Chapter 204
"You know your stuff. Oh, and just so you know, there's hardly any exposure in the maid outfit?"
Lee Seo-yeon smirked at me the moment Yoo Seol-ah disappeared, chuckling as she spoke. It felt like she was telling me not to be disappointed, but if I had to pick my favorite maid outfit style, I preferred the classic one. Not too overloaded with frills—just the right amount—and a white headband was essential. With maid outfits being a staple in subculture genres, there were endless variations, but I always thought the standard, most common type was the prettiest. And with Yoo Seol-ah wearing it, even a classic design would probably ooze sexiness.
I just nodded lightly, but the one making disappointed noises was someone else.
"...Oh, okay...?"
I had no idea what she'd been hoping for, but Yuna unnie looked outright bummed. Noticing my odd expression, she immediately waved her hands.
"No, it's not like I was expecting something revealing... I just thought Seol-ah could pull off any maid outfit..."
...Isn't that basically the same as saying you were expecting it? With Yuna unnie, it felt like she was craving a favorite character's skin. Even I, who never cared much about fashion before, found myself wanting to gift Yoo Seol-ah all sorts of outfits now that we were together. Cosplay included. Qipaos or other outfits you rarely see in daily life—she could rock them all, no doubt.
"Oh, but it's not totally covered up. I bought it custom-made for Seol-ah, after all."
"What if Yoo Seol-ah had won?"
"Then I'd aim for the next chance. Or maybe I'd wear it myself this time. It'd be a bit small, though."
She really went all out preparing that maid outfit just to get it on Yoo Seol-ah. Lee Seo-yeon was sneakily thorough like that.
"The skirt's a miniskirt, so it'll look cute, right?"
"Seol-ah's perfect top and bottom as is..."
I totally agreed with Yuna unnie. Yoo Seol-ah sometimes mentioned wanting to slim down her thighs, but to me, they were just a charming feature—I'd never once thought her legs were thick. Seeing Lee Seo-yeon and Yuna unnie think the same made me realize nobody's ever fully satisfied with their own body.
"Oh, and there's a little extra touch."
Before I could ask what, the door to the room Yoo Seol-ah had entered swung open, and she peeked out.
"...Hey, Lee Seo-yeon, what's this?"
Her face flushed with embarrassment—something was definitely up. Lee Seo-yeon replied nonchalantly.
"You put the clothes on, right?"
"I-I did... but why is this headband like..."
"It's a set, so you gotta wear that too."
"No, this..."
Maid outfits naturally came with a frilly headband, but what could be making Yoo Seol-ah so flustered?
"Ugh, no good. Baek Sion, go put it on her."
"...Huh, wait a sec...!"
With no clue what was happening, I shuffled over as Lee Seo-yeon pushed my back. That's when I got a full view of Yoo Seol-ah in her maid outfit—her face had been the only thing visible before.
The top looked straight out of a classic maid design. Short-sleeved, giving an overall breezy feel. The bottom was a miniskirt too, but since traditional maid skirts had decent length anyway, it didn't seem too short. The white hemline even accentuated the black stockings below.
"Oh..."
"Wh-what 'oh'!"
It was so perfectly suited to her that a pure exclamation slipped out. Lee Seo-yeon, being a fellow woman, probably knew her sizes better than I did—the custom fit was spot on.
But what were those black paw prints on the apron?
The answer hit me when I saw the headband clutched in Yoo Seol-ah's hand.
"...Ah, no, Lee Seo-yeon bought this weird thing...!"
She hid her hand behind her back the moment she caught my gaze, but inwardly, I was sending infinite thanks to Lee Seo-yeon. Classic Lee Seo-yeon. She nailed what screams "Yoo Seol-ah." The headband— the flower of maid outfits—had white frills, but poking out between them were perky cat ears that looked high-quality at a glance. I'd been craving another look at cat ears ever since seeing hers last time.
I snatched the headband from her hesitant grasp.
"No, wait—"
She tried to back away like she was fleeing, but when I grabbed both ends and approached, she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Eek..."
She bit her lip in embarrassment, but that only made it suit her more. Cats had that rebellious charm by nature.
After a few deep sighs to steady herself, Yoo Seol-ah finally composed her mind and headed back to the kitchen.
"Heeek."
"......"
