Chapter Seven: The Salon Struggle

Before I knew it, Monday arrived. The softly lit interior of Erisu’s École Kitchen was already set up for the Salon Struggle. Two large tables had been placed in the center, surrounded by a wall of one-way mirrors.

Lady Asuka and Mei were already standing by, and spectators were filing in. The air inside the restaurant was electric.

I knew there would be people watching, but I didn’t expect to have this many eyes on me.

Underscoring this was the group of people, maybe five or six of them, assembled at a spot on the mezzanine floor that offered a very good view. I couldn’t make out exactly how many were there, but all of them wore tiaras.

The heads of the other salons had come to watch the proceedings. No, “watch” didn’t do their expressions justice. They were scrutinizing every detail.

I began to tremble.

Suddenly, an upbeat voice broke through the tense atmosphere. “How are you all doing this fine Monday afternoon? We’re broadcasting live from today’s Salon Struggle, where the Sky Salon, led by Kagura Mikage, will face off against the challenger, Asuka Nekoyashi!”

Broadcast? Live?!

“In a surprise twist, the Sky Salon has chosen to enter two first-year Domestic Arts students. However, these two are no ordinary first-years! One of them is the Seraph of a certain lady you all know, Himeko Amanotsuka. Let’s find out just how excited Misaki is to take on this huge responsibility!”

As I stared blankly and wondered what was going on, a microphone was thrust into my face.

“Hi there! I’m from the Amanotsuka Academy news crew! Do you have a moment?”

“This school has a news crew?”

I didn’t expect it to be this big a deal. They have cameras set up! Are there really people watching this?

“It sure does! Misaki Hotaru, tell us how you’re feeling right now.”

“How I’m feeling? Well, um, I don’t know. I guess I just have to try my best, basically.” This sudden question left me at a loss.

My floundering was interrupted when Himeko appeared from behind and came to my rescue.

“Misaki’s been working her hardest to prepare for this. She’s learned everything she has to, and I know she’s going to win it for the Sky Salon!”

“Thank you, Himeko!”

She hugged me from behind and gave a reassuring grin.

The camera and mic were turned toward her.

“What a rare treat for Lady Himeko herself to make an on-camera appearance! We’d love to get an impromptu interview.”

“Misaki, you go and get ready. Just remember everything you’ve practiced and try not to panic. It’ll all be fine.”

“Thanks!”

With a light pat on the bottom, I was ushered away, glad to escape the camera’s glare.

Phew. I have to say, I never, ever expected this to be on TV. I’m just glad Himeko took their attention off me. If they’d kept asking me questions, all the techniques I memorized would’ve started leaking out of my brain.

“They’ve really made a circus out of this.”

“Oh, hey, Kirara!”

She had appeared beside me out of nowhere.

“I really hope they don’t spot me here before we have to start.”

Kirara had spent the past week causing an uproar in the school and was now entering the Salon Struggle under the proviso that she might have to leave the school forever. For the news crew, she was probably a juicy target.

Even if the ones holding the mics were Societal Arts students, that didn’t mean we had to obediently answer all their questions.

Lady Kagura, who had been watching this unfold, appeared to be worried about our well-being. “Taking care of things like this is one more duty I have as the head of the salon. Given the current circumstances, I think we should start early. Ayakas?”

They heeded her call and came over.

“If everything’s ready, I’d like to begin.”

“Certainly, milady!” they replied with exaggerated enthusiasm before going ahead with the introduction.

“Thank you all so much for joining us today,” said one of the twins.

“The battle for ownership of the Sky Salon is about to begin,” said the other.

Soft applause sounded across the room. The news crew, who were still focused on Himeko, hurriedly ran over to the Kokonoe sisters. At last, it was time.

We each sat in the seats assigned to us and placed our napkins in our laps, mentally bracing ourselves for whatever we were about to be served. Lady Kagura sat opposite me and Kirara, while Lady Asuka similarly sat facing Mei.

The twins continued in their role as emcees.

“Before the Salon Struggle officially begins, we’d like to make one announcement.”

“During the contest, all conversation is strictly prohibited. You may not speak to your opponents or your teammates.”

Really? No talking at all? This was the first time I’d heard anything about this rule.

“Due to the nature of the competition, this measure is required to prevent the contestants from explaining how any given dish is supposed to be eaten.”

