I'm from the White Room

"Since it's a maid cafe, you'll need to pay extra if you want to take photos or have your picture taken."

Sakayanagi Arisu pointed to the item highlighted in a separate frame on the last page of the menu: taking a photo of a single maid costs 800 points, and taking a photo of two maids together costs an additional 400 points, for a total of 1,200 points.

Considering that each underage guest was only allocated 5,000 points, this price can be considered quite high.

"But business is still very good."

Bored, I shifted my gaze to a corner of the restaurant, a designated photo area. Students with cameras were earnestly instructing guests and maids on various poses, and several people were queuing up, indicating it was quite popular.

"Because it's not real money, it's more like a free trial voucher given away by the school."

Sakayanagi Arisu shook her phone. Since the two of them had only bought one cotton candy so far, her remaining points had hardly decreased, still totaling over four thousand.

"Besides, it can't be exchanged for cash after today, so since it's all going to be spent anyway, many people naturally won't care about the price."

The two chatted casually while ordering some light snacks and desserts that looked decent, and for drinks, they chose black tea.

"I'm very sorry, but we only have one serving of Darjeeling tea left for the two guests."

A short while after the order was submitted, Chabashira Sae came over and said somewhat apologetically. This was Kitagawa Ryo's first time meeting Chabashira Sae from her student days, so he couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

Compared to the Chabashira Sae who would later have a perpetually sullen face as if everyone owed her 30 million yen, the Chabashira Sae at this time seemed much more approachable. Of course, the influence of her maid outfit cannot be ruled out.

Seemingly noticing the commotion, Tomoda, Leader was in charge of coordinating the class, came over and immediately bowed in apology after understanding the situation.

"Could you please choose another drink? As an apology, this one will only be charged half price."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded; he didn't seem to care much.

After seeing Kitagawa Ryo nod in agreement, Tomoda quickly began making arrangements:

"Immediately place notices indicating 'sold out' on all menu items, and also manually modify the signs displayed to the public."

"Hmm, let me think, I'll add the phrase '[Sold out due to overwhelming popularity]'."

Under Tomoda's clear command, Class 3-B began their shift change and rest in an orderly manner, and their cooperative spirit drew some attention from Kitagawa Ryo, who was observing from the side.

Moreover, Kitagawa Ryo keenly noticed Chabashira Sae's expression; as the boy, who appeared to be the class Leader, made the arrangements, her gaze almost constantly followed his movements.

"This girl likes this boy."

Sakayanagi Arisu took a sip of the last cup of Darjeeling tea that had just been served, and she also noticed the details of the Chabashira Sae, following Kitagawa Ryo's gaze.

"Did Arisu notice too?"

Kitagawa Ryo nodded slightly. He now had a vague idea in his mind that Chabashira Sae's change was most likely related to this boy.

Hoshinomiya Chie once said that Chabashira Sae was not qualified to lead the class to Class A. From this statement, it is not difficult to imagine what happened back then. It is very likely that Chabashira Sae's personal mistake led to the class's failure, and they ultimately fell at the gates of Class A.

Judging from the current atmosphere in Class 3-B, with its capable Leader and united class members, they do have a considerable chance of challenging Class A's status.

"When a girl has a crush on a boy, it's very obvious."

Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled softly, then cut a piece of cake with her fork and handed it to Kitagawa Ryo.

"Ah--"

"Are you going to feed me?"

"You can tell at a glance, right?"

"It's just that what Arisu said earlier makes me feel a little uncomfortable."

That's why it's so obvious.

Sakayanagi Arisu's cake was already at Kitagawa Ryo's lips, so Kitagawa Ryo had no choice but to bite down on the fork. Soon, the sweetness of the cake bloomed on his tongue, and the taste of cream spread throughout his mouth.

"Is it tasty?"

Although Kitagawa Ryo believed his dessert skills far surpassed those of ordinary cakes bought from convenience stores, when looked at by Sakayanagi Arisu's mesmerizing eyes, his words unconsciously turned into affirmations:

"I don't dislike it."

After hearing Kitagawa Ryo's answer, Sakayanagi Arisu nodded in satisfaction.

"Then I'll try it too."

She held the fork that Kitagawa Ryo had just bitten, seemingly oblivious to everything, and casually cut and ate the cake.

"While it certainly wasn't delicious, it was passable, I suppose."

After taking a couple of bites and making her assessment, Sakayanagi Arisu then used her fork to pick up another piece and offered it to Kitagawa Ryo.

