After a long period of preparation, the festival finally arrived. The festival begins at 9:00 a.m. and students are required to arrive at school by 8:30 a.m. The gates to the school open at 6:00 a.m. so students can start preparing early in the morning if necessary. 　

The gates to the school open at 6:00 a.m., so if necessary, preparations can be made as early in the morning as possible.

Horikita and I met in the lobby of the dormitory at 6:00 a.m. to go to school. The reason for this was to make sure that there would be no inconveniences before the actual event, and to make sure everything was in order. 　

As soon as we met, we looked at the box we were holding in our hands.

"Good morning. Is that the cardboard box you were talking about?"

"I'm sorry we had to come up with something that wasn't scheduled in our budget."

"It wasn't a big amount, so it won't affect us much. We second years should have been given 5,000 points per student to spend as we saw fit." 　

From the first to third years, we bumped into a few students who were coming early with similar ideas, but not as many. 　

I would stop by the classroom once, dropped off my box, and then made my way over to the maid's coffee shop.

"Did you see the call from Matsushita-san?"

"Yes, I did. It must be hard for her since she was one of the driving forces behind the maid cafe up until this point."

Earlier this morning, Matsushita called and said she would have to take time off because she was not feeling well.

"But it's a good decision at least."

If she had only a slight fever, she might have been able to go to participate, but she began to have coughing spells and other symptoms, so she could not be assigned to a job that required customer service. 　

However, even if we still assigned Matsushita, who is not in good physical condition and would not be able to handle the heavy workload, there's the possibility of her cold spreading and affecting the entire class.

Besides, we prepared for advance for something like to this.

It will not be enough to simply reassign personnel; it will be necessary to know where to fill in the missing positions.

"Have you heard of this? There are rumors that Hasebe-san and Miyake-kun and others may be the ones who leaked the information about our maid cafe."

"It would seem so. But we could have predicted that at an early stage, couldn't we?" 　

I had already heard about it from Kei, who was in close contact with the girls.

"...I know. But I wonder if it's fine to just leave it alone."

"Rumor is just a rumor. It's possible Haruka and Akito did not actually leak the information." 　
Horikita's self-loathing from not being able to help Haruka and the others comes started to come out.

"You shouldn't show your weak side so easily. It will only give them an opportunity to take advantage of you."

"You are always so calm. Even though you're involved in this case, it seems as if it is someone else's problem." 　

I noticed that Horikita was looking at me as if checking my facial expression.

The observation continued for five or ten seconds, and before I knew it, the furrowed brow had turned into a look of difficulty.

"I'd like to ask you something. Do you usually interact with any first-year students?"

"The first years? No, I don't. I talk with Nanase and Amasawa once in a while, but that's about it."

I feel that it is wrong to say that I communicate with them, even though I rarely go to see them myself.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yeah, that's fine..."

" What about you? You talk to first-years in student council, too, don't you?"

"Well, ..... that's true. I'm starting to get to know the juniors a little better." 　

This year, three first-year students were hired for the student council.

For a long time, Ichinose was the only second-year student on the council, and there was a clear shortage of quality, but not quantity, personnel.

The most recent addition of Horikita was likely a manpower adjustment to fill the gap. 　

There is no limit to the number of members in a student council, but generally there are 8 to 12 members.

At this school, there are currently 3 third years, 2 second years, and 3 first years.

It can be said that the student council is similar to a regular student council.

"At first I thought it was a waste of time. I thought it would be better for me to study in my room than to work for the student council. To be honest though, that feeling hasn't gone away."

Student council work is not the only thing that seems like a waste of time.

Club activities and friendships can also be considered a waste of time. 　

Some of them may turn from club activities to professional life, or from friendships to future work, but for many, they become nothing more than a memory of the past.

On the other hand, if you study hard, it will likely lead to a great future. 　

It is the most solid and safe option available to students.

"There is a lot to be learned in waste though. I'm beginning to see that now."

"Your brother was student council president too."

"My brother is different from me. He was able to carry out his Student Council duties flawlessly while continuing to achieve impeccable results in academics as well. I don't think he ever felt that student council was a burden, nor did he suffer from poor academic performance."

Although I didn't know what his entire situation was like, there was always room for improvement for Horikita Manabu.　

I don't think he didn't put in a lot of effort, but he didn't let it show in vain.

"I am grateful to you, if only for the results. Joining the student council has helped me see things that I couldn't see before." 　

She was honest in her gratitude, but she continued.

"I was reminded of how greater my brother was, and how much work he had to do."

"All you had to do was thank me."

"You have to accept some complaints."

"I have to agree and sympathize with the fact that learning is a very difficult goal for you."

I can assure you that I am not inferior to academics when it comes to pure academics and physical ability.

But if we had been in the same grade under the same rules of the school.

It's just a theoretical what if, but who knows what kind of battles might have ensued. 　

It is certain that he had the power to make me think about that.

