A few more days have passed, and the time has come. Well, not for the day of the Cultural Festival, that's tomorrow. So in that case, we are now on the final spurt of preparing. The props are mostly ready, the costume… let's not talk about it…. As for the food—

“Are you guys fully ready?” I asked the three people standing before me, one of them is Leo, as for the other 2, they're our substitutes.

I asked them on behalf of the committee. Well, I practically am the Vice-President of this classrooms Committee (temporary for the cultural festival), and I also am the main chef, if you'd prefer, for this group of cooks.

“Yes!” the three enthusiastically and loudly answered.

“Alright…” 

Haa— I never expected myself to be doing something like this. Yes, I have a great appearance, not humbly saying it though, but I don't really like standing out that much, so I have a lesser charisma than others. 

Well, whatever, I just hope this doesn't change how my life will be…

“Oh, and how about the drinks Sakurai-san sent?”

“Ah, yeah, I'm fine with it, it wasn't that hard.” Leo said, and the other two apparently agreed as well.

On Sunday, Sakurai-san sent us a video of how she made the drinks, and even brought us some taste tests, and they are really pretty simple. Well, it's not entirely complicated, so we should be able to handle it pretty well.

As for the food, the four cooks prepared an omelet of their own, keeping the recipe simple and easy, and compared it with one another. The Home EC teacher gave us permission to use the Home EC classroom, so we compared it there. And this was then unanimously voted for Leo's recipe.

So, that makes the props mostly done, the cooks ready, the costume as the costume, and for the ones who'd wear it… well, they seem ready…. I can't say the same for me though. I'm sure Furushira-san is prepared to handle it, after that showing of hers in my house… which was pretty impressive, so she's surely ready.

For me… well… I'd just have to wing it.

With our class mostly done and ready, there was pretty much no need for us to stay over to finish it.

And so, the deciding day had come. I woke up earlier than I would, literally around 5 am, 4 hours before the school gates opens the start of the Cultural Festival. 

Again, students can invite friends from outside the school. They have given us invitation cards, but I didn't really get to use them. I am already a high school boy, so inviting my parents for such a day would be pretty embarrassing, and since that I will be cosplaying as a maid, that's all the more reason to not invite them.

And, other than people from outside the school, Hinatsuru High's Middle School is also invited to it, so they can pretty much go to us anytime. That said, there would be plenty of customers.

“This is really too weird to imagine…” I muttered to myself as I walk down the hallway, holding my maid costume (somebody save me), and didn't expect anyone to actually hear it. Actually, where did she even come from?

“It's too late to pull back now, alright?” Furushira-san said from beside me, walking with me, most likely towards the bathroom to change as well.

Luckily, each floor has their own bathroom or changing room, so there was no need for any of us to embarrassingly walk around, crossdressing.

Why did I even suggest this idea…. No, why did they even agree on this….

“Well, it's true that your idea is a bit weird, but I don't think they'd agree on this if they hate it, in fact, I won't even agree on this if I know that this won't work out.” she said in a matter-of-factly voice, well, she really is like that, if she thinks that something won't work out the way she wants it to, she'll disagree.

“Hm?” I stared at her dumbfoundedly.

“Well, you'll get it when you get back~.” she said just before she entered the bathroom.

What does she mean, I wonder? Whatever, for now, I guess I'd wear this…

A few minutes later, as soon as I wore it, I stared at myself in the mirror and… this is… weirdly cute….

Okay, just to clear it, I don't have a thing for crossdressers, especially crossdressing maids, like I am right now.

But I have to admit, this is rather… weird… but cute….

But special, she said… doesn't this look exactly like a normal maid outfit?!

Well, at least it doesn't show so much skin, so I guess it's fine.

But… I guess I see what's special about it…

A… literal… cat ears…. And even… a tail…. I guess that's what makes it special. A Cat Maid….

Well, what makes a maid more special than a cat maid?

Whatever….

I exited the bathroom, only after looking at both sides, checking if there were people. When I passed the girl's bathroom, well, multiple voices were there. Although, I don't know where Furushira-san is. She may either still be changing, or back in the classroom.

But… what df she mean? But if she says I'll get it when I get back, then I'll return to the classroom.

And… color me surprised….

“Woow~ you look cute!”

“Really? You look cool yourself, I think this idea isn't that bad even if it's weird.”

“It's a weird idea, but when we're all together, it somehow feels normal.”

Really?!

I looked around at the room, full of boys wearing maid costumes, and girls wearing butler costumes. And… no one is complaining… whether a girl or a boy, they… don't hate it…?

“As weird as your idea is, there's no way that everyone will hate it.”

“Furushira-san…” Furushira-san arrived and stood next to me in front of the door, looking at our classroom which is starting to look like a cafe already.

“Although, I didn't expect everyone to not hate it though.”

