Ayuzawa Misaki—Seika High's fearsome "Demon President"—has a secret no one can ever know: she works part-time at a maid café to support her family. But when she stumbles upon a first-year student practicing hypnosis in the student council room, her carefully guarded double life begins to unravel.
Rumors of photos showing the president in a maid uniform spread through the school like wildfire. As Misaki scrambles to contain the damage, she discovers the hypnosis was no mere "practice"—and the on
Maid-Sama! If: The Hypnosis of an Unrequited Love - Gymnasium Showdown, the Lingering Heat After the Spell Is Broken — The President's First Moment of Weakness
Sunday morning.
The gymnasium of Seika High was packed with more people than any holiday had a right to bring in. Nearly all of the school's roughly four hundred eighty students had gathered. The smell of old mats stacked almost to the ceiling mingled with the heat of so many bodies, and the air hung heavy.
Ayuzawa Misaki stood on the stage.
Her black hair, falling to her shoulders, was tied back in a single tail, and her deep brown eyes swept across the rows of students, one face at a time. Deep in her chest, her heart pounded like a drum.
(It's okay. I'm the one who's going to do this.)
Misaki clenched her fists tight.
Yesterday—Thursday, after school. Yukimura Shouichirou had confessed that he'd been "pretending to be under the spell," Hinata and Takumi had joined them, and together they'd dragged the Iron Fist faction's gym chairman's hidden past into the light. And then they'd laid out their counterattack.
Today, it would be carried out.
"Thank you all for coming out on a Sunday. There's something I absolutely have to tell you today."
Misaki's voice rang through the gymnasium.
The murmuring of the students gradually died down.
Misaki glanced toward the wings of the stage. There stood Yukimura Shouichirou, dressed in a flawless maid outfit—white headband, frilled apron dress, a big ribbon. His chestnut hair swayed softly, and his amber eyes were just a little moist.
"Yukimura, I'm counting on you."
When Misaki spoke quietly, Yukimura gave a small nod.
"Y-yes. President... I'll do my best."
Yukimura stepped out to the center of the stage.
The instant he did, a stir rippled through the gymnasium.
"Hey, it's Yukimura!"
"He's in the maid outfit again today! So cute!"
"Here comes the poster girl!"
Yukimura's shoulders gave a startled jump at the voices.
But he didn't run.
He faced straight ahead and fixed his eyes on a single male student standing at the edge of the stage.
Gray-tinged black hair. A hood pulled low over his eyes. A sharp gaze behind glasses.
Kanou Soutarou.
Kanou stood with his arms crossed, staring up at Yukimura without a word.
Yukimura took one deep breath.
Then, in a trembling voice, he spoke clearly.
"Kanou. I'm done with cross-dressing."
The gymnasium fell dead silent.
Kanou's shoulder twitched.
"...Hah?"
Kanou's voice rang out low.
"I mean it. I'm not wearing maid outfits anymore. And your hypnosis won't work on me either."
Yukimura was shaking, but he looked straight at Kanou.
"Why the hell not! My spell works best on you! That look suited you, didn't it!"
Kanou took a step forward.
Under the hood, his face was red with anger.
"B-because... I'm a guy... I want to wear normal clothes..."
Tears welled in Yukimura's eyes.
"Shut up! There's no way my spell's coming undone! You just need to stay in that outfit forever!"
Kanou shouted.
And that was the moment.
Kanou's body gave a great, violent shudder.
As if something invisible had struck him.
"Wha—!?"
Kanou clutched at his chest and staggered.
His hypnosis lost control when the caster himself was shaken.
Misaki did not miss that instant.
"Now!"
Misaki shouted from the stage, to the entire student body.
"Wake up! You're all under Kanou's hypnosis! You're standing here by your own will!"
Misaki's voice echoed off the gymnasium walls again and again.
"I wasn't affected by Kanou's spell! You can do it too! Remember who you are!"
Misaki was reliving, with her whole body, the experience of shaking off Kanou's spell.
A strong will.
A heart that wouldn't lose.
(I'm going to protect everyone.)
