"Hey! Could you bring that board over here?"
"Is this a good spot for the speakers?"
"Ah, crap! We're running out of seasoning! I'll go buy some!"
Busy voices, somewhere between frantic and excited, and the sounds of various setup activities echoed from all around.
It was the first Saturday in November.
At the university where Kotaro and Misaki were enrolled, the school festival was in full swing.
"Haaah... I'm really getting excited about this," Kotaro murmured, staring blankly at the unfamiliar hustle and bustle.
Beside him, Misaki chuckled softly. "Yeah, it really is something else," she agreed.
"The campus spans several kilometers, and there's an event or stall happening everywhere you look."
"Right? When you think about it, that's incredible..."
He muttered this while arranging the cooking utensils inside the tent. In high school, the cultural festival had been organized by a few hundred students, but at university, including the graduate school, the number increased by a factor of ten. Having never attended a rock festival before, this was truly uncharted territory for Kotaro.
The Social Welfare Research Society, to which the two belonged, was running a fried noodle stall. They were also using a classroom to showcase their regular activities. The stall was located in front of the University's famous large pond, facing the outdoor stage. It was a prime spot where patrons could enjoy both the performance and the backdrop of autumn foliage. Despite the chilly season, today was bright and sunny, so warm that they were sweating from the work.
Once preparations were complete, Megumi, in charge of the stall, flashed an energetic smile.
"Alright, everyone! We're all set, right? So... let's sell like crazy today!"
"Yesss!"
The Social Welfare members working the stall answered in unison.
"When someone returns our smile, we'll immediately pitch our exhibit, got it?"
"O-ohhh!"
It felt like they'd been assigned some kind of unusually challenging quota.
"Alright, let's give it our all today!"
"Yesss!!"
Everyone thrust their fists into the air simultaneously. It was a little—no, quite—embarrassing, but the other groups were doing similar things. Today was festival day. This is probably fine, I thought, shrugging it off.
"Alright, then... shall we, Kotaro?"
"Yes."
While everyone else continued chatting amiably, the two of them sprang into action.
"Um, let's start with someone efficient... Wait, huh? Misaki? Kotaro?"
"We'll handle it. We've been making these regularly and even practiced some street stall-style cooking."
Misaki grinned, knife in hand.
"Misaki-senpai, you're so cool..."
"And yet so adorable..."
"A goddess... A goddess is among us..."
"Hey, cut it out!"
The female first- and second-year students gazed at Misaki with sparkling eyes. Misaki waved her free hand frantically, her short stature making the gesture endearingly clumsy.
"Misaki-senpai, here's the pork."
"Here you go."
Kotaro placed the washed cutting board and pork in front of Misaki. She gave a brief reply and began slicing the meat efficiently while Kotaro continued preparing the iron griddle and oil.
"Kotaro, I've cut the pork."
"Got it. Now, could you chop the cabbage for me?"
"Here you go."
Misaki handed the bowl of chopped pork to Kotaro and, in exchange, started slicing the cabbage. Their exchange was utterly matter-of-fact.
"Kotaro, do we have any green nori?"
"I've already got it ready," Kotaro replied, stirring the frying pork.
"Always impressive."
"You could praise me more, you know."
"Ugh, stop being so cheesy."
"Misaki-senpai, that's not fair."
Their banter clearly referred to their nighttime activities, and it certainly wasn't a compliment. Kotaro's retort made Misaki's face flush crimson. I'll have to give it a good rub later.
"Wow, it's looking really good."
Standing beside Kotaro as he vigorously stirred the meat with a spatula, Misaki exclaimed approvingly.
"Right? Cooking on a grill like this gets me more excited than cooking at home."
"Definitely. Kotaro, it's a bit cramped in the kitchen, isn't it? Oh, Kotaro, you're sweating."
"Thank you."
Misaki wiped the sweat from Kotaro's forehead with a towel. When he narrowed his eyes, she chuckled.
"Kotaro, you're so cute when you do that in moments like this."
A breeze blowing from the pond gently caressed Misaki's smile.
"Huh? R-really...?"
"Yeah, yeah. You just look like a cat, you know? If I had to compare you to a breed, you'd be a Golden Retriever."
"More like a big, burly German Shepherd!"
Misaki laughed heartily as she packed the dishes Kotaro had prepared into food containers one by one.
Working alongside this beautiful, cute, and petite senior while concentrating on his task...
I'm so lucky..., he thought, until he heard whispers from the surrounding crew.
"Wow, there's no way we can get in on this..."
"Their world is already complete..."
"Misaki, don't you feel the atmosphere is a little different today?"
"Yeah, I know! That's the Misaki who's all lovey-dovey with her boyfriend..."
"She seems so calm."
"Misaki has gotten really cute lately, hasn't she?"
Senpai's small ears twitched. She's like a cat, I thought, a smile spreading across my face.
"And Kotaro has gotten really cool too, hasn't he?"
"Huh?"
At Megumi's words, Misaki suddenly turned around with a fierce expression.
"Gotcha! Misaki's adorable jealousy is mine now!"
"You..."
"But Kotaro really has gotten cooler. Right, everyone?"
The surrounding members nodded in agreement. Kotaro's face suddenly flushed.
"Misaki's gotten cuter, and Kotaro's gotten cooler. They'd make such a good couple~"
"Hey... hey, wait a minute...!"
