Arifureta Chapter 349
Arifureta After III School Festival Second Part
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Under the bright and clear sky.
The high school that Hajime and co enrolled in was showing bustling activity since early in the morning. The students were running to left and right in order to finish the final preparation for their cla.s.s or club’s program. Loud voices were raised for this and that.
It was school festival. The reason for the unusual tumult was the proof of the long awaited school festival.
The atmosphere of the school was festive and joyful like that. However, there was one place that gave off atmosphere like it just had stayed up all night.
「……Finally, it came.」
The one who said that with a voice that sounded like it was wrung out from inside their stomach was placing both their elbows on the table, joining their hand together in front of their jaw, hiding his mouth with a Gendo○ pose, the vice princ.i.p.al.
Yes, the place with atmosphere of staying up all night was the staff room.
All the teachers with the exception of one person were having a pensive look. It was like the expression of the populace who were told that 「The world will end today」.
「Teachers. Today will be a difficult day. Most likely, it will be an unprecedentedly difficult day in our whole teaching career.」
The male teachers gulped their saliva audibly. The female teachers covered their face with both their hands with a sob. Kazuko-sensei looked like she would vomit from nervousness.
「With the police’s cooperation there will be security of plainclothes police officers. The school is also hiring security guards. We cannot deal with this by ourselves. But, even so, we are the one who should stand against the brunt of outside attention. The teachers of this school have to step forward to deal with the problems that occurred.
Because, if they didn’t do that the ma.s.s media would abuse them again. The lifespan of my few remaining hairs that is already short even now will be decreased even more.
The vice princ.i.p.al looked outside. People were already gathering outside the school’s outer wall. They weren’t the relatives of the students. They were the slaves of curiosity and the hyenas who made information as their source of income.
His gaze returned to inside the room.
「Also about the headmaster, yesterday midnight he vomited blood and sent to hospital in emergency. Today he cannot be present because he’s hospitalized. ……It seems a hole with record breaking size was opened in his stomach due to excessive stress.」
‘Headmasterrr~’ Everyone’s feeling wanted to yell that. The tragedy of the supreme commander suddenly exiting the stage made everyone wanted to hold their head. Kazuko-sensei went 「Oee」 and covered her mouth.
Vice princ.i.p.al slowly ran his gaze through everyone. He saw the eyes of the teacher one by one, and then, he announced with a warrior face.
「I ask everyone to resolve themselves.」
‘What resolve!?’ The teachers shuddered. Kazuko-sensei quickly opened a vomit bag and vomited.
While the school nurse looked after Kazuko-sensei, the vice princ.i.p.al’s sharp gaze flew to a corner of the staff room.
「Are you listening, Hatayama-sensei?」
「!!」
Aiko-chan-sensei was shrinking her body that was already small even in normal time, desperately wanting to erase her presence. Her body jumped with a jerk. And right after that she started trembling all over like a small animal.
「I, I’m lhistening!!」
She bit her tongue. It seemed she mutilated her tongue with all her strenght. She became teary from the pain. The air of the staff room softened slightly. Though it didn’t work agains the vice princ.i.p.al.
「The fate of this school might be decided today. It’s a critical time! You understand don’t you!?」
「e, u…..ca, calling it fate might be exaggerating……」
Aiko-sensei questioned if it was a bit exaggerating with mumbling voice. The vice princ.i.p.al’s eyes glinted hearing that. Not his head. His eyes. The vice princ.i.p.al knew that it would be meaningless if he wasn’t properly equipped.
He suddenly stood up and approached the window with brisk steps. He pointed sharply at a corner of the ground.
「Who-, permitted-, that kind of huge set up!?」
Ai-chan-sensei averted her gaze wordlessly. The other teachers saw “that” and their eyes turned into the eyes of rotten dead fish.
Over there was a tent. It was a huge crimson tent with height that rivaled thee-storied building. On its prettily decorated signboard was,
――Welcome! To the returnees’ exciting and thrilling South Cloud Circus♪
Such thing was written. It was really irritating how the “!” and “♪” were strangely elaborate. For vice princ.i.p.al.
