At this moment, Airi Sakura almost drew everyone's attention.
"Is that really Airi?"
"Not at all like her..."
"Unbelievable."
Everyone was stunned by Airi's current performance, whispering among themselves.
The usually gloomy Airi Sakura in class had now transformed into an energetic girl?
It was truly hard to believe.
Kiyotaka Ayanokōji also stared at Airi, equally shocked by her change.
Airi's performance is completely different from before. I didn't expect her to appear like this in front of everyone.
This is something the previous Airi could never have done. Why is she doing this?
Even the fact that Airi is working as a maid here is unbelievable. Even if forced, she shouldn't have agreed... The café's owner is Kusuo. Is this all because of him? He's the one who caused such a huge change in Airi.
'Hmm, it's not like I did anything special.'
Kusuo thought to himself.
"By the way, Kusuo, did you handle all the coffee and food yourself?"
At that moment, Yōsuke Hirata, who had just finished a simulation, asked Kusuo curiously.
"Yeah, basically. But that person helped me too."
Kusuo pointed in a certain direction—toward Mikoto Aiura.
"Isn't that the fortune-teller? I'm curious, how did you convince her to join our cultural festival?"
"She volunteered."
Kusuo sighed inwardly as he repeated the script Mikoto had prepared earlier,
"She said this was a great opportunity to promote her fortune-telling business, so she came to us. She thinks our café will be very popular, so she made this decision."
"I see."
Hirata nodded,
"But as the manager, you must be really busy."
"Not at all. I didn't do much."
Kusuo replied.
...
The trial run was almost over. Some student council members came to inspect, gave high praise, and then left. The students of Class 2-A also prepared to leave the classroom.
Just as Kusuo stepped into the corridor, he heard a heated argument.
"I didn't expect you, gorilla, to actually care about something~"
"You, the fraud, want me to teach you a lesson?"
Even from a distance, Kusuo knew exactly who was arguing.
Kakeru Ryūen and Kazuomi Hōsen.
Since the Uninhabited Island Exam, Kusuo hadn't seen Hōsen much—in fact, Hōsen had been deliberately avoiding him.
That day, Kusuo implanted a terrifying memory in Hōsen, even more terrifying than what Ryūen experienced. This left Hōsen with a deep-seated fear of Kusuo.
Ryūen's Class C was also hosting a café—a kimono café. Despite his lingering fear of Kusuo, curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to check out what Class A was preparing for the cultural festival.
Coincidentally, Hōsen was passing by, and the two ran into each other.
The moment they met, they started bickering, mocking each other, though neither made a move.
After all, the cultural festival was tomorrow, and the special teaching building was already equipped with surveillance cameras. No matter how heated their argument, they wouldn't dare start a fight.
'Hmm, better pretend I didn't see them.'
Kusuo turned around, intending to ignore them and leave.
But just then, a gentle voice called out from the other side.
"Kusuo, you're here!"
The voice was as soft as a feather, belonging to Hiyori Shiina.
At that moment, Hiyori was wearing a kimono, which, though completely different from Class A's maid outfits, gave her a very cute look.
Class C's café was sure to be just as impressive.
Usually, Hiyori and Kusuo often met at the library, and their relationship was closer than most. That's why Hiyori now called Kusuo by his first name.
"Hiyori, what are you doing here?"
"I heard Class A was hosting a café, so I came to take a look."
Hiyori said shyly.
Actually, I just wanted to see Kusuo, even if only for a second.
"I see."
Kusuo pretended not to hear her thoughts and nodded.
But Hiyori's voice successfully caught the attention of Hōsen and Ryūen.
They both stopped arguing, turned, and looked at Kusuo.
It's Kusuo!
Both of them shouted in their minds.
'Hmm, am I some kind of monster?'
Kusuo thought to himself.
But they weren't wrong. In their eyes, Kusuo was a complete monster.
"Look at that! The moment you saw Kusuo, your face turned pale with fear!"
Ryūen, the first to attack, struggled to control the tremor in his voice as he said to Hōsen,
"During the Uninhabited Island Exam, you withdrew. Why? Did you mess with someone you shouldn't have?"
Kusuo became Ryūen's weapon against Hōsen.
Hōsen, of course, wouldn't let Ryūen off easily. He quickly countered:
"I just ran into an unexpected situation. Unlike you, Ryūen, I heard you suddenly gave up your class leader position last year. Did someone teach you a harsh lesson?"
Hōsen smirked.
Both of them could guess what the other had gone through.
