Chapter 49: Cultural Festival Day One (Tournament Part 1)

『I need you to come as soon as you’re done.』

I only noticed Souta’s message on my phone after I’d finished my shift attending customers.

Yuna and I changed back into our uniforms and headed toward one of the old school building’s classrooms, which had been designated as the venue for the Wiso tournament. The room was normally used by the handicrafts club, but because we needed a larger space for the tournament, we’d arranged to borrow it.

Our Wiso Club generally has a good relationship with the other minor cultural clubs located in the old school building.

Apparently, the clubs are especially grateful to Suzuka, the school chairman’s granddaughter, who negotiated to get air conditioning installed in the old building—something it had previously lacked.

The school festival is open to outsiders, so it’s normal to see people who aren’t students wandering around campus. But even so, the scene in the old school building was clearly abnormal.

“…What is this?”

The hallway was crowded with people who were clearly Wiso players, and the closer we got to the venue, the denser the crowd became.

Nearly all of them were men.

I didn’t think I was imagining the way people kept staring at me from all directions.

…Could it be that people already know I’m the one the winner gets to go on a date with?

That conversation I’d had earlier at the maid café flashed through my mind.

I needed to interrogate Souta later.

We stepped into the classroom that had been converted into the tournament venue.

The room, slightly larger than a typical classroom, was packed with people, thick with heat and energy.

The air conditioner was running, but it clearly couldn’t keep up. I fought the urge to turn around and leave, and forced myself to go in.

At the teacher’s desk area, a table had been set up as a reception and operations station. Inside were Souta, Suzuka, and several people I didn’t recognize.

“…Souta, what is this?”

For now, we entered the operation area and spoke to Souta, who was manning the reception.

“Took you long enough… As you can see, it’s a mess. I’m begging you—can we switch out?”

“Sure, but you owe me an explanation later.”

“Got it. I’m about to go ask if we can use another classroom as an extra venue. For how to handle reception, ask Ando-san.”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name, when suddenly, from behind, a person in a butler uniform stepped out of the shadows and gave a graceful bow.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kisaragi-sama. I am Suzune Ando, butler of the Hashimoto household, and in service to Lady Suzuka. Please remember me going forward.”

“Y-yes. I’m Alice Kisaragi. Nice to meet you.”

Ando-san, the self-proclaimed butler, was a young woman with a sharp, dignified look—a strikingly handsome woman in male attire.

To wear a full butler suit in this stifling heat and still carry herself so coolly was honestly impressive.

“We are not collecting any participation fees for this event. Signing your name on this roster will suffice for registration. So the reception job will mostly consist of answering player inquiries.”

“Understood… By the way, how many players have registered so far?”

“We currently have 94 registered participants.”

“N-ninety-four…!? How did it get to this point…?”

That’s more than some amateur championships held in this region. And as I glanced through the roster, I noticed names I’d only seen during pro tour broadcasts—Hall of Famers, top pros… What is this? Terrifying.

“Kamishiro-sama posted an announcement on social media to recruit participants. The novelty of it being part of a high school cultural festival, combined with the date prize and the rewards I prepared, seems to have generated more buzz than expected…”

I had seen that announcement. I remember thinking it was getting a lot of reposts—but I didn’t think it would lead to this.

Still, with how extravagant the prizes Ando-san prepared are, I could understand why so many people wanted to join.

“But still, how did people figure out I’m the date prize? I’m pretty sure the announcement only said ‘a club member’…”

“It has since been deleted, but Kamishiro-sama’s old social media post included several photos from club activities. It seems those images were shared on message boards, which led to you being identified as the date prize, Kisaragi-sama.”

Ugh… That damn Souta. What the hell was he thinking? He’s definitely going to owe me for this later.

“Excuse me, how do I sign up at the reception?”

A man approached the reception desk and asked politely.

“Sure! Just write your name here on the list.”

“That prize listed—where the winner gets a date—is that with you? What exactly does it include?”

“It’s just walking around the school festival together for a couple of hours tomorrow. It’s really just a joke prize, so don’t get your hopes up too much.”

“You’re seriously cute! Can I request your outfit? Like that maid outfit you wore earlier…”

“Sorry, but I’m sticking to the uniform.”

“Could I get your contact info?”

“That’s not part of the prize. Depending on how the date goes, we might exchange contact info—no promises.”

“Are there any other perks!? Like, maybe… a congratulatory kiss? Please!”

…A kiss, huh?

I feel like some famous idol did that once—kissing the winner on the cheek in a cooking contest or something. Maybe that level is okay…

As I answered his questions, I found myself wondering—what’s even the appeal of this prize?

Compared to the other extravagant rewards, this one really seems underwhelming. At this rate, it might end up being the last one left—the unwanted leftover prize.

But thinking about it rationally, it’s not like it has to be claimed. I don’t owe it to anyone to live up to their expectations. And yet, in the surreal atmosphere of the school festival, surrounded by the heat and energy of this packed classroom… I think I got a little carried away.

“…In that case, I’m okay with a kiss on the cheek.”

The moment I said that, the room froze for an instant—and then erupted in cheers like an explosion.

“UOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!?”

“W-we’re serious!? For real!?”

The news spread across the entire classroom almost instantly. The reaction was way bigger than I’d expected, and I was honestly overwhelmed.

“You know… don’t go making promises like that so casually. Seriously, I give up.”

…Lately, Yuna’s been sighing a lot around me. Is that just my imagination?