Chapter 42

"Oh! You think so too, Master? Our manager, Zhongsheng, designed these himself!"

Rokuyo gently patted the table, her eyes shining with delight.

"So your manager designed them? He must have excellent taste."

A hint of surprise crossed Lingmeng's face. Honestly, the maid uniforms here were exactly her style.

"Right? Manager Zhongsheng has great taste, and he's handsome, smart, and kind. He'd make a wonderful husband!"

Qianzui said with a smile. Beside her, Bai Wuling, Liuxing, Su Ming... (a thousand words omitted) all nodded in agreement.

"From the way you talk about him, this Zhongsheng sounds like a great guy."

Lingmeng leaned back in her chair, then suddenly gave them a teasing look.

"Hey, if you were looking for a boyfriend, would you choose Zhongsheng?"

"No!" ×N

The maids refused without hesitation, so perfectly in sync they might as well have been soldiers.

Lingmeng was startled by their unanimous answer.

"Huh? Why? Didn't you just say he was a great guy?"

(Zhongsheng, puzzled: "Yeah! Why, exactly?")

Rokuyo put a finger to her lips in thought, then answered.

"Well, Manager Zhongsheng is great and all, but he isn't my type."

"Exactly. A big part of why I like him is that he pays me."

"If I wanted a boyfriend, I'd prefer a gentle, laid-back boy. Manager Zhongsheng is more the assertive type."

"Mm-hmm. He should be able to cook and do housework too, know how to run a home, and be considerate."

"I think the most attractive person is someone who reaches out to help anyone in trouble, no matter who they are."

"I agree!"

"Me too!"

Bai Wuling, Qianzui, Liuxing, Qianxin... (a thousand words omitted) each shared her thoughts.

"Haha, that all sounds nice, but where would you find an idiot willing to sacrifice everything for other people in real life?"

Lingmeng waved a hand and chuckled. But the next second, she remembered there really was someone who met every one of those requirements.

(Wait, seriously? People actually like guys like Shido? And not just one person—there's a whole crowd of them?!)

Lingmeng glanced back at Shiori with a pained expression. She felt as if the world were about to end.

After all, the odds of a group of beautiful girls falling for a guy like Shido had to be lower than every Spirit appearing in the same place at once!

"Huh? Lingmeng, why do you keep looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

Shiori, who hadn't realized he was apparently the maids' ideal type, scratched his head awkwardly under Lingmeng's resentful stare.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little jealous of how popular a certain someone is with women."

"Huh?"

Shiori didn't understand her explanation at all.

(Argh, why is Shido's personality so popular here? No way. I've got to mess with him!)

Having made up her mind, Lingmeng looked up and asked,

"Hey, do you have a spare Maid Outfit?"

"A Maid Outfit? We do, but what do you need it for, Master?"

Rokuyo gave Lingmeng a puzzled look.

"Oh, nothing much. Could you bring it over and let me borrow it for a bit?"

"All right, but just this once."

Rokuyo agreed to Lingmeng's request, then turned and left.

"Lingmeng, what do you want a Maid Outfit for?"

Shiori watched Lingmeng's baffling behavior, unable to make sense of it. But a moment later, the gravity of the situation hit him.

His eyes widened, and he hurriedly turned to Lingmeng.

"Wait, Lingmeng! You didn't ask Rokuyo to bring out a Maid Outfit because you want to..."

"Yep. Exactly what you're thinking."

Lingmeng narrowed her eyes and smiled like a little devil.

"No! I'm absolutely not wearing a Maid Outfit!"

Rokuyo had returned with the Maid Outfit and handed it to Lingmeng.

At the sight of it in Lingmeng's hands, Shiori slammed the table and made his refusal crystal clear.

"Oh, don't say no so quickly."

Lingmeng had regretted that Shiori hadn't put on a Maid Outfit at the clothing store earlier.

Now she had another chance. She could tease him and enjoy the sight, so there was no way she would give up.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one wearing it."

"Just because I'm not wearing it doesn't mean you can't. You're so cute, Shiori-chan. I'm sure it'll look great on you."

"Do you really think so...?" Shiori asked, half convinced.

"Of course!" Lingmeng said, shooting a look at the others behind him.

Rokuyo and the others caught her meaning at once and chimed in.

"Absolutely! You're so cute, Master. It'll definitely suit you!"

"Mm-hmm! Hurry up and put it on so we can see!"

