Soyo-chan, Version 2.0—Courtesy of Me! [138]

Even in a mall specializing in anime and cosplay apparel, Tsuzuki Chihiro and Nagasaki Soyo still managed to draw quite a bit of attention.

It wasn’t because of their looks—one was in a suit, the other in a school uniform, neither particularly eye-catching.

The real reason for the stares? They looked like a mother and daughter shopping for a maid outfit together.

People had seen friend groups here, couples too, but a mother picking out a maid dress for her daughter?

Absolutely mind-blowing. Completely unconventional. Borderline blasphemous.

And, for some, strangely enviable.

Of course, for Soyo, this whole shopping trip was just an elaborate scheme to embarrass Chihiro. But deep down, what she cared about most was why Chihiro was going along with this today.

Now, standing outside the small fitting room, Soyo hesitated.

"Um… Chihiro?"

"What is it, Soyo?" Chihiro smiled knowingly—she could already guess what the little widow was hesitating about.

"Maybe we should… skip the whole trying-it-on part?"

Nope. She couldn’t do it.

Even though she knew this was just her friend Tsuzuki Chihiro, the face in front of her right now was still her mom’s.

If she made Chihiro try on the maid outfit… wouldn’t that mean she was making her mom try on a maid outfit?!

That was not something her brain could handle.

People shouldn’t—no, couldn’t—do things like this.

"If I don’t try it on, how will I know if it fits? What if the size is wrong? Then how am I supposed to wear it at home?"

"……I’ll do it."

"You… will?"

Perfect. Took the bait.

"Yeah. It’s just trying it on, right? We’re about the same size—if it fits me, it’ll fit you."

Nagasaki Soyo felt like she was sacrificing a lot just to get some dirt on Chihiro. If not for the golden opportunity to snap some secret photos once Chihiro put on the maid outfit, there was no way she would go this far.

But just imagining the future—if Chihiro ever messed with her again, she could use those photos to blackmail her—Soyo’s mood instantly brightened.

"Alright then… hurry up, I’ll be waiting."

Chihiro tossed the outfit at Soyo and, with a little shove, nudged the reluctant girl into the fitting room. Then, pulling out her phone, she started messaging Rupa.

After all, thanks to Soyo’s meddling, she had already agreed to join Benishouga. Like it or not, this was now her job too, and she had to take it seriously.

She couldn’t just keep living off her grandmother. Not that Grandma minded covering her expenses, but…

True freedom—including romantic freedom—came from financial independence.

A job was necessary. Money had to be earned. And that little widow needed to be properly taken care of.

Based on Rupa’s replies, Chihiro confirmed their usual work hours. She also noted their home addresses and roughly estimated when she’d be paying them a visit. With that settled, she put away her phone.

There was still some time before their meeting to discuss Benishouga’s future plans.

And in the few minutes she had spent messaging, Soyo had already changed. Reluctantly, she stepped out of the fitting room.

The maid outfit was complete—headpiece, dress, tiny apron, and even thigh-high black stockings.

Since she was already wearing formal school shoes, they matched the outfit perfectly.

The only thing that didn’t match was her expression.

Soyo’s face was stiff, her embarrassment barely hidden behind a mask of fake indifference.

She shot Chihiro a sharp glare when she caught her staring, then immediately turned around and retreated back into the fitting room.

A shame, really. The moment had been so perfect.

And unfortunately, cold-faced maid Soyo was missing her most essential charm—her signature motherly aura. Clearly, proper training was needed.

"This one’s fine. Go pay for it."

"……I haven’t even said anything yet. Why are you in such a rush?"

"……"

Chihiro chuckled but didn’t push further. Instead, she played the role of a forgiving mother dealing with her rebellious daughter, casually carrying the outfit to the register.

"That’ll be 8,000 yen, ma’am!"

The cashier seemed a bit surprised to see a mother and daughter buying this kind of outfit together. Her curious gaze lingered on Chihiro.

Of course, she completely missed the way Soyo clenched her fists beside her.

"Alright… wait, this expensive?!"

"Um…" The cashier hesitated, then glanced at Soyo before cautiously explaining, "Actually, the one your daughter picked out is one of our higher-quality cosplay outfits."

"The material and craftsmanship are quite exquisite. It’s actually durable enough to wear as a regular outfit, not just for cosplay."

"Of course, that didn’t mean people were casually walking around in outfits this suggestive."

"Durable enough for daily wear, huh…"

Chihiro’s eyes gleamed.

Behind her, Soyo suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

"Alright then. Card, please."

Chihiro had a bank card from her grandmother, meant for daily expenses.

She wasn’t planning on asking for more once the money ran out, though.

"Let’s go~"

"Wait." Soyo narrowed her eyes at her. "Why are you… paying so easily?"

This outfit wasn’t cheap.

She had expected Chihiro to complain about the price and make her try on a bunch of cheaper ones instead.

Because that was her original plan—to put Chihiro through hell.

The only reason she gave up was because Chihiro was wearing her mom’s face.

"Because I really shouldn’t have lied to you."

Unlike Soyo, who wore her mischievous intentions openly, Chihiro hid hers well. She patted Soyo—who was still processing her response—and calmly continued,

"You wanted to know why I lied, right?"

"Actually… I wanted to deceive everyone this way."

"Deceive everyone?"

"Yeah. I already messaged Taki. Though honestly, even if I hadn’t, Sakiko and the others probably wouldn’t have asked her about you anyway."

Right now, in everyone’s eyes—heck, even in your own eyes just a few hours ago—Nagasaki Soyo is the tragic, helpless victim who needs saving.

Taki wants to rescue you. Mutsumi wants to help you. Even Sakiko feels guilty about what happened.

"Tell me… in that situation, who would ever suspect that you’re actually a scheming little widow full of bad ideas?"

"……You could’ve just said that. Why did you have to insult me at the end?!"

"Uh… habit?"

"Don’t get used to it!"

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T/N: R-R-R-ROMANTIC FREEDOM?

This is a fan translation of 素世同学，恭喜你被我优化了 by 杰克喵. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!