Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter3

Chapter Three: The Sailor Outfit and Louise's Jealousy

The sunlight shining radiantly, at Austri's Plaza, Saito was groveling on the ground and trembling violently. Then he raised his face, gazed at the work of art he has produced, and once again started to go mad from his excitement.

Hah, hah, hah...... His respiration became hot.

The throbbing of his heart reached its climax many times and brought Saito's heart to utopia.

Saito muttered quietly.

"Shiver, my palpitation's beat."

"Throb, my heart of homesickness."

"Shiver more and more heatedly, bless my genius......"

"The angel said. Said it here. I'm glad I'm alive......"

Saito tightly grasped the grass growing from the ground and yelled loudly.

"UooooooooooOOOOOOH! I'm, THE GREAAAAATESTT!"

Then he pointed at the angel in front of his eyes.

"Siesta is also the greaaaTTTESStt!!"

Sieta, dumbfounded, was staring at Saito's whole act of agony and excitement.

Saito-san... is strange......

She murmured unintentionally. That was exactly just how abnormal Saito was acting.

"B-but, these clothes......"

"Wh-what? Something wrong? Is there something flawed?!"

Saito sprung energetically towards her.

"W, well...... I mean, this is a military uniform, right? Even if I wear this, it won't look good......"

"Don't say such stupid things!"

Saito's intimidating attitude caused Siesta to go "Hii..." and back off.

"In thiiiIISS! W-W-World! That is certainly an outfit for the naval soldiers! BuuuUUUUT! In my woorrlLLD! Girls your age wear that and go to school! GoooOOOIIING in present progressive form!

"Y-Yes......"

Aah, Saito-san is surpassing strange......

Then Saito screamed while half-crying.

"It is called sailor uniforms in my world! I'm shorrRRYYY for being born!"

Siesta thought So that is what this was about...

This is an outfit from Saito-san's birthplace...

Last night, Saito came to her and handed her the sailor uniform with a stiffened expression. When Saito said "I'll modify this outfit for you to wear", she honestly thought that he had lost his mind.

Even so, Siesta honestly felt happy that Saito bought clothes for her.

And now, to Saito who was delighting over having her dress in his birthplace's outfit, she felt darling.

If Saito was normal right now, pulling away from him would be the only thing possible to do, but for that reason, Siesta blushed.

"At first, I thought Saito-san went crazy, but he had such a reason......"

I understand! Siesta nods, and turns around and faces Saito seriously.

"What should I do, to please you even more?"

Saito, once again, looks at Siesta's appearance from the top to bottom.

First, the upper half. It is a beautiful gem made from Albion's sailor suits. White long sleeves with black cuffs. The collar and scarf is deep blue in color. Three white lines run across the collar.

And then, Saito condensed his genius into "length". Saito, to his utmost ability, instructed Siesta to make the waist area short. By shortening the length of the upper half, it only reached to the top of the skirt. Therefore, whenever Siesta twisted her body, he could see her belly button. Saito is the real thing.

Now, the skirt. He shouldn't have done it, but he stole Louise's alternate uniform. It has a pleat on it, so he put it to practical use. This, as well, was shortened to the best he could. As a result, mostly likely the first skirt in this other world to be fifteen centimeters above the knees was created.

And then socks. It was resulted from a conflict between Saito's preferences and reality. Saito carefully chose and arranged deep blue socks.

Shoes. It was the high-laced boots Siesta always wears. It was the only scratch in this glittering work of art. He really wanted loafers here. But sadly, loafers do not exist in this world.

Anyways, these articles were all scrutinized and coordinated by Saito.

Her big breasts, usually covered and hidden by an apron, were raised up by the hand-made sailor uniform. Her slender legs, healthy like a serow's, was sucked into the fifteen-centimeter-above-knees skirt. Siesta usually doesn't wear such short skirts, so the mix of nostalgia and freshness made him even more emotionally moved.

"Tell me! Saito-san! What should I do, to get more closer to your birthplace!?"

Saito thought. Seriously, staking his life. He recalled all kinds of patterns. Like a high-powered calculator, Saito's head rotated.

