Chapter 87

On the day of the Senrin Festival.

My classmates and I from Class 1-A gathered in the classroom at 8:30, thirty minutes before the opening, and started preparing for the opening.

While Tessa and the others began the food preparations, I changed into my cosplay costume in the boys' changing room.

"Hmm, this goes like this...?"

I consulted the notes in my hand and managed to put on the costume by myself.

A blue haori with a white wave design.

A refined and elegant gray hakama.

Simple black geta with black thongs.

"I think this is a 'samurai outfit'...?"

A samurai—a subtype of swordsman found in a certain country in the Far East, a minority group known for their unique sword techniques.

They are usually gentle and avoid conflict...

But beneath their smiles lies a blade—rumor has it that their combat power is formidable.

Thus, dressed in the samurai cosplay, I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror.

"Still, I do stand out a bit... huh?"

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed on the day of the event.

However, it was too late to back out after all the preparations.

"Phew..."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

(That's right, if I think about it, today is a 'festival'.)

There should be some tolerance for standing out a bit... I hope.

"J-Just be confident, and it'll be fine... yeah! Yeah!"

With that, I changed my mindset and headed to Class 1-A, where everyone was waiting.

I passed through the bustling corridor where the opening preparations were underway and slowly opened the classroom door.

"Ah, Allen-kun...! Wow, it really suits you!"

"Awesome...! This is definitely going to be a hit!"

The girls cheered.

"Eh... Ah, u-um... thank you."

I, who rarely receive compliments from others, was at a loss for words.

As I gave a vague response, the door at the back of the classroom opened.

There, Reia appeared in her cosplay outfit.

"Th-This is...!?"

"Bl-Blinding...! What incredible presence!?"

"Damn, my heart... is pounding..."

Amid the strong reactions from the boys, Reia approached me without paying attention to the gazes around her.

"H-How do I look, Allen...?"

Her cheeks flushed, she showed me her adorable cosplay outfit.

"..."

A black dress with a white frilly apron dress.

It matched her beautiful blonde hair and pretty face, and to put it mildly, she looked very cute.

"I-I think you look very cute...!"

"S-Sure... Ah, thank you..."

She smiled, looking a bit embarrassed.

(Reia in a maid outfit is indeed very cute.)

However, there was one thing that bothered me.

I subtly glanced at her legs.

(Isn't it a bit too short...?)

Indeed, Reia's skirt was very short.

It was so short that a slight breeze could reveal what was underneath.

(Although it might not be good for me to point this out as a guy...)

I had to say something.

"U-Um, is this... okay...?"

I said, pointing at her skirt discreetly.

Then,

"Hehe, don't worry. --Look."

To my surprise, she started lifting the hem of her skirt.

"Wh-What, Reia...!?"

I quickly covered my eyes with both hands.

However, through the gaps between my fingers, I could see that there was nothing to see inside her skirt.

"H-Huh...?"

Upon closer inspection, it was a pair of culottes that looked like a mini skirt but had the crotch area sewn shut.

"...Allen, you pervert."

"E-Eh, no, that's not... I mean, this is...!"

Reia looked at me with a glare, and I stammered.

"Hehe, just kidding. But, did you get a shock? It's called a 'culotte skirt'! A classmate told me, 'This is definitely safe!'"

She said, spinning around.

The skirt flared out due to the centrifugal force, but nothing was visible because the crotch was sewn shut.

"Phew, that's a relief..."

I didn't like the idea of Reia being looked at in such a way.

As I sighed in relief,

"Did you feel a bit relieved?"

She asked, looking at my face.

"Yeah, I did feel relieved."

"...Hehe, I'm glad. Thank you."

"...? Why are you thanking me, Reia?"

"Hehe, I was just happy."

As we were talking, the door behind us opened with a loud bang.

The person who came out was,

"Good morning, Allen."

"Ah, good morning, Rose...!?"

A rabbit ear headband.

A white, round rabbit tail.

A black leotard that exposed her shoulders.

Fishnet stockings.

A respectable bunny girl outfit that wouldn't be embarrassing to wear anywhere.

"How do I look, Allen? Pretty good, right?"

She asked with a confident stance.

"W-Well, it does suit you... But, are you really okay with this?"

"Hm? What do you mean...?"

"Well, you know... Your shoulders, and your... chest area..."

"This is nothing. It's not much different from my usual clothes."

Indeed, her usual outfit exposed her chest from below her breasts to her stomach, and she wore black low-rise pants that showed her legs.

...Honestly, there wasn't much difference from her current outfit.

As I was thinking this,

"Is that Allen's samurai cosplay?"

"Hmm, interesting..."

"Yeah, it seems so."

Reia and Rose looked me up and down from head to toe.

Then,

"---Yeah, Allen looks really cool! This outfit suits you well!"

"It has a good vibe. The refreshing blue color really stands out."

They complimented my outfit.

