Vol 1 Chapter 22 (1/2)

Arisugawa-san was looking into the mirror, bearing a surprised expression.

“This is… me?”

It was a complete make-over.

Kujou-san had displayed a perfect job following the reference material, she respectfully bowed and stepped back.

Sitting on a chair, Arisugawa-san was unsure whether she should touch her face or not—— then she looked up to me with her eyes asking ‘How is it?’.

…I wonder if this is a case where I should say ‘it fits you’? While I was being perplexed…

“It makes you be at a loss for words, right?”

When I looked into the direction of the voice, Kujou-san quickly turned her head away.

“Ehm… yeah, right on the mark.”

Towards these words, Arisugawa-san displayed a relieved smile. I did it!

“I seem like a different person…”

From her voice and the expression in her eyes I could tell that she was straight headed for getting hyped.

When I was crossdressing for the school festival during the third year in middle school, I remember that I was feeling really out of it too and did as I pleased in various ways… Well, it’s normal, you know? You’re getting psyched when you cross dress, right?

“I’m getting really excited.”

She seemed to be about ready.

When I entered the cla.s.sroom, everyone was already neatly seated.

I had asked the young ladies to a.s.semble after school, they looked bewildered, of course; they still didn’t know the reason after all.

I stood at the teacher’s desk and announced:

“From here on, we will commence the ‘Commoner After School Experience’.”

And speaking of which, the planner herself wasn’t around.

“It’ll be about what commoner girls frequently do after school’s over. I thought it’d be good to give you a first taste of it.”

In an instant, everyone looked about ready to make merry and not feel depressed anymore.

And with perfect timing…

Arisugawa-san opened the sliding door.

Everyone turned their heads, their eyes—— turned into dots.

↑[1]! Youth! Sparkle, sparkle!

A brown wig, eyelashes pushed to the heavens, eye liner, gloss lipstick, and a uniform cardigan.

Arisugawa-san was clad in Gyaru equipment from top to toe and entered determinedly.

Switching places with me, she stood on the teacher’s desk and being the center of attention now, she took a slow and deep breath——

“CHEEESE! HYPEPOYO—— ↑↑”

*SNAP*—☆ she did a reversed peace sign.

*CHATTERCHATTER*—…! s.h.i.+vers were running through the ojou-samas.

“Could it be… Reiko-sama?”

“The voice appears to be similar here and there…?”

“What’s ‘poyo’?”

“Wai— What’s everyone sayiiing? That’s really super too terrific, you knooow? So crazy!”

As you’d expect of Arisugawa-san, she can already handle it like that…

Anyway, it was a disguise for her to be able to summon the courage to step in front of everyone. A success so far.

“…………So it’s someone else after all?”

“Seems so.”

“What’s ‘poyo’?”

I cleared my throat and interrupted.

“Ehm, that’s Arisugawa-san. We’ve changed her appearance to fit that of a commoner girl. These kinds of girls are called ‘Gyaru’. By the way, ‘poyo’ doesn’t mean anything in particular.”

“””””Gyaru…”””””

Now the their eyes revealed keen interest instead.

“This hair… it looks like a foreigner’s… and how do you style this?”

“Her eyelashes are so long! Her lipstick is so glossy and voluptuous!”

“And this is a new uniform even!”

An almost unexpectedly good reaction.

I don’t get it too well, but as a girl, these things probably make your antennas stand. And they didn’t have any prejudices either.

And then Arisugawa-san produced a cell phone from her pocket.

“My, it’s a mobile telephone!”

Arisugawa-san held the phone in both of her hands and pressed the bottoms somewhat clumsily.

“Reiko-sama, what might you be doing?”

Brr—… Brr—

“””””GYAAA—?!”””””

Suddenly, the ojou-samas were taken aback by a sound coming out of their tables.

“Everyone, please look into your desks.”

Arisugawa-san calmed them down with her usual tone.

Everyone timidly peered into them… and found the cell phones that had been put there in advance.

“My… My, my!”

They took them into their hands and froliced.

“Are these for us?!”

“What is this sparkling pattern?! Might they be rhinestones?”

“A bunny! How cute!”

While everyone was looking at Karen’s deko[2], they soon realized something.

“…? It’s flas.h.i.+ng.”

“Mine too… what is it?”

“That is a notification that a new ‘mail’ has arrived.”

Arisugawa-san said.

“Mail? …A letter?”

“Please try and unfold the mobile telephone.”

The ojou-samas opened the phones with a snap.

“Something’s written here… ‘New Mail’…?”

“Please push the big b.u.t.ton, that is surrounded by a silver ringer, twice.”

While everyone made a curious face, they pushed it.

And—— suddenly, their eyes widened.

The following should’ve been written in it:

FROM: Arisugawa Reiko / CONTENT: I am sorry.

“Everyone, I’ve been causing you a lot of trouble.”

Arisugawa-san bowed her head deeply.

The deep-colored wooden cla.s.sroom was surrounded by silence as if everyone had to catch their breath.

“That’s not it! Not at all!”

“Please raise your head…!”

Everyone stirred commotion, fl.u.s.tered, and eagerly soothed her.

Arisugawa-san slowly raised her head.

“Thank you very much.” She said.

She parted from the teacher’s desk and—— tended to some of the girls.

First, Toujou-san.

“Kae-sama. I’ve said something horrible the other day, and I am terribly sorry.”

“Reiko-sama—!”

Arisugawa-san was about to lower her head again, but Toujou-san stood up and stopped her.

While her eyes seemed to be about to shed some tears,

“What are you saying?! I’m the one who… Everything’s been caused by my own shortcomings!”

“Kae-sama did nothing wrong. It was my shortcoming.”

“No! No…!”

Mutually quieting down, time pa.s.sed as if they were letting something permeate.