"The same goes for you," Kiyono Lin said with a slight, disdainful smile, "but the hourly wage is only 5,000 yen."

"You really understand Tokyo's average hourly wage, don't you?" Dubian Che, who had done manual labor before, didn't voice this thought.

"Let's not gamble with money; gambling is bad. Let's bet something else," he said.

Jiutiao Meijie tilted her chin up, gesturing for him to share his idea.

"Let's hear it," Kiyono Lin also urged.

"The loser has to be a maid in the club for a week?" Dubian Che said tentatively.

A brief silence followed, and the two beautiful girls seemed to become increasingly intimidating.

Ichiki Aoi, who was studying hard during the break, shifted uneasily under her pleated skirt.

"I agree," Kiyono Lin nodded.

"I'll order a maid outfit made when I get home today," Jiutiao Meijie looked at Kiyono Lin. "Tell me your size, Kiyono."

"Please tell me yours as well, Jiutiao," Kiyono Lin responded with a frosty gaze.

Outside the dustless window, the cloudless sky was as blue as the ocean, filling Dubian Che with joy.

'Maid... maid... maids are good. Yes, very good.'

As Dubian Che contemplated whether he should go buy a high-end camera, Jiutiao Meijie suddenly grabbed his tie and pulled his upper body toward her.

"My dear, you seem very happy," she said, smiling and enunciating each word.

They were close enough to feel each other's breaths.

To the left and slightly ahead, Kiyono Lin also watched Dubian Che with an icy stare.

"Not bad, baby," Dubian Che said, looking at Jiutiao Meijie's peach-blossom-like beautiful lips.

"If we lose, we wear maid outfits for a week; if you lose, you wear it for a month," Jiutiao Meijie declared, leaving no room for refusal.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dubian Che grabbed her hand, "Me, a guy, in a maid outfit? Can it be changed to a butler suit?"

Jiutiao Meijie smiled affectionately, but her words were merciless:

"No."

"Agreed," Kiyono Lin nodded, then muttered to herself, resting her hand on her chin, "Where did I put the SLR camera I bought last year during the Cultural Festival?"

"...Great." Dubian Che pulled away Jiutiao Meijie's hand and tugged his school uniform tie and the collar of his shirt downward, "Maid outfits for you to wear... uh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiutiao Meijie tightened his tie back up.

She was always very insistent about this.

The next class was English, and Miss Aonai Xiaoquan Aonai came in with her lesson plan.

She was gentle and beautiful, dressed fashionably, with a mature and charming demeanor, the object of many female students' adoration at Goda.

Back when he was a freshman, Dubian Che listened to Ikeda Kazumi frequently discuss Miss Aonai's makeup products, hairstyles, and clothing choices with other girls.

Every English class, the thought of the admired Miss Aonai being held in his arms made Dubian Che excited and his heart race.

Miss Aonai felt the same.

Dubian Che was handsome, tall, and when he smiled, he was captivating; he was the object of affection for all girls at Goda, and even many young female teachers often talked about him.

During class assignments, everyone wanted him in their class.

To have such a young, handsome, and vibrant boy involved with her was exhilarating.

There was an urge to throw caution to the wind and show off, with a tremendous sense of shyness complementing that feeling.

A mix of emotions wove together into a troublesome happiness.

The lesson began.

Miss Aonai explained English grammar just as she always did, occasionally glancing toward the corner where Dubian Che always happened to be looking at her.

Though she wanted him to pay attention and study hard, she enjoyed this feeling and didn't want to remind him deliberately.

She comforted herself with notions like 'students are supposed to look at the teacher during class,' and 'Dubian's English grades can withstand a little distraction,' to make herself feel at peace.

During lunch break, Dubian Che, together with Saito Huijie and their group of three, went to the cafeteria to eat, where they talked about submitting a light novel manuscript.

"The entire Human Observation Department, ranked top three nationwide, is helping me write a script?!" Saito Huijie was overjoyed, so excited that he forgot to eat.

"Just me alone," Dubian Che said, eating his fried pork cutlet. "They said they're writing the light novel because of a bet and didn't want to participate in any 'pretty girl' games."