Misaki froze mid-swing, her arm raised. Flustered by the compliment, she couldn't retaliate, her face flushing crimson as she trembled. Kotaro also felt embarrassed and flustered, but the overwhelming cuteness of his senpai made his expression muscles refuse to obey him.
"Figures. You two moved in together after dating for only a few months."
"We're practically married now. A lovey-dovey couple."
"Ouch, Misaki-senpai! That hurts!"
Misaki muttered under her breath, "Ugh, ugh," as she continued her relentless side-stabbing with the palm of her hand. Why is she using the palm?
This teasing continued for a while until Misaki started thrashing around with a, "Mugaaah!" Kotaro quickly pinned her in a full nelson. She's flailing like a manga character... he thought, as a small ponytail, neatly tied, smacked his cheek. Holding his girlfriend in a restraining embrace, he gazed up at the autumn sky. It was quite a lovely sight.
*****
Once the school festival began, it was bustling with activity from the start, likely due to the high foot traffic. Everyone except Kotaro and Misaki joined in the cooking, cheerfully serving customers and promoting their exhibit.
"Where should we go next?"
"Hmm, there's a band I want to see at the light music concert. And then... let's go to a gay bar!"
"Sounds great! There's also a haunted house nearby we should check out."
"Ugh, a haunted house... I heard it's supposed to be really scary..."
The conversation of two women serving customers drifted over. Glancing sideways, I saw Misaki pursing her lips, a telltale sign of wanting to do something or go somewhere.
"Would you like to go around, Misaki-senpai?"
"Ugh... yeah, you're right. We've worked pretty hard..."
"But our shift still has a while to go, doesn't it?"
"Ugh... this sucks... Why are we stuck here so late, even as college students?"
"Misaki-senpai said something like, 'As long as it's with Kotaro, that's fine,' so she gave us permission, right?"
"Ugh..."
Misaki lowered her head, embarrassed, remembering what she'd said. Even though she seemed frustrated during our conversation, she maintained an angelic smile for the customers. She's a pro, I thought.
Misaki fidgeted the whole time, discreetly patting Kotaro's waist and even giving his thigh a little massage. What a considerate angel.
Misaki-senpai really wants to leave...
Kotaro had only ever worked at his club's booth during the cultural festival, so he'd only experienced a tiny fraction of the fun. But Misaki had probably enjoyed it thoroughly last year. Knowing how much fun it was probably made it even more appealing to her.
"Misaki-senpai, why don't you come around after I finish here?"
"Come on, what are you talking about? It wouldn't be the same without Kotaro."
"Can I cry now?"
Misaki winced at Kotaro's blunt question.
They still had an hour left on their shift. What's this...? she wondered, when she heard a cough behind them. It was a little—no, quite—obvious.
"Ahem, ahem. I heard you two were chatting, Mr. and Mrs. Oshidori."
"What kind of name is that...?"
Misaki turned around and snapped at Megumi, who was wearing a mischievous grin.
"You two can finish your shifts early."
"Huh?! Really?!"
"But! There's a condition!"
"Thank you, Megumi! We'll owe you one!"
"Don't just beautifully ignore me!"
Misaki took Megumi's hand and started bouncing up and down excitedly. Everyone, including the customers, smiled at the sight. She was so adorable that it felt like their hearts might melt.
"What's the condition?"
"Hehehe... What do you think?"
"Ugh, we don't want that kind of thing."
"Pfft... Misaki, you're so cold to your senior..."
"S-sorry..."
Megumi covered her mouth and made a dramatic pouting face, pretending to cry. Is this really her? Misaki wondered, but maybe Megumi was just caught up in the festival atmosphere.
"I want you two to go on a date and promote our shop and exhibits while you're at it."
"Is that all? So, what's with this paper bag?" Misaki tapped her finger against the bag Megumi was holding.
"Even with normal advertising, we'd get lost in all this festival madness, right? So... I thought I'd ask you to wear a little cosplay, Misaki."
Megumi opened the bag, and Misaki let out a squeaky, "Huh...?!" Her mouth gaped open.
"What? Uh, wait... You want me to wear... this? And promote the festival?"
"Exactly! You'll definitely stand out!"
"B-but this is... way too revealing..."
"You want to hang out with Kotaro, don't you?"
"Ugh... Seriously...?"
Misaki's usually straight eyebrows softened as she hesitated.
Kotaro, who had been listening to their whispered conversation, thought:
I really want to see Misaki-senpai in cosplay.
Clutching this honest desire, I handed three packs of fried noodles to the burly guy.
The School Festival Arc begins! It'll span several chapters!
Book Information:
This work will be published by DIVERSE NOVEL around August 30th!
The title is I'm Dating a Small, Masochistic Senpai, with the period removed.
The illustrations are by Managi Kaneoto Sensei, who also worked on The Skill Taker Who Conquered Another World! Misaki...
Her erotic cuteness has gotten completely out of hand...!
Even if you've read the web version, about 40% of the content is new, so I think you'll enjoy it plenty, including the illustrations!
This is my first physical book, so I've put a lot of effort into it.
Preorders are now live on Amazon, so if you're interested, please consider ordering!
*****
Read more than 1000 chapters worth of content over on Patreon! Patreon.com/IncognitoNovels