Let the Cramming Begin!

After finishing the cotton candy in her hand, facing the vast Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School campus, Sakayanagi Arisu hesitated and slowed her pace.

"Actually, this is my first time participating in Cultural Festival."

"... I thought Arisu's practiced manner meant she was prepared in advance."

"Because I was also recently discharged from the hospital, and to be honest, I had only ever seen descriptions of Cultural Festival in books before."

Sakayanagi Arisu cast her gaze upon the bustling crowd in the distance:

"It seems that not only do we need more participants, but we also need more visitors."

"Um?"

"I was thinking that if it weren't for the cold, I would probably get bored very quickly if I came alone."

Sakayanagi Arisu extended her free right hand and made a large circle in the air:

"For example, I definitely wouldn't buy that cotton candy by myself, because I couldn't finish it."

"That's true."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded. Generally speaking, the guests attending the Cultural Festival are families with adults and children. However, as the Chairman of the board, Sakayanagi Arisu's father also needs to coordinate some work even on the day of the Cultural Festival, so most of the time Sakayanagi Arisu.

Actually, both he and Sakayanagi Arisu were children who escaped from the cage of the [White Room].

Perhaps this is why Sakayanagi Arisu had a good impression of him from the beginning. After all, Sakayanagi Arisu has fully experienced the predicament of being confined to one place and limited by her physical condition throughout her life.

"Then let's have some fun! I heard the other classes' activities are all scheduled in the Special Building."

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryo's gaze softened a little, and he took Sakayanagi Arisu's hand and walked towards the Special Building.

After being pulled along by Kitagawa Ryo for quite a distance, Sakayanagi Arisu finally realized what was happening, quickened her pace to catch up with Kitagawa Ryo, and said with some dissatisfaction:

"I'm the older sister, I should be the one leading Liang away."

A biting wind blew by, and Kitagawa Ryo felt his mind become exceptionally clear. He looked up and happened to hear Sakayanagi Arisu's words, so he smiled silently, shook his head, and denied it:

"Isn't this Arisu's first time here too? It's my first time as well, so there's no question of anyone showing anyone else around."

It's unclear whether something in those words touched a nerve with Sakayanagi Arisu, but she didn't say another word until the two entered the Special Building. She just frowned, deep in thought.

The maid café of Class 3-B is located on the first floor of the Special Building. Although it cost a considerable amount of money, the entire Class 3-B is quite confident. Especially after witnessing the girls dressed in maid outfits, the boys all said that if they were guests, they would definitely spend all their points here.

Welcome!

Hoshinomiya Chie's energetic voice rang out in the classroom—no, in the maid café.

Tomoda, who had been distributing flyers and coordinating the class at the entrance of the Special Building, immediately turned his attention to the first customer who entered the store. The first customer was a man who looked to be in his forties.

The six maids carefully selected from the class had begun to greet customers in an orderly manner, just as they had been trained. The most lively and cheerful of Hoshinomiya Chie, stepped forward with a warm smile as she served as the receptionist.

"Let me show you to a seat."

After confirming the seating, Chabashira Sae also served the prepared warm water and menu:

"Hello, today's special recommendations are crepes and chocolate bananas."

Although he didn't mispronounce any lines, Chabashira tension hadn't completely subsided, appeared to move very stiffly.

However, thanks to adequate prior preparations, the customer's lack of intention to make things too difficult for the high school student, and the mediation of Hoshinomiya, the order was proceeding smoothly.

Upon noticing this, Tomoda breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because of what Hoshinomiya had said to him a few days ago, but recently he had unconsciously begun to pay more attention to Chabashira Sae.

Even disregarding the advantage of her appearance, Tomoda believes that Chabashira Sae is a very important talent in Class B. Although she seems a bit aloof, her will and determination to be promoted to Class A are quite firm.

All along, in his eyes, Chabashira Sae had been completely devoted to the competition at this school, with only one goal in mind: to get into Class A. Therefore, he was somewhat concerned when he heard Hoshinomiya Chie say that Chabashira Sae had feelings for him.

However, Tomoda quickly snapped out of her thoughts, realizing that it was currently the Cultural Festival.

He took his phone out of his pocket and received calls and reports from classmates scattered throughout the school almost every few minutes.

Where there are many customers at a stall, and where there are few customers at another.

Knowing yourself and your Tomoda also assigned the task of investigating other classes when arranging projects for his own class.

Since the sales figures for each class are not released until the end of the Cultural Festival, this is the only way to gather information.

Perhaps because the Cultural Festival has just begun, there is no particularly important information available so far.

After turning off his phone, Tomoda tidied his clothes slightly and started handing out flyers again.

Could I have one?

"Certainly."

Suddenly, a question came from the side, and Tomoda subconsciously agreed. When he turned around, he found that the person tugging at his clothes and asking him for a flyer was a child who looked no more than six or seven years old.

"...?"

Even the seasoned and experienced Tomoda fell into a long-absent silence. So far, the maid café in Class 3-B had served middle-aged men in their forties, young men in their twenties, and high school students of similar age, but such customers...

"Little friend, are you lost from your parents? Do you need my help?"

Crouching down, Tomoda gave what he thought was a friendly smile.

But the little child in front of him simply shook his head, then stared blankly at the flyer in his hand, and repeated it again in a childish voice:

"Could I have a flyer?"

Tomoda glanced at the flyer in his hand. It was a layout he had carefully designed. Six maids were depicted, some making a heart shape with their hands, some sitting like ducks, and some pointing their fingers at their red lips. The layout was designed to precisely target a specific user type.

There's no blue Doraemon, no blonde princess, and no Kamen Rider who can transform.

So what exactly is it about this age group that attracts children?

