Chapter 1388. School Festival Day 2 / TV Evaluation
Before long, the national news ended.
The screen on the spare monitor shows Kana-senpai and other members of the tennis club waving at the cafe along with the text “Lunch News, End”
「 Will this bring more customers this afternoon? 」
Mana comes out of the break room and asks.
Oh, she was watching the coverage on the monitor in the break room as well.
「 Yeah, some people who are watching the news might come to our school festival 」
Megu said.
「 Don’t get your hopes up too high, even if they increase, it’ll just be from the few neighbors from the school who wants to take a peek 」
Katsuko-nee said with a smile.
「 It’s Sunday afternoon, not many people would take the train or bus all the way down here 」
Right…
They won’t rush to the school festival of a private school just for a bunch of cute high-school girls from the tennis club and our bread.
「 But, that’s okay, being on TV is already an achievement for us 」
Katsuko-nee said.
「 I guess so. Katsuko-nee, please check the next pastry 」
「 I know 」
I then took out the pastry from the oven and put them on the tray
It’s still 12:20, still noon rush.
「 Sorry, Baker-kun, Ai 」
The four tennis girls run inside the bakery.
「 We just wanted to line up when the camera’s rolling so… 」
「 Sorry, we couldn’t help with the baking 」
They apologized to us.
「 Don’t mind it, the TV did advertise our baking course properly. Having you girls in the bakery would’ve made the explanation complicated 」
「 Right, the cafe outside shows the girls from the tennis club while the inside shows the students of the baking course 」
Nei said.
It’s just Ai and me who are students of the baking course.
People who watched the broadcast would a.s.sume that Nei, Megu, and Edie, are also students.
The more students there are, the more it gives the impression that Katsuko-nee’s running the bakery with proper guidance.
「 Uhm, but, we were watching from our phones and… 」
「 It’s fun that they were filming us on tv then we could watch it on 1-segment 」
「 And so, the camera goes inside the bakery, after filming us 」
「 Then, Ai’s looking serious, but Nei-san and Baker-kun’s girlfriend always had their backs on the screen 」
Nei and Megu were working with their backs turned on the camera the whole time the camera was rolling.
These girls think that high-school girls would want to be on TV.
So they find it odd that Nei and Megu don’t actively try to get themselves on TV.
「 That’s okay. We’re just helping out in here 」
Nei said with a smile.
「 Katsuko-oneechan, Ai-chan, and Yo-chan should have the spotlight. 」
「 Oh right, if Natou-senpai faced the camera, they’ll definitely focus on you 」
「 Right…Natou-san’s beautiful after all 」
The two of the tennis club girls seem to be juniors so they say that, but…
「 But it did show Ai’s cuteness 」
「 Yes, that was cute, Ai 」
The seniors praise Ai.
「 It was embarra.s.sing… 」
Ai mutters with a blushing face.
「 I also didn’t want to show up either. 」
Edie returns from the outside.
Oh right, she went to deliver the baked bread to the front.
She came back with five stacked empty pads.
「 But it can’t be helped, we didn’t have enough manpower, and I met the crew when I accompanied Katsuko. I couldn’t just pretend that I’m gone 」
「 Sorry about the manpower shortage 」
The tennis club senior apologized to Edie.
「 I checked the footage right after the broadcast is over. 」
「 I also repeated it three times 」
「 That’s why we got late 」
「 Sorry 」
Oh, they recorded the news on their phone and went to review it over and over again.
「 So, did you girls show up? 」
「 Ah, yes, it was perfect 」
「 I was on the far end but I’m still in the picture 」
「 I even got a line! 」
「 Anyway, the entire tennis club appeared on TV 」
The four said happily.
Ordinary high school girls would be happy that they appeared on TV.
I’m just accustomed to seeing Yukino and the girls on TV.
「 That’s great! Then, can you girls start working? 」
Katsuko-nee instructed the tennis girls with a smile.
「 Oh, sorry. We got too merry for it 」
「 Don’t mind it. You girls get to the workbench, same work with Megumi-chan yesterday 」
「 Okay, got it 」
The four tennis club girls finally get to work.
Seeing that, Katsuko-nee looked up at the monitor showing the outside.
「 It seems that the TV crew is gone now 」
True, I can’t see any more TV staff on the screen.
Outside, the cafe seems to be full of customers seeking bread and drinks.
The excitement from the TV cameras filming the event is already gone.
「 Well then, I’ll greet the staff before they leave 」
Katsuko-nee told me.
The filming is over, so the staff is still probably packing up their cameras, microphones, and other equipment into their cars.
