Chapter 182: The Cultural Festival!
After finally getting through the line, Hikigaya and Karuizawa immediately entered the haunted house. Watching Karuizawa hold his hand, hopping and skipping excitedly, Hikigaya felt a chill down his spine.
I mean… this is a haunted house. Shouldn't a girl be a little more scared?
Even though he was a logical monster when it came to logic and systems, for some reason his resistance to these kinds of attractions was incredibly low. If anything, he was the type who got scared very easily.
Still, he hadn't forgotten his purpose. Compared to Karuizawa, who clearly looked like she was just here on a date, Hikigaya was constantly observing their surroundings.
He had to admit, it was impressive. To achieve such a high level of completion for a haunted house within a school was no small feat. The intricate routes, horror-themed decorations, and monsters that jumped out at random moments were all far beyond the level of a typical school event.
Perhaps because he was observing too carefully, Hikigaya, who was normally afraid of these things, didn't feel that scared at all. On the contrary, Karuizawa got startled several times, which was honestly kind of embarrassing for the upperclassmen running the place.
Hikigaya: "Karuizawa, are you actually scared or just pretending? How can you shake while smiling?"
Karuizawa: "I–I'm not scared!"
Hikigaya: "Then could you let go of my hand?"
Karuizawa: "What?! I'm holding your hand to protect 'you'. And you're complaining?"
Hikigaya: "That's not what I meant… it's just…"
Karuizawa: "Just what?!"
Hikigaya: "Holding hands is one thing, but making me carry you… isn't that asking too much?"
At this very moment, Hikigaya was carrying Karuizawa in a princess carry. For Karuizawa, this was all part of her plan, after all, a girl scared of ghosts was just too cute.
But for Hikigaya…
'I'm going to die…'
After putting Karuizawa down, the two of them continued forward at a slow pace. Suddenly, a loud special-effect sound came from ahead. Even an idiot would know that something terrifying was about to jump out at the corner.
Both of them braced themselves. In a situation like this, no one would think they'd actually be scared.
But then, "GRAAAH!"
A female ghost whose height only reached Hikigaya's chest suddenly leapt out, her face covered in messy talismans.
'Huh… She's kind of cute.'
And sure enough, before Hikigaya or Karuizawa could even get scared, the "ghost" tripped on the steps in front of her, lost her balance, and fell straight toward Hikigaya.
Hikigaya didn't dodge. If he did, she'd probably faceplant hard. So he simply let the ghost fall into his arms.
BAM!
Unexpectedly, the ghost's head smashed straight into Hikigaya's, knocking him off balance. The two of them tumbled to the ground together.
Karuizawa hurried over anxiously: "Hikigaya, are you okay?!"
Hikigaya opened his eyes groggily and propped himself halfway up: "Do I look okay? Honestly, I really want to know whether Nagumo designed this as a perk or if he actually intended to scare people with these ghosts."
The ghost in his arms finally came to her senses. After shaking her head a couple of times, she seemed to hear a familiar name. Her eyes lit up, and she suddenly sat astride Hikigaya's waist, hands on her hips.
"Hikigaya? Saying bad things about your senpai like that, don't you think that's a bit much?"
Because of the dim lighting and the heavy makeup, Hikigaya hadn't recognized her at all and instinctively asked, "Do we know each other?"
"Hey! I'm your senpai!"
"I know. Everyone here is my senpai, right?"
"That's not what I meant! I'm Asahina! We just met last week!"
Both Hikigaya and Karuizawa froze.
Of all people to literally crash into… it had to be Asahina.
"Uh… so, senpai, what exactly are you doing here…?"
"Don't say anything! This was just an accident. Really, just an accident."
"If accidents happen often enough, they become a feature."
Honestly, every person entering the haunted house getting a hug from a beautiful senpai would be amazing marketing. This should really be advertised more.
Asahina looked visibly annoyed, probably because she hadn't yet noticed the awkward position they were in.
The first to react was Karuizawa. She immediately pulled out her phone and took a picture, smiling sweetly.
