Chapter 314: Crossdressing (2)

"...You... are really Rinji?"

"Yes~"

In the student council office, Shirogane stood frozen with his mouth agape, staring at Rinji, who was now dressed in a girl's school uniform.

With refined facial features, golden wig cascading over his shoulders, and a graceful posture unlike his usual self, Rinji now looked every bit like an elegant young noble lady. Every move radiated charm.

"Ugh..."

Shirogane blushed.

Though the person before him was just disguising as a girl, Rinji's beauty was genuinely captivating.

To stay rational, Shirogane kept repeating in his mind: "He's a guy, he's a guy, he's a guy..."

"Um... why are you dressed like this?"

"Because it's part of the cheer team's theme."

Rinji gently covered his mouth and laughed. He crossed his fingers delicately and looked at Shirogane with watery eyes.

"Sorry, President. I must've startled you."

"N-no, not at all."

So cute!!!!!!

Though he tried to remain composed, Shirogane was exploding inside.

To hold on to reason, he recalled Rinji's usual self—helping him cook, assisting with work, always gentle and thoughtful.

Ahhh!! Thinking about it only makes him cuter! Why is there such a perfect girl in the world?!

Taking deep breaths, Shirogane tried to calm down. Sweating, he asked, "Um… what's up with your voice?"

He'd wanted to ask that earlier.

Rinji's voice was nothing like usual—it was a beautiful, feminine tone.

"Oh, that?"

Rinji smiled.

"It's voice acting. I learned it when I was really young."

"I see, so it's a falsetto..."

Falsetto—by manipulating vocal organs and resonance, a man can mimic a woman's voice. Historically, it was referred to as "kouji," and is a trick often used by internet scammers.

"Rinji-kun."

Kaguya Shinomiya stood at the side, smiling a little too warmly.

"Could you switch back to your normal voice? This sounds a bit… strange."

She'd already noticed that Shirogane hadn't looked at her once since entering the room. His eyes had been fixed on Rinji the entire time.

Coupled with what Hayasaka said earlier, Kaguya was gripped by an unfamiliar sense of crisis.

"Huh? You want me to switch back?"

Rinji touched his throat and tilted his head.

"It's kinda hard… I think I got used to this."

"Why would this become a habit!?"

She regretted it.

She regretted telling Hayasaka to "make him look extra pretty" earlier while she did Rinji's makeup. Now things were spiraling out of control.

Okay… stay calm. Rinji's still a guy. No way the President would fall for a guy…

But what if… he crosses that line!?

Kaguya was spiraling.

Click.

"We're back~"

At that moment, the rest of the student council—Chika Fujiwara, Miko Iino, and Yu Ishigami—entered the office.

Fujiwara noticed right away how weirdly pale Shirogane looked and how terrible Kaguya's expression was.

"What's going on? You both look kinda off..." She hurried over. "Huh… a new guest? Hmm..."

When she saw Rinji, Fujiwara's face flushed.

It was a 'girl' she had never seen before, sitting primly on the sofa like a porcelain doll.

Seeing Fujiwara's flustered face, Rinji gave her a warm smile.

"Good afternoon, Secretary Fujiwara."

"H-hi there."

Intimidated by the noble aura, Fujiwara shyly greeted him and immediately leaned toward Shirogane to whisper, "Who is that super cute girl?"

"That's... Rinji."

"Haha, President, you're such a jokester."

"No."

Still staring at the floor, Kaguya muttered darkly.

"That really is Rinji. He's not joking."

"Ehh… EHHHHHH!?"

Fujiwara's jaw dropped as she turned to Rinji, who waved gracefully at her with a charming smile.

"That's Rinji!?" Iino covered her mouth in shock.

Ishigami didn't say a word. He simply looked at Rinji, sitting elegantly, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He felt fulfilled.

"Wow, Rinji-kun looks so cute!!"

Fujiwara wasted no time rushing over and hugging Rinji, her hands lovingly patting his head.

"Geez, I wish you were always this adorable~ Like a little doll."

Since putting on the girl's uniform, Rinji hadn't just changed his voice—his entire demeanor had softened.

"D-don't do that..." Rinji blushed and mumbled.

"Okay, Fujiwara, that's enough. He's still a guy. That's not appropriate."

Shirogane got up to pull Fujiwara away but tripped over the table corner.

Just as he was about to fall, Rinji stood up and caught him.

"President, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… thanks."

Seeing Rinji this close, Shirogane froze.

"Ahhh! I can't take it anymore!!"

Kaguya finally lost it.

She rushed over, yanked the two apart, and grabbed at Rinji's uniform.

"Take those clothes off right now!!"

"Ah! Don't pull on my clothes!"

Kaguya tugged at his uniform while Rinji, flustered, clutched his skirt with teary eyes. He looked pitiful, like a bullied maiden.

From an outside perspective, it was totally a mean girl picking on a helpless girl.

"Don't bully Rinji-kun, Kaguya!" Fujiwara shouted.

"Shi-Shinomiya-senpai, please stop!" Iino added.

"Shinomiya-senpai, you look like the villain here," Ishigami muttered.

"Eh? Ehhh!?"

Kaguya looked around in disbelief, then turned to Shirogane.

"...Shinomiya, that's too much," he said quietly.

"Why is this happening!?"

Kaguya collapsed to her knees, completely defeated.

While Rinji straightened his wrinkled outfit, Ishigami stepped over and held out a hand.

"…Ishigami?"

Rinji looked up at him with moist eyes.

"Hm."

"Get lost." (male voice)

"HUH!?"

[Note: Feel Free to announce your departure]