Episode 7: “So, I’m surrounded by maids… (Kanon Festival Day One)”

October 22nd, Friday. The first day of the Kanon Festival had finally arrived.

Today was reserved exclusively for students—a chance to explore the mock shops and exhibits that had transformed our school into a bustling marketplace. The drama club’s performance wouldn’t begin until tomorrow, so apart from my shift at our class’s cosplay café, my schedule was refreshingly open. Kousei and I had planned to spend the evening preparing for tomorrow’s show, leaving us free to wander the festival grounds until then.

That was the plan, anyway.

“So what exactly is this supposed to be, Ryouta?” Kousei’s voice carried a note of resigned bewilderment.

“Ahaha… your guess is as good as mine~” I replied, though I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what this was about.

When we’d arrived at our classroom that morning, large paper bags sat prominently on both our desks. Inside each bag was a costume, complete with a cheerful note instructing us to wear them today. As guys who’d successfully avoided cosplay up until now, our natural instinct was to politely decline. Unfortunately, Hoshino—our class’s festival committee member—was positioned strategically in the corner, flashing us an enthusiastic thumbs-up that made it clear this wasn’t exactly optional.

The real problem wasn’t being forced to wear costumes. The problem was what those costumes actually were.

“No matter how you look at it, these are definitely ‘prince’ outfits, right?” Kousei held up the elaborate jacket with obvious distaste.

“Ahaha, well, you’ll probably pull it off just fine. Think about how I feel having to wear the same thing.” I tried to keep my tone light, but internally I was cringing. Kousei had the kind of natural good looks that could make anything work—me, not so much.

Sure, I’d told Hoshino I didn’t have any preferences when she’d asked about costumes, but this? This was pushing it.

“This is way too embarrassing, no matter what,” I muttered.

“Well, they went to the trouble of preparing them for us. Maybe we should at least try them on once?” Kousei examined the outfit more closely. “They’re styled kind of like our school uniforms, so they probably won’t stand out too much.”

While we stood there making increasingly uncomfortable faces, Hoshino approached with what I could only describe as dangerous enthusiasm.

“Sorry about this, Ueda-kun. There really weren’t any other options that seemed like they’d suit you…” she said, though her tone suggested she wasn’t particularly sorry at all.

“I’m seriously questioning your judgment if you thought this would suit me,” Kousei replied flatly.

He had a point.

In the end, we surrendered to the inevitable. Kousei and I changed into the prince outfits in the designated changing room and returned to class to face our fate.

The moment Kousei stepped through the doorway, a chorus of delighted squeals erupted from the girls scattered around the classroom. As for my entrance? Complete silence. I’d expected as much, but it still stung a little.

Kousei responded to the attention with his usual grumbled “how annoying,” though the faint flush on his cheeks suggested he might not have minded it entirely.

“It really suits you, Kousei,” I said, and I meant it.

“Shut up.”

The prince looked truly perfect for him—elegant, natural, like he’d been born to wear it. Me, on the other hand? I looked like the costume was wearing me instead. More specifically, I resembled Villager A, who’d stolen the prince’s clothes while he was bathing in a lake and was now trying to pass himself off as royalty.

I took a casual survey of our transformed classroom. Some students had chosen traditional kimonos, while others had gone full commitment with mascot suits. The more outgoing girls seemed to have coordinated on high-exposure outfits, but if they were comfortable with their choices, who was I to judge?

“We might actually be the most normal ones here, you know?” I observed.

“I said shut up.”

The last person to make their grand entrance into our Halloween-transformed classroom was Hoshino herself, resplendent in a princess costume. The outfit struck a careful balance—prim and proper at first glance, but with a boldly cut neckline that would emphasize her figure whenever she leaned forward. I found myself looking away quickly. So Hoshino was going for that kind of appeal…

She approached Kousei, who was sitting at his desk scrolling through his phone with practiced indifference.

“So, what do you think, Ueda-kun?” she asked, doing a small twirl.

“About what?”

“Does it suit me?”

“Who knows…” Kousei continued staring at his phone screen without so much as glancing in her direction.

