Saiki's behavior surprised Suzune. Usually, he didn't interfere with class activities, but this time, he seemed interested in the maid café.
*Does Saiki have a thing for maids?*
*No, I care about the food quality! Whether it's maids or anything else, they're not the core of a café. Only the taste matters! That's what keeps customers coming back.* Saiki thought firmly.
"Yes, Master!"
Hearing Saiki, Maya and the others smiled and nodded, then headed to the kitchen area.
"You're here too!" Hasebe said, approaching them.
"Hasebe, I didn't expect you to join this," Suzune remarked.
In her memory, Hasebe was a quiet student who rarely participated in such events.
Saiki knew the reason—Airi was also involved.
He could hear Airi's thoughts from the kitchen.
*Saiki's finally here! I must make a good impression!*
*I've practiced so much... Hasebe and the others tasted it and said it was good... though they might've been polite.*
*I remember Saiki likes sweets, so I added extra jam and sugar.*
Maya and the others were maids, while Airi volunteered to prepare the coffee and desserts.
"Airi wanted to join, so I came with her," Hasebe explained.
"I see. But Airi hasn't come out yet," Suzune noted.
*Airi joined too? The 600,000 points are tempting, but I didn't think she'd act for points... Some students are more enthusiastic than I expected.* Suzune thought, though she didn't voice her doubts.
"She's focused on the food. I'll check outside, just in case," Hasebe said, leaving after a brief exchange.
Suzune turned to Saiki:
"What do you think of this proposal?"
"I'll judge after tasting the food. For a café, the coffee and desserts are key."
"You're surprisingly serious," Suzune remarked, raising an eyebrow.
Saiki hesitated, then cleared his throat and said,
"I was serious during the last exam too."
"Just 'serious'? That's enough to beat Nagumo and top the school?"
Suzune's gaze intensified.
Saiki had blamed everything on Kiyotaka, claiming he was told to hide his abilities. Kiyotaka acknowledged Saiki's help, but Suzune remained curious.
"Nagumo wasn't trying, and I was just lucky," Saiki shrugged.
"Lucky..." Suzune muttered, unconvinced.
Luck couldn't explain everything.
Moreover, Saiki seemed valued by Horikita.
"Regardless of why you hid your abilities, you've contributed greatly. You solidified our Class A's position and made Kōenji a valuable asset," Suzune said seriously.
After a brief conversation, silence fell. Neither enjoyed small talk, and they lacked common topics.
Ten minutes later, Maya brought the food to Saiki.
The coffee was freshly ground, which Saiki could tell with his abilities.
*The taste is decent, not comparable to a high-end café, but impressive for high school students.*
*The cake is average. The jam isn't evenly spread, but it's acceptable.*
*Overall, there's room for improvement, but it's good enough for the cultural festival.*
Though picky about food, Saiki finished everything.
"Master, how was it?" Maya asked. Airi peeked from the kitchen, nervous.
*Will Saiki like it? What if he doesn't?*
Unaware Saiki knew she was there, Airi waited anxiously.
Saiki thought for a moment, then nodded:
"It's good. No issues."
"Yay, Master!" Maya cheered, while Airi smiled happily.
"Great. But is the budget finalized? I want details on the process," Suzune said, turning to them.
"It's all in the proposal!" Mei-Yu handed Suzune the document.
"This is the most complete proposal I've seen. Well done."
Suzune nodded, praising Maya and the others.
"It's an interesting idea. Not unique, but with effort, it could succeed. However, there are drawbacks. Renting outfits costs 4,000 points each, so ten outfits are 40,000. Food and drinks will cost around 50,000. That's already 90,000. Decorations are 5,000. With venue rental, expenses will be high."
"We can raise prices to cover it!" Maya quickly suggested.
"Let me confirm again—this plan hasn't been seen by anyone else, right?"
"Of course not!"
"I think this maid café idea can work, but you'll need to refine it further and cut costs."
Hearing Horikita Suzune's words, the other girls in the room immediately smiled with excitement.
"Don't celebrate too early. Remember, this is just one step forward. There's still a lot to do. Your coffee is hand-ground, which tastes good but is expensive and time-consuming. During a busy cultural festival, that's a disadvantage. We need to speed things up to attract more customers. I suggest using pre-ground coffee beans instead. The same goes for other drinks. For food, I recommend cheaper, easier-to-make snacks. They'll sell at a higher price too."
"Got it!"
The others nodded vigorously.
"Also, a café needs a manager. I think Saiki should take the role."
"Huh?"
Saiki Kusuo froze, completely caught off guard by the sudden assignment.
This meant more trouble for him.
"Since it's a maid café, you, as a guy, will have more authority over the girls. I don't see any issues with you managing them."
"I…"
Before Saiki could refuse, Satō Maya nodded emphatically.
"Yeah, I support Saiki as the manager too!"
*"This way, I can talk to Saiki anytime without looking suspicious!"*
Satō's thoughts echoed loudly.
Of course, she wasn't the only one.
Sakura Airi's thoughts were similar.
Saiki couldn't help but suspect that Satō's real motive was to get closer to him.
"If you have someone else in mind, Saiki, you can tell them about this today, but keep it secret. If anything goes wrong, the plan will be canceled."
Horikita added.
"And you…"
She continued with a long list of instructions, leaving Saiki feeling helpless.
He didn't want more complications in his life.
But then, Saiki remembered Kiryūin Fūka's earlier words:
*'Well, it's a café, and the taste isn't bad. Might as well agree for now.'*
Saiki finally nodded.
....
The next morning, before the first class, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom with an important announcement.
"Before the October sports festival, you'll face a new special exam."
*"What? Another special exam?"*
*"I thought things were finally calming down at school."*
*"Well, it shouldn't be too hard for us now."*
The students were uneasy. Last year, they'd been fully focused on the sports festival without any extra exams.
"Honestly, there's no precedent for first or third years having a special exam before the sports festival. But because you second years are exceptional, the school is giving you this exam."
Chabashira's expression was serious.
"This exam is a major test for you."
*"It seems simple, but it's actually very dangerous."*
Chabashira's thoughts reached Saiki.
"This time, you'll face a unanimous decision exam."
"The rules are simple. If you have questions, ask anytime. The exam is tomorrow. As the name suggests, the whole class must vote unanimously on multiple options until you reach agreement."
"Since the rules are straightforward, the school didn't require prior discussion. The exam will start suddenly tomorrow."
Chabashira explained slowly.
"Will we be competing with other classes this time?"
Hirata Yōsuke asked worriedly.
"No, it's just an internal class exam. On the day, the school will present five topics, the same for all classes."
Chabashira opened a projection screen.
"Let me give you an example."
*Example: Lose 5 class points, but all students gain 10,000 individual points.*
*Options: Agree / Disagree*
"For this topic, all 39 of you will vote anonymously. No matter how many choose one option, if there's no unanimous decision, you'll vote again. Each vote is 10 minutes apart, with free discussion allowed."
"The chosen option will be implemented by the school. For example, if everyone agrees to the example, each of you gets 10,000 points, and the class loses 5 points. If the result is disagreement, the topic becomes void."
Chabashira explained the rules.
*"Don't underestimate this exam."*
*"Some students might even drop out."*