Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 1 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – April 8th

Newcomer recruitment week at First High, when the clubs are allowed to recruit new members, is to start 3 days after the entrance ceremony. It is a First High rule that clubs are not allowed to recruit new members outside of this period, though they can visit the clubs on their own accord.

It has been two days since the entrance ceremony. Starting tomorrow, each club will be performing their own rhapsodies. Today’s after school at First High remained calm.

To prevent clubs getting a head start, none of them are accepting applications today. Since there is no studying to do at this point, Marika wanted to go straight home, so she went to class A’s classroom to invite Alisa.

The classrooms for classes A and B are next to each other. In addition, Marika uses the front door to go to her seat, while Alisa uses the back door. Normally, there is no time for events to occur during the travel.

But still, there it was.

“Hey, you, hang on a second.”

At the exact time she was about to get in class A’s classroom, a deep voice called out to Marika from behind.

“Me?”

Marika obediently turned around. It would have been different if it was a busy street, but she’s in a school. Purposefully ignoring people who talk to her is not something she does.

“I am Usui from class 3-B, could you call a guy named Kagari?”

That really tall upperclassman was someone Marika remembered. Even if it wasn’t Marika, anyone who participated in the club introduction the previous day would surely remember. 

“You’re Usui-senpai, the President of the Club Activities Group, right? Understood. I’ll go call him.”

“Thank you.”

Marika didn’t particularly care about becoming well known, so she walked into class A’s classroom without giving him her name.

And she walked to Alisa’s seat.

“Mina.”

Alisa noticed Marika and stood up.

“Sorry, Asha. Give me just a tiny bit.”

But Marika stopped her from talking and turned her attention to Joui.

“Kagari-kun, there’s an upperclassman calling for you in the hallway.”

“You’re class B’s Tookami-san, right? Who is the upperclassman?”

Joui asked as he got up from his chair.

“Usui-senpai from class 3-B.”

“Usui-senpai, the President of the Club Activities Group!?”

It appears that Joui also remembered Usui’s name.

Not having any idea why he was being called, Joui headed to the hallway, his expression showing he was slightly nervous.

Marika followed right behind him. She doesn’t have any particular reason to do so. She just did it.

Right behind her followed Alisa. She had a clear incentive to not leave Marika alone.

Usui was waiting by the window. He was looking outside, maybe to prevent intimidating the first-year students. With a height of 190 centimeters and a weight of 90 kilograms, Usui has a presence that under normal circumstances would completely frighten the freshmen who were middle school students just a few days ago.

Additionally, his looks, for better or for worse, could be described as ‘manly’. His crew cut fits him well, but he fears that it suits him too well. A fainthearted girl could misunderstand and think of him as a violent person.

So, in order to avoid inadvertent eye contact, and to never have his look misconstrued as ‘glaring’, he kept his eyes away from the doorway.

Regardless, Usui noticed Joui right away when he stepped into the hallway.

“I am Kagari Joui.”

Joui introduced himself when Usui turned to look at him.

“Sorry to bother you. I am Usui Takemitsu, a third year.”

Joui slightly bowed — it looked like a nod with plenty of dignity — and Usui’s eyebrows moved slightly as he noticed Marika behind him. He wore an expression of doubt, as if asking ‘Why did you come along?’.

“Ah, please don’t mind me.”

Accurately reading his sense of distrust, Marika spoke to Usui softly.

When Marika met his eyes and, far from being scared, showed no nervousness whatsoever, Usui was stunned. But despite losing his bearings, he also felt relieved that he wasn’t scaring her. Marika wasn’t the only one who kept a relaxed attitude. Further behind was Alisa too. At any rate, Usui, who frequently scared female students on their first meeting or made them cautious, felt what could be called an exaggerated sense of relief.

“...So, senpai. What can I do for you?”

When Joui asked, Usui came to his senses.

“—I’ll be direct here. Kagari, Won’t you join the Club Activities Group’s executive division?”

“The Club Activities Group’s executive division...?”

“If you have time, I would like you to follow me somewhere else and I’ll explain.”

“I have time, but...”

Joui hesitated to Usui’s request.

But it was only for a short moment.

“Understood. I’ll go with you.”