PART 1

9:00 a.m. arrived in the maid's coffee shop in the special building, and an announcement was made to all the students at once. 　

Guests start to step in through the main gate and announce that the festival is about to begin.
"I don't know, I'm getting nervous...."

"I've never had any contact with people outside this school since I started here." 　

We could hear the conversation between Shinohara and Ike, who were standing shoulder to shoulder with each other.　

After living in a closed environment for so long, there may indeed be some extra tension. 　

Meanwhile, Sato and the other maids continued to discuss the shift change due to Matsushita's absence. 　

Although the workload on each of us would inevitably increase, the time for adjustments was coming to an end. 　

Sato, dressed as a maid, clasped her hands together with anxiety, but quickly regained her confidence by clapping her cheeks between her palms.

"Come on, come on I can do it!"

"Maya, you'll be fine. I'll make sure to back you up, too."

Kei, who was helping out behind the scenes, cheerfully encouraged them.

"I'll do my best!"　

Since the big breakthrough, the distance between the two of them has really grown closer.

The boundaries that best friends have can't be broken that easily. 　

The only other member I need to worry about is...... 　

I look around and observe the other students.

Sudo and some of the men's team did not even listen to the announcements, and Yosuke and the rest of the team were having their final meeting.

We had to make sure we were all on the same page as to what to do in case of any trouble that shows up.

After issuing instructions, we realized that we were two students short. 　

Immediately afterwards, Horikita and I looked at each other. I guess we were both thinking the same thing. 　

They approach me and speak to me in a low voice.

"Looks like Hasebe-san and Miyake-kun are missing."

"I don't think they went to the restroom." 　

The other students were probably too occupied with their own tasks to notice.

"I knew something was going to happen at the festival, but...."

"I'd rather be thankful if it they are just choosing to skip."

For Horikita, who has not been considered them asset from the beginning, there is no need to be overwhelmed if they are simply just deciding to not help us.

But if they were to sabotage us, that would be a different story.

"But with the rumors, it could add fuel to the fire."

"If they leak information and then skip the festival, well, they've got plenty of blame to go around."

"I've been keeping an eye on this, thinking that only time will tell, but ...... I still think we should take action at an early stage. At the very least, the rumors should be put to rest."

"I know what you mean, but we should focus on the festival today."

"Are you sure?"

"Even if we can debunk the rumors, we can't erase the fact that those two have left. Besides, there is still a possibility that they will embarrass the class in some other way during the festival." 　

If we defend the students with multiple reasons for uneasiness, we may incur unnecessary animosity. 　

We will only take sides when we are sure that Haruka and Akito are not our enemies.

".....Right."

Horikita was a little nervous, but she coughed once to clear her head of any thoughts.

"I have faith that you will be able to handle Hasebe and the others well."

I answered with a glance and welcomed the guests.

PART 2

"Welcome~!" 　

Sato's cheerful voice echoed through the classroom, or rather, the maid cafe.

At the same time, the first visitor to enter the store was a male guest in his 40s. 　

A total of six maids waiting in the store responded as they had been trained to do.

"We will show you to your seats." 　

Sato's voice was cheerful, but her movements were stiff and tense. 　

After showing them to their seats, he took the menu list and cold drinks to the table. 　

The only way for her to get back to her practiced routine would be for her to repeat the process and get used to it. 　

Then, slowly but surely, the number of guests began to increase. 　

The age range was similar, but occasionally a teenage boy or girl, perhaps a family member, would shyly start showing up.

"Great turnout, huh?"

The class was not completely full, but it was good that there were no empty seats. 　

Classmates who were present in the school would contact me on my cell phone and give me reports as needed. 　

Which performances were crowded and which were deserted. 　

Since the sales of each class are unknown until the end of the festival, we have no choice but to gather information by foot. 　

Fortunately, since all students are required to take a one-hour break, there are always a certain number of students who are not busy. 　

That is why the reconnaissance will be on our class as well. 　

After watching over the rooms for a while, I decided to check the hallways.

It seems that many guests have already made their way to the special building, and as far as I can see, they outnumber the students. 　

If that man is behind this, there is a possibility that he is already in my line of sight. 　

I don't think he would be looking for me on the day of the event without having done his homework, going from left to right. 　

However, I don't see anyone suspicious at this point. Besides, with so many adults, students, and children in the streets, it's not easy to make contact with them. 　

I should focus on the current students rather than them. 　

Yoshida of Sakayanagi's class is peeking inside our maid cafe without trying to hide it. 　

At the moment, there is no sign of Ryuuen's class students, but they should come to check the situation in the not-too-distant future.

The door to the classroom opens vigorously, and out come Ike and Hondo in a hurry.
"I'm going to go to the food stand to pick it up!!!"

"That's all right, but please calm down a little more and handle the situation a little more calmly." 　

Some of the guests were surprised, wondering what was going on.

"Oh? Sorry....!" 　