“Conversation is an essential part of any dining experience, but you’ll have to manage without it just this once.”

Hmm, yeah. I guess asking during the match would be a way to game the system—not that I’d be able to do it all properly without any practice. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the course of two exhausting days, it’s that.

Still, something was bothering me about this that I couldn’t put my finger on. The rule itself seemed fine, but what was I missing?

I was left with no time to dwell on this, because the Ayakas swiftly moved on. However, despite telling myself that I was probably worried over nothing, the reason the rule was bothering me became clear much sooner than I’d expected.

“Without further ado, let’s start on the hors d’oeuvre!”

“Lady Kagura, Lady Asuka, please choose your dishes.”

The two salon leaders were each presented with a box, out of which they drew a plastic card.

“Let’s see what you’ve picked. Aha! Lady Kagura’s chosen dish is escargots à la provençale.”

“And Lady Asuka has selected smoked salmon with sliced onions.”

In my mind I gave a celebratory fist pump. Even if it was a different flavor, this was a dish I’d trained for and knew I could manage.

The snails that were brought out were still in their shells, but of course, they were accompanied by tongs. This would be a piece of cake.

Kirara and I exchanged a glance. She looked very relieved as well. Even though we were forbidden to speak, our eyes alone were enough to tell each other, “We got this!”

“Bon appetit!” said the twins in unison, giving the signal for both teams to start.

Lady Kagura used her tongs to hold a shell in place and effortlessly pulled out the meat and brought it up to her mouth—the very same technique Himeko had taught me. That was when I cottoned on to exactly what had been bothering me before.

Hold on a moment. Isn’t showing me how to do it exactly the same as telling me? Even if she doesn’t say a word, all we have to do is watch her and we’ll know how to eat every single dish.

No wonder the rule hadn’t felt quite right. Had the Kokonoe twins made a mistake? That seemed pretty implausible given how fastidious they were, but there was definitely something behind this.

I could bring it up, but then I’d be breaking the no-talking rule. I don’t want to lose points over this. Plus, it’s possible the twins had this in mind from the start. Better to just keep quiet.

I’d practiced as much as I could, but my table manners were still far from perfect. It was possible we’d be faced with some dishes I didn’t feel 100% confident about, in which case it would be pretty handy to have Lady Kagura there as a reference. Looking at it in this light, it really felt like this might have been a deliberate attempt to swing the match in our favor.

Either way, I can’t do anything to change the rules, right? Weird, but it is what it is.

After delaying a little in my uncertainty, I got to work on the snails. I pulled the plate toward me slightly and gripped one of the shells with my tongs.

When I put the meat in my mouth, I inadvertently let out a moan of pleasure.

This is incredible! It tastes totally different from the ones I ate in practice. Is it just the sauce that’s changed? I could eat these all day!

I got through the hors d’oeuvre course with elegance and poise.

Next came soupe, for which both Lady Kagura and Lady Asuka drew corn soup. For us, it was served in bouillon cups, whereas the other team received it in soup bowls.

The key to this course was not making any noise. With soup served in a bouillon cup, it was apparently fine to just pick it up by the handle and drink, but I decided to use a spoon as I had during practice. Kirara and Lady Asuka both did the same.

It was a matter of perseverance. Every return trip made the soup deplete a tiny bit more.

From the other side of the one-way mirror behind me, I could hear the news crew giving live commentary.

Is this really exciting enough to put on TV? This course was so lacking in drama that I even had time to start worrying about viewers getting bored.

So far, neither side had made any mistakes—I was fairly sure of that.

If we can keep this up, our victory is guaranteed. I’d better not get complacent, though. Everything so far is just a warm-up.

Next came poisson, the fish course. Now the contest would require skilled control of a knife and fork.

“Lady Kagura’s chosen dish is rainbow trout meunière,” said one of the sisters.

“Lady Asuka’s is salt-grilled Pacific saury.”

Here it came. I suspected this might prove to be the toughest round of all.

Although the other team’s dish was unexpectedly Japanese, there were no chopsticks provided. All five entrants were served a whole fish, bones and all. The challenge would come from removing the bones using correct technique.

We had focused on this pretty heavily in Himeko’s lessons. First, you peel off the fin. Next, you slit the fish with a knife along the backbone, then lift up the nearest fillet and put it closer to you on the plate.

