The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
“Hey, wait up!! Subaru-chan!!”
“Y-your voice is too loud…! If you make a scene, it’ll be a hassle…!”
Afternoon.
Today’s the year-end party at Mashiro’s place.
I’d met up with Arisa-chan at the station to go shopping for it.
Spotting me, Arisa-chan was her usual cheerful self. Waving her hands wildly, she came running over at incredible speed. …So cute, like a big dog.
“Oh, right! Sorry, sorry! I’ll be more careful from now on!”
“Please do… So, where are we going for the shopping?”
“Saeki’s handling the main dishes, and we’re in charge of snacks and stuff, so I was thinking we could just go to the Don Quijote over there. I also want to grab some light board games to play. Anywhere else you want to go?”
“Nope, anywhere’s fine.”
We headed straight for the Don Quijote right in front of us.
Maybe because it was New Year’s Eve, the store was packed. The already narrow aisles were crammed with people, making it really hard to move around.
“I heard from Mashiro. You’re going to visit his family tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah! I’m going to ask them to give Saeki to me!”
“Hah, hehe… That sounds like it could get very interesting.”
I could picture Mashiro’s flustered face.
I’ll ask Ouran-chan later what kind of New Year’s it was.
“But aren’t you going back to your family home? You’re spending New Year’s Eve with us today, after all. Aren’t your family worried?”
“My mom’s super busy with work over the holidays. She doesn’t get off until the 4th, so I’m planning to go home then. What about you, Subaru? What are your New Year’s plans?”
“Nothing much. Just buried in work until school starts again tomorrow. It’s a blessing in disguise, I guess.”
“Being popular is tough… kinda makes me jealous though…”
Saying that, we started browsing board games.
Just as we picked up some cards, “Ah!” Arisa-chan dashed off.
“Maid outfits! I’ve been meaning to buy these someday!”
“Wh-what on earth would you use those for…?”
“Ever since Subaru-chan told me, I’ve been helping out with housework at Saeki’s place sometimes. If I wore this then, wouldn’t it be cute, like a maid serving her master? Maybe Saeki would get all flustered and fall for me!”
That guy couldn’t possibly be that simple, but this girl’s attitude—never giving up and willing to try anything—is truly amazing. I don’t think ordinary people could pull that off.
“I think it’s fine. It’ll definitely suit you.”
“Really? Hehe, you think so~♡”
Arisa-chan hugged the bag containing the maid outfit, giggling happily.
This girl, even though she’s the same gender, is truly adorable. Straightforward, honest, warm like a sunlit spot. If such a cute girl wears such a cute maid outfit, of course it’ll suit her.
“…Hm?”
Arisa-chan’s expression changed completely as she tilted her head.
She looked back and forth between me and the maid outfit, then nodded.
She looked back and forth again, nodding vigorously with a “Hmm hmm!”
“Subaru-chan should buy a matching one too!”
“Wh-Why!?”
“My Arisa-chan sensor is going off! This is totally something you’d look amazing in! It’d be super cute!”
“No way! No, no, no! I, I’m not the type for frilly stuff like this! I’d just look weird…!”
“That’s not true at all!!”
“Hey, your face is too close…!”
“Cute!! You’ll definitely look cute, so let’s wear them together!!”
“Your voice is too loud…! People are watching…!”
“And while we’re at it, put on these cat ears too!! They’ll totally suit you!!”
“No, I mean—”
“They’ll suit you!! I wanna see super cute Subaru-chan!!”
Pressed against the wall in an instant by her eyes shining like a mirror ball, I had no choice.
In the end, I could only nod and say “Yeah,” realizing just how much trouble Mashiro must go through with this girl every day.
◆
“So, I bought a maid outfit! How about it, cute, right? ♡”
“Uh, uh-huh… Yeah, it’s cute.”
After grasping the situation and giving Amagi-san my thoughts, I turned my gaze to Subaru.
Sitting on the bed, she seemed unsettled, constantly holding the hem of her skirt, perhaps concerned about how short it was.
“Hey hey, Subaru-chan looks cute too!! Super cute, right!?”
Usually, Subaru is the kind of handsome guy everyone envies.
She almost never wears skirts outside of her uniform, and something frilly like this is absolutely out of the question. Naturally, this was also the first time I’d seen her wearing cat ears.
“…Mashiro, you don’t need to be careful around me. If you think it’s weird, just say so without holding back.”
“Weird… well…”
“What is it? Is it really that bad?”
“No, it’s just… normally cute.”
“BYAH!?”
“I knew you looked good in anything, but this style works too.”
“Ugh!?”
“I think you look super cute. You’re unrecognizable.”
“Nyahhhhhhh!?”
Subaru curled up on the bed, writhing in agony.
She wasn’t putting her down or just saying nice things, so she should be prouder. What a weirdo.
“Come on, come on! Saeki’s saying it too!! Subaru-chan is super cute, you know♡”
“…Is that… so…?”
“Yeah, yeah! Say ‘Welcome home, my master’!”
“W-welcome home… my master…”
“Louder!”
“W-welcome home, Master…!”
“Nice! Now next, with a smile!”
“Welcome home, Master!”
“That’s it! Perfect, Subaru-chan! You’re the cutest in the universe right now!”
“R-really…?”
“Absolutely! I’ve decided I’ll never say ‘cute’ unless I mean it!”
“Oh… heh, heh…”
Not a trace of her usual handsome face remained—just a slack, exhausted expression.
They both look so happy…
Well then, I suppose I’ll get started on dinner preparations.
“Saeki-ii♡”
“…Um, what is that you’re holding…?”
“A butler uniform. I picked it up while I was out!”
“Th-that’s nice. Maybe you could show me what you look like in it sometime—”
“It’s for you, Saeki.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s for you, Saeki!”
“Why would there be one for me…?”
“Hmm? I thought you’d look good in it!”
“…………”
“You can use my room, so go change into it right now!!”
I figured Subaru must have been confronted with this same look too.
I let out a big sigh and took it.
Why do we have to have a cosplay contest on New Year’s Eve… Oh well. Amagi seems to be enjoying herself.
Maiban