The flurry of people running to get their food is not a scene that customers or potential customers should be exposed to. 　

After receiving a warning, the two looked at each other and nodded, then proceeded, albeit at a rather brisk pace. 　

This was the first home delivery, and we couldn't afford to be late.

Today, every time an order came in, we had to repeat the trip.

"Ayanokoji."

I turned around when I heard my name called and saw Kanzaki approaching me.

"Seems like you guys are doing pretty well."

Although we didn't go through the rehearsal, Ichinose's class was presenting a sweets-related event. 　

Crepes and chocolate bananas were among the items offered.

"What about you?"

"The children love it. Adults, however, are not as receptive as expected, so it's not clear if we can aim for higher sales."

"You look good for a guy who's going to have a hard time."

"Well... maybe."

It seems that the first step he took with Himeno may have gone well.

"I'm going to the gymnasium now. I want to learn what I can from the third-year students for the future."

"I see. See you later."

After seeing off Kanzaki, I decided to return to the maid cafe and begin my work.

However, I don't have much to do until "noon" comes around.

In a narrow break space partitioned off from a corner of the classroom, I stand by to deal with any problems as they arise.

I am also supposed to be in charge of taking pictures when guests who wish to have their picture taken show up.

Within a few minutes of my first job of taking photos, the guests who had been watching also began asking for their pictures taken one after another. 　

It is not to say that there are not adults who would like to have a memorable experience with high school students, but it would be better to assume that the guests are paying for the purpose of the school. 　

In a sense, there are not a few people who consider this as their job.

Even so, conversation and laughter gradually spread throughout the maid cafe, and it began to show the side of a café that could be found anywhere.

"New customers, please come this way."　

Horikita's inorganic voice reaches the classroom, which is filled with laughter.

"One customer please come in."　

Sato quickly approaches and begins to guide the new customer to an empty seat.

"Well... I'll bring you to..."

Horikita, who is not very good at being sociable, is in charge of outdoor advertising. 　

She dresses up as a maid to attract customers, but she never smiles. If this were a real maid cafe, I have a feeling Horikita would have been fired during her training period after passing the interview.

However, the premise of Horikita taking a interview at a maid cafe is highly unlikely to occur.

PART 3

Less than two hours into the festival, the maid cafe was maintaining a steady flow of customers. 　
What is important is how much we can sell the products we purchase.

Especially, the cost of film purchased in large quantities which was about 70 points per sheet. 　

At the moment, the our sales seems to be going smoothly, and I, the person in charge of the cameras and photography, am busily flying from place to place in the classroom. 　

The camera costing nearly 9,000 points is not a cheap investment, as I also have a spare in case it breaks down.

"One shot over here~!" 　

The maids' voices echo through the store, and I move out of the waiting room with the camera in my hand. 　

Ichihashi, who was in charge of accounting, immediately receives the points on her cell phone and completes the payment.

"Cheese!"

I took a two-shot of Mii-chan and the customer, who was laughing and smiling, and checked the film that came out of the instant camera.

"As I expected..."

I thought something went wrong at the moment of shooting and I had released the shutter at the moment Mii-chan closed her eyes.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, Ayanokoji-kun... "

"Don't worry, I'll get another shot."

It is a memorable piece, and while it does not matter if the guest's expression has some problems, it is not acceptable to give a photo with a mistake in the maid's expression. 　

This is both a consideration for the guests and for the maids, such as Mii-chan. 　

There is no way the girls would accept a badly photographed photo. 　

That is why, even though we can take pictures for as little as 800 points each, we sometimes need two or even three sheets of film. 　

The second shoot went well, so I handed over the developed photos. 　

When the shooting was over, I quickly returned to the waiting room.

Well, I've been repeating this kind of thing since this morning.

But still... This festival is a great opportunity for that man because there are a lot of people involved in politics. 　

I had assumed that he would try some kind of strategy to get them to do something, regardless of the number of people around him. 　

The same must have been true for President Sakayanagi. 　

However, as noon approached, there was no sign of any change. 　

I was reminded me of the conversation between Tsukishiro and the mysterious student who came to visit the sports festival.

-But no matter how good you are, you are still just a child. You should understand that he has already factored your strength into his plan to send me here.-

-I came here to advise you because I thought that you might be under the misconception that by eliminating Tsukishiro and then eliminating the White Room students, peace would return. That is not the case-

If we were to tie these events together somewhat forcefully, it would be natural to think of using the power of adults who are not students to eliminate me through the cultural festival. 　

In fact, they decided to use Tsukishiro to forcefully hold the festival, so it is only natural that they did so. 　

How could they possibly miss this great opportunity by cheating behind the scenes? 　

No, that is a problem before cheating. 　

Missed opportunity. Of course, the festival is not over yet. 　

But if they did not make any moves at this point, what would they do? It is not mere laziness.

"Ayanokoji-kun, I think I've run out of Darjeeling tea!"　