I repeated the steps to myself in my head, glanced at what Lady Kagura was doing just to be on the safe side, then started eating.

Everything was going okay. I removed the backbone and put it down on the other side of the plate, then started on the portion underneath, cutting it into bite-sized pieces one by one just as I had been so far. The three of us moved our cutlery elegantly and with perfect precision, making short work of our rainbow trout.

The accident didn’t happen until after we had finished—and it was on Lady Asuka’s side, not ours.

Lady Asuka and Mei both took care of their own fish just as smoothly as we did, but then, suddenly, Mei rose from her seat. She walked over to Lady Asuka, took a handkerchief out of her pocket, and started to wipe Lady Asuka’s mouth.

It did look like she had a bit of food stuck there, but this is definitely going to lose them some points, right?

It had to have been a painful choice for Mei. She would have been well aware of that, but still decided she couldn’t let Lady Asuka appear on-camera in such a state. As a maid, that might have been the right choice, but we were in the middle of a contest. What if that decision led to them losing?

I wondered if Lady Asuka would get angry at this, but she dutifully allowed her mouth to be wiped and then set down her knife and fork. No doubt this is what a master-servant relationship looks like when it’s full of trust. Mei has decided to put her duties as a maid above all other concerns.

The fourth course was sorbet, a palate-cleansing sherbet. This was a simple case of digging into it with a spoon one mouthful at a time. The main point to keep in mind was that picking up the plate was a no-go. As long as I scooped it up carefully to avoid dropping any, I was in no danger.

Next came the meat course. After getting this far, I really didn’t want to mess up.

However, the dish Lady Kagura drew was a chicken drumstick served on the bone—or, in other words, fried chicken.

The moment I saw it, I groaned softly. This was likely to be even more of an ordeal than the fish. Eating food with bones in it was already a challenge, but in this case the central bone was fully surrounded by a thick layer of meat, which made me all the more nervous. On top of that, we hadn’t been given finger bowls, which was an implicit sign that we had to use a knife and fork rather than picking it up with our hands.

We’ve practiced eating meat on the bone, but I never thought we’d be served something so cumbersome. If I knock it even slightly, there’s a risk it might roll off the plate and lose me boatloads of points.

By contrast, Lady Asuka’s dish looked surprisingly easy to eat. It was the kind of thing I expected from this course: a sirloin steak made from finely marbled Wagyu beef.

Being as cautious and deliberate as I could, I peeled off the meat starting from the top. This was a dish that required extreme concentration to avoid making an error. Lady Kagura had managed to draw possibly the worst option imaginable. Normally it would at least have been served in a way that was easier to eat, or with a finger bowl provided so you could just pick it up.

Sweat formed on my brow as my intense battle continued. Himeko had taken great pains to teach me, so I knew I’d improved compared to when I started out. Hopefully I could do this.

With one careful movement of my knife after another, I finally succeeded in eating the entire top half. I felt like a surgeon in the operating room.

The next step was to take out the bone. I lined up my knife ready for this—but that was when I noticed something wrong.

What’s Lady Kagura doing?

After finishing the top half of her fried chicken, she had turned the rest over, leaving the bone facing down.

What?! Hold on a sec! I thought that was strictly forbidden. From what Himeko taught me, the rules for meat on the bone should be pretty much the same as for fish. Or is it my mistake? Is her way of eating fried chicken the right way?

There was no denying that it was much easier. Turning it like that left it in a much more approachable form.

Oof. What do I do?!

I looked over at Kirara, who had similarly frozen and was breathing heavily. Her face made it clear that she was incredibly conflicted.

What’s the right choice here? Do we go with Himeko or Lady Kagura?

I longed for advice and reassurance, but we were surrounded by a one-way mirror, so I couldn’t even see Himeko, let alone gauge her reaction. Nor could I ask Lady Kagura, since talking would have broken the rules.

So this is where that rule really comes into play.

Seeing both of us sitting there paralyzed, Lady Kagura glared at us with eyes that demanded to know what we were doing. She repeatedly glanced down at her own plate, practically ordering us to eat it in the same manner as her.

Maybe her way is right? If we don’t all make the same choice, someone is guaranteed to lose points. The ideal case would be that we both follow Lady Kagura’s example and all of us get full marks. It’s hard to believe Himeko would have given us the wrong advice, though.

