When I got to cram school, the short-haired Moriyama-san's hair had turned into a long ponytail.

Surprised, I asked, "Moriyama-san, what happened to your hair?"

"This? A wig that my sister used to use," she answered as she twisted a strand with her finger.

"A wig! You looked like another person."

"It's okay once in a while. I'm feeling down from all this studying, so I wanted a change of pace. But this is a cheap wig, so I keep losing hairs, like my sister said."

"You look good with long hair, too, Moriyama-san."

"You think?"

She's not as dissatisfied as she says. She's showing off her long hair shifting her head. But a wig…? That may work.

Fashion starts with my hairstyle. Part of why I look old fashioned, is the rococo hair. But I don't have the courage to suddenly cut it. My mother would be against it, I promised Yukino-kun recently that I wouldn't cut it, and I have some attachment myself. What happens I cut it and it doesn't look good? It's pretty hard to find something that suits you. It'll take a while to grow it back if I mess up.

So a wig. I can try any look easily! Good idea!

"Thank you, Moriyama-san. I'll try a wig, also."

"Huh? You?"

If I'm going to do this, I want a complete change of image. Would that be short hair, then? The opposite of rococo hair, mode style might be nice. Bobbed hair or something very short might be stylish.

"I can't imagine Kisshouin-san without your curls."

"Fufu," I can't either. But I'm excited.

All right! I'm going to buy a wig and turn into a cool beauty!

"Oh, no. Hair just came out." Whoops, I shook a few loose swinging my hair around. I need to throw them away. There's not more on my clothes, right? It's not like I believe that superstition that having hair removed by someone else leads to romantic hearbreak, but it does make me nervous. Not that I believe it.

I wrapped the loose hair in a tissue and stood up when Umewaka-kun asked, "Kisshouin-san, are you shedding? My Beatrice is shedding a lot right now. I can't catch up just brushing morning and night. You want me to show you a nice slicker brush? I highly recommend it."

"Thank you, but I'll just accept your thoughts." I wave off that dog lover and head towards the trash bag. I spotted the Zuiran student, Tagaki-kun, doing problem sets, so I kindly greeted him, "Gokingen yoh."

"AHH!" He was openly frightened.

"Isn't that a bit much for a simple greeting, Tagaki-kun?"

"AHH, Sorry! Sorry!" So why is he so terrified? I'm always kind…

Tagaki-kun, gasped as he looked at me. "Oh, it that trash in your hand? I'll throw it away for you!"

"Huh?" No, what if I get rejected because of that! I reflexively slapped away his hand.

"Ahh! I'm sorry!" He's back to apologizing. Stop that! Everyone will misunderstand what's happening.

"Have I done anything for you to fear me so much?"

"No, nothing at all. Kisshouin-san has done nothing." That answer was delivered so mechanically and stiff…

"Then why are you so terrified?"

"Well, that's…"

"You can interact with me like Umewaka-kun and Moriyama-san over there."

"Uh… That's a little… I know that you're a member of the Pivoine, so I can't do that." Oh, it's that. I suppose the Pivoine are a subject for fear for Zuiran students. "And…"

"And?"

"…"

"I won't be angry, so you can tell me."

"Um, Kisshouin-san's very existence is oppressive…"

"What do you mean by that!?" I'm terrifying just standing here!?

Tagaki covered his head and prostrated himself on his desk apologizing, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

What is this? I'm kind, so I won't be angry just because he said something rude. "Thank you. I understand Tagaki-kun's feelings ve-ry well." I tap his back lightly and add, "I'll remember this," with my kind voice.

Ugh, math to start the morning.

I get out of my ride thinking about the gloomy subject coming up as I walked from the parking lot. I heard calls of "Reika-sama, gokigen yoh" "Good morning, Kisshouin-sama," so I answer, "Gokigen yoh," with a smile.

"Kisshouin-sama, good morning," I heard from being me.

I turn and answer, "Gokingen yoh," and found a sophomore Pivoine member smiling.

"It's starting to get hot."

"Yes. It's almost time for a cold mint tea in the Salon."

"That sounds good. I like it, too."

We continue our trifling chat as we walk. I've known Pivoine members since grade school, so I'm friendly enough to chat with those from different grades. I noticed that he wasn't carrying a bag. "You don't have a bag?"

"Huh? Oh, it's behind me."

"Behind?" I look back and see a boy carrying a bag in both hands. Huh…?

"Could you take that to my class?" asked the Pivoine member, pointing at the school building.

"Yes," answered the boy, and he anxiously left after taking his leave from us. What was that…?

"So, Kisshouin-sama. We're having a party at my house soon, and if you could…."

"Why was that boy carrying your bag…?" I interrupted. I stared at me for moment not understanding the question. He then smiled, "Because he's an external student."

"An external student…?"

"Yes."

He didn't even question what he was doing, and I didn't know what to say. That reminds me, he was one of the elitists under the last president of the Pivoine.

"You could simply carry your own bag…"

"Ah…" He didn't seem convinced, and I didn't know how to continue. A gloomy start to the day.