Seeing Mii-chan run into the room in a panic, she interrupts my train of thought.

We had several varieties of tea on hand, but the Darjeeling, which is made from high-end tea leaves, sold out immediately.

We discussed with them to minimize the number of tea bags we stocked because of the high price tag of 1,200 points, but the sales were going up more than we anticipated.

On the contrary, inexpensive tea bags of black tea sold poorly. Since it is impossible to buy more on the day of the event, we cannot restore the stock now.

"Please immediately put a "Sold Out" sticker on the menus. And handwrite the corrections on the posted signs.

"Uh-huh." 　

I take a marker and immediately correct the menu signs at the entrance of the store. 　

Both are cheap props were cheap for the store but they work.

"There we go." 　

The sign at next to Darjeeling tea reads "Sold Out Due to Popular Demand" and should be emphasized.

Immediately after, an arm reached out from the left behind my back. 　

I was not in my school uniform, but in the fabric of a suit.

"Don't turn around, just take it." 　

The white paper, folded in half, shakes in the slight breeze coming in through the window. 　

Just when I thought there might be no contact, here it is. 　

It would be easy to ignore the order not to turn around, but I silently accept it. 　

I was not the only one who had approached at such a short distance without giving me any indication of his presence.

"May I ask your name?"

"You're asking for too much."

As soon as I grabbed the paper, his left arm disappeared from my sight. 　

After maintaining this position for a while, another presence approached.

"What's wrong, Kiyotaka?"

They were worried that I didn't come back immediately so Yosuke came out of the classroom.

"I was approached by a guest who got a little lost, and I was dealing with him. Is there any trouble?"

"Orders are starting to go out of order. The food stalls seem to be doing better than expected. "

"I see. The turnover is getting out of control. I'll be right there." 　

After confirming that Yosuke had moved away, I unfolded the paper I was holding in my right hand.

-They're here to pick you up. You must decide for yourself what to do. We're waiting at the front gate.- 　

The paper also politely included a phone number. 　

Decide what I should do? If you are really giving me a choice, do you really think they I would choose to leave? 　

It is unclear how much significance this note will have.

The only thing I know for sure is that it was given to me by at least one source in the White Room. 　
Is it that they have decided that they cannot use force directly and are leaving it to their my own judgment?

However, the fact that they have taken no steps to this point may also have something to do with this statement.

Either way, it's useless to worry about it. I rolled the paper into a small ball and swallowed it in my mouth. 　

Paper is originally a plant and its main ingredient is cellulose.

Since it does not have a degrading enzyme, it cannot be digested, but is simply expelled.

While there would be no problem if a third party picked up this note, it would be a disadvantage to keep it in one's possession.

Since I'm stuck in the middle of the cultural festival, it is better to do this quickly and easily because there will be no need to deal with the aftermath.


PART 4

Three hours have passed since the festival began. 　

It was noon and new guests were arriving to replace the families who had gone to the school first thing in the morning.

I was near the entrance when I received a report from Ike and the others who had gone out to scout the area.

"That's it!" 　

Ike pointed to where several girls from Ryuuen's class were raising their voices.

"We, the 2nd year class C, are competing with the 2nd year class B for sales at the concept café! If we lose, someone will be held responsible and may be expelled from school!" 　

The atmosphere was clearly different from that of many of the students, who were basically smiling and cheerful as they continued to serve customers. 　

Many of the guests stopped in their tracks to listen to the sad expressions on their faces as they raised their voices.

"We would be grateful for your cooperation!"

One after another, they handed out flyers that they had probably been working on.

We approached a boy of middle school age who seemed to have received one of the flyers and asked him to take a quick look at it. 　

It describes in detail what their class will be doing at the Japanese-style concept café on the second floor of the special building, but it does not mention the menu or prices.

Instead, they emphasized confrontation, making a strong statement that this was a battle they could not afford to lose.

"Wha... what? This is bad, right?"

The girls' heartfelt appeals were not something you would expect to come out of their mouths. In all likelihood, Ryuuen was probably threatening his classmates with explusion.

"I wonder if Ryuuen is really planning to expel someone."

"I doubt it. The possibility of that is low. If it was a forced expulsion as a penalty, it would be a problem if they threatened to expel a student without their consent. If the student who was threatened actually reported the incident to the school, Ryuuen's standing would be jeopardized and their class points would plummet."

"Then that means it's a lie! Let's go and stop them now!"

"It's impossible. My classmates are very frightened by that 1% chance of explusion. Besides, I can only tell by listening to the end of the sentence, that I might leave school."

In other words, there is nothing to suggest that they are lying to the guests. 　

The fact that they do not settle for mere confrontation is typical of Ryuuen, which takes one measure after another.

It would appear that they are working more to get the number one position than to just be in the top four.

"If we lose, we will lose one million private points, right? This is bad!"　

I'd like to tell the Ike not to worry, but it's important to show the public how he's scared.

