ｖｓ. Maidens

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On one corner of the large school campus, stood a building with a certain type of atmosphere.

That’s the home of the girls living at Fitzgerald Private School – the girls dormitory.

We are now standing at the entrance.

“If it is too difficult for me to enter the dormitory, Eileen would go to the room alone and look for it.”

“Hm. My servant will not be allowed to whine. You’ll follow me no matter what, Konomi.”

I knew you’d say that.

It’s 3:00 pm, the time for students who have returned after school to be back to the dormitory.

Since we are on campus, we are in school uniforms, and only I carry my bag.

The reason I brought my bag is to bring back the invitation, and for another reason.

I suggested to go tomorrow during the day when the students won’t be here, but,

“I won’t allow such tardiness!”

Said Eileen while being completely unreasonable, and I followed reluctantly.

A single female student walked into the dormitory, and glanced at us.

Apparently, she seems to be on guard.

“I’m going!”

However, Eileen is not one who would care about such things.

After Eileen, who is rushing to the front door, I followed with a feeling similar to having given up.

She pushes open the iron door entrance with an impressive elaborate design.

Contrary to the heavy atmosphere, the hinges moved silently and welcomed us.

Beyond that is a spacious entrance――

“Charlotte!”

Then,

A clear voice echoes through the quiet entrance.

The sound of the floor getting tread on with a -kotsu- -kotsu- resounds.

At the same time, a straight black-haired female student appeared.

Sharp eyes, tight red lips, thin limbs―― an icy beauty.

……wait.

Oh?

“This person……”

I remember seeing her somewhere.

But my muttering, neither Eileen nor the beauty listened to it.

The beauty is not smiling, Eileen is…… “Charlotte” I reprimanded her.

“Dormitory student who repeats staying overnight every night without notice, you’re one sloven boarding student. I am the president of the Girls Dormitory Council, Isabella Baldwin. I believe there is something you have to say to me?”

Girls Dormitory Council President. The head student in this dormitory, is it?

Then I can nod to the fact that she seems to be grumpy at “Charlotte” who was disrupting the dormitory’s discipline every night without notice.

However, her cold expression does not stop there.

She noticed me behind, and her frown gets even more grumpy.

“…Charlotte, let’s apologize to the dorm mother together for this unauthorized stay, so please don’t be with such a girl.”

“Charlotte! That stupid girl, she’s surely schemeing something once again!”

The voice that follows came from behind Isabella. Suddenly, other dormitory students are also gathering.

Saying, “that’s right, that’s right,” their words overlapped. However,

“Be quiet, everyone.”

A sharp voice rings from Isabella.

Thereupon, the girls instantly quieted down, like the calm waters.

“Just because of that girl’s presence, we will not fall to the same place. We should always have a noble spirit.”

“W-w-w-what a bunch of cowardly bumpkins gathering…….”

“Eileen, please calm down. You’re ‘Charlotte’ right now. Remember, you’re not Eileen right now. You’re not Eileen right now.”

I lightly tap her shoulder to calm her down, and she is clenching her hands tight.

Nevertheless, she still said, “you are a poor bumpkin with meek vocabulary,” or something along the lines, but she put up with the current situation.

Although I myself, Kusunoki Konomi, knows that her words are not for me, it is not so good for my mental health. 

“Well, I expected this much.”

“Don’t just keep mumbling there, let’s do it quickly, Konomi! Don’t you have something in your hand you can use?”

Once again, Eileen’s voice is quite sharp.

I nodded deeply. There certainly is a hand I can use.

Although, until I came here and knew ‘what it’s really like’, it is just a bet.

Just, how do I go about with it now?

I realize it could have tremendous and potent efficiency.

“Now then, Eileen, I’m going to talk for a little bit, but please stay quiet until I say it’s good.”

At least, things won’t be any worse.

Eileen seemed a little surprised, but nodded immediately.

But well, I don’t really care about her answer.

But since she agreed too. I move one step forward.

“Baldwin-senpai. Please listen to me.”

I speak with a loud voice to Isabella, who is standing upright, just like earlier, and it echoes all around the entrance.

“We just made friends the other day, with her― Charlotte. Moved by her pure heart, I was struck in my thoughts… I reflected on my selfish behavior so far.”

“Aldington, you don’t happen to have forgotten how you’ve been like around this area before? Do you think we can trust those words?”

“I know. I understand you can’t believe me right away. That’s why,”

I put my hand in my bag and walk beyond the entrance, taking something out――

I stood in front of the ice queen, the president of the girls dormitory council.

