Thanks to Meerkat for helping with the translation
Chapter 6: “Getting Serious from the Second Semester”
“The day has finally come…”
By the window, where the sunlight is too bright, the teacher is already wearily contemplating early in the morning.
“Wow! Teacher, you’ve become even more beautiful than before the summer break!”
“Lately, you’re the only one complimenting me. Can I introduce you to my parents?”
“No way!”
“Of course not! That’s out of the question!”
Hinagi and Shiori are denying it, regardless of my intentions.
Even though the new semester has started, the teacher’s heart is still trapped in summer vacation.
It can’t be helped. I’m the same way. It’s hard to wake up in the morning, right? I’m already daydreaming about winter break. Thinking I should try to ease the teacher’s mental burden a little, I decide to be gentle.
“At this age, such straightforward compliments are surprisingly effective. Listen up. Being praised for being good at studying or sports is only while you’re a student, you know? Once you become working adults, being good at your job is expected. No one will praise you for such things. You’ll understand when you get older. Don’t take advantage of your youth to be naive about reality.”
From the start, Ms. Sayuri lectures us on the harshness of adult life. For us, who will become new adults in just two years now that the age of adulthood has been lowered to eighteen, this is far more worth listening to than the unnecessarily long and useless speech from the principal. I’d almost pay to hear this lecture.
What an amazing teacher! Overwhelmed by emotion, I can’t help but speak out.
“Teacher, you’re still young and cute too, you know?”
“Thanks, boy. Maybe I really should introduce you to my parents.”
“I said that’s not allowed!”
“Why are you suddenly acting like a shota!?”
Huh!? Perhaps due to living an unbecoming high school student life during the summer break, my mental age has completely regressed. I got my teeth brushed before bed. I’m Yukito Kokonoe, sixteen years old.
These days, I’m optimized to automatically give favorable responses like an AI to someone who tries to take care of me at every opportunity. I don’t remember at all what I was saying.
Rummaging through my pocket, I find the personal alarm my sister gave me.
I accepted it without feeling any oddity. She told me repeatedly to sound it if anything happens, but I’m a high school student after all. And I have a sweet tooth. Sour things are a bit…
Everyone wants to press a button when they see one. It’s an instinct rooted in humanity.
I’m probably not the only one tempted to press the fire alarm button.
While resisting such urges, I suddenly realized.
“Come to think of it, yesterday I was treated like a body pillow again…!”
“Leaving aside the problem child standing there dumbfounded. Good, everyone’s here without injuries. I think you’ve gotten used to the class, but the second semester is full of events like the sports festival and cultural festival. The time you can be high school students is short, so make sure to fully enjoy your youth and work hard. Of course, don’t forget about the tests either.”
Ms. Sayuri, who was about to leave the classroom after saying what she wanted to say, stops abruptly.
“Can I get one more compliment?”
“I want to grow up to be a cool and wonderful adult like you, teacher!”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re such a hopeless guy.”
Giggle giggle.
“Those two get along well, don’t they?”
“Teacher, is something troubling you?”
The lukewarm gazes of our classmates were directed at us.
“Ron, 8000 all.”
“This is poker, though.”
“………..”
“………..”
“Full house!”
“Don’t casually win in this flow.”
During break time, while putting away the cards, the refreshing handsome guy suddenly declares.
“Let’s definitely win the sports festival!”
“This class might do pretty well, don’t you think?”
“I’m looking forward to it. But I’m not very confident in running…”
Takahashi and Ito, who were playing poker together, nod in agreement.
“Well, we have Mihocchi and Shiorin in our class, so we might aim for the win, right?”
“There are quite a few kids from sports clubs, after all.”
Elizabeth and others join the casual conversation. It’s certain that this class is promising, and indeed, the refreshing handsome guy and Shiori would probably outperform average opponents, but even so, a sports festival isn’t decided by just that.
“What’s wrong, Yukito? You look gloomy.”
“I was just thinking there’s no opportunity to use [average opponents] in life.”
“What are you talking about!?”
“You say we’ll definitely win, but it’s impossible no matter how you think about it.”
“Why are you saying that, Kokonoe-chan?”
Mineta says as if offended, but this is something that can only be attributed to luck.
“We’re students, so isn’t it fine if we all just have fun together? Winning or losing doesn’t really matter. Isn’t it more realistic to say we might win if we’re lucky?”
“Well, that’s true, but… still, if we all try our best, who knows?”
“If the result is unknown, then you can’t say we’ll definitely win.”
“You’re being too logical. This kind of thing is about spirit, you know.”
Ignoring Takahashi, who looks troubled, the electromagnetic pulse guy becomes serious.
“No, I absolutely want to win.”
“That’s impossible.”
The surroundings hold their breath at Kouki’s unusually stubborn seriousness. This hot-blooded guy seems unable to help but get fired up in these situations. A tense atmosphere spreads.
“–Then, Yuki, how can we absolutely win?”
