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.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
"…Fujimiya, are you in a bad mood?"
As it happened, Yuuta didn't have club practice today and decided to hang out with Amane after school. It wasn't until then that Yuuta pointed out to Amane that he'd been wearing his feelings on his sleeves.
"…Was it that obvious?"
"No, I think you're pretty much the same as usual. I just get that feeling from your atmosphere."
Just about to buy a book at a store near the station, Amane instinctively touched his cheek after hearing Yuuta. He felt a little stiffer than usual, and his brows were furrowed slightly. Just in case, he'd tried not to let it show too much, but he couldn't control himself. He let out a slight sigh of embarrassment and dismay.
"Well, yeah. I don't feel too good about it. It's not fun to see Mahiru be treated as a display, and I want to keep her to myself if I can."
It was only natural, but there was no way she, his beloved, would be happy to be exposed to the gazes of an unspecified number of people. It would be one thing if they were just curious, but a cause for concern if the boys unleashed their lust on her.
"But it's not like Mahiru hated the sound of it, and it's immature and not fair for her to object to the class's decision and demand special treatment from only her own boyfriend, so she has no choice but to keep quiet. I know Mahiru will contribute to our sales, but I'm not satisfied with the fact that there are a lot of risks that come with it."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Kadowaki. It's my fault for not being able to clearly state the benefits of my proposal."
There was no need for Yuuta to apologize in the slightest. On the other hand, he couldn't blame the boys in the class who'd suggested it, so an indescribable feeling sat in his heart.
"It can't be helped, since this is the one thing we've decided on." Amane sighed heavily, and Yuuta gave him a troubled smile as well.
"I voted for the exhibit. I thought it was the most realistic, low-risk high-return option. Besides, I'll probably be sent to serve customers…"
"Yeah."
Mahiru, renowned as the prettiest girl in the school, would also be forced to serve customers, so of course, Kadowaki, who was equally popular with the girls, would be sent to do the same thing. She seemed to want to work behind the scenes, but that was unlikely to happen. Having a rare kind of beauty was disadvantageous for her at a time like this.
"…Boys aren't wearing maid uniforms too, are they?" Yuuta asked.
"I want to believe that's not the case… If the girls are wearing maid uniforms, wouldn't the boys go along with them as butlers? If it's a convenient costume to get, that is."
"Ah, well, you see… Some of the kids in our class know someone who runs a café like that… They think they might be able to get a man and a woman's outfits together."
"Huh?"
This information was a fatal blow for Amane as he wanted to prevent Mahiru from wearing a maid outfit. If it was a convenient costume to procure, Mahiru would definitely be wearing a maid outfit to serve the class' customers.
Amane could say he was fortunate, as it seemed like the boys would be prepared male costumes. It wouldn't end up a disaster with them cross-dressing.
"It's really like the class was united on this point… Still, it must be tough for you if you're gonna wear a costume while serving, Kadowaki."
Amane was sure that the girls would focus on Yuuta. He had a lot of work cut out for him.
"Why are you acting like it's someone else's problem? I think you'll be sent out too, Fujimiya."
"Eh?"
"Can you cook?"
"…I won't say I can't, but I'm not good at it either."
It wasn't like Amane couldn't cook, but he couldn't make something high-quality enough to offer in exchange for money. He didn't have to worry about eating normally, and it wasn't as bad as having his food rejected by Mahiru.
Amane made a lot more progress compared to before, but he was still resistant to selling it.
"In that case, I'm sure you'll be sent to serve customers or help with something else in the back, but… If that's the case, you'll be worried if you can't keep an eye on Shiina-san from a close distance. It'd be a problem if she caught some strange stares from customers."
"Well, that's true, but… who benefits from me wearing that outfit?"
Considering that they would be monitoring any insolent people trying to reach out and potentially disturb Mahiru, being in the front serving customers was probably for the best.
If Mahiru was going to wear it, Amane didn't mind wearing those kinds of clothes out of shame, but he couldn't help but feel there was no point in him wearing a butler uniform.
"It's a win-win for you and Shiina-san. I'm sure she'll be happy." "Well, yeah."
"Also, Fujimiya, you've been getting a lot of looks since you changed your image."
"Nah, I don't know about that."
"Well, you only keep your eyes on Shiina-san."
It was embarrassing for Amane to hear him say that. It was true that he was worried about Mahiru, so he didn't pay attention to the gazes of the other female students, and he hadn't expected them to look at him like that at all in the first place, so he wasn't fundamentally conscious of it.
He looked at Yuuta, wondering if it was true, but he shrugged his shoulders and said, "You don't realize it, do you?" so it didn't seem like he was lying.
"You should notice people looking at you once in a while, Fujimiya. Well, I don't think there's any harm in it, since everyone in the class is already looking at you like you're something heartwarming."