Joui bent his waist towards Usui with a crisp motion. Not just a head bow with his neck bent forward, but a deep bow with his back straight.

When seeing Joui and Usui in this way, they not only have their tall stature in common, they both also look athletic. The curious bystander Marika had the feeling that ‘These two may unexpectedly hit it off’.

Usui led Kagari, who followed him, and the two headed to the stairs.

“Hold it right there!”

But before they got there, a female student stood in their way.

It was a senior student with a small body, slightly shorter than Marika, about the same height as Koharu. But other than the height, she has a completely different feel. It might be better to say she contrasts with Koharu. Her sharp face is bordered by her medium straight bob cut with no bangs. Her eyes look a little intense, emphasizing her sharp look even more.

Though she looks harsh, she isn’t a bad person. The opposite, she was a girl who befitted the title of ‘Committee Chief’.

“Urabe, uh? What do you want so suddenly?”

Usui’s voice sounded somewhat annoyed. They knew each other well, but weren’t close. That was the relationship that his tone suggested. 

“Usui-kun, it is not you I have business with.”

The girl called Urabe quickly walked past Usui and turned to Joui.

“You’re Kagari Joui-kun, aren’t you? I’m class 3-A’s Urabe Aki. I serve as First High’s Public Morals Committee Chief.”

“Yes, I’m Kagari Joui.”

Joui felt pushed into introducing himself, completely bewildered. Urabe Aki cut in between Joui and Usui. But it was Usui who wanted to talk to him, Joui just agreed to listen. Challenging Aki was Usui’s role, so as long as Joui kept quiet, he had no reason to interfere.

All Joey had to do is wait for this senior to tell him what she wanted to say. And it wasn’t necessary to wait very long.

“Kagari-kun, join the Public Morals Committee.”

“Me? Joining in the Public Morals Committee?”

Joui was confused. The request weirdly suited the commanding tone of voice, but above all else, what he was told was confusing him even more.

“To begin with, why am I being asked to join the Public Morals Committee?”

“You were the runner-up in the admission exams.”

The onlookers, eavesdropping to find what was happening, begin murmuring.

“So you were the runner-up, Kagari-kun...”

Marika couldn’t hide her surprise any better. Because of the way the class system works, she understood that he had good grades, since he was assigned to class A. But despite being tall, Joui is lanky and it can’t be denied that he has a somewhat dull impression and he certainly doesn’t have the air of someone who is particularly outstanding.

“The Public Morals Committee has an important role in maintaining order within the school, so we need capable personnel. Especially needed are those who are good at using magic. I actually wanted the top student Isori-san to join, but unfortunately she naturally joined the Student Council. That’s why I want you to join the Public Moral Committee.”

“Wait, Urabe.”

Usui finally interjected at this juncture.

“What is it?”

Aki scowled at him. Even so, she didn’t ignore Usui.

With an annoyed expression on her face, Aki looked far over her head at Usui’s face.

“Our executive division also plays an important role. And besides, I invited Kagari first.”

“The scope of the Club Activities Group would be just the extra-curricular activities, do you agree? The Public Morals Committee’s work covers everything related to school life. Also, there is no first come, first served rule. It’s up to Kagari-kun to decide.”

Leaving aside the first half of her rebuttal, the second half was logical.

“Seems like the decision is yours, Kagari-kun.”

Marika whispered close to Joui’s ear.

“~~Hgnk”

Looking troubled, Joui frowned and scratched his head.

“It’s logical that he should be the one to decide. Kagari, which do you choose, the Club Activities Group or the Public Morals Committee?”

“Usui-kun, stop right there. We should give Kagari-kun more information so he can make a decision. Let’s change locations and tell him the details about our activities.”

“Yeah, makes sense too.”

“Then the Committee’s Headquarters are fine, right? The Club Activities Group is in the preparations building, while the Committee is on the third floor of the main school building, which is closer.”

“Please wait.”

As things stand, Joui would be taken to the Public Morals Committee Headquarters, so he put a stop to chain of events.

“You said it wasn’t first come, first served, Urabe-senpai... But I don’t think we should ignore the order.”

“Wait, Kagari-kun?”

“I still haven’t decided if I’ll join the Club Activities Group, but I want to hear what Usui-senpai has to tell me first. And I also don’t want to compare between my seniors.”