「Bu, but, they were permitted to perform at the schoolyard……」
「Certainly, I recognize that.」
Vice princ.i.p.al took off his gla.s.ses with a trembling hand. He wiped it. As though he was suppressing the volcano inside him that was in the verge of erupting.
「Accidents might occur if people flood toward that special cla.s.sroom. There’s also a risk the argument toward the cla.s.sroom’s location might heat up once more without the ma.s.ses even understanding that it’s a measure that cannot be avoided with the understanding of both the student’s families and government.」
Thus, they were allowed to hold their performance outside the cla.s.sroom. In the first place, holding a performance on the ground was completely inadvisable. Because depending on the wind’s direction on that day, there was a risk of dusts blowing on the people. There was the intention that the program would be a quiet one if the students were given the requirement that “they didn’t cause any dust to fly to the surrounding” and “the show would be only for a hour at the afternoon”.
Also if the location was s.p.a.cious, it would be relatively easier to bring the situation under control. The danger would also be lessened. It was also considered that chaos would be harder to occur if Hajime and co were asked to scatter outside of the hour. Because of that, the vice princ.i.p.al gave his permission no matter how wary he was.
But, but still.
「Who would think-, that a tent like that can be raised in just one night!? Is this building a camp in one night like that story of building a fortress in one night!? Don’t screw around-!!」
「Vi, vice princ.i.p.al! Calm down! Didn’t you say that recently your blood pressure isn’t good!」
‘You’re going to get sent to hospital along with the headmaster!’, Teacher Asada pacified the vice princ.i.p.al who couldn’t endure his eruption as expected while pinioning him from behind.
「Shut up-, if it’s hospital then you go first! To the psychiatry! Immediately! Your act is like a completely different person now! It’s scary-」
His wig was beginning to shift out of place. The teachers did everything they could to not look at it while surrounding the vice princ.i.p.al and desperately calmed him down. If he collapsed right now then who would shoulder the responsibility――not that, who would take command of them? Kazuko-sensei sloo~wly fixed the position of the shifted wig. With soft touch! With soft touch! Just like affectionately petting a kitty that was just born!
「Re, rest a.s.sured-, vice princ.i.p.al! There isn’t anything dangerous at all! It’s safe and secure! It’s not scary! Let’s get along! That’s the strategy after all!」
「Try speaking the definition word by word! Isn’t there a gap with your understanding of it!?」
‘Aa, vice princ.i.p.al, don’t move! It’s sliding down again!’
「It’s fine! Please have faith! Surely you will be able to see a dream-like world!」
「Rather I want to wake if this is a dream.」
The vice princ.i.p.al said only the last sentence with a straight face. The other teachers were greatly in agreement.
Anyway for the time being he stopped moving, so Kazuko-sensei splendidly accomplished her mission. It wasn’t out of place for even an inch. Rather, his hair style looked more ordered than before. The teachers sent praises inside their heart toward the technique of soft touch Kazuko.
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Even though the teachers were trembling with fear in the staff room, the time was mercilessly moving.
The school festival finally began.
Thanks to the capable local polices, or perhaps thanks to the notification of 「banning anyone related to the ma.s.s media in the school festival」 that was sent beforehand, the marching ma.s.s media people didn’t mess up the school festival from the start and cheerful hustle and bustle echoed through the school.
It wasn’t like someone somewhere had limited the visitors by taking measures beforehand……there was no such thing. That was the story they were sticking with.
That someone somewhere was walking toward the front gate brazenly. He was gathering attention whether he wanted it or not. That too was also something that couldn’t be helped. The reason was,
「Hoee~, we’re surrounded just as expected~」
「……Nn. Just as planned.」
「Although this is so we won’t get separated……as I thought I can’t calm down.」
「It can’t be helped, Shizuku-chan. I don’t want the long awaited school festival to be ruined because of our fault.」
Because beautiful girls who should be called as “first-rate” were a.s.sembled. Furthermore they were surrounding a single male student――Hajime.
