After a thorough meeting with Amelia, I quickly set my plans into motion. This mission is time-sensitive; the deadline for deciding our class’s presentation is fast approaching.
As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I headed straight to my room.
First, I decided to consult with Evi and Albert.
According to the schedule, today was a fortunate day as Albert was supposed to come to our room, primarily to work out.
“Hah…!”
“Hah… hah… hah…!”
Upon entering my room, I found Evi lifting dumbbells while Albert was doing squats. Their sweat glistened, and although I wanted to join in the training immediately, now was not the time for that.
“Sorry to interrupt your workout, you two. I need to talk.”
“Ray, you’re late today. Were you out somewhere?”
Evi asked while continuing his workout.
“Yeah. I was discussing our class’s presentation with Amelia.”
“I see… So, you want to consult us about it?”
“Exactly.”
After our exchange, the two of them returned their equipment to its designated place and wiped their sweat with towels. Once they put on their shirts, we gathered around the table.
“First, here are the materials.”
I spread out the documents that I had received from Amelia on the table.
Evi and Albert took the materials and began to read through them with interest.
“…A maid café, huh? The idea isn’t bad, but the concerns are quite valid,”
Albert began, calmly analyzing the content of the documents.
He, too, was from an upper nobility background, and like Amelia, he seemed to have a deep understanding of the concerns regarding this presentation.
“As Albert said, that was also a topic of discussion with Amelia. The issue is with the girls, but my current task is to first rally the boys. Albert, do you think we can do this?”
“…”
He rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
During that moment of silence, Evi chimed in.
“What about the division of labor?”
“Overall, we plan to split it into three roles: cooking, serving, and a general role for promotions. The main concern is the attire for serving. We need maid outfits, completely new ones, and the design is as described in the materials. We plan to develop the maid café based on this.”
“I see… I personally think it’s totally fine. But I can already imagine the backlash from the upper nobles,”
Evi agrees.
Now, how should we proceed with this mission…?
As the three of us pondered this, Albert made a suggestion.
“First, regarding the boys… I’ll persuade them.”
“Are you sure about that, Albert?”
“Yeah. Among the boys in our class, I’m the highest-ranking noble. If I support it, they should find it easier to agree.”
“That’s nice to hear, but are you really okay with this?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Albert seemed puzzled by my question and asked for clarification.
What I wanted to say was simple. Of course, I thought Evi would support me.
However, I wasn’t sure about Albert. Although we had become friends recently, he was still an upper-class noble. Yet here he was, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I was curious about that.
Albert had become a good friend of mine. He used to belong to a different group of nobles, but now he spent most of his time with us.
It was unlikely that he had lost his pride as an upper-class noble.
There must be something on his mind.
I decided to bring up this topic with him.
Then, Albert smiled gently.
“Pride as a noble, huh… That’s true. If it were the old me, I would have opposed this. But every challenge is an opportunity. It’s worth trying. Come to think of it, the pride of nobility has grown so inflated that it’s of no use. So, I definitely think a new breeze is necessary… And also—”
“And also?”
I ask,
“──There can’t be any boys who dislike maid outfits, right?”
Albert’s face, seeking agreement with a smirk, had a somewhat youthful quality to it. And both Evi and I chimed in together.
“That’s right!”
Then the three of us immediately began our next course of action.
◇
It was 10:30 at night. Some students might already be asleep. However, the three of us, no we were not alone.
All the boys from Class A had gathered in this classroom at night.
We visited each of our classmates and pleaded with them to come here. Surely, I couldn’t have done this alone. There were still students who held resentment against me, a mere commoner.
As we held our meeting in the classroom at night without permission, there was a certain tension in the air.
A faint light was created with sorcery, which we stored in a magic stone, illuminating a small area in the center.
Gathered around that light, we began our meeting.
“Alright, everyone. The reason I’ve gathered you here is to discuss our class’s presentation for the cultural festival.”
『……』
Everyone except Evi and Albert looked at me suspiciously, but I continued speaking.
“Currently, the idea that is being developed behind the scenes is… a maid café.”
『……What!?』
In an instant, shock rippled through the room. It spread through the surrounding students like ripples on water.
“Wait, seriously?”
“A maid café at this traditional academy? Are we really going to feature maids?”
“Isn’t that a bit risky?”
“People will think White is doing something weird again.”
“That’s right. I can’t agree to this.”
Opinions began to emerge, and they were just as I had expected. It was time for me to play my trump card. By the way, I had already obtained Amelia’s permission for this.
“Everyone. The maid outfits at the maid café… I know you’re curious, right?”
『……』
I could hear the sound of someone swallowing hard. They seemed hesitant, but curiosity was evident on their faces as they stared solemnly at a piece of paper I held up.