The one who interrupted with a voice full of certainty was Shiori Kamishiro.
“Kokonoe-chan, listen, listen. We want to win!”
“We discussed it in the group chat yesterday. And you know, opportunities like this are rare, so we decided we want to make lasting memories. Everyone’s going to do their best, so let’s do it together, Kokonoe-kun?”
As soon as I arrive at school, Elizabeth and the others approach me with fired-up expressions.
I feel the gradually intensifying waves of lumen.
“Whoa, it’s bright!”
“Don’t suddenly get scared! You’re scaring us!”
The refreshing handsome guy who just arrived stands in front of my desk.
“Maybe it’s fine if everyone just enjoys themselves. I understand that’s how it should be originally. But I, we, want to achieve results. Yukito, we’re going to win for sure.”
He speaks as if it’s already been decided. I wonder what they talked about yesterday.
Shiori might have stirred them up. Feeling a bit intimidated by the group with such high tension from early morning, I take out what I had prepared.
“…What’s that?”
“It’s like a morale booster. You have to pay attention to the details for these things.”
What I took out was a wooden board of a good size.
“…’Sports Festival Strategy Room’?”
“If we’re going to do it, we’ll go all out. From now on, we begin the [Sports Festival Strategy]!”
“Kokonoe-chan, is this what it means to be serious!?”
“Oh boy. I never thought Yukito would get motivated, this is going to be a big deal…”
Pushing through the classmates who started making a fuss, I grab Shakado by the scruff of her neck.
“G-Good morning… hehe… um… w-w-w-what’s going on!?”
I drag the limp Shakado to where another group is gathered.
“Akanuma, Fujimori, Doda. We need your power to win. Please, lend us your strength.”
My lowered head hits the desk with a thud. I was panicking. Akanuma and the others are what you’d call the cultural group. They’re not particularly good at sports. But to win, just the refreshing handsome guy or Shiori alone isn’t enough. Moreover, I can’t do anything by myself, and the sports festival isn’t just for those good at sports. The cooperation of the entire class, including Akanuma and the others, is essential.
“U-Us!? We’re not good at sports, you know?”
“If we leave things as they are, that smirking pretty boy over there will stand out and reap all the benefits. Can we allow that!?”
“Hey, we’re on your side!”
I firmly ignore the token protest.
“If there’s anything we can do, we’ll cooperate, but…”
Huh, aren’t they really nice? Come to think of it, I just realized that everyone in this class gets along well overall. When invited, many people gather. Isn’t there any tension or faction disputes?
Could it be that I’m the only one talking about loners and school caste…
“Um… why… am I… here?”
“Hm? Oh, Shakado. You’re the trump card for the sports festival. The victory is in your hands!”
I point my finger sharply. Yes, as far as I’m concerned, our class’s trump card for the sports festival – the one who will play the most crucial role – is Shakado. If her mission succeeds, our victory will be rock-solid.
By the way, I tried calling her “Shaka-D” after summer break, but she asked me to stop, so that was scrapped.
Calling her “Anya” by name would make Shakado faint from sheer embarrassment, so that’s out too.
“Hii… hii…! Hiiieeeeeeeee!?”
Shakado’s faint voice, barely distinguishable as a scream, seemed to echo throughout the classroom.
Apparently, giant pandas and red pandas aren’t closely related species.
Last night, I learned this shocking fact from an animal encyclopedia, but an even bigger surprise awaited me.
It turns out that the red panda, which was discovered first, was originally the true panda!
If that’s the case, then the black and white fellow who now struts around as the panda world’s leader, munching on bamboo, has successfully stolen the name. And yet, they’re not even closely related species.
How great must be the sorrow of the red panda, dubbed “lesser” and demoted from genuine to fake? Having their name snatched away despite being the forerunner, and now belonging to a different species altogether, the red panda must be spending its days in constant self-reflection, wondering about its true identity.
I heard there was a local government that was told, “We’ll give you pandas if you give us eyeglass technology,” and they happily agreed, only to receive red pandas. There should be a limit to how much you can be fooled. The damage to the local industry must have been unbearable.
While the red panda has had its identity stripped away, humans often lose sight of themselves and wander aimlessly too. Isn’t the journey of self-discovery the prime example of this?
In the end, we know nothing about ourselves.
Even if we shout “Status Open!” at the top of our lungs, no status window will appear.
We can’t objectively judge our own aptitudes, like having magical potential if we have high mana, or warrior potential if we have sword skills.
Perhaps human relationships are also filled with such invisible elements.
There’s no way to see others’ emotions. For us living in the real world, it’s impossible to visualize such internal values. We can’t measure battle power, after all.
That’s why it’s words and actions that convey these proofs.
So, how should I face those who have conveyed their feelings to me?
Is there anything I can understand while I’m in the midst of this aimless wandering? But the answer has long been clear.
Loneliness is a friend, loneliness is easy. I’ve been averting my eyes, indulging in that comfort.
But now that I know the feelings they’ve conveyed to me. I have to move forward too.
