Chapter 237: Nao's Counterattack
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Nao's Counterattack
"I heard the campfire was canceled this year, is that correct?"
"Yes. Due to an incident at last year's festival where embers from the campfire burned the school's lawn, the faculty council made the final decision to prohibit it."
The President nodded at the Vice President's logical explanation and said, "It's a matter directly related to student safety, so while it's a shame, it can't be helped. I trust the students were sufficiently notified in advance through an official announcement?"
Minami, who had been listening from the side, opened a file and replied.
"Yes. We did receive some complaints from students regarding the campfire, but once we reiterated that it was a final decision made by the faculty council and could not be overturned, they realized it was a lost cause and left."
"Well done. That's the proficient work I expect from you, Minami."
"Thank you, Young Lady."
The meeting flowed smoothly, like a ship with a favorable wind.
Now that the Vice President's position was filled, the workflow definitely felt faster than before.
After a few more items on the agenda were addressed and the meeting was drawing to a close, the President spoke to the Vice President.
"Starting tomorrow, outsiders will be allowed into the cultural festival, so please work closely with the disciplinary committee to ensure security on campus. Any unpleasant incidents would tarnish the names of both the school and the student council."
"I will carry out your orders with my life, Young Lady."
"No, you don't need to go that far..." the President muttered, looking drained by the Vice President's blind loyalty.
"Oh, by the way, Yoo-Sung. You've kept the last day of the festival free, right?"
"Yes. I don't have any particular plans."
"I'll be looking forward to our date then."
The President said this with a prim voice before being the first to rise from her seat.
Even though it was the cultural festival for the students, it seemed the President's afternoon was packed with various appointments.
After seeing off the President, the Vice President, and Minami, who had to leave for their next engagement, I locked up the empty student council room and returned to my classroom.
*
Fortunately, the first day of the cultural festival passed without any major incidents.
For me personally, it was a disaster, having to wear a maid outfit for the success of our maid cafe, but since all the boys in the class were wearing one, it wasn't as embarrassing as I'd thought.
And it wasn't so bad when I thought of it as another high school memory.
Besides, isn't there a paradox that cross-dressing is the manliest thing a person can do, since only men can do it?
Anyway, on the second day of the festival, when outsiders were officially allowed in.
Even before our maid cafe opened, a chilly tension filled our classroom.
"Aren't there too many customers?"
"The line already stretches to the end of the hallway."
"How did this happen?"
Business was good. A little too good.
Yesterday was the first day of the festival, so all the boys in our class had walked around campus in maid outfits to promote the cafe, but no one had expected it to be this effective.
Just then, one of the Bald Trio offered an opinion.
"Maybe more customers showed up because of Kim."
"Kim?"
Suddenly, all my classmates' eyes were on me.
We hadn't opened yet, but I was already in my maid outfit, so I sat demurely in my chair with my legs together.
"Yeah, with those visuals, it's not surprising he'd draw a crowd."
"He's basically a walking billboard."
"I'm scared I'll see him in my dreams."
I hadn't done anything, but the mood naturally shifted to one of understanding.
Feeling a bit wronged, I was about to open my mouth, but one of the Bald Trio who had suggested it—the glasses-wearing otaku—wagged his index finger and said, "No, not that. I'm talking about the news that came out last week."
""Ahhh~~""
The voices of my classmates joined in a chorus of understanding.
"Come to think of it, Kim did become a celebrity."
"It didn't really sink in, so I forgot."
"Well, he was already famous at school."
"If you think about it that way, it makes sense why the general public is lining up too. They probably heard the celebrity Kim was here and came to see him at least once."
As someone who rarely watches TV or reads the news online, I didn't quite grasp how much of a hot topic I'd become.
Ever since I ran into those reporters at the school gate last Friday, not a single one had come near me.
Though maybe the President had secretly pulled some strings.
"So you're saying he's the reason for that long line outside?"
Watching the situation unfold, Ayase, ever the class president, neatly summarized the discussion, and the classmates who had been chattering away all nodded in unison.
"Alright, it's decided then. Yoo-Sung will work until lunch today, and then we'll take him off duty."