「 I have to go there because the princ.i.p.al might come again and say something strange to the crew. I’ll greet them off and return immediately, I’ll be back in fifteen 」
Oh right…
The princ.i.p.al might try to get in contact with the TV station again.
「 Uhm, Katsuko-san, that was cool 」
One of the juniors in the tennis club said.
「 You’re always that cheerful, friendly, and gentle Onee-san, but today, being cool is added to the adjectives! 」
「 Yeah. It was cool to see you speak against the princ.i.p.al, but your conversation with the announcer earlier too 」
「 It felt like you’re a mature woman 」
「 I mean, it’s got the style of a woman who can do her job 」
「 Yes, that, anyway, it was cool! 」
That’s also a face of Katsuko-nee I already knew.
She’s dealt with some of the biggest names in politics and business as a prost.i.tute in the Black Forest.
When push comes to shove, she can be both threatening and impressive.
Rather, Katsuko-nee’s been holding herself back when in school.
The weight on her shoulders is lifted off when she appeared on TV as the head of the baking course.
Katsuko-nee’s true nature isn’t supporting Ai and me from behind.
Katsuko-nee herself is a field player with a star quality when she can move freely.
「 It just happened by chance today, but, thanks 」
Katsuko-nee smiled at the tennis girls.
「 Oh, speaking of which, Baker-kun also looked cool 」
Huh, me?
「 Yeah, you were moving so quickly 」
「 It’s like you’re a working man 」
「 I’m sure that the school’s watching that segment right now 」
「 Yes, that. I’m sure that they’ll be sending each other the recordings on their phone 」
「 Then, Baker-kun’s becoming popular 」
「 What are you talking about, Baker-kun’s got Yamamine-san over there 」
「 Well yeah, but still. If you see Baker-kun is baking bread 」
「 I mean, now everyone can see that Baker-kun’s the one doing it 」
「 Yes, that, some say that Katsuko-san makes the delicious ones, and Baker-kun doesn’t really work inside 」
「 Now that rumor’s gone 」
「 Yeah, we know that since we worked together yesterday, but, there will be people speaking out of their convenience 」
Right…
But, some will indeed think that it’s strange when I just started this baking course in the second semester and work on it smoothly.
「 But now that everyone saw that Katsuko-san’s just giving instructions, and Ai-san and Baker-kun’s making the baked goods 」
「 Yes, yes, Baker-kun’s reputation will definitely go up! You’re getting a big boost! 」
I look at Katsuko-nee.
Katsuko-nee smiled at me.
Oh, that was the plan from the start.
That’s why she told me to focus on the job before the TV crew appeared.
「 Oh right. Mitama, Kinuka, you girls can come out now 」
Edie calls the Anjou sisters from the break room.
「 Oh, so that’s where you were hiding 」
The two tennis girls looked at the door to the break room but they can’t see what was going on inside the break room.
There’s still more inside.
Mariko, Tsukiko, Haiji, Kurose Anju, also…
「 I’m going out too 」
The twins come out
「 Wow, it’s the twins, you’re here today too! 」
Another tennis girl junior speaks up when they saw Rie and Eri who appear on TV every week.
「 We appear on TV most of the time 」
「 It would be a bad idea to appear on national TV, even if we’re just pa.s.sing by 」
The two said conveniently.
「 Kinuka and I are going back to our mission, attracting customers 」
「 Going out! 」
The Anjou sisters started performing tricks in front of the cafe again.
「 Sure, but accompany Katsuko-nee since she’s greeting off the TV crew 」
I’ll let Mitama guard her.
「 Certainly 」
「 Certainly! 」
The Anjou sisters salute to me with a straight face.
「 Pfft, Mitama-san sure is funny 」
The tennis club girls think that what Kinuka and Mitama are doing is a joke.
「 Both of them are on guard, I’m also going away for a while 」
「 Where are you going? 」
I asked her in surprise.
「 I should be going to the ring now 」
Edie looked up at the clock and replied.
「 Ring? 」
Ring? What ring?
「 Ring? Wait, it’s that, right? ?Kuru, kitto Kuru? 」
「 ?Anta Inishieuuuu? 」
The tennis girls laugh, but I don’t get it.
「 You know, the committee members got angry since we made sudden decisions. The gym and auditorium are already booked 」
Right, it was yesterday when Edie decided she’ll have a school swimsuit judo tournament.
Naturally, the committee would get angry if we say that when the school festival has started already.
「 Then, I wanted to use the Judo hall, but the judo club refused. You know, we just used it without their permission last time 」
Oh yeah, Edie and Grace Marinka’s school swimsuit judo…
We held the event guerrilla-style, taking advantage that the dojo wasn’t in use because it was cla.s.s time.
