In mid-September, Advanced Nurturing High School officially began preparations for its annual Autumn Festival.
This was Kanzaki Toru's first real campus festival since enrolling at the school. There had been no festivals last semester, only one Special Exam after another. After summer break, all Old System clauses had been activated, class points had steadily risen, and the gap with Class B had narrowed from eleven points to four. Amid this rare atmosphere of stability, the Student Council released the official Autumn Festival notice: each class could freely choose what kind of booth to run—food, games, or exhibits were all acceptable—and a certain proportion of their profits in private points would be converted into bonus class points. Every class had to submit a complete proposal, including booth design, personnel assignments, and estimated budget. The proposals would be graded by the school after the festival, and the class with the best proposal would receive additional class point rewards.
"Food! Obviously food! Yakisoba! Takoyaki! We can sell anything, as long as I get to cook—" Ike Kanji was the first to leap up, but before he could finish, Sudo grabbed him around the neck from behind. "You want to cook? Half the yakisoba you made in home economics last semester burned to a crisp. A third of the class ran to the bathroom after eating it. I say we do a haunted house! When our cross-class group investigated the Old School Building last time, I wanted to say it—the place was way scarier than any haunted house at night without the lights on." Ike struggled as he argued that a haunted house needed props and sets and would cost too much. The two debated "yakisoba or haunted house" for several minutes until Horikita Suzune stood up and tapped the blackboard.
"There are three