“Well then, Ray-san. Thank you for the company today.”
“Not at all. I’ll take my leave now. I look forward to working with you again tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
I parted ways with Rebecca-senpai.
Since then, the two of us had patrolled both the interior and exterior of the school buildings, but nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
The time was now 3:00 PM. In two more hours, the first day of the Cultural Festival would come to an end.
I made my way back toward my classroom.
As I walked, I happened to glance back.
There, I saw Rebecca-senpai walking away in the opposite direction with an air of composure.
I thought… that she’d seemed to be having fun while we were patrolling together.
Of course, we were working, so whether it was enjoyable or not was secondary, but… I couldn't help but wonder. I knew she truly wanted everyone to enjoy the Cultural Festival.
But what about her?
Was she actually enjoying the festival from the bottom of her heart?
The sight of her back as she walked away… I felt as though there was a hint of nostalgia drifting about her, much like that summer.
“Amelia, I’m here to help.”
“Ray? I thought you weren't supposed to be back today?”
“I finished earlier than expected. I’ll help out for the time we have left.”
When I returned to the classroom, the crowd had already dwindled significantly.
When I was working as Lily, there had been a line out the door, but now it was quiet.
Still, since there were still a few customers, my classmates were busy running the Maid Cafe.
In truth, I was supposed to have a meeting at the Student Council Office after the patrol to discuss the schedule for the coming days, but that had been pushed to tomorrow morning. The decision was made because the Cultural Festival had been calmer than expected today.
For my part, I was worried about Rebecca-senpai overworking herself, but Dina-senpai and I had agreed to cover for her.
“Albert, Evi. Have you two been taking breaks?”
“…Hm? Ray. You’re back?”
“Evi, you look a bit worn out.”
“I’d love to say I’m fine! But yeah… I might be a little tired.”
Evi hadn't been cooking the entire time, but a fair amount of fatigue had clearly accumulated. The same was true for Albert.
“Albert, you must be tired too. Leave the rest to me.”
“…But…”
“There aren’t many customers now. I can handle things alone.”
“I see. That helps.”
I entered the kitchen—a temporary, makeshift setup, of course—donned an apron, and immediately set to work. I decided to get a head start on tomorrow’s preparations as well, so I picked up a knife and began cooking with single-minded focus.
Orders would occasionally come in from Amelia, which I handled as they arrived… and as the clock wound down—
The first day of the Cultural Festival officially came to an end.
“Phew… I’m so exhausted…”
After closing the classroom door and confirming there were no customers left, Amelia slumped into a chair.
Amelia was the only one in class who had worked tirelessly throughout the entire day.
I had suggested she take it easier, but she had insisted on giving her all for the first day, so I had reluctantly relented.
Having seen it through to the end, she sat slumped in her chair, still in her maid outfit.
“Amelia. Here, some tea. You wanted it iced, right?”
“Eh… but is this…?”
“It’s my treat. I used separate ingredients I paid for myself. Please, drink up.”
“Tha… thanks.”
Her face was still flushed, likely from the lingering heat of her long shift. Her neatly styled hair was also beginning to come undone slightly.
My classmates briskly began tidying up and preparing for tomorrow. I moved to help as well, but everyone stopped me.
“You’re fine, White.”
“Yeah. You worked incredibly hard today, didn’t you?”
“Besides, you’re doing Student Council work too, right? Leave the cleaning to us!”
“Yeah, yeah! We still need Lily-chan to show up tomorrow, after all!”
Hearing those words, I decided to take their advice. I truly felt, from the bottom of my heart, that I had wonderful friends.
“Good work today, Amelia.”
“You worked hard too, right, Ray?”
“I suppose… but I had breaks. My help for the Student Council was unexpectedly slow.”
“Hmm. And who were you with today?”
Despite her exhaustion, Amelia seemed to perk up after drinking the iced tea, and she straightened her back.
“Rebecca-senpai.”
“Just the two of you?”
“We were on patrol.”
“Hmm. Hmmm!!”