Joui corrected his posture and lowered his head to Aki.

“That being said, sorry, Urabe-senpai. I will have to decline going to the Public Morals Committee.”

“That strong sense of duty. I’ve taken a liking to you, Kagari!”

Before Aki could say anything, Usui gave a broad smile and raised his voice, and then slapped Joui in the back with a loud ‘bang’.

“Oops, sorry about that.”

Joui stumbled and without delay Usui reached his hand to support him.

“And that is that, Urabe. Sorry, but Kagari will be joining us.”

“... The decision has not been made. Kagari-kun will be the one choosing.”

Usui smiled at Aki, who glared at him, looking frustrated. While she said ‘Kagari-kun will be the one choosing’, she is aware that she’s just a poor loser. Seeing from Joui’s attitude, even if he doesn’t join the Club Activities Group, he would probably be unnecessarily courteous towards Usui and not join the Public Moral Committee. Reluctantly, Aki admitted it to herself.

“Of course. I won’t force him into anything. If he declines, I’ll tell him to listen to you too.”

“Don’t bother.”

Ignoring the remarks Aki hatefully spat out, Usui told Joui “Kagari, let’s go”.

Joui bowed to Aki once again and followed Usui to the stairwell. 

Frustrated, Aki twisted her neck and looked sideways at Usui’s back before turning away, looking down, and breathing a sigh.

When she finally raised her head, her eyes shot open as if saying ‘Oh?’.

“...You’re Juumonji Alisa-san, aren’t you?”

Aki’s eyes were fixed up to Alisa. Alisa’s appearance should have stood out considerably, but she didn’t seem to have noticed until that moment.

“Yes, that’s right...”

Alisa, on the other hand, was weary, not understanding why Aki was looking at her like that.

“By no means am I using you as a replacement for Kagari-kun, but will you join the Public Morals Committee, Juumonji-san?”

“Me!?”

Alisa’s eyes opened wide, overflowing with thoughts of ‘why’, and she asked Aki back.

She guessed from something she heard before that the Public Morals Committee needs ‘strong people who are proficient at using magic’, which means their role should be to maintain order in the school with the use of magical force.

If she had to say herself, she didn’t think it was a role for such an unreliable looking girl.

So Alisa thought.

“Of course, you were the third rank in the admission exam, right behind Isori-san and Kagari-kun, weren’t you?”

Aki’s answer was once again simple.

The murmurs started again, though maybe there are even more than before.

“Impressive as always, Asha!”

 Marika looked happy as if it was about herself.

Right next to her, Alisa muttered ‘So much for privacy...’. Whether good or bad, her grumblings didn’t reach anyone’s ears.

“So, what about it? Can you do this for me?”

Without hesitating, Aki closed up the distance to Alisa. She said it calmly, but the glint in her eyes were truly intimidating.

“Umm...”

Though Alisa was overwhelmed, she mustered up her courage.

“I don’t think I’m suited for this job... I’m sorry.”

 “Oh? Why do you think so?”

Aki didn’t give up easily.

“I don’t like using magic on other people.”

“Public Morals Committee members don’t really use magic to fight with people.”

“It’s not like I think you fight with people, but...”

“We only use magic to stop students who are going overboard.”

As Alisa faltered, Aki increased the pressure.

“Juumonji-san, you’re the Vice President’s sister, aren’t you? Then you’ll do fine. You’re a member of the Juumonji Family, so this job will be a walk in the park for you.”

“It’s true that I’m Juumonji Yuuto’s sister, but I don’t have the same tough character that he has...”

“You’ll do fine. Position makes the man. Plus, to me it looks like you’re plenty tough, Juumonji-san.”

No matter how much she declined, there was no indication that Aki would give up.

There’s nothing I can do about this, maybe I should just listen to what she has to say... Alisa thought, and just as she was about be swept away...

“Senpai. I apologize for intruding, but she can’t decide right now.”

Marika stepped in between Alisa and Aki.

It was quite unexpected. Aki blinked a few times silently and then turned her searching gaze towards Marika.

“Erm, and you are?”

“First year class B, Tookami Marika.”

“I see, Tookami-san. Are you Juumonji-san’s friend?”