The importance of this confrontation becomes even clearer.

"So, what do we do?"

"If they want to do that, we'll use a similar strategy."

"Does that mean you're threatening to expel us!?"

"Not that way. We will appeal that we are also putting all of our effort into the Concept Café matchup as a second-year class B. We are ready for that."

"Eh? We're already for that?"

"Open the cardboard box you brought me." 　

I let Hondo and Tonomura take the box down to the ground and remove the packing tape. 　

Out of the box came a bundle of flyers.

"Are these...? They look just like those flyers!?"

"I planned to send out flyers to entice guests, too, if necessary. They beat us to it, but it will be effective." 　

The flyers prepared by Horikita and Ryuuen quickly made their way around the school.

The whole school knew that the two classes of 2nd year class B and C were engaged in a one-on-one battle. 　

In this way, people will imagine that they are playing for a big stake in our competition. 　

Knowing this matchup, one would think that both classes are taking on similar risks.

There is no need for me to threaten our own classmates.

"From now on, call all the girls who have free time and ask them to spread the flyers."

"Okay, got it! I'll let them know right away!"

Hondo and the others will informed our classmates by asking them to help out with the fliers.

Then, in addition to the prearranged points for handing out flyers, the boys running the stalls were notified about the confrontation as well.

"Did you hear that? Horikita's class and Ryuen's class are competing against each other for a lot of points."

"I heard that the leader of the class that loses will be expelled from school." 　

It seemed that even ordinary students, who had nothing to do with the matter, began to hear about the match.

Speculation led to rumors, and rumors led to speculation.

"I'm going back. Let me know if you hear anything else."

Ike and the others who delivered meals are always on the lookout for changes in the situation. 　
They nodded their heads encouragingly, and we decided to leave everything to them and return to the special building. 　

On the way there, we found a woman dressed in kimono holding a flyer in a corner of an empty hallway.

The way they occasionally hand out flyers to adults passing by reminds me of the lethargic adults I sometimes see at the Keyaki Mall handing out tissues unenthusiastically.

They are simply handing out the predetermined number of sheets.

"May I take one?"

"..."

Perhaps they didn't even notice my presence, but they muttered a little thank you and offered me one.

I was about to receive it, but then the other person looked at me in the eyes.

"Geh."

"So you're handing out flyers in a place like this, Ibuki."

"Ugh, go away." 　

She looked at me with such a disgusted expression on her face that I looked away.

"I've a bit about you earlier, I guess that means you're being a good person and keeping your word." 　

I had heard that she was going to dress in a kimono after losing a match with Ryuuen, but it suited her better than I had expected.

"Even a boy in a dress has a costume." 　

I was given a strong glare, but I was relieved to see that she didn't seem to understand the meaning of that phrase.

"It's nothing,"

It's not easy to distribute all the flyers even if you are handing out flyers in unpopulated places.

"Shouldn't you move to a different location? I saw Yamashita and his friends handing out flyers over there."

"You must be joking. Why should I work with those people?" 　

I already knew she would say this, but I asked anyways.

"Here, can you take all of these?"

"That's an impossible request."

"I might as well just stuff them in a garbage bag and throw them away...." 　

Looking down at the bundle of flyers she doesn't like, she swears at them.

The reason she says she'll do this, but doesn't do so is because Ryuuen wants to make sure she is punished for her loss. 　

Doing something like winning and forcing your opponents to do the same and running away when losing.

If she does that she won't be able to compete with Ryuuen and other opponents in the future.

"By the way, why did you and Ryuuen compete with each other?"

"I wanted to compete with him and he suggested we play a card game."

"Card games? You mean like poker?"

"Well, it was something similar to that."

The game itself was not important, but the fact that Ryuuen suggested it was a little sketchy.
Ibuki may have fallen into his trap.　

Anyways, I don't want to get in Ibuki's way any further.

"I'll make sure to spread the word about what you've been working so hard to advertise here."

"Don't spread it. I'll blow you away."

As her costume shook, a sharp kick flew at the same time, so I hurriedly avoided it.

"Tsk."

"By the way, the greeting that cafe workers use 'Welcome back, master'. Please give it a try sometime."

"I'll tell say that , if you can take my kick to your face."

"Alright, I'll give up."

The animal raised its leg slightly to threaten me, so I quietly left.

By the time I got back to the maid cafe, the somewhat relaxed atmosphere that had prevailed earlier in the day had been replaced by a line of customers, the largest of the day.

Horikita also joined the queue and guided the visitors.

"I see you started distributing the flyers without any problems."

"Yeah. From this point on, Ryuuen's class and ours should start to outshine the others."

"It's all going according to your plan."

"Though I'm not the one who added the uniqueness to it." 　

Horikita and I nodded at each other and faced our respective positions.


PART 5

The maid's cafe was tough road to go through. However, the fact that Ryuuen made his movements known at an early stage may have had the opposite effect; there were no other classes that followed, and we were able to still attract customers in an effective manner.