I can’t remain a loner forever.
“Let’s see… what’s this? A maid café?”
“Ah, that’s what I wrote!”
“I put the same thing. Right, Kana-chan?”
In the classroom, drowsy from lunch, a survey was being conducted about what to do for the cultural festival after the sports festival. People were voting by writing down what they wanted to do on slips of paper.
“A maid café…? Rejected, rejected. I hear another class is already doing that.”
“Eh! It’s fine even if it overlaps!”
Some girls and boys booed at Ms. Sayuri’s merciless words.
It seems Elizabeth came up with the idea, and Mineta and others had the same thought. Speaking of Elizabeth, she’s now at the front of the classroom with Mihou, writing the voting results on the blackboard as class representatives.
“Listen, I won’t allow anything run-of-the-mill. For some reason, this class is known for doing strange— ahem, I mean unique things. It’s all they talk about in the staff room. They have unnecessarily high expectations. Why on earth is that? Seriously, why?! Those guys don’t know my struggles… Damn principal, f**k! Raise my salary, baldy!”
Ignoring Ms. Sayuri, who was spewing American-style curses like hellfire, the eternally refreshing pretty boy of the light attribute continued the proceedings. This guy’s mental fortitude is quite something too.
“A haunted house? That’s standard. It’s fine, but isn’t that being done by another class too?”
“Well then, next is… pfft! A g-girls’ bar?!”
“You idiots! You’re underage students, aren’t you? Be serious!”
“Come on, stop with these bad jokes.”
Elizabeth burst out laughing. Ms. Sayuri is angry. Even the refreshing pretty boy looks exasperated.
“I can’t let that slide.”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Yukito?”
I stand up slowly.
“Don’t worry, teacher.”
“Oh? About what?”
“I’ll be the one to choose you.”
“After you graduate.”
“I’d like to request an after-hours session.”
“I’ll throw in some extra options for free.”
“Alright!”
Ms. Sayuri steps out of the darkness just a little. I hope she can live her days healthily.
Stress is the enemy of beauty, after all! I’ll give the principal some hair growth tonic.
“Why are you so friendly with the teacher?!”
“More importantly, did you write this?!”
The heated discussion continued without reaching a conclusion, and then the bell rang.
“Oh my. It doesn’t look like we’ll decide in this period.”
“It wouldn’t have been a problem if the teacher hadn’t raised the bar.”
“What’s that, Miho? You’ve got guts. You guys are bound to do something out of the ordinary anyway, so think hard and come up with something good. There’s an award for the cultural festival too. Alright, we’re done here—”
As Ms. Sayuri was about to leave the classroom, she stopped abruptly.
“Just a quick question, am I really that attractive?”
“Your smile is very lovely!”
“I-Is that so? Yeah, smiling is important, right? They say frowning causes wrinkles…”
Ms. Sayuri massages her facial muscles and forces her twitching lips into a smile.
“Scary! Ah, I said that out loud.”
“Youuuuuu!!”
Giggling and laughter.
“Those two…”
“Don’t say anything more. It’s pointless.”
The next day was completely different.
“Kokonoe-chan, listen, listen. We want to win!”
“We discussed it in the group chat yesterday. And, well, opportunities like this are rare, so we decided we want to do something memorable. We’re all going to work hard, so join us, Kokonoe-kun?”
“Did you guys time leap or something?!”
Didn’t we do this pattern last time?!
It’s good to be ambitious, but aren’t you getting ahead of yourselves?
In the end, we couldn’t decide what to do and continued the discussion, but it seems no one has come up with any good ideas. They say they discussed it all together, but for me who doesn’t check the group chat, it feels like things are progressing in a parallel world. Maybe I should be grateful I’m not completely left out.
“What does it even mean to win at a cultural festival?”
“They decide on an excellence award. Apparently, stage performances and such add points too.”
“I heard there’s even a beauty pageant! From our class… shouldn’t Shiorin and Hinagi-chan enter?”
Mineta suggests Shiori and Hinagi participate. Those two would be perfect candidates.
“M-Me?! No way, no way. No no no!”
“I’d rather not participate in something like that…”
While Hinagi declines with a wry smile, Shiori’s ponytail sways left and right as she shakes her head in denial. Yes, just like a cat toy. Swish swish.
“Ha!”
“W-What’s wrong, Yuki?!”
My hand moved before I knew it.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”
“Eh, what? What couldn’t you help?”
“Calm down. We’re talking about the beauty pageant now.”
These days, Shiori is the only one who still earnestly responds to me like this.
How should I put it… her reactions are just so good.
“It would be so exciting if you two participated… right, Kokonoe-chan?”
“Yeah. You’re both beautiful and cute.”
“C-Cute?!”
“Y-You’ve always been like this, haven’t you?”
Shiori freezes up, turning bright red, while Hinagi blushes and looks exasperated but embarrassed.
Seeing Hinagi’s reaction, I, who values honesty above all, felt indignant.
