MCFW 57

Chapter – 57

“Um… Nishida-senpai. Do you have a moment?”

That happened just as we were about to finish touring the school and head back to the café.
A female student called out to Kana-neechan.

Since she addressed her as “Nishida-senpai,” she was probably the same age as me.
Kana-neechan turned her gaze toward the girl who had spoken.

“Hm? What is it?”
“It’s about today’s live performance…”
“Did something happen?”
“I already told Hayakawa-senpai, but she told me to ‘cancel it’…”
“What? Cancel it!? …Why?”
“Well, um… she said something about it disrupting the school’s morals…”
“What is that supposed to mean? That’s just a flimsy excuse! What is Hayakawa-senpai even thinking—”

At Kana-neechan’s words, the girl hesitated, then spoke with difficulty.

“She said it’s not allowed because there’s a boy among the band members…”
“That’s not a problem at all! Everyone who plays in a band forms groups regardless of gender. There’s no one who complains about ‘because you’re a boy’ or ‘because you’re a girl’ like Hayakawa-senpai does.”
“But still…”
“Anyway—if she has anything more to say, tell her to come talk to me directly.”
“…Understood. I’ll tell Hayakawa-senpai that.”

With that, the girl walked away.
Kana-neechan still looked unable to calm her anger.

“Honestly… Hayakawa-senpai, really…”

She said that with a sulky expression.
Would everything really be okay?

“Kana-neechan…”

Worried, I called out to her.
Canceling a live performance—was that really something that could be done so easily?
I mean, wasn’t the live show already part of the school’s official plan?
What would happen to the cultural festival schedule?
If the live got canceled, the bass guitar I brought as a personal item would be pointless.
Somehow, I was starting to feel more and more uneasy.

Kana-neechan quickly turned to me and smiled.

“It’s okay. There’s nothing you need to worry about, little brother.”

It was obvious she was saying that to keep me from feeling anxious.

“So, does it look like the live can still happen?”
“The teachers have already given permission, so the live itself isn’t a problem, but…”
“There’s some other issue?”
“The Hayakawa-senpai I mentioned earlier… she really hates boys.”
“Don’t tell me she doesn’t like the idea of me being on stage this time?”
“That’s probably it.”

That’s just plain gender discrimination.
Still, no matter how much of a senior she was, she was just one student. Normally, it shouldn’t become such a big issue.

“If it’s just one student complaining, it shouldn’t matter, right? Is she part of some committee, like the morals committee or something?”
“You’re pretty sharp. Hayakawa-senpai is the vice president of the student council.”
“I see. That’s troublesome.”
“And there’s something even more troublesome.”
“What is it?”
“The student council president has taken an interest in me.”
“In you, Kana-neechan? Why?”
“My grades are pretty good, after all. I’ve caught their attention—in a good way.”
“I see.”

Indeed, Kana-neechan had excellent grades.
She even placed first in exams every time, so it made sense that the student council would notice her.

“The current student council president keeps telling me, ‘Please become the next president,’ and she’s really persistent.”
“Kana-neechan, student council president?”
“Yeah. Honestly, I’m not very interested…”
“I see. …But if you became president, the school would probably feel a lot brighter.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I’m not a student at a girls’ school, so I don’t really know, but I think it would become a better school if you were president.”
“…But then I wouldn’t have much time to spend with you. And I have my part-time job, too…”
“Right. You do work part-time, don’t you? I completely forgot.”
“Hey! You meanie—”

Kana-neechan pouted and glared at me.
That expression of hers was actually pretty cute.

“Oh, Kana… you’re finally back.”

When we returned to the café, Nao-san called out to us.
Kana-neechan tilted her head thoughtfully and looked at Takanashi-san and the others.
Something felt off.
The number of customers hadn’t changed much, but somehow the place felt less lively.

“What happened?”
“Well… customers have been asking if the cute waitress from earlier isn’t here anymore.”

Takanashi-san said that with a sigh.
From her expression, it was clear she was exasperated.
The reason people came to this café was probably that “cute waitress.”

Kana-neechan glanced at me briefly, then turned back to Takanashi-san and asked again.

“Cute waitress? Who are they talking about?”
“Well, um… it’s really hard to say…”

Takanashi-san looked troubled—and for some reason, she looked straight at me.

—No way.

There’s no way that’s true, right?

“Um… why are you looking at me?”
“Why? Because one of the reasons so many customers come is you.”
“Me…? Why?”
“I told you, didn’t I? There’s a cute waitress.”
“Ah… yes, you did.”
“That ‘cute waitress’ is you, Kaede-kun.”
“What!? Wait a second—I’m a guy!”
“We know that. But…”

Takanashi-san pressed her fingers to her forehead in distress.
Just looking at her face, it was obvious there were complications.

“So… you’re keeping quiet because you don’t want to hurt the café’s reputation?”
“Exactly.”
“…So until the café event ends, you want me to keep helping out?”

I said that, even though I had a bad feeling about it.
I mean, Kana-neechan already told me I’d be doing the live in this outfit, so I didn’t really have room to complain—but still.
Letting an outsider help in the café didn’t exactly look good.

Takanashi-san placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eye.

“Please help us.”
“…Alright.”

There was no way I could refuse.
Honestly, I wanted to decline with everything I had—but with Kana-neechan watching me so anxiously, I couldn’t do that.
After all, it was Kana-neechan and Nao-san who invited me in the first place.
At this point, there was nothing to do but accept it.

The moment I stepped back into the café, cheers erupted from the customers.

“Oh! He’s back!”
“We’ve been waiting!”
“You’re late! What were you doing?”

There were both men and women, and it seemed like everyone had been waiting for my return.
Well then… I guess I should live up to their expectations.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. I’ll be right with you once I’m ready!”

I waved to them and struck a cute pose like a girl would.
I could’ve gone with a more indifferent attitude, but I figured this would get a better reaction.
With that, I headed straight to the changing room.

As soon as I entered, Kana-neechan called out to me.

“You’re really getting into it, aren’t you, little brother?”
“Well, yeah. Since I’m wearing a maid outfit anyway, I figured I’d see how far I could go.”
“I see. This is coming from me, but you really are cute, so I’m sure it’ll go well.”
“That’s exactly the problem…”

I gave a wry smile.
To be honest, I didn’t really want to rank first among the class’s attractions.
Since Takanashi-san, Kana-neechan, and Nao-san were all here, I’d rather one of them take the spotlight.
All I did was imitate the waitresses I’d seen at a maid café.
It was just part of customer service.

I’d been to a maid café before, so I already knew how they treated customers.
I never imagined I’d be the one doing it, though.
Well, since I was wearing a maid outfit anyway, I figured it was fine.

…Alright then.
Once I’m ready, I should head back out and get to work.