Reverse Manito
I slipped on the mask I'd bought and stared into the mirror. I couldn't see a thing in front of me, but with my eyes closed, I could vaguely sense what I looked like. A girl whose face was completely hidden by a white mask. And a white hoodie. With just these two, I could become a hero hiding my identity and fighting for justice, just like America's spider hero. Of course, eventually I'd have to reveal that the hero was me. Then a flood of sudden praise would come rushing in. The thought alone sent a thrill down my spine.
"Hm... not bad."
Shing— I drew my sword in front of the full-length mirror and struck a pose. It was a shame Celestia's pretty face was hidden, but there would surely come a day when this would prove useful. A righteous warrior hiding their identity and battling villains! Perfect character for basking in adoration.
I took off the hood, stowed the mask in my bag, and returned to my normal state.
"I'll be back."
With that, I stepped out of the dormitory.
Cedric and Eldrin. Their meeting was underway.
Unfortunately, I wasn't Mariella, so I had zero interest in romance between people. But even in human relationships, dopamine could burst forth at times. I wanted Cedric and Eldrin to clash. Love was boring, but lovers' quarrels were fun...
And so, hiding my identity, I headed to the café where Eldrin and Cedric were set to meet—their rendezvous point.
I pulled on the white hood, tied my hair back to keep it hidden, added black sunglasses and a mask, and waited for Cedric and Eldrin.
'Looks like both of them plan to show up right on time...'
Amateurs in love, always like this... Of course, I was a total newbie myself, never even dated once.
Right on schedule, Cedric arrived first and grabbed a seat.
But what the hell was that?
"Pfft..."
I had to desperately stifle my laughter. That idiot Cedric had shown up in a tuxedo, the kind you'd wear to a ballroom dance. The guy had a real talent for being a clown.
A little later, Eldrin arrived. She'd put some thought into her outfit too, but unlike Cedric, it stayed firmly in casual territory.
Eldrin spotted Cedric's orange hair right away, recognized him, and sat across from him.
"Nice to meet you. Celestia told me about you. You're Cedric Orpheus El Fredericia, right?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you, Eldrin Viola El Aristia. Should I just call you by name?"
"Sounds good."
Damn, Cedric... He was handling the conversation better than expected. I'd thought the tuxedo meant he was a total rookie, but... it was pissing me off. I'd assumed he'd be rude and botch it, but things were going smoothly. No fun at all.
"You're more ordinary than I thought. Celestia made you sound so unique."
"If it's not rude, could I ask how Celestia described me?"
"Hang on... Uh... She said you look like a squid? And that your breath smells like shit."
"Haa... I wonder if all little sisters are like that. Do you have an older brother or younger sibling, Eldrin?"
"I have a younger brother. But he's much younger, so we hardly see each other."
'...I wonder if the final mastermind will terrorize this café...'
I listened to their chat from the sidelines, then quietly stood up.
I slipped the "breath spray" from my pocket. I'd bought it from a general store knowing it'd come in handy someday.
Psst— I snuck up beside Cedric and sprayed it discreetly, then bolted from the café.
"So, how'd it go?"
"Not great..."
I couldn't hide my rising smirk. Yes. Cedric and Eldrin had ultimately fallen apart. Others' misfortune is my joy. I inwardly blessed Cedric's misery with all my heart.
"But there's still a chance. Seems the chemicals in my clothes were the issue. There was this gross smell, and Eldrin was convinced it was potion or reagent fumes."
"Chemicals?"
"She's a potion-making expert, after all. Sensitive to that stuff."
My smirk faded. Damn... Eldrin had sniffed out my "breath spray"...
"In the end, it left a bad impression, but we managed to set up another meeting. That's where the real game starts."
"What luck."
"Huh?"
"Just the idea that a squid-tailed brother like you could date a beauty like Eldrin is annoying enough."
"Yeah, well said. Wait, didn't you describe me to her as looking like a squid with shit breath?"
"I just told the truth."
"Isn't that too much? You could've sugarcoated it at least."