Yuna unnie let out a weird squeak, while Lee Seo-yeon silently raised her phone to snap photos. Doyun hyung's surprise at the outfit details made me realize I still had a long way to go as an otaku.
Since she'd be wearing it a while anyway, Yoo Seol-ah seemed to embrace the embarrassment with a slightly enlightened expression, figuring she had no choice.
"Whoa, seriously too cute."
"...I know."
She even brazenly accepted Yuna unnie's praise, deciding to lean into the concept. It was insanely cute, so no arguing there.
"...Now that I'm dressed, hurry up and do the rest."
Like she couldn't be the only one cosplaying, Yoo Seol-ah urged them on. Lee Seo-yeon gaped, as if she'd almost forgotten.
"...We still need to decide one bye winner... Rock-paper-scissors?"
"Yeah. I'm throwing rock."
Yuna unnie tried some basic mind games, but Doyun hyung snagged the bye.
"Seo-yeon, no mercy."
"Yep. Unnie, get ready."
The saintess versus the astrologer. Sounded harmless, but both had attack power that was no joke. Their physical enhancements might lag behind close-combat types like me or Doyun hyung, but they'd handle it better than pure mages.
"Unnie can use her own doll, right?"
"...Yes, I'll make one quick..."
Yoo Seol-ah even replied in a soft, polite tone, like she was getting used to formal speech. Her face said cool, but her personality was the furthest from it. The forced politeness was charming in its own way.
"I'll go as Liana."
At Lee Seo-yeon's game-character pick, Yoo Seol-ah unsummoned her Ruinele doll and started crafting a new one. Since she'd made Yuna unnie's SD doll before, it appeared fast.
"Both of you, come here."
After linking properly with their dolls, they grabbed their guns and prepped to head out.
"...Why the hammer, though?"
"Can't a saintess carry a hammer?"
"...No, that's not it..."
Yoo Seol-ah teased Lee Seo-yeon for grabbing a styrofoam hammer, but she shut up when Yuna unnie picked up a spear. ...Neither was really a weapon user, true. Yoo Seol-ah tilted her head but handed her dolls simple weapons anyway.
"Okay, ready? Start."
Doyun hyung, camera in hand, gave the signal. The dolls at the ends of the first and second floors gripped their weapons and sprang into action. This was surprisingly fun to watch—no wonder Doyun hyung was hyped for game combat.
SD characters bouncing around was healing and heartwarming on its own. But my assumption of cute magic-and-divine-power clashes? Totally wrong. The moment the two dolls met at the stairs proved it.
"Waaah!?"
"Wait a sec!..."
Cheerful screams echoed over, red dots from BB pellets raining on both dolls.
"......"
"......"
No chance to use the weapons they'd brought—they'd ditched them on the floor and started a full-on toy gun survival game. They clearly never planned to use divine or mana power.
Yoo Seol-ah muttered in defeat.
"...Feels kinda dumb that we fought seriously..."
"Right?"
Since victory just meant hitting with a gun, they were actually following the rules better than us.
---
In the end, the winner of the inaugural Strongest Battle was Doyun hyung, who beat me in the second round and Yuna unnie in the finals. With everyone except the first round skipping their powers, it boiled down to pure toy gun aim.
Lee Seo-yeon, now in a butler outfit, approached Yuna unnie the moment the finalists returned.
"Well done, my lady."
"...Ah, yeah..."
With only one maid outfit ready, Lee Seo-yeon—the other first-round loser alongside Yoo Seol-ah—naturally ended up in butler attire. She was even playing the devoted butler role unprompted. The slightly long pants and top were rolled up.
As penalties only for the first round, Yoo Seol-ah became my day maid, and Lee Seo-yeon, Yuna unnie's day butler. Alternating glances between the quiet Yoo Seol-ah and the low-voiced, role-immersed Lee Seo-yeon really highlighted personality differences.
"So, what's the winner's prize?"
Remembering what Lee Seo-yeon mentioned earlier, I asked. Doyun hyung eyed her with keen interest.
"The prize is... me?"
The kitchen went dead silent—eerily so. It made sense; Lee Seo-yeon was the only one oblivious to her crush being obvious. She was admirably persistent in her pursuit.
"...Kidding. Actually, because of that lobster... I was gonna cook it. Ahaha..."
If Yoo Seol-ah or Yuna unnie had won, Lee Seo-yeon probably would've shamelessly pushed herself as the prize. Love really changes people completely.