But...
They also secretly observed Kusuo, wondering what his reaction would be.
Did Kusuo manipulate the cultural festival too?
Class A took the two outermost classrooms on this floor! That must've cost a fortune... How did he manage that?
At that moment, both of them had the same thought, convinced Kusuo must have done something to make it happen.
'It's got nothing to do with me. Tsukishiro handled everything...'
Kusuo felt helpless but didn't bother explaining.
Takuya Yagami dropped out after that exam... I remember he was near me then... But after I woke up, I never saw him again. I only heard he dropped out... What did Kusuo do to make that happen? That guy... is terrifying.
Just looking at Kusuo filled Hōsen with intense fear.
He even felt a bit relieved.
Relieved that Kusuo had only knocked him out.
Hōsen didn't know what Yagami had experienced, nor did he want to know.
"Hōsen! You're here! We need your help back at the class!"
Just then, Tsubasa Nanase's voice suddenly came from the side. She had come to find Hōsen.
The moment she saw Kusuo, Nanase froze.
Though she hadn't interacted with Kusuo, she knew from Kiyotaka and Hōsen's experiences that Kusuo was no ordinary person.
Kiyotaka believed Kusuo's abilities far surpassed his own.
Hōsen had been forced to withdraw from the exam, and even when Nanase asked, he refused to say what had happened.
But Nanase clearly saw the fear on Hōsen's face.
Nanase knew Hōsen well—his courage and determination. He had even considered self-harm to get Kiyotaka expelled.
Yet, such a bold person had been defeated by Kusuo and was now terrified of him.
Truly terrifying.
"Ugh, what a bunch of useless trash. They can't do anything without me."
Though Hōsen said this, he grabbed Nanase like a lifeline and quickly left the corridor with her.
"Running away like a coward."
Ryūen muttered to Hōsen's retreating back, then turned to Hiyori, signaling it was time to leave.
"We still need to rehearse. I'll head back."
Hiyori smiled at Kusuo,
"Kusuo, are you free during winter break? We could read books together... or watch a movie."
"Probably. We'll talk later."
Kusuo replied.
"Okay."
Hearing Kusuo's affirmative response, Hiyori's face lit up with a smile. She nodded vigorously and left with Ryūen.
'Hmm...'
Before Kusuo could catch his breath, hurried footsteps approached.
"Kusuo, are you free now?"
'Will this ever end...'
Saiki turned his head and saw Honami Ichinose standing in front of him.
"Saiki, our cultural festival stall is in a trial run. Could you come by and give us some advice?"
Honami smiled at him.
"Sorry, I don't—"
"We're running a dessert shop!"
"Which floor? I'll come right now."
Saiki's expression immediately turned serious. He glanced at the readers and thought, *What are you thinking? I'm just helping because I can't say no. It's not like I'm doing this just for desserts.*
Saying this in his mind, Saiki quickly followed Honami to Class D's dessert shop.
The shop was filled with various cakes, bread, and crêpes. When Honami brought Saiki in, the Class D students, especially the girls, warmly welcomed him.
"Honami seems to care a lot about Saiki. For us, he's like a friend."
"During the Uninhabited Island Exam, Saiki was so impressive. I never thought he'd be that amazing in first year."
"They've gone from Class D to Class A…"
*Yare yare…*
Since the Uninhabited Island Exam, Saiki had been getting more attention at school.
"Saiki, I heard you're a dessert expert! I'd love to hear your opinion."
Honami smiled and presented a carefully prepared dessert to him.
"Who told you that?"
Saiki was confused.
"President Nagumo. He said you got a cake voucher from him and that you'd do anything for pudding or cake."
Honami joked.
"We're running a dessert shop. If the rumors are true, Saiki would definitely want to stay here."
Saiki's attention was entirely on the dessert Honami handed him.
"Then I won't hold back."
He popped a piece of cake into his mouth.
"How is it?"
Another Class D girl anxiously asked, waiting for his feedback.
Honami smiled and said,
"Saiki's already given his answer."
"What?"
"Look at his expression."
At that moment, Saiki was thoroughly enjoying the cake, lost in his own world, oblivious to the others' voices.
"Looks like our desserts are a success."
Honami's smile was filled with joy.
---
That evening, Saiki returned to his room and used teleportation to reach a hidden lab.
There, Kusuo was waiting.
"Oh, Natsu, what brings you here?"
Kusuo was surprised to see his brother.
"I know why you challenged me during the Uninhabited Island Exam."