Chapter 82 Volume 4 : Chapter 15: The Girl’s Afternoon Tea (Part 2)
“Go on. Judging from the readings we got yesterday, her attitude toward you shouldn’t be bad at all. If there’s anything you do need to worry about, it’s probably only Tianqi Sanluo, who’s standing next to Miku.”
“O-okay.”
Shiori swallowed hard. After confirming the handkerchief was indeed in her pocket, she stepped forward and blocked Miku’s path.
Noticing Shiori’s presence, the group of girls came to a stop and turned toward her.
“Hm? May I ask who you are…?”
The girl in front eyed Shiori’s different school uniform warily.
“Ah… um, I’m here to look for Yuzuru Miku…”
Under the gazes of so many girls—staring at her like she was a suspicious intruder—Itsuka Shiori felt completely overwhelmed.
“Eh? Could it be that you’re a fan of our Elder Sister-sama?”
“Elder Sister-sama?”
What kind of title was that? Was this Miku’s status at Rindouji Girls’ Academy?
“No, I just came to return something…”
“That won’t do. Even though I understand how you must feel, right now is Elder Sister-sama’s private time—you understand, private time? If you really are her fan, you should understand that, right?”
“B-but, but…”
Shiori clearly had no idea how to deal with this situation. Especially since she was wearing unfamiliar girls’ clothing, she stammered even more—making her look even more suspicious.
“……”
While chatting with Miku, Tianqi Sanluo was also watching Shiori’s every move from the corner of her eye.
“Itsuka Shidou… you… sigh, fine. Seeing how pitiful you look, I’ll lend you a hand.”
With that thought, Tianqi Sanluo casually turned her head—directly toward Shiori’s direction.
Then, as though she had just noticed this girl’s presence, she spoke in surprise:
“Miku-san, over there—”
“Hm?”
Miku followed Tianqi Sanluo’s gaze and immediately saw Shiori—surrounded, face bright red with embarrassment. Miku hurried over to help.
“Oh my, isn’t this Shiori-chan?”
“Ah?”
The girl who had spoken earlier froze at Miku’s form of address. Suddenly looking guilty—as though she had committed an unforgivable offense against her revered “Elder Sister-sama”—she bowed to Shiori again and again:
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—I didn’t know you were Elder Sister-sama’s friend! I was rude!”
“N-no, it’s nothing like that…”
Seeing her panic, Shiori quickly bowed as well, apologizing for not explaining clearly and causing the “misunderstanding.”
While the two kept bowing back and forth, Miku arrived before Shiori.
“What is it, Shiori-chan? Did you need something from me?”
“Ah… I-I came to return this to you…”
Shiori took the neatly folded lace-trimmed handkerchief from her pocket.
“Eh?”
For some reason, Miku looked surprised.
“It’s just a handkerchief. You didn’t need to return it to me.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
By now, Shiori had finally adapted to the atmosphere. She was no longer stammering.
Or maybe—she had simply noticed Miku’s unusually high tolerance for her, and relaxed a little.
Since Shiori insisted, Miku accepted the handkerchief and showed a mischievous smile.
“In that case—I’ll take it. But, Shiori-chan, I’m a little disappointed.”
“Eh?”
Hearing that, Shiori almost reflexively glanced at Tianqi Sanluo.
“???”
Tianqi Sanluo looked completely baffled.
What was that supposed to mean? She was just watching the drama unfold—and now Shidou was giving her an accusatory look?
Sure, since Shidou was currently in girl form, that look was less irritating than usual, but still…
Had she meddled so much lately that Shidou now instinctively blamed her whenever something went wrong during a date?
That would be quite inconvenient—how could an audience member interfere with the play unless the plot displeased her?
But Shiori’s glare vanished almost instantly. Scratching her cheek, she realized she had no idea what Miku meant.
“D-did I do something wrong…?”
“No, Shiori-chan—”
Miku shook her head with a smile.
“I originally thought you would invite me out for tea.”
Shiori felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest. She was definitely bright red right now.
Since Miku had said this herself, refusing wasn’t an option—though her phrasing made it sound as if Shiori was the one being invited instead.
At that moment, Kotori’s voice rang sharply in Shiori’s mind:
“What are you spacing out for?! Don’t waver! She’s basically begging you to invite her! How are you not picking up the hint?!”
“Exactly. Shiori-chan, Miku-san happens to have an afternoon tea ready today.”
Apparently, Tianqi Sanluo thought they were wasting time and decided to accelerate the plot herself.
But Shiori didn’t seem grateful at all.
“O-oh…”
After a small tremble of her shoulders, Shiori looked directly into Miku’s eyes.
“T-then… as thanks for lending me the handkerchief… may I invite you… to have tea together?”
Miku, as if expecting exactly that, smiled her most enchanting smile yet.
“Of course. I’d love to, Shiori-chan.”
At that moment, the girl who had earlier confronted Shiori appeared on the verge of tears. She hurried to Miku’s side, sparkling eyes brimming with sorrow.
“Elder Sister-sama… didn’t you promise—today’s afternoon tea would be with me…?”
“Eh?”
A bit slow on the uptake, Miku turned around with a gentle smile.
“In that case, I shouldn’t intrude…”
Seeing the girl about to cry, Shiori—who couldn’t stand seeing girls cry—prepared to excuse herself and look for another chance.
“No, Shiori-chan—don’t worry. She’s a very good girl.”
Without even turning around, Miku stopped Shiori. Her voice carried a mysterious power—subtly guiding the girl’s mind.
“You’re a good girl, aren’t you? You shouldn’t do things that make Elder Sister-sama unhappy.”
“…Yes, I’m a good girl…”
The student’s eyes glazed over the moment she heard Miku’s spirit-infused voice—like she had been brainwashed.
“I won’t abandon you. Next time, okay?”
“Yes… as long as Elder Sister-sama is happy.”
Having resolved the matter, Miku turned back proudly toward the stunned Shiori.
“All right, Shiori-chan. Now there’s no problem.”
“O-okay…”
Since the girl herself had no objection now, Shiori could only obey.
“…Spirit power? So this is Yuzuru Miku’s ability. Just as I suspected.”
Tianqi Sanluo narrowed her eyes. Based on her observations, Miku’s ability seemed to manipulate others’ consciousness through her voice—something akin to brainwashing. But since Miku still hadn’t revealed her Angel, Sanluo couldn’t be sure if there were variations or extensions of this basic power.
However, this level of control seemed only enough to handle ordinary people. Judging by a typical Spirit’s spirit energy, Miku at full strength might be able to control stronger-willed magicians—or Shidou’s group of sealed Spirits.
Just as Tianqi Sanluo was calculating silently, Miku suddenly seemed to think of something and turned toward her.
“By the way, Tianqi-san—would you be interested in joining Shiori-chan and me for afternoon tea?”
“Oh? Me?”
Tianqi Sanluo gave Shiori—who was visibly nervous—a playful glance. Not wanting to miss a good scene, she pretended to hesitate for a moment, then graciously agreed:
“Sure. As long as Shiori-chan doesn’t mind, I have no objections.”
“Shiori-chan, what do you think?”
What could Itsuka Shiori say? After taking a deep breath, she forced a slightly stiff smile.
“Of course. I… I really like Tianqi-san.”
---
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!