The voice of his heart whispered.

Saito, IT CAN ONLY BE THAT.

Right. It can only be that....... Only that......

With a almost-sobbing voice, he squeezed out

"Spin around."

"Eh?"

"Round and around, turn like that. Then, after that, say 'Sorry to keep you waiting!' cheerfully to me."

Siesta drew back. Saito was coinciding with the type of men her mother told her when she was young to not close to. But, Siesta wanted to please Saito.

As if to prepare herself, "Y-yes......" she nods, and Siesta spun around. Her scarf and skirt lightly flew up into the air.

"So-sorry to keep you waiting."

"Wroooong!"

"Hii!"

"At the end, you raise a finger and go "ne". Cheerfully. One more time."

Nodding, Siesta repeated what she was told. Seeing this, Saito cried.

"Thank you for y-y, y, your bravery."

Is this okay, Siesta? Is it really okay for this person? She kind of felt that from the more composed part of her, but Siesta shut off that negativity.

Every person has hobbies and preferences that they can't tell others. Saito-san is no exception. Yeah, that's all...... Yes, that's it! She tells herself brightly and smiles. Siesta is strong.

"What should I do next?"

"Um, next is......"

When Saito folded his arms and started pondering over this, a group of two walked over here in an awkward manner.

It was Guiche and the fat Malicorne. An unusual grouping. It seems the two had been staring at Siesta from some shelter.

"Kohon", Guiche coughed to grab attention.

"That is, what? What are those clothes!"

For some reason, Guiche was furious while looking like he was going to cry. Malicorne, too, pointed to Siesta while trembling.

"O-o, o, outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Isn't that right! Guiche!"

"Aah, this! I've never seen such an outrageous outfit before! Ititit!"

"It directly attacks the br-br-brain!"

The two's eyes glittered heatedly, and stared at Siesta as if to eat into her. Waaan, the headaches multiplied, Siesta felt miserably, but these two are nobles. Because she has to, Siesta forcibly smiled.

That smile and sailor uniform seemed to have completely damaged Malicorne and Guiche, since they started to draw near her in a staggering gait like a somnambulist's. Siesta, sensing danger to her body, said "Well, I'm going back to work!" and ran away.

"How lovely......" Guiche murmured in a dreaming tone as he watched her run off.

"Absolutely......" Malicorne also murmured, spellbound.

"What! Did you come here for!"

When Saito yelled, the two finally came back to their senses. Then, Guiche embraced Saito's shoulders.

"H, hey, you. Where did you buy that outfit?"

"What do plan to do by asking?"

Guiche said with an embarrassed smile

"Th-there is a person I want to give the outfit to as a present."

"The Princess?"

"Idiot! Too much! That's too much! Her Majesty the Princess is now Her Majesty the Queen! Aah, she has gone to a high place where I cannot reach...... It was better when she was a princess, but now as the queen......"

What high place? You never had a chance since the beginning. Saito thought, but he decided to stay silent and listen.

"There, I finally remembered. That person who was always beside me, constantly looking at me with her lovely eyes...... That beautiful blond hair. That sweet, perfume-like smile......"

Ah, his ex-girlfriend. Saito realized.

"Monmon?"

"Not Monmon! It's Montmorency!"

"I see. You want to be close to her again. You know, you really don't have any integrity."

"I don't want to be told by you. Now then, so tell me. Where is that outfit sold?"

"Hmph. Like you could ever understand art."

Saito spat out. He doesn't want someone like Guiche dishonoring his birthplace's memories.

"It can't be helped. I will not only report today's events, but also ask Louise as well."

Those were most certainly magic words.

"I still have two more. Use them as you please."

It pulled out Saito's maximum concession instantly.

"But still, just what is that outfit? I think I've seen that somewhere before...... Didn't sailors wear these clothes? For, hmm, a girl to wear it and give off such charms! How mysterious."

Folding his arms together, Saito puffed up his chest with pride.

"Of course. It has the charming magic from my birthplace casted on it."

Now then, on the night of that day.

