E-Book Bonus Short Story

'Are You My Master?'

It was the early afternoon on a certain day off. I was walking through Akihabara once again, this time with Shinomiya-san. The previous time was completely unavoidable because we needed to buy costumes for a shoot. But as for why I was with Shinomiya-san again today, it was entirely because she had sent me a message saying:

"There's a shop I'd really like to visit. Would you come with me?"

I honestly think casually inviting the guy who sits next to you in class out on a weekend, even if he does have blackmail material on you, is highly questionable behavior. If anyone found out I was hanging out on a weekend with the Shinomiya-san, whose popularity was so immense it spawned its own fan club, my life would unequivocally be over in an instant.

"Anno-kun, thank you so much for keeping me company today."

We met up at a cafe near the station and were currently walking side-by-side through the crowd, so close our shoulders were practically brushing. The sweet, fruity scent of her perfume wafted gently through the air, causing my heart to give a loud thump.

"I never in a million years thought I'd end up coming back to Akihabara with you, Shinomiya-san."

"Was it really that surprising?"

"To be completely honest, yeah. It just feels so utterly disconnected from the image I have of you, Shinomiya-san."

I had no idea what Shinomiya-san normally did on her days off, but she was definitely not the type of person to casually visit the holy land of otaku culture.

"Then it must be your influence, Anno-kun. You're going to take responsibility for tainting me, aren't you?"

"Please don't use phrasing that's guaranteed to cause misunderstandings. What are you going to do if someone overhears us?"

"You're far too cautious. Among this massive crowd of people, the chances of us running into someone we know are basically zero, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah, that's true... more importantly, Shinomiya-san. Are you finally going to tell me where exactly this shop you want to visit is?"

I had asked her beforehand, but she completely brushed me off with a single "It's a secret," so even now, I had no clue what kind of place she wanted to go.

"Hehe. You're quite impatient, aren't you. We'll be there soon, so please endure it for just a little longer."

Shinomiya-san smiled mischievously like a prankster. It's not really something that needs to be kept a secret, I grumbled internally, deciding to stay quiet and let her lead the way.

"We're here! This is the shop!"

With a massive smile on her face, Shinomiya-san pointed directly at a newly opened retail store for a brand that specialized in selling original ladies' costumes.

Their entire concept was elevating cosplay into high fashion, and they offered a wide variety of outfits, starting heavily with maid uniforms. By the way, the photo of Yuzuha-san wearing a maid outfit from this exact brand was so incredibly popular it went massively viral on social media.

"I happened to see a photo of a maid on social media and thought it was absolutely adorable, so I really wanted to come see the real thing in person. But I couldn't quite muster the courage to come in here all by myself..."

"I see, so that's what this is about."

Up until now, they only operated via an online store, so Yuzuha-san had mentioned that buying from them always made her a little nervous. When she heard they were opening a physical store, she was absolutely ecstatic. I never expected Shinomiya-san to be the very first person I actually went to the shop with, though.

"Even though they're all called maid outfits, there are so many different varieties, and they're all so cute. I had absolutely no idea."

"Well, that's the main selling point that makes it such a popular brand."

"By the way, the photo of the maid I saw happened to be Yuzuha-san."

"...I see."

"The person who took the photo of Yuzuha-san wearing a maid outfit—one that was cute, but carried a distinctly erotic undertone—was you, Anno-kun, right?"

Unless there were incredibly extreme circumstances, I was basically the only one taking pictures of Yuzuha-san. Being officially recognized as the exclusive photographer for an ultra-popular cosplayer like her was an absolute honor. However, she had a terrible habit of violently sulking if I photographed anyone else, which was a massive headache. Therefore, if Yuzuha-san ever found out about my relationship with Shinomiya-san, it would result in a total catastrophe.

"It's true that I took Yuzuha-san's maid photos, but what about it?"

"Hehe, I don't have any ulterior motives, you know? I was just purely curious. I wanted to know what kind of maid outfit Anno-kun liked best."

"...Excuse me?"

Shinomiya-san flashed a highly suspicious smile. She wasn't planning on trying them on just to enjoy watching my reaction, was she?

"If you tell me honestly, I'll wear whichever maid outfit you like best, Anno-kun. How about it?"

"What... did you just say?"

Having that whispered directly into my ear in an incredibly sweet voice rendered me entirely speechless. I instantly began visualizing Shinomiya-san wearing a maid outfit in my head. What kind of design would suit her best?

Given that she was widely known as the 'Princess' within the school, a long-skirted classic style was an absolute must. It was incredibly orthodox, but for someone like Shinomiya-san, who was essentially the dictionary definition of pure and innocent, it would be a perfect match. I'd love to capture the floating, ethereal sensation of her skirt softly fluttering as she twirled around.

But did that mean a mini-skirt was the wrong choice? The answer was a resounding no. In fact, speaking purely from personal preference, I actually preferred the mini. However, it wasn't for a simple, short-sighted reason like wanting to see her bare legs.

I genuinely believed a 'little devil' style—a maid trying to seduce the master she served—would perfectly suit Shinomiya-san's teasing nature. Plus, if it was a maid outfit sold at this specific shop, there were designs that featured a mysterious, gaping window on the chest specifically designed to emphasize cleavage. Some even came as a set with attached garter belts, meaning the sheer aesthetic value was absolutely off the charts.

And above all else, the fact that she was usually so innocent, only to become completely captivating and bewitching when we were alone together... that was the absolute peak of 'gap moe.' If I took photos of that and posted them, they were 100% guaranteed to go viral.

"...What do you mean, 'How about it?' You're just trying to gather more blackmail material on me, aren't you? I'm not falling for that."

"It's far too late to try and cover it up now. I'm going to guess exactly which maid outfit will get Anno-kun the most exci... I mean, which one you'll think is the cutest!"

"Correcting yourself is totally pointless! You literally just said it! Honestly, can I just go home?"

This was nothing but a cruel punishment game. Having the girl who sat next to me in class try to predict exactly which maid outfit would turn me on was the absolute worst situation imaginable.

"You can't come all the way here and just go home! Or what, are you saying you don't actually want to take pictures of me in a maid outfit? Were you fully satisfied just taking pictures of Yuzuha-san?"

"I-It's not that I don't want to..."

If I was being honest, I desperately wanted to. I wanted to photograph her in the long skirt, the mini skirt, the pure version, the little devil version, and basically compile an entire photobook. But openly admitting that felt like a total defeat, so I averted my eyes to try and play it cool.

"Hehe. If you tell me honestly, you can do whatever you like with me, Master."

But Shinomiya-san saw right through exactly what I was thinking. Wrapping her arms around mine and pressing her soft body tightly against me, she whispered in a dangerously captivating voice. Faced with that bountiful sensation and the absolutely devastating destructive power of that specific title, I had no choice but to wave the white flag. If there was a man alive who wouldn't surrender in this situation, I'd like to meet him.

"Now then, let's go. Please make sure you pick out a maid outfit that perfectly suits me, okay?"

Being called 'Master' in a sickly sweet voice right next to my ear, I nodded repeatedly like a completely broken wind-up doll.