Maid Uniform Debut

"Tak-kun, welcome home!"

When I got back from my outing, Karen-onee-chan was waiting out in front of the house.

"I'm home… what's up? Out in front?"

"Never mind that! Come on, hurry inside!"

Onee-chan pushed me from behind, planted me in front of the door, and opened it together with Satsuki-san. The three maids were standing inside, but the scene wasn't the usual one, and my eyes went wide.

All three maids were wearing maid uniforms.

"""Welcome home, Shouya-sama!"""

The three of them greeted me with beautiful bows. Finally getting to see them in maid uniforms made my chest pound.

"Shouya-sama! What do you think? It's a maid uniform!"

Yui-san twirled in place excitedly, showing off her maid uniform. Her skirt flared out into a lovely circle.

"They suit you wonderfully! All of you!"

When the three of them stood in a row, their skirt lengths lined up perfectly, showing off the craftsmanship of whoever had tailored the uniforms.

"Right?! Aren't they cute!"

Karen-onee-chan was in high spirits too as she gazed at the three of them in their uniforms.

"Here! I'll take a picture, so line up!"

Onee-chan pushed me from behind again and shoved me in between Miki-san and Yui-san.

"There～ ♡ Miki-chan, get closer to Shouya-sama～ ♡"

Moka-san pushed Miki-san's shoulder from the opposite side, and Miki-san's shoulder bumped into mine.

"M-Moka-san, please don't push so hard…"

Miki-san's face went red as she resisted Moka-san, embarrassed.

"Eh～, but Miki-chan, you were looking forward to wearing the maid uniform so much～?"

Yui-san teased Miki-san too, and Miki-san turned even redder.

"Y-Yui-chan! Don't say that…"

I'd assumed Yui-san was the one most looking forward to the maid uniforms, but apparently Miki-san had been excited too, which was nice.

"Shouya-sama～, I was looking forward to it too～"

Apparently Moka-san had been looking forward to it as well. Knowing everyone was happy made me very glad too.

"Okay! Shouya-sama, please smile! Let's take the picture!"

At Yui-san's cue, everyone turned toward the camera in Onee-chan's hands, and the shutter clicked right away.

"Everyone's so cute ♡"

Onee-chan checked the photo and was completely enraptured. But really, they all suited the uniforms so well that I started thinking maybe there was no need for me to be in it.

"Hey, you don't need me, do you?… A picture with just the three of them would be…"

"Th-that's not true at all!… Ah…"

Surprisingly, the first to respond and deny it was Miki-san.

"That's right～ Shouya-sama. We wanted a picture with Shouya-sama～"

"Just like Moka-chan says! Besides, we already have tons of pictures of the three of us!"

"Yeah, yeah! Tak-kun, you worry too much ♡ Though that's one of your good points too ♡"

The others all backed me up, insisting a picture with me mattered. The warmth of their feelings spread through my chest.

"Thank you all…"

"Shouya-sama～, we're the ones who should be thanking you～"

Moka-san answered my thanks with a soft giggle. Something about it struck me as funny too, and I ended up laughing along.

"Come on, Miki-chan! Aren't you going to ask Shouya-sama?"

As I laughed with Moka-san, I heard Yui-san calling out to Miki-san. Asking me… about what?

"Y-yes!… Um… I'd like you to take a picture with just the two of us…"

It was the kind of request that reminded me of graduation day, but of course the answer was yes.

"Sure, let's do it."

Miki-san's cheeks softened in delight at my answer. She was always so cool that seeing her happy put me in a good mood too. It made me wonder if I'd get to see her smile a lot more once we got closer.

Just like on graduation day, we first took a selfie on Miki-san's phone, then asked Onee-chan to take a full-body shot. When Miki-san checked the picture, her expression was happier than I'd ever seen, and she hugged the phone to her chest.

"Fufu ♪ Miki-chan looks so happy ♪ Shouya-sama, will you take a picture with us too?"

"Of course!"

I cheerfully agreed to Moka-san's request and took a picture with her group too.

"I'm going to set this as my lockscreen!"

"Me too～"

Yui-san and Moka-san looked at their photo and laughed in satisfaction. But outside the circle of smiles, Satsuki-san and the others looked a little lonely.

"Satsuki-san, won't you take a picture too?"

I tried inviting Satsuki-san and the others for a two-shot as well.

"My! I'm so happy! Shouya-sama!"

The one who was happiest was Mei-san. But Satsuki-san and Reina-san also looked pleased.

"Shouya-sama, since we're at it, how about a pose?"

Mei-san proposed a pose where the two of us would make a heart together. It was a little embarrassing, but I wanted to see her happy face, so I went along with it.

"O-okay."

When the two of us formed the heart, Yui-san and Moka-san got really worked up.

"Shouya-sama! Mei-san! So cute!"

"Right～? ♡ We want to do it too later, okay～? ♡ Right, Miki-chan? ♡"

"I… um… y-yes, please…"

Apparently Miki-san wanted in on the heart pose too, and she asked in a mumbling voice.