Montmorency, prideful of her long, curly golden hair and vivid blue eyes, was mixing a potion in her room at the dormitory. Leaning her tall body on a chair, she was engrossed in mixing a secret potion inside a pot with a wooden pestle.

Montmorency the "Perfume", a mage of the "water" element, has a hobby of magical medicine...... potion making. And just like her second name suggests, her specialty is perfume making. The perfumes she makes are known for the uniquely lovely fragrance it emits, and she is extremely popular with the ladies and town girls.

Today, Montmorency was zealously creating a certain potion.

It was not just any potion. What a thing, how wrong that it was a forbidden potion. By the country's proclamation, it was an item forbidden to be created or used.

Montmorency sold the perfumes she made in the town and slowly saved up money. And then, today, this day, she used the money she saved up and obtained the recipe for the forbidden potion, as well as the high priced secret medicine needed for the mixing, at a dark magic store. Hobbies win over moral. Getting fed up over making normal potions, Montmorency felt like creating something forbidden despite knowing that an enormous fine would be imposed on her if she was discovered.

Along with the mashed up fragrant wood, dragon sulfur, and mandragora, at last, to pour in the essential secret medicine...... the liquid that she had paid a large amount of money to obtain, she grabbed the small bottle beside her.

Just a small quantity...... For just this little amount of liquid stored in the perfume bottle, Montmorency used up pretty much all of the money she had saved up. 700 in ecu gold coins. An amount of money a commoner could use to live five to six years.

When she tilted the small bottle to the pot, being careful not to spill anything......

Someone knocked on the door, causing Montmorency to leap up.

"Wh-who is it...... At a time like this......"

She placed the ingredients and utensils that were on the desk inside the drawer. After that, she headed towards the door while combing her hair upwards.

"Who is it?"

"It's me! Guiche! Your eternal servant! Open this door for me!"

Whoーisーan eternal servant, Montmorency muttered. She knew about his unfaithful nature quite well. When they walk together in the town, he would get distracted and look restlessly around at the beautiful woman. When they drink wine at a bar, he would make advances at the waitresses whenever she left her seat for a bit. Finally, he would forget about a date promise and go pick flowers for a girl somewhere else. It was quite annoying to hear him say eternal.

Montmorency spoke in an irritated voice.

"Why did you come here? I already broke up with you."

"I don't think like that at all. But if you think that why, then it is my fault...... After all, see, I love beautiful things. In other words, I am a servant to beauty...... Like you already know, art, that's right, art! I'm too weak against beautiful things......"

You love art? For someone with bad tastes, you sure can say things. She thought. The color of the shirt he wears for dates is gingira violet, and she got a headache the time he came wearing a red and green scarf.

"But I've made sure that I will no longer accept any art except you. After all, you seem to be the most art-like. Um, like your blond hair."

Are you an idiot?

"Go away. I am busy."

When Montmorency said that coldly, silence fell for a while. After that, Guiche breaking down and crying could be heard in the corridor.

"I understand...... Being told like that, I can only perish on this spot. If I'm hated by the you, who I love, so badly, then there is no worth at all to live."

"Do what you want."

[I]Men like Guiche couldn't die just because they get rejected.[/I] Montmorency kept up her indifferent attitude.

"Now then, I want to, at least...... on the door of the room you live in, I will carve proof that I have lived... that I have loved you."

"Wh-what are you doing?! Stop that!"

The sound of a hard something could be heard scratching on the door.

"The man who sacrificed himself for love, Guiche de Gramont. Destroyed by eternal love, he dies here...... There."

"Not 'there'! Geez!"

Montmorency opened the door. Guiche was standing there with a full smile on his face.

"Montmorency! I love you! I really love you! I love you! I love you!"

And then, he embraced her tightly. Montmorency was enthralled for a moment. Anyways, Guiche continuously said "I love you". It was because of his lack of vocabulary, but no matter how many times he said that, she didn't feel bad.

Then, Guiche handed the bundle he was holding to Montmorency.

"......What is this?"

"Open it up. It is a present for you."

Montmorency opened up the bundle. It was the sailor uniform. Saito had asked Siesta to remake the uniform to fit Montmorency's body, Guiche always memorizes the sizes of the girls he gets along with.