I heaved a heavy sigh.

I’m sorry, Lady Kagura. I choose to believe in Himeko.

Throwing my indecision aside, I confidently thrust my knife forward, ready to remove the bone. Lady Kagura stared daggers at me and I could hear voices stirring all around.

I know I’ll be raked over the coals later, but I’ll just have to live with that.

That was my decision: to stick to Himeko’s advice. As for Kirara, it looked like she’d finally committed to a choice as well. With her knife and fork, she slowly turned over the fried chicken.

So she’s chosen to trust Lady Kagura.

This meant that no matter what, one of us would be losing points. The best-case scenario was that I was in the wrong; if so, we still had a good shot at winning. Still, the entrée definitely looked like our worst course so far.

With any luck, it won’t be the deciding factor. Mei has to have lost at least one point for what she did just before, so maybe the two sides are about even.

After that tumultuous round came number six, the salade. Lady Kagura drew green salad à la provençale, while Lady Asuka drew carrot lape.

The second she saw her dish, Lady Asuka let out a sound of disgust. “Blegh!”

I guess she must really hate carrots.

With a grimace, she reluctantly started lifting it up to her mouth.

Ours didn’t look all that challenging. There was nothing in it that was tough to eat. As long as we remembered to layer the leafy greens together to make them easier to grab with the fork, we were golden.

All that remained were the entremets and café courses. Soon the battle would be over.

I really, really didn’t want to make any more mistakes, but the dessert Lady Kagura picked out of the box did nothing for my confidence. It was a strawberry mille-feuille.

By contrast, the other team’s dish was a cheesecake served with blueberry sauce. Much more straightforward.

Obviously I couldn’t expect to be served my beloved donuts, but mille-feuille required particular care and attention to eat properly. It consisted of several layers of pastry with cream and slices of strawberry sandwiched in between. Eating it without destroying the pastry layers was exceptionally difficult. Himeko had told us that even for her, it was a challenge to get through one of these without making a mess of the plate.

It would have been a little easier if we could have turned it onto its side and attacked it that way, but even the very top layer of pastry was decorated with strawberries and cream. I had a sense that this was a sign of how we were supposed to eat it, just like the lack of finger bowls with the fried chicken.

We’d been taught that the right approach was to insert the fork about halfway deep, then cut it into bite-sized squares with the knife. Apparently there was another approach that involved peeling off the layers of pastry and eating them one at a time, but my skill level made that route all but impossible.

I cut into the pastry ever so gradually, using the softest sawing motion I could to break through without wrecking it. What I really wanted was to abandon this laborious technique and just bite straight into it. Fighting that urge, I remained focused and kept up the methodical approach.

Lastly came the café. I couldn’t rest on my laurels yet, but there wasn’t too much they could throw at us for this last round. We were served Darjeeling tea. For Lady Asuka’s team, it was a demitasse-sized coffee. As long as we avoided any slurping sounds, we could relax and enjoy the flavor.

When they deemed that everyone had finished their drink, the Kokonoe sisters declared, “And with that, all eight courses are now complete!”

I felt so exhausted, I wanted to collapse. I started to feel a lot of compassion toward the ladies from the Societal Arts program, who were expected to act this way every single time they ate.

“We just need a moment to tally up the points and then we’ll be right back with you.”

They quickly disappeared backstage.

Considering how convinced I’d been of an easy victory at the beginning, it had ended up being pretty touch and go. If we lost, not only would we lose the Sky Salon, but Kirara would have to leave the academy forever.

With the twins gone for now, Lady Kagura immediately turned to me. “Misaki, do you have a moment?”

Although her tone was friendly on the surface, I knew she wasn’t about to commend me for my efforts. There was a stern undertone to her voice. I could tell she wanted an explanation.

“Uhm, yes?” From her point of view, I alone had made a terrible mistake, so I couldn’t blame her for wanting to give me the third degree.

“I won’t say anything until after we get the results, but after that, we have a lot to talk about. You understand why, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I replied wearily.

I’d known this was coming. I was the one who had contradicted the rest of the team.

An uneasy silence fell over the room. However, it didn’t go on too long, as the Ayakas soon returned.

One said, “We’re ready to announce the results.”

The other added, “Could we ask everyone to gather round, please?”