I felt a stab of sympathy for Hoshino. She’d probably chosen the princess costume specifically to complement Kousei’s prince outfit—aiming for that perfect prince-and-princess photo opportunity that would make all her friends jealous.

Well, the Kanon Festival was just beginning. I offered her a mental word of encouragement as we waited for the opening bell to ring.

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Our shift at the café was mercifully short—just one hour from eleven to twelve—leaving us with plenty of free time before and after. We were assigned to customer service duty while other guys handled food prep, which meant our responsibilities were relatively light.

With that comfortable knowledge, Kousei and I decided to explore the festival grounds until our shift began. Despite feeling awkward in our unfamiliar costumes, we made our way through the main entrance. We wandered between the stall-like mock shops, sampling whatever food caught our attention.

Kousei drew attention wherever we went, just as he always did. Today, however, dressed in his prince outfit instead of his usual casual style, he stood out even more dramatically. We navigated through the festival with practiced awareness of the stares following us, when—

“Ah, there you are! Onii-chan! Ryouta-senpai!”

Hinata’s voice cut through the festival noise, bright and unmistakable.

Kousei and I turned toward the sound—and froze completely.

Maids. There were maids everywhere.

Not just one or two, but an entire group of them, and somehow Akira was right in the middle of the formation.

Looking more carefully, I realized the maid army charging toward us included Akira, Hinata, Nishiyama, and several other drama club members. When exactly had they transformed into a maid club?

“Hey, what’s going on here, Ryouta…?” Kousei’s voice had taken on a slightly strangled quality.

“I—who knows…? Why is everyone dressed as maids…?” I was equally bewildered.

The sight had completely thrown both of us off balance.

“Hehe—did we surprise you, Majima-senpai?” Nishiyama asked with obvious delight, lifting the hem of her skirt and giving it a playful flutter.

“‘Surprised’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Why are you all maids?”

“Well, you see~ It all started when we went to the handicrafts club about fixing our costumes—”

According to Nishiyama’s explanation, the handicrafts club had offered to repair all the drama club’s costumes free of charge, covering both labor and materials. It seemed like an incredibly generous offer—until she mentioned the catch.

There was always a catch.

The condition was that they had to wear costumes created by the handicrafts club during the Kanon Festival, spending the entire first day modeling them around campus. Essentially, they’d agreed to serve as walking advertisements for the handicrafts club’s skills. Additionally, they were expected to help draw customers to the handicrafts club’s exhibition hall during the afternoon.

No wonder Ito had turned bright red and gone silent when the costume topic came up before…

“—So that’s why we’re maids for the entire day today~” Nishiyama concluded cheerfully.

“This is literally the first I’m hearing about this. I am technically a club member too, you know…?” I pointed out.

“Of course! It was supposed to be a surprise for you, Majima-senpai~!”

Nishiyama punctuated this explanation by laughing heartily while repeatedly slapping my shoulder, which did nothing to help my processing of this information.

“Well, yeah, I’m definitely surprised, but still…” I turned my attention to Akira, who had been fidgeting nervously behind the other drama club members.

“Akira, you kept this secret from me too?”

“But Kazusa-chan told us to keep it secret until today…” she replied, looking genuinely apologetic.

Akira’s outfit was, compared to the others, notably different. Her skirt was shorter, and the design completely eliminated sleeves. It was styled like a maid costume with significantly higher exposure—the kind of outfit that made you want to point out that such maids didn’t exist in real life.

Though I had to admit, it suited her perfectly…

Meanwhile, the Ueda siblings were having their own conversation.

“What do you think, Onii-chan? Does it suit me?” Hinata asked, doing a small spin.

“You idiot. Aren’t you embarrassed wearing something like that?”

“You’re the one dressed up like a prince!”

“I’m not wearing this because I want to!”

Their usual bickering continued, but watching a handsome prince argue with a beautiful maid was undeniably entertaining. Still, Kousei had a valid point—Hinata’s outfit was quite bold.