"What a strange outfit......"

Montmorency raised her eyebrows.

"How about you wear it? It will definitely fit you. Your purity will be amplified many folds. Come on. Hurry. What, I'm facing in another direction."

Facing backwards, Guiche started to bite his nails restlessly. Seeing the inevitable, Montmorency took off her shirt and put on the outer garment.

"I'm done."

Turning around, Guiche's face brightened energetically.

"Aah, Montmorencyー...... You really are pure...... My cute Montmorencyー......"

While muttering that, Guiche tried to kiss her. Right away, Montmorency obstructed him.

"Monmon......"

Guiche's face distorted sadly.

"Don't misunderstand. I opened the door to my room, but I didn't open this door. I haven't decided to make up with you yet. Also, who are you calling Monmon."

With just that, Guiche was happy. There was still some hope left.

"My Montmorencyー! You feel like considering it, I see!"

"If you understand, then leave! I was in the middle of something!"

Saying "Yes, yes, of course I'll leave. If you say so, I'll leave any time.", Guiche left the room hopping.

Montmorency reflected herself in the mirror.

"What is this...... There's no way I could wear something so embarrassingly short-lengthed!"

Unintentionally, her face reddened. Though looking carefully, this outfit is quite cute. Guiche had purposely prepared this outfit for her sake.

Umumumu......

Well, yeah, being told "I love you" like that, she was in a pretty good mood. They were going out originally, so she doesn't hate him.

"What to do? Forgive him?"

But, she remembered the way Guiche cheated on her in the past.

Even if I go out with him again, won't everything just repeat all over again. She was fed up with getting worried over his cheating.

What should I do? While she was thinking that, she remembered the potion she had been mixing. She opens the drawer. She saw the secret medicine inside the perfume bottle that she had hid a moment ago.

Montmorency tilted her head and started to ponder.

Uーn, it is a good change...... I can also test for the effectiveness......

How about I use this potion a bit after it is completed, Montmorency thought.

Next day, everyone's attention focused on Montmorency simultaneously when she entered the classroom. Why, she had appeared wearing the sailor uniform.

The male students reacted quickly to this.

Sailor outfit and girl... Feeling a fresh tidiness at this exquisite grouping that they've never imagined before, they stared engrossed at Montmorency. In regards to the way the guys reacted, the female students quickly felt jealousy and envy, and they glared at her.

Montmorency managed to monopolize the glances of everyone in the class, so she was in a good mood. Putting her hand on her hip, she looked upwards and pridefully put on airs and headed to her seat. Louise was also staring at Montmorency while gaping. If I'm right, isn't that the sailor outfit of the Albion army that Saito bought in town?

Louise poked Saito, who was beside her and shivering for some reason.

"Hey, aren't those the clothes you bought? Why is Montmorency wearing it?"

"Ah, aah...... Well, ehe, ah, Guiche told me to give it to him......"

Louise remembered that Guiche and Montmorency had been going out with each other.

"Why did you give it to Guiche?" Saito started shivering even more.

"Eh? Because, he said he wanted it......"

Louise felt something suspicious from Saito's attitude.

"Heey, are you hiding something from me?" She glares ferociously at him.

"Eh? Eeeh? I'm not hiding anything! Come on now......"

Saito felt damp cold sweat streaming down him. He didn't think Montmorency would wear it to class.

Crap, if Louise finds out it was a present for Siesta......

Louise would definitely get angry. It seems that this girl, finds it boring when I, her familiar, gets along with other girls. Even though she doesn't love me or anything, she can't forgive that.

Definitely, just like Louise always says, "Ignoring your master and getting along with other girls" irritates her.

What the heck? Anyways, her desire to monopolize her familiar, Saito interpretated. She was getting mad at him because her pet dog was more attached to others than her. Never in his wildest dreams did Saito think Louise harbored feelings for him. Very Saito-like, a considerably roundabout way to misunderstand. Aah, when she found out I took a bath with Siesta a while ago, it was horrible. Resentfully, Saito looked at the restraints that were once again placed on him.

