Cultural Festival Preparations

In the chilly autumn afternoon, soft twilight light filtered into Class 2-B's classroom. By the window where ginkgo leaves swayed in the wind, Ume brushed up her hair and murmured, "Cultural festival, huh... We should do something impactful."

Ms. Sato stood in front of the blackboard and called out, "Let's discuss what we'll do for the cultural festival. Anyone with ideas, please share them."

The first to raise their hand was one of Sora's fan club members. "How about a movie? With Sora-chan as the lead...!" "No, no, that would be too much work," other students objected.

At that moment, Ume stood up with a meaningful smile. "Hey, what about a maid café? A regular café would be ordinary, but maid uniforms would catch people's attention. Don't you think it has that cultural festival vibe, treating customers specially?"

After saying this in one breath, she looked at Ren and grinned. "Sora can be cute, I'll be sexy, and... our handsome guy can win them over with gap moe?"

"W-What did you say!?" Ren reacted instantly. "Me in a maid uniform!? Don't make me laugh!" "You don't want to?" Ume shrugged with a smile. "I'd look great in a maid uniform too! I can compete with sexiness. And look, Sora would definitely suit it, right?"

A buzz spread among the boys, and their excitement quickly rippled through the classroom. Some banged on desks, while others leapt from their seats, unable to contain themselves.

Amidst the commotion, Takashi stood up energetically and looked around the classroom. "Everyone! This is our duty as Sora-chan fans!" Clenching his fist with sparkling eyes, he spoke passionately. "Sora-chan might wear a maid uniform—no, she will! This is a moment that will go down in history, and we're here to witness it!"

"Takashi, you're getting ahead of yourself!" came a level-headed retort from one of the girls, but Takashi paid no attention. Instead, he raised his voice even louder. "Listen up, everyone! Let's support this project with all we've got!"

"Ohhh!" The boys showed mysterious unity in their response, and the excitement continued to spread under their enthusiasm.

Ume watched the scene, giggling and shaking her head. "Honestly, boys are so simple," she said with a wry smile. The girls exchanged glances, their exasperated sighs almost in sync.

"Seriously, how ridiculous..." Ren shrugged and sighed, averting his gaze. "I'm not doing it, and Sora can do whatever she likes," he muttered, his tone betraying a faint hint of annoyance.

Sora didn't miss that tone. "Ehh, it's no fun if Ren-kun won't wear it!" she said, rushing over to him. "Let's wear them together! It'll be so much fun! You're tall and have a great figure—it'll suit you perfectly!" As she spoke, Sora naturally clung to Ren's arm.

"H-Hey, stop it!" Ren tried desperately to escape, but Sora playfully chased after him. Yuta, watching this scene, caught sight of Sora having fun with Ren and unconsciously looked away.

Sora suddenly turned toward Yuta. "Hey, Yuta wants to see Ren-kun in a maid uniform too, right?" Caught off guard by her carefree smile and words, Yuta was momentarily speechless.

"I... I don't really..." Yuta answered, looking away. However, a small twinge of emotion arose in his chest. He felt slightly uncomfortable that Sora was talking about Ren instead of him. Still, he just shrugged with an ambiguous smile.

"Alright, alright, excitement is good, but let's get back on track." Ume clapped her hands lightly to gather the class's attention. "So, shall we hear everyone's opinions on whether to do the maid café?"

Ume raised her voice again to summarize. "We've got three perfect flavors, don't we? Pure and innocent Sora, sexy me, and... feminine Ren-kun?" The classroom erupted in laughter, and despite Ren's resistance, the maid café idea gained momentum.

"But we should be particular about the menu too," Ume expanded the discussion. "Regular drinks would be boring, how about sweets made by Sora?"

"Eh, mine?" Sora's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course! Sweets made by Sora would definitely sell. Plus, if we come up with cute menu names, it'll add that special touch."

Takashi's eyes sparkled even more at this suggestion. "Handmade sweets by Sora-chan!? This has to be our featured menu item!"

"Well then, let's take a vote." Ms. Sato calmly summarized while pointing at the blackboard with an expressionless face. "Those in favor of the maid café?"

Almost every hand went up. Takashi and the fan club members raised both hands, crying, "To be able to see Sora-chan in a maid outfit... I'll never forget this emotion...!"

Ren sank deeply into his chair in resignation, sighing heavily, "How did it come to this..." He crossed his arms and looked away, his expression showing a hint of fatigue and, even more noticeably, undisguised confusion.

Suddenly, a soft sensation enveloped Ren from behind. "It'll be okay, Ren-kun!" Sora's cheerful voice rang in his ear as she innocently hugged him from behind.

"H-Hey, stop—" Startled, Ren leaned back in his chair, feeling it lose balance. He tried hurriedly to steady himself but wasn't quick enough. As the chair began to fall, Sora let out a small cry. "Eek! Ren-kun, be careful!"

She instinctively reached out and grabbed Ren's hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm yet gentle, sending a jolt through Ren's chest. When he looked up, Sora's concerned face was right in front of him.

"Don't get hurt, Ren-kun." Sora's eyes held a pure, untainted light, like stars shining in the night sky. In that moment, Ren couldn't move. No, it wasn't that he couldn't move—he couldn't take his eyes off her expression.

"H-Hey, don't look at me from so close...!" Ren hurriedly turned away, but his ears were visibly red. "Eh? I was just worried if you were okay?" Sora tilted her head with a smile. Her innocence sent another small shock through Ren's chest.

"...Really, how did it come to this..." Ren muttered as he settled back in his chair. However, Sora's smile from earlier kept replaying in his mind. A ticklish, unsettling feeling welled up in his chest.

At this moment, Ren himself hadn't yet realized the emotion budding within him. One thing was clear, though—Sora's smile had seemed somehow special.

By the window, a gray cat quietly watched over the class's activities. Ten's eyes seemed to hold a somewhat amused gleam.

With one month until the cultural festival, Class 2-B's adventure began amidst Sora's innocent chaos. The autumn twilight bathed the classroom in its soft glow, while the golden ginkgo leaves outside swayed as if whispering of the anticipation and excitement to come.