"Senpai, if I remember correctly, you're Nagumo's childhood friend, right?"
"…Yeah."
"Then what do you call 'this' situation?"
Karuizawa turned her phone around. The photo clearly showed Asahina sitting on Hikigaya's lower body in the dark, eerie atmosphere.
It was… extremely eye-burning.
Asahina's face instantly turned red. She jumped up and brushed the dust off her clothes.
"Th–Thanks…"
Hikigaya finally freed himself and stood up, "I have to say, this haunted house really does have its own charm."
"You're still joking around?!"
"Asahina-senpai is pretty unique too."
"Hmph! I'm ignoring you. And about my mistake, don't tell anyone, or I'll get scolded again."
With that, Asahina dutifully returned to her corner. The two of them looked at each other and laughed in tacit understanding.
Hikigaya: "By the way, Karuizawa, are you okay?"
Karuizawa: "I'm fine. But watching you hug another girl caused me severe emotional damage."
Hikigaya: "There wasn't any kissing though…"
Karuizawa: "What did you say?"
Hikigaya: "Then how should I compensate you, dear Karuizawa-san?"
Karuizawa: "Then I'll punish you, kiss me!"
Hikigaya: "...Can I choose to get beaten up instead?"
Karuizawa: "Nope."
Hikigaya: "Anyway, doing it here is a bit…"
Before he could finish, Karuizawa grabbed his head and kissed him fiercely.
Click.
The crisp sound of a camera shutter echoed from the darkness.
Then Asahina's bell-like laughter rang out softly.
"Now we're even!"
Karuizawa clicked her tongue, "What an awful senpai…"
---
After finishing the haunted house investigation, Hikigaya had to give Nagumo his due respect. Anyone with eyes could see that a great deal of thought had gone into its design. It was clearly different from most haunted houses on the market.
For Hikigaya, this was a competitor that needed careful attention. After all, it was also a small-scale industry, and if rental maids were brought here, it could generate significant consumption.
After exiting the haunted house, Hikigaya coincidentally ran into Mashima-sensei, the homeroom sensei of Class A, who had just finished his own experience. Mashima was famous throughout the school for his fairness and integrity.
Hikigaya didn't ignore him. Instead, he tried to extract some publicly unknown rules from him, and what he learned was shocking.
First, if a class lacked manpower during the exam, it was possible to 'hire sensei'. Of course, sensei cost a lot of points.
Second, malicious consumption boosting would not be allowed. Student consumption didn't count, and homeroom sensei were prohibited from spending in their own class's businesses, preventing many potential abuses.
After saying goodbye to Mashima, Hikigaya and Karuizawa quickly returned to the classroom. As usual, perhaps because the cultural festival was approaching, everyone was busy beyond belief.
Hikigaya walked up to Sakura.
"Airi, can you sing?"
Sakura blinked: "Hachiman? Why ask all of a sudden? I can… a little."
Hikigaya: "Is your idol account from before inactive now?"
Sakura: "I don't update often, but it's still active. You told me not to give up on that dream, remember?"
Hikigaya: "Airi, you can become a real idol at this cultural festival."
"Hachiman… what do you mean?"
"Use your account to promote the school event, and at the same time, we'll make you into a real idol. Two birds with one stone."
"E–Eh?! I… I'm not ready yet…"
Sakura hesitated.
What was she feeling right now, nervousness? Excitement? Happiness…?
"But… I can try!"
"You can do it. There'll be a lot of big names from the political world attending this event. You might even become famous overnight."
---
[In the chatroom…]
[Sakura: "Hachiman really thinks so much for all of us…"]
[Karuizawa: "Seriously. He's such a stubborn guy, always spouting weird logic, but he never stops thinking about others."]
[Kushida: "Still, just like Hikigaya said, this exam won't be easy. Nagumo holds too much power. He must have some hidden tricks."]
[Horikita: "No need to focus on him too much. Just do what we've always done."]
[Yukinoshita: "I'm more curious, Hikigaya-kun, if you were expelled, where would you even go? Would you work part-time while drifting through life?"]