Not to be outdone by Akira, Hinata’s maid costume featured similarly high exposure. The knee-high socks were charming, but the low neckline and form-fitting design created what could only be described as devastating visual impact.

“Come on, Amane, come over here and show Majima-senpai!” Nishiyama called out.

“No! K-Kazusa-chan, it’s too embarrassing~…” Ito protested.

Against her obvious wishes, Ito was dragged forward to display her costume. Her maid outfit was more conservative than Akira’s and Hinata’s—longer in length with a simpler, more traditional design. While the lower exposure level was appreciated, she was fidgeting so shyly that I found it difficult to know where to direct my gaze. Since she clearly didn’t want to be stared at, I made a conscious effort not to ogle.

Examining the group more carefully, I noticed that Nishiyama’s costume was similar to Ito’s, featuring a knee-length skirt that gave it the appearance of a family restaurant uniform.

“So, what do you think, Majima-senpai? Aren’t our maid outfits cute?” Nishiyama asked with obvious pride.

“…Well, I suppose they’re fine?” I managed.

“What kind of reaction is that~! Say something like they’re cute or whatever~”

As if I could say something like that in front of Akira…

“I-It’s embarrassing… Don’t look at me too much…” Ito murmured, her cheeks flushed.

“Ito-san, don’t worry about it…” I tried to offer some reassurance.

While I was navigating this increasingly awkward situation, I felt someone tugging at my sleeve.

“Aniki~…” The voice was distinctly pouty.

It was Akira, her cheeks puffed out in an unmistakable expression of displeasure.

“W-What is it, Akira…?”

“You’re looking at everyone and grinning…”

“No, I’m not, really…” I protested, though I suspected my face might have betrayed me.

For Akira’s sake, I made a point of averting my gaze from the assembled group of maids, but I could feel the stares of other festival-goers gathering on our unusual party. This was, to put it mildly, becoming an increasingly complicated situation…

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After spending some time with the drama club, we eventually parted ways, returning to our usual group of four—myself, Akira, and the Ueda siblings. Akira, acutely aware of the attention we were drawing, stayed close to my side with her arm linked through mine.

“Even so, Akira, it’s pretty impressive that you were willing to wear something like that,” I commented as we walked.

“Ugh… But it was the condition for the costume exchange, and everyone said they’d do it together…” she replied with a slight sigh.

“Still, that takes considerable courage, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah…” she agreed quietly.

With another small sigh, I glanced over at the Ueda siblings. While both were dressed differently than usual, they seemed to have found a new topic for their ongoing debate.

“Onii-chan, a prince cosplay… Aren’t you embarrassed?” Hinata teased.

“Your outfit is way more embarrassing than mine,” Kousei shot back.

They continued their argument about each other’s costumes with familiar energy. Since it wasn’t escalating into an actual fight, I decided it was safe to leave them to it.

“Akira, is there anything you’d like to eat?” I asked.

“Um, chocolate banana…” she said after a moment of consideration.

“Got it, I’ll buy one for you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Anything else?”

“That thing Aniki’s holding…” She pointed at the cup of cola I’d purchased earlier. The ice cubes had mostly melted, leaving the drink somewhat watered down.

“Oh, this? It’s just cola, but do you want something to drink?”

“I want that one.”

“Should I buy you a fresh drink instead?”

“No… Aniki’s is fine…”

“Eh…?”

“Give me that one.”

“O-Oh, sure, I don’t mind—”

When I handed her the cup, she placed her lips on the straw and began drinking without hesitation.

“Haah~ I was thirsty. —Here, Aniki.” She returned the cup to me as if sharing drinks was the most natural thing in the world.

She’d used my straw like it was nothing…

“What’s wrong?” she asked, noticing my expression.

“Nothing, I was just thinking that overthinking it would be worse.”

That said, drinking after Akira still felt somehow significant in a way I couldn’t quite articulate.

“Kousei, mind if we stop for a moment?”

“Hm? Sure.”

I asked Kousei and Hinata to wait while I purchased a chocolate banana and handed it to Akira. She bit into it with obvious enjoyment, her expression brightening immediately.

“Good?”

