Chapter 26 – “Welcome Back to Chaos High”

The bell rang across Seishin Academy, marking the start of the new semester. Students buzzed with the same energy that always came after summer break — too loud, too cheerful, and too unready for reality.

Yuuto Kanda sat by the window, staring at the class noticeboard like a man awaiting execution.

“Annual Cultural Festival Planning — Volunteers Needed!”

The words glared back at him.

Before he could slip away unnoticed, Sensei Amamiya’s voice floated from the front of the room.

“Kanda-kun! You’re responsible enough, right? Let’s have you lead the class committee this year.”

He froze.

“Eh? Me? I didn’t even—”

Too late. The class erupted in applause.

“Perfect choice!”

“He’s the only one who can handle Hanabira-san and the others!”

“Yeah, Kanda can manage chaos!”

Yuuto slumped in his chair. His headache had already started.

---

After homeroom, the three storms of his life arrived like clockwork.

Rika Hanabira placed her notebook on his desk, flipping it open to a neatly drawn chart.

“I’ve analyzed past festival success ratios. Statistically, a Scientific Café combining chemistry demonstrations and coffee service would attract maximum engagement.”

Mizuki Onodera shyly stepped forward next.

“I… I thought maybe something calmer. Like a Poetry Garden, where visitors can write and hang their wishes on paper leaves. It’d be peaceful.”

Then Akari Shinozuka burst in, grinning, already in motion before her brain caught up.

“Let’s do a Maid Café! Cute, simple, and everyone loves it!”

The room fell silent.

Yuuto blinked. “Wait. A maid café?”

Akari pumped her fist. “Exactly! We’ll wear adorable outfits, say ‘Welcome home, Master!’ and—”

“Absolutely not,” Rika interrupted flatly, crossing her arms. “That idea is primitive and panders to male fantasy.”

Akari frowned. “You just hate it because you’d look too good in an apron!”

“I’d rather wear a hazmat suit,” Rika shot back.

Mizuki tried to mediate, voice soft as ever. “Um… I think both ideas have charm. Maybe we can… combine them somehow?”

Akari blinked. “A poetic maid café?”

“Or a science-themed one,” Rika said. “Where we test reactions… and caffeine levels.”

Yuuto sighed, rubbing his temples. “You three do realize I haven’t even agreed to this yet, right?”

Too late again — Sensei Amamiya appeared from the hallway, her coffee mug in hand and mischief already in her eyes.

“Well, it sounds like our class has spirit. And since Kanda-kun’s the new festival coordinator…” She paused dramatically. “…he’ll be managing the girls’ ideas directly.”

Yuuto choked. “Wait, Sensei, what—”

Her grin widened. “Think of it as leadership experience. Or survival training.”

The girls nodded as if this were perfectly normal.

Akari gave a playful salute. “Don’t worry, Yuuto! We’ll make you proud!”

Rika adjusted her glasses. “You’ll need to keep up with my research notes.”

Mizuki offered a small, encouraging smile. “I believe in you, Kanda-kun.”

He stared at them, then at the sky outside, wondering where his life went wrong.

“Why can’t we just do a normal event… like a food stall?” he muttered.

Sensei Amamiya chuckled. “Because normal is boring. Besides—” She leaned close enough to whisper, “This way, I get front-row seats to your breakdown.”

He groaned.

---

Later that afternoon, the classroom transformed into a war zone of ideas.

Rika sketched diagrams of coffee machines powered by chemical reactions.

Akari practiced fake maid greetings in front of the mirror.

Mizuki decorated a corner with paper flowers and pastel poetry tags.

Yuuto tried to coordinate all three. “Okay, so maybe we can blend the themes. A café with poems as table décor, and maybe Rika’s science demo in a side booth?”

Rika frowned. “Science should be the main attraction.”

Akari puffed her cheeks. “Maid café first! Customers come for cute smiles!”

Mizuki quietly added, “Um… and poems soothe their hearts…”

Yuuto exhaled deeply. “Right. So, all of you want to be the main act.”

Sensei Amamiya popped her head in again, sipping tea. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full, Kanda-kun. Remember, good leadership means keeping morale high. Maybe try rewarding good behavior~?”

“Sensei, please don’t make it sound weird.”

She winked. “I’m not making it sound weird. You are.”

---

By the time the sun began setting outside, the “committee” looked more like a sitcom rehearsal.

Akari balanced a tray of fake drinks, tripped, and somehow landed in Yuuto’s lap.

Rika immediately threw a disapproving glare. “Unacceptable behavior during preparation.”

Mizuki hurried to help them up, muttering softly, “Let’s… not break anything before the festival starts…”

Yuuto looked up at the ceiling and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time.

This was supposed to be a new semester. A clean slate.

Instead, it was déjà vu — chaos, embarrassment, and the unmistakable sound of his sanity slipping away.

Still… as Rika argued over napkin colors, Mizuki quietly taped her poems to the wall, and Akari laughed off another clumsy moment, Yuuto found himself smiling.

He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but maybe — just maybe — this was the kind of chaos he didn’t mind.