“Ah…” Ishi let out a disappointed yell in reaction to the scary cardboard cutout pop up in front of him. After getting changed into his school uniform, the boy had taken the opportunity to avoid everyone he knew to try and enjoy this culture festival on his own. If this was how his day was going to be, then this was going to be real lame. However, he was tired after all those games. Being with them would only exhaust him further.

“Can’t you at least try?” The girl who popped out the cutout complained to him, which really broke the immersion. But he had gone through their entire course without even a single fearful reaction. It was just a bunch of poorly faked yells on cue.

“That’s the best I can do.” He replied. “Sorry, but your exhibit kind of sucks.” That’s how he felt about what this class did. Though the screams of school girls near the entrance would prove that he was in the minority. Great, it was Ryugi and her band of gyarus. Ishi hated their shrill voices and annoying speech patterns, so he did what he always does in a situation like this.

He left and wandered the halls a bit. There were dozens of students passing by him, all chattering about with their friends. The boy appeared to be quite lonely, even if this was entirely his own doing. However, he wasn’t sad about things. At least he didn’t have to talk to people right now.

It appeared that the classroom next to his was rather popular. The boy’s own classroom had a few visitors, but most of them were there to audition for the main show later today. Given the grating on his ears from the sounds produced, he decided to enter the more popular class.

The reason this place was packed was because it was doing the one things that always gathered attention in culture festivals. That being the fact that it was a maid cafe. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a servant cafe, since not only were there girls wearing classic french maid costumes, but there were also boys wearing the suit and tie combo of their own.

“Teens are too easy.” He muttered as he took a seat at a table alone. Strutting off looks was certain to capture young minds, but he hoped that his own ideas for the festival would also prove to be popular. Surely there would be fun to be had with a game show and singing. Then again, the boys were happy to ogle the maids, and the girls were doing the same to a boy in uniform. So as long they they were enjoying themselves, he wasn’t going to complain openly about it.

“I’m surprised to see you here.” Then the true reason why this place was filled to the brim was revealed. Rinse stood before him, adorning in the black and white dress with a real short skirt that showed off a lot of her legs. There were also stockings that reached up mid thigh and held up with garter belts.

“I’d say the same thing.” He responded. “But seeing all the people here, not really.” Ishi was confused on why he was seeing her here. Both because she was helping out, despite not being a member of this class as well as the fact that he would’ve thought she’d be trying to enjoy the day before her real responsibilities began.

“They were a couple people short right now.” She answered. One of those people happened to be Chinae, who was called away just moments before he arrived. “Actually, Youna’s here with me too.” The class rep ended up also being wrapped into this mess. However, it seemed that she disappeared. “Ah, there she is.” The small girl had seen Ishi before he saw her. In response to her even more embarrassing situation, she ducked under the teachers desk to hide away from him.

“N-no, what are you doing?” Youna said as she was being pulled out from her spot. “I can’t let him see me.”

“But isn’t Ishi your friend?”

“Of course he is.” She replied. “But this is too much. I look stupid in this dress.” Finally, Rinse was able to overpower her and reveal Youna for the world to see. More importantly, for Ishi to see. Just like the idol, and all the other maids, she was wearing the black and white maid outfit with long stockings. However, she was too short for them to properly reach up her legs and they ended up being very loose as they hung from the garter belt.

“So they ended up roping you into this too.” He commented. While he chatted with her, Rinse pouted disappointed with this sight. She was hoping that something would get this boy to trip up. There had to be something or someone that would get him to stutter on his words. This was what she was expecting to have happen if Youna was shown in this cute maid costume. Maybe this boy didn’t like that girl in the way she thought he did. If that was the case, it wasn’t that bad.

N-not that she cared about it either way.

Rinse went back to work. She was a popular girl and there were a lot of boys who requested that she be the one to service them with food and drinks. Meanwhile, Youna was the fortunate one to get water and a croissant for Ishi. The only reason she stuck with him so much was because that boy was the only one she was familiar with out of everyone in the classroom.

“Are you two going to be finished here soon?” He asked when he drunk the rest of his water. “Can’t imagine that you want to be wasting so much time not celebrating the festivities.”

“They’ll be changing shifts soon.” Youna replied. “So I think that the two of us will be able to change out of these embarrassing outfits.”

“Speaking of outfits.” Rinse had finished up all of her orders, so she once again had some free time. “Who do you think looks cuter in these duds? Me or Youna?”

“Wh-wh-what are y-y-you a-asking h-him for!?” Youna immediately lost all composure the moment she asked her question. Meanwhile, the idol had a mischievous grin on her face. This was all going according to Rinse’s plan. Surely this would get him to finally get a little hot under the collar. Any boy would get worried if they had to say out loud what girl they thought was cuter. Some might be concerned that it would be viewed as a confession if they answered honestly. Perhaps he might even be the type to be indecisive and not pick either. There were some boys that would go with the, ‘you both look cute’, but he didn’t seem the type to fall into the group.

“Youna.” He answered with zero hesitation.

“Eh?” Not only was she shocked to hear him not slow for a second, but she was a little upset that she wasn’t the winner in his mind.

“There’s an obvious mismatch between the size of her and her costume. So she ends up having those qualities of a small animal that people find adorable.” Ishi explained his reasoning. Youna had grown silent when he gave out his answer. The growing red shades on her cheeks being the only thing to show about her reaction.

“I meant from your point-of-view!” Rinse yelled at him. “Don’t think about what others like, I’m asking what you like.”

“My opinion?” He repeated and took a quick look at the pair. “Then I’d go with Rinse.” For him, she was the one that looked more beautiful in this outfit. It fit her much better and if this was her real job, then she’d fit the bill perfectly. “I’m not surprised that you look so good in it.” He explained his other rationale. “You’re an idol, and it looks like they have a lot of different outfits. So it’s important to look good in everything.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” She got a bit shy now that he gave her the real win. The way he gave out his thoughts, the boy really didn’t have to go beyond what most people would say, which would’ve ended after saying she was cute.

“Ishi! Ishi!” While they were talking, another voice from outside in the halls called out his name. That voice belonged to Otoya as he entered the classroom, continuing to yell out the boy’s name.

“What do you want?” Ishi responded, irritated that this was the manner in which this boy performing his search by. “You have my number, just call me if you need me.”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to have a grand entrance when I…” He paused when his eyes landed on Rinse wearing her maid outfit. “R-Rinse, it’s nice to run into you here.” His legs got a bit wobbly as his heart was sent racing from this sight. To be so close to a beautiful moment made him truly believe he was blessed to be born in this era.

“Hi.” Rinse greeted him as they watched him have to take a seat or else he’d fall to the ground. “Are you all right?”

“I’m more than all right.” He replied before getting back to his senses. “Anyway, I’m here to take you somewhere.”

“Take me where?” Despite their many years together as friends, no because of it, Ishi didn’t trust not being told of the location. “And is it going to be painful for me?”

“Well, I’d say that you won’t be happy about it.” Otoya hit him with the hard truth. That boy expected nothing less coming from him. Then he leaned in to whisper the rest, as it was to be kept a secret from everyone else in the room. “It’s your own fault, but you’re one of the contestants at the game show.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t some sick and twisted joke made up by his friend.