Don’t mess with me. I’m being serious here!
“Huh? What’s this, Hinagi? Do you have a problem with being cute? Huh? Are you questioning my right to think you’re beautiful and cute? Well?! If that’s how you feel, I’ll say it as many times as it takes. You’re incredibly cute, damn it!”
“Why are you getting angry?! It’s embarrassing!”
“Is this guy the strongest?”
“Kokonoe-chan, if you don’t tone it down, I won’t be surprised if you get stabbed one of these days.”
Mineta said something scary. Truly, this world is tough for honest people.
“I see. So Eliza– I mean, Sakurai and the others really want to do a maid café, huh?”
“It’s Elizabeth!– Wait, what? Something feels off…”
Ignoring Elizabeth, who seemed to be losing her sense of self, I pondered.
Class projects can vary greatly. Some classes even put on plays, I hear.
Separately, there’s a stage program where bands perform, people show off special talents like comedy acts, and events like beauty contests are held.
Apparently, the class chosen for the excellence award is decided by considering all of these factors.
By the way, there are also cultural club presentations, but they tend to be low-key affairs. Student council president Kidou and senior Mikumo, who are also in the art club, will display their paintings. Hinagi-chan’s paintings will be there too. I’ll make sure to check them out.
Now, as for our class, the group that proposed a haunted house isn’t particularly attached to the idea, but they want to create something tangible. It certainly has that cultural festival vibe. Working together to create something is fitting for a page in our youth.
On the other hand, Elizabeth and her group couldn’t let go of the romance of a maid café. It’s difficult to wear such costumes outside of special occasions like this. Many of the girls are looking forward to it.
Even some of the boys are excited about it, so it has strong support.
When asked about the costumes, they said they’d make them themselves.
Though he looked really unhappy about it, apparently the refreshing pretty boy’s sister is knowledgeable about such things. She might work in the sewing industry. It’s rare to see that perpetually spring-like boy’s face clouded, so it’s somewhat concerning, but I’ll set that aside for now.
“What should we do, Kokonoe-chan? I want to reflect everyone’s opinions…”
“It’s simple. We’ll do everything.”
“Did you think of something, Yukito?”
The solution is simple. I, Kokonoe Yukito, shall meet the teacher’s expectations!
“If we’re aiming for the excellence award, let’s do it all – the haunted house, the maid café, and the beauty contest. It’s a quantity strategy. If overlap is an issue, we’ll have to explore different forms.”
“Different forms?”
“Kouki, you said you’re starting sports festival practice, right?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“First is information, second is intelligence, third and fourth are practice, and fifth is the actual event.”
“I feel like I heard some ominous words there…”
Organizing what needs to be done, it’s clear we don’t have enough time until the event.
We needed to start right away.
“Getting injured during practice would defeat the purpose. We’ll have everyone learn about body care as well.”
“That sounds simply useful.”
“Right. And since we’re learning it, we might as well use it.”
“What do you mean, Kokonoe-chan?”
Before I knew it, all eyes were on me.
“Our class project will be the ultimate relaxation space with waitstaff. This covers both the maid café and the haunted house perfectly!”
“Wow! That sounds amazing!”
I approached a certain person who had been glancing at me hesitantly.
“Natsume. Do you know about this genre of web novels?”
“Eh, eh, K-Kokonoe-san, what’s wrong? W-What about me…?”
“Apparently, it was popular a while back, but now it’s mainstream even for women. It’s about satisfyingly getting back at those who looked down on you.”
“Ah, I kind of know about it. Like broken engagements or villainess stories, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, the ones about overcoming unreasonable treatment.”
“Y-Yes. But what about it…?”
As expected of Natsume. I thought she might be knowledgeable about such genres since she often reads in the classroom, but she seems to be even more of a talent than I expected. This is promising.
“Enter the beauty contest.”
“………………Huh? Um, I don’t understand…”
“Become even more beautiful than you are now, and show this rotten world!”
“What? Um, me in a beauty contest? That joke is–“
“I see, so you’ll do it!”
“N-No, that’s not it! My response wasn’t meant as agreement–!”
And with that, the participation of Chika Natsume, the bespectacled chubby girl, in the beauty contest was decided.
“With this, we’ve secured the beauty contest win.”
“Um, are you listening, Kokonoe-san? Me in a beauty contest… Hey, what’s going on? Kokonoe-san? Hey, Kokonoe-saaaaaan!?”
Sorry, but I’ll be the one taking the beauty contest victory!
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
I drop the files I brought from the reference room onto the desk and start flipping through them.
“You’re the one who brought this up, so no slacking off. Get to work.”
“That’s true, but…”
While sending a harsh voice to the refreshing pretty boy, I start examining the records of the past ten years of sports festivals, looking at event types, point allocations, averages, total scores, and victory thresholds.
“I’m starting to lose track of what a sports festival is.”
“It’s just a difference in objectives. If you aim for victory, there’s a certain amount of effort required.”
