Clap clap clap…
Atsuya Ayumi walked into the classroom through the front door, which was already hung with pink lace curtains. She clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the busy students.
"Everyone, you've worked hard! Come have some water and take a break."
As her voice fell, two more figures entered the classroom: Akira and Nishikata. Both were carrying cardboard boxes filled with drinks.
"You two have worked hard as well. Go take a break, I'll distribute the drinks," Atsuya Ayumi said, turning back to them.
"Okay."
Akira nodded, placed his box on a nearby round table, and walked toward Shouko.
Nishikata followed closely behind, though not to find Takagi — he was heading toward his own group of friends. After all, he knew better than to intrude.
"You worked hard, Akira." Shouko pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to him.
Akira took it with a small wave of his hand. "I just moved some water, that's all."
As he spoke, his eyes swept across the Class 2 classroom, which had undergone a major transformation in just one afternoon.
The neatly arranged desks had been replaced with round tables covered with lace-edged tablecloths. On each table sat a bear plushie dressed in a maid outfit.
Sunlight filtered through windows decorated with cherry blossom paper cuttings, scattering light spots across sheer wisteria-colored curtains.
On the small stage at the back, several girls dressed as miko adjusted the audio equipment. Their skirts fluttered with each movement, revealing band-aids on their knees — injuries from working late into the night on props.
An L-shaped space had been sectioned off in the back row using mobile whiteboards. Hidden beneath the makeshift counter were induction cookers and rice cookers, with ingredients neatly divided into cooler boxes labeled hot and cold. Handwritten notes decorated the wall.
A wide aisle of about 80cm was left between the tables and chairs, with green arrows for entry and red for exit taped to the floor to prevent collisions.
A floral cloth covered a double-layered cart for collecting dishes — dirty plates on top, cleaning supplies on the bottom — concealing the mess underneath.
A cat-eared maid poster that Shouko had put up slightly crookedly clung to the wall.
But the most eye-catching sight was the blackboard, now dominated by a giant chalk drawing of a cat-eared maid. Its paw pointed to a neat script font that read:
"Today's Limited Magic: Omelet Rice Can Triple Your Happiness!"
That chalk mural was Akira's afternoon masterpiece.
"Akira, where should we go first tomorrow?" Shouko asked, her eyes drifting toward Atsuya Ayumi, who was handing out drinks at the front.
"Hm…" Akira tore his gaze from the blackboard and asked curiously, "What time do we start operating?"
This was his first school festival, and he wasn't sure how to plan. His poster work was finished, so he could spend time exploring unless the class was too busy. But realistically, he'd probably be helping Shouko in the kitchen.
"Operating hours are from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon. Why do you ask?"
"If that's the case, we should come an hour early to prep ingredients, then spend about thirty minutes cleaning up after closing. We'll still have plenty of time to look around."
"About right." Shouko nodded, her gaze locking with his. "So, Akira… are you going to help me in the kitchen tomorrow, or explore the festival with Auntie Miyamura?"
"Which one do you want me to choose?" Akira asked, his reflection shimmering in her eyes.
Shouko didn't answer. She simply stared at him, unblinking.
In the end, he broke the silence. "Shizuka-chin should be coming with Yuzuru tomorrow."
His words felt like both a non-answer and the answer she wanted to hear.
"You two, Nishikata is still here. Be careful." A calm, teasing voice chimed in — Takagi had strolled up beside them.
Startled, Shouko quickly glanced at Nishikata, who was resting in the front row. Seeing he wasn't paying attention, she let out a relieved sigh.
Still, she smacked Takagi lightly on the arm for teasing her.
Even after two semesters, Shouko still fell for her playful remarks every time.
"We're just talking. It's not like we're hugging or anything," Akira muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Ring ring ring…
Just then, a ringtone chimed from his pocket. The sudden sound hushed the entire classroom, dozens of eyes turning toward him.
Akira calmly ignored the stares — even Nishikata's — pulled out his phone, and checked the caller ID.
"Nishikata, the 1:1 standee I ordered is ready. I'll head down and grab it," he said, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
Because of this special order, he had permission to bring his phone to school. It explained his calmness.
"Okay."
Daiki nodded. Akira answered the call and slipped out the back door.
"Just in time. With the festival tomorrow, they managed to finish it this afternoon."
"Forget everything else, I'm dying to see that standee."
"+1, +1. Remember how Miyamura refused to say anything? All mysterious and smug?"
"I heard it's a 1:1 standee of the Class Monitor in a maid outfit."
"Really?! The Class Monitor agreed to that???"
"(Rolls eyes) Didn't I just say I only heard about it?"
With Akira gone, the classroom buzzed with renewed curiosity. Everyone wanted to know what the standee would look like.
Since he was assigned poster design, the standee idea had been an additional task from the Class Monitor a few days ago.
He accepted, but only revealed the project to a few people — hence the excitement.
About ten minutes later, Akira returned with two staff members carrying large cardboard boxes nearly 1.7 meters tall.
After thanking them, he set the boxes down, and the staff left.
Students crowded closer, their anticipation clear.
"Why are there two? Didn't you say just one?" someone asked, confused.
"The other was added last night by the Class Monitor. No surprise you didn't know." Akira waved casually, grabbed a utility knife, and began carefully opening the boxes.
The standees were made from reinforced cardboard with extra iron wires for support, but they were still fragile.
Caution was natural.
"It really is the Class Monitor's 1:1 standee!?"
The moment the box opened, a cry of surprise rang out. Eyes widened all around.
Inside stood a life-sized standee of Atsuya Ayumi in a maid outfit. Next to her, the operating hours were printed in cute font:
"10:00~15:00 MasterをおWaitちしてます"
(We are waiting for Master to arrive)
Ayumi's long golden twin tails shimmered, her golden eyes sparkling with twin dimples that made her smile irresistibly sweet.
Her black-and-white maid uniform, paired with cat ears and a heart-shaped omelet rice in her hands, made students exclaim in disbelief.
"Too cute! Shin-chan is dead!!"
Originally, Akira had wanted Shouko's life-sized standee, hoping to take it home after the festival.
But Shouko had flatly refused, frantically waving her hands.
In the end, it was Atsuya Ayumi who stepped forward.
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