"So? Jealous? Wanna throw down, brother dear?"
"...You need to tone down that personality. Please."
"I'm famous for being incredibly forgiving."
"Ha, that's the funniest joke you've made all year."
"Not a joke."
"Sure. So, is that why you dumped the Roishutent family heir who was almost your fiancé? By the time I tried to sabotage the engagement talks, it was already over. No work for me."
"Lucky break."
"As if. Thanks to you, the Fredericia family's reputation is heading straight for the shitter."
"Perfect. That's exactly what the Fredericia family is."
"I'm the next family head. It's a headache for me. Yeah, we're trash, but we at least hide it."
Cedric said that, then quietly stood up. He begged me as a favor to keep things low-key at the academy. I was already being quiet. Why pick a fight?
After Cedric left, I asked Annette for more macarons.
"Oh, and I've prepared casual clothes for you to wear with Yuna for a while. Shall I show you now?"
Annette brought the macarons and reported that she'd sorted casual outfits as requested. Right, after the dungeon training, I'd asked her to pick out wearable clothes...
I nodded and stood.
"Lead the way."
"This way."
"Oh! Finally, you brought the young miss! Over here, miss!"
Yuna seemed unusually excited. I followed her to a chair in the dressing room and sat.
"Yuna. Don't get too carried away."
"Of course!"
"Excited? About what?"
"Nothing, miss. Well then..."
Annette muttered something cryptic and quietly left the dressing room. Why that expression? She looked at me like a pitiful kid from a broken home.
I'd soon find out why...
"Miss! Try this one too! And this!"
"Yuna. I'm not a dress-up doll."
"But it'll look so pretty on you! This one's perfect for you!"
"Ahem... Just this once."
Yuna saw me as some dress-up doll. I was going along because she slipped in the compliments I wanted to hear, sweet-talking me—but this was overkill.
"How's this? Oh... too revealing? It's called an Eastern school swimsuit... But on you, it'd be super sexy and cute..."
"I'll try it."
Never thought I'd end up in a Japanese school swimsuit. Not a totally bad experience, though. Yuna was right—I looked good.
'There's something to look at, at least...'
"But seriously, why is this casual wear?"
"Now, try this one too, miss!"
"Why is this casual wear?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff!"
And so, I had to try on everything Yuna brought. Dresses galore, teddy bear pajamas, dinosaur PJs, weird concept outfits, even northern warrior gear. Barely any actual casual clothes.
A few I liked midway through. But most...
"Haa! That was exhausting! What'd you think, miss?"
"Throw out everything except this, this, this."
"...Pardon?"
"Oh, keep this one—it's not casual, but it's pretty."
Trash heap.
The academy's second major event. The academy sports festival.
Class competitions, a festival to let students drowning in assignments and classes catch a breath. And finally, the final boss's terror attack! What an exciting event.
"We now commence the 173rd Imperial Central Academy Sports Festival~!"
—Central athletic field of the academy. The announcement echoed from the auditorium, and fireworks shot into the sky. The voice-amplification magic faded, and classes began lining up.
The special class was, of course, an exception. Only Shariel and I had come to spectate as special class members.
"A-Are the others... not coming...?"
"Ranta and Eldrin aren't into this stuff."
"S-Still... you're in gym clothes... it suits you well."
"Thank you, Shariel."
The special class wasn't competing in the class events, but there was a 1v1 tournament. I planned to enter as an individual.
Shariel, meanwhile, wore her academy uniform. Wide-brim hat, small wand in one hand. She didn't seem keen on participating.
"Oh, Shariel."
"Yes?"
"Here's a tip. You might get help from a guy named Glan, so keep some light snacks or candy on hand."
"...W-What do you mean...?"
"Trust me for now."
I gave Shariel—who'd come spectate with me—the tip to get close to Glan. She was one of his heroines, after all. Time for them to meet... And if she thanked him with candy or something, it'd spark major progress. Then Glan falls for her, I swoop in, steal all his spotlight and popularity. I'll get the praise he was meant to have. Perfect plan.