Needless to say, I’m making everyone work, not just the refreshing pretty boy. After all, I’m not the one who brought this up in the first place. Honestly, I don’t care either way; these school events are more like enemies to me.
However, if we’re going to do it, we’ll do it with all our might. If we’re just going to have fun and leave the results to chance, none of this would be necessary. But if our goal is to win, there are things we need to do.
The more effort we put in, the higher our chances of winning become.
“We’re back with the information!”
“…I… I can’t take it anymore… I’ve reached my limit…”
During break time, Elizabeth and her group, with their overwhelming extrovert energy and extensive connections to other classes, return. Wha- Shakadou!? Why are you among the extrovert army!?
I feel slightly betrayed, but Shakadou is pale-faced. She looks completely drained.
“Good, good. At this rate, we should be able to figure out everything.”
Elizabeth and the others have gathered basic information like the number of sports club members in each class, the number of particularly strong students, and how many track and field club members there are.
It’s not surprising, but according to the predictions, our class is favored to win. It’s probably because we have main characters : pretty boy and Shiori, who’s physically the strongest. They’re worth a hundred people. We also have many other strong sports club members.
“This kind of feels like being a spy! It’s so exciting!”
“Kokonoe-chan, we couldn’t find out everything, you know?”
“The rest will be gathered through steady inquiry. As long as we know by the day of the event, there’s no problem.”
The mission given to the entire class is simple. Find out who from other classes is participating in which events. They’re to casually gather this information through interactions with club members and friends.
“Huh. It’s pretty low-key. I thought we’d be doing something more flashy.”
“That’s how it is. Even in countries, the work of intelligence agencies is mostly mundane stuff like newspaper clippings. There’s no flashy spy movie-like activities.”
Now, as in the past, information is the key to victory. Intelligence work is inherently low-key.
While looking at the documents, I start writing down things I’ve noticed.
“Hey, pretty boy, can you see anything from this?”
“The tug-of-war? …The point allocation is high?”
“There’s more. Focus on the positions. Right, right, right, left, right, left, left, right, right, right. Looking at this, the right side has a 63% win rate, while the left side has 37%. The right side has a much higher win rate.”
“Isn’t it just coincidence…? Or maybe because there are more right-handed people?”
“At this point, identifying the reason doesn’t matter, but if it’s coincidence, there’s even more reason to choose the right side.”
The tug-of-war is a best-of-three competition. They change positions after each round, but a considerable number of matches go to the third round. This means that winning the first and third rounds is a common pattern for victory, and the position pattern of first round right (win), second round left (lose), third round right (win) has an extremely high win rate.
And the position selection for tug-of-war is pretty casual, often decided by self-declaration. In other words, preferences are often accommodated. Of course, if both sides want the same position, it’s decided by rock-paper-scissors, but not many people care that much about it. …Usually. So, why not take advantage of this!
“I feel like this is becoming less and less like the sports festival I know…”
“Think seriously about what it means to win. It will definitely be useful in basketball too. For example, I can always win at rock-paper-scissors against Hinagi. Hinagi, could you come here for a moment?”
I beckon Hinagi-chan over with a little gesture.
“Let’s play rock-paper-scissors. By the way, I can definitely beat you.”
“Huh? But I’ve beaten Yukito many times before!”
“You’ll see. Rock-paper-scissors… shoot!”
Hinagi shows paper. I show scissors, so it’s my victory. Of course I can win for sure.
If I know what the opponent will play beforehand.
“Whenever you play rock-paper-scissors with me, you always start with paper.”
“No way!? Since when!? Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“I thought it might come in handy someday.”
“What kind of situation are you imagining?”
“…Like if we get caught up in a death game or something.”
“That’s not going to happen! So what, you’ve been going easy on me all this time?”
“No, that’s not it. I’ve been playing paper first too, to make it fair before we really start.”
“Why would you do something like that…”
“I was just keeping it as a last resort in case you made a mistake and I absolutely had to stop you.”
I kept this winning strategy against Hinagi as a trump card, but I thought it was okay to reveal it now because she’s changed quite a bit from how she used to be.
She no longer has that precariousness from back then. She’s learned to stop and think, listen to others’ opinions, and ask for help when she’s in trouble. It’s a huge, truly significant growth.
I’m sure she won’t recklessly charge ahead and lose her way anymore.
…Actually, I have more than one winning strategy, but I’ll keep that to myself.
“…I see. So you’ve been looking out for me since back then…”
Leaving aside Hinagi-chan who seems to be tearing up again, it’s clear that keen observation and information gathering on a daily basis are crucial.
However, that alone isn’t enough to guarantee victory. Since this is a sports festival, physical ability will ultimately be the deciding factor. Power is justice, muscles don’t betray.
“Takahashi-bro. I’m going to slowly lean my body, so try to support me.”
“Me? Alright. What are you planning to do?”
I lean my body towards Takahashi-bro. He stands firm, supporting me from the front.
“As expected from the soccer team’s promising first-year.”
