Time passed by as Seiji waited and imagined various things.
Mayuzumi and Saki finished eating breakfast and cleaned up before they came to the living room.
âI heard from Mayuzumi that you guys agreed to continue touring the school festival today,â Saki said as she entered the room. âIâd like to go together as well; is that alright?â
It was just as Seiji had expected.
He looked at Mayuzumi, and she simply smiled without saying anything.
âIf Peach-sensei agrees, I have no objections.â
There was no reason for him to object.
He felt that Sensei would be able to relax a little more if Editor Yoshizawa accompanied them. As for how Sensei herself felt about it⊠she probably felt helpless that Editor Yoshizawa was such a worrywart about her, but she didnât seem opposed to the idea.
âOkay then, letâs get going.â Saki wasted no time and cut to the chase.
And so, the three of them went out together.
While he was walking together with Editor Yoshizawa and Peach-sensei, Seiji suddenly felt as if Peach-sensei was a pampered young lady who was afraid of the world, while Editor Yoshizawa and himself were her bodyguards.
If only he was wearing an outfit like the editorâs, together with a pair of dark sunglasses. If he made a cool pose⊠yep, it really would seem like he was a bodyguard!
Seiji coughed and shook his head. âIâm getting sidetracked.â
It was mainly because Peach-sensei seemed so weak as she walked next to the editor, who was exuding an imposing aura, which really gave him the impression of a lady and her female bodyguard.
âIn reality, their relationship is quite similar to that,â Seiji thought to himself.
After they left the apartment, Saki immediately called for a taxi; it didnât seem like she even considered taking the bus.
âDid she find out about Sensei taking the bus yesterday?â
Seiji cast a furtive glance at Mayuzumi, who noticed what he was asking with his eyes, and she shook her head slightly.
âSo she didnât tell herâŠâ
Seiji felt like he could understand how Sensei felt about Editor Yoshizawa, and he didnât intend to say anything about it.
The three of them successfully reached Genhana High School.
That was when Seiji discovered to his astonishment that today Genhana High School was at least twice as lively compared to yesterday!
It was a local holiday today. The studentsâ family members had free time, and the families living close to the school brought their kids here so they could enjoy the festival. Some students from other schools came visiting to see what the festival was all about, and even some white-collar workers came together with their coworkers to relax. Various types of people could be seen wandering about; from this, it was clear that the festival had attracted a greater amount of visitors today.
Seiji, who was slightly stunned at the sight of the teeming crowd of people, finally realized what Natsuya meant by telling him that Genhana High Schoolâs festival had always been relatively successful.
âThatâs such an understatement, donât you think!? Itâs so popular!â
He had never seen such a school festival in anime or manga before⊠er, not quite.
There were some fictional schools that had ridiculous settings such as Academy City or that school from Mahou Sensei Negima which had rather exaggerated school festivals that made Genhana High Schoolâs seem like nothingâŠ
âWait a momentâIâm setting too high of a standard for comparison!â
With this realization, Seiji managed to regain his senses.
It was nice that it was so lively today, but wouldnât the overwhelming liveliness cause a mess?
A huge number of people meant trouble. He hoped that the Morals and Discipline Committee in charge of maintaining order as well as the other student leaders would be able to manage them.
By the way, both the student council president and vice president were still in the hospital⊠was this really going to be alright?
Seiji was somewhat concerned, but he figured now wasnât the time for him to be worrying about others.
Seiji looked towards the person beside him at the same time as Saki.
They saw that Mayuzumi, who was in between them, was taut with anxiety, and her complexion blanched when she was faced with this massive crowd.
Seiji and Saki didnât know what to say for a moment.
The editor ended up sighing. âThis place is much livelier than I thought,â she observed. âMayuzumi⊠I feel that you shouldnât force yourself; how about giving up for today?â
The manga author was obviously considering this proposal.
But even though her expression flickered for a moment, her face hardened into a mask of steely resolve.
âNo⊠I want to⊠try.â
Even though she didnât sound particularly resolute, she was definitely working hard.