Yue naturally entangled her hand with Hajime’s right arm. Kaori was holding the area around the elbow of the opposite arm. Shizuku and Shia were right behind them, but their distance was too close for them to be a simple friend.
It was truly a harem. The single man who was monopolizing the beautiful girls gathered the focus of not only the outsiders but also the attending students. The eyes of the reporters were shining bright as though they were looking at a treasure trove of news material.
By the way, it was intentional that they were brazenly displaying the harem situation without even using any perception obstruction. By gathering attention, the reporters and onlookers were focused on them. In this way it would also be easy to respond in case something happened.
The other cla.s.smates were surely enjoying the school festival on their own. It was only Shinji and Yoshiki who were evaluating the quality of the reporters outside the encirclement in order to be caught in a trap of beautiful reporter. But currently there wasn’t any beautiful reporter.
When they arrived at the front gate, Hajime and co walked toward the corner. They took position at the corner of the admission gate that was like a scaled down version of the arch of triumph the student council inherited for generations so that they wouldn’t obstruct the traffic.
There were also many other students who were doing the same like them. Their reason was the same with Hajime and co. In other words, they were going to meet the invitees.
They were having idle talk while waiting for the arrival of their family members. It was then a hawker aiming for the visitors came. It seemed the student wished to sell soft ice cream to them. They were really spirited seeing how they were preparing ice cream for a school festival but, to even do travelling sales like this……they were really motivated.
Shia immediately stepped forward while holding such impression.
「Oo, one please! Desu!」
「Ah, ye, yes-, thank you for your business!」
The eyes of the male student working as hawker immediately acted suspiciously. When he accepted the ticket that they had converted their money into beforehand, his eyes looked charmed just from touching Shia’s fingertip slightly.
The male student-kun kept staring with enraptured look at Shia who had immediately turned around. An elementary school boy was pulling at his sleeve while appealing 「Quickly sell the ice cream to me」. The male student-kun took out one ice cream from his cooler box and handed it to the boy without even asking for any ticket.
‘Eh? Is it alright? For free?’ The boy asked. The male student-kun nodded without even looking at the boy. It was like he had turned into an ice cream giving robot. The elementary school boy cheered ‘waaa~I’ while going back to his parent. After that many parents sent their kids to charge thinking that 「So it’s welcome ice cream huh!」.
The ice cream was rapidly disappearing……
「Nn-, this is really delicious. Here, Hajime-san. Aa~nn」
「Nn. Ah, you’re right. It’s normally delicious.」
「……Nn. I’ll take a bite too. Delicious.」
「Ah, this is nice.」
「……Is he alright? His products are rapidly getting taken away there……ah, it’s delicious.」
Hajime and others shared the ice cream with each other without any hesitation. The surrounding were focusing on them looking like 「I, it feels like we’re watching an amazing sight……」. The attention from the outside visitors were especially great. There were also conversations like 「Okaa-san, that’s……」「Don’t look at them!」.
In any case, the ice cream male student returned to his senses. He made a face that seemed to say 「s.h.i.t, shiitt-, I know already! But I can’t accept this!」. At the same time, he saw inside his empty box and his face quickly turned pale.
Ignoring the male student who was returning to the school building trudgingly, the surrounding was getting noisy at Hajime and co who were naturally showing their flirting when finally, the cause for even more commotion arrived.
「Papaaa~~~~!!」
「They’re here.」
*Suteteteteee*, the one who came running with a smile like flower in full bloom was Myuu. Without braking she dived on the chest of Hajime papa. Seeing that, 「A student is a papa!?」 Mutter mutter!! Whisper whisper!!
The reporters who had been told beforehand of the prohibition to take picture started taking picture secretly with a small camera!
The central character of returnees, Nagumo Hajime has a daughter!? A private life of indulgence!! Are the returnees abnormal just as expected!?
They were surely imagining that kind of headline. Of course, their cameras were short circuited for some reason though.
「Geez, Myuu. Don’t leave mama behind.」
The one who came rushing with quick footsteps was again a beauty from foreign country who would make anyone stunned. The eyes of the male camp reflexively got pulled toward her.
