Chapter 4: Before the Festival: A Premonition of Turmoil
After the midterms, the next event that awaited them was the cultural festival, a big event that happened only once a year.
The school Amane and the others attended put a lot of effort into events held as a group by the students, so each class had quite a high budget and they tended to host elaborate events each year.
“And that’s why we’re going to decide what to do as a class!”
Naturally, the class as a whole would decide what to do, so now that it was time, the students naturally got excited.
Standing at the podium in high spirits was Itsuki. Amane knew that the festival-loving Itsuki would run for the cultural festival committee, but he could only laugh at the fact that Itsuki actually won the position. As lively as a fish out of water, Itsuki pointed to what he wrote on the blackboard using a pointing stick he grabbed out of nowhere.
“Ahem. Regarding the festival’s choices, it’s important to think about the number of cafés there will be per year. Most of the classes will be candidates, so be prepared for some fierce cross-class warfare if we decide on a café.”
It was only natural, but the number of restaurants the student body could open was already set in stone.
Restaurants that offer rewarding and hands-on management experience are popular and if they weren’t careful, most classes would try to host one as well. If that were the case, there would be too many cafés and not much variety, hence the restrictions. In addition to that, due to the schedule of the home economics room and the hygiene requirement to upkeep, they just couldn’t fulfill everyone’s wishes.
“Also, our budget and other school equipment given are written on the printouts handed out, so please check through it. And even if it’s not written, I’ll check every time you want to buy something. For now, just mention anything you think we can do within the budget… Now then, if you have something you want to do, please raise your hand.”
His classmates raised their hands in response to Itsuki’s question.
The cultural festival was a very important event and this was shown by the fire in everyone’s eyes. It was a massive event and all the students were looking forward to it.
Well, I did spend last year doing things randomly.
Amane, who didn’t have a shred of student-like freshness or innocence, spent the last cultural festival doing whatever. They sold homemade items last year, so he just did as he was told and took care of the store.
Because of that, he couldn’t help but watch them get excited from afar.
“Okay, okay! I think we should go for a standard café!”
“Oh-ho, that’s within expectations. By the way, just a normal café?”
“How about a maid café?”
“See, Shiina-san’s in this class… and I’m sure she’d look good in it.”
The last words were whispered between the classmates who kept glancing at Mahiru and Amane found it rather inappropriate, but it wasn’t something he would say out loud. Amane decided to sit back and monitor them for the time being, not wanting to complain right there and then. He knew it would only spoil the mood.
“Hahaha. I’m not sure you’re thinking about the budget at all, but you’ve got the spirit. For now, let’s include it as a candidate.”
Amane’s eyes met Itsuki’s as he sent exasperated looks at the boys, who were getting excited by the mention of Mahiru’s ‘maid outfit’.
When silently asked if it was okay to stare, Amane made a sour face at him. If he had to say whether it was good or bad, then it was bad. Mahiru was already standing out as if she were some type of showpiece. Amane also heard that her cuteness had been honed recently, and if he let Mahiru wear a maid outfit now it was certain that students would flock to her, making it difficult for Mahiru to deal with them properly.
On the other hand, the sales she would bring would be a guaranteed advantage. Mahiru was an absolute advertising behemoth and the boys would no doubt barge in just to get a glimpse of her.
The Mahiru in question had an indescribably troubled smile on her face when she was brought up.
It was natural. It didn’t feel good for her to be treated as an attraction. However, this was only a proposal and she couldn’t flat out refuse after hearing it. If Mahiru really didn’t want to do it, Amane would refuse in her place.
“Well, a maid café may be a man’s dream, but please consider the budget before making a proposal. Well then, anyone have any other ideas?”
At Itsuki’s urging, they listed the standard shops like haunted houses, curry, and udon stores, and the blackboard was full of suggestions.
Amane’s main gripe was that the class’—or rather—the boys’ main interest was in the maid café, and he could hear them whispering among themselves.
“Shiina-san’s maid outfit would be so…”
“But Fujimiya’s here…”
“No, he’s a man too. He’d want to see her in a maid outfit, wouldn’t he?”
Unfortunately for them, Amane was listening but had no intention of agreeing. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to see her wearing it, but Amane didn’t want to show it off when other people were around. He knew Mahiru would be tired of their conversation, so he didn’t want them to talk about it any further. He sent them a sharp look as he glanced at Mahiru, and she hastily averted her eyes once she noticed his gaze.