âAlright, Iâll lead the way then.â Seiji smiled to reassure her. âIâll walk in front, Sensei can follow me, and Editor Yoshizawa can take care of Sensei from behind. Is this arrangement okay?â
Mayuzumi nodded in response.
Saki saw her friendâs resolution and decided to support her.
The three of them arranged themselves in formation and charged onwards!
After entering the school, they were greeted by the sight of a huge map stuck on a billboard. It depicted the various activities available.
Seiji felt that pausing to examine the map wasnât a wise idea. He took out his cell phone, snapped a picture of the map, and continued leading the way without stopping.
After they entered deeper into the school, the dense crowd began to thin out noticeably.
âSensei, would you like to explore some of the stalls we didnât get to visit yesterday, or start with my classroomâs store?â Seiji turned around and asked.
âLetâs⊠go to your classroomâs store.â Mayuzumiâs expression had eased up slightly. Still, passing by so many people made her rather uncomfortable.
âUnderstoodâfollow me.â
Seiji took them to Year 1, Class 5âs room.
He saw a huge line waiting at the door!
âSuch a long line early in the morning⊠seems like my class has been pretty successful.â Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation.
âThis is the popularity that a âHoney Candy Girlâ-themed store deserves,â the editor lectured in a serious tone of voice. âSince you even received direct permission from the author, it should at least be on this level.â
âSaki, donât say that.â The manga author was getting embarrassed.
âEditor Yoshizawa is rather strict⊠but I can understand her feelings.â Seiji smiled. âAnything related to a product that you worked hard on together with your friend⊠youâd wish that it would be the best, isnât that right?â
Saki glanced at him and nodded in confirmation.
âAs a fan, I have the same hope. But this is still just a temporary store run by ordinary students, so thereâs no need to set your expectations too high. Honestly speaking, I think that being able to maintain this condition without any problems until the end of the school festival would be quite the achievement.â
Just as he finished speaking, they all heard the sound of a dish breaking from within the classroom.
Seiji was rendered speechless by this unfortunate timing!
He could only smile wryly at Saki and Mayuzumi as he indicated to them with a hand gesture that they should go over and see what was going on.
The student that had broken the dish was hurriedly cleaning up the broken pieces, and the person who was apologizing on his behalf to the customer was⊠Chiaki!
She was wearing an exquisitely embroidered cosplay outfit, one that was much more exaggerated and extravagant than the one that Seiji wore yesterday.
Ordinary students wouldnât be able to do this outfit justice; it would only seem like a monkey in a circus outfit if the person didnât have an excellent appearance. But when Chiaki wore this outfit, not only did she do it justice, it even seemed completely natural on her with no sense of abnormality.
This was supposed to be a fantasy-themed cosplay outfit! Why did it seem so appropriate on her!?
Seiji was somewhat stunned at the sight.
And all the customers in the storeâespecially the female customersâwere all looking at Chiaki with stars in their eyes, as if they were seeing an idol⊠or a prince!
Thatâs rightâChiaki was a prince wearing a fantasy-themed prince outfit that made her seem even handsome than Seiji and his butler-style outfit from yesterday!
âNo wonder thereâs such a long line so early in the morning.â
After he recovered his senses, Seiji realized the reason behind the storeâs unusual popularity.
That was when he saw Chiaki looking in his direction.
The resplendent princeâwho was actually femaleâsmiled at him and blew him a kiss.
This instantly caused a huge commotion.
Seiji, who was the recipient of the unexpected impact, was unable to stand the crowdâs gaze and immediately escaped.
Mayuzumi and Saki were mystified by all this.
âHarano, what just happened?â
âN-nothingâa friend was just playing a joke on me.â Seiji could only sigh. âIt seems that⊠we wonât be able to go to my classroomâs store for a while, so letâs find somewhere else to sit down for a little while.â
âThen, please come visit our class!â said a candid-sounding female.
When Seiji reflexively turned around to see who it was, his vision was filled with nothing but purple.