I couldn't get rid of that feeling as the end of school approached, when Ayame-chan brought me some news. "Did you hear, Reika-sama? The cafeteria is offering deserts as a test after school."

"Really!?" Zuiran's cafeteria basically operates only at lunch, but they usually only offer drinks from the vending machine or light meals for the sports clubs.

"It seems to be some baked snacks starting today, but do you wish to see?"

"Very much!" Baked sweets… Bringing snacks is against regulations, so having them outside of lunch is revolutionary. I wonder if they'll have pudding.

I pack up and head with Serika-chan and the girls to the cafeteria. "Where did you hear about this, Ayame-san? I had no idea."

"I just happened to hear it from a sports club member. It was a request from the sports teams, so they're offering a few things as a test."

"I see." If I went to the Pivoine Salon, I can have all the snacks I want to have, but I'm interested in new or limited menu items.

We try not to get our hopes up too much, since it's supposed to be a part of a light meal. We see a group of sophomore Pivoine boys on the first floor hall. Were they exercising? They're all holding sports drinks. Among them was the boy I was talking with this morning. I don't feel like seeing him… Should I go another way before they notice us?

They were messing around with eachother when one of them knocked a drink loose when they bumped into each other, spilling it all over the floor.

"Aww, look at what you did."

"Your fault for running into me."

"Disgusting."

They're still laughing. So even trivial things are funny at their age? The boy looked around and called, "You. External student there. Clean this up."

My eyes opened wide. The boy called out was carrying a large load, apparently cleaning up after class. "Uh, but I have to deliver this to the teacher right now."

"That's your problem."

The Pivoine members were about to leave when, "Clean up your own mess." Fellow Stalking Horse looked stern, arriving from the courtyard with some student council members, including Wakaba-chan.

The sophomore Pivoine members snorted at him and tried to pass by, ignoring him.

"Wait."

"What?" They turned, annoyed.

"Clean up before you go."

"That's a job for external students." He's saying the same sort of thing that the other Pivoine member said this morning.

"What?"

"External students exist so that internal students can have a comfortable school life. If he's busy, I don't care if it's someone else. You there. Scholarship student. You do it."

"Huh? Me?" confirmed Wakaba-chan, startled at being pointed at. Fellow Stalking Horse and the other council members immediately become hostile.

"What should Takamichi, an upperclassman who had nothing to do with this have to clean up for you?"

"Because she's an external student."

More people gather, hearing the commotion. This is bad…
"We understand that the Pivoine is special within the school, but excessive high-handedness will not be tolerated."

"High-handedness? Who decides that? The student council? No. The Pivoine is the law in Zuiran. Against us, you have no rights," declared the one from this morning. He looked around at Wakaba-chan and the students and continued, "You don't seem to understand, so I'll tell you how all of the high level facilities and equipment that you can't find anywhere else are maintained. Everything is due to our contributions. It's natural to have those who can't even provide that to serve our needs."

"Hey!" exclaimed a student council member, but Fellow Stalking Horse held him back.

The sophomore Pivoine members laughed. "Know your place. You're able to use all of this due to our charity."

You'd go that far!? Most students accept the special privileges granted to the Pivoine over its long history, so there are more student who are uneasy with Fellow Stalking Horse's stance than supporting him. If the Pivoine pushes their superior position further, more disgruntled students will emerge and maybe even form a resistance. If that happens, the rococo queen will be the first sent to the guillotine! AAAAH! I'm trembling from fright!

Fellow Stalking Horse took a deep breath, as if to control his anger. "Is that how the Pivoine thinks?"

"That's right."

No! No! Quit speaking for the Pivoine! There are peace loving members like me!

The Pivoine sophomores and the student council glared at each other ready to explode. Wakaba-chan, alone, seemed troubled, looking at either group. Oh, Wakaba-chan.

I need to do something about this mess, to protect myself from the resistance…

Why would anybody horse around with an open drink!? If it weren't for that, this mess wouldn't have happened! Wouldn't everyone calm down if the spilled drink disappeared?

Then who cleans it, for the best result? Me? No, a senior and the 'Pivoine's Reika-sama' cleaning up after an underclassmen would cause a bigger problem. If I ask Serika-chan or the girls, I'd be treating them like underlings like that other boy… If only someone just cleaned it up… But, nobody wants to draw attention to themselves with the Pivoine involved.

What to do… My stomach won't last. Should I step in and say, 'stop this commotion,' and use my status as a big shot in the Pivoine and draw it to a close by telling them to 'both withdraw for my sake'…?

The Pivoine underclassmen will probably listen to me (if they don't, I'll cry for being taken lightly in the Pivoine), but the student council may be a problem. When they're that angry, they might not listen to the hated Pivoine. But Fellow Stalking Horse got up early every morning to clean up Wakaba-chan's school equipment, and worked with me to find the vandal, so he might, no he would probably draw them back.

Oh, but back to who cleans up the spill… The fight's getting worse while I'm thinking. I'll just have to do it!

I open my fan in my mind and step forward.