Noticing the boys, Mahiru steeled her smile and Amane continued to glare at them, but not too harshly.
“By the way, Amane-san, what’s your proposal?”
Suddenly being called out by Itsuki, Amane looked at him with a sour face.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because you looked like you wanted to say something?”
Itsuki called his name to get the attention of the boys around him, but not saying anything would make the mood worse.
Thinking about what to say, he voiced the easiest-sounding proposal.
“If I had to choose, then I’d say it’s better to research the local history here and hold an exhibit.”
The entire class fell silent at the suggestion—it was a miscalculation. It felt no different from dowsing water on everyone’s excitement. A very uncomfortable atmosphere lingered in the classroom.
“Hey, nobody will get anything from that!”
“You’re suggesting a serious and bland event like that when we’re this excited?”
“I think it’s pretty good. You just have to research for the display in the preparation period and put some documents together, right? If we do that, we’ll be free to do whatever we want during the festival as long as there’s a few students on shift to watch the display. You wouldn’t feel like you’re holding an event together with the rest of the class, but don’t you think you’d be able to enjoy the festival a lot? No need to worry about the time and you can look at all the food stalls the other classes are doing.”
After finishing, he heard voices from all over the class saying, “Oh, I get it now.”
Amane understood that showcasing the local history at the school’s biggest event of the year would be uninteresting for a student. They knew that their local history was important, but there was no doubt that they’ll be wondering if it was an option they should take.
He didn’t think it was often that students went out of their way to prepare for the cultural festival, an event where students could go a little wild and not offend anyone, but what Amane was really aiming for was the free time during the festival.
Restaurants were a popular choice but they tended to require a lot of resources and manpower, and it took a lot of time to manage and prepare. The students had to be cautious around the store since they were dealing with money, and an uproar would be caused inside and outside the school if a problem arose. It was certain that they would have a very hard time.
If they held some type of exhibit, each student would be on shift for about an hour, since the festival spanned only two days. It was very efficient time-wise and labor-wise. Unlike a restaurant and merchandise stalls, there wouldn’t be any exchange of money with an exhibit, so the important point was that the students could relax and take it easy. On top of all that, if you weren’t confident in your customer service skills, appearance, or cooking skills, there was nothing more painful to put up with. Amane fell in that category and knew exactly how it felt.
“How should I put this? That’s just like you.”
Itsuki didn’t hide his exasperation, but Amane just made a suggestion, so he turned away and closed his lips.
Mahiru also gave him a look that said it was just like him, so it was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t take back what he’d already said, so he just sighed softly.
“Whaaat? Then the maid café has the most votes, so it’s decided that we’ll do a maid café. Any objections?”
In the end, it was decided that it would be a maid café with an overwhelming majority of male votes.
“Well, I’ll tell the student council about the decision, and from there it’ll probably be luck of the draw, so if we don’t win the lottery, we’ll have to host a haunted house, our number two choice. Also, when it comes to clothes, it’s definitely not something we can prepare within the budget, so we’ll need to hit up some connections. If anything comes to mind, bring it forward first. If you don’t, it’ll be a normal café, so prepare yourself.”
Itsuki was in charge of cultural festival proceedings due to his cheerful nature and good mannerisms, and he swiftly briefed everyone on some crucial details before leaving the classroom to inform the student council. Amane let out a small sigh and rested his hands on his cheeks at the relaxed atmosphere when he noticed Mahiru approaching.
“What are you going to do?”
“No matter what I say… there’s no helping what’s already been decided.”
Mahiru smiled wryly at him, and though it couldn’t be helped, he couldn’t help but feel subtly frustrated.
“If you don’t like it, you have to tell them.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but… umm, do you hate maid uniforms, Amane-kun?”
“I don’t love or hate them. I think you look good in everything Mahiru, and you always look good in your apron, too.”
“I-I see… Then I’ll do my best.”
“Well, you don’t have to force yourself to wear it.”
“If it makes you happy, I’ll wear it.”
Seeing the boys quietly pump their fists behind Mahiru, who had a beautiful smile on her face as she said that, Amane could only hold back his smile from twitching.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login