Chapter 86

The day after Mr. Reia told us about the billion-year button.

After finishing the afternoon class, we were in the classroom for our homeroom.

"---Well done, everyone, for enduring such a tough class today! It seems you're all a bit tired... but I'm counting on your youthful energy to push through!"

Mr. Reia, known for his motivational speeches, slammed the blackboard with a thud.

It was a typical encouragement method from a teacher who still reads Weekly Shounen Yaiba.

(Come to think of it... everyone has been really tired lately...)

The lessons were the same as usual, but the fatigue was clearly visible on my classmates' faces.

Of course, Reia and Rose were no exception.

When I casually asked Tessa about it the other day, it turned out that the Soul Armor classes had become particularly intense.

Until now, it was just a matter of communicating with the spirit core and negotiating for a share of its power...

But recently, when a certain level of power was requested, the spirit core began to show strong resistance.

So every time there was a Soul Armor class, we had to fight the spirit core in the world of souls—resulting in significant mental fatigue.

(Well, in that regard, I might be 'lucky'...?)

From the beginning, that guy wouldn't lend me even a tiny bit of power.

(If I ever show a 'negotiation' attitude, a powerful right hook will fly, and I'll find myself back in the real world.)

Having been in a constant battle with him since the first day, I was the only one who remained energetic despite everyone else being exhausted.

I was already used to this kind of mental fatigue.

(Since everyone is working so hard... I need to push myself to the limit too...!)

Recently, my motivation for training had been steadily increasing.

This was because the time I could spend fighting that guy in the world of souls had significantly increased.

Now that I've mastered 'Darkness,' I can properly defend against his attacks.

This is an incredible growth.

(This darkness is really a convenient power...)

The pitch-black darkness is truly a combination of offense and defense.

When focused on the body, it becomes a sturdy armor.

When concentrated on a sword, it turns into a simulated black sword with terrifying sharpness.

When focused on a wound, it can heal most injuries in an instant.

(Ah... I wonder what kind of power my Soul Armor will have...)

The unknown power of Soul Armor, still far off, made my heart race, and I couldn't help but smile.

(Haha, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class...)

As I was thinking about this,

"Well, we usually dismiss here... but today, I have a big announcement!"

The teacher cleared her throat and said,

"The time for the 'Thousand Blades Festival' has finally come! I know many of you have already heard about it from your senior club members, but I'll give a brief explanation just in case!"

And so, she gave a quick overview of the Thousand Blades Festival.

"The Thousand Blades Festival is an annual school festival held here at Thousand Blades Academy! As one of the 'Five Academies,' the festival is incredibly lively. Every year, many visitors from outside the academy attend, including young swordsmen who aspire to join Thousand Blades Academy in the future! I want you all to be proud of being students of Thousand Blades Academy and enjoy it to the fullest!"

This was mostly what I had already heard from the student council.

"The festival is just two weeks away. From now on, you will decide the event for Class 1-A. ---So, if you have any good ideas, don't hesitate to raise your hand! Any idea is welcome, so go ahead and share!"

After that, everyone shared their ideas, and we narrowed it down to five candidates.

A cosplay café.

A class movie production.

A mini-game tournament.

A homemade ramzak shop.

An outdoor sword practice session.

All of them were very appealing and hard to choose from.

Especially the outdoor sword practice session—it was too appealing.

"Hmm, there's one odd one mixed in... but that's fine."

Mr. Reia said this, distributed voting papers to everyone, and set up a ballot box on the teacher's desk.

"---Now, those who have decided on their vote, please cast it in this box!"

One by one, everyone cast their votes.

"...Alright, everyone has voted. Let's start the counting now!"

The teacher immediately opened the ballot box and began tallying the votes.

The results were as follows:

Cosplay café: 16 votes.

Class movie production: 6 votes.

Mini-game tournament: 4 votes.

Homemade ramzak shop: 3 votes.

Outdoor sword practice session: 1 vote.

The event for Class 1-A was decided to be the cosplay café, which received the majority of the votes.

"What...!?"

The result was decided by the majority, so there was no room for complaint.

However, there was one thing I was disappointed about...

It was that my suggestion, the 'outdoor sword practice session,' received only one vote.

Needless to say, that one vote was cast by me.

In other words, it effectively meant 'zero votes.'

(Practicing with swordsmen from outside the academy... I think it would be really fun...)

Apparently, my poor explanation failed to convey the fun of the outdoor sword practice session to everyone.

(...I'll try again next year.)

The Thousand Blades Festival isn't a one-time event.

I can challenge again next year with an improved outdoor sword practice session.