"Wake uuuup!!"
Misaki's voice pierced through the entire gymnasium.
The next moment.
"Huh... what was I doing?"
"Wait, why am I dressed up like a maid...?"
"Kyaa!? Why am I wearing this!?"
All around, girls snapped back to themselves.
They blinked, looked at their hands and clothes, and shrieked.
The students who'd been put in maid outfits realized what they were wearing, turned bright red, and crouched down on the spot.
"Nooo! This is so embarrassing!"
"Who made me wear this!?"
The gymnasium descended into chaos.
Kanou stood frozen below the stage.
Under the hood, his face had gone pale.
"...My spell..."
Kanou's lips trembled.
"It's coming... undone..."
Kanou stared at his own hands.
They were shaking in small, rapid tremors.
His hypnosis was unraveling, one after another.
The suggestions he'd planted crumbled away like castles of sand.
"...Why... why is this happening..."
Kanou bit down on his lip.
The taste of iron spread through his mouth.
And then—
"Not yet! This isn't over yet!"
A thick, rough voice rang out from the back of the gymnasium.
It was the Iron Fist faction's gym chairman.
He swayed his bulky frame, shoved his way through the crowd, and pushed forward to the front of the stage.
"President! You're responsible for this whole mess! Confusing the entire student body is a serious crime! Resign as student council president, right now!"
The gym chairman jabbed a finger at Misaki and shouted.
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm standing here to put an end to this chaos!"
Misaki shot back without giving an inch.
"Ha! Listen to you! You're the one who spread the whole Yukimura cross-dressing scandal around for laughs! It was your people who passed out the photos, wasn't it!"
"Wrong! I never did any of that!"
"Don't play dumb! I've got proof!"
The gym chairman pulled a single sheet of paper from his pocket.
"Look at this! A photo of the president in a maid outfit! You're the one who scattered this around the school!"
The gym chairman held the paper high.
The gymnasium stirred.
"Wait, is that the president?"
"The president, in a maid outfit...?"
"No way..."
Misaki stared hard at the paper.
On it, sure enough, was a printed photo of a girl in a maid outfit.
But.
"...That's not me."
Misaki said it quietly, with certainty.
"What!? Don't play dumb! That face is obviously yours!"
"No, it isn't. I've never worn anything like that. And look closely at that photo. The outline of the face is blurred. It's a composite."
At Misaki's point, the gym chairman choked on his words.
"W-what are you...!"
And then—
"Good grief. You just don't know when to quit, gym chairman."
A leisurely voice—yet one that carried well—rang through the gymnasium.
Misaki looked toward the sound.
There stood Usui Takumi, his light brown hair swept carelessly, his gold-green eyes narrowed.
"Usui..."
"President, good work. Mind if I take it from here?"
Takumi gave Misaki a little wave.
Then he hopped lightly up onto the stage.
"Gym chairman. Are you really sure about this?"
Takumi stood before the gym chairman.
"W-what do you want, Usui! This has nothing to do with you!"
"Oh, but it does. Because I happen to know your 'past.'"
Takumi smiled.
The gym chairman's face changed color in an instant.
"W-what are you..."
"Last year, you were suspended for sexually harassing a female student. The school covered up the record, didn't they? But I've got a copy right here."
Takumi pulled a folded bundle of papers from his breast pocket.
"Shall I read this out in front of the whole school?"
Takumi gave the papers a little flick.
The gymnasium went dead silent.
"W-wait...! That's..."
The blood drained from the gym chairman's face in an instant.
"And I've got proof that you're the one who spread the rumor that the president handed out the photos. I can prove it was fabricated. So what'll it be? Want me to lay it all out right here?"
Takumi's voice stayed utterly casual.
But his eyes weren't smiling.
"S-stop...!"
The gym chairman backed away.
"Stop? Who exactly are you saying that to? If you apologize to the president right here, I might think about it."
Takumi looked down at the gym chairman.
The gym chairman began to shake violently.
"...F-fine... I-I'm sorry..."
The gym chairman bowed his head slightly toward Misaki.
