Chapter 7: My Pure Female Friend Wants to Discuss Something

When Minato arrived at the entrance hall, he saw Serina standing there all alone.

She must have gone home first, but she’d deliberately changed back into her school uniform.

“Minato-kun, I’m sorry for bothering you so late.”

“Geez, you need to be careful.”

Minato nodded.

It was far too dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night.

“If you wanted to come to my place, just let me know, and I’d have picked you up.”

“Huh? Oh, no, I took a taxi today…”

“…I see.”

Minato hadn’t considered that option.

Normally, high schoolers wouldn’t take a taxi for such a short distance.

But for a refined young lady like Serina, it seemed to be a perfectly ordinary mode of transportation.

“In that case, it’s fine… No, I still think it’s a waste…”

“Sorry for worrying you. But I was careful.”

“Yeah, it seems like it.”

At the end of the day, it was questionable whether Minato could even serve as a proper bodyguard.

If it came down to it, Serina might actually be stronger in a fight.

“Hm? What’s that big bag?”

“Oh, this is… um… a change of clothes.”

“…”

Serina was clutching a seemingly heavy bag with both hands.

A change of clothes, huh—Minato accepted the explanation.

When Serina visited Minato’s or Hazuki’s place, her clothes sometimes got dirty.

If there was time, she’d wash them, or she’d borrow something of Hazuki’s to wear home.

The clever Serina wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, so it seemed she’d come prepared.

“Then I’ll carry it. Whoa, it’s pretty heavy.”

“S-Sorry.”

Even if Serina was stronger, he couldn’t let a girl carry something heavy.

“Oh, standing around chatting won’t do. Let’s head to my place—you’re coming to my place, right?”

“Y-Yes. I changed my panties already, so…”

“…”

Serina’s voice was soft, but Minato caught every word clearly.

After all, when Serina visited his house, doing nothing wasn’t an option.

The two took the elevator to Minato’s floor and entered his apartment.

As expected, Minato’s father wasn’t home yet.

Like always, he’d be back late.

“It’s a bit chilly. I’ll turn on the heater, so bear with it until it warms up.”

“It’s fine, thank you.”

Serina knelt properly in Minato’s room.

Her back was perfectly straight, like a model from an etiquette class.

“Serina, you haven’t studied tea ceremony or something, have you?”

“No, just a little training.”

“So you did study it. I’ve never even brewed tea with a teapot, and I’m not sure we even have one at home.”

“That’s pretty common these days, isn’t it? My tea ceremony teacher even happily drinks bottled tea.”

“That’s pretty extreme.”

Minato gave a wry smile.

It seemed Serina’s tea ceremony teacher was quite open-minded.

“Oh, right. I should at least offer you some tea. Hang on.”

“Oh, I can make it?”

“No, you just sit there.”

Minato said this and headed to the kitchen, pouring bottled tea into cups and heating them in the microwave.

It was November, so a warm drink would be nice.

Though he felt a bit embarrassed offering microwave-heated tea.

“Thanks to you, Serina, I’ve realized how bad it is that I can’t even cook.”

“Huh? That’s not a bad thing… Not being able to cook shouldn’t be an issue.”

Minato muttered as he returned with the tea, and Serina looked surprised.

He set the two cups on the coffee table.

“We don’t even have proper teacups at home, so this’ll have to do. I’m sure we have some, but I don’t know where they’re stored.”

“It’s fine. Thank you, I’ll have some.”

Serina sipped the tea with elegant poise.

“Not only can you cook, Serina, but you can make tea too. You’re really capable. People like me and Hazuki, who basically live alone, can’t even do basic chores.”

“That’s normal for high schoolers… I think I’m the odd one.”

Serina set down her cup with a wry smile.

Minato completely agreed but could only respond with a wry smile of his own.

No matter how you looked at it, even if Serina was a bit unique, she was definitely more capable than them.

“My dad sometimes goes on week-long business trips. Maybe I should ask you to take care of me then.”

“Oh, leave it to me! I can handle three meals a day, cleaning, and laundry! And… at n-night, I could also…”

“…I-I was kidding. How could I trouble a friend with my daily life?”

Serina stayed over sometimes and helped with cooking.

But Minato had never asked her to clean or do laundry.

“That’d make you practically a maid.”

“Right, maybe I should take care of Minato-kun and learn what it’s really like to be a maid…”

“No, no, it’s just a maid café for the school festival! You don’t need to take it that seriously!”