「Myuu, it’s no good if you don’t properly show your admission ticket.」
Hajime welcomed Remia while lifting up Myuu with one arm. He approached the female students who were in charge of processing people’s admission who were looking on open mouthed at them.
「Myu, I forget. Onee-san, the ticket! Can I enter inside? Nano」
「Does Remia bring yours?」
「Yes dear. Fufu, the place is really lively.」
Seeing the figure of Remia snuggling close to Hajime with Myuu in between caused the female student in charge of the admission to move stiffly like robot while speaking「Yes, please. Enjoy, yourself, with your, family」 in halting language.
People were gathering at the admission gate. A male student with a daughter……furthermore, it was a girl around the age of five years old. In other words, that male student when he was in middle school caused that foreign beautiful woman to……
Several male students yelled「Is this the stratified societyyyyyyyy-」 while running away. The officers in plain clothes were itching to give some guidance despite the order from above to ignore anything like this.
「Goshujin-sama, it seems the situation art getting quite difficult.」
「What Tio, so you came too.」
「Wha, what. That sounds like I am singled as outcast……cough-」
Even though usually she would go ‘haa haa’, Tio now only blushed slightly while looking completely like a composed adult woman……she smiled bewitchingly with such atmosphere. She was dressed in kimono that looked more proper than her usual appearance with her hair also arranged. It was as though……she was a wife of a yakuza boss.
Because she was at Hajime’s school, it seemed she more or less acted with consideration and suppressed her perversity. But on the contrary, that kind of adult woman calling Hajime as goshujin-sama was causing the perception toward Hajime to become dreadful instead.
Even though he was already being accompanied by an army of beautiful girl, he also had a foreign beauty with daughter and also a beauty in kimono too……
「This kind of world-, it’s mistaken-. G.o.dDAMMITTTTTTT-」
The one who rushed out was a reporter of a major television station. It seemed he couldn’t endure the various things that he saw. Other than him there was also「Chieeef-, please don’t stop me! I’ll handcuff that bulls.h.i.t brat hereee」「Stop-, I understand your feeling but don’t, don’t do that okay-」 The police officers were also in dire straits.
「Oh my, as expected, it become something amazing!」
「I’m correct to push my work to my subordinates and come here!」
「Kaa-san, Tou-san. So you two also came.」
It was obvious that it would become amusing thing. The best seller mangaka and the game company director wouldn’t possibly miss such chance. Sumire and Shuu were watching with sparkling eyes like kids.
There, a reporter who finally couldn’t endure anymore rushed forward.
「Do you have a bit of time? Please talk――」
「――『Turn right about face and have fun with the school festival』」
「Yes-, let’s have fun in the festival!」
The reporter smiled brightly and turned around with a smooth movement. Without stopping he skipped while vanishing inside the crowd.
The commotion suddenly fell deathly silent. The attention of the surrounding moved from the relation of Hajime and the female camp to focus on Yue-sama alone.
「……Nn, what?」
Her appearance tilting her head slightly was adorable like in a dream. Exactly because of that, she somehow felt slightly terrifying. Inside the sleepy looking unblinking eyes, something that couldn’t be touched was lurking……those eyes made them felt like that.
「Then, Myuu. Let’s look around randomly until the show time.」
「Yes nano!」
The lively and energetic reply of Myuu caused the surrounding people to feel really relieved for some reason.
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After that, Sumire and Shuu quickly parted from them to go have fun. Midway, they discovered Kaori papa who abandoned his work and watched from behind a cover. Kaori sighed and parted from them. After that they joined up with Aiko and when she feed Hajime with 「Aa~nn」, vice princ.i.p.al ferociously came running. In front of that, Aiko said 「Leave vice princ.i.p.al to me and go ahead! Don’t worry, I’ll immediately catch up with you later」 with strange tension that was characteristic of festival mood and quickly parted from them. With such things happened, Hajime and co enjoyed the school festival in their own way for a while.
Shizuku called at Hajime who was lovingly wiping the mouth of Myuu that got dirtied from eating choco banana. She looked strangely reserved.
