Bunkasai to Kokuhaku Chansu – The School Festival and a Confession Opportunity
The classroom was a battlefield the moment Ren walked in.
Streamers were half-hung, desks were stacked, paint buckets were open, and Rika was standing on a chair yelling, "More cleavage!"
"WE'RE DECORATING, NOT DESIGNING LINGERIE!" Yui shouted from behind a curtain.
"I mean the ambience, not the uniforms!" Rika shouted back, arms flailing with glitter.
Ren stopped in the doorway, blinking. "...Did I walk into a cosplay war?"
Haruka walked past him, holding a clipboard and looking like she hadn't slept. "Don't talk. Pick up a hammer. Or a mop. Or Yui. She might throw something."
"Why is everyone yelling?" Emi whispered softly from beside him.
Mei answered without looking up from a pile of costume pieces. "Because this year's theme is a maid café… and Rika turned it into a competition."
"A competition…?"
Yui stomped out from the backroom, holding up a freshly made sign.
MAID CAFÉ: 2-B PRESENTS — "FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR ORDER"Vote for your favorite pair! The couple with the most votes will have to kiss on stage during the final hour!
Ren's brain short-circuited.
"You added a kiss poll?!"
Rika beamed. "Romance sells."
Haruka sighed. "We agreed on cute. You turned it into a dating sim."
"Don't act like you're not curious what pair gets the highest votes," Rika winked.
Yui crossed her arms. "This is going to end in murder."
Ren opened his mouth to protest—then immediately froze.
Because from behind the curtain...
Emi stepped out.
Wearing the test version of the maid uniform.
Black, frilly, tight in all the wrong/right places. The skirt was modest, the chest area… less so. Her soft brown hair was tied in twin buns, and the ribbon around her neck matched her shy, blushing face.
She looked at Ren.
"…Does it look weird?"
He exploded into steam.
Yui smacked him with a clipboard. "Don't combust in front of customers!"
Over the next few days, the kiss poll grew into a school-wide rumor.
Students from other classes came to "support" their favorite ships. Posters went up. Fake voting booths appeared. Betting pools were quietly arranged behind the gym.
Current rankings:
Ren × Emi – leading with 38%
Ren × Yui – rapidly rising at 31%
Ren × Haruka – quiet support group of cold girl lovers, 15%
Ren × Rika – chaos cult, 12%
Ren × Mei – niche fandom, 4% but suspiciously well-organized
Ren tried to lie low, but every time he entered a room, someone yelled "LOVERBOY!" or "VOTE YUI FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!"
Even the principal stopped by and casually said, "Young love sure is… aggressive this year."
The night before the festival, the five girls stayed late to rehearse.
They were supposed to practice greeting lines.
Instead:
"Ren, if you had to kiss someone in front of the whole school," Rika said, licking a lollipop, "who'd it be?"
He choked on air.
Yui narrowed her eyes. "Don't answer. You'll die."
"I wouldn't mind," Emi said quietly.
Haruka looked away. "It's just a stupid poll. Doesn't mean anything."
Mei, still sewing a backup apron, said softly, "Sometimes stupid things are honest things."
Ren looked at them all.
Five girls. All close. All waiting.
And one stage.
One kiss.
One vote away.
He swallowed hard.
"I am going to die tomorrow."