Even if it was called a maid café, the maids only seated guests, took orders, prepared drinks, and served them.

Learning to clean or do laundry would be pointless.

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. But…”

“Hm?”

“Um… Minato-kun…! Can I talk to you about something?”

“You don’t need to be so nervous. I get it.”

Even Minato, who wasn’t great at reading the room, understood what Serina meant.

Hazuki had mentioned that Serina wanted to talk about the school festival—

More specifically, about her “conflict” with Hazuki over the maid café’s direction.

“I was planning to organize my thoughts and talk to you about it.”

“You’ve been thinking about this too, Minato-kun…”

“Well, yeah, when two friends are clashing.”

“I didn’t mean to start a fight…”

“Hazuki’s the complete opposite of you in that regard.”

Hazuki enjoyed the conflict, while Serina would change her own stance to avoid it.

They were already at odds in that sense.

“Oh, but I don’t think Hazuki means any harm.”

“Yes, I know. Aoi-san is just… enjoying the situation.”

“Exactly. But at the end of the day, this is a school festival—a celebration. I think… there’s no need to fight; we should just have fun. But—”

“But?”

Serina tilted her head curiously.

“Since it’s a festival, clashes are inevitable. Everyone wants to have fun to the fullest, so they want things to go their way.”

“I see…”

Serina nodded this time.

“In the current situation, Hazuki isn’t that serious yet…”

“Really?”

“She was acting normal earlier and wasn’t mad at you at all.”

“Actually… the reason I called Aoi-san instead of you earlier was to check if she was upset… Was that too sneaky?”

“Not at all. It’s normal to care.”

Minato found it cute that she’d called to gauge Hazuki’s mood.

“I want to do something too, but it feels like the boys are being left out. If a guy randomly picks a side, it might make things worse.”

“Ugh… Y-You’re right. No, I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

“No, if you’re really in trouble, it’s fine to drag me in. This is a class issue, and you… are my friend.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Serina suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Minato’s hand.

Minato was a bit flustered, thinking it wasn’t that big a deal.

“Uh… should we talk to Honami? She’s close to Hazuki and might help.”

“I don’t think that’ll work.”

Serina answered firmly, shaking her head slightly.

“Honami-san is a good person. If I asked, she’d probably help me.”

“We’re friends, after all. What’s wrong with accepting her help?”

“If she did that, she might end up opposing her good friend Aoi-san. I think Honami-san and I… are friends too, but I can’t make her betray Aoi-san.”

“Betray? You’re being too dramatic.”

Minato couldn’t help but give another wry smile.

Friendship was important, but wasn’t she overthinking it?

“But Hazuki’s really fired up. She seems to enjoy facing off against you—against the British faction.”

“I didn’t expect Aoi-san to have such a strong competitive streak…”

“Yeah~ She’s definitely the type who hates losing. Even in casual table tennis, she goes all out to beat me.”

Minato recalled Hazuki playing table tennis, her chest bouncing as she fiercely rallied, refusing to let up.

Taking games seriously because they’re games—that was very Hazuki.

“I can kind of picture that. She’s always so intense in gym class too.”

“See?”

Running a hundred meters a tenth of a second faster, scoring one more point in a game.

That was Hazuki—she never held back.

“Then isn’t it hopeless?! It’s already at the point where we should think about losing gracefully!”

“If Aoi-san is really enjoying the fight, then yeah…”

“She’s a shonen manga protagonist or something?”

Who’d have thought his best friend would be so tough as an opponent?

Minato only now realized just how formidable Aoi Hazuki was.

“By the way~ We’re in the same class, so why are we fighting each other?! The festival’s getting close!”

“Aoi-san probably thinks even with limited time, she can pull it off with sheer willpower…”

“That’s possible. That girl’s even enjoying the festival prep period.”

Looks like I might have to convince Hazuki myself—Minato fell into thought.

Though he’d planned to stay neutral in the party vs. British style debate, in the coming conflict, all the boys, including him, might witness hell.

In that case—

“Guess I’ll have to do something behind the scenes…”

“By the way, I heard you secretly met with Koharu-san and did a lot behind the scenes.”

“Don’t make it sound so shady…”

Minato realized that was probably Hazuki’s phrasing.

“What should we do… Her place is just two floors up. Should I go negotiate with her directly?”

