The person Saiki had in mind was none other than Aiura Mikoto.
Aiura Mikoto ran a fortune-telling merchandise shop at the school and was familiar with the school's supply channels. Getting a few sets of maid outfits from her shouldn't be a problem.
After all, she was one of the only two psychics in the school.
Moreover, the students in their class currently had plenty of personal points, so allocating some for this purpose wouldn't be an issue.
As Class A, their biggest advantage was the amount of personal points they held.
As long as they had enough personal points, purchasing other things wouldn't be a problem.
"Can you handle it?"
Horikita Suzune asked skeptically.
"It shouldn't be a problem."
Saiki nodded.
"Alright, I trust you."
Horikita Suzune also nodded.
After all, Horikita Suzune knew about Saiki's abilities. He should be able to pull it off.
"But I have another question. It's about Sakura. Although she's handling the kitchen work, I think we'll need more people in the kitchen."
Horikita Suzune said seriously.
"I have an idea for that."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"I'll take care of the kitchen work."
Saiki volunteered.
"You're going to assist Sakura? That's good, but..."
"No, I'll handle all the kitchen work by myself."
"Huh?"
Horikita Suzune was stunned, even wondering if she had misheard.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. As you know, I'm quite skilled in this area, much more so than Sakura."
Saiki replied.
"But there will be a lot of guests coming to the school. You know the foot traffic will be huge, right? Just you alone..."
"It's fine. I'm actually more efficient on my own."
Saiki said immediately.
In fact, this was true. When Saiki was alone in the kitchen, he could use his psychic abilities to make coffee and desserts, and his efficiency far surpassed that of a professional kitchen team.
"Even if you can verbally guarantee this, it's hard for me to believe... If possible, could you prove it during the next rehearsal?"
"Of course."
Saiki nodded.
After finishing his conversation with Horikita Suzune, Saiki planned to call Sakura Airi over. However, after thinking for a moment, he decided not to call her and instead went to her room.
As soon as he arrived at Sakura Airi's door, Saiki could hear her thoughts from inside.
[Kusuo... He must already know about my other identity... But he hasn't said anything, and I've never shown that side of myself to him...]
At this moment, Sakura Airi in her room was in the guise of her former self, "Shizuku," with twin tails and clothes that accentuated her figure, exuding feminine charm.
This was completely different from her usual gloomy self.
Sakura Airi was posing cutely and taking selfies, but after finishing, the smile on her face gradually faded.
[I really want to serve guests as a maid like the other students... But...]
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Sakura Airi was startled and lost her balance, falling to the floor. However, she ignored the pain and quickly got up, removed her hairband, put on her glasses, and returned to her usual appearance. She then asked softly:
"Who... who is it?"
"It's Saiki."
Saiki's voice came from outside the door.
Hearing that it was Saiki, Sakura Airi's face turned red, and her heart raced. She quickly checked herself in the mirror, tidied up, and hurried to open the door. In the few meters to the door, she managed to trip again.
Outside, Saiki, who could see everything with his clairvoyance ability, was at a loss for words.
A second later, Sakura Airi's door finally opened.
"Kusuo-kun... What brings you here so late?"
"I wanted to talk to you about the cultural festival. I've finalized the maid selections and wanted to discuss it with you."
"I see..."
Sakura Airi quickly invited Saiki into her room.
[Should I make tea for Kusuo-kun? No, Kusuo-kun probably prefers coffee or drinks... But if I make something now, would it seem too eager...]
Sakura Airi's mind was in turmoil, but she couldn't bring herself to move.
"The current maid selections, aside from Matsushita and the others, include Kushida, Karuizawa, and Horikita."
"Yes, I understand."
Sakura Airi nodded.
However, she was also surprised. She hadn't expected Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune to willingly join.
"Also, I've talked to Horikita. Since the kitchen workload will be heavy, it might be too much for you..."
"I see..."
Hearing Saiki's words, Sakura Airi's eyes instantly turned red.
[So... because I'm not capable enough... I'll be removed from the plan... Even though I've been practicing every day, I'm still clumsy. I know that myself...]
Sakura Airi thought Saiki was here to convey Horikita Suzune's decision to remove her from the cultural festival.
In fact, Sakura Airi had always thought this was a possibility, as she knew she wasn't doing particularly well.
[But... I really want to participate...]
'Yare yare, at least let me finish my sentence...'
Saiki felt helpless but quickly said:
"I'll handle all the kitchen work by myself."
"Huh? You'll handle the kitchen alone?"
"Yes. Sakura, you'll be one of the maids, just like the others."
Hearing Saiki's words, Sakura Airi was first delighted but then quickly became shocked.
"Wait, wait... I'll be a maid too?"
"That's right. Both Horikita and I agree, but ultimately, it's up to you."
