"Are you sure this is really okay?"
Misaki had changed into a white maid outfit trimmed with lace. Around her, a group of ojou-sama were gathered, egging her on.
"Relax, Queen. As long as you show off your charm, it'll definitely work."
"That's right, that's right. With Queen looking like this, even I can't resist—so of course it'll be a piece of cake!"
"Go on, all in one go! Bring out your Queenly aura, use your feminine power to conquer him! Go, go, go!"
These girls were all members of Misaki's faction—ojou-sama with abilities generally between Level 3 and Level 4, and all from prominent families.
Outside, they were people normal folks could only look up to. Yet here they were, gathered together, discussing how to capture a man's heart.
If the rest of Academy City saw this, their jaws would drop.
Speaking of factions—
The Tokiwadai ojou-sama were generally split into two main groups.
One was the "Queen Faction" led by Shokuhou Misaki.
Misaki was also called the "Queen Bee," a nickname that perfectly described her hive-like mental control abilities.
But in truth, most members of the Queen Faction followed her not for her powers, but because of her personal charisma.
The other was the "Princess Faction" centered around Misaka Mikoto, the "Railgun Princess."
From an outsider's perspective, they'd just look like two ordinary schoolgirl cliques. But in Academy City, factions had real meaning.
Forming a faction meant more access to training resources.
For a Level 5 esper, besides natural talent, the most important thing was the amount of development resources.
And because of these factions, the relationship between Misaki and Misaka was always a bit distant—better than the openly hostile one in the original timeline, but only slightly.
Back to the present—
With the encouragement of the ojou-sama, Misaki stepped out of the small building.
Today, she was determined to win that man over in one move!
Meanwhile, Haruto was looking around at the scenery, a little puzzled.
This place looked so familiar… but he was certain he had never been here before.
Where exactly was this?
Within District 7, there was actually a hidden garden like some kind of paradise?
As Haruto pondered—
"Master, please enjoy some tea~☆!"
A slightly shy voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
When Haruto saw Shokuhou Misaki in that white maid dress, he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.
Normally, she dressed like an ojou-sama, radiating elegance. But now, in a maid outfit with a certain… attribute to it, the contrast was striking.
She carefully carried over some red tea and poured it into his cup.
It was clear this wasn't some spur-of-the-moment idea—her movements were practiced, like a real maid.
Haruto took a sip.
Mm… a familiar taste.
Looking at the teabag—ah, it was the same kind they used in the Shuchiin Academy student council room.
Well, Academy City had been in the main world for a while now.
While they could be self-sufficient in many things, they still imported certain high-end luxuries.
"How is it? Have you fallen for me already?"
Misaki teased with a half-joking smile.
Haruto smiled and nodded.
He had already liked her from the start—otherwise, he wouldn't have done so much when they first met.
So when asked, he didn't dodge—he responded in kind.
Seeing him nod, Misaki beamed.
As expected—her feminine power had grown to the point he couldn't ignore her!
But then… she hit a snag.
What should she do next?
Originally, she thought she'd have to use her charm to slowly capture Haruto's heart.
But since he already liked her, it had been too easy—she hadn't prepared a next step, and now she was lost.
In the end, even a "Queen Bee" was still just an innocent girl with no real experience in this area.
Meanwhile, in the distant building—
A group of Tokiwadai ojou-sama were watching, very anxious.
"Why did Queen stop? She should go all in now!"
"Queen's being silly! This is the perfect moment to push!"
"She must be too shy… so…"
"It's time for us to step in! Let's go help Queen!"
"For Queen!"
They didn't know what was really going on—thinking her plan had stalled, they decided to sacrifice themselves for her sake.
If quality couldn't win him over, they'd go for quantity!
So just as Misaki was caught in happy confusion—A dozen more maids suddenly appeared, surrounding Haruto.
Misaki: ?
"You all…"
She stared at her own faction's girls in shock.
Backstabbed!
She never thought, as someone with mind control powers, she would be betrayed by her own faction—especially over a man.
"As Queen's dear friend and an honored guest visiting Tokiwadai's garden, Haruto-sama's experience must be perfect."
"And as Queen's subordinates, we must contribute to that perfect experience."
"Alright, everyone—serve Haruto-sama!"
Leading them was Misaki's most trusted and important subordinate—Hokaze Junko, the Queen Faction's second-in-command, and one of the few she considered a friend.
And now… Junko had given her a lavish backstab.
At her command, the maids began serving Haruto in turn—pouring tea, bringing snacks, even feeding him directly.
Haruto himself was a bit stunned.
These were all Tokiwadai ojou-sama?
Wait… where was this again?
Tokiwadai's back garden?
If so, that meant he could be wanted by the entire Academy City any second now.
Tokiwadai was an elite girls' school—no men were allowed inside, let alone in its back garden. No wonder the place seemed familiar—he'd seen it in anime before.
If other Tokiwadai students saw this… yikes.
Meanwhile, Misaki was fuming—her starry eyes wide in disbelief.
Her own faction… stealing her man?!
Traitors!
Just as she was about to blow up, Junko pulled her aside.
"Queen, please calm down."
Calm down? After this betrayal?! The nerve!
But Junko quickly whispered the "reason" to her—since she hadn't managed to capture Haruto alone, they decided the entire Queen Faction would help.
They were willing to offer themselves for her sake.
Misaki was speechless—if she hadn't already succeeded, this would have been touching. But she had succeeded! She just didn't know what to do next!
In the end, this was a case of her own extreme, all-means-necessary style coming back to bite her.
When facing strong opponents, she always used her faction's full strength—that's how she earned the Queen Bee name.
If one person couldn't do it, the collective would.
But this time was not the time for collective action!