“Is it really okay to use such underhanded tactics, like a ground technique?”

“Ground technique, huh…”

She seemed to be using the term to describe secretive negotiations outside the classroom’s open debates.

“If it’s self-defense, I’d use ground techniques, but I’m not good at probing someone’s limits…”

“Hazuki’s probably even worse at it.”

A social butterfly like Hazuki likely preferred a stand-up fight.

“Yeah, but I get that you’re really troubled, Serina. You don’t actually want to fight Hazuki.”

“I’ve never fought with anyone in my life. I just want to live peacefully…”

Tears welled up in Serina’s eyes as she spoke, but Minato was powerless to help.

“But I also want to be served by you in a maid outfit. Even a miniskirt would be fine.”

“Have I been betrayed by my friend…?”

“Betrayed is a bit much.”

Minato laughed.

“I don’t think I’d look good in a miniskirt maid outfit.”

“Oh, right. If you wear a miniskirt maid outfit, you’d need to wear something underneath, right?”

“I-I know. I don’t have the courage to face a crowd in a skirt that short without something else…”

“Speaking of which, your uniform skirt is like that too… Is it really okay?”

“Why are you suddenly worried about weird stuff?”

Serina stood up immediately.

Her skirt reached her knees—or rather, just above them.

Murokumi High’s girls’ uniform skirts were usually shorter.

“Isn’t it said that past the knees is safe?”

“Hardly anyone wears skirts that long. It’s not against the rules, but it’d stand out too much.”

“Serina, no matter how long your skirt is, you stand out.”

“Huh?! My hair’s black, and I wear my uniform properly. I thought people would find me too serious and boring…”

“People with self-esteem that low are pretty rare.”

This made Minato curious about Serina’s upbringing.

“Should you go back to gym shorts? You can just take them off when you’re with me and Hazuki. Like Hazuki’s safety shorts.”

By the way, Serina’s gym shorts were currently treasured by Minato, hidden in this room.

They were tucked deep in his closet, buried under rarely worn old clothes.

If anyone saw them, he’d likely be labeled a pervert, so he kept them hidden, only taking them out to admire occasionally.

“If you’re okay with it, I can take off your gym shorts every time you come over.”

“Y-You just want to take them off, don’t you?”

“No, I’d rather slightly shift the gym shorts, admire the panties peeking out, then take them off.”

“That’s way too specific! But the gym shorts are… It’s fine, I’ll be careful.”

Serina stood there, slightly lifting her skirt.

Her fair thighs came into view.

“With a skirt this short, you’d need to be careful on stairs, but mine’s totally fine.”

“I see…”

“Eek! Y-You want to look?”

“Just show me for now.”

“S-Should’ve known… Good thing I wore cute panties.”

Minato sat in front of Serina, peering under her lifted skirt.

The lighting was dim, but he could faintly see white lace panties.

“White really suits you best, Serina.”

“I always wear white. Doesn’t it get boring? Aoi-san usually wears black, but sometimes red or pink, and occasionally white.”

“She was wearing pink today. No, wait, I sucked her chest too long this morning, so she got wet and switched to black.”

“Both Aoi-san’s and my panties have increased… since we change them more often.”

“S-Sorry. But taking off panties should probably be the last step.”

“W-We often don’t take them off…”

“Because I want to keep seeing the panties!”

“Is that how it is…?”

Minato nodded firmly, silently.

“Doing it while wearing them feels the best, but having them around your thighs or ankles is great too.”

“Those three patterns are the most common… We’ve probably never fully taken them off.”

Since Minato and Serina crossed that line, he’d asked her to do it with him many times.

Even how they handled the panties varied each time for freshness.

Of course, while discussing this, Minato’s gaze remained fixed on Serina’s white panties.

The pure white panties of a pure beauty were something he never tired of.

Even after doing it so many times, just seeing her panties could get him excited instantly—that was the kind of guy Minato Hisa was.

“Crap… Honestly, I wasn’t planning to ask you to do it today.”

“Huh? We’re… not doing it?”

“Well, I can at least read the room a little. You’re so serious about talking, it’d be too much if I asked you to do it.”

“But you’re always serious when you ask us to do it, right?”

“Of course. I’ve never asked you or the others jokingly.”

Because he was serious, Serina and the others agreed.

