Just like summer fireworks festivals always bring to mind candied apples and yukatas, high school cultural festivals inevitably conjure images of yakisoba stands and haunted house mazes.
Although some people scoff, saying that cultural festivals are just events for extroverts to flaunt their extroversion, at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, even if the event isn't officially recognized as a special exam, it still impacts class rankings and points. Because of that, every class gives it their all. Whether you're an extrovert or not, everyone plays the role of service worker.
To attract customers as early as possible, students scrambled like ants to occupy the central streets, vying for the best locations.
Perhaps because the adults among the guests seemed harder to approach, most students instinctively targeted the children.
"Hey kids, we've got delicious takoyaki over here! Want to try some?"
Naturally, Kitagawa Ryo and Sakayanagi Arisu encountered this as well. They hadn't even walked a few steps before a girl in a mascot costume with a painted-on friendly smile popped up in front of them.
"Freshly made yakisoba, hot and topped with our special sauce!"
From another stall, a student running a yakisoba stand shouted with equal enthusiasm.
"There's no way little kids can finish such a big plate of yakisoba!"
Seeing her customer being snatched away, the cotton candy girl snapped back.
"I can sell quarter or half portions too! Besides, the takoyaki from your class isn't fresh. That batch has been sitting for two days, hasn't it?"
Still flipping noodles on the iron griddle, the boy countered smoothly.
Since guests only had a limited number of points (and limited stomach space), all the stalls were fierce competitors. A little mockery and sarcasm was to be expected.
As the two vendors started airing grievances about who badmouthed whom in the special exam three rounds ago, Arisu quickly pulled Ryo away from the area.
Having already eaten breakfast, neither of them found takoyaki or yakisoba very appealing. They browsed casually and eventually bought a single, enormous cotton candy from another stall.
The fluffy candy was larger than both their heads combined. Under the sunlight, it shimmered with a charming hue. The sweet threads melted on contact with the tongue. Since they wouldn't be able to finish one each, they simply shared one, nibbling from either side.
"It feels like... eating sweet air," Arisu commented between bites.
"It's alright, just a bit too sweet," Ryo added. "And it gets all over your face."
Ryo was a little annoyed. Every time he tried to take a bite, the cotton candy brushed his nose and cheeks before his mouth even touched it.
"I brought a handkerchief."
Seeing this, Arisu took a neatly folded pink handkerchief with a little embroidered cat paw from her pocket.
She gently wiped the sugar from Ryo's face. Her touch was soft, and the feeling of her fingers through the cloth tickled his nose.
Ryo tried to take the handkerchief from her to wipe his own face, but Arisu insisted, leaving Ryo awkwardly frozen with his hand halfway extended.
He wanted to say, "I haven't finished eating yet. My face will just get sticky again," but when his eyes met Arisu's deep violet gaze, the words caught in his throat.
In the end, by the time the cotton candy was gone, Ryo had had his face wiped three times.
Afterward, standing before the vast grounds of the Advanced Nurturing High School, Arisu slowed her steps and hesitated a little.
"Actually, this is my first time attending a cultural festival."
"...You looked so confident, I thought you'd done this before."
"I only recently got out of the hospital. Until now, I'd only read about cultural festivals in books."
Arisu gazed at the lively crowd in the distance.
"Now that I see it, it takes more than participants to make a festival fun. You need visitors too."
"Hm?"
"I mean, if I came alone, I probably would've gotten bored quickly."
Arisu stretched her free right hand into the air and drew a big circle.
"Like the cotton candy just now. I wouldn't have bought it alone, since I couldn't finish it."
"That makes sense."
Ryo nodded. Normally, visitors to the cultural festival were families—parents with children. But since Arisu's father was the chairman, he had duties to attend to even on the day of the event, so she ended up wandering the festival alone.
Truth be told, both he and Arisu were children who had escaped the cage known as the White Room.
Maybe that's why Arisu had taken a liking to him so quickly. She, too, understood what it was like to be physically constrained and trapped in one place.
"Then let's make sure we enjoy it to the fullest. I heard most of the class events are in the special building."
With that thought, a softer look appeared in Ryo's eyes as he gently took Arisu's hand and led her toward the special building.
After a short distance, Arisu suddenly pulled ahead and turned around with a pout:
"I'm supposed to be the older one! I should be the one leading you."
A sharp breeze blew past just then, clearing Ryo's mind. He looked up just as Arisu spoke and responded with a silent smile and a shake of his head.
"But it's your first time here too, isn't it? It's mine as well, so there's no need for one of us to lead the other."
Something about that line seemed to hit a nerve with Arisu. She didn't say another word until they entered the special building, her brows furrowed in thought the whole way.
-------------------------------------
The maid café hosted by Class 3-B was located on the first floor of the special building. Though a significant portion of the budget had been spent on it, the entire class exuded confidence. Especially after seeing the girls in maid costumes, many of the boys declared they would gladly spend all their points there if they were guests.
"Welcome!"
Inside what was once just a classroom—now a fully themed café—Hoshinomiya Chie cheerfully greeted the first customer with enthusiasm.
Tomoda, stationed at the building's entrance distributing flyers and coordinating class logistics, quickly glanced over. The first customer appeared to be a man in his forties.
Six carefully selected maid performers followed their training with impressive coordination. The ever-energetic Hoshinomiya, acting as the front hostess, approached with a glowing smile.