“Don’t say embarrassing things. So? I can easily handle this much.”
“Now, I’ll align my core.”
“Whoa! What’s this!? No way, no way! Amazing! What is this, what is this!?”
Unable to support the weight, Takahashi-bro is pushed back further and further. I hope you can imagine us forming a shape like the Chinese character for “person (人),” which is said to represent people supporting each other.
“I’ll do it too! — Oof, heavy! I’m heavier than you, but… Nggghhhh!”
The refreshing handsome guy who jumped in confidently also falls in defeat.
More challengers keep appearing after that, even Shiori and other girls join in, but none can support the weight. This is the hidden power of the human body.
“When you learn how to use your body, things like this become possible.”
“Yukito, you’re becoming more and more of a surprising person every day…”
“Especially in events with high point values like tug-of-war and cavalry battle where you clash with opponents. If we aim for victory, we must secure these. Therefore, everyone will start special training now.”
“Are you serious? This would definitely be useful in soccer. With this, I won’t lose to the seniors. I might even become a regular as a first-year… I’m in! Let’s do this!”
“What exactly are we trying to fight against…?”
“…Us too?”
“Adults, children, and ladies, everyone.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re in the otaku group or a girl. We’ll do everything we can to stack up even the slightest possibility of winning. It’s about taking steady steps forward.
“Next, we’ll use rubber bands to increase running speed, and put packing material in the heels of the shoes…”
Since we have to use the school-designated outdoor shoes, we can’t use running shoes, but nowhere in the sports festival regulations does it say we can’t modify the school-designated shoes.
Using every possible method to lead us to victory. That’s who I am, Kokonoe Yukito.
As the costume-making team headed to the family restaurant for their meeting, they put Iwakura Tomomi, who was skilled at sewing, in charge of making the maid outfits for the cultural festival.
They had apparently decided to make three outfits for the girls – one each in small, medium, and large sizes. The large size was specifically for Shiori and Kyogoku Kanade.
Since the outfits would only be worn during the cultural festival, there wasn’t enough budget to make one for every girl. During the festival, they’d rotate between working the booth and checking out other exhibits, so they didn’t need one for everyone. Still, three seemed a bit sad, but that issue had been neatly resolved.
They had been given some hand-me-downs from upperclassmen who had run a maid cafe in previous years. The unexpectedly high quality of those outfits surprised them, but it seemed to inspire the girls, who were now brimming with enthusiasm.
The boys had their hands full with their own work, so there wouldn’t be any “Hey boys, give us a hand!” situations.
For the three new outfits they were making, they discussed various ideas like adding extra frills to make them fancier. After settling on designs, they brought their sketches to today’s meeting.
“We’ll look so pretty!”
Being dragged along to the family restaurant with this group of girls, dubbed the “Iwakura Delegation”, was me, Kokonoe Yukito. I had developed the “reverse maid” concept at Yuuri’s request.
“Stop staring blankly at the sky and hurry up,”
“Do you really need me here?”
The handsome guy walking next to me quickly looked away. Even though I’m known as a troublemaker, it’s not always my fault. Today, this guy was the culprit.
“…My sister insisted I bring you along,”
The person they were seeking advice from was this handsome guy’s older sister. While Iwakura had a lot of responsibility, she was only relatively good at sewing compared to the rest of the class. She had never made clothes from scratch before. That’s why they had reached out to the handsome guy’s sister.
Apparently, she was really good at this kind of thing. That was fine, but I couldn’t understand why I had been called here too. I’d never met the handsome guy’s sister, and for some reason, just hearing about her made me feel uneasy and restless.
Like a dog reluctant to go for a walk in the rain, I dragged my heavy feet towards our destination. When we arrived at the family restaurant, we told them how many we were and sat at a large table.
Before we could even order food, our person of interest arrived just a few minutes later.
“Sorry everyone, did I keep you waiting?”
“Oh no! We just got here ourselves. Thank you for coming today!”
The Iwakura Delegation stood up and bowed. As expected of the handsome guy’s sister, she was beautiful, but the delegation’s reaction seemed over the top. They were squealing with excitement.
“You’re HIKARI-san, right? I follow you on social media and have been a fan for so long. I was looking forward to today. I’m so happy to meet you!”
“Really? Thank you. Hey Kou, don’t just stand there. Go get some drinks.”
“Yeah, yeah,”
the handsome guy grumbled as he went to get drinks. Oh, I’ll have a cola.
Ignoring the resentful glare from the handsome guy, I turned to Mineta, a member of the Iwakura Delegation who, despite appearances, was quite girly, and asked:
“I don’t really get it, but is this lightning-fast-faced sister famous?”
“Kokonoe-chan, you’re friends with Miho-chi but you don’t know? HIKARI-san is a cosplayer and model. She’s in magazines and stuff, so she’s famous. I was surprised too!”
“Cosplayer?”
Noticing our conversation, the cosplayer HIKARI-san turned towards us.