While this in itself was a joy, a problem arose that had not occurred during the practice sessions. 　
The problem was that we were staring to too much of an overflow of customers.

The classrooms are at their maximum capacity, and cramming more people in will only make things more difficult.

The only solution is to make visitors wait in line, but the time usually spent in the maid café isn't so short.

It is essential that the students dressed as maids and the adults enjoy talking with them. 　

Usually, in such a situation, we would consider handing out numbered tickets or other measures to encourage people to come back later. 　

However, in a cultural festival, this is idea is out of the question.

What if a customer has about 3,000 points left in his/her fund and is asked to pick up a ticket and come back in an hour? Some customers may be willing to do so, but most of them will spend their money on other entertainment during the waiting time.

They find themselves having to drop off nearly 3,000 points, and then leave without stopping by the maid cafe because they have no more points.

This is a very likely scenario. 　

That is why we want customers who have lined up once to keep waiting in line until they enter the store and drop off their money.

And if possible, we would like to absorb the points that they might've planned on using elsewhere.

"This is not good. The customers are getting impatient and starting to leave the queue."
A yellow light comes on the prospect of taking a risk and getting a big payoff. 　

We had no choice but to stop the new line at the end of the line.

"I'd like to take a break from customer service for a little while. I have an idea."

I was just about to walk to the end of the line when Kushida called out to me.

They must have been concerned about the situation and came to check on the situation.

"What are you going to do?"

"The waiting customers are just bored waiting in line, but they are very interested in the maid cafe. But they're probably hungry, so it's understandable that they'd want to leave."

"That's right." 　

Since it was right around lunch time, it was clear from the adults in the classroom that many of the customers were there for food and drink.

Kushida picked up one of the bags filled with handmade cookies she had prepared as a souvenir and started walking down the hallway with it. 　

She then smiled and said to the customers who seemed to be getting impatient.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Then she takes a cookie out of the bag and starts handing them out to the waiting people. 　

The aim may be to fill a small stomach, but that is not the only reason. 　

Once you've received something in return like this, you start feel guilty about leaving.

It would not be difficult for Kushida to run away from the line with some sense of guilt if she had to leave herpost, but she stayed and kept talking to her with a smile on his face. 　

With the cookies in her hand, it was no longer easy to impatiently leave the line. 　

There are some disadvantages to having Kushida leave the hall, but it is certain that the customers who have already taken their seats will drop some money. 　

It is more important now to keep the money-generating entities that we have here now for the future.　

They know what is going on in the store better than anyone else, and they know how to make the most of themselves. 　

What can you do to win over as many people as possible to his side? 　

Conversations that make adults of the opposite sex feel closer and more comfortable with each other, and sometimes even hand-holding and other forms of skinship.

They show no resistance or aversion to these actions.

The other girls have also been working hard all day, but Kushida is the only one who has perfected all of these elements.

Even when she occasionally works as an accountant, the number of mistakes she makes, such as stumbling or miscalculations, is close to zero. 　

She has never participated in any real-world practice, so he must have a natural talent.

"She's showing her true potential."

Yosuke nodded his head in admiration as he watched her work.

"It looks like this will be a bit of a tailwind for Kushida, who has had strong headwinds, and Horikita, who has protected her." 　

She has done such a good job so far. I have to admit that to a certain extent.

"People are creatures that easily resent, but on the other hand, they are also creatures that easily approve. Especially when they are young, their evaluations are like the two sides of a coin. From front to back, and now back to front again. However, because of the way we are pushed around, we may feel as if we are a tiring existence."

"But I'm all right. If only Kushida-san could join forces with everyone our class."

"I'm really impressed by what I see. Can someone really just do it that perfectly on the spot like that?"

"I think it was a cumulative process. During the preparation period for the festival, it seems that Kushida-san visited Horikita-san's room quite late at night. They might've been practicing."

In addition to her own talent, she was also practicing hard behind the scenes. 　

If Yosuke's reading was correct, that would be another reminder of how great Kushida is. 　

It would also confirm that Horikita was confident that there was nothing to worry about with regards to Kushida.

I went back to the waiting room and pulled the camera around for about 30 minutes.

"Excuse me, Ayanokoji-kun, where is Kushida-san?"

Mii-chan came out of the room while looking busy.

"Kushida? She should be in the hallway where the queue is."　

I had already informed the maids of this fact.

"I was told the maids that there was a customer who wanted to take a picture with her, but I couldn't find her."

Did she disappear even though she was supposed to be keeping an eye on the line of customers?

When Yosuke and I immediately looked in the hallway, we saw that she had disappeared.

"Excuse me, have you seen a girl standing in line here?"

"Oh, you mean the girl who was handing out cookies? She was approached by a girl from the same school and seemed to be following her. It was about five minutes ago."

"What did she look like?" 　

I asked about the person who answered Yosuke, as if interrupting the conversation.

