Chapter 23: A Quarrel?

Hiss… This is bad…

Wanmie took a sharp breath, wanting to find a place to hide, but given the situation, it was impossible to escape.

“Miss Ayase?”

In the end, Shiori spotted Wanmie in the line and subconsciously greeted her.

Wanmie’s lips twitched, but she tried to act calm.

“Shidou… No, I should call you Shiori-chan now, right?”

Shiori gave a bitter smile.

“Isn’t all of this because of Miss Ayase?”

If Wanmie hadn’t mentioned the cross-dressing incident, maybe Kotori wouldn’t have forced him to cross-dress, and he wouldn’t have transferred into his own class under a female identity.

Rather than saying it was to train Shidou’s ladylike qualities, it felt more like a public execution.

If anyone else found out, it would be a true societal death…

“I can’t take all the blame.”

Wanmie shrugged and smiled.

“Izayoi Miku hates men, so the only way to approach her is by cross-dressing. By the way, have you made contact with her yet?”

“Not yet.”

Shiori shook her head.

“Kotori said I should get used to being a girl for a while before approaching her, to avoid making mistakes.”

Wanmie nodded in agreement.

“That makes sense. The other party is a student of Ryudanshi Girls’ Academy. If you approach her too openly, it would be suspicious. But Shiori-chan, you need to hurry and get the hand puppet back.”

Shiori looked puzzled, then seemed to realize something and asked quietly, “Has Shinomiya’s mood started to fluctuate?”

If a Spirit experiences a large emotional swing, there’s a high chance their power will go out of control, leading to serious consequences.

Especially with Shinomiya’s ability, she might freeze everything around her even before causing a Spacequake, resulting in heavy casualties.

“Well… I wouldn’t say it’s emotional fluctuation…”

Wanmie scratched her head.

Actually, she just wanted Shidou to quickly find Shinonina and use the opportunity to seal the Spirit Power inside Shinomiya.

Otherwise, letting Shinomiya stay in her house any longer might be dangerous for herself…

“In any case, you should get her hand puppet back as soon as possible. It’s really important to her.”

Wanmie laughed awkwardly, brushing off the issue.

“I’ll do it as soon as I can.”

Shiori nodded in agreement.

While they were talking, it was already Wanmie’s turn to check out.

Wanmie quickly paid and said to Shiori,

“I’ll go ahead, then. Hurry up.”

However, before Wanmie could take a step, a commotion erupted from one corner of the restaurant.

“What’s going on?”

“It looks like two girls are arguing over there. Should we try to stop them?”

“What’s happening?”

Voices of discussion spread through the crowd, and their gazes seemed to focus on the spot where Wanmie and Shinomiya had been eating.

Don’t tell me Origami found Shinomiya?

Wanmie guessed, feeling uneasy.

If only she’d brought Shinomiya with her to check out!

Shiori quickly noticed the change in Wanmie’s expression.

“Miss Ayase, you didn’t bring Shinomiya with you, did you?”

Wanmie nodded, her face showing a hint of bitterness.

“I guess we thought the same thing.”

Shiori was also startled and quickly moved with Wanmie through the crowd toward where Shinomiya was.

But the scene that followed left them both stunned.

“Shiori definitely looks better in cute, refreshing clothes. What are you even talking about?!”

“I’m not talking nonsense. Your taste is just bad.”

“What did you say? Are you looking for a fight?!”

“I’m just being honest. Shiori is so cute, it’s a waste for her to only try on plain clothes.”

“You, you, you!”

***

Yatogami Tohka and Origami were arguing fiercely in front of Shinomiya’s table.

Even though the onlookers didn’t know what they were fighting about, the intensity was overwhelming, and the explosive atmosphere kept anyone from stepping in to mediate.

As for Shinomiya, she was squeezed among the crowd, her small head looking around, trying to find Wanmie.

Seeing that Shinomiya was unharmed and that Origami hadn’t noticed her, Wanmie finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at Shiori and smiled.

“Shiori-chan really has it tough.”

Shiori gave a bitter smile.

Judging by how intense Tohka and Origami were arguing, he was probably in for a rough time too.

Although it was amusing to watch the two of them argue over what clothes Shiori should try on, Wanmie knew better than to linger.

“Then, Shiori-chan, Shinomiya and I will head out first. When you finish trying on new clothes, don’t forget to send me a photo, okay~”

“I won’t take any photos!”

Shiori wanted to cry.

If he’d known it would turn out like this, he would never have come today.

He should have just gone straight home after school!

Wanmie stuck out her pink tongue and, ignoring Shiori’s expression, slipped into the crowd to find Shinomiya and leave.

I hope we don’t “run into” them again on the next date…

Wait, why does it feel like I accidentally set another flag?