Kitagawa Ryo couldn't refuse such obvious kindness, so he could only continue to accept her feeding.

Fortunately, because of cost-saving measures, each cake is not very large, so it can be eaten quickly when shared between two people.

"Next time, let's take Liang to eat an even better cake."

After putting the last bit of cream on her fork into her mouth, Sakayanagi Arisu wiped her mouth with a tissue and said this.

"Does Arisu know how to bake cakes?"

Kitagawa Ryo was inexplicably reminded of the last simulation by Sakayanagi Arisu's words, and asked a question for no apparent reason.

Sakayanagi Arisu paused for a moment, but quickly said confidently:

"If Ryo wants to eat a cake I made myself, then I can learn how to make it."

"Cooking isn't difficult for me."

"Then I'll look forward to it."

As the two were chatting idly, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from not far away.

Across from the maid café, in front of another shop, a considerable number of customers had gathered, and newcomers, curious to see what was going on, kept trying to see what was happening, creating a rather lively atmosphere.

As the Leader of Class 3-A, after experiencing the previous two Cultural Festival, Izumiya keenly seized some business opportunities in the Cultural Festival of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

In fact, as students, they find it difficult to truly attract these guests. Whether it's food, entertainment, or performances, adults see them as children's games. Many adults, despite having 10,000 points, often just casually spend them on whatever catches their eye.

So, what is it that can attract the families of these school staff members?

Many classes have actually thought about this problem, and their solutions often start with the children. The guests are basically a combination of parents and children. As long as the children's attention can be attracted, the adults' points can also be easily collected.

Based on this concept, most classes chose projects that would please children, such as dessert shops or haunted houses.

However, Izumiya came up with a project that only they, the students of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, could run.

Generally speaking, high school Cultural Festival are often held to promote the school, expand its reputation, and attract students from nearby areas to apply. Therefore, most high school Cultural Festival feature graduating junior high school students.

As a highly prestigious Advanced Nurturing High School in Tokyo and even nationwide, it is safe to say that a considerable number of students from all over the country aspire to enter this school.

However, Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School has only admitted 160 students per year so far, and they must pass a rigorous Written Exam and interview. Coupled with the rumored near 100% college entrance and employment rate, it has easily created the image of an elite aristocratic school.

Therefore, although Izumiya also targeted the children among the guests, it chose a completely different approach.

Aside from health issues, parents absolutely value their children's education the most. Some parents are even so extreme that they neglect their children's health in order to focus on education.

After realizing this, Izumiya persuaded the whole class to try something new.

Want to test your child's chances of getting into Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School?

"A special gift prepared by Class 3-A on the first floor of the Special Building, recommended by multiple class advisors, to students aspiring to apply to this school before graduation!"

"Try multiple practice exams online, win various gifts, and even access past Written Exam questions to help you understand the examiners. The questions feature new materials, new question designs, new question types, and complementary question formats. Practice all the frequently tested points, and you too can get into ANHS!"

Only a small number of students were left to stay at the venue, while Izumiya led a large Class 3-A students out in droves, handing out flyers and starting to promote the event extensively, leaving the students around who were frying noodles dumbfounded.

Cultural Festival can be done like this?

What astonished the other students even more was that many parents who were idly accompanying their children actually took the flyers with curiosity and began to read them with great interest. Soon, they dragged their bewildered children directly to the first floor of the Special Building.

At the entrance to the Matoba Class 3-A, Izumiya went to great lengths, renting several laptops and having relevant personnel in the class install the necessary software, importing his carefully selected past exam questions from the past three years, and then displaying a large banner:

[The higher your score, the greater the discount you'll receive].

That's not all. Class 3-A went even further, using a projection screen to display a leaderboard on another wall in real time, allowing everyone passing by to see the ten children with the highest scores on the quiz.

[You could be the next genius to get into ANHS University!]

[The first-place winner will receive a mystery prize!]

Above the leaderboard, a line of large, brightly colored text flashes continuously, making it easily visible to every visitor and greatly satisfying the vanity of the children and parents on the list.

As for those who didn't make the list, there are past exam papers compiled by Class 3-A, a basic version with 2,000 points and a deluxe version with 5,000 points for you to choose from.

With this series of moves, Class 3-A instantly attracted the attention of most of the guests, many of whom knew each other. Comparing their children had become a daily occurrence. Even those who didn't plan to send their children to ANHS were eager to see their children's abilities in person at this opportunity.