[Hikigaya: "Hearing it like that… I'm actually kind of scared now. I might end up homeless."]
[Ichinose: "It'll be fine. I won't let Hikigaya-kun be expelled."]
[Yukinoshita: "She says that. Do you have anything to say?"]
[Hikigaya: "Thank you…"]
[Sakayanagi: "Capable people can survive anywhere. I don't believe little Hiki would become completely useless just because he dropped out."]
[Hikigaya sighed helplessly: "That's actually wrong. Once I enter society, I'll probably become a full-fledged corporate slave. Society only allows that kind of person to survive."]
[Koenji seemed intrigued: "Then how about what I suggested before? Care to join me in trying to change society?"]
[Hikigaya: "That goal is way too grand. I just want to live my life properly for now."]
[Koenji replied calmly, without anger: "Someday, you'll choose that path, Hikigaya. What's carved into your bones, you can't change it."]
[...]
---
A few days before the cultural festival, the student council announced a rehearsal notice. On the day before the festival, the student council would cover the costs and provide each class with tens of thousands of points for rehearsal, essentially a pre-event dress rehearsal.
Of course, having a rehearsal inevitably meant that a class's preparations would be partially exposed. Even though third-party funding allowed them to trial things in advance, and the benefits clearly outweighed the drawbacks, there were still some classes that were unwilling to test the waters early. Since participation was entirely voluntary for each class, there was naturally no room for conflict.
For first- and second-year classes running large-scale operations, however, this was practically a godsend. There was no real need to hide anything in the first place, and there was no competitive pressure from the other grades either.
Even so, Hikigaya had no intention of revealing the "rental" theme. He only wanted to test how much foot traffic the maid concept alone could attract.
Although that day's traffic consisted almost entirely of on-campus consumers, Hikigaya was still able to arrive at a rough estimate. If they were merely running a standard maid café, combined with monopolizing all four floors of entertainment facilities, the daily operating cost would be around 500,000 personal points, or possibly more. As for revenue, it would likely cap at around 2 million points.
Of course, this was under the assumption that none of the full plans had been implemented yet. In most people's eyes, this was already extremely profitable. After all, the cultural festival lasted three days, 1.5 million points per day, totaling 4.5 million points.
But compared to Nagumo's haunted house, it was practically insignificant.
His side's revenue was probably similar, but due to the much higher costs involved, the final profit margins between the two sides would likely end up close.
Preparations for the cultural festival continued in an orderly manner. Rehearsals were nearly complete, and personnel for each project had already been assigned. As long as nothing went wrong, this exam would definitely break even.
However…
Yahiko: "Katsuragi, what do you think?"
Katsuragi shook his head: "It's hard to say… I don't really know much about Nagumo's side either, but the authority he can wield is simply too great. I honestly don't think we can just beat Nagumo that easily."
Hirata: "No matter what, all we can do right now is focus on doing our own jobs properly."
Kanzaki frowned: "I didn't expect even you guys to be assigned over here."
Ryūen snorted: "That Hikigaya brat actually treated me like merchandise to be sold. Does he really think I'm some kind of tool? I never heard about a plan like this! By the way, where's Kitō?"
Yahiko laughed: "Kitō? That guy went off to be a ghost with Albert! Hahahahaha!"
Kōenji suddenly spoke up: "How about we play a game?"
Hirata asked, "What kind of game?"
Kōenji smiled: "A contest of charm. Whoever gets rented out first wins."
Indeed, Hikigaya had initially planned to let the leaders control different floors, but after thinking it over, it didn't seem necessary at all. Rather than that, it was better to turn them into "products" and fully promote the theme of 'rental service'.
First Floor: Maid theme café, claw machines, cat café, souvenirs, and accessories.
Person in charge: Ichinose Honami.
As the big sister among the maids, her orders were absolute.
Second Floor: Various couple-themed restaurants, snacks, and milk tea shops.
Person in charge: Kanzaki Ryūji.
Given his cautious personality, food safety was something that had to be handled strictly. Kanzaki was clearly the most suitable choice.
