"Horikita, how'd it go?"
Horikita returned quickly. Satō Maya asked about her progress.
"I spoke to Chairman Tsukishiro. We can rent another classroom. I signed the agreement."
Horikita explained slowly.
"Signed already? So fast? Is it next door?"
"Yes."
"That must cost a lot of points. Can we afford it?"
Mei-Yu asked worriedly.
"We passed another test. The chairman said it's buy-one-get-one, so we got the adjacent classroom for free."
Horikita replied.
"Really? That's... too convenient."
Karuizawa Kei found it too coincidental.
*Even Karuizawa noticed? Why did I add 'even'?*
Saiki muttered internally.
"At first, I thought it was too absurd. But after hearing the chairman, it makes sense. This school has things beyond our imagination."
Horikita explained to Karuizawa.
"I see..."
Karuizawa nodded, half-understanding.
"Let's start practicing then."
Horikita turned to Satō,
"I've never been a maid, so I'll need your guidance."
"Sure."
Satō smiled,
"Start by saying, 'Master, what would you like to order?'"
Satō seemed experienced, her tone and demeanor exuding a genuine maid's charm. Any average otaku would be smitten.
Horikita hesitated but said after a few seconds,
"Master, what would you like to order?"
"..."
After Horikita spoke, the classroom fell silent.
Even as a maid, Horikita maintained a cold demeanor. Her words were as robotic and unfeeling as ever.
If this were a real maid café, Horikita would be fired on the spot.
Satō thought.
*I agree.*
Saiki added internally.
"Horikita, you can't use that tone or expression with customers. Be gentler, both in tone and expression. Try again!"
"Master, what would you like to order?"
Horikita thought after speaking,
This time, it's much better than before, right?
In her mind, her delivery was far gentler than earlier.
But to others, it was the same—
Horikita... no difference at all.
The others stared blankly.
"Still not good?"
Horikita looked confused, having given it her all.
"Not quite, Horikita..."
Satō sighed.
Making Horikita gentle seemed harder than climbing a mountain.
"I think it's fine!"
Mikoto chimed in.
"Not really. If a maid can't satisfy customers... it's a problem."
Satō said seriously.
"True, but many already like Horikita's style!"
Mikoto insisted,
"The cold girl type is popular right now."
"Huh?"
Horikita was baffled, not understanding Mikoto's point.
"Let's keep it as is. Different styles might be our unique selling point."
"True..."
Horikita turned to Saiki,
"Since we're practicing, I'd like to see your cooking skills. You said you'd handle the kitchen alone, so..."
"Oh, I'm done."
"Huh?"
Horikita noticed several cups of coffee and a prepared salad in front of Saiki.
"When did you make these?"
Horikita was stunned, having no idea when Saiki worked.
"I finished it while you were practicing."
Kusuo said expressionlessly.
Using telepathy, he knew Horikita Suzune would want him to prove his speed today, so he completed everything when no one was looking.
Suzune looked surprised at the others, who also hadn't noticed Kusuo's actions.
A psychic is more efficient than a professional kitchen team.
Suzune walked up, sipped the coffee—it was fine—and ate a bite of salad—also fine.
She couldn't find any faults.
"How is it? Any issues?"
"No, none at all."
Suzune shook her head, now fully acknowledging Kusuo's abilities. She no longer opposed him handling the kitchen alone.
Just then, Kusuo's phone rang. He was surprised to see the caller.
He didn't answer immediately but turned to the others: "I've got something to do. Practice on your own."
He left the classroom, took out his phone, and answered the call. It was Nagumo Miyabi.
"Kusuo, are you free?"
"Didn't we agree you'd stop bothering me after that exam?" Kusuo replied.
"I'm not bothering you. I just have something to show you. Come to the stadium."
After saying that, Miyabi hung up. Kusuo wasn't planning to go, but then Miyabi's message arrived:
*Miyabi: I have early access tickets to the newest limited-edition cake.*
*'Alright, alright, student council president!'*
Kusuo rushed to the stadium...
The stadium was covered in curtains. Kusuo had heard Miyabi, with his massive points, rented the entire stadium to create a haunted maze.
"The third-year's project is impressive!"
"Turning the whole stadium into a haunted maze must've taken time and points."
"Only the student council president could pull this off."
It wasn't open yet, but a crowd had gathered outside, curious about the haunted house.
Kusuo, however, felt nothing. He could see all the traps and hear the ghosts' thoughts. Haunted houses held no thrill for him.
Just then, Miyabi spotted Kusuo and smiled, walking over.
"You finally came, Kusuo."
"What's this about?"
"Only you would talk to the student council president like that, but I'll allow it. Our Class A's cultural festival project is this haunted maze. I want you to be our test visitor."
The third-year students had started preparing for the festival a week ago.
"Your feedback is valuable," Miyabi said.
"Maybe I can scare Kusuo. I lost to him and promised not to bother him, but if I catch him getting scared, I'll have my revenge!"
*'Not so innocent after all. But as the student council president, your tactics are a bit childish.'*
Kusuo thought, but seeing the cake ticket, he nodded in agreement.
"It's just you today!"
Miyabi led Kusuo to the entrance, where a sign listed the rules:
*'No phones inside. Set to vibrate.'*
*'No loud noises.'*
*'No lingering.'*
*'Don't touch the props.'*
"Any questions?"
"None."
Kusuo walked in. The entrance was narrow and dimly lit, but he could see everything clearly.
He admitted the third-year's haunted house was impressive, better than many professional ones. It relied on decorations and human-operated scares.
The long-necked ghost was controlled by a student behind the scenes, and the spring-knife samurai was another student. Some props were still unfinished but would be ready for the opening.
Kusuo felt nothing. He heard the staff's thoughts:
"So hot and tired..."
"We've got to scare this guy!"
"Come on, react already!"
Since Kusuo could hear their thoughts, the atmosphere wasn't scary. He knew all the traps and felt no suspense.
*'Boring. Should I pretend to be scared? No, there are cameras. I'll just hurry through.'*
As Kusuo followed the sign to turn left, a shadow flashed by. A ghost jumped out, tripped, and fell.
Kusuo recognized her—Asahina Nazuna from Class A. They'd almost bumped into each other a year ago but hadn't spoken.
*'Is this part of the act? No, she really fell. And flat-ground slips are still a thing?'*
Kusuo helped her up.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, thanks... Ouch!"
Nazuna stood up, then fell again.
"Need the infirmary?"
"If possible... Ouch... please take me... It hurts! Wait!"
Nazuna realized something, turned, and stared at Kusuo.
"Hey, you're Kusuo, right? Ouch!"
*'She's in pain but still cares about my identity?'*
Kusuo sighed but nodded.
"I remember you. We almost bumped into each other last year. You remember?"
"You fell on flat ground, right?"
"Did my amulet get delivered? The guard said it was a boy with glasses and a hair clip—that's you, right? Ouch..."
"Yeah..."
"What a coincidence. Miyabi suddenly wanted a test run today, just for you. During the island exam, you gave him a hard time."
"Just luck..."