Despite all their praise, Shiori showed no sign of giving in. After all, telling him that he, a man, would look good in a Maid Outfit was just too embarrassing.

(Tsk. Not even a little reaction?)

Seeing Shiori like this, Lingmeng decided to use the trick that had never failed her. Namely—

"If you put it on and look cute enough to melt my heart, Shiori, my affection for you will shoot right up~"

"!!!"

Shiori's eyes widened the instant he heard her. The trick clearly worked on him every time; he was already wavering.

"A-all right... I'll wear it, okay?"

After a fierce internal struggle, Shiori decided to cast his dignity aside for the sake of his mission.

"Give it here." He took the Maid Outfit from Lingmeng and asked, "Where's the changing room?"

"...Oh. The Changing Room is over there."

Rokuyo froze for a moment, then came to her senses and pointed behind her.

"Thanks..."

After thanking her, Shiori headed for the Changing Room.

He knew that if he really put it on, he would only go further down the path of dressing as a girl.

But this was all for winning Lingmeng over. No matter how much he hated the idea, he had to go through with it.

And so, with the sound of a door closing, Shiori entered the Changing Room...

No One Will Marry Me Now

After several minutes of waiting, the Changing Room door finally opened again.

"Um... I'm coming out now..."

Shiori poked his head out, his face flushed with embarrassment.

He took a deep breath and slowly stepped out of the Changing Room.

He wore a black-and-white Maid Outfit with a red bow at the collar and a white apron tied around his waist. White Stockings covered his long, slender legs.

The outfit gave Shiori a charm all his own and immediately captured Lingmeng's interest.

(Wow, he's way too cute! You're a boy, so why does that suit you better than it does some girls?!)

Lingmeng stared at Shiori's outfit for a moment, screaming inwardly.

"Why aren't any of you saying anything? I knew I looked weird in this..."

Shiori clutched his skirt nervously, looking miserable.

He was a man, after all. To anyone else, seeing him in a Maid Outfit had to look completely wrong.

Even Shiori himself had felt uncomfortable when he saw his reflection in the Changing Room mirror.

"No, no, no! What's weird about it? You look incredibly cute!"

Lingmeng went straight up to Shiori and put a hand on his shoulder, her face bright with excitement.

"Huh?" Shiori blurted out in surprise.

Honestly, he had been sure Lingmeng wouldn't like the outfit. He hadn't expected the exact opposite. It had worked spectacularly.

"Wow, Master, you're so pretty. If we were boys, we'd definitely fall for you."

Rokuyo's jaw dropped a little as she said it. The other maids praised him too, leaving Shiori almost overwhelmed.

"Oh, since you're already wearing a Maid Outfit, Shiori, could you call me Master?"

Lingmeng looked at Shiori eagerly. She was every bit as excited as she had been when Tohka called her "big brother" a few days ago.

"Well..." Shiori hesitated. Calling someone "Master" so affectionately in front of other people was mortifying.

But to win Lingmeng over, he had to do it, however difficult it was! He closed his eyes and spoke softly, squirming with embarrassment.

"M-Master..."

As soon as he said it, Shiori could almost hear his dignity crack.

Click!

A sound suddenly rang out. When Shiori opened his eyes, he finally saw what had happened.

At some point, Lingmeng had pulled out her phone. She was taking picture after picture of him with the practiced movements of a professional photographer.

"What a great expression. Come on, Shiori, give me a smile! (≧?≦*)"

Kneeling on one knee directly in front of Shiori, Lingmeng had an angle that let her photograph under Shiori-chan's skirt.

Well, he was wearing shorts underneath.

"Lingmeng, what are you doing?!"

Shiori hurriedly covered the bottom of his skirt, wearing the same expression he usually gave Origami when she got handsy with him. Lingmeng's behavior had reminded him far too much of her.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking pictures to remember this!"

Lingmeng swiped through the photos she had just taken and answered without a hint of shame. Shiori had looked so cute that not taking pictures would have been a terrible waste.

"No! Lingmeng, delete them right now!"

Shiori cried out, his face burning. If Lingmeng posted photos of him dressed as a girl online, or if Kotori got hold of them, he would be done for.

In the first case, someone he knew would very likely see photos of Shido dressed as a girl and get the wrong idea.

In the second, Kotori would almost certainly keep them as an embarrassing secret from his past and bring them out as punishment whenever he failed his training.

Either way, Shido could end up socially ruined and branded a "cross-dressing fanatic" and a "cross-dressing pervert." He had to stop Lingmeng now.