“What do you think?”
“Smells fishy to me.”
“Very fishy.”
“Yeah, that’s fishy.”
“Fresh-caught.”
“Is it really fishy... if it’s just a sure thing?”
Houki, Cecilia, Ling, Charlotte, Laura, and Kanzashi conferred in the shadows as they watched Ichika’s unceremonious ejection. They’d arrived at the conclusion that the princess was new competition.
“I always knew there was something that set me off about her.”
“Simply unforgivable, using her privilege like that.”
Ling and Cecilia were willing to form a temporary alliance to deal with this new threat. Charlotte and Laura nodded their assent, as well.
“She’s too aggressive for me...” Kanzashi muttered.
“It’s not fair. So... So this is where you meant?” That wasn’t quite what they were expecting to hear from Houki.
“...Houki?” She was alone, off to the side, muttering to herself. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” she laughed wanly.
At that moment, the disaster was only just beginning.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So, what do you think? I look stunning in this uniform, don’t I?” Iris preened for Ichika in her new outfit.
“Not bad at all.” He had to agree, it looked good on her. “I can’t wait to see you in that every day.”
An honest assessment, and one Iris took well.
“Mmhm. It’ll be wonderful, won’t it? And a very good thing for the school.” Even her usual haughtiness was adorable when clad in a school uniform. Ichika couldn’t help but giggle, and Iris’s face turned red as he did. “W-What’s wrong with you? You’re so rude.”
“Sorry. Anyway, I’ll go change into my uniform.”
“Okay. Shall we meet at the gate?”
They split up, Ichika rushing back to his room so as not to keep her waiting.
“Phew, I haven’t worn this in a while.” It was a relief to be back in his normal clothes. Change complete, he ran to the gate.
“You’re late!” As he expected, she was angry. “While I was waiting for you, they kept mistaking me for a common student! Me! Me, of all people!”
Her frustration with being taken for an average first year was obvious. But in a uniform instead of her normal dresses, it was entirely within reason.
“Someone even called me a middle schooler! Me! Me, of all people!” Her anger only helped complete the picture of a normal girl. Put that way, it softened the edges of her habitual pride, and made her seem cute.
I guess she is around the age where it really matters what people think of her. It almost felt to Ichika like he had a new little sister.
“What are you laughing about?! Off with your head!”
“Please, no.” Ichika brought out his bicycle as they squabbled. “Now, if you could sit behind me.”
“Hmm? Why not take a car?”
“If we took a car, they’d definitely realize who you were, Your Royal Highness.”
“Very well, Ichika,” she nodded in understanding. “Oh, I suppose you can call me by name now.”
“Okay, Iris.”
“D-Don’t just call me by name! I’m not used to it!”
He... Almost understood, and nodded himself then said, “How about Alice, then?”
“A-A-A-A-Alice?! Me?! Me, of all people?!”
“Now sit down behind me. We’re running out of time, Alice.”
“...Understood.” It seemed like she enjoyed her new name, even if it took a little getting used to. The Princess—or, for now, just Alice—nodded and climbed on behind her. “So this is what the little people call ‘growing up’...”
“Huh? Didn’t hear you.”
“N-Nothing! Let us be off!”
“Okay.” He began to pedal.
There was a chill in the January breeze, but Iris’s face was comfortably warm. She’d finally felt like one of the heroines she always read about.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Okay, where do I park... Oh, there’s a spot.”
Ichika found a place for his bike at the shopping mall by the station while Iris stared up in awe at the massive building.
“We built castles for war, Japan builds them to sell clothes...”
“No, Alice. It’s not just clothes. They sell plenty of things. They even have restaurants.”
“Oh, I see! Is there one with soba? I’ve always wanted to try that.”
“Of course. A famous one, in fact.”
“I see!” Iris’s eyes sparkled, and a girlish smile crept across her face.
“Anyway, we should look at the clothes.”
“Indeed! Let’s go, Ichika!” As she spun toward the entrance, her foot caught a patch of ice. “Eek!”
“Look out!” Deftly, he caught her before she could fall. As his arms wrapped around her, her face glowed red.
“Y-You’re too close! Let me go, you insolent pig! O-O-Off with your head!”
“Please, no, Allie.”
“W-Wait, that’s going too far! Call me Alice!”
“Okay, Alice.” Ichika lightly set her down.
“Oww!” A jolt of pain welled up from her twisted ankle as she tried to walk. “Ugh, these boots are so difficult to walk in.”
As Iris frowned, Ichika had an idea. “That’s okay, I’ll carry you.”
“W-Wait, what? Ichika, what are you doing?!”
“Just leave it to me!” Hoisting her up behind him, he confidently began to stride off.
“I-I-I-Ichika! Stop this! Everyone’s staring at us!”
“It’s because you’re making a scene. Now let’s go.”
All she could do was bury her face in his back as she felt her heart begin to throb.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Agghhh! I will make him pay for this!”
“Indeed! He’s never even done that for me!”
While Ling was stamping her feet and Cecilia was twisting her handkerchief, Charlotte, Laura, and Kanzashi were taking things more seriously.
“So like I was saying. We dress up as employees and try to split them up.”
“No. Ichika’s not so easy to fool anymore. It’s like he had some kind of spell cast on him.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’d notice...”
And meanwhile, Houki was off to the side, staring up at the sky. I’m getting this weird sense of déjà vu...
When? When was it? Who was it, then?
I can’t remember...
C̷̭̈a̴̤̕n̵̢̈́’̵͆ͅț̷͆ ̸̢͒r̵̼̃e̸͓͗m̶̻͆ē̷̦m̷̝̏b̷͕̓ȩ̸͆r̵̡̎.̷̮̾
C̷̭̈a̴̤̕n̵̢̈́’̵͆ͅț̷͆ ̸̢͒r̵̼̃e̸͓͗m̶̻͆ē̷̦m̷̝̏b̷͕̓ȩ̸͆r̵̡̎ ̷̗͂a̴̧͗n̴̤͊ẏ̵̢t̵͕̋h̷̛͖i̶̲̋ṇ̵̈́ǵ̸͍.̷̮̾
I̷̖̕t̷̯̐ ̴̱͆d̵̰͘ỏ̶͔ȩ̷̏s̵͓̏n̴̝̒’̷̠͒ṱ̵̎ ̵̰̀m̷̠̔a̵̹̓t̷̬͑t̴̡̾è̵͈r̵̟̒.̵͎̍
I... I’m...
Į̷̂’̷̳̊ṃ̵̓ ̷̄͜h̶̹͐e̷̪̔r̵͇̂e̴̤̍ ̴̧̕f̶͍̎o̶̻̔r̵̗̒ ̵͍̚y̷̟̌ó̷͚ủ̵̞.̴̼̎
“...Wait, Houki, are you okay?” It was only when Ling called out to her that the red gleam left her eyes.
“What?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’? You’ve been staring off into space this whole time! What’s wrong, anyway? You’ve been acting real funny lately.”
“Not really, I don’t think. This is how I normally am.” Houki clenched her fists.
“Oh? Fine, I guess.” That was enough to make Ling back off. One of her strong points was knowing when she absolutely had to stop pushing.
“They’re leaving that shop!”
Iris was grinning ear-to-ear. It looked like she’d found the outfit she wanted. And judging by how close they were as they left, it looked like Ichika had told her exactly what she wanted to hear.
“We don’t have time for this! We’ve gotta stay on their tail!” Ling grabbed Houki’s hand to drag her along even as her reverie continued, and trailed Ichika and the princess.