The bicycle glided through the narrow space, cutting across the alley wedged between two buildings, gradually approaching the School Garden of District 7.
Inside the School Garden, enclosed by fences and accessible only with a pass, stood five prestigious all-girls schools: Tokiwadai Middle School, the private Shidarezakura Academy, among others.
The shared campus bus, operated jointly by these five schools, was the sole public transport connecting the School Garden to the outside world.
At a sharp corner, Natsume Sonoko pressed her bell as she prepared to turn.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, pupils contracting sharply as she slammed on the brakes.
Thanks to the excellent braking system, the bicycle came to an immediate halt, but Natsume Sonoko lost her balance, nearly toppling right off the seat.
'Ow.' Her head bumped against the handlebars, and she couldn't help but let out a pained groan.
Rubbing her head, she looked up and found herself facing a young maid dressed in a blue-and-white uniform, wearing a white headband that revealed a rather broad forehead.
The girl appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen, clutching a lunchbox and a bag of eggs.
Though Sonoko hadn't actually collided with her, the little maid was so startled she'd fallen right onto her bottom, gazing up somewhat helplessly at Sonoko, whose forehead now bore a red mark from the handlebar impact.
"Are you okay?" Sonoko asked, still shaken. Ignoring her own throbbing forehead, she quickly dismounted to help the other girl up.
She hadn't been riding fast—even with the blind spot, she'd managed to brake in time—but lately, it seemed luck just wasn't on her side.
She hadn't even reached the School Garden and already she'd had a minor accident.
Thinking back to the 'Judgment combat manual' she'd picked up at a street stall last night, a bitter taste filled her mouth.
Was it true, then? Ever since her abilities had rapidly improved, pushing her to Level 4, had her luck taken a turn for the worse?
Then again, maybe that wasn't fair. Just yesterday, at the arcade, she'd successfully won the newest model of electric robot doll, and she'd been pretty pleased when she'd opened the package, hadn't she?
Lost in her usual cycle of overthinking, Sonoko slipped into a daze.
The maid, who had just taken Sonoko's hand to stand up, watched with curiosity as this classmate—dressed in Tokiwadai's uniform—suddenly stood frozen, her expression a complicated mix of distress and blankness.
'She must be a Tokiwadai student,' the maid thought, 'though you don't often see Tokiwadai students riding bicycles. Shouldn't young ladies like her be taking the campus bus or a private car?'
Feeling the weight on her arm, Sonoko snapped back to attention and hurriedly helped the other girl to her feet.
The maid didn't seem injured, which relieved Sonoko, but her lunchbox and eggs had fallen to the ground.
When Sonoko picked them up, she found that nearly half the eggs were broken, and the lunch inside the box looked completely jumbled.
Peeking inside, she could just make out what had once been a carefully crafted, labor-intensive love-filled meal.
"I'm so sorry for the trouble," Sonoko said, a genuinely apologetic look crossing her face as she clasped her hands together in remorse.
"It's quite alright. I was lost in thought myself, so it's partly my fault. It's nice to meet you—I'm Tsuchimikado Maika."
The girl, Tsuchimikado Maika, lifted the edges of her maid skirt slightly and performed a graceful half-curtsey, a standard maid greeting.
"Ah, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Natsume Sonoko." Sonoko smoothed down her slightly ruffled pleated skirt before giving a slight bow and nod.
"I'm a maid-in-training at Ryouran Maid School, currently doing my fieldwork at Tokiwadai Middle School. It's a pleasure to meet you, Natsume-san."
Maika placed her hands behind her back, offering a warm, gentle smile. Her tone was leisurely, yet carried no hint of frivolity.
"Is your forehead alright? It looks like it hurts," Maika asked instead, her voice full of concern as she eyed the red mark on Sonoko's forehead.
"It's nothing serious. I'll just cool it a bit," Sonoko replied, rubbing her forehead.
"Cool it? Do you carry an ice pack with you, Natsume-san?"
Maika glanced curiously at Sonoko. Aside from the black handbag that Tokiwadai students always seemed to carry, she didn't see anything else.
"Not exactly, it's something else." The red mark on Sonoko's forehead seemed to have faded slightly.
Intrigued, Maika reached out and touched Sonoko's forehead, but then quickly pulled her hand back as if remembering something.
"My apologies," Maika said, looking flustered. It was improper for a maid to touch someone so casually, especially a young lady from Tokiwadai.
Yet her fingers still held a faint, cool sensation—as if an ice pack had truly been resting against Sonoko's forehead.
"Don't worry about my little bump, but your lunch is all scattered… Is it going to be okay?" Sonoko asked nervously. It really looked like a lovingly made meal, with each ingredient carefully prepared.
