“Well. How should I enter?”

I stood in front of the usual door and pondered for a while.
Yesterday, a stuffed animal flew at me the moment I opened the door. It wouldn’t happen the second day in a row, but it would be foolish to walk in unprepared.

“Sometimes I just have to go in without knocking.”

Yuika is always in her pajamas, so there is no pattern of her changing clothes. Even if there was one chance in a million that she was changing, that would be extremely lucky.
So, I turned the doorknob.

“Yuika, I’m here!”
“Eh, you’re kidding, Souta!? It’s already time you’re here!? I mean, where’s the knock!?”
“Oh?”

I blinked my eyes lightly.
Yuika’s reaction was as expected, but the room looked a little different from usual. Loose leafs with some kind of memo written on them were scattered around the room.

Yuika placed her laptop on the glass table and typed away amidst a sea of loose leafs. This was unusual since the fleet games she usually played were with clicks.

“Are you playing a typing game? I’ve done that before. You know, the one where you type a word and the zombies—”
“Aah, don’t get close! Don’t even look at my notes! What do you mean, you come to a maiden’s room without knocking, without a gift, without a carriage?”
“Since when did you become a royalty or nobility, having someone bringing a carriage or gift to meet? Only the Naked King or DongFang BuBai would be daring to raid a stranger’s house with a horse.”
“I don’t care what it is, just stop! Don’t look until I say it’s okay!”
[TLN: Naked King is referring to a game character, DongFang BuBai, or Invincible East, is a fictional character.]

She closes her laptop at a very fast pace and starts picking up the loose leafs at an equally fast pace.
I tilt my head and look away from her to look at the posters and figures on the wall.
I don’t know what’s going on, but it looks like it’s best not to go against her.

“… You should really knock tomorrow. Though, I’m the one who lost track of time and got immersed in it.”
“Immersed in what, a typing game?”
“… I didn’t kill any zombies.”
“Oh, you were writing a love letter to me by any chance?”
“… What’s a childhood friend doing writing a love letter to a childhood friend? It’s not like I’m writing to Souta.”
“… Is that so.”

For a moment, I was kind of seriously hoping it was a love letter, but apparently, it’s not.
Well, whatever it is, it’s good for Yuika to have something to devote herself to. I’ll just watch over her without interfering.

As I was thinking about this, Yuika put the bundle of loose leafs away on the study desk and turned around with a strange, fearless smile on her face.

“Well then. Listen, I have a favor to ask Souta today.”
“I refuse with all my might.”
“Don’t just refuse. I haven’t said anything yet.”
“I’ve always had a bad experience after a prelude like that from Yuika. Even now, in an instant, I’ve got a bad feeling running through my whole body.”

“What? I’m not asking you to win the Gantum Fight or anything, okay? I just want you to feel a little like you’re training in the highlands of Guiana.”
“I’ll encounter the Devil Gantum during the way. It’s important enough to trigger an airplane exchange event.”
“That’s a very apt analogy! Yes, please look behind you. That’s Souta’s new airplane!”
“Huh? What are you talking about… gee!!!”
[TLN: Gantum = Gundam, so it’s likes McDonalds but it is written as WcDonalds. (TY Sangius)]

I turned around and exclaimed. I hadn’t noticed it when I came in, but a costume was hanging on a hook on the back of the door.

It was a Miko outfit.
A white kimono jacket and a red hakama that looked like a miniskirt. There was even a hair ornament attached to it.
The size was small, and it would have been very funny if I had worn it.
[TLN: Miko = shrine maiden.]

“You, where… did you get this from? You didn’t buy it online, did you…?”
“No, no. It was in Iori’s room. You made it yourself, didn’t you?”
“Ah…”

I have to explain.”
Iori is Yuika’s younger brother, who I’ve often talked about in the past.”
He is currently in the second year of junior high school. He secretly loves reading To Love-Ru, and not surprisingly, his hobby is cross-dressing.

And it looks really good on him.
After all, he is the younger brother of the extremely beautiful Yuika. He is just as cute as his sister, and his smile is just angelic as he runs up to me and says, “Souta nii-chan, welcome! Please talk to me today, too!”

I believe the clothes Iori always wore were secondhand from Yuika, but judging from this Miko outfit, he had apparently started making his own as well. Well, he’s always been good with his hands.

“But don’t take it without permission. I’m sure it’s something important to Iori.”
“Don’t worry, he won’t get mad if Souta wears it, I promise.”
“I’m sure that’s true, but… no, wait, even if Iori doesn’t get mad, I will. I’m a little worried.”
“Please. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that I’m not the only one who has a problem with this. I wanted to see it, but I didn’t see it! So show me this instead.”
“… I knew that’s what you were going for.”

