ODL – Chapter 97 – Mafuyu’s Request

“Eh, no.” (Mafuyu)

“Gaah!!” (Keisuke)

“No way… ” (Lackey)

“It’s over… (Lackey)

Keisuke and his lackeys collapse onto the table with a loud sound.

“Maid outfit…?” (Souma)

Amidst all that, I was curious about what Keisuke had said.

“Keisuke, is this year’s beauty pageant costume a maid outfit?” (Souma)

“Yeah… I don’t care anymore… Haa… I really wanted to see Mafuyu-chan in a maid outfit…” (Keisuke)

Keisuke’s voice was trembling slightly. Did he really want to see it that much?

“A maid outfit, huh… Unexpected, to say the least. I thought it would be something along the lines of a swimsuit.” (Souma)

“…Last year, it was like that… but due to various circumstances, this year’s outfit became something with less exposure…” (Keisuke)

“Various things, huh…” (Souma)

It seems like quite a dark and mysterious story.

“Ugh… I really wanted to see it…” (Keisuke)

“I-I… It hurts…” (Lackey)

“I’ve been looking forward to it…” (Lackey)

Keisuke finally broke down, crying while still lying on the table. The guys behind him were desperately wiping away tears too. Perhaps those guys behind were part of Mafuyu-chan’s fan club.

…Regardless of everything, Keisuke and I have been friends for three years now. I could even say he’s my closest friend here. Seeing him cry in public, regardless of the reasons, touched my heart in its own way.

“Mafuyu-chan, do you not like it that much? Even if it’s a costume with lesser exposure?” (Souma)

“I don’t like it. Beauty pageants just aren’t my thing.” (Mafuyu)

“Well… I guess that’s true…” (Souma)

She’s definitely not the type who enjoys standing out in public. It would probably be different if it were Shizuka or Hiyorin.

“I want to see Mafuyu-chan in a maid outfit too…” (Souma)

This was the honest truth. I genuinely thought Mafuyu-chan’s silky black hair would look incredibly fitting in a maid outfit.

Nevertheless, you can’t force the impossible. If she doesn’t like it then there’s nothing that can be done.

“Sorry, Keisuke. I’m sorry, but it’s just the way it is.” (Souma)

“No, no… I’m the one who’s sorry… ugh.” (Keisuke)

Keisuke stood up, wiping his eyes. The guys behind him also stumbled to their feet, preparing to leave the cafeteria.

“…Are there any prizes for the beauty pageant?” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan stopped them as they were leaving.

“Huh, are you thinking of participating, Mafuyu-chan?” (Souma)

“I just thought it might be okay to hear about it. I still don’t know if I’ll participate or not.” (Mafuyu)

For some reason, Mafuyu-chan’s attitude suddenly shifted from “definitely not participating” to “I don’t know if I’ll participate”. Could it be that Keisuke’s tears had an effect…?

“Ah… even so, you’re more than welcome to participate!” (Keisuke)

Keisuke quickly returned to the table and placed a printout he had taken from his bag in front of Mafuyu-chan. It seemed to be the printout for the beauty pageant.

“The beauty pageant has some pretty luxurious prizes! First… the winner gets a travel voucher worth 100,000 yen and a luxurious trophy.” (Keisuke)

“100,000 yen? That’s impressive.” (Souma)

With 100,000 yen, you could go anywhere in Japan.

“A 100,000 yen travel voucher…” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan seemed surprised by the unexpected amount, her attention fixed on the printout.

“Well, I can’t imagine winning, though…” (Mafuyu)

“No, no! If it’s Mafuyu-chan, you’ll definitely win, no doubt! Don’t you guys think so too!?” (Keisuke)

Keisuke firmly denied Mafuyu-chan’s mumble. The guys behind him seemed to collectively agree that she would definitely win.

“Um… I’ve been wondering for a while, but who are the people behind you?” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan gave a puzzled look towards Keisuke’s back.

