Ushio nervously returned the smile Hiromi directed at her, and quickly returned to her usual 'stare at the ground' routine. Now that they were out of the class and away from prying eyes, Ushio's awkwardness didn't feel amplified to ludicrous levels. Now she just needed to get impossibly lucky and suffer no more teasing for the rest of the day.

[i]"Why aren't you in uniform, Ushio-chan?"[/i]

Well, that lasted a solid three seconds.

Face exploding with colour once more, Ushio's eyes widened as she raised her head. Her bag containing the uniform hung from her shoulder, and she tried to squeak out an explanation, "I-I-I was tr-trying to ta-take my clothes off b-but then people c-could hear me! S-So I couldn't-"
Ushio clamped a hand over her mouth, heat radiating from the embarrassed maid as she realised what was said. Now would be an amazing time to hide behind Rumbling Earth Maestro, at least that completely mysterious and not-at-all-Ushio-like lady wouldn't dig a deep hole for herself...