“I’m back! Ah, Stella!” Feena cried, full of joy the moment she opened the dorm room. She dropped her sizable traveling bag and rushed over to hug Stella. “You’re well! I heard you wouldn’t wake up after the exams, so I spent my entire time home worried...”
“Mnnn, wh-what the... How can something be so soft...”
Stella seemed shocked about something else entirely as Feena hugged her tight. Her expression went entirely flat, and she pushed Feena off to the best of her ability.
“I-It wasn’t anything major. I just used too much mana or something? Nothing scary.”
The final exams had proved problematic. Stella, after destroying the dungeon with magic, had returned to her senses only briefly before falling into a coma. That was probably the rebound from using magic for the first time. Stella had slept for about ten days, and in that time the academy’d had a long-term holiday.
Outside of significant extenuating circumstances, students tended to go home during such long-term holidays. They would come back at the start of the month when classes resumed.
Feena’s eyes fell on the new staff in Stella’s staff holder.
“How wonderful that you got a new staff for yourself as well, Master Otaku.”
“Yeah.”
Truth be told, Stella falling into a coma had been quite the ordeal for me.
When the sandstorm had ceased, the professors had regained their ability to cast miracles. They’d managed to save the students, but I was still broken in half. In other words, I was garbage, and nobody was about to carry me out.
It was pure luck that Hamiel had been the one to come rescue Stella. I’d played the part of a “second Stella” and called out, asking for her to bring the broken staff with her. Hamiel had been exasperated, thinking that Stella was a ventriloquist even in her sleep, but she’d added me to Stella’s stretcher.
Once Stella had woken up, she’d worked on repairing me, and now I was reborn in a stitched-up staff.
“Ehe heh, Stella, we still haven’t celebrated, have we?”
“Hm? Celebrated what?”
“Us advancing a grade!”
Due to all the trouble, the exam was waived for all students, meaning the two of them had technically passed.
Feena opened her traveling bag and produced a box from within. “Ta-da! I bought a berry pie on my way to the dormitory. Shall we eat together in celebration?”
“A berry pie?!” Stella exclaimed, eyes sparkling. “F-Fine, if you insist. I’ll have some, but only because I don’t want it going bad.”
“The key point here is how she’s saying that while drooling,” I noted.
“Shut up!”
“I shall go prepare tea,” Feena said, stepping out of the room. When she came back she was in a maid outfit. And her skirt was shorter!
“UWOOOH! A MINISKIRT MAID! ABSOLUTE TERRITORY! GARTER BELT!” I roared.
“Come on, Feena, you don’t need to listen to what this creep wants.”
“A shorter skirt makes it easier to work. You would understand if you wore one yourself, Stella.”
“Hah. As if I would ever—”
“We’re equal in this room, are we not? Let’s get you changed!”
“Eeek eek, don’t strip me out of nowhere! Otaku, no looking!”
A robe was thrown over me.
And not long after...
“Ngh... Why would I ever wear something like this...”
Thus came the explosive birth of the silver-haired miniskirt maid. It was good to be alive.
Stella was desperately pulling the hem of her skirt down, no doubt embarrassed about her exposed thighs. “Th-This skirt is way too tiny... I can’t wear something this lewd!”
“Aaah, Stella! Don’t take it off!” Feena cried, stopping her. “I went out of my way to make this for you, and I am sure Master Otaku would like for you to remain in it longer.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t mind if she never took it off.”
“See?” Feena smiled.
Stella scowled as if a garbage can had just been tilted over onto her floor. “F-Fine, but just this once. I’m never wearing this again! Got it, Feena?”
“Certainly. I will keep it in your closet so you can change into it whenever you wish.”
“You’re clearly not listening!”
Two beautiful maids poured tea and cut up a berry pie. The two of them clasped their hands together in premeal prayer beneath the gentle afternoon sunlight.
Stella took one bite of the pie and instantly grabbed her chest. “Ngh, it’s too good...! The sour berries and sweet cream are just a perfect combination...!”
“Aha ha, I’m glad. I was worried about the exams, but sweets after passing taste the best of all.”
Stella paused. She set the fork down, then looked at Feena hesitantly. “Um... Feena. Do you remember who slew that werewolf magibeast?”
“Hm? A professor, no? Though I didn’t see which one,” Feena replied, tilting her head with her fork in her mouth.
Stella lowered her eyes and stared at her palms. After some hesitation, she agreed, “You’re right. It had to be a professor.”
Apparently Stella’s memories after I’d been broken were vague.
As for me, I wasn’t planning to tell her about the black chains. Stella had a strong belief that witches were evil. She would surely be profoundly hurt to learn she was a witch herself, and no otaku out there would go out of their way to make their idol sad.
I hadn’t seen the Goddess since. She wasn’t even showing up as an illusion. As long as she didn’t try to interfere with Stella or myself, that was fine. But if she tried to kill Stella again...
I looked at the relief on the wall. Its face was still blackened out.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be second-years,” Feena mused. “I hope we get to be in the same class again.”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Stella said.
“Inside scoop, Feena. While you were gone, Stella wrote a series of letters to the academy staff pleading to be put in the same cl—”
“Hey hey hey! Don’t just go and say that!” Stella exclaimed, slapping her hands over me.
Feena clasped her hands, moved. “Stella... To think you would go so far for my sake...”
“Y-You have the wrong idea! It’s not that I want to be in the same class as you, it’s just this way will help my grades, so...”
“Isn’t it cute how Stella can’t be honest?”
“Aaah, jeez, just shut up!”
Stella chugged her tea to hide her reddening face. I was used to her hiding her shyness like that, so I just watched on warmly.