I Favor the Villainess Chapter 25

"Founding Festival… is it?"
"That's right"

When I repeated after him, leader Lorec nodded.

Everyone, including me, gathered in the Order of the Academy council room.
It's as spacious as an elementary school classroom in modern Japan.
Office desk and chairs are set up, on bookshelves lining the walls are documents and manuals.

Lorec-sama is sitting on the leader's seat, it's a not particularly extravagant number one seat of honor.
Rod-sama and other princes are sitting on the other seats of honor.
From this place you can tell it's a school where noble children attend.
Where one sits was somehow settled.
By the way, naturally I'm sitting next to Claire-sama.
Of course, I was hated for that.

Hearing the words Founding Festival, I was reminded of the contests of the game.
This open event commemorating the Royal Academy establishment, is like a school festival in Japanese schools.
Each classroom must have a program to entertain outside visitors.
Even so, it curiously resembles Japanese schools, is that also because the game was made by a Japanese company.

"For now, we will be dealing with program applications approval and equipment lending, I think we'll be busy preparing for the Founding Festival. I will assign work to each of you, if you don't know something feel free to ask"

Saying so, Lorec-sama assigned work to us.

"Hey, leader. Will we, the Order of the Academy, also have do something?"

After it was roughly decided what everyone will do, Rod-sama asked such a thing.

"Yes. Usually it's a café"
"Just a café is boring. Let's do something unusual"

Rod-sama's bad habit showed.
This person really hates boredom.

"Saying so, what do you have in mind, Rod-niisan?"
"… I think normal is good"

Yuu-sama showed some interest, Sein-sama found it troublesome.

"It seems gender-reversal cafes are popular in the royal capital. How about it? Why don't we do it?"
"What is a gender-reversal café?"

Misha enquired about these unsettling words.

"It's a simple thing. Men dress like women, women like men, and we wait on the tables like that. Although only clothes are different, isn't it a lot more interesting than normal?"

How is it, Rod-sama's eyes sparkled.

"How is it… You might say that, but will Rod-sama also cross-dress? That… Is it allowed? For royalty"

Claire-sama asked if such a freedom is allowed.

"It's fine if it doesn't get exposed, as long as it doesn't"

Saying so, Rod-sama laughed it off.

"Women dressing as men aside, I think men dressing as women would be painful to.. look… at…?"

Claire-sama spoke concerned――.

"… No, it might be surprisingly good?"

It seems she reconsidered after taking the princes' appearances into account.
Regardless of their personality, the three princes are beauties.
They won't feel out of place even dressed in women's clothing.

"We are also here… Right, Lambe… rt?"

Leader Lorec with a bitter look on his face asked appealed to a man beside him, but midway his expression turned complicated.
The man, called Lambert, is a handsome young man with hazel hair and eyes.
At the time of the selection exam for the Order of the Academy, he was the one who distributed tests on the written exam.
This person also won't feel out of place in women's clothing.

Lambert Orso-sama.
As his family name indicates, Lambert-sama is the eldest son of the Orso Company, that is to say, he's Lene's elder brother.
Lene works as Claire-sama's maid, but Lambert-sama entered the academy as a scholarship student.
As for his magical abilities, he's endowed with a special talent to invent and adjust magical tools.

Lamber-sama is researching magical tools to control demons, in this world afraid of demons he's a minor celebrity.
With his considerable intelligence, he's the current vice-leader of the Order of the Academy.
Considering his achievements, if he was a noble it wouldn't be strange for him to be the leader.

"What a thing… Will I be the only laughingstock"

Lorec-sama held his head.
Don't worry, you're also beautiful… Nope.
No, Lorec-sama is certainly a handsome man.
However, there are different types of handsomeness, unlike others Lorec-sama has a manly Caucasian face.
Women's clothing might be a little harsh.

"Then, there's no objection?"

Completely disregarding Lorec-sama's matter, Rod-sama began summarizing the talk.

"I don't particularly mind"
"… If everyone is fine with it, so am I"

Yuu-sama agreed normally, Sein-sama gave a half-hearted approval.

