“…Thank you. Akasaki-kun.”
“Uh, wh-what for…”
The one who had come to Haruya was Kawada Sayuki.
A committee member with an intimidating presence, somewhat like a gyaru.
“You helped Rin-chan get back on her feet, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“I just ran into Rin-chan earlier. I could tell by her expression. Her complexion had improved, so I figured you must have helped her get back on her feet. You did promise me, after all.”
Sayuki was referring to when she had asked him to [look after Rin] the other day.
Sayuki was letting out sighs of relief repeatedly, looking truly relieved.
“Rin said she was in the conference room, so I thought maybe, and sure enough, Akasaki-kun was here. So, really, thank you.”
“…Well, um, yeah.”
“We have practice after this, but Akasaki-kun, you can go ahead and enjoy the Eika Festival, have fun.”
“Huh, but don’t I have work to do with the sound settings…”
Haruya had been assigned the job of checking the sound for the committee’s events.
“It’s okay. Akasaki-kun has already achieved the feat of bringing back our main star. There’s no greater job than that.”
“…………”
“So, take care. Really, thank you.”
With a light wave of her hand, Sayuki began to descend the stairs.
Haruya let out a long breath and tried to disappear into the conference room.
However, the two who had been quietly observing until now didn’t allow that.
“Akasaki-san, what was that just now……”
“Akasaki-kun, you helped Rin get back on her feet.”
(Of course they’d call out to me. I knew it……)
Sara and Yuuna, having noticed Haruya, approached him.
“…N-no, not really.”
This is bad.
He needs to escape from this situation as soon as possible.
It’s fine with Sara since she already knows his true identity, but Yuuna still doesn’t know.
The tension is completely different.
Especially with Yuuna, the presence of Sara in this situation was making him even more anxious.
“…Well, I guess I should head off to my committee work. Haha.”
Haruya says, messily scratching the back of his head as he tries to leave.
“Wait a moment… Akasaki-kun.”
The one who stopped him was Yuuna.
Sara, perhaps knowing that Haruya doesn’t want to stand out, or maybe not wanting his identity to be revealed, continues to observe quietly.
“Huh? Wh-what is it, Takamori-san?”
“What the committee member just said about you helping Rin get back on her feet… Akasaki-kun, is it true?”
“No, I think it was Kohinata-san’s own strength that got her back on her feet…”
With a wry smile, Haruya answered, and Sara chimed in from the side.
“By the way, I had no idea Rin-san was so troubled…”
Judging by her drooping shoulders, she must really like Rin.
It seemed Yuna felt the same way, nodding and saying, “About that useless thing…”
“So, if it’s okay… Wait, sorry. Can I check with Sara?”
He could somewhat guess the flow of the conversation at this point, but before Haruya could react, she had already turned back to Sara and was whispering in her ear.
[…As a thank you, would it be okay if Akasaki-kun joined us too?]
[…Um, well… that’s…]
Sara seemed concerned about Haruya, glancing at him occasionally.
But then, she decisively nodded [… Yes].
The two seemed to think they were whispering, but their entire conversation was clearly audible.
As they both turned back to face forward… Yuna cleared her throat.
“Um, we’re going around together, but would you like to join us, Akasaki-kun?”
So that’s what it was about.
If I were to answer honestly when asked “What do you think?”, the answer would obviously be No to going around together.
Being the center of attention from the academy students is not something I want.
It’s too much for a background character like me.
Haruya tried to think of a way out.
“Well… I still have work left as part of the Eika Festival committee. I…”
I pointed at the red armband.
However, Yuna shook her head and spoke.
“Didn’t the committee member just say earlier… that Akasaki-kun can enjoy the Eika Festival from now on? That was a thank you for helping Rin recover, right? I also wanted to thank you, so I thought maybe we could go around together…”
Yuna scratched her cheek.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and the atmosphere made it impossible to refuse.
“Look, we became friends, right? And you read my script a little while ago. I want to thank you… Is that not okay?”
Yuna asked, tilting her head slightly.
Haruya turned his face towards Sara, seeking help.
But Sara was shaking her head, and it didn’t seem like he could expect any assistance.
It seemed there was no choice but to accept, and Haruya let out a deep sigh.
“Alright. But I have a small request, if that’s okay?”
“A request? What is it? I’m all ears.”
“I’d appreciate it if we could go to places with fewer people…”
Being in crowded places would make Haruya too conscious of people’s stares.
It would make him extremely uncomfortable.
So this was at least a compromise.
“…Oh, sure. I understand.”
“I have no objections either.”
Both of them readily agreed to Haruya’s condition.
And so, Haruya ended up accompanying two beautiful girls at the Eika Festival.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“Welcome!”
An energetic voice echoes in the upper classmen’s classroom.
As the afternoon wore on and closing time approached, Haruya, Sara, and Yuna entered.
Perhaps because the number of customers had settled down at this time, the staff were not visible.
When the female student who first greeted the entering customers called out, maids hurriedly came out from the back entrance.
“…Table for two?”
Two beautiful girls and one clearly out-of-place background guy.
The staff couldn’t help but comment on this oddity.
“Ah, no, it’s for three,”
Yuna answered, making a three with her fingers. The staff seemed momentarily flustered, but politely guided them to a table for three.
They immediately brought menus and water for three.
Looking around the room, fortunately, or unfortunately, there were few customers.
There were more visitors than students from the same school, which made Haruya even more relieved.
However, the upper classmen might be gossiping about them in the back room… but that couldn’t be helped at this point.
Unless you’re in a club activity, there are rarely opportunities to interact with upper classmen.
Considering that, it’s much better than being gossiped about among classmates.
“By the way…”
Haruya said after looking around the classroom once more.
“Why did you choose a maid café?”
The theme for this upper class was a maid café.
It’s the most standard choice for a cultural festival.
In fact, a maid café was also a popular candidate in Haruya’s class.
However, while it’s standard, it’s not really a place for mixed-gender groups to visit.
It seemed like most people would come out of curiosity, wanting to see cute female students, usually in same-sex groups…
Yuna answered, clearing up Haruya’s doubts.
“Didn’t you say it, Akasaki-kun? You wanted to go somewhere with fewer people… Places like maid cafés usually peak from opening time until lunchtime. After that, the number of people tends to decrease quite a bit.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Seeing Haruya’s indecisive attitude, Yuna continued.
“Besides, you can go to food stalls at regular festivals, but things like plays or concept cafés like this can only be experienced at cultural festivals, right? So I personally wanted to check it out too. Sorry if you didn’t like it.”
Yuna bowed her head apologetically, making Haruya feel guilty.
“No, I should be the one apologizing. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just feel a bit awkward.”
As Haruya offered his words of apology, Sara’s eyes lit up at that moment.
“Ah~ Look! The seniors in maid outfits look so beautiful!”
Haruya and Yuna looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Isn’t that a bit late?”
“(That’s some delayed reaction.)”
The atmosphere relaxed with Sara’s unique pace.
They opened the menus and shared what they were going to order.
“I’ll have cookies and café au lait.”
Yuna’s gaze moved to Sara next to her, who was intently studying the menu, saying “Um…”
“I’ll have the chocolate cake, and for the drink, I’ll have hojicha.”
It was Haruya’s turn next.
“Then, I’ll just have coffee.”
“Is that all you’re getting, Akasaki-kun?”
“Yeah.”
Perhaps because he had been dragged around by Rin while working, his stomach felt satisfied.
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