"I don't like that in its own way, though."
"Give up. It's your fault for flirting with Shiina-san, Fujimiya." "…I'm not doing it so openly."
"Ahaha."
Yuuta smiled, but he didn't seem to believe it, so Amane's cheeks twitched slightly.
"Well, what's the big deal? It's much healthier than being harassed. Personally, I don't want you to be like Shirakawa-san used to be."
"'…A rival in love' they say, huh?"
Amane lowered his eyebrows at the words he'd been told in a slightly solemn voice. He had heard that Itsuki, which he wouldn't tell the person in question but could be said to be his best friend, and her, Chitose, had overcome many twists and turns before they started dating.
It was hard to imagine now, but when she first met Itsuki, Chitose had apparently given Itsuki the cold shoulder and was known as a girl with an icy personality and a tone of voice known by all. She was an excellent track and field athlete, but she had no choice but to stop because of the conflict with her seniors in the club over Itsuki.
He didn't want to understand why an upperclassman in a club who was jealous of her talent would harass her, but he also understood that it was possible. The man that she liked was making advances on the girl she was jealous of, yet the girl treated him unkindly. It was plausible that her harassment escalated. It was something that shouldn't be put into practice.
"I see. In the end, she quit track and field because of that quarrel. I really hate that kind of harassment, so… I'm relieved that Fujimiya and the others approve of her."
Yuuta had been watching over those rough times, which was probably why he was even more worried about Amane and Mahiru's relationship.
"…Yeah."
"That's why you should show off your friendly side during the cultural festival like you always do. So much so that no one wants to take it anymore."
"I'm not trying to show off." "Haha, just kidding."
"That ain't funny."
He raised an eyebrow and frowned at Yuuta, but he seemed a little relieved, and then he smiled teasingly, so Amane kept his nose to himself.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
"Welcome home, Amane-kun."
Amane got changed and headed for the living room once he returned home, where he found Mahiru waiting for him with a smile and tapping her hands on her thighs. Not understanding the situation, he blankly stared at Mahiru's face. She patted her thighs again with a gentle smile.
As he stared at her in bewilderment, her smile turned a little wry. "I felt like you were in a bad mood."
Apparently, Mahiru had seen right through him. Since Yuuta had seen right through him, it was only natural that Mahiru could do the same.
Just in case, Amane wanted to hide it in front of her, so he scratched his cheeks at the awkwardness of being so easy to read, and Mahiru smirked amusingly as if to say, 'I knew it'.
"Knowing you, Amane-kun, you wouldn't force yourself to refuse, but I'm sure you don't like it on the inside. Am I wrong?"
"…You're right, but…"
"Therefore, I thought I'd try to cheer you up." "You'd say that right in front of me?"
"Fufu. You don't want me to?"
"…You know my answer, but just who do you take after?" "Amane-kun, right?"
Amane couldn't argue with her once she said that, and his mouth twitched. Mahiru giggled and tapped her thighs again. Faced with the temptation of Mahiru's soft-looking thighs, which were covered by a modest skirt, Amane hesitated and sat a short distance away from her, lying down and gently resting his head on her thighs. He turned his head to look up at Mahiru, and she smiled at him.
Then, Mahiru's slender and pale fingers coursed through Amane's black hair. "…Are you worried about me and don't like it?"
"That's part of it… I just didn't want anyone else to see it." "Are you jealous?"
"I don't know if I should call it jealousy or possessiveness… Honestly, I didn't want you to."
He knew it was selfish and unsightly and was a little embarrassed by his emotional outburst, so he turned toward Mahiru's stomach.
Mahiru let out a small laugh at Amane, soothing him, and gently combed his hair with her fingers.
"Well, it's not like I'm going to wear a maid outfit in public because I want to, but it's already decided."
"Mm."
"But I made a promise with them first." "About what?"
"I said that I want to show it to you first."
He instinctively turned his face back around and looked up at Mahiru to see a mischievous bashful look on her face.
"You'll be the first one to see me wearing it, so, um… there may be a lot of customers coming to greet me, but, I-I guess you could say that I only have… one master."
In the end, Mahiru's voice grew hesitant from her embarrassment, but once she finished, Amane's cheeks naturally felt just as hot. Despite that, Amane looked into her eyes without turning away, and she pressed her cushion against his face as if she couldn't take it anymore.
She was gentle enough to not suffocate him, but he could tell that he ought to close his eyes. Together with Mahiru, Amane felt a new sensation that could be compared to something different… this haze swirling in his chest, would never disappear. What welled up from it must be none other than deep love.
"Then I'll bear with it." "Yes."
Mahiru refused to show her face to him and covered herself with her cushion, but Amane could still imagine the expression on her face. He smiled and turned on his side, burying his face in Mahiru's belly.