"Please allow me to show you to your seat."
After confirming the seating, Chabashira Sae brought over warm water and the menu.
"Hello. Today's special recommendation is crepes and chocolate bananas."
Although she didn't miss her lines, Chabashira's movements were visibly stiff from nervousness. Still, thanks to thorough preparation, the guest didn't seem inclined to give the high schoolers a hard time. With Hoshinomiya's warm interjections, the order proceeded smoothly.
Seeing this, Tomoda let out a breath of relief. Maybe it was because of what Hoshinomiya had told him the other day, but he found himself watching Chabashira more attentively than usual.
Even setting aside her good looks, Tomoda believed Chabashira Sae was an indispensable talent in Class B. She might seem aloof, but her determination to rise to Class A was unmistakable.
All this time, Tomoda had seen her as someone wholly immersed in the school's competitive atmosphere, single-mindedly striving to reach Class A. So when Hoshinomiya said that Chabashira might harbor feelings for him, he couldn't help but be a little more conscious.
But quickly, Tomoda snapped back to reality—this was the cultural festival, after all.
From his pocket, he pulled out his phone, which buzzed every few minutes with updates from classmates stationed around the campus.
Where were the crowds forming? Where was it sparse?
Operating under the principle of "know yourself and know your enemy to win a hundred battles," Tomoda had planned not only Class B's own project but also reconnaissance on rival classes.
Since no sales data would be released until the festival ended, intelligence gathering could only be done the old-fashioned way.
So far, no particularly noteworthy information had surfaced—it was still early in the day.
Closing his phone, Tomoda adjusted his uniform and resumed distributing flyers.
"Can I have one?"
"Of course."
The request came suddenly from his side, and he replied instinctively. Turning, he saw that the one tugging on his sleeve was a child—no more than six or seven years old.
Even Tomoda, who thought he'd seen it all, was briefly rendered speechless. Up to this point, their maid café had welcomed middle-aged men in their forties, young adults in their twenties, and even fellow high schoolers. But this...
"Little one, did you get separated from your parents? Do you need help?"
Tomoda crouched down, putting on his friendliest smile.
But the child simply shook his head and stared intently at the flyer in Tomoda's hand. In a soft voice, he repeated:
"Can I have one, please?"
Tomoda glanced down at the flyer he held. It featured six maids in various poses—some forming hearts, others sitting cutely, or playfully touching their lips—each clearly aimed at different guest types.
No blue robot cats. No blonde fairy-tale princesses. No transforming masked heroes.
What exactly about this flyer appealed to a child of that age?
As Tomoda stood there stunned, Kitagawa Ryo simply tiptoed up, snatched a flyer from his hand, and walked away with a flourish, leaving only his cool silhouette behind.
That kid… has quite the future.
Tomoda watched him go, nodding thoughtfully.
-------------------------------------
"A maid café...?"
"Arisu looks like she's grinding her teeth."
"...I just didn't expect you to want to go to a place like this, Ryo."
Forcing a smile, Arisu stiffly waved the flyer Ryo had brought back.
"I just thought it looked interesting. It's my first time seeing a maid costume, after all."
Ryo didn't want to admit he had seen the names Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie. He played dumb.
"..."
Arisu looked at the flyer again. The maid outfits weren't revealing or inappropriate. They were actually quite wholesome. With no grounds for complaint, she couldn't voice any objections.
"Ugh..."
Even Arisu struggled to come up with a counter. Seeing Ryo's genuine curiosity, she could only reluctantly nod.
"Fine, but I'm going in with you."
"Alright."
As soon as she agreed, Ryo confidently walked into the café. Compared to Arisu, who mumbled and glanced around nervously, his demeanor was that of a seasoned veteran.
"Welcome!"
Even though the sight of two little kids was rather unusual, Hoshinomiya Chie dutifully greeted them with a warm smile. Crouching down, she asked kindly:
"Are you here to rest or to order something?"
Ryo understood why she crouched—but he also realized something: from this angle, the maid outfit might be a little too visible from above...
Too late. Arisu was faster than his eyes.
She quickly covered Ryo's eyes with her hand, her expression wary. Hoshinomiya seemed to catch on and stood up a bit awkwardly. Fortunately, she was composed enough to keep smiling and repeated her question.
"We'd like to order."
Even though Hoshinomiya had stood up, Arisu didn't remove her hand. She answered matter-of-factly.
"Right this way, please."
Hoshinomiya led them to a table, helpfully adjusting the chair and table height.
Since Chabashira was attending another guest, Hoshinomiya brought the menu herself.
"What do you want to eat, Ryo?"
"...I don't think I can answer like this."
"I could open a finger-width gap."
"How about it?"
Just as Ryo found himself speechless, a voice from another table bailed him out.
"You must be the Sakayanagi family's young lady, Arisu-ojousama."
Approaching them was a man in his late thirties to early forties, holding the hand of a boy around Arisu's age with a rather sullen expression.
"Uncle Kanzaki. My father will be very glad you made time to attend the festival."
Instantly dropping her guard, Arisu stood up with a dazzling smile and greeted him with flawless etiquette.
Ryo twitched the corner of his mouth.
Looks like no matter the world line, Sakayanagi Arisu's core personality never changes.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000