“I seriously thought the boys would most likely disagree on this.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. But no one did, right? That's because…” I glanced at Furushira-san, “this was accepted out of trust. They trusted your idea to work out, which is turning out to be. And definitely not because you're part of the committee, not because you have power. That's what… trust is….”

“That's right, Ryouko-kun. It's true and without a doubt that we look weird in maid costumes, but that weirdness somehow makes it cute, I mean, look at Leo-kun.” a boy went to me, who was most likely closely listening to Furushira-san and my conversation, and pointed out Leo.

Then, Leo stood there in a group of 4 people, performing a cute curtsey, holding his skirt, and using his own, normal, unchanged voice said…

“Welcome, master~”

[Author Note : the Japanese used here is “Irasshaimasen, Goshujin-sama (いらっしゃいませ、ご主人様) is what maids usually uses, whether in a maid cafe or in a house.]

“He looks like he's enjoying it….” 

“Haha— well, he certainly is, then, see you later—!” he went away and waved us goodbye.

“See? Just because you think your idea is weird, doesn't mean it won't work out.”

“...” I glanced at Furushira-san, who was showing her ever so rare, beautiful, caring smile. “I see…… thank you…” I subconsciously thanked her, but… it's fine… I am, anyway….

“Well then, shall we do this, my lord?” she bowed slightly, with her hand on her chest, like that of a butler.

“That way of calling me again… haa—” I sighed.

Well, it won't be a bad way of starting this, then—

“Yeah. Let's go, ma'am~!”

[Last (probably) Author Note for this Chapter : He addressed her with “ojou-sama” (お嬢様) here.]

And so, the two of us entered the classroom, filled with boys wearing maid costumes, which is quite cute actually, some of them are literally cute, they literally look like a girl… is this what they call a trap?

And of course, the girls looked cool with their butler outfits. But it all looked the same, with literally just a white shirt with a windsor and a simple black coat. And of course, the special one given to Furushira-san (by me), wearing the same kind of shirt, but with a black swallowtail coat, and a black necktie. Which makes her stand out more, and other than that, she is incredibly dashing in that suit, it's like it was made for her….

And so, that started the first official day of the Cultural Festival. And to my surprise, our café is getting quite a decent lot of customers. And not only that, the bigger surprise for me is that they don't seem to hate it. I occasionally hear “Cute~~” or “Cool!”, which of course makes me happy. 

But one certain service amazes me.

“Welcome, my lord. What would you like for today?”

Or

“Welcome, ma'am, is there something to your liking here?”

Her voice was so straight and dignified. And her customer service is like she worked in a restaurant.

The favorite is without a doubt Furushira-san. The way she performs service is just amazing.

“Switch time?”

Two people came to us in the kitchen at the further back of the room, hidden.

“Shall we, Leo?”

“Yeah, let's go!” he enthusiastically exclaimed.

Well then, it was my turn along with Leo to serve the customers. And as embarrassing as this may well be, I'm not running away. After all that she said… how could I…?

“Oh, you're finally here Ryou-kun. Shall we start?” 

“Yeah, let's do this!”

I only wanted a normal, peaceful high school life, where I stay apart from people, and from attention, but I think that's impossible now, huh?

Well, if this will be the kind of life I'm having, then, it's not going to be that bad. (<--- He forgot the fact that Furushira is still gonna order him around due to everything that happened)

“Welcome, ma'am.”

“Here is the menu, sir.”

“What would you like to order?”

“Here are your orders~!”

“Thank you for coming~!”

I started serving as well, going here and there saying this and that, performing my utmost best as a maid (as embarrassing as it is).

But, they don't seem to hate it.

But… there's one thing that's bothering me though…

“Can you stop staring at me, no, Furushira-san and I, and go back to work?!” I went to Kurobara-san.

And yes, just like how she was so excited about us doing this when we were discussing it, she was pretty much staring at me, and Furushira-san most of the time. This started when I got into the serving role.

“Eh…? It's fine, it's not that big of a deal~” she said….

This girl….

“No, it's not. You're basically slacking off! Whatever, just go back to work.”

“Yes~!” she squirmed, and finally returned working.

“What a strict maid, aren't you, Acchan?”

Eh? A-Acchan…?! No way… there's no way… what is she doing here…

After all, the only 3 nicknames I've heard are Leo's Akiryou, Furushira-san's Ryou-kun, and… Sis's Acchan…

Well, she's not really my blood relative sister. More like she's the sister I treat in my old hometown. Basically something like a childhood friend sister kind of thing?

I stiffly turned my head towards the voice of the woman, sitting on a chair with a menu covering her face.

“What the hell are you doing here, Aka-nee…”

[Author's Note : name is Aka, nee is added as “sis”]

“Oh? Is that really how you should be treating me? I would've fired you on the spot you know?”

“Guh… What seems to be the problem, ma'am?” I addressed her in the most monotone voice I can muster.

“Well, a 3 out of 10 when it comes to me, but I'll give you an 8 out of 10 for the way you served people earlier. Your voice was too stiff, be calmer~!” she slapped my back.