"Huh? Isn't that cheating?" Satoru interjected.
The class president looked at him with narrowed eyes and asked, "Satoru, are you planning to do nothing but work for the entire festival?"
The maid cafe was meant to be something the whole class could enjoy.
Being swamped with work just because we had a lot of customers would defeat the purpose, and it seemed Ayase wanted to nip that possibility in the bud.
In any case, from my perspective, I was basically given permission to take a break from work, so it wasn't a bad deal for me.
"Ah, it's already time to open."
Hearing someone's murmur, the classmates who were huddled together got up one by one.
"Don't forget to hand out numbered tickets first and let people in according to their number. You know what they say, the busier you are, the more slowly you should go."
Fortunately, we had a commander with a brilliant mind, and as long as we followed her lead, we'd be fine.
The students of Class 2-B began to move busily, following the orders of their class president, Ayase.
*
10 AM.
The moment we opened for business, customers began to flood in at a terrifying pace.
Thanks to that, unlike yesterday, I couldn't take a single step out of the kitchen and was stuck standing in front of the stove.
"Two Chinese-style omurices over here!"
"Coming right up!"
"Add one tantanmen!"
"Yes!"
For every order I finished, two more came in.
Feeling like I was working at a restaurant during peak hours, I processed orders without a break.
"Restock the ingredients before we run out!"
"I'm about to run to the store, do you need anything?!"
The kitchen was nothing short of a warzone.
The one saving grace was that, thanks to the class president's quick thinking, we had limited the number of people allowed in at one time, preventing an unmanageable flood of customers.
Furthermore, we'd set up a system where people took a number and we'd contact them when a seat was available, so we didn't have a long line blocking the hallway for others.
After about two hours of working so hard I could barely catch my breath, the area outside the kitchen suddenly grew noisy.
"I-I-It's Naotang!"
"It's Minato Nao!"
"Is it her day off?! What's she doing here?!"
A familiar name reached my ears.
It was the name of the first-year junior I had met just a short while ago.
The reason she'd come to our classroom was obvious.
She was probably here to see me.
I briefly handed my apron to someone else and stepped out of the kitchen.
Whoosh!
The kitchen was a crude space, separated only by a cloth partition, but perhaps because I'd been standing in front of the fire for so long, the temperature difference between inside and out was stark.
As I unconsciously moved to wipe the sweat trickling down my cheek with my sleeve, someone suddenly held out a handkerchief.
"I came to see you, just like I promised, senpai."
And the owner of that handkerchief was Nao.
"...Thanks."
"Ooooooh!"
Seeing this, the people around us suddenly cheered.
To anyone who didn't know the situation, it must have looked like an act of kindness from a famous actress.
When I handed back the handkerchief after wiping my sweat, Nao took it and looked me up and down.
Then, she grinned and said, "Senpai, that maid outfit suits you surprisingly well."
"That doesn't sound like a compliment."
"I like the bulging muscles that this outfit can't hide."
As she said that, Nao suddenly poked my chest with her index finger.
Frowning at the sudden touch, I still spoke politely.
"Don't be so familiar with me. People will get the wrong idea."
To that, Nao feigned innocence, saying, "Oh? I don't mind."
A bad feeling washed over me, and I hurriedly tried to cover her mouth, but Nao spoke a beat faster.
"Because I was trying to make them get the wrong idea."
It was practically a confession.
And coming from an actress treated as the nation's little sister in Japan, the impact of her statement was immense.
"No way!"
"Naotang, why?!"
"Daaaaaaamn iiiiiit!!"
Screams and laments echoed from all around.
Among them was Satoru, shedding tears of blood.
I looked around with a flustered expression at the suddenly chaotic atmosphere.
Sasha and Rika, who had already met Nao, were staring at me with looks of disbelief.
"No, this is a misunderstanding!"
I was genuinely being wronged.
After all, I had already rejected her confession before.
But as if intending to use even this atmosphere to her advantage, Nao suddenly linked her arm with mine and said to my classmates, "Well then, I'll be borrowing senpai for a bit! Everyone from Class 2-B!"
And just like that, I was unceremoniously kidnapped.