And when they did it, they were serious too—so serious they couldn’t stop. Sometimes they’d use two or three condoms, or go without and do it three or four times.

“Th-Then… can I ask you to do it with me, like, twice?”

“P-Please, go ahead… Um… using my mouth doesn’t count, right?”

“Now that you mention it, you use your mouth more often.”

“Then… hurry up and surpass that number…?”

Serina lay on Minato’s bed.

Her knee-length skirt flipped up, revealing her white panties again.

“W-Want to try using my chest too? Mine’s smaller than Aoi-san’s, so it might not be as good…”

Serina unbuttoned her uniform blazer, then her white shirt, revealing a white bra.

Her surprisingly full breasts, disproportionate to her slender frame, bounced out—

“Your chest isn’t that small, Serina. It’d still stand out in a maid outfit.”

“There’s a theory that maid outfits are designed plainly to avoid arousing the master… Mmm.”

Serina sat up slightly and gave Minato a soft kiss.

“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable. Now that you mention it, regular maid outfits are pretty plain.”

Their provocative appeal in this country was likely due to otaku culture.

“But your chest would probably stand out in a maid outfit too. It’s pretty big among the girls in our class.”

“I-Is that so? But Aoi-san’s a G-cup. Honami-san’s is bigger than mine too…”

“Those two are exceptions. Forget that—Serina, I want to use your chest.”

“Okay, please do ♡”

Though blushing, Serina nodded.

Minato had intended to discuss things seriously today—

But with such a beautiful girl in his room, willing to do anything he asked, he couldn’t focus without first doing it a few times to calm his excitement.

Minato kissed Serina, sliding his tongue into her mouth—

“Mmm… ♡ I told my family I’d be staying out tonight… ♡”

Minato nodded, flipping up Serina’s skirt and reaching for her white panties—

Then he pulled them off in one swift motion.

“……!”

Minato’s eyes snapped open.

Lately, he’d been struggling to get up in the morning.

It seemed he’d been falling asleep exhausted, waking up before his stamina fully recovered.

The reason for his exhaustion was obvious—staying at Hazuki’s place and doing it with her several times every night.

Even for a lively high school boy like Minato, doing it four or five times a night built up fatigue.

Though he still did it twice in the morning, so he was relatively energetic.

“Crap…!”

But this morning was a bit different.

Minato glanced beside him—

“tsu… su…”

Glistening fair skin, refined features, long black hair.

Serina Ruka’s sleeping face was right there.

“…Right.”

The reason this morning felt different, waking him up instantly, was the memory of last night.

Serina had come to discuss something, and then—

Somehow, Minato had gotten his way again.

He’d planned to stop after two times, but Serina seemed genuinely willing to let him do whatever he wanted.

So he indulged in her slender body and fair skin, enjoying himself thoroughly.

Naturally, he ended up doing it three or four more times, eventually passing out—

He even vaguely recalled waking up in the middle of the night and doing it once more.

“Where’s Dad…?”

Minato got out of bed, quietly opening the door to the hallway.

He checked his father’s room—

“Huh?”

It was empty.

After triple-checking, he confirmed the bed hadn’t been touched.

He also checked the kitchen, which showed no signs of use.

If his father had come home, he’d have at least used a cup—

“Oh.”

Then Minato noticed the calendar in the living room.

The dates for today and tomorrow were marked “Business Trip.”

“…So he didn’t come home.”

It seemed his father was on a trip and hadn’t returned last night.

Normally, for an overnight trip, his father would at least inform him, but since Minato was staying at Hazuki’s, he probably thought it was too much hassle.

Whether that was good or bad, Minato’s father took a completely hands-off approach to parenting.

Relieved for now, Minato returned to his room.

Slipping back into bed—

“Mmm…”

Serina, who’d been facing away, rolled over.

Her D-cup chest jiggled slightly.

Her white bra was still on, just pushed up a bit.

Minato was particular not only about how panties were removed but also about not fully taking off bras.

He’d seen Hazuki’s and Serina’s bare chests countless times, but bras themselves still excited him.

If possible, he’d prefer to admire the bra visually while groping or sucking on their nipples.

As a guy, this was a point of pride.

Even with constant access to G-cup and D-cup chests, bras alone could keep him endlessly excited.

Even seeing the outline of a bra through a white shirt was enough to make his heart race.

Despite his experience with girls, Minato’s mindset hadn’t changed much since a few months ago when he was still inexperienced.