“Yeah!”

Satisfied by her smile, I was surprised when she held the chocolate banana directly in front of me.

“Aniki, have a bite too.”

“Are you sure?”

I took a bite of the offered treat, and the flavor carried an unexpectedly nostalgic quality. My father used to take me to neighborhood festivals frequently when I was younger. The chocolate bananas from those occasions had been incredibly delicious, and I’d always begged him to buy them for me. Lost in those memories, I was enjoying the familiar taste when I became aware of being watched.

Following the sensation, I discovered that Kousei and Hinata had stopped their argument at some point and were now observing us with narrowed eyes.

“Hm? What’s up, you two?”

“Nothing.” “It’s nothing.”

Their synchronized responses carried an oddly ominous quality.

Before I could investigate further, the time for our shift change arrived. Kousei and I said goodbye to Akira and the others, hurrying back to our classroom.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

The first day of the Kanon Festival concluded, and after changing out of our costumes, I made my way to the gym. The drama club members were already on stage, deep into preparations for tomorrow’s performance. I joined them and contributed where I could.

Once the basic stage setup was complete, Ito and I began checking the sound and lighting equipment together. After finishing those inspections, the full dress rehearsal on stage commenced.

I found myself watching from beside Hinata, who was waiting for her entrance cue.

“But isn’t it strange! Even Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, were married, weren’t they! Family… It’s such a beautiful word. I want to create a family too. What’s wrong with that!”

Akira moved across the stage with passionate intensity, her voice carrying Romeo’s emotions with remarkable conviction. Nishiyama, playing the friar, matched her energy completely, refusing to be overshadowed. Akira’s acting had improved so dramatically that watching her perform was genuinely reassuring.

“Akira really does seem like a completely different person…” I murmured.

“Yeah, I’m surprised too…” Hinata agreed.

Akira had truly transformed. As Nishiyama had suggested, perhaps she really did possess natural talent for this.

“—Hinata-chan, next scene.”

“Yes!”

Hinata wasn’t about to be outdone by Akira’s performance. As she stepped onto the stage from the wings, her entire demeanor shifted, as if Juliet herself had taken possession of her body.

Akira, now standing beside me, let out a soft sigh of admiration while watching the exchange between Hinata and Nishiyama.

“Kazusa-chan is talented too, but Hinata-chan is really exceptional. And she’s so beautiful…” she observed.

“Yeah, the Juliet role suits her perfectly.”

“For Juliet, I guess I really can’t compete with Hinata-chan after all…”

“You think so? I feel like you could handle any role now, Akira.”

“No. Just look at that expression.”

“Hm?”

“Please, brother! No more duels or fights until I’m married. Hey, do you hate me? You’ve played with me since we were children. It’s your sister’s request—won’t you listen to me?”

Hinata was completely immersed in her role as Juliet, seamlessly shifting her expressions, gestures, and vocal tone with masterful precision. She stood head and shoulders above the other drama club members, not simply because of her experience, but due to talent supported by genuine dedication and effort.

“Well, Hinata-chan is Hinata-chan. —Come on, Akira, you’re up next.”

“Yeah. I’m off, Aniki!”

“Go for it!”

I gave Akira an encouraging high-five and watched her take the stage.

“You’re beautiful, Juliet. Today’s dress is even more gorgeous and lovely than when I saw you before.”

“Romeo, you’re much more handsome than you were then too.”

“Ahem! Excuse me, you two? I’m terribly sorry to interrupt while you’re so busy, but…”

Watching Akira perform, I felt something powerful welling up from deep within my chest. The once-shy girl who could barely speak to strangers was now confidently holding her own as the lead character, matching the performances of experienced actors like Hinata and Nishiyama. She was surrounded by friends, radiating life and energy in a way I’d never seen before.

Standing in the wings, I almost felt tears threatening to spill, but I quickly forced them back. The curtain hadn’t even risen on the actual performance yet.

I would save those tears for the very end…

—However, problems have a way of emerging just when everything seems to be going perfectly.

We were about to learn that lesson the hard way, and sooner than any of us expected.