She fixed me with a flat, squinted stare, then abruptly turned away.
“W-What is it? Did something happen? Are you perhaps feeling the fatigue—”
“It’s not that! It’s just… well, fine. I’ve been thinking that ever since you said you’d help the Student Council. But!”
She poked my chest repeatedly with her finger.
“You’re so oblivious, Ray… so just make sure you don't do anything weird, okay?”
“Of course. I won't do anything strange.”
“…There’s a gap in our understanding, but… oh well. You worked hard today. And I don’t think telling you would fix it anyway.”
Amelia finished her iced tea and stood up.
“Well, I’m going to go change.”
“Understood. It’s probably best if the whole class stays. We have the meeting for tomorrow.”
“Right. Please do.”
With that, she left the room.
◇
“Regarding today’s sales…”
Everyone gathered in the classroom. The previous bustle was gone, replaced by a momentary silence that dominated the room.
“They actually exceeded our expectations! Thank you, everyone! At this rate, we might actually be able to win!”
“Ohh…!”
The room filled with voices of admiration, and several classmates broke into applause. I also gave everyone a loud round of applause.
“Everyone, this is incredible! Truly amazing! At this rate, victory is definitely ours!”
I was getting swept up in the excitement of our success. As I shouted to the group while clapping, everyone looked quite pleased with themselves.
“I see… we really did it!”
“Yeah! No doubt about it!”
“That’s right! I think we did a great job!”
“Yeah, yeah! For a first attempt, isn’t this amazing?!”
Like ripples spreading across water, the chatter grew louder and louder.
A sense of accomplishment.
We had managed to do a job that exceeded our wildest expectations. That was something worth praising above all else.
However, Amelia wasn't letting her guard down yet.
“Everyone, quiet. This is the important part.”
She tapped the blackboard, drawing everyone’s attention. Then, looking at the documents in her hand, Amelia continued.
“We had Ray go out as Lily today… and I’m sure rumors will spread. We’ll probably get twice as many customers tomorrow. This is within expectations, but don’t get careless yet.”
Amelia spoke about the current situation and their future prospects in a serious tone.
In her eyes, she could clearly see the path ahead.
“We still have plenty of ingredients, but I think fatigue is going to be a factor. Today was only the first day. The number of customers will only increase as we head toward the final day. The peak will be noon on the third day. Until then, let’s all do our best together.”
“Yeah!”
Once again, I was struck by how well-united this class was.
“Ray. Got a minute?”
“What is it, Amelia?”
As the meeting adjourned and everyone began heading back to the dorms, Amelia called out to me. Elisa was standing beside her.
“About Lily. Can you do it again tomorrow?”
“Of course. I’m fully prepared.”
“Ray-kun…! Lily-chan was so cute!”
“Thank you, Elisa. But you were cute too. And it seemed like you handled the service perfectly. You said you weren’t good at that kind of thing, but I think you’re truly amazing.”
“Eh. Ehehe… thanks.”
Elisa flashed a shy smile.
And of course, I immediately turned to Amelia as well.
I would prove that I could learn and apply those lessons.
“Amelia.”
“W-What?”
She was twirling a lock of her crimson hair around her finger. I had recently realized this was a habit of hers, and it was strangely charming.
“I think you worked really hard too, Amelia. You were working the whole time today, weren't you?”
“I mean, yeah, but…”
“Let’s keep doing our best tomorrow. To make this the best Cultural Festival ever.”
When I smiled at them, Amelia and Elisa both wore stunned expressions.
“Is something the matter?”
“No. It’s just that lately, Ray… you’ve started smiling a lot more.”
“Y… Yeah. But I think it’s really nice!”
“I see… well, I’m sure it’s all thanks to everyone.”
If I had truly become capable of smiling naturally, it was undoubtedly thanks to them.
Meeting my Master and the others, meeting my friends at this Academy—I had finally become able to laugh from the bottom of my heart.
I had grown significantly as a person. And I would continue to grow. Together with everyone.
I’d give it my all for tomorrow’s festival too.
I swore that to myself once again.