Upon suddenly finding numerous shrine maiden sisters in the room, Yuigahama Yui felt a lot of pressure...

Particularly, these sisters always intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation towards Kasumigaoka Utaha and Makoto Amano, which made her extremely uneasy.

Obviously, she is Makoto Amano's girlfriend...

Therefore, to assert her "dominance," she approached Amano Makoto with determination.

"So, what do you think?"

The girl gently tugged at the corner of the boy's clothes with her small hand hidden in her sleeve.

An expectant blush adorned her shy face.

"It suits you."

Especially the shy expression.

Of course, Makoto Amano understood Yuigahama Yui's intention in asking him to evaluate the shrine maiden's outfit.

Because any normal girl would feel a bit uneasy in front of Kasumigaoka Utaha's perfect shrine maiden costume.

Whether it be envy, jealousy, or longing...

"Um..."

After receiving a satisfactory answer, Yuigahama Yui displayed a joyful smile, but then grew even shyer.

There are too many people in the room...

"Has the string been removed?"

After consoling Yuigahama Yui, Makoto Amano slightly lowered his head and whispered a question into her ear.

The tighter the bindings, the more one can imagine the scenery concealed beneath the attire.

Particularly her big dumplings...

The girl who had just confessed her feelings today....

"..."

Where?

String?

I just forgot to take it off, that's all. I didn't have any other thoughts!

"Hmph... I hate it..."

Yuigahama Yui stomped on someone with her little foot.

Moreover, after venting her petty emotions, the shy girl secretly cast a glance at the boy in front of her.

There...

Although it didn't match the boy's temperament, the silver dog necklace still quietly hung from the boy's collarbone.

"It turns out that Brother Amano already has a girlfriend..."

"And such a cute girl..."

"Yeah, I was planning to ask him out, but it looks like I won't have a chance..."

"What a pity..."

"As official maidens of the shrine, sisters should wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to the gods. To imagine indulging in such young love... the gods would weep."

While comforting his little girlfriend, Makoto Amano responded to the teasing from the maiden sisters.

"Wow, Amano-kun is quite audacious..."

"Yeah, daring to lecture us..."

"That's why high school boys these days are really not cute at all..."

"Ahem~ there are only ten minutes left."

The leading priestess silenced the others' restlessness with a crisp voice.

Soon, the shrine maidens, realizing that they were about to go on stage to complete the final performance, fell silent with earnest expressions.

"Sorry, we disturbed you because of our friend's situation."

At that moment, Makoto Amano realized that these sisters truly possessed the aura of maidens.

Well, as long as they don't speak.

"No... the 'Shrine maiden' sent by Amano-san is quite special and may bring positive feedback to this year's shrine."

"Thank you, but it's still a trouble."

He couldn't help but glance at Kasumigaoka Utaha once more.

Indeed, it was a sensational sight...

"However, next time... next year, can we also invite the young lady over there?"

Just as Makoto Amano was about to bid farewell, the leading maiden asked in a low voice once again.

"Over there..."

Amano Makoto followed her gaze and looked over.

Though not as stunning as Kasumigaoka Utaha, she possessed an impeccable pretty face and exuded a serene and elegant demeanor...

Clearly not feigning tranquility.

Kato Megumi... This dangerous woman is surprisingly suited to wearing a maiden's costume...

And this girl... while she may be unremarkable and easily overlooked, once you notice her, your eyes will never be able to look away.

"It depends on what she thinks. I can't make that decision, including Kasumigaoka-senpai..."

"..."

Upon hearing her own name, Kasumigaoka Utaha silently gave him a puzzled look.

With only ten minutes until the official performance, the atmosphere once again made her tense.

Although playing the role of a shrine maiden was not her original intention, since she had come this far...

She had to do her best.

After everything was over, she planned to have a good conversation with this junior~about today's events.

——

"Phew..."

Yuigahama Yui breathed a sigh of relief as she "escaped" from that room.

Being surrounded by so many shrine maidens made her feel somewhat... suffocated.

Especially when those people kept asking her questions about... Makoto Amano.

"Yui, didn't you like those older sisters just now?"

Makoto Amano felt a subtle sense of satisfaction as he looked at the two "shrine maidens" walking beside him.

Having two adorable shrine maidens around him made him feel like he was the deity of this shrine.

"No, not at all..."

Yuigahama Yui responded to him while cautiously monitoring the onlookers on the street.

She seemed to be highly conscious of her appearance in the shrine maiden outfit.

"Is it because I got too close to those older sisters and made you jealous? Yui, you're quite possessive..."

"No, no way! You idiot!"

While there was some truth to that, the girl would never admit it.

Besides, what she cared about wasn't those shrine maiden sisters who couldn't be considered as "rivals," but...

That Kasumigaoka-senpai was just too beautiful.

Yes, from the very beginning, when Makoto wrote Kasumigaoka Utaha's name on the blackboard of the Service Department, Yui's heart had harbored a faint sense of rivalry.

Beautiful to that extent... only Yukino could possibly compare, right?

Although she looked cute in the shrine maiden outfit, when compared to Kasumigaoka Utaha...

"What are you looking at?"

With a complicated heart, Yui was about to raise her head to say something to someone when she noticed that person's gaze was often directed towards the girl in a shrine maiden outfit standing behind her.

She knew that Kato Megumi wasn't wearing a bra right now...

Could this troublemaker have noticed that and been staring at Kato-san?

With that thought, Yuigahama Yui angrily stood in front of Kato Megumi.

"I was just wondering..."

Makoto Amano didn't have X-ray vision, so how could he possibly know about Kato Megumi's current undergarment situation?

He was merely curious about one thing.

"Is Kato-san... still bound by that flower string?"

Makoto Amano quietly asked Yuigahama Yui.

He was quite certain that Yuigahama Yui's string was still tied around her leg, but now he had another curiosity.

Kato Megumi...

Had this quiet girl, who had remained silent all this time, still not removed the string from her thigh?

———