"I also have no particular objections"

Misha also agreed half-heartedly.

"I do not particularly mind――"
"Claire-sama dressed as a man… Priceless…"
"… After all, I vote against"

Despite expressing my honest feelings, Claire-sama objected.
I can't understand.

Other participants also don't seem to have any particular objections.

"No… I am against it…"
"Give up, leader"

Lorec-sama's meager resistance was ended with Lambert-sama's consolation.

"Then it's settled. This year the Order of the Academy will do gender-reversal café 'Cavalier'"
"Cavalier?"
"It's the official name of the Order of the Academy. Cavalier, that is to say, knight"

Nobody uses it anymore as it sounds exaggerated, was what Lambert-sama taught us.
Come to think of it, I feel when I was the university student the Liberal Arts teacher taught us about knights.
Certainly――.

"Without being elegant, is it like the subtle difference between rash and carefree?"
"Although it's not incorrect, if possible, I wish you'd use elegant words rather than rash or carefree"

Lambert-sama smiled bitterly.
The impression changes just by substituting the words.

Well, anyway.

"That means Claire-sama is a lady of Cavalier. In other words, Cabaret Girl1!"
"I do not understand what you are saying, but it absolutely is not a compliment, right?"
"It's a wonderful compliment! If it's like this, I'll call you that every day!"
"What are you even talking about!?"

Naturally, there are no cabarets in this world.
I wonder if there's something similar.

"Claire-sama, let's do your hair in a spread updo2!"
"What is it, this spread updo"
"It's a special hairstyle only allowed for the Cabaret Girl!"
"Special…? Hm, hmph! Very well. If it is special I shall let you do it"

As expected of the easy heroine.

With the meeting being adjourned for today, we finished dinner and returned to Claire-sama's room.

"What are you doing, Rei-chan"
"I thought of making Claire-sama the Cabaret Girl"
"?"
"Then Claire-sama, excuse me for a moment?"

Claire-sama's hair was put up and spread out.
To have so many metal hairpins, as expected of a noble lady.

"Hee, so it's like this?"
"Yup. Make the foundation with half the hair from the back, then keep pinning to keep the hair in place like this"

Lene seems to be interested in how I raise the hair and is enthusiastically asking questions.
I'm not an expert so I don't know the details, but I actively answered what I understand.
Probably the hardest part is pinning.

"Claire-sama's hairstyle of vertical drills is good. However, it takes the longest time to make them wind around"
"It is Lene's achievement"
"I'm thankful"

Like this, it's complete.

"It's ready"
"Waa, Claire-sama, it's wonderful"
"Hee… It is not quite bad"

Having checked both sides of her hair in the full-length mirror, Claire-sama is also satisfied.

"It's amazing, Claire-sama! No matter how you look at it, you're the Cabaret Girl!"
"Is, is that so…?"

Claire-sama who misunderstood my praise felt proud.
If I taught her the true meaning, she'd absolutely get mad.

"Claire-sama. Can you keep this hairstyle for a while?"

Lene asked innocently.
Then, Claire-sama who was pleased until then answered in slightly depressed tone.

"… No, my usual hairstyle is fine. Lene, please"
"I see. Certainly"

I wonder if she's pretending to not have noticed, she answered in her usual soft tone.

Claire-sama's winding curls are actually the influence of her late mother.
Her mother also had the winding curls hairstyle, Claire-sama is always imitating it.
As a matter of fact, Claire-sama has just a tiny bit of mother complex, in its original meaning.

"I like that aspect as well!"
"What are you saying so suddenly…?"
"Nothing, my love overflowed a little"
"… Never mind, go back to your room"

Because I was told in an exasperated voice, I reluctantly gave up and did as she asked.

"Ah, Claire-sama"
"What is it?"

I can't leave without saying this.

"I'm looking forward to you dressing as a man!"
"Please return quickly!"

1) Cavalier is written as kyabariaa, here Rei called her kyabajou, which can mean Cavalier Girl or Cabaret Girl, which itself means hostess ↵
2) , if you have a better idea for its name, please tell me ↵

Chapter end