I was on tenterhooks. The one-way mirrors were cleared away and the other members of the Sky Salon and the Paradise Palace drew nearer to us.

Himeko clapped a hand on my shoulder and smiled kindly. “You got through it.”

“Himeko, I’m so sorry! I ruined everything.”

“I wouldn’t say that at all. Let’s just listen to what the Ayakas have to say.”

The look on Himeko’s face was reassuring, like maybe I’d managed to meet her expectations after all.

The twins began to announce the results, each speaking in turn.

“Now then, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.”

“First we’ll go through the mistakes that were made.”

“Starting from the ones that resulted in a loss of one point. There were a few of these.”

I gulped. I didn’t remember making any mistakes other than the issue with the fried chicken, but I had no way to be sure.

“In the first course, the hors d’oeuvre, Misaki used her hands to move the plate closer to her.”

Huh? Is there some problem with that?

“When eating Western food, good table manners require you to leave the plate where it is. This means you lose one point.”

“Oh no!” I exclaimed.

But it was pretty far away. If I didn’t move it, I’d have had to awkwardly bend over to eat it!

Himeko whispered, “It was mean of them to put the plate where they did. Who’d have thought they’d care about a small detail like that? It’s not your fault in the slightest.”

I appreciated her consolation, but either way, I’d lost us a point right off the bat.

“Next, the third course, poisson.”

I remember this. It’s when Mei stood up.

“Lady Asuka loses one point.”

“What for?!” she snapped.

The twins peered down at her from both sides.

“I can’t believe you have to ask.”

“Do you really not understand?”

“Anyone who leaves a piece of food sticking to the side of their mouth is unfit to be called a lady.”

“Not only that, but you didn’t even notice it yourself. You had to wait for Mei to clean it up for you. Outrageous!”

“What are you, a little kid who can’t even clean up her own mess?”

“It’s disgusting that you put Mei in that position, pipsqueak. How can we not deduct a point?”

“Don’t call me a pipsqueak!”

Despite her visible and audible annoyance, Lady Asuka appeared to accept that she was at fault. She didn’t raise any further objections.

Now both teams had lost one point. This loss counteracted the mistake I’d made right at the start and reset the board to square one.

“Next we come to the entrée, where points were lost by both teams.”

“However, we’d like to skip over the Sky Salon’s error for now and discuss it later.”

Immediately I knew they were talking about our disparate methods of eating the fried chicken.

If they’re putting it off until later, does that mean we lost more than one point for it? Ugh, my stomach hurts.

“On the Paradise Palace side, Lady Asuka lost a point here again.”

“She made so much noise with her cutlery that it had our ears ringing. We just couldn’t turn a blind eye.”

Lady Asuka gritted her teeth. “Ngh!”

I’d been so preoccupied with my own dilemma that I hadn’t even noticed.

“Also, her method of eating the steak was so lacking in refinement that we’re forced to deduct another point.”

“Gah!”

Yes! This means we have a two-point advantage! With the extra five we had at the start, this extends our lead to seven whole points.

“Moving on to the entremets, Misaki and Kirara each lost one point.”

So much for that. What a pain that mille-feuille was! I can’t imagine how I could have managed it any better.

“The reason is basically the same as the one we just gave Lady Asuka. You just looked too unladylike when you were eating it.”

“Your actual method was fine, but your attitude and posture were horrifying. We have to take off points for that.”

Rats. I was so focused on not breaking the pastry that I forgot all about everything else.

“That’s every instance where an entrant lost one point.”

“Which brings us to the biggest issue in the whole contest, the Sky Salon’s entrée.”

Here it comes at last. Victory or defeat—it’s all riding on this.

After everything we’d heard so far, the difference in points was right back where it had started: with us five points in the lead. If I was the one who had messed up, we’d lose a maximum of three points and win the contest. However, if I was right and the other two were wrong, we’d likely lose six points. In that scenario, we’d lose.

“It is with heavy hearts that we must inform of you of our decision.”

“As much as we love and care about our own team, rules are rules. We can’t play favorites.”

Oh no. This sounds bad.

“If you’re eating meat on the bone, you’re not supposed to turn it over halfway through. That’s a major faux pas.”

“As a result, Kirara and Lady Kagura lose three points each.”

“What?!” shouted Lady Kagura in disbelief. “Hold on just one minute. What are you talking about? Are you saying I’m the one who was wrong?”

