"Welcome! ☆"
Over the past hour, I had handled quite a few customers. The sales for the Moe Moe Omurice Set were bound to be impressive.
Unfortunately, however, my time was running out.
It was then that Rebecca-senpai and Dina-senpai arrived together.
They had mentioned they might stop by while on patrol, but I’d heard it was more likely they wouldn’t be able to make it... yet they had gone out of their way to come.
Since they were my final customers and my upperclassmen to boot, I was determined to give them the best service possible.
"Do you have any recommendations?" Rebecca-senpai asked, looking over the menu after I had shown them to their seats.
Of course, there was only one answer.
"Let me see... I highly recommend the Moe Moe Omurice Set! ☆" I replied in a high-pitched, adorable voice.
"Then I'll take two of those."
"Wait, me too?!" Dina-senpai interjected.
"Would you prefer something else, Dina-san?"
I certainly wanted Dina-senpai to order it as well, but I couldn't force it on her myself. I could only hope for an assist from Rebecca-senpai...
"W-Well... if that is your wish, Rebecca-sama..."
Dina-senpai eventually gave her consent. Once I had the order, I immediately headed for the kitchen.
"Two Moe Moe Omurice Sets! This is the final order of the day! ☆"
Amelia happened to be standing there. Despite having served customers this entire time, she showed no signs of fatigue.
"Oh. Is this the last one?"
"Yes."
I maintained my feminine voice, as I was still at a distance where customers might overhear.
"...You seem to have gotten quite close with Rebecca-senpai lately, haven't you?" Amelia whispered, staring intently at me. Since I had nothing to hide, I answered her flatly.
"That's true. I think the distance between us has closed more than before, but..."
"Hmm. Hmmm!"
"I still cannot see into her true heart."
Amelia's expression suddenly softened, turning calm and thoughtful.
"Is Senpai... troubled?"
"Yes. Without a doubt."
"I see... So it really is something to do with the engagement?"
"I believe so."
"I see. Then you really are the one she needs, after all."
Wearing a gentle smile, Amelia patted me on the shoulder.
"Hey, Ray. You will surely—no, it's nothing. Well then, I'm off."
"Yes."
She cut herself off, took a tray of food from the kitchen, and returned to the tables.
"Ray. It's ready."
"Thank you."
After receiving the Moe Moe Omurice Sets from Albert, I prepared to draw my secret weapon.
"Make it delicious! Moe moe, kyun! ☆"
Since they had ordered two, I performed the ritual twice. Rebecca-senpai gave me a cheerful round of applause.
"Wow! That was amazing! You're so very cute!"
"I am honored."
Dina-senpai, on the other hand, looked conflicted.
"Senpai, is something the matter?"
"...No, I mean, you're cute. You're transcendently cute, but..."
"Thank you."
I gave a polite, elegant bow.
"Knowing what's underneath it all... it's a bit much to wrap my head around."
"Oh, stop! We had a promise not to mention that! ☆"
I played along with exaggerated drama... but Dina-senpai’s expression remained as complicated as ever. Well, I suppose that was only natural.
After they finished their omurice, the two of them prepared to leave.
"Lily-san, it was very delicious. And you were very cute, you know?"
"Thank you! ☆"
"Sorry to ask this when you've just finished a shift, but I'll be counting on you in a bit."
"Understood, Dina-senpai."
I had another duty lined up immediately after seeing them off.
"Amelia, I'm finishing my shift now. Sorry, but I'll leave the rest to you."
"You did more than enough. Thanks to you, the other girls were able to take plenty of breaks. You really do the work of several people all by yourself."
"I'm the one being selfish here. This is only right."
"Well then, see you later."
"Yeah. I'm off."
After speaking in the corner of the classroom, I made a swift exit. I headed for the empty classroom I had used to change. There, I quickly shed my disguise and returned to my usual self, checking my appearance in the full-length mirror.
I couldn't afford to leave even a trace of makeup behind.
"Mm... everything looks fine."
I left the empty classroom and headed straight for the Student Council Office.
"It's Ray White. Excuse me."