"Too quiet. And what exactly are you apologizing for? Say it clearly."
Takumi pressed him without mercy.
"...I-I spread false rumors about the president... I'm sorry...!"
This time, the gym chairman shouted it clearly.
His voice rang through the entire gymnasium.
"Wait, so the thing about the president handing out photos was a lie?"
"How despicable! Apologize to the president!"
"That's right! Apologize!"
The girls' angry shouts filled the gymnasium.
The Iron Fist faction scattered and fled the gym like startled spiders.
The gym chairman, face bright red, fled too.
Misaki watched the scene in silence.
(...It's over.)
(It's finally over.)
A warm feeling spread slowly through Misaki's chest.
"President, you okay?"
Takumi stood beside Misaki.
"O-oh... yeah. I'm fine."
Misaki looked at Takumi's face and felt just a little relieved.
"Good, then. You're surprisingly quick to tears, President."
"Wha—! Who's quick to tears! I'm not crying!"
Misaki's face went red as she glared at Takumi.
"Yeah, yeah. No need to be shy."
Takumi laughed.
And then—
"...I'm sorry..."
A small voice reached them.
Misaki looked toward it.
Below the stage, Kanou stood with his head hanging.
"...I'm... scared of women..."
Kanou's voice was shaking.
"When I was a kid, my mom left the house... My old man told me... 'Women are fragile, they break if you touch them even a little'... After that, I got scared of women..."
Under the hood, Kanou was shedding tears.
"That's why I tried to bring down the president... I couldn't stand a woman throwing her weight around at this school... But really, I was just scared..."
Kanou's confession seeped into the quiet gymnasium.
Misaki walked slowly over to Kanou's side.
"Kanou."
Misaki stood before him.
Kanou didn't look up.
"I'm scared of men, too."
Misaki said it quietly.
Kanou's shoulders gave a start.
"My father ran off and left us with his debts. The man I trusted most betrayed me. So I'm scared of men, too."
Misaki's voice was calm.
"But watching you and Yukimura, I started to think maybe it's a little different. Man or woman, it doesn't matter. You don't have to be afraid of people."
Misaki held out her hand to Kanou.
"Next time, just talk to me. Properly. No spells."
Kanou stared at Misaki's hand.
Then, hesitantly, he took it.
"...I'm sorry..."
Tears spilling down his face, Kanou bowed his head.
"...Yeah."
Misaki squeezed his hand tight.
"I'd like to go back to normal clothes soon, too..."
Yukimura appealed, eyes teary.
"Ahaha!"
"Yukimura, good work!"
Laughter spread through the gymnasium.
The tension in the air loosened all at once.
Misaki looked around the gym.
Smiles had returned to the students' faces.
(It's finally over.)
(Now the school can go back to normal.)
Misaki let out a breath of relief.
And then—
"President."
Takumi stood beside Misaki.
"Usui... what is it?"
"This isn't the end."
Takumi's voice suddenly dropped low.
"Huh?"
"The remnants of the Iron Fist faction are still moving. They're trying to sniff out the secret of your part-time job."
Misaki's heart gave a sharp leap.
"W-why do you know that..."
"I know everything about you, President."
Takumi grinned.
"That's creepy! Are you a stalker or what!"
Misaki smacked Takumi's arm.
"Ow, ow. Anyway, just be careful. Your secret belongs to me alone."
Takumi leaned in and whispered softly by Misaki's ear.
Misaki's face went bright red.
"W-what are you saying, you—!"
Misaki shoved Takumi with all her might.
Takumi staggered, laughing.
"Well then, I'm off. President, good work."
Takumi waved and left the gymnasium.
Misaki stared after him.
(...Usui.)
(Because you were working behind the scenes.)
(I was able to fight.)
Misaki murmured softly in her heart.
Through the gymnasium windows, the late-morning sunlight streamed in.
The soft light wrapped gently around the gym.
After school.
Misaki stood alone behind the school building, in a deserted spot.
The incident had been settled.
The Iron Fist faction had crumbled.
She'd made peace with Kanou.
And Yukimura would come
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