After taking the photo, Kawai Miki checked her album, confirmed it looked fine, and quickly left the scene.
While walking, she admired her masterpiece, then decisively sent it to Ueno Naoka.
Image
How is it? Doesn't it look good?
The photo was a selfie of her and Akira Miyamura's standee.
Thinking of how that woman would lose her mind questioning her later, Miki couldn't help but laugh out loud right then and there.
As expected, within minutes her phone was flooded with messages.
!!!???
Where is this!???
Where did you see it??
Speak up!!
Miki scrolled slowly through Naoka's desperate spam, smiling to herself.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Ueno Naoka stared at the photo. She wanted to save it, but seeing Kawai Miki's smug face right beside it…
Her finger hovered over the save button, trembling, before pulling away.
And since her own messages were marked as read but unanswered, she realized Miki was teasing her on purpose.
Naoka took a deep breath to calm herself, and after thinking for a moment, she figured out the standee's location. Shoving her phone back into her pocket, she headed straight toward Class 2–1.
"I leave you alone for a moment and you're already flirting with other girls!?" Shouko Nishimiya grabbed Akira's wrist and complained.
"Ah… ow…"
She winced, covering the spot on her head where he had flicked her, her eyes tearing up.
"What do you mean 'flirting'? That was just one of our old classmates," Akira replied, exasperated. "I was drumming up business for our class, that's all."
"Oh…" Shouko rubbed her head, nodding pitifully.
"Have you checked all the equipment and tools?" Akira asked, softening his tone as he reached out to rub her head gently.
"Yes," Shouko said. She ignored the students passing by, tugging him toward the standees. "We just have to wait until opening. But Akira, promise you'll come help me later. If it gets too busy, I'm afraid I'll mess something up."
"It won't be that bad. There shouldn't be too many people," Akira reassured her, though he sighed when she started circling the standee, taking pictures from every angle.
The real person was right beside her, but she kept photographing the cardboard version…
"Akira, stand next to your standee. I want a picture."
When he hesitated, she used her trump card. "One five-minute massage coupon."
She already owed him more than ten coupons, so what was one more?
Reluctantly, Akira stood beside his standee.
"Smile. Don't look so stiff."
"Alright, alright…" He forced a smile.
Shouko didn't care—it was still her Akira. Even with a forced smile, he looked good.
"Okay, okay, keep it up, Akira!" she encouraged as she snapped shot after shot.
Still unsatisfied, she spotted Takagi walking by. "Takagi-chan, can you help me take some pictures?"
"Sure," Takagi said, taking the phone without hesitation.
"Thank you! Love you."
Shouko quickly slipped between the two Akiras—cardboard and real—hooked her arm through his, and flashed a peace sign at the camera.
"They came out great," Takagi said after taking several angles, returning the phone.
"Thanks!" Shouko immediately started flipping through the shots.
"We're opening soon. Shouko-chan, Takagi-chan, let's head to the changing room," Atsuya Ayumi called from the classroom.
"Mhm mhm!"
Shouko waved to Akira before heading downstairs with the girls. Ayumi and Takagi changed into maid outfits, while Shouko wore casual clothes to avoid oil and smoke stains while cooking omurice.
After all, once the café closed, she still wanted to explore the festival with Akira—there was no way she'd tag along smelling like fried food.
"Miyamura, let's go too," Nishikata said.
"Okay."
Both boys went to change into butler uniforms.
"Are our outfits different?" Nishikata frowned, eyeing Akira's suit.
"They're the same, aren't they? The Class Monitor rented them together." Akira smoothed out his jacket. It fit surprisingly well.
"…Forget it. Let's just head upstairs," Nishikata muttered, giving up on explaining what he meant.
Soon after, complaints rang out.
"Wow!"
"Letting Miyamura work in the back kitchen was such a waste."
"Miyamura, are our outfits really the same?"
"Class Monitor, did you rent the same style?"
"Maybe the problem's your faces and figures," Ayumi deadpanned.
The room went silent for a beat—then burst into laughter. The grumbling boys wanted to sink into the floor.
"Clap clap clap!" Ayumi clapped her hands. "Alright everyone, back to your posts. We start in five minutes."
"Snap out of it, Shouko. We need to head to the back kitchen," one of the girls reminded her.
"Oh, right!" Shouko quickly followed.
The standee outside was one thing, but compared to the real Akira standing here, alive and smiling—even if forced—nothing else could compete.
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