Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818622175256104561
It was after school that day.
I wanted to study, but because homeroom went on longer than usual, I couldn’t, and my entire class, including me, was stuck in the classroom.
It was for cultural festival preparations.
During this time of year, the homeroom mysteriously gets extended, which is inconvenient for me.
It seems like class time will eventually be changed to cultural festival preparation HR, which makes me nervous.
I could have studied on my own while everyone else was discussing things, but I’m not that socially awkward.
I had been told to participate by Reisa and Nagisa, so I was cooperating seriously.
“Hey, I wanna go to club activities.”
“Me too ! I’d rather study than do this preparation.”
“The rookie tournament is coming up soon. Let us go !”
“The boys are being so loud !”
The usual exchange between the lazy boys and the serious girls in the class is somehow endearing.
Maybe this is where couples form, and we might even see some cultural festival magic.
As an aside, our school is known for its strong club activities.
There’s a tournament in the fall, and it seems like everyone, not just me, is dissatisfied with being tied down.
Looking closely, there are some girls who seem irritated even though they’re not talking.
Then, I made eye contact with Reisa at the front of the classroom.
She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up, so she must be excited about it.
She’s been looking forward to it for a long time, so I guess that makes sense.
Our high school has 10 classes per grade, which is quite large, and even excluding the third-year students who are on break during exam season, there are still 20 classes participating.
Reisa told me that there will be a variety of activities, such as food stalls, mock shops, plays, and exhibitions.
Among them, our class is presenting a ‘Male Butler Cafe.’
Some students are complaining, and this might be part of the reason.
Personally, I’m relieved that the system allows boys to stay completely behind the scenes.
If it had been the opposite—a female maid cafe—it would have been a nightmare.
Thinking about it, the girls must be having a tough time.
As I was thinking about this, the girls left the classroom for a costume fitting.
Well, now I have some free time.
As students from other classes began to leave school one after another, the students in the classroom were immersed in a sense of emptiness.
It’s fine that only some of the girls (the ugly ones) are changing clothes, but now the ones left behind have nothing to do.
As those around me began to talk and study, I took out my notebook as well.
I’ll review my math.
Recently, I’ve been scoring perfect marks in math on consecutive quizzes, proficiency tests, and national mock exams.
However, that’s all outside of regular exams.
School exams are different because everyone else gets motivated for regular exams, and the competition intensifies.
If you drop in rank, it’s a disaster.
In math, anything less than a perfect score is unacceptable.
It’s like the tension of a gambler aiming for a double-up.
The more you win, the greater the pressure to not lose the next one.
…Thinking about it that way, it’s frustrating, but Takagi was amazing.
In the first semester, he took four exams: the proficiency test right after enrollment, the midterm, the final, and the national mock exam.
It’s easy to dismiss it as just four exams when it’s someone else’s problem, but when you’re in the same situation, it’s terrifying.
Even if I had scored first in the previous mock exam, it was still only two consecutive wins.
To truly surpass Takagi, I would need to secure at least two more consecutive first-place finishes.
I didn’t want to give him any reason to get cocky, and I was determined to break his consecutive winning streak at all costs.
“Haa… Haha, what am I thinking?”
I’m an idiot.
I’m getting too nervous.
I should have known from the start that competing with Takagi was pointless.
I need to regain the resolve to keep getting perfect scores in all subjects.
Distracted by the pressure, I shake my head and finish going through today’s lesson material.
Alright, I’m proud to say my speed and accuracy are top-notch.
This skill, which is a clear result of my childhood training, is something I’m a bit proud of.
After waiting for a while, the girls returned.
The boys, who had seemed uninterested, perked up when they saw the girls dressed in what looked like authentic butler uniforms.
And when they saw Reisa, who was the last to enter the classroom, their excitement reached its peak.
Amidst the cheers, Reisa blushed slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
Since the girls chosen were the most attractive in the class, Reisa naturally became the star of the show.
At this point, she was already a proper con cafe girl.
“The costumes are the real ones that Reisa brought from the mansion ! Don’t get them dirty !”
I was convinced by the class president’s enthusiastic words as she changed clothes.
No wonder I had seen them before.
Still, this was pretty good.
Reisa, who was standing with a serious expression, as if she was too embarrassed to smile, looked cool and stylish.
Since I see the real thing up close every day, I have high expectations for the quality.
Also, the idea of the young lady reversing roles and serving others is surprisingly interesting.
The situation where a woman who usually treats maids like servants is being bossed around would probably excite some of the boys.
If her servant happened to be there during an external viewing, it would be interesting.
As we cheered, people from other classes gathered around.
Among them, Nishiho Mika, who is close friends with Reisa, peeked her head out from the door.
Reisa, who was standing at the far end of the door, noticed and widened her eyes in surprise.
Mika saw this and burst into laughter, pointing at Reisa.
“Ahaha ! Oh, Reisa, it suits you ! No wonder you see the real thing every day at the mansion !”
“Mika…!? You…!”
“You’re always being selfish and making the servants suffer, so why don’t you take this opportunity to learn about the hardships of being a servant?”
The class erupted even more at Mika’s teasing tone.
Reisa, who had been spoken to, looked angry, flustered…it was hard to tell, but she was smiling slightly at the corners of her mouth.
We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well by now, so I think she’s probably a little annoyed.
“…You’ll remember this later, okay?”
“It’s a cover-up for our friendship. ‘Act like friends so you can make excuses for being around each other,’ right? I’m just following Lady Reisa’s instructions.”
“…Ugh. Are you still holding a grudge about what happened during the day?”
“What are you talking about?”
They were whispering to each other in front of me, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing.”
The two of them answered the class president’s question with synchronized, cheerful smiles.
I’ve only been in the same class as Nishiho Mika once before, but she seems to be close with Reisa.
Then, as if she had just remembered, the class president clapped her hands.
“Oh, by the way, Class 3 is apparently going to open a maid café, so they’ll be our biggest rivals.”
I was surprised to hear that.
Nagisa had never mentioned anything about it, so it was news to me.
Leaving aside Mika, who had disappeared without a trace, the class president continued.
“Since our concepts overlap completely, let’s not lose to Class 3 ! Let’s all work together as a class to crush them !”
At the ominous chant, I heard voices from around me saying, “We won’t lose to something so ordinary !” and “Don’t let them get a single customer !”
Despite seeming unmotivated, everyone warmed up quickly.
It was a special annual event, so they weren’t uninterested.
And I felt the same way.
When it comes to Class 3, there are two people with whom I have a history.
Takagi Rio, who always picks fights, and my childhood friend Kako.
Having Nagisa there is somewhat comforting, but I can’t lose to Class 3 with those two there.
If I lose, they’ll have another reason to mock and provoke me.
In the end, the class dispersed after just the costume fitting, and I thought to myself.
Setting aside Takagi and Kako, I’d like to see Nagisa in her maid outfit.
I took out a separate notebook and started making a list of the events I wanted to visit on the day of the cultural festival.
The first item on the list was “Nagisa’s maid café.”
I nodded with a creepy smile.
This is starting to get exciting.
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