Somewhere in the deep, spiraling caverns of my brain, a warning siren went off.
SCHOOL FESTIVAL ARC DETECTED.
INCOMING: Costumes, Love Confessions, & Public Humiliation
I tried to fight it.
I told myself I could be normal.
Blend in.
Eat some yakisoba. Judge some talent shows.
Not everything has to be plot-relevant.
But then Natsuki-sensei stood at the front of class with a whiteboard and said:
"We'll be running a Maid Café this year! Boys will crossdress. Girls will compete. Hormones will explode. Who wants to be Head Maid?"
And just like that, the arc began.
Two Hours Later:
I'm wearing a black frilly maid outfit.
Stockings. Heels. Choker.
My soul is hanging from a ceiling fan somewhere.
Aya is the one who nominated me.
"His embarrassed face increases tips!" she declared.
Kokoro didn't even look up.
She just voted silently.
My own harem betrayed me.
Day One of the festival began with Sensei holding a clipboard and whispering:
"Kazuki, you're on 'Special Charm Duty.' That means emotionally manipulating lonely customers."
"Why does this sound illegal?"
"Oh, it is. But it's also profitable."
Customer #1: A middle-aged woman.
She cried when I called her "Ojou-sama."
Tipped ¥10,000.
Customer #2: A teenage girl with dead eyes.
She stared at me and said, "You're not as pretty as my favorite boy in that dating sim."
Tipped nothing. Left trauma.
Customer #3: Kokoro.
She sat at a table and glared at me like I'd just insulted her entire bloodline.
"You have to serve her," Aya giggled. "She paid."
I approached with my soul already halfway in the trash.
"W-Welcome home, M-Mistress…"
Kokoro didn't flinch.
"Why are you trembling?"
"Because this is the opposite of who I am as a person."
She sipped tea.
"You're lucky I like watching you suffer."
She tipped ¥500.
In coins.
Break time.
I collapsed onto a chair behind the curtain, heels tossed, wig askew.
Aya knelt beside me with an ice pack.
"Proud of you."
"Why?"
"You haven't nosebled once."
"Give it time. I'm still emotionally bleeding."
She laughed and patted my head.
Then added, too softly:
"You're kind of cute like this."
I paused.
Looked up.
Her eyes weren't teasing.
Just… thoughtful.
Which was worse.
Because now my brain had to file this moment under "possible romantic progress," and that was a cursed folder already over capacity.
Back on duty.
New table.
And then — disaster.
Sensei entered the café.
In a maid outfit.
Shorter than regulation length.
And announced, "Teacher cameo shift~!"
Everyone clapped.
My brain spontaneously rebooted.
Sensei slid next to me and whispered:
"You're doing wonderfully, Kazuki. Ever considered being my permanent butler?"
"I don't think I can legally answer that question."
"Don't worry. I forged the paperwork."
She leaned in. Close enough for lipstick to smudge my thoughts.
"Tell me, who's your favorite mistress today?"
I looked to the side.
Kokoro, expression unreadable, watching.
Aya, pretending not to look but obviously listening.
I said nothing.
Because if I did say something?
It would become real.
Then came The Incident.
It began with a rumor.
That someone saw Kokoro turn down a boy's confession behind the gym.
A real, on-the-spot, desperate "I've loved you since middle school" type of thing.
And she said:
"Sorry. My feelings are already in litigation with someone else."
The entire hallway exploded.
Aya found me an hour later, cornered me in the supply closet, and asked:
"Are you the litigation?!"
"I'm not even the paralegal!"
When I confronted Kokoro, she just shrugged.
"I was being honest."
"You compared your feelings to a court case!"
"Well, you refuse to testify."
That shut me up.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Then she added, so quiet I almost missed it:
"I won't wait forever. I already burned my escape route."
"What does that mean?"
"It means if you run now… I'll chase."
She walked away before I could answer.
Because that's what people in this story do now.
They drop emotional landmines and stroll off while I stand there detonated.
That night, I got a text from Aya.
[Aya Noona]: Rooftop. Now. Or I'm sleeping in your bed again.
Again?!
I sprinted.
She was waiting with two milk cartons and a bag of festival mochi.
She handed me the milk, sat down, and said:
"I know you're drowning."
"You're not wrong."
"But here's the thing," she said, voice small.
"I'd rather sink with you than pretend I don't care."
I stared at her.
She looked at me.
And for the first time—
I didn't panic.
I just… smiled.
And said:
"…You're my safe zone, Aya."
She blinked.
Then looked away, biting her lip.
"That's the nicest way someone's ever said I'm boring."
"No. You're the reason I haven't completely exploded yet."
She paused.
Then bumped her shoulder into mine.
"Idiot."
Somewhere below us, fireworks exploded.
The festival was ending.
The arc was closing.
But nothing felt finished.
Just… paused.
Suspended.
Like a save file right before the final boss.
Because now?
Everyone was waiting.
Kokoro.
Aya.
Even Sensei.
And no matter who I chose…
I'd break something.