Of course, each test costs 1,000 points. If you want to try again, you'll need 1,000 points to Resurrection once.

Izumiya's strategy has yielded unexpected results; the names on the leaderboard are constantly changing, and more and more parents are gathering there.

"According to the plan, each child who makes the list can have a brief interview after completing the questions. There are shills we've planted in the crowd, so remember to show your support."

Of course, just like when putting on a show, Izumiya also places great importance on the after-sales experience of its users.

Soon, two children who looked no more than six or seven years old lined up in front of the front desk of Class 3-A.

Izumiya's expression hardened, and he gasped.

Has it gotten this far?

Chapter 97: I Come From the White Room

As Izumiya had predicted, many guests were indeed not very interested in the school's Cultural Festival. The various activities were either simple food stalls like dessert shops or fried noodles, or somewhat childish services like maid cafes and haunted houses. Basically, they came to relax with their children and spent most of their time just watching them play.

This was a rare opportunity to find a good project, and more and more parents were gathered around the entrance, discussing it with great interest.

"This must be Mr. Hasegawa's child, right? I heard he'll graduate from junior high next year. With these grades, he'll definitely get into ANHS."

"Not at all, my son is just a few years older, unlike Mr. Kanzaki's son, who is only seven years old but also made the list just now."

"It's just that fewer people participated earlier, so they were eliminated now."

"That's quite remarkable, considering the questions were all high school level material."

While exchanging pleasantries and pleasantries, everyone beamed with smiles and compliments, praising each other's children. Class 3-A turned the Cultural Festival into a giant parent-teacher conference. Apart from Class 3-A, who made a fortune, and the parents who chatted away, the only ones who suffered were the minors who came to the Cultural Festival.

Anyway, there wasn't anything I particularly wanted to buy. Buying a set of past exam papers would also be good for my child's study. With that in mind, the pre-printed papers for the Class 3-A sold incredibly fast, and sales soared.

Such a commotion not only attracted most of the parents, but even the homeroom teachers from various classes came to join in the fun. Many homeroom teachers looked at their own names printed on the exam paper with the words "[xxxx jointly recommended]" and shook their heads with twitching lips.

No wonder they're in Class 3-A; ANHS must have found a genius.

ANHS Cultural Festival has been held several times now, but this is the first time they've held a quiz competition by selling real exam questions on-site.

However, the effect was indeed remarkable, especially the ranking list. Many parents paid close attention to it, and as soon as they saw their child make a name for themselves, they would immediately feel proud but pretend to mention it casually, attracting envious glances.

"It's been a long time since we've had such a lively event at ANHS Cultural Festival."

Chairman Sakayanagi finished his work and originally intended to find Arisu and Ryo, but he was also attracted by the commotion here and sighed with a smile.

As the Chairman of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Sakayanagi Narimori's arrival undoubtedly added to the popularity of the Matoba in front of Class 3-A. Izumiya was also excited and blushed, signaling the people in charge of interviewing the class to get into position quickly.

Just as Kanzaki Ryuji, feeling dizzy and lightheaded after finishing the quiz, looked up, a microphone was shoved into his mouth. The guest host, dressed smartly and chosen from Class 3-A, waved to Kanzaki Ryuji's bewildered expression, and the photographers and the atmosphere crew with lights and props immediately rushed over.

"Young friend, as the youngest contestant participating in the quiz so far, could you please introduce yourself to everyone?"

"Um... my name is Kanzaki Ryuji."

Kanzaki Ryuji originally intended to leave directly, but seeing his father gesturing for him to stay in the crowd, he had no choice but to obediently answer the question.

"I'm telling you, Ryuji should get some practice and be able to speak more in these kinds of situations."

Kanzaki Ryuji's father turned to Sakayanagi Narimori and complained with a hint of helplessness:

"He's just too introverted."

"He's only seven years old after all. Kanzaki, you're asking too much of Ryuji."

Sakayanagi Narimori shook his head with a wry smile.

Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of many parents, Kanzaki Ryuji stiffly answered one parent-child show-like question after another: How old are you? What grade are you in? You must be a good student. How do you feel about doing exercises? Do you want to study at ANHS in the future?

After finally answering all the questions, Kanzaki Ryuji returned to his father's side with a dejected look on his face.

"This is your Sakayanagi."

"Hello Sakayanagi."

"Oh, good boy."

He affectionately patted Sakayanagi Narimori Kanzaki Ryuji's head and said with a smile: