Girls Kingdom: Volume 2

1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7183-0252-5
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 2, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Girls Kingdom

A month after arriving at Amanotsuka Academy for Girls, Misaki is getting used to her new life as a maid, even if it's not what she was expecting. She's even gotten to meet a whole host of new faces, friendly and otherwise! However, there's trouble in store when a head maid is chosen for their class: a British exchange student named Sarah. When she judges Misaki and her friend Kirara on their domestic service skills and finds them lacking, things start to look bleak! That's not all-the staff of Erisu's École Kitchen, a restaurant on campus, have fallen out of their mistress' favor due to their dismal customer turnout. If business doesn't pick up, not only will they never be made into Seraphs, they'll lose their maid contracts altogether! Misaki wants to help, but what can she possibly do?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Nayo

Weitere Mitwirkende

Sakura, Shio

Reuben, Philip

Leseproben

Chapter One: The Debut

Before I knew it, the cherry blossoms had fallen from the trees and April was nearing its end. The chill in the air vanished completely, and the weather turned mild.

Thanks in large part to the Kokonoe sisters and their scheming, we had successfully won the Salon Struggle against Lady Asuka, allowing Lady Kagura to remain in charge of the Sky Salon. This meant today was a day like any other. The Sky Salon was full of elegant young ladies—celestials, as all members were called—drinking tea and enjoying a pleasant chat.

The one difference was the arrival of a new member.

“Good day, everyone. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Kirara Hoshino. I look forward to serving you.”

Bowing her head and sounding uncharacteristically nervous and formal was my classmate, Kirara. After begging to be Lady Kagura’s Seraph, she had finally been deemed worthy during the Salon Struggle and awarded an exclusive contract as a result. However, she’d also made quite a scene with all her pleading, which came with a risk of encouraging copycats if she was made a Seraph right out of the gate. Lady Kagura had made her an Exousia instead, essentially one rank lower than a Seraph.

Though Seraphs were essentially guaranteed a job as a maid after graduation, Exousias were only contracted for the duration of their time at the academy. Of course, that didn’t mean they be hired. In fact, it was common for an Exousia to carry on working for the lady she served at school and to be given a place in her household staff. The Exousia rank was generally for cases where a lady had developed an interest in a particular maid and wanted to keep her from being snapped up by someone else, but hadn’t decided for sure whether to hire her or not.

Kirara’s situation was a little different, however.

“As you all know, Kirara is currently serving as my Exousia, but feel free to treat her just like a Seraph. I plan to change her contract when the time is right.”

Lady Kagura’s announcement to everyone emphasized the fact that it was just a matter of confirming Kirara was right for the job. Essentially, it was already a done deal that she’d become a Seraph. All Lady Kagura needed to do was make the final call. Kirara was also dedicating herself body and soul in order to become her Seraph as soon as possible.

The Kokonoe sisters stood up as if to take over where Lady Kagura left off and positioned themselves on either side of Kirara.

“So, shall we introduce all the Sky Salon members?”

“You’d better remember all their names! No getting them mixed up!”

“Yes, please, go ahead,” said Kirara.

The twins’ expressions were slightly more serious than usual. I thought.

“I guess you don’t need an introduction from us and Lady Kagura.”

“Still, we should tell you to come to us with any questions you might have. We’ll be happy to answer—if we feel like it!”

“Okay!” Kirara said shrilly, suddenly jerking her back straight. This was not due to nerves, but because Music Ayaka had run a finger along her back.

They giggled to each other, apparently quite pleased with themselves. With their narrowed eyes, they resembled two cunning foxes. Kirara may have achieved her dream of serving Lady Kagura, but I found myself feeling sorry for her now that she was the Ayakas’ plaything.

When they acted like this, I always wished the other Sky Salon members would step in. Instead, they barely even seemed to notice. At first I’d thought this was because they were the Seraphs of Lady Kagura, the salon’s leader, but it had soon become clear that the other girls actually enjoyed the spectacle. Even when the twins’ mischief went a little too far and caused a major distraction, they didn’t really mind. They were happy watching over it all from a distance, as the name “celestials” implied.

The only one who seemed to actually get annoyed was Lady Kagura, and only if she herself was the target. Even then, it never looked like she was genuinely upset about it. Clearly there was a kind of trust between master and servant that I didn’t fully understand yet.

After continuing to laugh for some time, the sisters got back to work. “Anyway! Let’s go around the table.”

“If it’s all right with everyone, we’ll just tell you their names ourselves.”

“First is Himeko Amanotsuka.”

“As you know, Lady Himeko is a member of Amanotsuka Academy’s founding family and is currently serving as the deputy chairman of the board.”

“In a school full of elite young ladies, she stands head and shoulders above the rest.”

Himeko smiled kindly in an effort to reassure Kirara. “Glad to have you with us!”

“Glad to be here,” Kirara replied awkwardly.

The twins proceeded with the introductions.

“Next up is Lady Himeko’s Seraph, Misaki Hotaru.”

“She achieved the spectacular feat of becoming Lady Himeko’s Seraph on the first day of school, so we all have high hopes for her.”

“Since you’re both first years, I’m sure you’ll be the best of friends!”

Not expecting to be introduced, I blurted out a “Huh?”

Kirara was my classmate my roommate, so it seemed completely redundant.

I was so flustered that I couldn’t manage much more than repeating my own name. “Yes. Misaki Hotaru. Pleased to meet you.”

Sure enough, Kirara looked at me with pitying eyes. Even without a word, I could tell she was thinking,

The snorts in response came not only from the Kokonoe sisters, but some of the others present as well. I groaned in embarrassment as my face started to burn.

“Now, next to Lady Himeko is a second-year Societal Arts student, Sumire Miyamori.”

“Her father is a member of parliament.”

“Lovely to meet you,” said Lady Sumire. Her smile had the caress of a warm, gentle breeze. Lady Sumire was known for being a kind person, and I’d heard her described as the Sky Salon’s conscience. She was also sometimes called the “spring fairy.” Her hair hung in loose curls to her waist, underscoring her fairy-tale aura. Standing beside her made me feel like I was being lured into a pleasant sleep.

“Lady Sumire’s Seraph is Mihaya Suzunone, second-year Domestic Arts.”

“Mihaya has an incredible singing voice. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to hear her sing.”

“Hello,” said Mihaya.

She had an amiable air about her but also seemed somehow ephemeral. It made for a strange combination. I suspected that was because her usually cheerful disposition would never make you guess she had such a striking and delicate singing voice. I’d heard her sing for Lady Sumire before, but only from a distance. It was enough to stop any conversation and make everyone focus on listening only to her.

Whether she sang a sad song that tugged at the heartstrings or a happy tune that warmed the heart, Mihaya’s voice was enough to immerse you in the feelings of the melody. Her music resonated in the soul. One listen was guaranteed to make anybody her captive.

These two exquisite young ladies were famous at the academy for being a soothing sight. Seeing them together was said to make you happy all day, and hearing Mihaya sing on top of that was rumored to mean your wishes would be granted. That was what the girls whispered around campus, at least. What I knew for sure was that seeing them was a joyous occasion. It was no wonder that rumors had begun to spread about them having a power beyond that.

“Next is Saeko Houjou, third-year Societal Arts.”

“She’s the daughter of the president of Houjou Bank.”

The corners of Saeko’s mouth lifted into a slight smile. She looked like a carnivorous creature licking its lips as it stalked its prey.

“If you’re having money troubles, come to me anytime. I’ll be glad to take care of you.”

Although she said this in the most neutral tone in the world, a chill ran down my spine. Lady Saeko was the type of person I didn’t want to go anywhere near. This applied to the Ayakas, too, but my reasons were different. It would have been rude to say so aloud, but Lady Saeko’s personality was kind of intense. Where the twins were mischievous, Lady Saeko was flat-out cruel. Word around the academy was that the S in Saeko’s name also stood for “sadist.”

She showed her own Seraph no mercy either. For me, it was better to let sleeping dogs lie and keep well away from her. I knew she wasn’t a bad person, but I wanted to avoid doing anything that might set her tyranny on me.

“And this is Lady Saeko’s Seraph, Matsuri Kusakabe.”

“She’s the most senior Seraph out of everyone in the Sky Salon.”

Although Matsuri was a third-year student, she bowed her head deeply before Kirara. In response, Kirara...