“Yes, her best friend.”

Unabashed and without pretense, Marika claimed to be the ‘best’, as if this fact was known to everyone.

“I see...”

Aki was unable to hide her confusion.

“Senpai, can’t you give Asha, sorry, Juumonji-san some time to think about it? In her situation, she also has to discuss it with the people at home.”

While Aki was still puzzled, Marika kept pushing.

“Yeah... You’re right. You do need to discuss this with your family, Juumonji-san. Sorry for not realizing.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Aki lowered her head and Alisa shook hers, feeling embarrassed.

“So, could you give me your answer tomorrow after school?”

‘So little time!’, Alisa and Marika both thought. But if they don’t agree here, this whole situation will be extended even further.

To settle the matter, Alisa agreed to Aki’s proposal.

◇ ◇ ◇

Alisa’s father Kazuki doesn’t interfere much with his children’s business. It is the same with the other sons and daughter, but, probably because of a sense of obligation, this tendency was especially obvious towards Alisa. So Alisa didn’t feel it was necessary to report to Kazuki about the matter with the Public Morals Committee. But she felt she had to talk to Katsuto and Yuuto about it.

But before talking with her two brothers, Alisa wanted to discuss her plans for tomorrow with Marika.

They were in Marika’s apartment. Instead of going home, Alisa went from school directly to her best friend’s flat.

“Our high school seniors are incredible, uh?”

Marika took off her uniform while laughing about the situation. Naturally, she’s not minding Alisa’s eyes.

“Indeed, incredibly energetic. I was completely overwhelmed.”

Alisa replied from the kitchen. She was well aware Marika was changing, so she went to make some tea.

“Mina, what do you want with the tea?”

“I’ll take care of tha~at. Just bring the tea, Asha.”

“Okay, I got it.”

When Alisa turned around in the kitchen, the tray in her hands had a sugar pot and two teacups. Inside one cup was straight tea and the other milk tea.

Marika passed by Alisa, looking at her from the side. It can’t be called a large kitchen, but there is plenty of room for them to pass each other.

Marika[15] opened the oven and took out the mouth-sized cookies she left baking. She transferred the spread-out cookies on the baking tray to a large plate. She didn’t forget to pick one up for tasting.

“Here, have this one.”

Marika put the cookies on the table and offered one to Alisa before sitting down.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

Alisa took the cookie and put it in her mouth. There was not a single instant of hesitation in her movements.

“It’s so good...”

And right away the tension in her expression dissipated.

“Your sweets really are great, Mina. You’re getting even better at this, aren’t you?”

“Ehehe... Thanks.”

Instead of her prideful expression, or ‘smug face’, Marika looked down shily.

“I’m still not match for you when it comes to baking sweets, Mina.”

“You’re still better at cooking, so isn’t that fine?”

This is not them flattering each other, but a fact even a third party would recognize. Alisa is, needless to say, better at cooking Russian food, but she’s also good at all kinds of Asian and western food. The only thing Marika can do better is Japanese fish dishes.

On the flipside, Marika is better at baking cookies and cakes. The only confections Alisa can bake better are apple pies.

Despite spending two years apart, this relationship hasn’t changed one bit. The girls themselves didn’t think they were changing either, so they ceased the cookie talk.

“So Asha, what will you do?”

“It’s obvious, I want to decline. Controlling other people, that stuff is impossible for me.”

“Yeah, I know. You can’t even act tough towards younger people. I really can’t see you mediating a fight between classmates, let alone upperclassmen.”

“Upperclassmen!? No! Impossible! I definitely can’t do it!”

Alisa vigorously shook her head left to right many times.

“So I understand you. What I’m asking is how you are going to refuse.”

When Marika said that, Alisa straightened herself with a snap.

“It was decided that you have to answer tomorrow after school, but that was a deadline Urabe-senpai set on her own. I think you may be able to extend it for about a week. But given that senpai’s personality, you can’t delay it forever.”

“I get that... That’s why I’m worrying.”

Alisa spoke, sounding like she was about to cry.

But even if Marika wants to pamper Alisa, there was nothing she could say to give her some respite. The situation doesn’t allow for that. She can’t stop going to school so early after enrolling, and if she goes, the other will come to her. Escape is most likely impossible. Alisa understood, so she didn’t know what to do.