“I see, I see. So you’re the Yukito-kun that Kou mentioned. I’m his older sister, Hikari. Thanks for the other day. Mom was happy too. Dad was flustered after getting scolded by Mom though.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kokonoe Yukito.”
“Believe it or not, I’m good at making costumes. Leave it to me since I’ve taken on the job!”
“I’m not very up-to-date with current affairs, but are you famous?”
“It’s embarrassing to say myself, but… Haven’t you seen me? I do cosplay and such.”
“What?! You mean those cosplayers who have become so commercialized that they’re doing free gravure shoots for weekly magazines, making them hated by the gravure idol community?!”
“I don’t do that kind of work, so please don’t say things that leave me at a loss for words!”
“What!? So cosplayers are the ones who make you buy multiple copies of the same ROM at events to get special photo sessions!?”
“You have way too many prejudices! Everyone’s just having fun, and besides, I don’t want to criticize people too much, so I can’t really deny it.”
“What!? Halloween events with cosplayers have such high-quality costumes that party people stay away, making them more wholesome and well-mannered!?”
“Thanks for the compliment! But you know, you seem to know a lot about this, don’t you?”
“Sorry, I got a bit wary. My sister always tells me to be careful because people who claim to be cosplayers often look very different from their photos.”
“That’s not just limited to cosplayers… Nowadays, you can edit photos as much as you want with apps. And please, don’t say things that leave me speechless. Well, I guess it just means their makeup skills are amazing… Anyway, as Kou told me, you’re really interesting.”
“That’s odd. What part of me is so interesting?”
I wondered. Does this serious Kokonoe Yukito have any interesting traits?
For some reason, people often say such things to me when we first meet, but I have no idea why.
While I was thinking about this, the handsome guy came back.
“Hey, sis, aren’t you tired?”
“I feel like I’m sufficiently warmed up. Kou, you’re over here.”
The meeting with the Iwakura delegation began immediately. In such situations, the handsome guy and I had no role to play. Like a borrowed cat, we just stayed quiet. But in reality, a borrowed cat isn’t quiet at all; it’s more likely to cause a big fuss.
“Do you have the design sketches? Have you decided on the materials? Then, make the patterns… Yes, that’s right. You’re good. You’re very skilled with your hands.”
While watching the Iwakura delegation, I threw my long-standing question to the handsome guy.
“Why was I called here?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know!?”
“They said she wanted to meet you or something…”
“Yes, that’s it. You have a good camera, right? Could you help with a photo shoot sometime?”
Hikari-san interrupted our conversation. It’s that thing that’s been running at full capacity recently…
The meeting seemed to have finished, and the Iwakura team also put away their notes and joined the conversation.
“It’s not exactly my camera…”
My mother bought a DSLR camera a long time ago, so I took charge of the photography team at the school festival.
Currently, I’m practicing portrait photography. I’d like to rely on autofocus, but apparently, that won’t improve my skills. Shutter speed, ISO, and other settings make photography quite deep.
I’ve been taking lots of photos of my excited mom and sister at home.
There might come a time to show off my results, but due to my family’s playful antics, most of the photos are too embarrassing to share. There’s no way I can develop them.
“Helping with HIKARI-san’s photoshoot is a rare opportunity!”
“We’re renting a studio for the shoot, so if you’d like, come and watch. While you’re at it, why don’t you all try cosplaying? I’d be happy to have more friends.”
“Really!? I’d love to try it!”
“Uh, I think I’d be too embarrassed…”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about at this point. You’re going to wear this costume, aren’t you?”
“Yay! I’m glad to be in this class and get to see HIKARI-san’s photoshoot.”
Reactions varied, but overall, they seemed positive.
“By the way, is that a final decision?”
“Didn’t Kou tell you? Helping me was a condition for me to cooperate. But to think that the cosplayers here are Kou and Yukito… I saw that commercial.”
When I looked at the handsome guy, he tried to cover it up with a lousy whistle.
“You tricked me!”
“Sorry! I couldn’t go against my sister.”
“Well, I guess that’s how it is.”
“Yeah.”
The lament of sorrowful brothers leaked out.
“That attitude won’t do.”
I scolded the person in front of me in the staff room with a sigh.
It’s a rule to be assertive in negotiations to get good results.
The sports festival includes events where teachers participate, like the relay race.
The homeroom teacher is part of the class’s unity. Therefore, Sayuri-sensei has to do her best. I know she’s busy, but please bear with us.
“…It’s not like I’m planning to slack off. I’m actually looking forward to it a bit. But you know, Kokonoe, I’m not young anymore and I’ve never been good at sports…”
“Listen, we’re aiming to win. Of course, we need you to cooperate fully. If you don’t give it your all and we get poor results—”
I lowered my head sadly. Pretending to cry was harder than I thought, as I’m usually expressionless. With a reluctant look, Sayuri-sensei nervously opened her mouth.
“If we get poor results, what will you do!? Speak, Kokonoe Yukito! What are you thinking!? Spill it!”