“Oh, these guys are members of Mafuyu-chan’s unofficial fan club. Of course, they are only a small portion of them. Among all the unofficial fan clubs in the university, Mafuyu-chan’s fan club is already the largest.” (Keisuke)

“Fan club…” (Mafuyu)

Even Mafuyu-chan looked a bit uncomfortable. If someone told her that an unofficial fan club had formed behind her back, and it had a considerable number of people in it, such a reaction was expected. As someone who had never experienced anything like that, I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

“Since Mafuyu-chan seemed to dislike that kind of thing, everyone usually operated quietly without drawing attention… but just this time, we need a bit of help from Souma to do the convincing.” (Keisuke)

Keisuke lowered his eyes with a hint of apology. The fan club members behind him did the same. It seemed like a well-mannered fan club that didn’t do anything the person they admired would dislike.

“I guess Mafuyu-chan doesn’t know that she has a fan club?” (Souma)

“…Yes. I’m quite surprised, to be honest.” (Mafuyu)

Although Mafuyu-chan’s expression hardly changed, there was a subtle mix of surprise. It was a tiny change that only someone close, like me, would notice.

“Anyway, if Mafuyu-chan participates, I’m sure she’ll win! Could you please consider entering with a positive mindset…?” (Keisuke)

Keisuke pleaded, bowing to Mafuyu-chan.

Mafuyu-chan kept her gaze fixed on the printout. It seemed like she was interested in the travel voucher. I wonder if there’s somewhere she wants to go.

“….Souma-kun.” (Mafuyu)

“What?” (Souma)

Mafuyu-chan spoke to me while keeping her gaze lowered.

“Do you… want to see me in a maid outfit?” (Mafuyu)

Her tone was light as if she were asking about tonight’s dinner, devoid of much emotion. It felt like she was just asking out of curiosity.

“Well, um…” (Souma)

…Just as I was about to continue, I noticed Keisuke glaring at me with an intense expression. It was a look as if I had betrayed him or done something unforgivable.

Say you want to see it… I could hear those words radiating off of him

However, even without such prompts, my answer was already decided.

“I want to see it. Mafuyu-chan, I think you’d look amazing in a maid outfit. I even think that you can win.” (Souma)

“…I see.” (Mafuyu)

The response was still somewhat casual, but her cheeks had a faint blush. This side of Mafuyu-chan was rare, and it somehow made me feel a bit nervous.

“If you’re going to say that much… I guess I could consider participating.” (Mafuyu)

“Really!?” (Keisuke)

Keisuke widened his eyes and looked at Mafuyu-chan.

“Yes. But… there’s one condition.” (Mafuyu)

“A condition?” (Keisuke)

Keisuke tilted his head.

“If Mafuyu-chan is going to participate, I’ll do anything. Of course, the guys behind me too.” (Keisuke)

“No, Keisuke-san, you don’t need to do anything. I just have one request for Souma-kun.” (Mafuyu)

“Me?” (Souma)

I wonder what she’s going to request. I feel like there’s not much I can do for her related to the pageant.

“If there’s something I can do, I’ll help. I mean, I want to see Mafuyu-chan in a maid outfit too.” (Souma)

Since we weren’t at our apartment, she probably won’t say anything strange. Perhaps it’s a request related to dinner. If that’s the case, it’s a small favor.

…That’s what I thought, but.

“Good. So, if I win… will you go on a trip with me?” (Mafuyu)

While saying something outrageous, Mafuyu-chan smiled mysteriously.

Besides the frozen Keisuke, whose expression was a mix of surprise, gratitude, and envy, the members of Mafuyu-chan’s fan club looked at me with faces expressing a jumble of emotions.

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“Good. So, if I win… will you go on a trip with me?”

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Thanks for reading!

Hold on a minute, the situation just escalated a lot. I didn’t expect their honeymoon to be this early. Does this mean that we are going to get a couple of chapters focused on the trip in the future? Yeah, I’m just gonna assume that she’s winning the pageant outright.

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