That incident...... If Louise found out he had Siesta wear a sailor uniform and enjoyed the skirt spinning...... His face stiffened in fear.

Hung on the ceiling, and send electricity at him repeatedly......

In the end, taste an attack of "Void"......

Get scattered like that straw bundle......

I might die...

Saito started shivering violently. Don't shiver, it'll be suspicious! The more he thought that, the more he shivered. In the end, should I have just presented that sailor uniform to Louise in the first place? No, the high-prided Louise would never wear it. Besides, Siesta fits the sailor uniform better. Her hair is black, and she's one-eighth Japanese. Louise's pink-blond wouldn't fit the sailor uniform. Her body is small too, so it would get baggy.

What?

Th-that's it! Damn, that would be quite good too. Th-that would have been good too. Damn! Calculation error! What have I done......

Saito shook his head to chase out those delusions. Either way, all I wanted was to enjoy the atmosphere from my birthplace. There is nothing to feel guilty about. It's a lie, but none.

His face was ghastly blue, he was violently shivering, and was muttering under his breath, so it wasn't just Louise that found him suspicious.

"Hey. What are you hiding? I won't forgive you if you hide something from me."

Louise's eyes hung up.

"I-I'm not hiding anyshing."

Too suspicious. Louise tried to question him again, but she had to give up when the teacher entered the classroom.

When school ended, Saito left an absolutely impossible reason of "I have to feed the pigeons" and disappeared out of the classroom.

"When did he get a pigeon?"

Louise muttered with a very grumpy face. For some reason, a really bad premonition could be felt.

Saito ran to the kitchen. He hadn't been able to talk to Siesta because she looked busy during lunch and Louise's surveillance was severe.

Seeing Saito, who was panting by the time he got there, Siesta's face shined happily.

"Waah! Saito-san!"

The head cook, Marteau-oyaji, also came up to him and wrapped his thick arm on Saito's neck.

"Hey! Our sword! It's been a while!"

"He-hello......"

"Yai! Lately, you haven't been coming here! Siesta's always so lonely, you know!"

"Wahahaha" Came laughing voices throughout the kitchen. Becoming bright red in the face, Siesta, who had been washing stuff, grasped a plate tightly. Saito quickly drew his mouth near Siesta's ear.

"Siesta."

"Ye-yes......"

"About those clothes... When you're done with your job, will you bring it?"

"Eh?"

"Let's see...... Someplace where no one will see us is good...... In the plaza of Vestri, there's a staircase leading up a tower, right? Bring it there."

Siesta blushed in amazement.

Afterwards, Saito jogged off and disappeared.

"Aah...... I'm......"

"What's wrong, Siesta. A promise for a rendezvous?"

Hooting came flying, but they no longer entered Siesta's ears. Her face completely reddened, Siesta whispered absentmindedly.

"What should I do? Aah, I'm, going to be snatched away......"

Now then, on the other side, Louise was walking around the school and searching for her familiar.

Ever since he said he was going to feed his pigeon, Saito has not shown himself.

Getting to the tower of fire, she peeked inside Mister Colbet's laboratory. Even if you call it a laboratory, it's just a worn-out shack. Whenever Colbert had free time, he usually hanged out in here.

But, Saito was not there. Colbert, by himself, was doing something noisily to Dragon's Raiment that was left in front of his laboratory.

Louise asked Colbert.

"Mister Colbert. Have you seen Saito?"

"I don't know...... He hasn't come here for two or three days."

Louise looked at the zero fighter and was astonished. The engine part of the nose had been removed from the body and placed on the ground, and it had been tragically disassembled.

"Oh, this! I just got interested in the structure. I didn't get permission from Saito-kun, but I lightly disassembled it. It's complicated, but theoretically speaking, it is not much different from the 'Happy Snake-kun' I designed. Still, this is quite a fragile thing. If it flies once, it has to been precisely disassembled and get the parts looked over. Otherwise, not only will it fail to perform to its original efficiency, there is also a chance it will break......"

Colbert finally started talking about the engine's structure and maintenance.

"Ha, hah... Well then, pardon me."

Louise didn't really have interest in that conversation, so she bowed her head and started to run once again. Colbert shouted at her back.