"It's fine! This was for my brother. He'll happily eat any kind of lunchbox," Maika waved a hand dismissively.
When she mentioned her brother, her usually laid-back tone took on a rare note of pride.
'See? My brother can eat anything.' Seeing Maika's somewhat boastful expression, Sonoko nodded in agreement.
People who aren't picky and don't waste food usually stay quite healthy.
Sonoko herself wasn't picky—aside from main meals, she loved snacks and sweets—so she considered herself pretty healthy, even if her stamina wasn't the best.
"Tsuchimikado-san, were you on your way to deliver this to your brother?" Sonoko asked, handing the lunchbox back to Maika.
"Yes, and not just delivering lunch! I also have to clean his dorm room. It's always a mess, and he has friends whose rooms are just as bad. I always end up tidying theirs too," Maika said, her voice drawling leisurely, especially when she emphasized the word "messy."
"Your brother is really lucky. I always struggle when I clean my room. Having a maid for a sister must be wonderful." Sonoko thought of her own cleaning attempts, which were always plagued with mishaps.
With so many belongings, space always felt insufficient, but she couldn't bear to throw anything away, so she just bought more boxes to shove under her bed.
"In that case, I could help you out sometime," Maika offered, a soft smile gracing her lips. She always felt happy when she could help others.
Wanting to share what she had, wanting to achieve things through her own labor—that was why she had chosen to become a maid.
"Ah, no, that's too much trouble for you," Sonoko quickly refused, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Not at all! In exchange, Natsume-san, you'll have to learn how to clean your room properly. Besides, the Tokiwadai dormitories are one of our fieldwork locations, so please, feel free to ask for anything."
Maika grinned, energetically raising one hand with fingers spread.
Though her tone was easygoing, her motivation was palpable, and Sonoko found herself infected by that inner maid spirit radiating from her.
"Thank you, then. If you ever need any help, please let me know too," Sonoko said earnestly.
After saying goodbye to Tsuchimikado Maika, Sonoko realized they'd chatted for quite a while. In many ways, Maika was just her type—considerate and skilled at caring for others.
They exchanged phone numbers, and Sonoko felt glad to have made a new friend today.
As for Tsuchimikado Maika, Sonoko, who had only seen a few episodes of A Certain Scientific Railgun, had a faint impression of her.
But the brother Maika mentioned? Sonoko had no clue.
'Oh no, the tea party must be starting soon!' Sonoko hurriedly hopped back on her bicycle and pedaled toward the School Garden, which she still hadn't reached after all this time.
--+--
Inside the School Garden, Western-style architecture dominated the scenery. There were no large department stores or shopping malls; instead, specialized shops sold everything needed for campus life.
In a room within Tokiwadai Middle School's dormitory inside the School Garden...
An exquisite ceramic teapot and cups sat on a small, round solid wood table. The delicate aroma of black tea filled the room. Tea cups were arranged at four places, suggesting a tea party for four.
Six tiers of snacks were neatly arranged in the center of the table: fruits, dried fruits, and some pastries whose names she didn't know.
For this tea party, the senior, Kongou-senpai, had specially arranged for two boxes of pastries made by a five-star chef to be airlifted in.
Kongou-senpai sat upright in her seat, her folded fan resting in her hand, her expression full of anticipation as she watched the dorm room door.
As the agreed-upon time came and went with no knock or doorbell, the hope on her face slowly faded.
She took out a pendant of her father from her purse, a look of dejection crossing her features.
"...Nobody came… Am I still not outstanding enough? Do I need to become someone like Misaka-san or Shokuhou-san before everyone will gather around me?"
Kongou-senpai's heart was filled with confusion.
She couldn't understand why no one seemed to want to be friends with her.
Just then, an extraordinarily long python with a ribbon tied around it slithered up and wrapped around Kongou-senpai's neck, as if sensing her sadness. It flicked its tongue, seemingly comforting its owner.
"You're the best, little Ekaterina," Kongou-senpai said, patting the python's body.
All in all, this somewhat naive and arrogant young lady was really quite a handful.
In front of the dormitory, someone else was running into trouble.
"Excuse me, could you tell me which room Kongou-senpai lives in?" Natsume Sonoko stopped a student in front of the dorm and asked.
"Kongou? You mean the young lady from Kongou Airlines?"
"Yes, that's her."
"I think she's on the third floor? I'm not sure about the exact room, I only saw her once from a distance on the third floor."
Sonoko sighed inwardly. She'd asked three students now and only managed to narrow it down to the third floor.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.