Third Floor: Murder mystery games and escape rooms.
Fourth Floor: Private couple cinemas.
Person in charge: Sudō Ken.
This floor was the easiest to manage. For a straightforward guy like Sudō, this was also a chance to grow. Being placed in this role for the first time was clearly Hikigaya's acknowledgment of his development.
At 9:00 a.m., the three-day cultural festival officially began with Satō making a heart gesture and cheerfully shouting, "Welcome!"
All the boys were dressed in suits, and the girls wore short skirts. Even early in the morning, the place was already packed. The maids went all out, energetic Satō, petite and cute Wang Meiyu, the voluptuous but laid-back Hasebe, Hiyori in a kimono, the cool and domineering Ibuki, the deceptively cute Kushida, and the little angel Ichinose…
With four classes working together, the number of girls was close to a hundred. The rental points alone had already reached nearly one million.
At first, the maids were a little shy and nervous, but once they got into the groove, they turned into point-harvesting machines. Their smiles and gestures completely captivated teenage boys. Even someone like Hiyori, who was a bit clumsy, became extremely popular, customers were willing to spend huge amounts of points just to rent her.
In no time, the shop was packed to the brim, and a long line formed outside.
"Hey, did you hear? You can actually rent the maids here, and the hourly cost is different for each one!"
"I knew it already. I heard about this maid café before even coming here. They say all the girls are top quality!"
"And not just that, apparently that super popular online idol, 'Shizuku'(Sakura idol name), is showing up here too. I've liked her for ages! Just seeing her once would be worth it!"
"Look, look! The one standing at the entrance, yeah, that pink-haired girl! She looks like an angel… I really want to go on a date with her!"
"Different maids have different prices, right… Damn it, why am I not rich? I want all of them!"
"..."
Meanwhile, over on the food side, things were relatively relaxed since it had just opened and hadn't reached peak hours yet.
Sotomura complained,"Hey Ike, you said the first floor is packed to bursting, but over here… wait, why am I even a waiter?"
Ike sighed helplessly: "I just saw a bunch of guys who rented maids getting lured up to the third floor to play games. You really have to admire Hikigaya's business sense. But Sotomura… we don't really have a choice. We're not handsome, and we don't have special skills. It's either being a ghost or being a waiter. At least as a waiter, you get to feast your eyes. Being a ghost means staying in the dark all day, way too scary."
Sotomura looked at him, "Hey, Ike, haven't you changed lately? You used to rant nonstop."
Ike gave a wry smile, "Maybe I've just realized the distance between us and them. Either way, we have to start working harder."
Sotomura nodded thoughtfully, but then Yukimura called them over.
"You two, get over here! Class A can't keep up, there are too many customers!"
Elsewhere, Shinohara, who was playing a ghost, suddenly sneezed.
Why was she here? Simple, she couldn't relax as a maid, but scaring people was her specialty.
She thought it would be easy, but seeing the long line outside made her realize how serious this was. At this rate, she might run her legs off. Even worse… she was alone inside the escape room. Even if she wasn't normally afraid of ghosts, those creepy decorations were making her regret this decision.
Sudō called out, "Machida, are you ready over there? I think we can start selling tickets. Control the timing strictly, there are too many people waiting outside."
Machida replied, "Roger that."
At the same time, Hikigaya Hachiman and Sakayanagi Arisu stood outside the first-floor shop, dumbfounded.
Sakayanagi smiled, "Little Hiki, did you ever imagine we wouldn't even be able to get into our own shop?"
Hikigaya replied, "Even though we rehearsed yesterday… I seriously underestimated them. And with Sakura's account promoting it, it's only going to get worse."
Just as they weren't sure whether to feel happy or troubled, Horikita Manabu appeared behind them.
"It's been a while."
They turned around to see him standing there.
Sakayanagi asked politely, "So, senpai, what kind of shop did you open for this exam?"
Horikita Manabu pointed to the stationery store next to the maid café.
"Low investment, high traffic."
'Damn, this guy is really sharp.'
(End of this chapter)