"But I... I... I'm not sure... I'm really sorry... I think if I were a maid, I might hold everyone back. I'm really grateful that Horikita and Kusuo-kun are giving me this chance."
Sakura Airi imagined the scene and her face turned bright red.
There would be countless guests at the event.
But...
She didn't have the courage to face them.
She didn't even have friends at school, and her OAA ranking was at the bottom. Someone like her couldn't possibly do a good job as a maid.
[I'll just be a burden to everyone.]
"Is that so?"
Seeing that Sakura Airi's resolve was firm, Saiki didn't plan to push further.
But just as he was about to leave, he heard Sakura Airi's thoughts.
[But I really want to be with everyone... I want to be a maid too...]
"It seems you've agreed, Sakura."
Saiki looked up at Sakura Airi.
"Huh?"
"I just heard you say you really want to be a maid with everyone."
"Did... did I say that?"
Sakura Airi was stunned, then quickly lowered her head, her face turning even redder, like a ripe apple.
[Did I accidentally say that out loud?!]
Right now, Sakura Airi just wanted to find a hole to hide in.
"The decision is yours. I won't interfere. I just think this cultural festival might be the only one in our three years of high school, so we should leave no regrets."
At that moment, Saiki stood up.
"I just think you'd look good in that maid outfit... Once you've made your decision, just send me a message."
'Yare yare, I promised Hasebe after all. If I don't do something, I'll feel a bit guilty when I eat desserts later.'
Saiki thought to himself.
'Hasebe asked me to encourage Sakura, saying my words would mean a lot to her. I don't want to cause too much trouble, so this should be enough.'
As he thought this, he looked up at Sakura Airi—
At this moment, Sakura Airi looked like a balloon about to burst, her ears turning red.
[Kusuo-kun said he thinks I'd look good in a maid outfit... Does that mean...]
'?'
[Does that mean he's already seen my maid photos?!]
'???'
Saiki's eyebrow twitched. He had been misunderstood somehow.
He had indeed visited Sakura Airi's blog, but he had only stayed on the homepage to gather information about the phone store clerk. He had no memory of Sakura Airi's other photos.
But now, Sakura Airi thought Saiki might have seen all her photos...
And the maid photos were among the more revealing ones...
'...'
Saiki hadn't expected this situation, but it seemed too late to explain. He just wanted to leave the room as quickly as possible.
But just as he turned to open the door and leave, Sakura Airi called out to him:
"Kusuo-kun."
"...You don't need to confirm with a message later."
"I'll tell you my answer now."
Sakura Airi placed her hands on her chest, trying to muster the last bit of her meager courage.
Though small.
It was much stronger than a year ago.
"I want to be a maid!"
This was a sentence Sakura Airi shouted with all her might, and Saiki heard it clearly.
"I understand. Thanks for your hard work."
Saiki turned to look at Sakura Airi and nodded.
"I'll head back now. Good night."
"Oh, oh, good night, good night. Thanks for your hard work, Kusuo-kun."
The courage she had mustered didn't last long and quickly dissipated. Sakura Airi actually wanted to keep Saiki longer to talk more...
[But this is enough.]
Sakura Airi smiled.
If it had been a year ago, she would never have had the courage to say such a thing.
...
On the other hand, Saiki sent a message to Horikita Suzune and Hasebe Haruka, informing them that Sakura Airi had agreed. This matter was finally settled.
"The cultural festival, huh?"
After returning to his room, Saiki teleported to the sky above the school.
This was the second time he had looked down at the school from above. The first time was the day before he enrolled.
Although he often complained about this school,
the students here weren't so bad.
These were words the protagonist Saiki would never say out loud. Only I, the narrator, could say them for him—
"Hey, careful, or I'll make you experience what Yagami went through."
Saiki said.
.....
In October, the sports festival arrived with the autumn season.
This year's sports festival was different from last year's, mainly divided into individual and team events.
Moreover, each student would start with 5 points. During the sports festival, each student had to participate in 5 types of events. Each event had a participation reward of 1 point, and the top three finishers would receive additional points depending on the event.
If a student wanted to participate in more events, they had to pay a 1-point participation fee, and they would no longer receive participation rewards.
The maximum number of events a student could participate in was 10. If a student didn't participate in at least 5 events, all their points would be confiscated. For events they had signed up for, failing to participate or withdrawing without a valid reason would result in a loss of 2 points. Students who completed their events would be assigned to designated areas for cheering.
This was Nagumo Miyabi's reform of the sports festival. However, aside from this, Nagumo Miyabi hadn't done anything excessive at school, as if he had become a different person.
After the sports festival ended, Class 3-A won first place by a narrow margin. Although they didn't widen the gap with Class B much, they at least didn't let the gap close.
After the sports festival officially ended, everyone's focus shifted to the cultural festival.