Unanimous Special Exam

"Huh? What's the problem?"

"Just preparing all of this must have taken a lot of time and money, right?"

I see.

"The preparation took about four days, and I think the cost was surprisingly reasonable. We bought all the clothes ourselves because we really liked them."

The main expense was buying origami and whiteboard markers at the grocery store; tableware was personal items, so we didn't spend any on that.

Shuichi Kanda nodded and then began his analysis.

"However, when the store officially opens, we'll definitely need to buy new tableware, and since there are so many of you, the rent for the Matoba will certainly cost a lot of money."

"That's why we invited you to come and see our results," Sato said.

"In terms of sheer impact, it's perfect, better than any show I've ever seen. But—" Horikita also praised it highly, believing the idea was flawless in attracting customers, "Have you calculated how much budget you'll need?"

"I have a proposal."

Before Sato could speak after Horikita asked her question, Shuichi Kanda interrupted her.

Such a great idea, wouldn't it be a waste to use it as a class competition entry?

Chapter 338 Unanimous Special Exam

Upon hearing Shuichi Kanda's words, everyone turned to look, including Horikita and Ayanokoji.

"First of all, I don't think there's anything wrong with the maid cafe. If it's run well, it shouldn't lose money."

Matsushita and Sato, the planners, were overjoyed to receive Shuichi Kanda's approval.

"But don't you think it's a waste for us to participate as a class?"

He first showered them with praise, elevating them to Shuichi Kanda, before revealing his true intentions.

"How about we participate in the Cultural Festival in small groups?"

Really.

Shuichi Kanda spoke, Horikita covered his forehead; this guy really thought so.

"But if we can't make a profit, won't we lose Class Points?"

Although Matsushita was very confident in the project, he worried that if it failed, he might be resented by the students in his class.

"It's just a hundred points, and besides, it's not even guaranteed to fail." Shuichi Kanda shrugged, then continued to persuade, "I was originally planning to participate in the Cultural Festival as a group, and I think your project is perfect. What do you say? How about joining me as a group to participate in the Cultural Festival?"

Shuichi Kanda and persuasive words left everyone present looking at each other in bewilderment.

It's like saying: Hmm, the maid café concept was good, but now it's mine!

I think it's fine.

The first to respond was an unexpected person— Kei Karuizawa.

"If Kanda- kun joins us, we won't have to worry about operational issues anymore, right? After all, we don't seem to have any talent in that area."

That's true, Karuizawa's words make a lot of sense.

While they're fine as maids, having service staff alone isn't enough to run a successful business.

Secret planning is also very important.

"I think so too." The second was Kushida, "Besides his operational skills, Shuichi's cooking skills are also excellent."

This is also a plus; although some of the maids can cook, their skills are far inferior to those of Shuichi Kanda.

So after Kushida said that, everyone who had eaten Shuichi Kanda's cooking subconsciously nodded. Well, they all probably nodded, since Shuichi Kanda had cooked a big pot of food for everyone on the Uninhabited Island last year.

Anyone who has ever cooked knows that it's generally easier to stir-fry vegetables in a small pot, but much harder to control when cooking in a large pot.

Although Matsushita and the others had never tasted Shuichi Kanda's small-pot dishes, since he could make good large-pot dishes, they assumed he could make good small-pot dishes as well.

Maid cafes don't only sell coffee; they also offer other dishes.

"Can Kanda- kun make desserts?"

"Basic operation," Shuichi Kanda satisfied expression.

"Are you making tea?"

"This..." When it came to making tea, Shuichi Kanda's lips curled into a sly smile, and he looked at Ayanokoji.

"Ayanokoji is an expert when it comes to brewing tea."

Ayanokoji seemed completely unprepared for Shuichi Kanda mention him, so he froze when the girls in his class looked at him.

"Does Ayanokoji how to make tea?"

Shuichi Kanda, Ayanokoji was smirking, and nodded. There was nothing he could do; he had made tea for Shuichi Kanda before, and since the other party had brought it up, he must have assumed that he couldn't refuse. So he had no choice but to nod and agree.

I studied Tea Ceremony Club before.

"Wow, I'm starting to see things in a new light."

Sato had only called Ayanokoji over to show off her cute side, but she never expected to get such an unexpected reward.

After all, not everyone likes coffee; some people prefer tea, so many coffee shops also offer tea.

Therefore, having a tea master in a coffee shop is also very important.

However, none of them were skilled in Tea Ceremony Club, and they were already having trouble with this, but then a ready-made one actually appeared.

"You don't want your hard-won project to fail, do you? If you're going to do it, you should do it perfectly. I can help you with that."

Seeing that the girls were already interested, Shuichi Kanda continued to persuade them.

Seeing Shuichi Kanda's determined look, Horikita Suzune sighed.

"I understand, I'm fine with it. As long as Kanda is the group leader, even if we fail, the classmates won't cause any trouble."

Furthermore, I hope you will give this matter more consideration. If you are unwilling, Kanda may come up with other ideas.

"Your business might be affected then."

Yes, Shuichi Kanda is a threat to everyone at this school because everyone has a certain idea.

Once Shuichi Kanda makes his move, Shuichi Kanda class will almost certainly win first place in this Cultural Festival.

If he attends as a group, he will definitely cause unrest, which will in turn affect the business of other shops.