“Mina, don’t you have any good excuse?”

“Humm...”

Marika folded her arms and began pondering with a finger on her chin.

“Maybe you could get help from your brother-in-law... That’s probably no good, uh?”

“Yuuto-san? I can’t have him do that.”

Asking Yuuto to give the refusal was also Alisa’s first thought, but she instantly rejected the idea. The relationship between Alisa and Yuuto is good but they are still at the stage of being concerned with each other. Considering they have been together for two years, progress appears to be too slow, but it can’t be said that Alisa has a selfish personality, so it’s unavoidable. This time as well, taking into account Yuuto’s position and reputation, she couldn’t behave like a child.

“Well, that’s probably right. Plus, from what I saw today, he’s probably going to get pushed around by Urabe-senpai.”

“...”

Alisa couldn’t contradict Marika’s appraisal. She also considered it to be a very likely development.

“Just flat out refusing would be pretty harsh, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah...”

“While it’s true that you can remove the bad conditions, she may just put her eyes on you for being impudent.”

“...Yeah. And if I put any weird conditions and she takes them seriously I will eventually suffer the consequences.”

“Hmm... ‘I want to devote myself to club activities after school’, how does that sound?”

“She’ll probably just say I can do both. Even if I really can’t.”

“Riight. That is pretty likely...”

Marika pondered once more. Alisa also joined her this time.

“I know! How about this?”

An idea came to Marika’s mind and she raised her voice.

“What is it?”

Alisa leaned forward towards Marika, her eyes sparkling of anticipation.

“You’ll say you’ll do it if it’s both of us.”

“If you do it too? Do you think she’ll take that?”

“Probably not, I think. There’s probably a limit for number of people. If there wasn’t, she would have invited you from the start as well, and not just Kagari-kun.”

“Ah, I see. There’s probably one opening available... But then we can’t do it together?”

“And that’s why it’s good! It’s just an excuse to refuse.”

Alisa returned to her previous posture and thought about it a little. It’s true that it wouldn’t be offensive and it seems like a good excuse.

But there was just one concerning aspect in the idea.

“...What if senpai accepts our demands? You would end up having to join the Public Morals Committee too.”

What Alisa worried about was that Marika would be dragged into the situation.

“If it happens, it happens. If we’re together, won’t the Public Morals Committee be fun too? Any fight you’re worried about, I’ll take care of it. I’m okay with that kind of stuff.”

“If we’re together...”

This certainly appeared to be an attractive proposal for Alisa. The two girls have different interests so they couldn’t share their club activities time. Marika has settled on Magic Arts for club activities, but Alisa can’t stand watching martial arts in general.

If it was something where the whole body was covered with protective gear, like fencing, she could still somewhat stand it, but anything that looks painful is unbearable. That’s why she can’t even choose to join those clubs as a manager.

‘I can’t look at things that look painful’ is also why she doesn’t want to join the Public Morals Committee, but it’s not like acts of violence happen all that often in the school. In addition, if maintaining order within the school is the Public Morals Committee’s duty, their job should be to stop conflicts before they escalate into violence. Alisa thought that, even if she has a physiological revulsion to it, she would be able to endure it if she’s with Marika. 

“...Okay. Do you really not mind being dragged into this?”

“Of course! The Committee may end up being a pain but the time spent together with you will increase so I’m more than happy to do it.”

“You might not be able to balance it with your club activities?”

Alisa knows that Marika is serious about Martial Magic Arts. It was only after Alisa came to Tokyo that Marika switched to Magic Arts, but even though she wasn’t nearby, she could tell from their conversations over the Vidiphone how enthusiastic Marika was about it.

“I prefer Asha over club activities.”

However, Marika readily declared ‘I prefer Asha over Magic Arts’.

“...Thank you, Mina. I’ll talk about this with Katsuto-san and Yuuto-san later.”

With the issue settled, Alisa got up from her seat. In the end, she stayed in Marika’s room until it was completely dark outside, and got into trouble when a worried Yuuto called her over the phone to reprimand her.

...And that’s why she couldn’t talk to either Yuuto or Katsuto about being recruited to the Public Morals Committee.