That being said, it would be different if Dubian Che were involved in such games.

"Dubian!" Kunii Shuichi angrily devoured a tempura shrimp, "You help Saito but not me? I'm going to break off our friendship!"

"I nagged Dubian for most of the day before he agreed to help with the script," Saito Keisuke boasted.

"Then, from now on, I'll keep nagging you!" Kunii Shuichi told Dubian Che.

"You're all more troublesome than the next," Dubian Che said helplessly.

The two laughed out loud.

Dubian Che promised Kunii Shuichi he'd go to the baseball club after school.

It wasn't until then that he realized there was still a test to pass.

Kunii Shuichi had been talking as if he could play as long as he showed up, but it turned out it was just an opportunity.

That wasn't too bad, though. As long as he didn't pass the test, Kunii Shuichi wouldn't keep hounding him about it.

With the baseball club matter resolved, Dubian Che asked Saito Keisuke, "I'll give you the script as a light novel by the end of June, how are things on your end?"

"I'm still working hard. Ichiki from the Wind Instrument Club said she'd ask around for me, and after school today, I plan to go to the art club to find Chichiko."

When Saito Keisuke became enthusiastic about his talking, he engaged them in a long conversation about wanting to create an emotional, best-selling bishoujo game.

Dubian Che listened half-heartedly.

He was only responsible for the script, he didn't care about the rest, and he wasn't interested.

With that time, he'd rather read a couple of books, or recall his long-unused "Master Level·Video Editing", to see if it would help with photography.

At the same time, it might be the only chance in life to see Kiyono Lin and Jiutiao Meijie in maid outfits!

After the afternoon classes, Dubian Che left his backpack in the Human Observation Department and, after saying a quick word to Jiutiao Meijie and Kiyono Lin, prepared to head to the baseball field.

"I'll go with you," said Jiutiao Meijie, who had just lain down, extending her fair and delicate hand for Dubian Che to pull her up.

"Why would you go there? It's all dusty."

Dubian Che took her hand, gently kneading it, without immediately pulling her up.

"Observing high school life," Jiutiao Meijie said.

Normally busy with work, she only spent time in school for classes, or hung around this activity room to kill time.

The high school life of the Island Country, she had experienced only once during the Cultural Festival—playing the tragically young girlfriend of the prematurely deceased Dubian Che in "From Iwate Prefecture to Tokyo, 400 Kilometers".

"Okay, let's go," Dubian Che said as he pulled her up.

Jiutiao Meijie purposely didn't stand steady and flopped down lazily toward the ground.

Dubian Che hurriedly caught her, his hand resting on her slender waist.

"Be careful," Jiutiao Meijie heard him chide her sternly, immediately followed by a concerned, "Didn't sleep well last night? Better to lie down and rest, don't go."

Her satisfaction was evident from such a reaction, yet she coldly retorted:

"You don't love me anymore."

"Eh?"

The usually smart Dubian Che, occasionally dazed, was too adorable.

If it weren't for continuing the act, Jiutiao Meijie thought she'd press him down on the couch, straddle his waist with her legs, and kiss his lips.

"You're only telling me to rest now, you didn't say to cancel that whatever script competition," she said.

"How sweet," Kiyono Lin jeered coldly.

Dubian Che patted Jiutiao Meijie's waist through the school uniform and greeted Kiyono, "Kiyono, why don't you come too?"

"Eh?" They both looked at him.

Leaning close to Jiutiao Meijie's ear, as if to whisper, but speaking at an unchanged volume, Dubian Che said:

"Didn't we agree last Friday, rock-paper-scissors, the loser runs. She is so weak, she can't stand a chance."

Hearing this, Jiutiao Meijie looked at Kiyono Lin from Dubian Che's embrace.

"Snap!", the Literary Girl slammed her book shut.

"Let's go to the field," she stood up, her voice cold.

"Che, put my shoes on for me," Jiutiao Meijie left Dubian Che's embrace.

They were in fierce competition.

Dubian Che thought about exchanging [Qi Blood Medicine], drugging the two young ladies.

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