However, Shuichi Kanda himself clearly hadn't thought of this, so Shuichi Kanda only realized it after Horikita mentioned it.

So that's how it is; those involved are often blinded by their own perspective.

Yes, Horikita, well done!

I'll delegate more authority to you later!

Although Shuichi Kanda only just understood, he remained expressionless, letting Horikita do as he pleased.

Now that things had come to this point, the girls started to hesitate, though actually only a few of them did.

"I agree with Shuichi's idea."

Kamuro raised his hand in agreement, and then Kei Karuizawa and Kushida Kikyo immediately followed suit.

After thinking for a moment, Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi also raised their hands.

They hadn't hesitated much; they were just waiting for Kamuro to give his opinion.

Kamuro remained silent because the plan was actually conceived by Matsushita and Sato. If half of them directly approved of Shuichi Kanda's plan, wouldn't that be tantamount to betrayal?

So she chose to express her opinion when Matsushita and the others were hesitant, giving them a push from behind.

However, she had clearly overcomplicated things. The Matsushita and the others had simply forgotten to express their opinions; their hesitation stemmed from considering whether or not to trouble Shuichi Kanda.

After all, if he fails, Shuichi Kanda's reputation might be tarnished.

Of course, another possibility is that, from an outsider's perspective, even those few women, led by Shuichi Kanda, could lose.

After all, in the eyes of most students at the school, Shuichi Kanda never fails. If he does fail, it must be because someone else dragged him down. This is the consequence of preconceived notions.

Even if it really is Shuichi Kanda's fault, they will be blamed in the end.

Therefore, it wasn't that the group disagreed, but rather that they felt some pressure, which caused their hesitation.

"Well, it's not that I disagree with holding it in a group format, but rather, what if it fails..."

If you're competing under the name of your class, then feel free to improvise.

However, if they are competing in a group, they need to be extra careful, as they might hesitate if they don't perform well.

The people who had previously expressed their support— Kamuro, Kushida, and Karuizawa— were willing to work hard for Shuichi Kanda and had great faith in Shuichi Kanda, so they didn't consider the consequences of failure at all.

But when Matsushita said it, they immediately understood; so that's what they were worried about.

"I see. It's normal for you to be worried."

After Matsushita spoke, Shuichi Kanda understood what they were worried about, which boiled down to two points.

"Since that's the case, let's try a different approach. I'll make the suggestion, and then I'll hire you. That way, even if it fails, it'll be because I misjudged people."

"I... that's not what I meant."

Matsushita quickly waved his hand, his face flushed.

"So they're worried about my reputation being damaged."

Matsushita was speechless for a moment, then nodded.

"Don't worry, since I brought it up, it means I'm somewhat confident," Shuichi Kanda said confidently, then gave a joking smile. "Besides, even if we fail, it's not a bad thing. After all, I'm just a human, not a god."

The atmosphere immediately brightened up with Shuichi Kanda's joke.

"Since that's the case, then so be it. It seems you really are going to give up on the inter-class competition."

Horikita sighed. She had been asked by Shuichi Kanda to manage the class's Cultural Festival affairs, but Shuichi Kanda ended up pulling more than a dozen people out of the class.

What's the point of even playing this game? Isn't this just blatant surrender?

"In that case, let's talk about the budget first. First, the maids' wages. I plan to give each of them 100,000 Private Points per day. On the opening day, plus setting up the venue, it will take about five days, which means 500,000 points per person."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait..."

Shuichi Kanda opened his mouth, he was immediately stopped by the people present, especially Horikita, who reacted the most strongly.

"Are you out of your mind? If you participate in the Cultural Festival as a group, the wages you pay the maids will be included in the budget."

Including Ayanokoji, there are 12 people in total. According to your salary standard, that's 6 million yen. You're not planning to go into this at a loss, are you?

Horikita's words resonated with many people; 6 million yen! That's more than many working professionals earn in a year.

"We can work for free."

"How about Shuichi Kanda reimburses us for our maid outfits?"

"That's a good idea."

Listening to the cacophony of voices from this group, Shuichi Kanda felt helpless. How little faith do you all have in me? And have you forgotten something?

"It's okay, as long as the written materials don't include human resources in the cost, I'll pay you later."

Anyway, I'm the Student Council President, so the plans still need my approval, and I have the final say.

Horikita was extremely displeased upon hearing Shuichi Kanda's words.

"You are knowingly breaking the law."

"You don't know anything. I'm just exploiting a loophole in the rules."

Shuichi Kanda said dismissively.

"Fine, whatever you want, I'm going back!"

With that, Horikita stormed out of the room.

Seeing Horikita's angry expression, Shuichi Kanda shook his head.

How arrogant of you to think the world is just black and white! You've been with me for so long, why haven't you learned to be more tactful? Look at Ayanokoji, he's not surprised at all.

"By the way, the maid outfits can be bought in advance, so they don't need to be included in the cost."

...*N

After discussing things with them for a long time in the empty classroom, Shuichi Kanda left. Before leaving, he asked Matsushita to submit a proposal as soon as possible, which should include the cost of applying for the venue, the purchase of tableware, the purchase of ingredients, and various decorations, etc.

Of course, these are just preliminary plans and will be adjusted according to different situations.