"Miss! If you meet Saito-kun, tell him this! I have placed a surprising new weapon to this 'Dragon's Raiment'!

The next place Louise visited was the tower of wind. In the magic academy, towers were arranged into a pentagram with the main tower in the center. The tower of wind is one of them. It is mostly only used for lessons. There is only one entrance.

Louise witnessed the suspicious shadow of a person disappearing through the door into the tower. Whitish clothing...... a large collar.

Clearly, it was the sailor outfit worn by Montmorency just a while ago.

Who is it? If it was Montmorency, then it would be blond hair...... The person who entered a moment ago had black hair. Louise secretly followed the person.

Opening the door to the tower of wind, she ran straight down the corridor that had semicircular rooms arranged to the left and right.

Slowly pushing the door open, she heard the sound of footsteps steadily climbing up the staircase.

After Louise held her breath on the first floor for a while, she pursued after the person. She heard the sound of a door opening and closing on the second floor.

To keep herself from making sounds from her footsteps, Louise cautiously came up to the door. There, Louise leaned her body closely to it. This should be the warehouse. Just what does the person wearing the white sailor outfit plan to do here?

Louise pushed up her pink-blond hair and placed her ear on the door. She heard a strange voice from inside. An intermittent one......

"Haah, Nn, Haahaa......"

That kind of voice. Louise's eyebrows bent into a "へ". Because it was small, she could not figure out who it was.

But, it was a guy's.

At a place like this, calling out someone wearing those garments...... A person who can make those voices......

Louise thought up a terrible delusion inside her mind.

"Haa! Cu-cu, cute......"

Cute? At that moment, something flipped inside Louise's head.

Baang! She opened the door and pounced into the room.

"What! Are you doing!"

"Hiiiiii!"

The person there turned around. The person was wearing the sailor outfit, and what's more, was wearing a skirt below. Sure enough, it was the fat Malicorne.

"Ma-ma, Malicorne?"

"Louise!" Malicorne tried to run and escape, but he wasn't used to the skirt, so his feet got tangled in it and he fell over.

"Ah! Nna! Ah! Fua! AAH!"

Malicorne shouted while writhing on the floor. With the look of an ogre, Louise trampled on Malicorne's back. In the warehouse was an old mirror. The "Liar's Mirror". It was a mirror that reflected ugly things beautifully and beautiful things unattractively, but for various reasons, it almost got broken, so it was shut here. It seems Malicorne was finding self-satisfaction in reflecting himself in the mirror. What a preposterous pleasure.

"Why are you wearing that?"

"No, it was just too lovely...... Bu-but, I don't have anyone to wear it for me......"

"So you wore it yourself?"

"Th-that's right! Is that wrong? I-I have to wear it myself! Guiche has Montmorency and your commoner of a familiar has that maid from the kitchen! But, I don't have a girlfriennnnnd!"

"What did you say? What about Saito and the maid?"

Louise's eyes went up.

"Eh? Well, he had the maid wear these clothes and spin around...... Aah, it was moving! Just thinking back to it, my heart feels burnt from those lovely senses! That's why I should at least reflect myself in this mirror wearing it as a memento of that memory...... Aaah, I...... I'm such a lovely fairy...... AAAaaaaahh!"

Malicorne shouted. Louise trampled that face with her foot.

"Silence."

"Ah! Aah! Ah! Louise! Ah! Louise! Being stepped on by a beautiful girl like you... I feel like I'll lose my sense! Clear away my sins! Let me repent for it! Crush my sins of losing control over myself from acting like a lovely fairy in a place like this! There's something wrong with me! Ah! Ah! Nnnnaaaaaaaaa!"

Just like that, Louise trampled Malicorne's face and caused him to faint.

"Yeah, there is something wrong with you."

Louise muttered, her shoulders moving up and down from anger.

"I see...... So that is what it was about...... The maid is that good...... So she's so good that you would give her a lovely outfit as a present...... Plus, you had fun making her spin around and around? Don't joke with me."

Tightly squeezing her hands into fists, Louise growled.

"That familiar. Even though he kissed me."