I felt a tug on my cheek as Yuika pegged me with a, “please, please.” I knew it would come someday, but now it’s here. I hadn’t even calculated that there was such a thing as a Miko outfit.

“Why would you want to see me dressed as a girl…?”
“I mean, you’ve been voted number one, right?”
“That was a joke of a poll!”
“I just want to see it. If I see it in person, I think it will help me reference when I write.”
“Hmm? Reference? Write?”
“I’m talking about you! Hey, please, Souta. Let me, your cute childhood friend, see a cute Souta.”

She says something quickly to confuse me and takes the trouble to squeeze my hand.
She was strangely enthusiastic. It’s also unusual that she’s coming straight to me to ask for help. It’s human nature to want to respond to a request like this when it’s made so honestly. But!

“Yuika.”
“What?”

I grabbed Yuika’s hand back.

“You wear it. I’d love to see my cute childhood friend in the cute Miko outfit!”
“I knew you’d say that!”

Of course. It’s so sad that I have to dress up as a girl in front of the girl I love.
I definitely don’t want to wear it. And I definitely want to see Yuika as a Miko.

“No, Souta has to wear it! That’s what I brought it for!”
“No, Yuika should wear it! It’s definitely cuter if you wear it!”
“Of course, it will be much cuter than Souta who’s the boys.”
“Right? You want to prove it, right? I want you to prove it!”
“Oh, shoot. Well! Souta’s wearing it!”
“… I see. Are you really that uncomfortable with me seeing you as a Miko?”
“What?”

Just as Yuika’s pressure was rising, I deliberately backed down to remove the ladder.
I exaggeratedly displayed my sorrow and sadly lowered my eyes.

“I’m sorry, it’s unreasonable. It’s not good to force Yuika to do something she really doesn’t want to do…”
“What new technique are you using!? It’s not fair… that pressure is not fair!”
“Why?”
“Be-because…”

With her hand still held, Yuika makes a sultry face as if to cover up her embarrassment.

“It’s not that I don’t really want to wear it. I’m really happy that Souta thinks I’m cute as a Miko.”
“Yuika, you don’t have to force yourself. I don’t want to be selfish with you any more than I already am…”
“You’re not being selfish! I’m the one who’s always being selfish with Souta! Whenever Souta asks me for something, I always want to give him what he wants.”
“Yes, that means?”
“…”

I take the Miko uniform from the hook on the door and offer it to her briskly.
You’ve been tricked, Yuika.
The result had already been decided.

“O-okay, I’ll put it on for you.”

While stomping on the ground, Yuika received the Miko uniform.
Hahahaha, it’s a complete victory for me!

“I’ll turn my back to you.”
“What are you talking about? Go outside until I finish changing.”
“Yeah, but I want to hear the sound of your clothes rustling.”
“What are you saying with that naive voice of yours? Souta, who has a record of forcing himself on people, has no right to do that!”

She pushed me on the back out of the room. After a while, I was given permission to enter, so I returned to the room in high spirits.

“What, what do you think?”
“Oh…!”

The beaming Miko was standing there.
I haven’t told you much about her until now, but Yuika has straight black hair. The contrast with her white kimono was quite beautiful. The red hakama was a mini-skirt type, so even her pure white thighs, which are not usually seen, were quite a treat.

“Do-don’t fawn over me… your thoughts?”
“You’re cute, Yuika. The best in the world. You’re the prettiest, most beautiful, and most attractive girl in the world. I’m chewing on that conviction right now.”
“Why does Souta take such a theatrical tone when he praises seriously? … Well, I’m glad to hear you’re serious with that. … Thanks.”

A small smile lit up her cherry-red lips as she touched her black hair, embarrassed.
She’s cute, really cute. I could look at her forever. I could look at it for a week and never get tired of it.

“Hey, hey, try posing or something. Like a Miko.”
“Oh… I-I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”
“Well…”

For some reason, Yuika has been trying to cover her chest with her hands for a while now.
If she had a bikini made of seashells, it would look just like the palms of her hands on either side.

“Don’t you know Souta? It’s pretty much common knowledge. You can’t wear… underwear with Miko clothes.”
“Hmm?”
“Umm, and…. this is thinner than pajamas…”

The Miko jerked away.

“… It’s transparent.”
“Where?”

 

“The pink part”

 

…
…
…

“I knew it.”
“Eh?”
“The God Gantum is strong…”
“Souta!?”

I felt dizzy, shocked, and fell.
Normally, people would avoid talking about those things, but the fact that my childhood friend can say something like this is what scares me.
Dang it, I wanted to enjoy Yuika Miko figure more…
I slowly fainted on the floor, feeling ashamed not seeing more of it.

 

P.S.
I’d like to make one last confession.
Mikami Souta, 17 years old. From today on, I’ve become a part of the Miko Faction.