‘Damsel’ in distress…

Reiryuu Gakuen Seitokai

　Meru is worrying over the day"s dinner in front of the fridge. She has a monopoly over the Kusuharas" kitchen and is constantly managing the conditions of the fridge.

"Yep, I guess I should visit the supermarket."

　There are still some ingredients but it would be nice to stock up. If she is going to buy, why not let today be the occasion? Meru moves her feet immediately.

"Father. Money for food please~

　Meru calls out to Shigeharu, her father who is lounging around while watching television.

"Gotcha. Dad"s leaving his beer to you too!"
"The underaged can"t buy that."

　Meru sighs at her father who says such a thing as he hands her money. Looking at Meru"s exasperated expression, Shigeharu laughs "Hahaha~" in a cheery manner.
translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com
"Meru-chan, since you"re going to get groceries, I"ll make something with the remainders meanwhile."
"It"ll be troublesome to deal with aftermath so no thanks."

　Her mother, Mariko, who has been folding the laundry in another room, appears. Meru smiles bitterly as she recalls the time when Mariko cooked. It was at the level that it would have been better for Meru to doing the cooking herself even if she was running a 40°C fever.

"That"s mean, Meru-chan."
"Meru! Cooking is nothing but child"s play if Mariko gets serious!"
"Is that so."
"Shigeharu-san…!"
"Mariko…!"

　Leaving her parents who started an incomprehensible melodrama, Meru heads to the entranceway. By the way, this romantic scene occurs often so there is no point in expressly giving a retort.

"I"m back… eh, hm? Meru-nee, are you going somewhere?"

　The one who entered through the entranceway is her brother, Kei. He is one year younger. As opposed to Meru, Kei attends a normal public school and returns home late due to club activities.

"Un. Supermarket."
"Hmm. Give me a sec."

　After saying that, Kei rushes up to the 2nd floor and descends the stairs after putting his things down.

"What are you doing, Kei?"

　You"re tired right? You should just rest in your room. Meru honestly states her opinion. However, the younger brother before her goes "Uh…", his eyes rolling up before he smiles at Meru. 

"I"m coming. I wanna get drinks too."
"I can get those though?"
"I"ll help carry the stuff while I"m at it. Got it?"
"Kei, your colours are showing[1]."

　Shigeharu and Mariko appear with grins on their faces. Meru is unable to see Kei"s face but he quickly walks up to his parents, gives a single hit with his slippers and returns.

"Let"s go, Meru-nee."
"Righto."

This is translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com, please don"t post elsewhere.
This is translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com, please don"t post elsewhere.

　On the way back from the supermarket, Meru looks up at Kei, who is walking by her side. Meru was the taller one in the past but Kei grew much taller before she knew it. His skin is slightly sun-kissed from club activities and he is muscular. In addition, his gakuran is unb.u.t.toned as it hangs loosely on him. Even though he is her younger brother, she thinks that this is quite the fetching appearance.
translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com
"What?"
"I was just thinking that you seem like you"ll be popular, Kei."

　Kei spews out the soda he had been drinking at Meru"s astounding words.

"Cough cough! Meru-nee? Sheesh, what are you saying all of a sudden."
"Simply what I thought."
"Sigh. It should be Meru-nee in that case, right?"
"In what case?"
"You"re popular, right?"
"You jest."

　What are we siblings discussing about? Meru gets embarra.s.sed midway and decides to gloss things over.

"Kei, being popular means… Look, just like that girl being skirtchased like that… wait, huh?"

　So Meru says as she just happens to spot a girl being surrounded by high school boys in her peripheral vision. However, she stops walking upon realising that the girl looks familiar.

"Meru-nee?"
"Yeah. Well, a girlified "girl" but…"

　The girl whose arm is grabbed by three guys who seem like playboys, has her golden hair tied in two side-ponytails. Even in school, there are not many who look so good in that school uniform which emphasizes the white color of Reiryuu.

"Let go. I"m busy!"

　Raira glares unrestrained at the boys grabbing his arm. However, it is not very effective for even his glaring expression appears pretty. Contrarily, it has the opposite effect.

"Nice, those eyes."
"Just a while is fine, no?"

　The boys draw increasingly near to Raira. Raira"s face grows more and more stiff.

"Give me that, Kei."
"Eh? Oi, Meru-nee!"

　After s.n.a.t.c.hing the soda PET bottle Kei had drank from, Meru shakes it with a swish swish as she approaches the scene of the skirtchase.