“W-what is that?”
One person asked, and I seized the moment to change my tone to a serious one and announced,
“This is the design for the maid outfit. But it’s revolutionary. First of all, there are more frills and decorations, and the skirt is shorter. In other words… it shows off the legs quite well. Here’s some good information.”
『Gulp…』
“Amelia’s legs are beautiful.”
In that instant, the classroom erupted into chaos.
“Ahhhhh!! So that’s how it is!!”
“Seriously!? Did White really win over Rose-san!?”
“Is it the forbidden love between a commoner and one of the three great noble families!? Is it really enticing!? Is a forbidden relationship good!?”
“So that’s why they’ve been acting so close lately!?”
“Ahhh! My beloved Rose-sama! I thought she was an impenetrable idol!!”
Huh. What’s going on? I thought that using this trump card would make the boys go, “Surely, they’ll be captivated! Well, it’s a bit embarrassing… but desperate times call for desperate measures!” It was supposed to be Amelia’s bold claim.
I was moved by her spirit of self-sacrifice, but the reactions were not what I had expected, leaving me bewildered.
“Hey, everyone, calm down!”
“That’s right. It’s okay. Ray and Amelia aren’t in that kind of relationship yet.”
As Evi and Albert said this, the boys gradually began to calm down, and for the time being, they settled down.
“Alright. Let’s sort out the situation.”
It was Albert who said this. He then directed a calm voice toward me and asked:
“Ray, what do you mean, you saw Amelia’s legs?”
“It’s about when I saw Amelia in her casual clothes. At that time, she was wearing a pretty short skirt. Her beautiful legs were clearly visible. That’s all.”
“That’s what he said, everyone.”
When he posed the question again to everyone, a stir spread through the room.
“I see… so it hasn’t gone that far yet.”
“Wait a minute. Isn’t that actually quite advanced?”
“Yeah, she wouldn’t show her bare legs to just any guy.”
“That’s for sure. But, White… Well, he’s got a decent face. His sorcery skills might not be great, but he’s excellent in practical situations. If he was not a commoner, he could be quite a catch.”
“Now that I think about it, White is kind of unusual… he doesn’t really seem like just a commoner…”
“Well, he’s not a bad guy.”
“I thought so too. He’s a bit stiff, but he’s a pretty good guy. And he’s serious. Well, maybe too serious. Hahaha.”
With those words, the classroom began to buzz with excitement.
Until now, I thought there was still some distance between me and my classmates. I had always felt their distant gazes, and while the rumors about me had settled, we still weren’t at the level of being friends.
But it seemed that the boys were accepting me. I was incredibly happy about that.
“U… uhh… everyone, thank you. It seems I… was a lucky guy after all…”
“Hey, hey, don’t cry!”
“Hahaha, is this a manly cry?”
“You’re something else…”
“But that’s proof that he’s a good guy, right?”
“Yeah. Even if he’s a commoner, he’s still a good guy.”
Everyone offered their warm encouragement.
Then Albert took charge again.
“Alright. So, we have the support of the boys, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Huh… Ray. Your sincere actions have unexpectedly moved everyone’s hearts. I’ve changed too. And everyone has actually been watching your earnest efforts, Ray, during the Magic Chevalier. The class has been observing you.”
“Is… is that so?”
“Yeah. At first, many of them were just curious. But they’ve come to understand that you’re earnest, serious, and passionate.”
Looking around, everyone was nodding in agreement.
“That’s right, Ray! Your muscles have reached everyone!”
Evi flexed his biceps, and laughter erupted again.
“Hey, hey, is it another discussion about Evi’s muscles?”
“But White has some serious muscles too, right? I saw him at the gym, and he looked just as good as Evi!”
“Seriously? Is the rumor about the Muscular Monsters true?”
“Yeah. Plus, he’s in that Environmental Research club at this academy. He’s definitely no ordinary guy… and he’s just a really interesting person!”
I couldn’t help but smile.
At first, it felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. I had made some close friends and was living my life, but… I had always wanted to get closer to my classmates.
And look at this.
In reality, my classmates had been watching me. And now, they were recognizing me like this.
—Ah, Master. It seems I’ve gained important companions again.
“I see. Everyone… thank you. All I can do is express my gratitude. Alright, let’s show that gratitude at this cultural festival. First, let’s make the maid café a success! And let’s do it with the cooperation of the entire class!”
“Yeah!”
Then we boys gathered together to plan our strategies moving forward.
In the end, we seemed to have made too much noise and nearly got caught by the security, but we all desperately escaped back to the dorm, of course, laughing all the way.
At that moment, we reaffirmed our class’s unity.
Surely, with this class, we could put on the best show possible.
I thought so once again.
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