This Girl Is A Delinquent!, Vol. 3

Chapter 27: A Dress To Impress

Much to Sonya's dismay, the rest of the school day passed without complication. Although she had been hopeful after sharing lunch with her friends, the encroaching afternoon sun made her palms sweat as her mind filled with panic. As the last bell rang and the final students exited the classroom, she was faced by two pairs of curious eyes. Lyra and Stella had waited behind for her to discuss the next steps in preparing her surprise for Ken. The now quiet room felt like it was mocking her and as seconds ticked away, Sonya gritted her teeth before forcefully shutting her eyes and yelling at Lyra unexpectedly.

"What am I even doing, how am I supposed to know what to wear?! This is all your fault!"

Caught off guard by the outburst, Lyra did a double take before firing back in a heated tone of her own.

"Where did that come from and what do you mean 'my fault'?! You wanted a way to see Ken on his birthday, right? The way I see it, I'm a great friend!"

Placing her hands on her hips, Lyra narrowed her eyes at Sonya as both girls stood fuming. Their prolonged eye contact was interrupted by Stella's raised voice.

"Everybody calm down! There's no reason to yell."

"She started it!"

Adamantly defending herself, Lyra was met by a stern glare from Stella as Sonya murmured to no one in particular.

"Whatever... Why does the school even have a stupid festival this late in the year anyway!"

Sonya folded her arms as the scowl on her face deepened. These weren't her true feelings, but the deflection made her feel a little better while steeping in her own lamentations. Not understanding that the question was rhetorical, Stella flashed a bright smile and proceeded to explain.

"A lot of kids go home to be with their families for vacations at the end of the year. Some students even take the last month of the year off. It's become so popular that the school even arranges testing around the student's schedules. So they made the second to last Friday in November a festival so that students can have a good time before leaving. I think it's a nice way of saying 'thanks' to all the friends we made! So please don't be mad at Lyra. She was just trying to help you out."

Switching her expression to a flat stare, Sonya couldn't meet Stella's eyes due to the girl's cheerful innocence.

"Because of her, I'm stuck here, instead of..."

Her voice lowered as her thoughts turned to the writing club and a feeling of regret swirled in her chest. However, just as she was about to reveal the real reason for her dismay, Lyra called out with forced enthusiasm.

"I've got it! The theme will be... from monster to maid!"

"Huh?"

Reeling in confusion against Lyra's giddy smile, Sonya was admittedly thankful for the change in subject. Yet, she still eyed Lyra suspiciously while listening to her reasoning.

"Our class is doing a café, so it makes sense for you to dress up like a maid and lure people in with your feminine charm!"

Visibly unconvinced by her rationale, Sonya exhaled deeply and curtly posed a question.

"Are you stupid?"

Lyra met her with a serious gaze that quickly changed to one of utter defeat.

"Yeah, this definitely won't work..."

Sonya's cheeks turned a rosy hue as she detected a hint of insult in Lyra's comment. However, before she could offer a protest, Stella began to gush over Lyra's idea.

"I think that it's cute! You'll get a lot of attention in an outfit like that, Sonya."

"A lot of attention..."