「Hajime. Actually, there is a cla.s.s that invited me. They really want me to come no matter what.」
「Hm? Alright. What’re they doing?」
「A maid café it seems.」
「That’s the standard event in manga or anime but, to think that there is really a cla.s.s that is doing it.」
「It’s that girl’s cla.s.s after all……」
「That girl huh……」
It made sense. The one lying in wait at the cla.s.sroom they visited was,
「Welcome home-, Onee-sama!! And then, so you come too, this accursed senpai-」
It was kouhai-chan. She was dressed as frilly maid. Her trademark twintail was swaying back and forth.
「Wait, did senpai kidnap a little girl!?」
「Do you want that twintail to be tied in reef knot again?」
The maid café became noisy. Strangely, there wasn’t a single boy among the café staffs or the customers. Even though a maid café felt like a place where boys would gather.
「Papa, who is this Onee-chan?」
「She is a hard to describe organism that Myuu has no need to know for eternity.」
「Who’re you calling a SAN point devouring monster! Wait, that’s not it! What does she mean by papa!? Hah, don’t tell me……Onee-sama! Since when you gave birth!?」
「What are you saying with that loud voice!」
Surprised gazes focused on Shizuku.
「Yo, you’re right. From her hair color, could it be she is the daughter of that person there……miss, please don’t worry. I heard that today there are also a lot of polices here. Let’s hand over that devil to them! What’s necessary is the courage to ask for help!」
「My my, what an amusing person.」
‘Ufufu’, Remia smiled warmly. Her soft and light atmosphere made kouhai-chan to recoil for some reason. 「Thi, this is an adult’s composure……」She muttered something like that.
「Anyway, show us our seating already kouhai.」
「Don’t order me around! Here, there’s your seat!」
The customer should be a goshujin-sama, but the maid kouhai said not to order her around. Yue and others were used to her, but Myuu, Remia, and Tio who met kouhai-chan for the first time were looking at her like she was a rare animal. They thought, there had never been a girl who would oppose Hajime so strongly like this from the front.
「Tap water will be okay for senpai right? Everyone, what will you have?」
Kouhai-chan said that cheerfully. She really had guts. But, there, a purely innocent gaze attacked kouhai-chan.
「Papa will only get water nano?」
「Uh」
Kouhai-chan backed away. Hajime grinned while whispering to Myuu. 「That’s right. Papa is getting hara.s.sed by this onee-chan」 He said.
「Wai-, senpai! That’s cowar――」
「Onee-chan, you hate papa nano?」
「Fuguh」
「……Then, Myuu will also have water nano.」
Myuu was looking dejectedly at the delicious looking cake and juice on other table while saying such lovable thing. Critical hit on kouhai-chan. Her life gauge was at red zone.
「The, the-the-the, there is no such thing-. Hahahaaa, joking! Yes, I was just joking!」
「……」
Myuu whose mood was offended wouldn’t even look to kouhai-chan who was pacifying her. ‘Puih’ she looked side. It was a scene of a high school girl picking on a young and sweet little girl. Kouhai-chan was fretful to a degree that she never felt until now.
「I’ll prepare a special cake for Myuu-chan!」
Myuu gave a short glance. ‘You can do this! Move right to the second arrow!’ The surrounding was also backing kouhai-chan.
「Actually, there is also a corner to try on maid uniform! There’s also a maid uniform in Myuu-chan’s size there! Do you want to try wearing a cute maid uniform!?」
「……myu」
Myuu’s eyes moved to papa. It seemed she slightly wanted to try it. When Hajime nodded, her expression brightened radiantly.
「Now now-, Myuu-chan come over here! One customer for trying on the maid uniform!」
A voice 「Roger!」 came from deeper inside the cla.s.sroom that was covered with a part.i.tion. Myuu was guided inside. While she was changing, the menu they ordered also came. Though kouhai-chan was gritting her teeth *gugigigigigi-* when she put down the coffee that Hajime ordered.