The Kokonoe sisters each put a hand on their forehead and feigned a tearful expression.

“We’re afraid so!”

“What a shameful display from our own mistress!”

Lady Kagura stared in blank amazement. It must have come as quite a shock given how confident she had been. She lost her composure completely and leaned on the table to avoid stumbling. “But how? That was the method I was taught! I was told it was correct!”

“Come on! Anyone can tell that’s the wrong way to do it. It’s obvious just by looking.”

“Seeing you glare at the first-years with that haughty expression was just too much. We died laughing!”

To illustrate this, the sisters both laughed loudly. “Ohohohohoho!”

“I just don’t see how this happened,” said Lady Kagura. “Wait. Hold on a moment. Wasn’t it you two that taught me that method?”

Huh?

“Are you trying to blame your own mistake on us?”

“I never thought our mistress was so twisted!”

She replied, “Don’t try to play dumb. I remember it clear as day. You warned me specifically that meat on the bone has to be treated differently than fish. In fact, I recall you repeating that at every possible opportunity for years.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“I can’t say I remember that.”

Wow, they’re like evil masterminds. This is a premeditated crime that they’ve been working on for ages. Betrayal! Treason! We’ve been stabbed in the back by one of our own!

Lady Asuka stepped forward, smiling from ear to ear. “Listen, you can deal with your personal issues later. Get to the important part! Announce the final result!”

I knew why she was so eager. The six points lost by Kirara and Lady Kagura were decisive for the race.

Turning to her, the twins replied.

“Yes, indeed. It’s time to announce the winner.”

“The Sky Salon lost nine points and the Paradise Palace lost three.”

“If we subtract those figures from the amount each team started off with...”

“That leaves the Sky Salon with a score of twenty-six and the Paradise Palace with a score of twenty-seven.”

Finally, in unison, they announced the dreadful truth. “The winner is Asuka Nekoyashi of the Paradise Palace!”

We lost. We actually lost.

Beside me, Kirara’s knees buckled and she fell to the floor.

Lady Asuka and Mei joyfully hugged each other.

“Mei, we did it! We won!”

“Yes, milady. Congratulations.”

This means the Sky Salon won’t belong to Lady Kagura anymore. Worse than that, Kirara will have to leave the academy!

“What are you doing, Kirara Hoshino?” asked one of the twins in a coldhearted tone, as if kicking her when she was down.

The other added, “Stand up. We still have to announce the results of your test.”

I decided I had to do something. I had to try to defend her so she could stay at the school. “Wait, please! It was just a simple mistake. Kirara knew the proper technique. She did!”

Despite my impassioned plea, they shut me down immediately. “Quiet, you.”

They continued.

“Kirara Hoshino, we have a question for you.”

“When you had to decide whether to go with what you knew or follow Lady Kagura’s example, why did you choose the latter?”

Kirara raised her head meekly.

“Well?” they both demanded.

“Because... Because Lady Kagura is my mistress. At least, I want her to be. If she says that’s the right way to eat that dish, that makes it the right way for me, even if it’s wrong for everyone else.”

Oh, I see. So that’s what she had in mind when she looked so panicked.

“Understood,” said the Ayakas, turning and nodding to one another. “Kirara Hoshino, you have officially passed the test. You are worthy of serving Lady Kagura.”

“What?!” cried Kirara and I, our voices in sync just like the twins.

They resumed speaking one after the other.

“The rules are made by the person in charge.”

“You looked to your mistress for guidance and faithfully obeyed.”

“That’s the mindset you need to become a Seraph.”

“You have to believe in your mistress. That’s the most important rule of all.”

I piped up, “So does that mean Kirara doesn’t have to leave? But we lost the contest!”

“We never said the test had anything to do with winning or losing the contest.”

“Just that we planned to use table manners as a way of testing Kirara Hoshino and judging whether or not she was worthy.”

“Really? You mean it?” I asked, just to be sure.

“Absolutely.”

“As long as our mistress agrees.”

The Ayakas and I all turned to look at Lady Kagura. She sighed with a disgruntled expression.

“Indeed, Kirara Hoshino has passed. However, keeping in mind the potential impact on other students, I’d like her to start off as my Exousia. Then, when the time is right, I’ll promote her to Seraph.”

