Chapter 152: Festival part 1

The festival progressed relatively normally, with only a few noteworthy exceptions…

To begin with, and to no one's surprise, the Maid Café of Tadano's class was a resounding success.

Not only were there gorgeous beauties in maid outfits promoting the café—including the school's flower, Komi Shouko—but Najimi, true to their unscrupulous capitalist mindset, secretly designed a tailored butler outfit for Tadano.

At first, Tadano wasn't interested, but this wasn't something he had a choice in. Najimi was determined to win the class competition, so they convinced the girls around Tadano to encourage him to wear it.

Facing such pressure, Tadano had no choice but to give in and put on the cosplay, which became a new turning point.

Najimi, with their sharp business acumen, noticed how dazzling Shouko and Tadano looked in their costumes, so they sent them on a few rounds to promote the café.

As a result, it didn't take long for the café to be packed.

Just as Najimi was preparing for an even greater offensive—starting to sell coupons for hugs, pats, and kisses on the cheek—they were quickly stopped by Nene's powerful "fist of love."

Najimi initially tried to resist, but after being threatened with not getting any homework help for the rest of the year, their resistance quickly crumbled.

Once the café ran out of supplies, the staff was given a break while they restocked.

This opportunity was seized by the girls, who quickly took turns spending time with Tadano.

Kaede was supposed to go first, but she disappeared after finding something interesting, so Nene had to go looking for her, leaving Tadano with Shouko.

The pair had fun exploring the various stands.

Meanwhile, Yamai was taking care of the Kessoku Band members.

Ryo and Nijika were quite interested in the maid version of their pink-haired guitarist.

They made several jokes and even joined the fun by trying to compete with the president's Maid Café.

"Hmph! We have Pochi-chan looking dazzling, as well as Kita-chan and Nijika—not to mention our secret weapon! If we can't at least rival the president's café, I'll be deeply unsatisfied," proclaimed Ryo, dressed in a butler suit, her eyes filled with excitement.

Nijika rolled her eyes at her friend's eccentric behavior.

"I can go spy on the competition!" Kita suggested excitedly, raising her hand like a good little girl.

"Great! Do that, Kita-chan… On another note, Nijika, you still haven't finished Ai's uniform… HMPH," Ryo nodded at Kita's eagerness and then looked at her blonde friend. However, midway through her rant, she was silenced by a cupcake from Nijika.

"Shhh! Remember, no one should know Ai-chan's whereabouts! You almost caused a big fuss with your loose tongue, you little idiot…" Nijika scolded, glaring at her friend. In her left hand was another cupcake, ready to silence her unreliable companion.

Nearby, Ai, disguised with her [Camouflage] skill, was laughing cheerfully.

Though the camouflage hid her true appearance, the idol aura Ai had cultivated in her months as a star gave her a unique charm that unconsciously attracted people.

This was also one of the reasons why Pochi-chan's classmates had allowed them to join the fun.

Currently, Nijika, who had shown a particular interest in sewing during her free time, was helping Yamai craft a cute maid outfit for Ai.

Nijika had developed this hobby after seeing the adorable designs Yamai created while waiting for them to finish their practice sessions.

"You don't have to be so aggressive, Nijika… At this rate, you might end up managing the shop… HMPH," Ryo complained, and, unsurprisingly, was silenced with another cupcake.

…

As for Kaguya…

She was hiding in the bushes, watching Tadano and Kaede's little date with binoculars. That's right… after some time, Nene finally found Kaede, who was engrossed in observing a multicolored lava lamp.

After a few more minutes of staring at it intently, Kaede finally remembered the main objective of the day and switched places with Shouko.

From a distance, Kaguya, equipped with sophisticated spy gear courtesy of Hayasaka, observed them.

Kaguya couldn't help but feel unhappy seeing the young lady from the Otori Group so attached to her Onii-sama.

The little Bakaguya in her head huffed unhappily.

However, when her other two personalities asked if she wanted to approach Tadano, the little Bakaguya grew shy and didn't respond.

"I dealt with that pink-haired cow, but who would've thought Onii-sama would be so occupied… I suppose I'll just have to wait for an opportunity to catch him alone and carry out my plan," Kaguya lamented as she watched the pair interact.

Kaede was unsuccessfully trying to solve a puzzle at a booth outside the school. After several failed attempts, she pouted unhappily.

It wasn't until Tadano stood behind her to help that she managed to solve it, earning affectionate gestures from the girl.

"Grrr, that girl is doing it on purpose… I can't let this continue, or the festival will end, and I won't have made any moves," Kaguya growled in frustration.

She then pulled a walkie-talkie from her pocket and pressed the button.

"Hayasaka, change of plans! I need you to create an opportunity for me!" Kaguya said.

"At your service, Kaguya-sama," Hayasaka responded.

…

Amid the lively bustle of the festival, a charming beauty with golden hair answered her mistress.

The young woman wore the Itan school uniform, slightly altered to fit the Gyaru style.

A lollipop swayed in her mouth, giving her a more youthful look.

Her blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, and the light makeup she wore enhanced her beauty, drawing the attention of several male students nearby.

After storing the communicator, she stretched a bit, and her serious, firm aura changed in the blink of an eye, becoming jovial and lively.

After typing something on her phone, she put it away, and soon after, a group of Gyaryu familiar to Tadano approached her.

"Look who it is! If it isn't Hayachii∼ It's been a while," said Yukapoyo, the leader of the group, cheerfully.

Behind her were Muu-tan, Gonzales, and a lightly made-up Rumiko.

"Oh! Girls! How are you∼? It's been a while, huh? I happened to swing by and found out there was a little festival going on… Moo∼ Yukapoyo, you're so mean for not telling your friend about this," Hayasaka said in a playful tone.

"Ehehe, I guess I forgot… Sorry∼ Sorry∼," Yukapoyo apologized.

"Maa∼ Maa∼ you're here now anyway, so no point dwelling on it… How about we have some fun instead?" Muu-tan suggested.

"Yeah∼ Yeah∼ Our class is on break, so we've got plenty of time to enjoy ourselves!" Gonzales added energetically.

"Really? Alright then!" Hayasaka said happily before casting a curious glance at Rumiko.

"Hmmm? I don't think I've seen you before," Hayasaka said curiously.

"Ehm… I… Etto…" Rumiko murmured shyly.

"C'mon, Bagiko! There's no need to be so timid with Hayachii… She's just like us. Plus, remember what your friend told you—have more confidence in yourself∼," Yukapoyo said, patting her friend on the back to encourage her.

This seemed to fill Rumiko with determination as she firmly introduced herself to Hayasaka.

"Hi! My name is Manbagi Rumiko. Nice to meet you!" Rumiko shouted.

"…"

laughter

teasing

As her friends laughed at how odd and funny Rumiko looked moments ago, Hayasaka composed herself and, putting on her best face, introduced herself.

"Hi∼ Hi∼ My name is Hayasaka Hayami. You can call me Hayachii, Bagiko-chan♥∼," Hayasaka said playfully, flashing a peace sign.

…

Author's Note:

"Here's a chapter for you all. This time, I'm bringing three chapters to make up for the ones I owed, as I've been inactive for a while. Enjoy them. Remember to drink plenty of water, and know that I love you all.

Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."

---------- nwnr