After a while, a voice 「Preparation finished!」 that sounded excessively vigorous came from inside. When everyone’s gazes were focused to the part.i.tion, a small maid came out form there with brisk small steps……
「My! Myuu, you’re adorable!」
「Ou, that really suit you, Myuu.」
「Myu……」
Myuu blushed shyly and fidgeted at the impression of her mama and papa. Yue and others also raised voices of praise seeing that overly lovable appearance. Enraptured sigh 「Hou」 leaked out everywhere inside the cla.s.sroom.
Myuu walked toward kouhai-chan even while fidgeting. And then, with blushing cheeks and upward gaze, she smiled softly,
「Onee-chan, thank you nano.」
「Are you angel」
Kouhai-chan backed away. Like a demon who flinched back from the light of purification bathing her.
After that Myuu sat on Hajime papa’s lap and started eating cake in a good mood. Kouhai-chan was looking restless for some reason. Her gaze was wandering around frequently to the surrounding, as though to say 「Wha, what now. We’re going to do it in this situation!? We’re really going to do it!?」.
Before long, kouhai-chan confirmed that Hajime and co already had their fill of the cakes and drinks, and she said 「The war front against senpai is a path of carnageee!!」 with her expression became resolved.
Kouhai-chan stood in the way of Hajime who stood up from his seat.
「That was foolish of you, senpai!」
「Not as much as you.」
「Like a moth flying into the flame, that’s what senpai is!」
「It feels like bugs are constantly flying around inside your head though.」
‘Come on-‘, said kouhai-chan with a finger snap. Right away, the café staffs and customers surrounded Hajime in half circle. In addition, they took out water gun from inside their skirt and pointed the muzzles at Hajime.
「This is like the movie I saw before this nano!」
「Yeah, the one where everyone inside the restaurant is secret service agents.」
Kouhai-chan sighed in relieve seeing Myuu who watched in excitement instead of getting scared while snorting.
「Fuh, senpai never even imagined that this place is actually inside the trap of us Soul Sisters right?」
「You’re really hopeless huh, kouhai.」
「Shut up! Now, senpai can have your lower body soaking wet and get looked with gaze of 『that person, he peed himself……』 by everyone! Senpai’s reputation will fall to the bottom and Onee-sama will be liberated!」
That seemed to be their strategy. Shizuku’s cheeks were twitching while saying 「You girls are really」. Before she could say her honest opinion to them, the simultaneous shooting from the merciless Soul Sisters was……
「Ah!? Wait, a sec――」
The scream came from kouhai-chan.
Kouhai-chan was captured in an instant and turned into a shield against the fired water bullet. Her lower body was soaked wet. And then, she was dragged and tossed outside the cla.s.sroom.
A maid high school girl suddenly flew out of the cla.s.sroom. Water was seeping out from around the b.u.t.t of the girl who was sitting with girlish posture on the ground.
Silence visited the corridor that was filled with a lot of people following after Hajime and co. Kouhai-chan’s face boiled red *puff~~~~*……
「Thi, this isn’t how it look likeeeeee-!!」
She ran away pigeon-toed. While at the end she also properly left her parting threat 「d.a.m.n senpaii-, I’ll remember thissss-」.
「And, what’re you girls going to do now?」
That voice resounded inside the cla.s.sroom. The Soul Sisters returned to their senses in surprise, and there they noticed. Without them noticing, the water gun had gone from their hand. And then, they saw at Nagumo-senpai’s hands, water guns were pointed to them in dual wielding style.
Nagumo-senpai had locked-on at the lower body of the Soul Sisters!
「「「「Do, don’t think you’ve win with thisssssss-」」」」
The Soul Sisters ran away with splendid synchronization.
「School is really a fun place nano. Myuu also want to go to elementary school quickly nano.」
Most likely, surely, she wouldn’t be able to go through a school life as eccentric as here. While thinking that, Hajime and others shut their mouth so to not break Myuu’s dream.
「Oh, it will be time soon. Let’s go.」
The time for the program of the returnees cla.s.s finally arrived.
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AN: After this, the last part will also be uploaded within today.
Best regards.
(TN: That was the author note, the translator can’t guarantee that the next chapter will be today.)