The Villainess Reika-sama

[115]

Apparently we were slowly gaining new members. I say 'apparently' because I wasn't there to see it myself. Actually I wasn't allowed to interact with them directly.
According to Club Pres, my title as a Pivoine member was scaring away some of the newer students, so she hoped that I would make myself scarce just for the duration of the recruitment period.

I couldn't really fault that logic. Everyone who joined that club was the same timid and quiet type, so I could see how they might be afraid of us. In Zui'ran, the Pivoine were like the ultimate predators, after all. The one group that you shouldn't ever offend.

I knew that feeling too. But I was an official member of the Handicrafts Club. Wasn't there any way I could help!?

Anyhow, I was sitting in a corner and needle-felting, sparing the occasional glance at the visiting students, when one of them called out to me falteringly. Heck yes!

"Did you have a question?"

"Yes. I was hoping somebody could tell me about the sewing machine that this club uses, but..."

Sewing machine?

I wasn't proud of this, but I had never used it before. Actually I sucked at them in general. Things just got out of hand, and then the threads started to get tangled and... Anyhow, it was just hard. Come to think of it, when I was younger the threads got tangled and the sewing machine stopped moving. So I tried yanking it out, but the struggle ended with the machine giving off smoke. Machinery was difficult to use, wasn't it.

But it was a chance to help. I decided to try my best!

"What did you want to know about it?"

"I wanted to know which company made the overlock sewing machines. Also whether or not you had any 4-thread overlocks."

...What on earth was an overlock machine. And what was this about 4-threads?

"I've only ever used a 3-thread. I was hoping to get the chance to try my hand at a 4-thread."

???

Oh no. I was trying my best but it was all Greek to me...

But I was an official club member. I couldn't let her know.

"...Please wait a moment. I am a little tied up at the moment, so I will find somebody to answer your questions. You wanted to know about overlock sewing machines, yes?"

Anybody! Isn't there anybody who knows about these "overlocked machines"!?

While I was looking for somebody who could answer, another one of the visitors came up to that girl and said,

"That miss over there is a member of the Pivoine, you know! You can't just send her on chores like that, what if you make them angry!?"

I returned with a girl who knew more about the topic but Overlock-chan said,

"I'm so sorry! I'm an External Student and only joined this year, so I really had no idea!"

earnestly apologising to me.

It wasn't a problem at all, though... I was just pretending to be busy so I didn't have to explain. So seriously, please don't look so scared of me~ I'm part of the commoner-faction, you know?

Maybe I should learn more about sewing machines...

Around that time, Ririna showed up with her buddies in tow.

"Geez, Reika-san! What a boring club you've joined!"

That stupid girl!

Flames of rage were beginning to grow in my heart but she had a lot of followers. If she joined the club, wouldn't we get a whole wave of members!?