Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

This time the question comes from Shuka.

Chihiro couldn't help but laugh at the strangely serious look in her eyes.

「So you weren't in a bad mood with her?」

「Yes. It was more like she lent me her chest rather than a fight」

「...I see」

He nodded.

Kamishiro is a freshman ace. Although he is still developing, his fighting ability is quite impressive. Chihiro, who has beaten Kamishiro twice, is sure of it.

The adult whom he recognizes as far superior to him.

Chihiro, who had some idea of what they were talking about, sighs lightly enough not to be noticed by the two.

He didn't want to think that this was one of Kaede's errands.

「If you can't win now, you can win next time. If that doesn't work, then the next one」

「Izumi-kun?」

「...I'm sure Kamishiro-kun won't give up. Isn't he?」

「...No, I won't」

Kamishiro huffed in reply.

He lightly lifted his moving right hand into a fist. Chihiro rushed around to the front of him and clashed his right fist with his right one.

「Someday, I'm going to beat that person」

「Yeah. I hope so」

Chihiro still can't imagine a future where he can beat his sister.

But Kamishiro would.

He is a straight-forward, strong, and hardworking man, and he would surely beat even that Kaede with his tireless training.

And so, after parting from the two, who were going to the infirmary, Chihiro went back to the changing room for the first time.

「Ah, Chihiro-kun」

「Aika」

Aika had already arrived to change.

It was getting closer and closer to her shift change time, but it seemed that she doesn't meet up with Kamishiro and the others.

Well, Noriko-sensei would do the treatment, and it might be better if Aika was not around now that Shuka was with him.

After shaking off his concerns about Kamishiro and the others, Chihiro moved to the back of the partition to change his clothes.

* * *

「...I'm tired」

For the third and final time, the last shift was also quite an intense one.

Kamishiro, who was on the same shift with Chihiro, came in late for medical treatment, but it didn't affect him too much, still there were still quite a few onlookers and students who gathered around, and he had to keep busy until the end of his shift.

（Maybe I should take a nap...）

But Chihiro managed to shake off the desire for rest and left the classroom without changing his maid's uniform.

The rest of the day is spent in the student council room.

And after he is done, he has to go on stage for the Miss Contest. Besides, if he is going to perform as "Chisato", it would be better to wear the maid's uniform, therefore, he has to change his clothes twice if he changes now.

After arrived, he knocks lightly on the door of the student council room and enters.

『Ah!』

「Eh?」

A thought arrives a moment later.

Ahead of Chihiro's eyes stood Marika, a petite girl who looked somewhat like a doll.

She was wearing only underwear and a light blouse on top, although her lower half of her body was fully clothed. Her pale blue bra was peeping out from between her blouse, and although he didn't feel much lewdness, Marika's loveliness overflowed more than ever...

『Please close the door』

「I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open the door like that」

『Don't worry about it』

Marika replies with a thought nonchalantly.

She looked down at her clothes and did not even look at Chihiro. Her expression is the same as usual, and she does not seem to really care about Chihiro.

『I'm used to being watched by Aoi-chan, so Izumi-kun is fine』

「Am I treated the same as Ayase-senpai?」

『I think you should look in the mirror before you say it』

He seemed to be having a déjà vu.

As they talked, Marika had finished getting dressed.

She is back in her school uniform, and they continue their conversation.

「But why did you change your clothes?」

『Because I ate a lot of mustard and it was too hot and I was sweating. So, I took them off and wiped my body』

「Then you should lock the door just while you're changing」

『I didn't think anyone would come anyway. In fact, no one came』

「Except me, huh...」

Chuckles...

In this case, which side was more careless?

Marika was staring at Chihiro.

Her voice echoes in his brain, sounding somewhat worried.

『Izumi-kun, are you tired?』

「Oh, yes. I've been working hard in class」

She then looked at him closely.

Now that he will perform at stage, he'll have to be a little more careful.

『I'll be here, you can sleep for a while』

「Eh, but...」

『I don't mind』

She smiled and patted Chihiro's shoulder.

『I'm sure Lucille-chan would say that she wouldn't want the members of the student council to act like a disgrace on the Miss Contest stage...』

「...I'm sorry. Well, I'll take your word for it」

『Un』

He quickly slumps down on the table in his chair. But just in case, he set an alarm on his smartphone to wake his up.

Perhaps due to fatigue, his consciousness fades away as soon as he closes his eyes.

And after a few moments of light sleep, his consciousness unexpectedly wakes him up.

Seeing his smartphone, the alarm has not sounded yet.

From the degree of recovery, he could judge that he had been asleep for about fifteen minutes at most. Then, why did he wake up suddenly?

「I'm so surprised! I didn't expect to see Marika-chan here!」

A girl's voice came from behind him.

He doesn't recognize it. Her voice is somewhat slow and clear.

It seems that he was woken up by a visitor to the student council room, the girl who is the owner of the voice.

「It's been a long time. How have you been?」

The voice comes again after a short pause.

It sounds as if the girl is talking by herself, but in fact Marika is probably responding.

Her message can choose whom to convey it to.

She must be careful not to wake up Chihiro who was sleeping, or not to let him hear her private conversation.

Well, it didn't make much sense because the other party was talking normally.

Should he just pretend to be asleep?

It would be awkward if Chihiro interrupts the private conversation. In that case, he should just wake himself up after the conversation is over and the other girl has left.

Chihiro, however, decided to get up in the end.

The reason was that he was curious to know who the voice was.

If his guess of Marika's acquaintance is correct, then the girl should be familiar with [Telepathy]. But she is talking aloud.

And the volume of her voice does not seem to be in consideration of Chihiro who is sleeping.

For instance, if they are not close to each other, it would not be a problem if he interrupts them.

「...Senpai?」

Chihiro looks up.

Marika and a girl facing her. They stand about a meter apart and look back at the same time.

Their faces are somewhat troubled and amused.