Epilogue
A week had passed since the last commotion, heralding the day of the much-anticipated field trip. Today was the day that I, the villainess, was to confront Nonoka about her fashion sense, igniting a transformative spark in her.
The event in-game went a little something like this: Nonoka would show up to the field trip in the same outfit I’d modeled on the cover of that fashion magazine. I would mock her for merely imitating a look instead of owning or transforming it, which would then ignite her passion for fashion.
On such trips, students of Sosei Academy weren’t in uniform. The apparent rationale was to avoid drawing attention to the offspring of influential families to reduce the risk of kidnapping, for that was how synonymous the Sosei brand was with the rich and powerful. Quite a unique problem, if you asked me, but it was hardly my place to question school policy.
For this occasion, I, too, donned the magazine cover outfit, albeit with a few choice additions and alterations—the same breezy summer cardigan, but with a gold-thread-embroidered blouse, a steel blue high-waisted long skirt, and tall, lace-up boots. The theme for the shoot: “fashionably hard at work for your special someone” was a fairly vague statement open to interpretation, but it basically meant the kind of clothes you wore to impress someone you looked up to. My expression on the cover—a profile shot of me as I thought about Shizuku—was pensive and romantic, almost like that of a young girl in love. Honestly, it was the kind of expression that suited the heroine better than the villainess.
But Nonoka couldn’t be that heroine without her own sense of agency and desire. She required a subtle push, a gentle prod toward realizing that she shouldn’t be content merely replicating the latest look she saw in whatever magazine she found that day. To that end, the destination for the day’s trip was, rather fortuitously, a fashion show. It was divided into two portions. The first segment was dedicated to haute couture, spotlighting avant-garde, less practical fashion styles to spark creative inspiration, while the other centered on prêt-à-porter fashion, centering on improving designs already prevalent in the market. Yes, it was a rather high-brow kind of field trip, but considering the Sosei Academy motto—Forging New Standards, Shaping a Refined World—it seemed perfectly in line.
Gratuitous reflections on the school motto, however, should’ve been the last thing on my mind as I made my way to the meet-up location. Stepping into the posh lobby, I recalled Shizuki’s briefing, which mentioned that there was only a fifty-fifty chance Nonoka would actually be wearing the outfit for the magazine. This was real life, after all, and not a video game. Somewhere, a butterfly flaps its wing, Nonoka’s mood changes, and she would end up in a different outfit for the day. Yet amidst the capricious chaos of the universe, the game’s narrative seemed to act somewhat like a restoring force, influencing the course of events. It wasn’t overtly powerful, unable to enforce drastic changes, however it did seem to consistently nudge events along to a familiar path if left undisturbed. You might think this an outlandish theory, but alas, there was Nonoka, standing in the exact same outfit she was supposed to be standing in. With that out of the way, it was time to carry out Shizuki’s mission.
“Hello, Nonoka,” I announced, approaching her.
“Ms. Sakurazaka…?” she gasped in surprise.
In the middle of this lobby buzzing with students donning a variety of styles, Nonoka and I faced each other, clad in nearly identical outfits. To an uninformed onlooker, we might have seemed like coordinated friends, but Sosei Academy students knew better. You had the rich girl and her usual punching bag, now dressed oddly alike. Observers aware of the impending confrontation watched in tense silence.
As I prepared to confront her, a classmate rallied to her side, but no friend of hers would deter me this time. “Nonoka. That’s the same outfit from my shoot. What are you trying to say, that your…distinct stature and demeanor can even come close to—”
But before I could finish my sentence with a derisive “replicating my greatness?”, Nonoka interrupted me, her eyes shining. “I know! Seeing you on that cover was such a shock!” She even leaned toward me, her enthusiasm unmistakable.
This wasn’t part of the plan! I thought, blinking in surprise. In the original game, she had been unaware of the original model of the outfit, or else she would’ve never worn anything that reminded her of her tormentor. “You…You knew who the model was and still chose to wear this outfit?” I inquired.
“Yes!” she beamed.
“…Why?”
My villainess mask fell, and I spoke with my usual tone. Fortunately, Nonoka didn’t say anything about that—but instead said something far, far more problematic:
“Because…Ms. Sakurazaka— I…I admire you!”
She was so adorable the way she said that, slightly embarrassed, that I couldn’t help but— No! What was I doing gushing about the heroine! I’d said some totally mean things to her, hadn’t I? Like unequivocally, awful things, hadn’t I? So why was this girl still here telling me she admired me?! My mind whirled like a certain spinning wheel of death as I tried to process this perplexing turn of events.
Even her friend, who had stepped in to protect her, was upset with her, saying, “Nonoka, how can you admire someone who’s been so cruel to you?” And honestly, yeah, good looking out, Nonoka’s friend. I would’ve liked my own friend who would stand up for me in front of a Sakurazaka, but that was the kind of escapism I absolutely needed to not indulge in at this moment.
“I told you, it’s not like that!” Nonoka said to her friend. “Ms. Sakurazaka has been there for me. She came to my rescue at the entrance exam, put on a mean face to cover for me at the new student mixer, and her actions in the gym were meant to help me make friends, like you!”
Internally, I screamed in frustration. Yes, it was true! Everything she said was technically true and I had to give props to Nonoka for seeing through my intentions but why, Nonoka, why did you, of all people, have to see through my intentions?! She was almost like a video game protagonist the way she was able to take all that abuse on the chin and still come out swinging!
Oh wait, she is.
Crap. Now what do I do? Nonoka’s friend looked on the verge of believing her. Affirming Nonoka’s claims was out of the question, but if I denied them, would anyone even believe me at this point?
No, it didn’t matter. I had to make them believe me. In a new voice, I said, “Nonoka, whoever you admire or don’t is none of my business. But frankly, I find your blatant imitation of me rather embarrassing, so perhaps you could, you know, not?”
I expected my words to sting, even for someone as resilient as Nonoka, to say nothing of her friend who was now glaring daggers at me, saying, “That’s going too far!” I wasn’t sure if she was brave or just ignorant standing up to me like that, but then I noticed her hands, quivering slightly. Her protectiveness over Nonoka was touching, yet it was Nonoka herself who suddenly brightened with realization, striking her hands together.
“I see! So I shouldn’t be simply imitating, but building upon the look with my own tastes and preferences. Ms. Sakurazaka, you’re ever so helpful!”
Not false.
Not false, but why did she have to look so happy about it?! Yes, I’d intended to hide a nugget of advice amidst my harsh words, but she’d grasped it so fast, it made me look like a total tsundere! At this point, I was just a “it’s not like I said that for your sake!” from never ever beating the allegations again!
That’s it. I quit.
Not from my job, but it was time to make a tactical retreat from the situation. “Suit yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
“Whaaat?” Nonoka looked slightly disheartened. “We aren’t watching the fashion show together?”
God, it was so cute the way she slightly sulked as she said that, but Nonoka was growing a bit too chummy. I needed to set boundaries before things got out of hand. “This has gone far enough.” I stuck a finger to the tip of her nose. “What makes you think I’m here to indulge your whims? And your friend—is she always that reckless, confronting a Corporate Legacy student so boldly? Instead of wagging your tail at me, perhaps you should be thanking her for her courage.”
Nonoka’s friend looked surprised. Hopefully my words reassured her slightly—it hurt to see her so terrified, standing up to me. With that, I turned sharply and exited with poise, leaving the scene behind.