My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 13

During the break after fifth period, Yua and I secretly exchanged messages, careful not to let our classmates find out. We were discussing where to meet after school.

Just as we finished making plans, the chime rang, signaling the start of sixth period. But my mind was already completely occupied with thoughts of after school—I couldn’t concentrate on class at all.

As soon as homeroom ended, I was the first to dash out of the classroom.

Yua had said she would head home first to drop off her things before coming over to the Tsuzuki house.

We lived pretty close by, so we could have gone home together, but we decided it was best to go separately to avoid drawing attention.

Besides, I had one important thing I absolutely had to take care of before she arrived.

“I really need to clean my room…”

I imagined the messy piles of manga and cardboard boxes from online orders, and I could already picture Yua’s disapproving face.

As soon as I got off the train at my station, I pedaled my bike home as fast as I could.

My house is just a normal detached home in a quiet neighborhood—the one I’ve lived in since I was born.

“Hah… hah… wait, huh?”

As I parked my bike and stood at the front door, something felt off.

Light was leaking through the closed curtains, and when I touched the front door, I noticed it was unlocked.

For a second, I froze, wondering if there’d been a break-in. But when I cautiously opened the door and looked down at the entryway, I saw my sister’s shoes there.

“…Seriously? Don’t scare me like that.”

Usually, my sister wouldn’t be home at this hour. She must’ve left school early because I told her Yua was coming over.

“Oh, you’re home earlier than usual.”

She must’ve heard the door open because she came out to greet me as I stepped into the hallway—

“Welcome home, Master~”

“…Can you not scare me like that!?”

She was wearing a frilly white maid outfit with a black ribbon at the chest. The unfamiliar clothes and the weird greeting almost made me choke.

My sister always wore street-style clothes, so seeing her in a maid outfit was completely unexpected. I couldn’t hide my confusion.

“What’s with that outfit…?”

“Huh? You noticed? I guess you really do pay attention to your big sister, huh~?”

“I don’t, and this is way too out of the ordinary for my brain to process. Who made you do this—some kind of punishment game?”

“Rude. I wore it on my own, obviously.”

“That just makes it even more worrying…”

What kind of mental shift happened between this morning and now?

“…Still, the fabric’s surprisingly nice. Doesn’t seem like some cheap cosplay costume… it’s actually kind of well-made.”

I covered my mouth, eyes scanning from bottom to top, taking in the quality of the outfit. She crossed her arms proudly and grinned.

“Right? I made it myself.”

“You made that!? Wait, your vocational school teaches stuff like that?”

“Nope, it’s just a hobby. I made it late at night bit by bit.”

“When did you even get into that!?”

I mean, it’s impressive, but still…

“I thought you weren’t into cosplay?”

“I don’t cosplay myself, but I like looking at it. And you know I’m not picky—guy or girl, I like pretty faces. I’m into hot guys and cute girls.”

“Don’t say that in public. People are gonna get the wrong idea…”

“And anyway, this outfit’s meant to be a loaner. I wanted to see it on a cute girl.”

She did a little spin in front of me, showing off.

“But I look pretty good in it too, right? Kinda cute?”

“Uhh… I mean… yeah, sure.”

“What’s with that half-hearted answer!?”

“Ouch!”

She pouted and flicked my forehead.

I still wasn’t used to seeing her like this, but I had to admit—she actually pulled it off. Even I could see that, and I’m her brother. Strangers would probably think she looked amazing.

Of course, I’d never say it out loud, but she was definitely good-looking. She said she wanted a cute girl to wear it, but honestly, she fit the bill herself.

“Okay, fine, I get that this isn’t a punishment game. But why are you roleplaying as a maid right now?”

“Well, Yua-chan’s coming over, right? I figured I’d tidy up the visible areas. And I just finished the outfit last night, so I thought, why not?”

“Of all the times to put it on…”

I mean, cleaning while dressed as a maid—sure, I’ll let that slide. But why wear it today of all days, when my childhood friend is coming over for the first time in years?

“Okay, Sis, seriously, take that maid outfit off. What if Yua sees you like that?”

“I’ll show it off to her, of course.”

“No, just take it off already!”

“Don’t try to strip me by force, Master~”

“I’m not even touching you! And—crap! I still have something I need to do before Yua gets here!”

“The DSLR camera’s on my shelf if you want to take photos.”

“I’m not doing a cosplay photoshoot!”

“Tch, I was hoping you’d take some pics for me…”

Just take your selfies or whatever. But seriously, change your clothes.

Yua and I left school separately, but we ended up on the same train.

Even though she was stopping by her house first, it only takes about five minutes to bike from the Yushiro place to here.

There wasn’t any time to waste—we could hear the doorbell ring any second now.

“You’re so frantic, Sora. What’re you rushing around for when we’ve got a guest coming?”

“I’m cleaning! My room!”

“Want to wear the maid outfit?”

“Like hell I’m gonna—”

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang, and I instantly shut my mouth.

I hurried to pull my sister away and hide her somewhere before Yua could see, but while I was doing that…

The door slowly began to open.