“My, my,” said the twins. “That’s pretty high and mighty for someone who messed up so badly in the contest.”

“Shut up, you two!” After scolding the twins, she offered a hand to help Kirara up. “Would you be all right with that?”

“Yes, of course.” She took her new mistress’s hand. “I look forward to serving you, Lady Kagura.”

What a relief. I’m so glad it worked out.

Unfortunately, there was still the matter of the Sky Salon. Lady Asuka closed in on Lady Kagura, ready to demand her eviction. “Sorry to interrupt your celebration, but I’d like you to vacate the Sky Salon at your earliest convenience. It belongs to me now, after all.”

What a shame. I would have gotten to work there alongside Kirara, but now that’s off the table for good.

“Oh yes, about that,” said one of the sisters.

“Allow us to congratulate you on getting through the first round,” said the other.

“Huh?” Hearing this, Lady Asuka was momentarily stunned. “First round? Get out of here! You’re just being sore losers!”

“Not at all. We’re just giving you the facts.”

“The salon usage fees that you pay are lower than Lady Kagura’s, of course, but they’re also significantly lower than what we pay.”

“Excuse me?!”

“If you plan to take over the Sky Salon while paying so little, then naturally, you have to go through us next.”

“This is all in accordance with the standard rules for a Salon Struggle.”

“What?”

“Incidentally, if you do beat us, after that you’ll have to face off against Lady Himeko.”

“You see, the salon usage fees she pays are also much, much larger than Lady Kagura’s.”

“Whaaat?”

“To sum it up, the Salon Struggle rules require you to beat every member whose usage fees are higher than your own if you want to take over the salon.”

“Don’t worry, though! The only ones left are us two and Lady Himeko. No one else.”

“Whaaaaat?!”

Both beaming, the twins turned to Lady Angelica and said, “Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, basically. I don’t blame you for not knowing about that rule, since it’s pretty rare for one salon to have multiple members paying fees.”

“Whaaaaaaat?!”

Ignoring her series of flabbergasted outbursts, the twins said bluntly, “Speaking of which, we’d like to hold the next two contests tomorrow.”

“Mine’ll be horseback riding!”

“And mine’ll be a fencing battle!”

The Salon Struggle—or rather, the first round of it—had finally come to a close.

✤

Afterward, Himeko and I went back to her room. On the table was a spread of donuts she’d bought as a show of appreciation for my efforts. I was overjoyed to be able to eat a casual snack after spending all afternoon being formal.

“Himeko, did you know about that?”

“I had some inkling in the back of my mind, but I’ve never really worried about it, since we’ve never lost before. It sounded like the Ayakas were very well versed in the rules, though.”

In the end, we’d all been dancing to the Kokonoe sisters’ tune. When I really thought about it, it had all seemed kind of weird from the start. They added in a no-talking rule that would obviously serve to hamstring us, gave separate boxes to each team leader for choosing the ‘random’ dishes, and never let anyone see what else was inside the boxes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if every possible entrée we could have ended up with was meat on the bone. In fact, I’d have put money on it.

Even the reasons for deducting points were kind of suspect. If violations can include subjective things like “lacking in refinement,” they had a lot of leeway to place their thumbs on the scales.

“Still, all’s well that ends well,” said Himeko. “I’m glad Miss Hoshino passed her test, too.”

“Yeah, that is a relief.” I wondered if this meant they’d intended for her to pass all along as well.

“By the way, Misaki, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Sure, what is it?” I replied, ignoring any semblance of manners by grabbing a donut and stuffing it into my mouth.

“Why did you ignore Lady Kagura and go your own way?”

“Oh, well, you know...”

“Come on, tell me.”

She tilted her head and smiled sweetly. I could tell she already knew exactly what I was going to say. Still, what’s wrong with saying it aloud?

“Because you’re my mistress. I chose to believe in you and what you’d taught me.”

“Hehe. That makes me happy.”

Grinning, she picked up a donut and brought it up to my mouth.

“Mmph!”

Thinking it might have been better not to say it after all, I munched on the donut she fed me.

✤

The second round of the Salon Struggle went ahead as planned. The Kokonoe sisters not only won, but thrashed Lady Asuka so overwhelmingly that I actually felt sorry for her. In the end, the Sky Salon remained safely in Lady Kagura’s hands.