“Haa— but seriously, what are you doing here? Hinatsuru is invites only, how did you get in here?”

“Oh? Then I just have to be invited, right? Really, what a small world! To think you are in the same class as my little sister!”

Little sister? She had one… oh…. Of course… why didn't I notice that sooner.

Yes, they may be sisters, but they totally don't look closely alike. There are some features like the eyes, and weirdly how they are, but, the name itself says it all… after all, it's most likely where the costumes came from… Aka-nee's little sister is…

“Oh, sis!” then, a girl approached us, the same girl I was scolding earlier.

Kurobara Aya. And her name is… Kurobara Akarui. In other words, Kurobara-san's older sister.

“Well, it's been a long time, Acchan. You've grown so much.”

“Acchan? Wait, she means you, Ryouko-san?!”

“Yeah…”

“Well, we're like childhood friends, but we pretty much treat each other like siblings! You know, back then, Acchan was—”

“And— stop there. Please take your order ma'am, we can't give you all the time for your seat, we still have customers.” I covered her mouth from saying something most likely embarrassing from the times we spent together a long time ago.

“Haha— right, well, I'll give you a 10 for that, your café is pretty popular, so managing the time of your customers is a must.”

“Yeah, yeah, so please stop giving me critiques. And Kurobara-san, please go back to work, there's a customer there without anyone.”

“Ah, right. Alright!” and there goes the younger Kurobara.

“Although…”

“What is it now…” I looked at her, and immediately saw her smile became kind, and not teasing one, and thought to listen to what she said.

“It seems that you've grown from that as well, huh.”

I see, it's just that… well, it's true there are some hardships that made me want a passive life, but… now that I think about it… it's like, something changed that… or maybe, somebody….

“Yeah.”

“The last time I experienced something like that, I found my boyfriend. So maybe you have found the person important to you as well?”

“Impossible, there's no way that would happen. So, your order, please?”

“Ah, right. I'd like an omurice and an espresso, please.”

“One omurice and one espresso, anything else?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay. Then one omurice and one espresso for table 14, please wait for your order, ma'am. Thank you.”

“Well, I'll give that a—”

“Seriously stop with the critiques!”

Haa— well, just like Furushira-san habitly ordering me around, this is just like her, habitly doing what she usually does. After all she's a restaurant manager, a maid café on top of that.

“Then, it's nice meeting you again, Acchan. I'll see you next time. Drop by my café for once, I'll give you a special service if you want~” she said seductively.

What the hell is wrong with her….

“Haa—” I sighed in exasperation.

“What, tired already?”

“Hmm? Not really. But how about you? You have been working non stop, you should take a break.”

“I will, but you have been working continuously as well, right?”

“Yeah. I guess I'll take a break. There's only a few hours before this ends anyway.”

“Yeah, then shall we go around?”

“I don't mind, but where to?”

“We just have to find that as we go.”

“You're right.”

But then again, the two of us are basically the main maid and butler, and maybe the managers as well, but we can temporarily give that to someone. It's not like we'll be out the whole day.

“Excuse me, Leo, Kurobara-san, can you take over for now?”

“Yeah, you can count on us.”

“Enjoy your break, and buy me anything, Fuyuko-chan!”

“Alright, alright.”

The two of us left, and of course, we're still in our costumes. It will take a while for us to change, so we thought that it's fine as it is.

“Where should we go first though… Furushira-san, are there any food shops you think are great?”

I asked her as she looked at a leaflet that shows what pretty much is in the whole Cultural Festival. This was provided to everyone, guests and students.

“I don't know, this all looks fine to me.”

“Want to try everything out?”

“Well, not really everything….”

“Although, I don't mind doing this for once, so…” I took a deep breath, and as revenge, which most likely won't be, I decided to act as her maid. “Where to, Furushira-sama?”

“I see… I don't know, but let's go!”

I followed behind her.

And so, the two of us pretty much explored the whole school. And we also went to some other classroom events. A maze, an astrological kind of thing, some kind of foreshadowing room or something. Well, their ideas aren't that unique, but it was greatly executed, so it's fine.

But… changed huh… what if… what she said was true… that I….

I looked at her from behind as she enjoyed going around.

No, no, no. That's impossible, there's no way I would fall for her. After all those things she did to me? Directly seeing how she truly is, how she really acts? There's no way. She's for sure the last person I'd fall in love with, it's just impossible.

“Ah, Furushira-san, it's about time we go back.”

“Ah, right. I forgot we still have our shifts, let's hurry back!”

The two of us sprinted back to our classroom, and returned to our work.

“Good work!” all the students exclaimed.

“Good work, Ryou-kun.”

“Yeah, same to you, good work, Furushira-san.”

That ended the first day of the Cultural Festival, where all of us made a successful café.

But the real thing starts tomorrow. After all, I'm a pretty athletic person, so there's no way I won't go all out in such events.