[Main Quest Activated: Rule the Cultural Festival!] Objective: Become the festival committee head and make the event unforgettable (and slightly scandalous). Reward: Festival King Title, +10 Charisma, Harem Expansion Bonus Penalty: Your club gets disbanded, and you wear a banana suit for a week.
I stared at the mission.
"You want me to run an entire school festival?!"
[Correct. Host must display leadership, creativity, and chaos-resilience.]
"Is that a real stat now?"
[Yes. Chaos-Resilience: 2/100.]
I was so screwed.
The first meeting as festival committee head went about as well as you'd expect from a group led by someone whose only leadership experience came from video games.
Cynthia brought a life-size cutout of me dressed as a butler. Luna tried pitching a haunted house that was "only slightly cursed." Isabella wanted to cancel the whole thing and host a debate club showdown.
"Why do we need a café? What about a weapon demonstration booth?"
"It's a school event!" I cried.
"You mean… a battlefield of hearts," Luna said, dramatically pulling a frilly maid outfit from her bag.
Oh no.
"Don't even think about it," Isabella growled.
Too late. The system dinged.
**[Mini-Quest Activated: Approve Luna's Maid Café Idea] Reward: Maid Café Skill Tree unlocked, +3 Audience Affection]
Why was that even a skill tree?!
With a begrudging nod from Isabella (and a lot of bribing via iced coffee), the maid café plan was approved. We set up shop in the central courtyard. Pink curtains, cutesy music, way too many cat ears. I wore a suit.
Luna wore lace. Cynthia wore less.
I did my best to focus on table orders, not… cleavage.
That was until Principal Yamamoto walked by. A former military man. Scary.
"What… is this?"
"Pure, innocent maid-themed hospitality!" Luna chirped.
He looked at me.
I smiled awkwardly, holding a teapot.
He said nothing and walked away. I exhaled.
Then came the "entertainment" segment. I was cornered into performing a butler routine with Luna. It involved roleplay. And dessert feeding.
"Say aah, Master~"
"This is so degrading," I muttered.
[Host's dignity -15]
"You're blushing," Luna whispered.
"No, I'm overheating."
Then Cynthia jumped on stage to "rescue me" from Luna's seductive clutches, announcing herself as "The True Wife Candidate."
Isabella nearly flipped the table.
Chaos. Total chaos.
The final act? A surprise dance-off between clubs.
"Please tell me this isn't a thing," I begged.
[It is now.]
My body moved like a deer possessed. Luna danced like a pop star. Cynthia turned it into an action sequence. Isabella… actually breakdanced?!
The crowd went insane.
We won. Somehow.
[Main Quest: SUCCESS] Festival King Title AchievedNew Ability Unlocked: Harem Management Lv. 1
"What does that even mean?!" I shouted.
[Check tutorial. Coming soon.]
As the festival closed with fireworks, I stood among my chaotic "team."
Luna winked. "You did good, boss."
Cynthia clung to my arm again. "Now we can plan the wedding~"
Isabella sighed. "God help us all."
I smiled.
This was my life now.
And somehow, I didn't totally hate it.