Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818622176223147636
The day of the cultural festival has arrived.
After a bit of a commotion over a quiz, I had been studying like crazy, but now I can take a break for a few days.
I thought about studying in my free time, but I decided not to because it would be out of place and spoil the atmosphere.
You have to read the mood.
Also, I myself have started to change a little since I started interacting with Reisa and the others.
I’ve started to feel the kind of excitement that most people feel about school events like this.
Our school’s Culture Festival is held over three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The idea is that the first day is for students within the school, the second day is for students from other schools to come and visit, and the final day, Sunday, is for parents and other visitors from outside the school, taking advantage of the company holiday.
Of course, all this information comes from Reisa.
However, parents are busy with work as usual, and for me, who has no friends at other schools, it doesn’t really matter.
As long as I can enjoy it with my friends, that’s enough.
By the way, the final day is only half a day, and of course, there is no after-party.
In fiction, there is something called a campfire, but in today’s society with increasing regulations, there’s no way such a dangerous event would be allowed.
Actually, I’ve only heard about it in fiction, but is it really something that happens in real life?
I don’t know.
“It’s finally started. The event of youth.”
“Yeah, the opening was amazing.”
Since there are so many students, the opening wasn’t held in the gymnasium but in a huge arena nearby, which made it even more impressive.
I was a bit annoyed with myself for thinking about how they managed to fund it, given that it’s a public school.
The opening was amazing, with performances by the brass band and a short play by the drama club.
Even after returning to school, the scale was too big, from the food stalls outside to the decorations on the school building.
As expected, being a massive school, the event was on an unprecedented scale.
It was still only 10 a.m., and from here on, each class’s mock shops, food stalls, and exhibitions would begin.
Reisa and I were scheduled to work at the male butler café in the afternoon, so we had some free time until then.
We walked down the hallway together, taking in the atmosphere.
“The first event in gymnasium seems to be focused on stage plays. The second seems to have volunteer bands playing in order. My friend is supposed to perform at noon, but I can’t go because of my shift.”
“Are the bands serious?”
“No, no, they’re just amateurs playing for fun. My friend is the kind of person who does karaoke for fun, and she’s apparently gonna be the vocalist.”
“Is that okay?”
“She said it would be funny if something went wrong.”
Typical of the extroverted community.
Their strength of heart is so different from someone like me.
“Are you glad you’re not performing, Reisa?”
“I’m not really into being in the spotlight anyway. Plus, I’d have less time to spend with Tsukushi.”
“No, no, it’d be more meaningful to make memories with different people.”
Anyway, if my memory serves me right, Reisa was originally supposed to go with other friends.
I wonder how those friendships are going.
Well, I’m not the type to worry about such things.
Reisa and I looked at each other and smiled.
If we keep walking down the hallway, we’ll pass by Class 3 soon.
Class 3 is where our friend Nagisa works as a maid at a maid café, where she greets customers in cosplay.
She said her shift was in the morning, so it might be the perfect way to kick off this festival chaos.
“Should we go there first?”
“Anyway, we were supposed to have lunch with Nagisa today, right? So there’s still over two hours until then. Thinking about it that way, going now might be too early.”
“I could stare at Nagisa’s blushing face for two hours and be fine with it.”
“That’s a bit much…but maybe not so bad.”
If we stayed there from opening until her shift break, it would probably be pretty uncomfortable.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.
If I can see Nagisa’s annoyed face, it might not be so bad after all.
Sorry, Nagisa.
Neither I nor Reisa have the best personalities.
“It’s settled then.”
We grinned wickedly and continued walking down the hallway.
Amidst the crowd, we spotted the sign for the maid café we were looking for.
As we approached the entrance, we encountered a cute maid.
Her white, long legs emerged from her miniskirt.
Looking up, I noticed the large ribbon at her chest, the name tag reading “Rio♡” and the frilly headband.
At 174 centimeters tall, I had to look up slightly to stare at the maid’s face.
I suppose she has a beautiful face, but I just can’t stand her physically.
After all, she’s a guy.
“W-welcome home, Master.”
“…What kind of mood are you in when you say that?”
“Don’t look at me with such a cold gaze. It can’t be helped, it’s in the manual.”
“You’re so strict.”
Takagi, whose face was contorted, was standing at the entrance dressed in a maid costume for some reason.
As I stared at him, he seemed to feel uncomfortable and his face turned red.
“…I was tricked by the guys in my class. They said I’m handsome, so I’d look good in a dress.”
“You don’t need to make excuses. I don’t like you, but I won’t deny your hobbies.”
“What !? What are you talking about !? This isn’t really my choice !”
“Whatever.”
“Ugh…hey, Nanamura F. Reisa. Why are you smirking?”