"Give it a rest already!"
"Come have fun with us~?"
"Look. I—"
"Excuse meee."
Translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com
　It is approximately the same time that Raira is about to say something and that Meru unscrews the cap of the PET bottle. The bottle in Meru"s hand spurts towards those boys.

"Uwaah. There"s more spray than expected…"
"b.i.t.c.h! What are you doing!"

　Drenched, the boys shoot enraged glares at Meru. Meru smiles wryly, going "Ahaha". That, too, seems to strike a nerve in the three for they begin to approach Meru. Just as one of them is about to place his hand on Meru"s collar――

"Mr. Policeman! Over here!"

　Kei"s loud voice. Reacting to those words, the three boys click their tongues and hastily escape. At the same time, Kei rushes up to Meru while still holding onto the bags.

"Are you an idiot, Meru-nee? That was too risky!"
"Relax, don"t be so mad. I"ll get more soda for you."
"That"s not the problem!"

　Meru brushes off Kei who begins lecturing her. Judging from how there are no policeman behind him, what happened just now was probably an act he did on the fly. It is a secret how Meru privately muses that he is no stranger to it[2].

"Um…"

　Raira speaks to Meru who is conversing with Kei.

"Thank you very much. For helping me."
"Eh? Ah, it"s no problem. At all."

　When Meru says this while turning around, Raira"s eyes widen greatly.

"You"re… Kusuhara-san, right?"
"Eh? Ah, yes."

　Meru is slightly surprised that one of the school"s famous people recognized they are from the same school even though she is in casual clothes[3]. To say nothing of how he even knows her name. However, Raira is similarly surprised.

"Were you not afraid?"
"Well, more or less."

　When Meru answers in such a manner as she scratches her cheek, Raira returns a wry smile.
translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com
"You sure are strong despite being a girl."

　Raira"s tone of voice as he says that is sad. His words sound as though the female gender contains some sort of shackle. Meru therefore speaks out spontaneously.

"It has nothing to do with being a boy or girl right? That."
"Eh?"

　At Meru"s words, Raira lifts his head that had been hanging down.

"Female or not, a strong person will be strong. Male or not, a weak person will be weak, isn"t it? Besides, this isn"t an era where one"s conduct is restricted by one"s gender."
"Eh…"

　Meru says such words without a hitch. She does not think her words were particularly strange but she begins to feel stumped because Raira is staring at her.

"Meru-nee."

　Kei, who had been at a side looking at them converse, holds his phone aloft as he calls Meru. Relieved at being liberated from the awkward atmosphere, Meru asks Kei what is the matter, to which he shows Meru the message requesting for dinner which their parents sent.

"Haah. Shall we get back, Kei?"

　Meru returns the phone to Kei and turns back to Raira.

"Well then, take care to not get skirtchased again. Hiiragi-san."

　Meru waves her hand from side to side and departs. Left behind, Raira stands there blankly for a while and only snaps back when Shoutarou, an executive like him, returns.

"Hiiragi? What"s wrong?"

　Shoutarou asks as he pushes up his gla.s.ses that slipped from his nose.

"You"re slow, Shou-chan. A little more and I would"ve gotten a.s.saulted."
"It would"ve ended at an attempt even if you were a.s.saulted, right."

　Shoutarou"s words are probably referring to how Raira is male. Raira will normally be angered by such words but things are different today.

"There"s nothing to it. This is one of the few "female" figures a.s.sociated with the misogynistic Shou-chan after all."
"Hiiragi… did something good happen?"
"Why did you say that?"
"It"s the first time you treated matters of cross-dressing as a female so lightly, rascal."

　After Shoutarou points that out, Raira thought: "Come to think of it, that"s true".

"Fufu. I see…"

　Not understanding why Raira is laughing, Shoutarou pushes his gla.s.ses up again and heads towards school without delay.

This is translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com, please don"t post elsewhere.
This is translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com, please don"t post elsewhere.

　From the following day, the number of famous people visiting the Cla.s.s F Meru is in increases by one――

This is translated at nakimus.h.i.tl.wordpress.com, please don"t post elsewhere.

[1] Original: 色気づいてる, lit. have realised (your) colour. It actually means showing an interest in the opposite gender. Btw, concerned parties don"t have to worry. This isn"t incest.
[2] To acting, I suppose.
[3] She wasn"t in her school uniform.