'I need the prince of Himekaizen.' What kind of request is that? Ryu shook his head in amusement. You really don't know what makes girls tick Urufu. Right now you're the king of Himekaizen, and the senior girls probably think you're more interesting than I am anyway.
He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. Urufu's personality, and how he handled the festival was certain to attract more than a few third years. They were preparing to leave high school life behind them, and to a degree they acted in a more adult way than they would as first and second years in university. At least if what his father said was true.
That only means I have to become a more grown up prince. A strange thought, and one he wouldn't have made just half a year earlier. Am I growing up as well?
The way Urufu and Kuri impacted his life scared him, but he acknowledged that they did. Easy for them. They have their wingmen after all. Then he accepted why that thought lacked dignity. They earned their wingmen. Sometimes I wish I could be more like Yukio, or Kyoko for that matter.
Ryu turned left after the vending machines and walked almost to the end of the corridor. From here on it was mostly a matter of knocking on doors. Urufu wanted a dozen third year girls to do two shopping rounds each. He would get them, or Ryu wasn't worthy of being called prince of Himekaizen.
Princess of Scandinavia. Once her second name, but in this world she was the princess of Himekaizen, or maybe empress was a better expression. She was neither petite nor cute in the preferred way of a Japanese high school princess.
Yeah, empress it is, she thought when reminded of the task ahead of her.
What Ulf asked of her was far beyond anything that could decently be requested from a high school girl, but that wasn't what he had done, was it? For once he didn't look at her with love in his eyes, and she understood how he spoke with The Billion Dollar Empress instead of his 'little Ina'. It hurt a little, and it made her immensely proud of him.
As long as he understands he can't use the rest of them this way, she thought, but it was already too late for that. Sooner or later some of them would break, and they would resent him because they were unable to live up to his expectations.
But you don't really care. Your reputation will suffer, because they think you're after personal glory. It had to be done, and all because of her. I shouldn't have started the Uniclo circus. Ulf please don't hate me for it!
“Hangers six and seven further back and to the left.”
Christina watched how two more metal frames moved closer to the exit. 'Try it on'. Fifteen minutes of fame. More like fifteen seconds, but adding an ad-hoc fashion show on the football field should secure a lot of guests in one place when the school got crammed beyond capacity.
Five hundred, maybe six, she thought. Perhaps the best of the crazy ideas he had come up with, and it still wouldn't be enough. She smiled to herself. You try so hard even when you know it won't suffice.
There were rumours about him. The magician they called him, and 'they' included teachers as well.
“OK, crew, team one stay here and prepare the planned show. Team two follow me!” If you want me to run two shows I'll make them both better than the one we planned.
Today would put her to the test. Without any professionals by her side she'd try to surpass Ulf's insane expectations. She owed him that much. She loved him that much.
