Chapter 83 - A Little Detour
Since Haitani lives in the complete opposite direction, I walk home together with Mashiro, just the two of us.
We’d been so absorbed in the discussion about the cultural festival that the sky outside had already turned a deep shade of sunset. Plus, there was the meeting with Himeno, so we ended up heading home later than usual.
“It’s gotten pretty late, huh. You okay, Mashiro?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have anything in particular today, and more importantly, we had to decide on the design for the maid outfit we’ll wear at the festival. Thanks to Ryusuke, we managed to settle on a design smoothly today, so I’m relieved.”
“You guys in Class 1 are really on top of things. Our class only just managed to decide on what we’re doing today after a group discussion.”
“I still think that’s pretty early. What’s your class doing, Ryusuke?”
“We’re going with a food stall too—planning to serve sweets. I’ll make sure everyone’s taste buds are blown away with how good they are, so look forward to it.”
“Wait, does that mean you’re the one making the sweets for the festival, Ryusuke?”
“I’m in charge of coming up with the recipes and stuff. Of course I’ll be making them too, and everyone in the class will pitch in.”
“So you’re the leader of the cooking team then. That’s definitely going to be delicious.”
Mashiro knows how good I am at cooking, so her face lit up with a bright smile.
I want to work hard to serve sweets that live up to that expectation. Mashiro’s smile makes me feel that all over again.
“My class isn’t putting much effort into the food side, so it’ll probably be something simple like yakisoba. Instead, we’re going all out on the costumes.”
“Our class is the opposite—we’re not spending much on costumes. We’ll try to make it look nice to some extent, but we won’t be able to prepare anything as fancy as Mashiro’s class.”
Because each class is given a budget for the cultural festival, even if they do similar types of events, the results vary depending on the class. That’s one of the fun parts of the festival—walking around the school and comparing each class’s unique flair.
“It’s our first cultural festival since becoming high schoolers. I’m really excited! I bet it’s going to be way more amazing than anything we had in middle school.”
“Yeah. The quality of the events in the gym will probably be incredible, and I’m looking forward to the band performances from the light music club too.”
“I heard there’ll be tons of food stalls out in the courtyard too, so that’s something to look forward to!”
There’s still time before the cultural festival, but both Mashiro and I can’t help but be excited already. Wondering what kinds of attractions there’ll be, what we’ll eat—it’s all building up, and there’s no sign of it stopping. Mashiro’s face relaxed into a cheerful smile, her clear blue eyes sparkling.
“I’m going to serve the best sweets at the festival. You can count on it, Mashiro.”
“And I’ll be welcoming guests in a super cute maid outfit. Look forward to it, Master♡”
“Sounds like your class is going to be flooded with ‘Masters.’ Mashiro’s already cute, and now she’s going to be serving in a maid outfit?”
“It’s not that big a deal. I’m just wearing a maid outfit and doing some hospitality.”
“That’s exactly what makes it a big deal. You better brace yourself—there could be a line of people waiting for hours.”
“Ehh, you’re exaggerating. If anything, I think Class 2’s going to have the huge line thanks to Ryusuke’s special sweets.”
I’m planning to give it my all with the sweets, but if Mashiro—the world’s most beautiful girl—shows up in a maid outfit, the crowd-pulling power will be off the charts.
In the original story, Class 2’s sweets café had the highest sales in the school and won the top prize at the cultural festival, but now that Mashiro has become the pure and graceful ultimate heroine, that outcome might change.
With a mix of anticipation and nervousness about the unknown, the walk home with just Mashiro passes by in the blink of an eye.
“Is it okay if I don’t walk you all the way to your apartment today?”
“Yeah, this is far enough. Thanks, Ryusuke. I’m glad you came to see me after school.”
“I didn’t get to see your face yesterday because of my cold. Seeing you again really puts me at ease. Things are going to get busy with festival prep, so I want to spend time with you while I still can.”
“Geez… Ryusuke, that’s not fair. Saying stuff like that is bound to make me happy.”
Mashiro’s cheeks turned red as she fidgeted with her lips. I felt a little embarrassed too and looked away to cover it up.
We should be heading home soon, but neither of us can seem to find the right moment to part. Being with Mashiro feels so comfortable that I just want to stay a little longer.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Mashiro gently pinched the sleeve of my shirt with her fingertips and looked up at me with moist, shimmering blue eyes.
“Mashiro, you don’t want to go home yet, huh?”
“Ehehe… You caught me? I kinda want to stay with Ryusuke a little longer.”
“When you say stuff like that, it’s way too powerful.”
“I’m a genius at making Ryusuke’s heart race, after all.”
Mashiro gave a mischievous smile and tugged at my sleeve. It felt like she was pleading to go hang out somewhere, and her innocent cuteness made me smile.
“Ryusuke, wanna take a little detour on the way home? Let’s do something fun together.”
“Guess I’ll be a bad boy for once. Lately I’ve been heading straight home without stopping anywhere.”
“Ehehe. Looks like it’s going to be a fun night, Master♡”
We used to go out together at night all the time, but lately we’d been heading home like model students. Maybe it’s okay to take a little detour with Mashiro and stay out a bit later once in a while.
Humming beside Mashiro, I began walking under the gradually darkening sky.