「 So, asking the committee again, they said that we could use the courtyard. That’s why I rented a martial arts ring for that 」
Ring? Oh, the pro-wrestling ring!
「 Jun knew a place where we could rent one, so the car drives it to here and we’re setting it up now 」
Grace Marinka-san or Onoe Jun-san was a former professional wrestler.
She knows where she could rent some rings.
「 It would look better if Jun and I fight in a real ring, right? 」
Edie makes a pose and smiled.
「 That’s amazing, Edie-chan 」
「 Oh, it’s pro wrestling again 」
「 It’s no pro wrestling, it’s MMA, right? 」
The tennis girls know that Edie’s doing martial arts, they also know about the match she had with Grace Marinka-san when she was in the school.
They know that there will be another match during the school festival just from Edie’s explanation.
「 Not really, we’re just playing around since it’s the school festival, so it’s gonna be a school swimsuit judo tournament 」
Edie told the girls with a smile.
「 Still, you went and rented a ring just for fooling around 」
「 The people in the bakery are so active 」
「 Yeah, no ordinary high-school student would go that far 」
Well yeah, this isn’t on the level of just fooling around as high-school students.
Borrowing a ring and delivering it to you isn’t free.
I’m sure that Margo-san is willing to pay for the cost of publicity, including the TV crew doing the live broadcast.
「 But, setting up the ring will take time, right? 」
I don’t know much, but don’t those things take a lot of steps?
「 What time is the event? 」
「 Three in the afternoon 」
It’s already 12:30, so there are only two hours and a half left.
「 Don’t worry. The one we rented is for shows, so Jun said that they can set it up in just an hour. They’re fast on their jobs. If not, you’ll have a lot of trouble setting up pro wrestling in the local areas 」
Oh yeah, wrestling organizations a.s.semble their rings in local gyms every day.
It’s designed to be quick to a.s.semble and take down from the start.
So they can construct it in a surprisingly short time.
「 Jun’s also setting up the ring every day when she was a rookie so she’ll tell the details, besides Haruko’s also bringing her friends from the gym 」
Oh yeah, Line Haruko-san, one of Edie’s opponents in the tournament.
If I recall, she’s from the Golden Balm Gym
「 Haruka and Maria are also coming so we have enough manpower 」
Michi’s elder sister, Kudou Haruka, and Tendou Otome, now called Kendou Maria, will also partic.i.p.ate.
It’s our school festival, yet Edie’s the only student from our school there.
「 That’s why Darling shouldn’t worry about us and just continue working, we’ll do our best over there 」
Oh well.
Seeing Edie smile like that, I feel like I can let her take care of it.
It’s probably the scaled-down version of the women’s martial arts tournament from the other day, but with Edie, Grace, Line Haruko-san, Kudou Haruka-san, and Kendou Maria competing, it’ll be a spectacular event in its own right.
「 With that said, I’ll meet them at the gate by 12:45, so I’m going now 」
It’s still fifteen minutes early, but there might be early birds already.
「 Yeah, take care Edie 」
「 Darling and everyone too 」
「 Then, I’m going too now, take care of the rest 」
「 We shall too 」
With that said, Edie, Katsuko-nee, Mitama, and Kinuka left the bakery.
「 Should we start another talk show? 」
「 Is that okay, Onii-san? 」
Let’s see, there’s still the noon crowd at the screen.
Kana-senpai is selling drinks and bread while dripping in sweat.
「 It’s better to have them do it, I think it’ll make the customers feel at ease 」
Nei said.
Yeah, if they’re so crowded, we should start some kind of event.
No, but…
「 Yeah, please do. But, do it after Katsuko-nee returns 」
Once Katsuko-nee returns, Mitama and Kinuka will also return.
If they’re going to start an event, then they should have someone to guard them.
However, the twins must be getting tired of being confined in the break room.
Well, we should also avoid outside.
These girls are popular.
「 Until then, stay here or in the school cafeteria 」
「 Okay, Eri-chan 」
「 I get it too 」
The twins open the door from the break room then…
「 Haiji-chan, we’re going around the cafeteria, come with us 」
「 Please, Haiji-chan 」
Yeah, Haiji can guard Eri and Rie.
「 Okay 」
Haiji appears.
「 Huh, who’s that girl? 」
One of the tennis girls is surprised to see an unknown middle-school girl showing up.
「 A friend of ours 」
「 Yes, a close friend 」
Eri and Rie replied.
