"Magical Witch Mao at your service!"
I raked my little sister's body once and shook my head. "Nope. Nada. Not a chance."
Mao, fit in a frilly purple dress, eyepatch, witch hat and appalling jewelry could only pull a face. "Why?"
"We're talking about Chie and Dad's wedding. We agreed to lose the eyepatch and witch hat, at least for the ceremony in a few days."
"But these are Mao's sacred regalia," Mao spitballed as I inched toward her. "For if Mao removes it, her powers will go berserk, and the entire world will fall to ruin. These are for protecting Earth itself."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I wanna see you without it."
"Mao's abilities are too powerful for mere mortals to witness with the naked eye. Mao will bring calamity."
"Girls." Chie entered Mao's bedroom—or as Mao preferred to call it, her 'chamber'—which we currently dwelled within. "What's all the ruckus so late?"
"Priestess of Evil, Mao is receiving multiple attacks from a perturbing life form." Mao ducked behind her, the perfect leeway in evading my advances. "Permission to launch a full-fledged counterattack?"
"Denied," Chie said, sensing my teeming frustration.
Mao pursed her mouth. "Chie always takes Shiina's side."
"I'm on the side of justice." Chie shooed her forward. "Now disperse. Get ready for bed."
She beckoned me out of the room and begrudgingly, I dragged my feet. She shut Mao's door behind us.
"It's because you keep spoiling her she really will attend your wedding decked out in magical runes."
"I'd rather that," Chie replied. "Imagining Mao dressed casually is more terrifying."
True.
Recalling Mao pre second year of middle school was a feat. Demure. Never said much. Blended into the background. The complete opposite of the girl I interacted with now.
"Regardless," Chie added. Her goodwill was reflected in the crooked smile she bore. "Our little witch is considerably more endearing the way she is."
In no time, Chie and I were downstairs, sipping on tea she brewed whilst watching TV. It was a rom-com drama she'd been into recently—one she occasionally forced Dad to sit through. Dad made it seem like a chore at first but I caught him tearing up, undeniably invested, quite a few times since. With Dad snoring the night away upstairs and Mao presumably tinkering with mage-related objects, the house was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
"I love you," the woman on screen declared. "I want you to know that you own all my heart. Forever and always."
A heated kiss.
"I want you with me tonight."
Cut scene. A rated MA scene.
I slurped indifferently.
Opposite to that, Chie screeched. She nosedived for the remote. "Sh—Shiina, don't look! Cover your eyes! How do you fast forward— Ahh, this kind of scene is way too graphic! How long are they going to drag it on?!"
YOU ARE READING
Outsider Syndrome | ✓
Teen Fiction(A Reverse Harem) Due to her above-average height, Shiina Kisaragi lives as the constant object of ridicule by her high school peers. Not a day goes by where she isn't reminded of being an outcast. With her mother having passed away a year ago, she...