Just as I was secretly burning with a desire for revenge,

"---Well then, everyone, let's start the preparations right away!"

"Oooh!"

The teacher said this, and the preparations for the cosplay café began.

■

For the next two weeks, the entire class worked on the preparations after school.

First, we decided on the cosplay costumes.

A girl who enjoys cosplay brought in a catalog, and the girls gathered around it, excitedly discussing their choices.

"Hey, hey! I think this would suit Reia!"

"Isn't that... a bit too short for a skirt...?"

"Don't worry, don't worry! Just wear spats underneath, and it'll be fine!"

"But even with spats, I don't want to be seen!"

Near Reia, a pink, boys-forbidden conversation was taking place, while elsewhere,

"How about it, Rose? Is there any costume you'd like to wear from this selection?"

"Hmm... I'm interested in this one."

"Th-this...!? Rose, you're surprisingly bold...!"

"Is that so? I think it's pretty normal."

Rose was calmly choosing her preferred costume.

(I hope Rose will be okay...)

Knowing her revealing casual clothes, I was a bit worried about what kind of costume she would choose.

While the girls were excitedly deciding on their costumes, the boys were mass-producing decorative rings from colorful origami paper.

At first, they were enthusiastically discussing, "I'm looking forward to seeing so-and-so's cosplay!" and so on.

Cut, roll, glue.

Cut, roll, glue.

Cut, roll, glue.

As they repeated the same task, their conversation gradually dwindled, and by the time three hours had passed, they were silently repeating the same movements like machines.

Then,

"Hey, hey, Allen! Can you come over here for a moment?"

A group of excited girls called out to me.

"Um... what's up?"

I reluctantly got up and went over.

"Hmm, what should Allen wear...?"

"Am I wearing something...?"

"Of course! We need Allen to wear a cool costume and attract female customers!"

They happily suggested various costumes.

(...Honestly, I don't think there's any demand for that.)

Since they were so enthusiastic about choosing a costume for me, I didn't want to dampen their spirits.

After deciding on the cosplay costumes, we moved on to the menu.

Since it was a café, we naturally needed drinks and light snacks.

"First, coffee, cappuccino, café au lait, and macchiato... and we should have some carbonated drinks too!"

"Right! What about the light snacks?"

"Toast, meat spaghetti, omelet rice, and Hayashi rice—these are the minimum we need..."

"Sounds good! How about desserts like pancakes and coffee jelly?"

"Ooh, that sounds perfect!"

As the boys and girls happily shared their ideas,

"---What! Say that again!"

"Because... a café can't have 'that menu'!"

Tessa and a classmate were arguing about something.

(...What's going on?)

I listened closely and heard their conversation.

"White rice, hijiki, dried sardines, leafy vegetables, and pickled radish! The Zantetsu-ryu's shojin cuisine is essential for a café!"

"That's not necessary! This is a cosplay café!"

"Ugh... You stubborn girl... ---Hey, Allen! What do you think?"

Tessa suddenly turned to me.

"Um... I think Tessa is wrong this time..."

The shojin cuisine in a cosplay café... it just doesn't match.

When I said this,

"Ugh... If Allen says so, I guess I have no choice..."

Tessa gritted her teeth and reluctantly gave up her argument.

After deciding on the costumes and menu, we moved on to cooking practice.

"Ugh... Making an omelet is harder than I thought..."

"Argh! Why won't the egg roll properly? There must be something wrong with this frying pan!"

"Hehe... I'm a bit embarrassed since I don't usually cook..."

Led by Rose, the girls were trying to make a 'half-cooked, fluffy omelet' but weren't having much success.

It seemed that the girls in our class were not very good at cooking.

Probably because they had spent most of their childhood practicing swordsmanship.

It was understandable.

(...I can probably help them with this.)

I gave them a little advice on making omelets.

"---Actually, there's a trick to flipping the egg neatly. After you put the egg in, stir it well on the frying pan and then 'separate the egg from the pan'—it's easy that way."

Then,

"Th-this...!? Nice one, Allen...! I didn't expect you to be so skilled at cooking...!"

"Wow! So, this is how you do it...! You're amazing, Allen!"

"Wow, really...! Thanks, Allen! ...But it's impressive that you can cook too."

One after another, they successfully made 'half-cooked, fluffy omelets' and looked at me with admiration.

"Hehe, I learned a bit of cooking in the past."

Life in Goza Village was completely self-sufficient.

Harvesting vegetables, taking care of livestock, and cooking meals—these basic tasks had to be done by oneself.

Because of this, I was a bit more skilled at cooking than the average person.

The busy but enjoyable two weeks passed in a flash, and today was finally the day of the Thousand Blades Festival.