"Ahaha, thank you."

As we were having a pleasant conversation, we realized it was three minutes before the opening.

The portable stoves.

The cooking utensils.

The ingredients, dishes, and decorations—everything was ready.

The class was quietly visualizing the opening procedures in their minds.

"A little nervous, huh...?"

"This tension is not bad...!"

"Ahaha, yeah."

We three were the servers, and our job was to memorize the menu.

We had already memorized it perfectly the night before, so now we just had to wait quietly for the moment to arrive.

Then, thirty seconds before the opening, the intercom announcement rang out.

"---Good morning, everyone! This is Principal Reia Rasnote. You've done a great job preparing in just two weeks! Now, it's time to show off your hard work! I hereby declare the opening of the Senrin Festival!"

The moment Principal Reia announced the start of the festival, a loud cheer came from outside the classroom.

(What...?)

Looking out the window, I saw an incredible number of people flooding into the Senrin Academy building.

"Wow, so many people...!"

"Indeed, this is one of the Five Academies, Senrin Academy...!"

As they said, the crowd was reminiscent of the 'God Street' in the merchant city of Dressia.

Just then,

"---Excuse me, are you open? We're a party of three..."

The first customers arrived at Class 1-A's cosplay café.

And they were three women at once.

"---Of course, we are open. You can choose your server from the cosplayers. How about Allen-kun?"

Tessa, who was in charge of the reception, naturally smiled and delivered her lines smoothly.

(---Wow, Tessa...!)

Her confident demeanor showed the extent of her 'behind-the-scenes efforts'.

Then,

"Um, I'll go with 'Allen-kun'."

The three women pointed to my photo on the reception desk.

I greeted them with a natural smile, not to be outdone by Tessa.

"---Welcome, thank you for coming. Please, this way."

I escorted them to their seats and asked,

"Have you decided on your order?"

I asked gently, not rushing them.

"Um, I'll have honey toast and a café latte."

"I'll have a tamago sandwich and coffee."

"Um, I'm a bit hungry, so I'll have an omelet rice and a café latte."

"---Understood."

I quickly wrote down their orders, repeated them back to confirm, and sent them to the kitchen.

Then, I served the dishes prepared by the cooks, completing one task.

(---Good, good...! Just as I imagined, everything is going smoothly...!)

I thought I could handle the work with ease.

After that,

"Allen-kun, you have a party of four!"

"Understood...!"

"Reia, please take a single customer!"

"Understood!"

"Allen-kun, a party of five this time!"

"Understood, please wait a moment...!"

"Rose, a single customer for you!"

"Understood."

"Allen-kun, a party of seven this time!"

"Understood...!"

For some reason, I received an unusually high number of requests.

And they were all groups of women, who would engage me in various conversations after I escorted them to their seats, making it difficult to take their orders.

(Probably because of the female network...)

One woman would bring another, and our cosplay café began to resemble a women-only establishment.

For about three hours, I served one group of women after another, and finally, it was time for a shift change.

We were the morning shift servers, and the afternoon was our free time.

After changing back into our uniforms in the changing room, the three of us decided to visit the attractions of other classes.

The first place we wanted to visit was already decided.

Of course, it was the haunted house made by the student council.

"Hey, Allen...? Are we really going...?"

"If we turn back now, it'll be too late...!"

"Hehe, I've already told the president we're coming."

She may seem tough, but she holds grudges.

If we stood her up, it would be troublesome later.

(Plus, I'm a bit excited...)

According to the president, last year, more than ten people fainted due to the quality of the haunted house.

I'm actually quite looking forward to seeing what kind of traps they have set up.

We pushed through the crowd and made our way to the second-year Class A classroom.

What we found there was---

"---This is quite impressive..."

A massive haunted house that used three classrooms from Class A to Class C.

The classrooms had lost all resemblance to their original form.

The walls were painted black, with eerie vines crawling over them.

Scratches that looked like claw marks were scattered here and there.

Red-black streaks, mimicking blood, ran haphazardly.

(What a great atmosphere...)

This could be promising.

Then,

"---"

Reia and Rose were holding hands, their faces pale and frozen.

Even before entering, they seemed to be at their limit just from the eerie exterior.

"Hey, you two... If you're scared, just say so---"

"---We're not scared...!"

The stubborn pair said in unison.

Their legs were visibly trembling, and it was obvious they were putting on a brave front.

"Alright, alright..."

I knew they were both die-hard competitors and incredibly stubborn.

Giving up on trying to persuade them, I said,

"---Excuse me, three students, please."

"Thank you. Please be careful of your step and enter."

We paid the entrance fee at the reception and stepped into the student council's pride and joy, the haunted house, with the trembling Reia and Rose.

"---This is the reception. Target, Allen Roadel, has entered. President, it's all up to you."

"---This is Shii, understood. ...Hehehe, you finally came. I'll make sure to avenge my defeat, Allen-kun...!"