✤
After Kirara and I got in the elevator, I heaved a small sigh. I’d told Himeko that I’d do my best, but actually facing Lady Shion and pressing her for an answer like that would take all my courage. When I pictured it, she grew so enraged that she instantly shot me a Medusa-like glare that turned me into stone.
That’s way too plausible. I guess I’ll have to ask her from a safe distance and try to avoid her gaze as best I can.
Just imagining it made me sigh again. Looking at me, Kirara noticed something was up. “Did Lady Himeko say something to you?”
“No. Well, kind of. She gave me a little task to do that’s like being thrown into a beast’s cage during feeding time, or poking a hornet’s nest.”
I guess I can tell Kirara, right? She’ll be going into the Mauve Manor with me anyway, so she’ll hear what I ask Lady Shion. Better to tell her now than have her try to stop me when I come out with something so weird.
“There’s something I have to ask Lady Shion. Something I have to tell her, really.”
“Wow, that sounds tough.” She looked at me with pitying eyes.
“Yeah. Basically, Himeko’s convinced that Lady Shion is the one who gave Lady Rosalie the information about Lady Sakura.”
“Oh, really?” she asked, surprise written on her face.
“It’s just Himeko’s deduction right now, but she’s pretty confident.”
“Why would she do that, though?”
“Even Himeko doesn’t know. That’s why I’m supposed to ask her directly.”
“Huh. That’s going to take some courage, all right.”
Still looking very sorry for me, Kirara took a step back. Hah. She should know that she doesn’t get to run away either.
I grasped her sleeve and grinned broadly. “You know you’ll be coming in there with me, right?”
The breath caught in her throat. “Right. I knew that.”
She nodded, looking very unhappy indeed.
When we got off the elevator, I asked, “Where are we going first?”
This feels just like the time we left to do our debut. In retrospect, it felt like a waste that I’d gone to all the salons without even realizing what the point was behind the whole thing.
“I’ve been instructed to head to the Paradise Palace first. Otherwise, there’s a chance of Mei taking action before we get there.”
“True. Mei seems to have a sixth sense for short girls. Even without any advance knowledge, she probably felt her presence.”
We glanced at each other, then quickened our pace and made for the staircase leading to the Paradise Palace.
I didn’t really think Mei would already be on her way to recruit someone who had literally arrived yesterday. And yet, as we climbed the spiral staircase, we heard the clacking of regular footsteps in the other direction.
No way. Surely not.
Kirara and I made eye contact, both thinking the same thing—right before we saw Mei walking down toward us.
It has to be a coincidence, though, right? Lady Asuka must have sent her out on an errand, or she’s going to buy something.
She smiled and spoke with a soft, lighthearted voice as if she was going on a picnic or something. “Oh, it’s you two. Good day! If you’re here, does that mean you want to see Lady Asuka?”
Kirara and I froze. An alarm bell rang in my head. This is bad.
Clearly, Kirara was on the same page. Together, we silently moved up and stood on either side of Mei, smiling back at her with a hand each on her back.
“We do, actually,” Kirara said. “We need to see her right away. It’s something very important, in fact. Her Seraph absolutely must be there beside her.”
Kirara did all she could to underscore just what a momentous, crucial conversation this was going to be.
“You don’t mind coming back upstairs with us, do you?” I added.
Little by little, we moved our hands, gradually rotating Mei’s body.
As we turned her around, she looked at me and said, “I’d love to, but I have an utterly urgent task to attend to as well.”
Our doubts changed into certainty. If something was that critical, it was either a special request from her mistress or a journey to go and recruit a lady who fit her precise preference. It probably couldn’t be anything else.
“Oh, really?” I asked.
“I don’t think you’ll be late even if you listen to what we have to say first,” Kirara said.
“This is quite awkward. I’m curious about what would make you be so insistent.”
It looked like we had won. Mei gradually began to make her way back up the stairs.
“It’s just that it’ll be relevant to you too, Mei,” I told her.
Rather than letting go of her, we decided to keep a firm grasp and lead her back without giving her a chance to escape.
When we arrived at the Paradise Palace, we entered with her. It was the second time I’d been here, but the interior design still reminded me of, well, a kindergarten, to be honest. Bright shades of red and yellow were everywhere, and wooden building blocks were piled up as decorations. The tables and chairs were clearly smaller than the norm.
This was related to the Paradise Palace’s strict rule that all its members must be no taller than four foot nine.
When we went a little ways inside, a scene spread out before us featuring Lady Asuka, the head of the salon, and Lady Erisu, who managed a restaurant on campus. A little farther away were some other girls who honestly looked like cute little children playing together. It was tough to see them as anything else.
Seeing Mei, Lady Asuka bluntly said, “Oh, you’re back early. Did she agree to join?”
So Mei really was on her way to invite Lady Sakura to join the Paradise Palace.
Then she noticed us and scowled. “I see you’ve adopted some strays too.”
My eyes met hers dead-on. Since I was there representing Lady Kagura, I smiled and gave her a suitable greeting. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Lady Asuka? I hope you’re doing well.”
“Don’t ‘I hope you’re doing well’ me! You must have come here with some ulterior motive.”
Snarling, she waved her hands to shoo us away. It wasn’t exactly a look befitting of a fine lady, but combined with her small stature, it still looked absolutely adorable.
“Squee!” Mei exclaimed forcefully all of a sudden. For some reason, she was staring up at the ceiling with a look of ecstasy. Then she whispered in my ear, “Very nice, Misaki! I hardly ever get to see Lady Asuka make such a cute gesture. That alone has made it worth coming back here with you!”
“Oh. Uhm, great.”
“Inside the salon, she works really hard to convey the image of a leader, so she rarely shows the cracks in her armor. I always wish she’d act more like a child—throwing tantrums, asking me for piggyback rides, crying, and so on. Don’t you think that would be lovely?”
“Well, erm, I don’t really have an opinion.”
Lady Asuka was definitely cute, but I sadly didn’t even come close to sharing Mei’s perspective, so I wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Mei,” said the lady herself, “stop gabbing about me and come over here. Then explain to me why you’ve brought those two with you.”
“Certainly, milady!” With graceful movements, she walked over and stood by her mistress’s side. “As it happens, I don’t know yet either. We bumped into each other when I was on my way down the stairs, and they basically forced me to come back here with them.”
“My, you have some nerve! Not only have you turned up unannounced, but you’ve strong-armed my Seraph too!”
She began to give off a threatening aura like that of Lady Saeko or Lady Shion. However, Mei was staring at her with a look of extreme glee. It was clear that she was relishing the opportunity to observe a rarely seen side of her mistress.
I knew Lady Asuka was trying to be scary, but in the end, her petiteness made her too delightful for it to work.
“I’m really sorry,” Kirara replied, “but we have some business we wanted to bring up.”
Our completely unflinching reactions seemed to leave her bewildered for a second. “Huh?”
With all due respect to Lady Asuka, we were here on an errand for Lady Kagura. Our mission had to take priority.
“Fine,” Lady Asuka said after a moment, pulling herself together and sitting down again. “What is it, then?”
Kirara and I looked at each other and nodded, then Kirara broached the topic.