After what felt like a year, an hour had passed, and Shirud finally took off the maid outfit and was sitting at the table with his head buried in his arms.
Despite the work having ended successfully, Shirud felt an unbearable frustration that he couldn’t express.
So dark was Shirud’s mood that Helena couldn’t even begin to ask if he was okay.
“…….”
“…….”
Unaware of the dreadful atmosphere, Luke approached with a wide smile, bringing drinks and desserts on a tray as a sign of appreciation for their hard work.
“Phew, I finally took a breather. Shirud. Thanks to you, I survived. Really… Huh?”
Only after getting closer did Luke pick up on the strange atmosphere, and with concern, he asked.
“…Shirud? Are you okay? You look really down.”
At that, Shirud’s gaze shifted to Luke, filled with a sense of having lost everything.
How could he possibly be okay?
For a while, Shirud had been able to maintain his composure and receive guests calmly, based on the conviction that those customers knew nothing about him, no matter what he did.
But now, he had been found out.
Moreover, it was a girl from the same class.
A girl he hardly ever talked to, someone he felt awkward just speaking to.
Being discovered by someone who knew he was dressed in women’s clothing and was doing his best to serve customers was undoubtedly a tremendous psychological burden.
In the case of Helena and Luke, they were familiar enough with each other to anticipate how things might play out, but with Amy, whom he didn’t converse with often, he had no idea what her personality was like, what her interests were, or who her friends were, making predictions impossible.
She had said she wouldn’t spread rumors, but there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t.
So how could he not be worried?
In desperation, he asked.
“Luke, is there any way to erase a person’s memory…?”
“Erase a person’s memory?”
Did Shirud really want to forget his cross-dressing to that extent?
“Well, there are a few methods…”
“How many?”
Shirud’s voice brightened significantly.
The idea that there were several ways to erase memories was enough to give Shirud a sense of hope.
However, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed by Luke’s next words.
“I wouldn’t recommend it. All those methods cause permanent damage to the brain.”
From simply giving a strong blow to the head to cause amnesia, to using magic to wipe information from the brain, to using drugs that erase only certain memories…
In fact, there were quite a few methods.
The attempt to erase specific memories had been secretly researched by nations for a very long time.
But ultimately, since memory is a part of a person’s identity, separating it comes with inevitable side effects.
No matter what method is used, there are side effects, big or small.
Thus, none are really good, especially for sensitive children in their early teens.
The use of the ‘Wish’ spell, which was used to erase the goddess’s existence from everyone’s memory, might have less side effects, but…
That was something that couldn’t be replicated at this time.
“What the hell…”
Shirud sighed with a voice devoid of strength.
So, in the end, that meant he would have to live in anxiety, not knowing if that girl Amy would spill the beans!
Luke tried to reassure Shirud.
“Instead of that, why not try having confidence in your appearance? It’s not every day that a boy looks that pretty.”
And then…
– Tap.
“Stop saying that!”
“Eh, Helena?”
It was strangely Helena who protested against Luke’s words, not Shirud.
Luke wasn’t the only one surprised by Helena’s protest; Shirud also stared with a baffled expression, not understanding why.
“Shirud doesn’t like that! Shirud is a boy! So why do you keep saying things like that!”
Helena passionately defended Shirud.
She had no choice.
If Luke liked Shirud’s cross-dressing, that spelled serious trouble for her.
Since Luke liked girls, if he saw Shirud as one, she would become a rival!
And she had no confidence at all that she could face Luke on that battlefield of love.
Therefore, she could not yield here.
Shirud must remain a boy.
“No matter how much you dress up, it doesn’t change the fact that Shirud is a boy!”
With those words, Luke was quite taken aback.
He didn’t know why Helena was so fervently defending Shirud, but the words and emotions she expressed were heavy.
Yes, no matter how one looks, ultimately the inner self does not change.
Even if he dressed and adorned himself like a girl, and even if he looked astonishingly good in it.
The question of whether Shirud could accept and acknowledge his own appearance was a different matter altogether.
Back in the day, the concepts of boys’ and girls’ clothing were rather vague, and there were cases where parents would dress up their sons for fun during childhood. Shirud had no strong aversion to cross-dressing at that time, but for kids living in this era, it might indeed be a big shock.