I knocked three times and entered. Rebecca-senpai and Dina-senpai were already waiting.
"Ray-san. You're early."
"I didn't want to keep you waiting."
Dina-senpai stood up and approached me.
"Ray. I'm counting on you."
"...Yes."
I spoke softly so Rebecca-senpai wouldn't hear, and Dina-senpai stepped out of the room just as I stepped in.
In truth, she and I had discussed this yesterday.
"Ray. About the patrol tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes."
"I'm giving you permission to accompany Rebecca-sama."
"...Wasn't Dina-senpai originally scheduled for that? Besides, I thought it was inappropriate for me to patrol alone with her since I'm a man."
Indeed, Rebecca-senpai was already engaged. Being seen alone with a man would be bad for her reputation, so I had been careful to avoid being alone with her in public places.
Because of that, I had assumed I wouldn't spend any private time with Rebecca-senpai during the three days of the Cultural Festival... but then Dina-senpai had handed me a small brooch.
"What is this?"
"I've embedded recognition inhibition magic into it. If you flow a small amount of prima materia into it, it will activate. It's handmade, but it should work perfectly."
"...I see."
I stared intently at the brooch, which was modeled after a small sunflower. To embed recognition inhibition magic into such a small object required an incredibly high level of skill.
The fact that Dina-senpai had made it herself meant...
"As long as people don't get extremely close, no one will realize you're a male student. I've set it up so you'll appear as a female student to everyone around you."
"Why would you go to such lengths... for me?"
"Because I think Rebecca-sama deserves to enjoy this Cultural Festival, after all."
Her voice was heavy with sincerity.
"I enjoyed it with Rebecca-sama last year," she continued. "And... things are a bit complicated right now. But I feel like I can trust you with this, Ray. I told you before, didn't I? I trust you."
"Senpai. But is it really alright for it to be me...?"
I let a sliver of my anxiety show.
Rebecca-senpai and Dina-senpai were childhood best friends; I wondered if it was truly acceptable for someone like me to step in between them.
As if sensing my hesitation, Senpai moved closer and took both of my hands in hers.
"So Ray can make a face like that too. I'm surprised. You're usually so resolute."
"...I still find it difficult to gauge the distance between myself and others. Perhaps I'm afraid of what I'll find if I touch their hearts."
"I see. It sounds like you've been through a lot, Ray."
"...Yes."
Senpai didn't press me about my past. I felt that if it were Dina-senpai, I could tell her everything, but she refrained from asking out of consideration for me.
I already knew she was a kind person.
When I first tried to join the Gardening Club, her opposition had been entirely for the sake of Rebecca-senpai and the other members. She had played the villain of her own accord, a fact I had only understood later.
I truly respected and liked the kind Dina-senpai.
That was why, in her presence, my defenses had slipped. Until now, I would have kept my worries bottled up inside.
But I felt that I could tell her. That she would understand.
I must have felt that way instinctively.
"Listen, Ray. I love Rebecca-sama, and I'm always thinking about her. I've seen her struggles and the weight of the Three Great Noble Families right in front of me. But you know, lately, I've come to really like you too."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. You're a junior who is blunt, stubborn, and honest to a fault. I don't know what haunts you, but I thought that by spending time with Rebecca-sama, you might be able to grow as well. Besides... I can't reach her anymore."
As she smiled, Dina-senpai looked somewhat lonely.
In truth, she likely wanted to be the one by Rebecca-senpai's side. But she chose not to be for our sakes.
Dina-senpai truly was more kind than anyone...
I gave a deep, respectful bow. I bowed my head to show that I would not take her feelings lightly.
"I will not let your kindness go to waste, Senpai."
"Yeah... I'm counting on you. Take care of Rebecca-sama."
"I will."
And that brought us back to the present.
"Ray-san. Shall we go?"
"Yes."
At Rebecca-senpai's prompting, we left the Student Council Office together.
It seemed Dina-senpai had already explained the situation to her.
I took the sunflower brooch from my pocket and flowed prima materia into it. After carefully pinning it to my chest, we headed out on patrol.