Chapter 114: Pumpkin Panties Princess

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Ultimately, the spring festival was canceled. Given the seriousness of the incident, it was inevitable. A different choice of hostage could have led to a major disaster.

Well, the punishment Napolitan-senpai inflicted on the perpetrator was a different kind of disaster. The smock she was wearing, which looked like it was meant for a kindergartener, was stained red as if someone had spilled Neapolitan spaghetti on it. Everyone was understandably terrified.

According to her, it was just the perpetrator’s nosebleed, but come on, there’s no way anyone would believe that. Think about it rationally, for once. When the police finally arrived, the perp’s face was hidden by a ski mask, but you could tell he'd been beaten to a pulp and was bleeding from more than just his nose.

As a result, Napolitan-senpai earned the nickname “Blood-Stained Neapolitan Smock Princess.” Any worries about excessive force were dismissed because “there's no way such a tiny girl could have done that much damage.” Appearances can be a powerful weapon, indeed.

Meanwhile, Ange, who had her skirt lifted by her own mother in public, was distraught.

“I'm so embarrassed, I want to die… I only wanted Onii-chan to see… It really was a nightmare come true.”

She sobbed quietly after we all returned to the apartment, except for Airi-chan. Thanks for explaining that plot thread everyone probably forgot about.

Incidentally, Yuki-chan and Kumi-san were gone when we got back, leaving only a note saying, “We couldn’t reach you, so we apologize for any inconvenience. We’ll visit to thank you properly later.”

There was a hostage situation, so it’s understandable.

For now, the priority was to calm Ange down.

“What do we do, Mom?”

“Sorry, Ange. I only did it because I knew you were wearing pumpkin pants. If you were wearing something like skimpy lace, I wouldn't have done it.”

“I… I can’t get married now.”

“Wait, did Ange want to get married?”

She usually acted like she had no interest in guys, so this was a surprise. Women are always a mystery.

“No, it's impossible now. You have to take responsibility and stay with me forever.”

“…”

That was an unexpected twist. Still, I do bear some responsibility; if I hadn’t said those things, Mom wouldn't have done it. But I didn't expect to be stuck with Ange for life. My life isn't at a point where it can accommodate that.

Time to negotiate.

“I'll treat you to ramen. Can you cheer up for that?”

“If it's just the two of us, I'll agree.”

“Deal.”

That settled it. She's a cheap date. Problem solved, or so I thought.

“Wait a minute! I had a date with Yuuta first! So…”

Just then, Kurebayashi-san butted in and complicated things. Thanks a lot.

“Yeah, I remember, but can you reschedule?”

“…Onii-chan? What's this about a date?”

“Oh.”

Why does it always end up like this?

—

So, in the end, we all went for ramen together. But the atmosphere was heavy, with Ange and Kurebayashi-san silently competing with each other.

In times like this, it’s best to distract myself with my phone.

… I wonder if the incident earlier has made it to Twitter. I'll check.

…

Hmm? At the bottom of the trends… “Pumpkin Panties Princess”?

—

“I was shocked! To distract the perpetrator holding hostages, the Pumpkin Panties Princess lifted her own skirt!”

“That’s some serious self-sacrifice.”

“I saw it too. A super cute blonde, like a foreigner. ‘Pumpkin Panties Princess’ is such a fitting name.”

“A beautiful girl like a princess wearing pumpkin pants…”

“I'm now confident I can get off to pumpkin pants.”

“Between KYOKO and the Pumpkin Panties Princess, this spring festival is legendary.”

“I'm jealous of the Pumpkin Panties Princess's popularity.”

—

I closed the app.

Ridiculous. Who started a thread about this local incident and quoted it on Twitter? And it’s going semi-viral.

At least there are no photos. If Ange ever debuted in the entertainment world, she'd become an instant star thanks to this.

Like Cinderella in pumpkin pants. Idol legend Ange. Half those tears are my fault. I'm really sorry. As an apology, enjoy the famous “Messy Pig Ramen” from Manyo, which is supposed to be amazing.