The experience of having his identity as a boy temporarily altered was an overwhelming pressure for Shirud.
As Luke pondered whether he had been too harsh on Shirud, he quickly bowed his head.
“I was short-sighted… I’m sorry, Shirud. Please forgive me.”
“Ah…”
However, Shirud’s already pale complexion was growing even paler from Helena’s defense.
“Helena. Did… did I really look that much like a boy just now…? Really…?”
“…Huh?”
Helena felt a sense of dissonance in how the situation was diverging from her intentions.
But it was already too late.
“I thought I was just being natural, that others would just see me as a girl, naturally… I had been holding back like that… But if I looked like a boy to anyone watching…”
It meant he was receiving guests while looking unmistakably like a boy, deceiving the customers who all knew that fact!
So, the issue wasn’t that a girl from his class found out he was Shirud in the first place!
What’s more, if that was not ‘objectively’ the case…
What did that make him, given that he momentarily thought, “But looking at it this way, I really do look like a girl”?
“That’s just weird and perverted!”
Swallowing the words he couldn’t utter, Shirud dashed out of the café, practically fleeing.
“Sh-Shirud! Wait, that’s not what I meant! Shirud!!”
Helena followed after Shirud.
“…?”
Luke, watching the scene, was left behind with untouched desserts, wearing a puzzled expression.
“Well, even in the midst of all this, his circle control is truly impressive. Shirud really has talent.”
——–
At a time when people had somewhat dispersed and the atmosphere was relatively calm.
And with the wind dying down and the sunshine warming the day, welcoming children arrived at Luke’s café.
“Big Brother Luke! I’m here!”
“Wow, that’s such a cute outfit!”
It was Pyris, waving her hands excitedly, and Diana, whose eyes sparkled upon seeing Luke’s maid outfit for the first time.
The kids, including Kaila, quickly realized that these two were Luke’s guests.
Even if they hadn’t heard the term ‘Big Brother Luke’, Pyris looked like a miniaturized version of Luke with her blue hair.
“Oh my, are these your younger siblings? They’re so cute!”
“Ah, right, they did say they were coming.”
Luke nodded.
He had turned them away, but it seemed they had come anyway.
Luke immediately approached the kids and spoke.
However, one person was missing.
“Why are there only you two? Where’s Dayton?”
With Dayton being large enough that he couldn’t hide anywhere, Luke was puzzled not seeing him. Diana confidently replied.
“Yeah, something came up suddenly, and he said we had to go quickly. He told us to just stay home. But we got bored so we came together!”
“What? Snuck out? How did you find your way?”
“Hehe, Pyris knew the way! She says she can tell wherever you are! Isn’t that amazing?”
Hearing Diana’s words, Luke finally understood what happened.
Something must have happened, and Dayton hadn’t brought the kids to the festival, but the bored children decided to dress up and leave the house.
Since Pyris was a spirit and could recall her magic, she must have found the way very easily, and wanting to avoid being cooped up in one place, she probably encouraged a disappointed Diana.
“So, that’s why they were so much more excited than usual.”
An outing without a guardian was dangerous for kids, but at the same time, it was thrilling.
There’s freedom to go anywhere, to walk whichever way their heart desires.
However, that freedom can sometimes be risky.
When intoxicated by freedom, it’s easy to lose one’s way.
Well, Pyris certainly had the ability to enjoy that freedom, but Diana was still too young.
That said, it wouldn’t be right to scold Diana for something Pyris had coaxed her into, so Luke sighed and walked over to Diana to help with her scarf.
Clearly, it wasn’t put on by someone but was simply carelessly wrapped around her neck by the kids, and it was all tangled up.
“Ah… Huh, don’t do that next time, okay?”
“Yeah, big sister! Ah, big sister! There are so many fun things outside! Let’s play together later!”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll play later. Ugh, your nose is all red. Dress a bit warmer, okay?”
“Hehe… I was warm when I came out.”
Watching this heartwarming scene from a few steps back, Kaila muttered wistfully.
“Eugh, I’m so jealous!”
At that, Amy asked from nearby.
“Is it because your little sister is cute? But doesn’t the president also have a cute little brother?”
“No, I was thinking it would be nice to have a big sister like that. Isn’t it so enviable?”
“Eh—.”
So it seemed the envy was towards Luke’s little sister.