“Let me suck a bit…”

“Mmm…”

Serina let out a soft moan as Minato’s tongue teased her small nipple, then gently sucked.

Before crossing the final line, he’d already thoroughly enjoyed her chest, but her cute, pink nipples still looked pristine.

Even now, if time allowed, he’d keep sucking forever.

“Mmm… ♡ Mmm… ♡”

Still lying in bed, Serina made adorable sounds.

But she showed no signs of waking up.

“Serina was extra proactive last night…”

Minato recalled the previous night while licking her nipple.

He’d barely done anything—Serina had taken the lead, moving herself and letting him enjoy from start to finish.

Hazuki was shy each time and, at most, used her chest or mouth when proactive, but Serina was different.

Whether in bed or an empty classroom, she’d blush shyly while eagerly pleasing Minato.

Honestly, her enthusiasm surprised him.

It was great for Minato, and the contrast between her usual purity and these moments excited him, so he had no reason to stop her.

Since Serina had been so active last night, she was probably more exhausted.

That was likely why she was still asleep while Minato, the one being pampered, woke up refreshed.

“Phew…”

Minato enjoyed Serina’s chest to his heart’s content until he was satisfied.

He sat up abruptly.

Fully awake now, he couldn’t go back to sleep.

Though it was still early—

“Oh.”

Minato suddenly noticed the bag in the corner of the room.

It was the “change of clothes” Serina had brought.

The bag was quite heavy—did it really contain that many clothes?

“Minato~kun, Seri~na, let’s~play~!”

“…”

Just as Minato moved toward the bag, he looked up.

At his room’s doorway stood Hazuki, in her school uniform.

“H-Hazuki? M-Morning…”

“Yep, morning.”

“…Aoi-san…?”

“That’s right, I’m Aoi-san. Morning, Ruka.”

Serina finally seemed to wake up. She sat up in bed, staring blankly at Hazuki.

Hazuki stood at the door, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

“Sigh… When you didn’t come back last night, I figured this was the case.”

“Oh.”

Minato realized he’d been so worried about his father catching them that he’d forgotten he hadn’t returned to Hazuki’s place.

“Little Aoi had to stay home all alone with Peach last night. Sigh~ Peach looked so lonely.”

“E-Even if I’m not there, Peach wouldn’t care.”

Though Minato figured Hazuki was the lonely one, he didn’t say it outright.

The situation was clearly in Hazuki’s hands.

“S-Sorry, I got caught up talking with Serina.”

“Doesn’t look like you were just talking.”

“I… I’ll go take a shower…”

Serina stood, wearing only her bra and uniform skirt, and wobbled out.

She still seemed half-asleep…

“Whoa~ You left me out and had fun with Ruka all night, huh?”

“N-No, we were really discussing stuff! And then we just… a little…”

“Whatever~ I’ve got you staying at my place, playing every night. Lending you to Ruka a few times is fine.”

“So I’m being lent out?”

There were probably tons of guys who’d love to be borrowed by beauties like Hazuki or Serina.

“Why are you here, anyway?”

“Since Ruka stayed over, that means your dad’s not home, right? So it’s fine for me to come over.”

“…True.”

Hazuki had a spare key to Minato’s place.

She used to come over almost every morning, and since Minato found it a hassle to open the door each time, he’d given her a key.

“I’m not mad, you know?”

“What’s with that fake tone?”

Hazuki was clearly in a bad mood.

She didn’t like being left alone, so it was hard to believe she’d easily forgive Minato for ditching her.

“Uh, sorry… I’ll be more careful.”

“Hm~ Okay, fine. You were probably really discussing stuff with Ruka.”

Hazuki uncrossed her arms and walked over to Minato.

Then she leaned in, bringing her face close to his neck.

“W-What’s up?”

“Go take a shower. You reek of Ruka—of a girl.”

“Huh?!”

“Duh. You did it all night and slept in the same bed.”

“Y-Yeah, true.”

Since Serina was so proactive last night, their physical closeness was more intense than usual.

It wasn’t surprising that her sweet scent had rubbed off on him.

“Um… sorry…”

“Whoa!”

At that moment, Serina reappeared at the doorway.

Her hair was wet, and she was wrapped in a towel around her slender frame.

“I was half-asleep and forgot my change of clothes… Sorry, Minato-kun, I borrowed your towel.”