「 We’re going out 」
Eri, Rie, and Haiji left to the cafeteria.
◇ ◇ ◇
Fifteen minutes later and Katsuko-nee returned.
「 No problems, the national TV crew has gone home 」
「 Was there anyone at the entrance, Edie? 」
I wonder if the national TV crew saw Edie and her team borrowing the ring, and Grace-san who’s built like a pro wrestler.
Or maybe, the TV crew broadcasting Edie’s tournament has already arrived?
I feel like the TV crew from national and commercial stations meeting up in a regular private high-schools school festival without knowing beforehand would cause some problems.
「 I know, that’s the reason why the national TV crew left through the west gate 」
Oh, Katsuko-nee already had a grasp of Edie’s moves.
「 Also, what are you girls doing for lunch? 」
Katsuko-nee asks the tennis girls who are helping out
「 We decided to hold off lunch until the customer density has decreased a bit 」
「 We had a TV camera roll on us and Katsuko-san gave us makeup earlier this morning so we’re going to hold the fort 」
Yesterday, they took turns in eating lunch, but…
They can’t make that swap since we have more customers than yesterday.
Oh, we haven’t had lunch either.
Ai, Megu, Mana, and I continued working without taking a break.
「 I’ll be sticking around and working here so I think we’ll have a bit of leeway 」
Katsuko-nee puts on her ap.r.o.n and moves in front of the oven.
「 But, I’m sorry Katsuko-oneesan, it’s about time for me to return to the track and field 」
Captain Takeshiba told Megu that she can work here until the afternoon.
「 Should I send the captain a message and ask if I can stay in the bakery a little longer? 」
Captain Takeshiba will surely understand if we tell her that the cafe is crowded, but…
「 No. The track and field girls won’t see that as nicely as she does 」
Katsuko-nee’s right.
The tennis club girls are happy to be on TV, meaning, the track and field girls may feel dissatisfied that the camera didn’t go to them.
In that sense, not showing Megu to the news except for her back is the right choice.
「 Megu, you should go to the track and field and show your face at least 」
I said.
「 Yeah. I should 」
Then.
「 Yo-chan, the car’s here! 」
Nei tells me.
The monitor shows Rei-chan parking the van.
Oh, the tennis girls don’t know that the souvenir pastry is brought from the mansion.
I can’t just carry that from the van to the front of the cafe.
「 What is it? 」
A junior from the tennis club points at the car out of curiosity.
「 Oh, it’s our lunch! I asked a relative of mine to help out 」
Nei glossed it over with a smile.
「 Yo-chan, let’s go take it! Is that okay, Katsuko-oneechan? 」
「 Yes, please do 」
「 Let’s go, Yo-chan 」
Nei and I went for the back door
「 Yomi’s here! 」
Yomi drops off from the pa.s.senger seat.
Her t.i.ts are huge as always.
Having the seatbelt on her thin blouse just emphasizes her b.r.e.a.s.t.s even more.
「 We dropped off Grace-san at the main gate 」
Rei-chan says from the driver’s seat
Grace-san came to our school in this van too.
「 Edie’s at the main gate, right? 」
「 Yes, others have gathered there too. Therefore, I gave Edie lunch there 」
Lunch.
「 The pad on the right rear is the souvenir. The left side is the lunch box for everyone. We counted everyone so you don’t have to worry about running out 」
So Nei said the truth earlier.
「 Motoko-oneesama and Kurumi-chan said that they still can’t make pastries that well 」
Yomi said.
「 It’s a very nice square bento, Yomi and everyone in the mansion ate first 」
Motoko and Kurumi are good at j.a.panese food.
No, they did all kinds of bridal training so they’re good at everything.
Still, it had a feeling that their beauty is in form only back then.
Now that we’re family, they start to cook with love
In a sense, they’re the ideal wife and concubine.
Except they dedicated their lives to the Kuromiya style of spear fighting.
「 Everyone’s helping Yo-chan with what they do best 」
Nei said.
Yeah, I’m thankful to them
「 Ya-chan, I’m taking the souvenir pastry to Kana-senpai, take the bento to Tsukiko, Mariko, and Kurose-san in the break room 」
Those girls must be hungry already.
「 Okay, then, I’ll have Rie, Eri, and Haiji in the cafeteria to eat them too 」
Yeah, they can do the talk show right after lunch.
「 We might eat our lunch later at 2 」
Nei said and then I remembered.
「 Two o’clock…I’m supposed to meet Marika and Erica at that time 」
Marika’s introducing her friend to me.
「 It’s okay, the customers will thin down by 2 」
Nei said.
I hope so.