“Eh? No, no, I just thought it looked cute on you.”
“Liar! Everyone’s laughing at me…! This is the first time I’ve ever felt such humiliation !”
Takagi, with his angry expression, somehow feels unusually amusing today.
Besides, this guy always seems to be either gloating or grumbling, but I wonder what he really thinks about it.
It’s like a one-man show.
Lately, my hatred for him had been skyrocketing, but seeing him in this pathetic state somehow calmed me down.
Whoever it was who made Takagi wear a maid outfit is a genius.
I’m truly grateful.
It was a good show.
Just then, Takagi clicked his tongue and cursed.
“Ugh ! Get out of my way. If you have business here, come in quickly.”
“That’s not how a maid should act. Aren’t you supposed to follow the manual?”
“…Two guests, please come in. Welcome, Master.”
I said that because I was annoyed by his outburst, but seeing Takagi glare at me while acting all cute made me feel like I was the bad guy.
Since I had nothing else to say, I went inside as instructed.
The decorated classroom already had a few customers inside, and the girls in maid uniforms were moving around energetically.
I didn’t look, but I wondered if my class was like this now too.
Seeing my classmates in maid uniforms instead of their usual uniforms made me feel a bit strange.
“Aren’t you staring too much?”
“Of course I’m going to look, it’s rare.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Reisa glared at me, but I couldn’t help but be curious.
Then, the maid I was looking for greeted me.
“Welcome home, Master…just kidding, haha.”
“…Cute.”
Reisa mutters under her breath.
As for me, I’m similarly mesmerized by Nagisa’s maid outfit.
It’s the same design as the one Takagi was wearing earlier, but it’s different in its own way.
Maybe because I just saw something so shocking, my eyes feel refreshed, and the saturation of my field of vision seems to have skyrocketed.
“If you stare like that, it’s embarrassing.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Reisa san too !”
“What are you talking about? It’d be a waste not to look.”
“Enough !”
When Reisa sat down and started staring at the thighs peeking out from under her miniskirt, even Nagisa, who was usually calm, grabbed her shoulder and started scolding her.
Nagi’s face turned red as she spoke angrily, but it was a sight to behold.
Even her angry gestures were cute, and all eyes in the classroom were on her.
This really seems like a place where customers would flock to see Nagisa.
We were shown to our seats and sat down.
As we watched Nagisa’s back as she went to guide other customers, Reisa said suspiciously.
“Hey, is that the girl who was reluctant to play the maid role before?”
“She’s doing a pretty good job, I think.”
“Yeah. Hmm…I was going to tease her, but now I’m impressed instead.”
Her work ethic is evident even from the sidelines, and she truly lives up to her reputation as a top student.
She handles everything with ease, not just her studies.
Her earnest attitude toward unfamiliar tasks is truly admirable.
After guiding a group of customers and filling the classroom, Nagisa returned.
Holding the menu, she asked shyly.
“What would you like to order?”
“Hmm, I’ll have tea.”
“Me too.”
There were standard menu items like omelet rice, but since we planned to eat out later, we wanted to keep our stomachs empty.
As if she understood our intentions, Nagisa gave a wry smile.
“Actually, didn’t you come too early? I thought you’d come sometime between noon and the end of my shift.”
“Nah, I wanted to spend two hours staring at you.”
“You’re still the same, Reisa san.”
“Huh? Tsukushi said the same thing.”
“!? …Oh, really?”
“Hey, why are you only complaining to me? Tell Tsukushi he has a bad personality too.”
“My evaluation of Reisa san is based on past experiences.”
“Then yours not so great either, are you?”
“When did I ever say I had a good personality?”
The two of them were arguing fiercely even at the cultural festival.
Then, Nagisa took a deep breath and tilted her head at me and asked.
“Um, speaking of which, how does it look? Does it suit me?”
“Of course. It’s super cute.”
It was a bit embarrassing, but it was obvious to anyone who saw her, so I said it.
The black-based maid outfit with frilly white ruffles suited her well.
Since Nagisa had a pure and innocent aura to begin with, she stood out as the only one who looked different.
I wished she had worn a more well-designed outfit instead of a cheap cosplay costume.
She could probably pull off the real outfits from Reisa’s house as well.
The exposure and cuteness would decrease, but that’s unnecessary because the material is too good.
That said, this outfit has its own merits.
The thighs that Reisa was staring at intently earlier are a good example.
…Well, I’m not looking, though.
In response to my comment, Nagisa lowered her head and murmured, “Thank you.”
Upon closer inspection, her ears were bright red.
If she’s that embarrassed, she shouldn’t have asked.
Now I’m embarrassed too.
“Something just doesn’t feel right.”
While we were both blushing and silent,
Reisa leaned her cheek on her hand and said with a bored expression.
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