“Oh, no problem at all. That towel’s been washed.”

Seeing Serina’s slightly flushed skin, Minato couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Wrapped only in a towel, her cleavage and legs were exposed, a fresh and incredibly sexy look.

“By the way, Ruka, what’s this bag? Alright~ Let’s see what naughty panties little Ruka brought!”

“Aoi-san, wait…!”

“What’s the big deal? We’re both girls, so showing me your change of clothes is fine, right?”

Hazuki grinned and opened the bag.

For a social butterfly like Hazuki, checking a friend’s bag was probably just playful fun.

Minato gave a wry smile and didn’t stop her.

He also thought it wasn’t a big deal for friends to look inside each other’s bags.

“What’s this, an apron? And a black dress… Huh, a maid outfit? Ruka, you brought another one?”

“Y-Yes…”

Serina seemed embarrassed, hesitant to step into Minato’s room.

Despite showing her naked body to Minato so many times, she was shy about being in just a towel—Serina’s thought process was truly unique.

“Huh, and a bunch of books… What’s this folder?”

Hazuki started pulling things out of the bag.

There was the classic maid outfit Serina had worn before.

And—

“‘The History and Traditions of British Maids,’ ‘Customs of British Aristocratic Society,’ ‘Understanding Real Maids Through Photos,’ ‘Maids of the 19th Century Victorian Era’… These all look like expensive books.”

“Th-Those are… sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, Ruka?”

Hazuki pulled out several beautifully bound, heavy books and magazines.

She also took out about three thick folders.

“Can I look inside these, Ruka?”

“U-Um, sure.”

Hazuki flipped through the folders page by page.

Minato could see the contents too.

“Whoa… You’ve collected a lot, Ruka.”

“N-No, I didn’t collect these recently… I’ve been gathering and organizing them bit by bit.”

Serina’s voice was so faint it almost vanished.

Of course, she was still naked except for the towel, but she seemed to have forgotten that.

“This collection is impressive. Hm~”

The folders contained printed images, likely gathered from the internet.

Most were photos of maids or mansions, including diagrams analyzing maid outfit structures.

Handwritten notes were scattered throughout, written in meticulous handwriting.

“The maid outfit structures and maid duties—you researched and added these notes yourself?”

“Y-Yes… If something online wasn’t clear, I’d look it up in books and take notes… Sorry.”

“I said there’s nothing to apologize for.”

Hazuki closed the folder with a wry smile.

“You researched this so thoroughly. I had no idea you were this into maids, Ruka.”

“It’s not exactly that I like maids… A while back, I watched a foreign drama about British aristocratic society, got hooked, and started researching…”

Serina’s face flushed as she looked down.

Maybe she was embarrassed, thinking she’d be seen as a trend-chasing fangirl.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. It suits you. Though, if anything, you seem more like a refined young lady than a maid.”

“N-No way… But the servants’ stories in the drama were more complex and interesting… Achoo.”

“Oh, sorry. Uh… Is this your underwear? Put on your uniform too.”

Hazuki rummaged through the bag, pulling out a plastic bag with underwear. Minato gathered the uniform pieces scattered on the floor and handed them to Serina.

“It’s getting cold. You’ll catch a cold like that.”

“O-Okay, I’ll go get dressed.”

Serina took the uniform and underwear, scurrying back to the hallway.

“…Did I offend Ruka?”

“Maybe she was planning to show you or me those materials anyway.”

From Minato’s observation, Serina hadn’t strongly resisted Hazuki opening her bag.

Her attitude seemed to say, “If you see it, oh well.”

“Even though Ruka acts aloof, she’s actually pretty interested in the maid café. Judging by this collection, she must admire being a maid.”

“Now that you mention it, she acted weird when we talked about maids before.”

“But she’s always a bit weird, so neither of us noticed.”

“Still… she seemed so reluctant back then. Was it all an act?”

“We totally fell for it. You’re good, Ruka.”

Hazuki looked genuinely impressed.

“She rarely shows her true feelings.”

“…Seems like it.”

“But you, Minato, always wear your heart on your sleeve.”

“…Yeah.”

That jab hit hard.

“So, as Ruka’s friends, what should we do, Minato?”

“First, we need to get her to open up about her true feelings.”

“That’s on you. But, you know…”

Hazuki crossed her arms again—

“I’m a little mad at Ruka.”

“…Huh?”