"Um, let's see, a girl with her hair tied in two knots like this." 　

Yosuke didn't seem to have a clear idea of who it was, but I had a strong feeling I knew her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to take over the shop for a little while and give instructions to another maid the way Kushida did."

This is the kind of trouble that no one expects. 　

I knew immediately that this was a problem that I had to deal with.


PART 6

It is difficult to find a specific person at a cultural festival where many people of all ages and genders are present. 　

And if you can't predict where they went, it's even more difficult. 　

While operating my cell phone, I sigh in admiration at the overwhelming information network.

I am amazed at how fast and accurate it is.

Within minutes of making the call, you can have the location information.

Not in the direction of the Keyaki Mall or the dormitories, but behind the indoor pool complex. When I arrive there, I see Kushida's backside, dressed in an out-of-place maid's outfit.

"So, I'm not going to repeat myself-" 　

I was not sure if she was having a heated conversation or not, but she was shouting quietly at the person she was talking to.

"Wow~"

Meanwhile, the other person immediately recognizes me and instructs her to stop talking.

"Huh... Why is .... Ayanokoji-kun here....?"

"If our ace queue helper has gone missing, it's only natural I'd look for you, right?"

Although a substitute maid is taking over as her position as the queue person, I'm not sure how well they can keep them engaged.

"I thought I was free from there , but you've found me out."

I was actually keeping an eye on her the moment she left,

"Unfortunately, I've created an alliance with someone I can rely on now. No matter where you go, I always know where you are."

Even Amasawa doesn't seem to have any idea, but she didn't bother asking.

"She was going to go right back after this. Right?"

"She's right. I feel bad about sneaking out without telling you, but I also wanted to talk to Amasawa-san for a while."

"That's no reason to leave for 10 or 20 minutes though."

"That's..." 　

Kushida knew that the first priority was to keep the line clear and to keep the customers coming back.

That is why he abandoned customer service to handle the situation. 　

She would not leave her position unless she had to.

"Whatever it is between the two of you, we're busy with the cultural festival. Can you guys talk about it some other time?"

There is no need to go to the trouble of choosing today as the day to have a conversation with each other.

"Are you not surprised to see to combination of me and Kushida talking with each other."

"No." 　

I really didn't know that they had a deep connection until now.

But today, with this timely contact, I understood everything.

The mind takes over and produces even information that seems unnecessary.

Why was Kushida so determined to expel me from the school on the unanimous special exam and why did he take such a reckless gamble? 　

If a student from the White Room was behind it and forced her to do it, it would make a lot of sense.

I could also see why they would take action at this festival, where it was so easy to get around.

After school, Kushida had declined the invitations from her classmates and always headed somewhere else.

She was going somewhere after school, but her behavior was now consistent.

The person in front of me, Amasawa, still didn't realize that I had arrived at the answer.

"I'm sorry, Ayanokoji-kun, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'll be back as soon as I can. I really want to talk to Amasawa-san."

"I know where you're getting at here, but that's enough Amasawa-san."

"Your eyes are so naughty, aren't they? They reveal everything about you."

The tip of her index finger pressed against her lips in a seductive manner, but she was not really talking about anything sexual. 　

It was an action to hide the fact that they are wary of me seeing through them.

"Kushida, Amasawa and the other person were taking advantage of your weakness regarding revealing your past. That's why you forced the class to get involved in that commotion from the unanimous special exam in order to expel Horikita and me. Or maybe they were already involved in some way even before that."

"Eh?"

She could neither confirm nor deny what I said, but I must've hit the target.

"Let's stop it here now, senpai. Now is the time for me and Kushida."

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. Kushida is a necessary part of the class and she needs to fill her role as a maid. I can't let you have her."

"What do you mean by that? I've done nothing wrong."

"You may be right, but what about 'the other'?"

When I answered, for the first time, there was a change in Amasawa's attitude.

Immediately afterwards, Amasawa, with an eerie smile on her face, grabbed Kushida's wrists.
"What!?"

She then stands behind Kushida, pulling her in her right hand and forcefully sealing her mouth with her left hand.

"Do you by any chance have any idea who the 'other one' is?" 　

The reason why he suppressed Kushida's mouth before asking me the question was because she knew the person firsthand. 　

In other words, she knows the identity of the other white room student.

Therefore, she was careful not to let the name of the person slip out of Kushida's mouth.

"I think you know who I'm talking about, Kushida-senpai. If you say something bad I'll expel you, okay?" 　

Kushida's face contorted in pain as her right arm was gripped tightly.

"That's not like you, Amasawa. "It seems you're being cornered pretty hard."

"Every action tells a story."

Kushida, who was enduring the pain, would not understand the true nature of this conversation.

Amasawa herself did not know how much I really knew.

"Let's talk about it again later, just the two of us, next time. Please be quiet and pretend you didn't see this and leave, Ayanokoji-senpai. If you do that, I'll let you go in about 10 minutes."