“At the cultural festival, you’ll have to serve in a maid outfit—”
“No way! Please, spare me! Look, consider my age, will you? I’m already laughed at for calling myself a young girl while I’m actively looking for a marriage partner. Do you think I can do something that painful?”
“Look, Shakadou also wants to see you in action.”
“Please, Sensei.”
“That’s unfair! Don’t bring Shakadou into this; I can’t say no to her!”
“—Here, Sensei.”
I quietly handed her a small bottle and a ticket. There’s nothing particularly suspicious about it, but we both suddenly became wary of our surroundings and whispered. Human nature is truly strange.
“…What’s this?”
“It’s a custom fragrance I made just for you. And recently, haven’t you been feeling more stiffness in your body? Here’s a coupon for five free massage sessions. You can expect good results.”
“Hey, hey. Yeah, it’s a problem if a teacher doesn’t give their all. But, ethically speaking, it’s questionable for a male student to give a massage…”
“Don’t worry. Shiori who is studying will take care of it . Please, sensei, be our practice dummy.”
“Hmm. But, the maid outfit… It’s a matter of my dignity, you see…”
As we were having a secret conversation in the staff room, exuding a sinister aura, someone called out to us.
“Now, now, Fujishiro-sensei. I understand your feelings, but it’s also good for us teachers to enjoy ourselves fully. After all, it’s a special event.”
“Sanjoji-sensei…”
It was Sanjoji-sensei. As expected of Sanjoji-sensei, she’s a great teacher who understands.
Strict yet kind. In these times when scandals are frequent, if all teachers were as wonderful as her, schools would be much better. But, sensei, the pudding was delicious!
“Oh, if Sanjoji-sensei could also wear a maid outfit, that would be wonderful. Hahahahaha!”
“Eh!? Wait a minute. Why do I have to–“
“The other teachers are nodding in agreement.”
Sanjoji-sensei turned around, and the teachers who were watching us from a distance all looked away at once. What’s with that ‘good’ thumbs-up? They’re all single teachers.
“A maid outfit shouldn’t be a problem, right? You wore a bunny suit before.”
“Let’s stop this pointless argument? Okay? Fujishiro-sensei will become a huge disaster if we don’t. You all think I’m an old hag, right? It’s sad, but… It’s so funny that you’d write ‘too old’ on social media, right? No one benefits from that, so…”
“I can’t believe sensei would lie like that–“
“Kuh……! You are…”
I encourage the frustrated Sanjoji-sensei.
“Don’t worry. The photo shoot is free.”
Sanjoji-sensei slumps her shoulders in defeat.
Hah, I won.
“Alright, let’s open your legs a bit more. Come on, don’t be shy. That’s right. What’s wrong? Everyone does this, right? You’re trying your best, aren’t you?”
The sound of the camera shutter echoes, and multiple flashes go off.
Capturing the alluring figure in the frame, the requests gradually become more explicit.
Feeling the lewd gaze through the viewfinder, the face of the humiliated subject becomes even more enticing–.
…….
………….
……………….
“That’s exciting!”
I throw out this quip without aiming it at anyone in particular. Meanwhile, Yuriel the Archangel, the mastermind behind this sinful situation, is in an unnecessarily good mood.
“Hurry up and take the picture. This won’t be good practice otherwise.”
Yuri-san is striking a seductive pose in the reverse maid outfit that was just completed moments ago. If she had a petite figure, it might not work, but since she doesn’t, it suits her quite well.
It’s definitely bad for the eyes. Where did I put the eye drops…? Help me, Mom!
“Next, let’s take a family photo.”
“What kind of family photo are you planning to take in that outfit?”
This is no good either. I protest against my mother’s incomprehensible remarks, but I’m treated like a malicious complainer and completely ignored. The completed photo is something I can’t bear to look at.
“By the way, which event are you participating in for the sports festival?”
“I’ll come to cheer you on. I’m looking forward to it.”
Suddenly, my sister brings up the topic of the sports festival. The event is approaching, and the excitement in the school is rising.
Information about which main class members are participating in which competitions has mostly been gathered, and we’ve even identified the items borrowed in the borrowing race over the past five years. There won’t be any unexpected items in the borrowing race. So, if we prepare all the items that have been used in past borrowing races in one place as a borrowing station, we can borrow them without any trouble.
I’m already confident in our victory. We’re making preparations for all the events, and when I try to gather information from other classes, it seems that our strategy of deciding our approach and making a strong start is paying off. There’s already a significant gap that can’t be filled.
Considering the balance of our forces, we’re gradually finalizing the distribution of participants for key events and low-point events. Of course, we’re also focusing on strengthening our classmates.
We must not be careless, but winning shouldn’t be difficult. Heaven is on our side!
“……Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
I try to remember which event I’m participating in, but I can’t think of anything. A fatal mistake.
I was so focused on others that I neglected the most important thing.
“I don’t have any events to participate in!?”
“Huh?”
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