Then, I take out the something I had brought from the mansion, and respectfully offer it to her.

“Baldwin-senpai, may this be a sign of us getting closer.”

The wrinkles between Isabella’s brows deepened. She replied, “this late in the game?” or something similar.

“Are you trying to buy me out? You could only come up with such a bad hand――”

However,

When she hears my next words, her expression changes instantaneously.

“This is it.”

I smiled with a -nikori-――

I only said one sentence.

A sentence that breaks the visage of this girl that is ‘cold and beautiful as an ice-statue’.

“It’s Dominique Gonneau’s favorite chess board.”

There is silence.

Then,

“――Huuuuuuuuh?”

Bingo!

Isabella’s face quickly turns red, all the way to her ears.

She screamed and retreats with a -zazazaza-.

She reacted as if there was a poison or a bomb in my bag, and said,

“Why, w-w-w-w-w-why Do-Do-Do-Domini y-y-y-y-you?”

If I reinterpret it for her, “why do you have Dominique’s chessboard?” ――No? It’s different? Then, “why do you know I’m a fan of Dominique?”

No, I didn’t even know that the dormitory’s president was a fan of Dominique until I came here. I really don’t know.

I knew that Dominique was popular with girls, so I thought I could convert a part of the dormitory students as allies by presenting it as a dormitory item, and hope that there was a strong voice coming out from among these dormitory students―― That was the extent of my calculation.

However, I just remembered.

At the time of the backgammon fuss the other day, there was definitely one black-haired beauty among the gallery.

And that beautiful girl was watching our game with crazy eyes!

This is― that girl should be this beauty.

The president of the girls dormitory council, Isabella Baldwin.

But there is no need to elaborate on that.

She returned to me just as quickly as she stepped back earlier, till there is only a foot long distance between us.

I open the wrapper out of the bag a little bit and let Isabella confirm that the contents are real.

At the same time, I said with a cool face,

“Yesterday, I played backgammon against Gonneau-senpai…… No, I had a practise match. After that, he prayed for my growth and thus I received this from him.”

I’m not lying.

I believed in the heart that it is true, so it is already true.

I repeat. There is not a lie.

It’s just a bit different from what actually happened!

Isabella turned away from me because of my words that followed and……… met eyes with Eileen and said something.

But, as promised, Eileen’s mouth remains closed.

“But this thing here, such a wonderful gem, I don’t think it is something that suits me. So if it’s fine with you…… Baldwin-senpai.”

“Eeee~ waaaa~ I received a belonging of Dominique-sama…… eehee”

Dominique-sama, was it?

Isabella crosses her hands in front of her chest and looks around as if in trouble.

The president of the women dormitory council is just a girl who falls in love.

“I-Isabella-senpai…?”

The dormitory council president, who was always cool and collected, is apparently acting suspiciously.

A dormitory student who seems to find her strange calls her name.

Isabella tightened her expression in an instant and looked back at the student, and said with a sharp voice,

“Be quiet! I’m talking to Aldington about a very important matter, important enough to shake the dormitory’s council!”

I wonder if it’s really that important?

After confirming that the girls are quiet, she turned to me again.

Then, she either accepts it or declines, reaches out or withdraws. Reach out or withdraw.

She touched it with her fingertips then moved back two steps as she cried a strange, “hyaaa!”

“Well, no, but it’s Dominique-sa…… No, Gonneau-san gave it to you, you shouldn’t give it away…… It’s like that, but this is”

Geez, another push.

I walk half a step towards Isabella.

“I’ve had troubled Baldwin-senpai a lot so far, and I’m sorry. Of course, I don’t think this will make up for all of my past deeds… but I hope it eases your feelings even just a little bit. Furthermore, this thing, rather than being in my hands, it’s better if it is in Baldwin-senpai’s hands……”

I press the bag tightly on her hands.

“Gonneau-senpai too will be glad about it.”

So far, I only had a ‘hunch’ about how things will go. However,

I look straight at her eyes.

Even if I might have some malicious intention in the end, it won’t be visible in my eyes.

After some time.

Isabella, she grabbed the bag pressed against her hands.

“…Charlotte, I will overlook this matter. And, Eileen Aldington, you seem to have fully reflected on the past. From now on, try to do the right thing every day, and try to be good towards other people.”

“Thank you very much, Baldwin-senpai!”

I say my thanks with an obvious sign of excitement in my voice――

I give a vigorous thumbs up to Eileen.

And Eileen, for some reason, has an expression that almost seems like one of contempt.

Something wrong?

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