While Tomoda was distracted, Kitagawa Ryo had already unceremoniously stood on tiptoe and snatched a flyer from his hand, leaving him with only a dashing back view.

This child truly has a limitless future.

Tomoda watched him leave and nodded thoughtfully.

"Maid cafe?"

"Arisu seems to be gritting his teeth."

"... I just didn't expect Ryo to want to go to a place like this."

Struggling to maintain a smile, Sakayanagi Arisu stiffly waved the flyer that Kitagawa Ryo had just brought back.

"I just think it looks interesting. Come to think of it, it's the first time I've ever seen a maid outfit."

Kitagawa Ryo couldn't very well admit that he had seen the names of Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie, so he could only feign ignorance.

"..."

Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at the flyer in her hand again. The maid outfits at this store didn't have any suggestive or revealing parts at all, and looked quite wholesome. It was difficult to voice some of her previous accusations.

"Mmm..."

Even Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't quite find a reason for it, and faced with Kitagawa Ryo's completely clueless and curious gaze, she could only nod reluctantly in agreement:

"But I want to go with Ryo."

"Okay."

After Sakayanagi Arisu, Kitagawa Ryo walked into the maid café of Class 3-B without any hesitation. Compared to Sakayanagi Arisu, who was muttering and looking around, his demeanor was full of the naturalness of someone who had been through many battles.

Welcome!

Although the combination of the two children seemed rather odd, Hoshinomiya Chie dutifully stepped forward, knelt down, and kindly asked:

Are you two here to rest or to make a purchase?

While Kitagawa Ryo could understand the other person's decision to squat down to talk, he also wanted to remind them that although the maid outfit was perfectly acceptable, looking down from above...

Well, Sakayanagi Arisu's hands moved faster than Kitagawa Ryo's eyes.

Seeing that Sakayanagi Arisu covered Kitagawa Ryo's eyes with a wary look, Hoshinomiya Chie also realized something and straightened up a little awkwardly. Fortunately, she had a good mindset, and since she was facing a child, she continued to ask the same question without changing her expression.

"Let's order."

Although she saw the other person get up, Sakayanagi Arisu still didn't put her hand down, and explained quite decisively.

"Okay, please follow me."

Hoshinomiya Chie led the two to an empty seat, thoughtfully lowering the table and raising the chair.

Chabashira Sae was attending to another table at the time, so Hoshinomiya brought the menu herself.

What would you like to eat for a cold meal?

"... I feel like I can't answer in this situation."

I can open my fingers a little bit for you.

"How about it?"

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was momentarily speechless, a greeting from another table came to his rescue.

"You Arisu, the daughter of the Sakayanagi Family."

The man who walked over was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. He was holding the hand of a boy who looked to be about the same age as Sakayanagi Arisu and had a somewhat gloomy appearance.

"So it's Uncle Kanzaki. Father will be so happy to know that you could take the time to attend the Cultural Festival."

Sakayanagi Arisu released her hand in an instant, stood up, and responded with a charming smile, her manners impeccable.

Kitagawa Ryo twitched the corner of his mouth.

It seems that no matter which timeline it is, Sakayanagi Arisu's fundamental nature has never changed.

Chapter Ninety-Six: Opening the Book!

"Mr. Kanzaki is the representative of Kanzaki Engineering Enterprise."

After quietly explaining to Kitagawa Ryo behind her, Sakayanagi Arisu turned around and greeted Kanzaki- san with a smile.

"This is my son, Ryuji."

Releasing his hand, Mr. Kanzaki nodded, gesturing for his son to step forward.

"Hello, I am Kanzaki Ryuji."

Urged by his father, Kanzaki Ryuji reluctantly gave a brief self-introduction, though he seemed somewhat unwilling.

Although he was not entirely satisfied with his son's performance, Mr. Kanzaki was also aware of his son's personality. His son was quite talented, but he was not very good at interpersonal communication, especially in stark contrast to Sakayanagi Arisu.

With a barely perceptible sigh, Mr. Kanzaki turned his gaze to Sakayanagi Arisu behind Sakayanagi Kitagawa Ryo. The two had acted very intimately just now, but Mr. Kanzaki knew that Sakayanagi Narimori only Sakayanagi Arisu child, so he was somewhat unsure of the other's identity.

Who is this?

Seeing the curious look on Kanzaki's face, Sakayanagi Arisu casually brushed it off:

"He's a distant cousin of mine."

"I see."

Nodding, Kanzaki didn't pay much attention to Kitagawa Ryo. The Sakayanagi Family was large and powerful, and indeed had many branches.

"Then I won't disturb you two any longer. I hope Ms. Arisu a great time."

"I also hope that Mr. Kanzaki and Ryuji can fully enjoy this Cultural Festival."

After glancing at the time, Kanzaki politely took his leave, and Sakayanagi Arisu nodded in response, replying earnestly.

Surprisingly, Kanzaki Ryuji was also from a zaibatsu family. Kitagawa Ryo listened to the entire conversation with great interest.

Compared to Koenji Rokusuke, Kanzaki Ryuji was remarkably low-key at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, showing absolutely no airs.

Having obtained another piece of intelligence, Kitagawa Ryo was in a fairly good mood.

"... I can already foresee the gatherings to come."

Compared to Kitagawa Ryo's joy, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed somewhat tired, propping her head up with her right arm and sighing.

The Sakayanagi Family's prestige meant they frequently received invitations to various banquets and parties. Even the previously sickly Sakayanagi Arisu was forced to attend several times. Now that she had recovered her health, it was almost impossible to predict what the future held for her.

However, this was just a minor incident, Sakayanagi Arisu quickly recovered and began to study the menu with Kitagawa Ryo.

"The price is so high!"

Kitagawa Ryo casually flipped through the menu. Although it mainly consisted of common desserts and coffees, the total cost was quite substantial.