival was only for the student dormitory where Sonoko lived.
She had considered inviting Kiyama-sensei and the others yesterday, but Kiyama-sensei was so busy with the Banri situation that Sonoko never got the chance to bring it up.
As for Uiharu and the others, they had been invited by Misaka-senpai.
Shirai had also invited their Judgment senior, Konori Mii-senpai. In short, everyone had invited quite a few guests.
"Um, Natsume-san, do you happen to know if there's any parking nearby? I've driven around the dormitory area a few times but couldn't find anything," Komoe-sensei spoke up, pointing a finger towards a specially modified compact car parked by the roadside.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.