"And if I refuse?"

"I might make Kushida-senpai rendered useless here."

Saying this, she gripped her right arm even tighter.

"Aaaah!?"

"I'm a pretty girl, but I can easily break an arm or two."

"Then let's give it a try. Either you break Kushida's arm first, or I'll stop you." 　

The distance between me and Amasawa was about five meters.

"Are you actually serious?"

"Is this in response to your folding? Or is it because you think there's no way that I can stop you?"

"Both."

"Then you are mistaken on both counts. Take this seriously." 　

Laughing, Amasawa loosens her grip on Kushida's right arm, albeit slightly.

At that moment, I kicked the ground and dove into the spot where Amasawa attempted to break her arm.　

My right hand slides down Kushida's arm to he rwrist, and as my left hand goes around from her mouth to her back, I grabbed Amasawa's right hand.

"No way..."

It must be a defensive instinct.

In an instant, she abandoned the action of folding Kushida's arm, shifted her attention to this side, and tried to clench her grip to make a left fist. 　

However, without giving her a chance to make a further move, I caught Amasawa and blocked her body movement. 　

Just as Amasawa had done to Kushida earlier, I turned around and twisted her to the ground.
"Ka-ha!" 　

By pushing her so vigorously to the ground, Amasawa lost her breathing for a moment and became breathless. 　

Her heavy breath causes a slight dust storm.

"Oh ..... that was a little unexpected."

"Did you think there wasn't that much difference between you and me?"　

I can tell by the look in her eyes.

Amasawa's pride, which she always held so high was now deeply wounded.

"You mean... I miscalculated you...?"

"Perhaps."

Amasawa's combat skills learned in the white room are real. Horikita and Ibuki, who have trained properly, and Ryuuen and the others, who have learned to fight on their own, will never be able to beat Amasawa. 　

However, whether or not they can compete with me on equal footing is completely irrelevant.

If your opponent's skill level goes up from 5 to 20 or even 30, but if mines is close to 100, it's the same thing.

"Since when did you know you could beat me?"

"Since the moment we met".

"If that wasn't a line from you Ayanokoji-senpai, I would've told them they were being too cold."

"I'm going to take this opportunity to say that since you seem to think that the 'other one' might push me out of school, have you ever wondered why I've never asked for his name?"　

The smile slowly fades from Amasawa's face.

I have never willingly tried to find the other white room student.

"It's because they never had a chance against me in the first place."

"You really mean that, don't you, senpai?"

"It's not you who doesn't understand that, is it, Amasawa? 　

If you had only half-heartedly practiced martial arts, they would not have had any real feeling for it yet. 　

But Amasawa was different. 　

In those less than 10 seconds of total movement, the match was already decided by a wide margin.

"Both you and the other should have challenged me at an earlier stage. You should not have taken the long way around while getting other people involved."

"You understood why I contacted Kushida-senpai, didn't you?"

"It all connected just now. And now something unexpected is about to happen."

"I.. don't even know what to think."

"After 3:00 p.m., I want you to stand guard in the student council chambers, but you must not be seen by anyone. Then you will have all the answers." 　

I was able to see Amasawa's strength gradually slacken, and I released the restraints. 　

I'm not sure how much more force is needed.

"We've wasted a lot of time. Let's go back to the maid cafe."

"Huh, are you sure?" 　

Amasawa stood up, but showed no sign of moving, as if he was in a state of lethargy.

"Don't worry, your past won't be exposed."

When I started to walk away, Kushida hurriedly followed me.

"How can you know that for sure, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Who knows, but you can trust me."

".....Just who even are you, Ayanokoji-kun?" 　

I'm sure she's seen my conversation with Amasawa and the fight that took place earlier, so it's inevitable that she would be questioning me.

"I don't know anything about fighting... but I know what you just did wasn't normal."

"It's not uncommon for classmates to learn martial arts. Horikita, Ibuki, Ryuuen and Akito should be strong fighters even if they are self-taught. Also it's hard for a girl to compete against a boy."

The difference between men and women was overwhelming, as explained above.

Whether or not Kushida is convinced by this is another matter.

"You're going to have to go back soon as you can and help them get the lines straightened out. Please."

"Yes, yes, that's right."

Kushida bowed her head as if she had made a decision.

"Thank you for helping me..."

An unexpected thank-you from Kushida. 　

Of course, she is more easily outmaneuvered than most people. 　

She is the type of person for whom expressing gratitude itself is a simple matter of doing so.

"I know you don't think I'm truly grateful, but that's okay. I just felt like I needed to say that even if you think it's a lie..."

"I didn't do anything serious. It's more like a natural thing for a classmate to do."

"So you don't consider me to be in debt to you, right?" 　

She emphasized that part, and I thought about it for a minute, but then I couldn't back out.

"Of course." 　

If I did consider her to be in debt to me because of what happened, they wouldn't really be able to repay me.