"Satchan, want to do the heart pose too? ♡ Or maybe a princess carry? ♡"

"D-don't tease me… I'd rather just a normal one…"

Mei-san was teasing Satsuki-san with a smirk, but a princess carry… well, with our height difference, it'd be impossible for me to lift her, so I'd have to be the one being carried. Did that still count as a 'princess' carry?

"What's a princess carry?"

Since I was supposedly amnesiac, I just asked directly. It had been a while since I'd played the amnesia card.

"Um, a princess carry is… hmm, Satchan, try it on Yui-chan."

At Mei-san's prompting, Satsuki-san lifted Yui-san up. It was the same princess carry I knew, so I was reassured.

"Shouya-sama, a princess carry refers to being lifted up like this. It's what a princess does when she carries a prince."

Reina-san's explanation finally satisfied me. So a princess carry was the kind of carry a princess did. Having her teach me things I didn't know felt nostalgic too.

"That's right! Shouya-sama! How about Satchan's princess carry? ♡"

Honestly, I was a little curious about being given a princess carry, but the idea of being carried in front of everyone was a bit embarrassing. On top of that, as a man with memories of a past life, having a woman carry me made me worry whether it'd be a burden on Satsuki-san.

"Well, Yui-san is one thing, but lifting me would be…"

"Shouya-sama! What do you mean, 'one thing'?! Are you saying I'm small?!"

Yui-san puffed her cheeks out in protest at my words. A protest from below didn't feel threatening in the slightest; it was actually adorable.

"Yui-chan really is small～, and besides, the smaller you are, the more you get to enjoy Shouya-sama's hugs～ ♡"

Moka-san stroked Yui-san's head as she soothed her. It was true that Yui-san fit perfectly in my arms, so in a sense she was the one who got to enjoy hugs the most.

"Mm… well then, I guess there's no helping it… ♡"

I hadn't realized Yui-san minded being short. To me, being small and cute was her charm, but I figured I should be careful with my words.

"Shouya-sama, getting back to the topic, carrying you is no trouble at all for me, so there's no need to worry."

That meant the only thing left was whether I wanted the princess carry. Since the opportunity was right there, I wanted a special photo with Satsuki-san too, not just an ordinary one. The heart pose embarrassed her, but the princess carry seemed to be okay.

"Then… please…"

"Yes, understood."

Satsuki-san gave a short reply, then crouched and slid her arms behind my knees and around my back.

"Wuaah!"

My body suddenly floated up and I let out a yelp, but the next instant the princess carry was already complete.

"Shouya-sama, are you all right?"

Her face was right up close, watching me with concern, and I got a little flustered. The vibe Satsuki-san gave off felt less like being carried by a princess and more like being carried by a knight. Still, her hold was steady, and I could relax and trust her with my weight. Along my side, I could feel the firmness of her chest and her large breasts pressing warmly against me.

"Yes, I just got a little surprised…"

As I talked with Satsuki-san, I heard the shutter clicking from behind us.

"Wow, what a great picture!"

When we all gathered around Karen-onee-chan to look at the photo, the screen showed me cradled in Satsuki-san's arms, my cheeks lightly flushed, and Satsuki-san herself just as red-faced from meeting my gaze.

"Satchan, this look really suits you～! Like a princess knight, right? ♡"

"P-princess knight, you say…"

At Mei-san's words, Satsuki-san's face turned even redder. From my front-row seat, I got to watch her blush up close. Seeing a new side of her made me happy.

"Th-that's enough, isn't it?! Shouya-sama, I'll set you down now!"

Satsuki-san said it as if to cover her embarrassment, then quietly lowered me back down. Despite the fluster in her words, her motions setting me down were very careful.

"Okay, last one… Reina-san!"

At Yui-san's prompt, Reina-san gave a little jolt and then came up beside me. Reina-san walked over like a rusted robot, and everyone's eyes gathered on her.

"Reina-san, you're nervous, aren't you?"

Reina-san's movements were so stiff even Mei-san pointed it out.

"N-no, that's… nervous? I'm not… I am…"

Reina-san tried to deny it at first, but she gradually trailed off and in the end admitted that she was.

"Geez, the moment it's not work, you get all stiff around Shouya-sama…"

Yui-san let the words slip out, exasperated at Reina-san's state.

"I… kind of get it… outside of work, I don't know how to interact either…"

Miki-san spoke up to back Reina-san. Maybe these two serious types really did get along. I spoke to Reina-san gently too, hoping to ease her nerves.

"Reina-san, I want to get closer to you outside of work too… so today, would you make a heart with me?"

"Y-yes!"

Reina-san answered me in a loud voice and formed a heart with me. When she showed me the picture, her expression was bright and smiling, and I felt like we'd finally closed the distance between us.

"My! Reina-san, what a wonderful smile! ♡"

Mei-san praised Reina-san's smile too, now that the nervousness had left her. Seeing Reina-san's full beaming smile for the first time made my chest skip a beat. After that, we spent a happy while looking at the photos together and chatting.