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As a student, one looked forward to certain times of the year. Whether it be breaks or school events, many things excited young people and created memories they would hold dear for the rest of their lives. The students of Hope’s Peak Academy were no different. The school spared no expense for their students, particularly the ultimates, so each event the school held, dances, festivals, and assemblies were all special in their own right, each as remarkable as the last.
The school festival was fast approaching and Class 77 had yet to decide what they would do for it. They had heard about different classes and what they had planned for the festival but had yet to finalize anything themselves. They wanted to do something amazing, something that people would remember but also something they'd have fun doing. It was their last year of high school, after all, they only had one more chance to get this right.
They were currently in their classroom coming up with ideas for what they could do. Each had their own idea for what they should do, however, not all of them were feasible, whether because of time constraints or simply because nobody else liked the idea. They eventually settled on something classic, a cafe. Now it was just a matter of coming up with a theme for this cafe.
Several ideas were written on the whiteboard at the front of the room, from cosplay to crossdressing and even a cat cafe. Mahiru was at the front of the room writing down ideas and crossing off ones the class understood would not work for whatever reason.
“As much as I love the idea of a cat cafe, I don’t think having animals in here would be the best idea. Some people might have allergies,” Mahiru said, ready to cross off that idea.
Everyone more or less agreed with her, seeing her point of view. Even Gundham eventually gave in despite his earlier impassioned speech about how everyone should know the joy of experiencing a cat cafe at least once in their mortal lives.
Some of the guys had reservations about crossdressing so that idea was also abandoned. This went on for a while, ideas being discarded while other ideas were sporadically come up with. Soon though they settled on an idea, a maid/butler cafe. It was something they knew would be pretty easy to set up and could be done under a time constraint.
All they had to do before the day of was get outfits in the correct sizes, get ingredients from the Hope’s Peak kitchen, and make a few decorations. It would be a fairly quick process, especially if everyone came together to make this the best it could be. There was one reservation a few of the girls have, concerning one student in their class.
“Can we stick Teruteru in the kitchen or something? I really don’t want to be perved on,” Hiyoko asked, looking at the man in question with suspicion and slight disdain.
“That’s probably for the best, especially after last time,” Mahiru agreed, turning her attention to the ultimate cook. “You don’t mind that do you, Teruteru? You’re the one who’s going to be cooking everything anyway.”
“Leave it to me,” Teruteru replied, not taking offense.
With that settled, everyone was given their roles, and their meeting finally ended. They were looking forward to putting in the work and seeing how this turned out. They knew it would be great, it was now simply a matter of making the effort to create an awesome experience for all those who visited.
The day of the school festival came much sooner than they had anticipated. Time seemed to have flown by and before they knew it, the maid cafe they planned was in full swing. It was much more popular than they had thought it would be, which while a little overwhelming was also very exciting. The outfits, decorations, and food all turned out wonderfully and were enjoyed by anyone who stopped by.
Everyone was super busy doing anything they could to help the cafe run more smoothly, whether that be waiting tables, seating patrons, or cleaning up. This included Nekomaru who was currently getting food from the kitchen to deliver to their hungry patrons. He was wearing a full black suit with a black tie and a white undershirt. Looking back, he couldn’t remember the last time he had worn something so formal and, while he felt a little stiff in it, he couldn’t deny that it was nice to try something different now and then.
Everything was going well and he expected it to stay that way but, as he stepped out into the dining area once more, something caught his attention, something that told him this day wasn’t going to go as smoothly as he hoped. At the table where he was meant to deliver the food he was holding was a group of three men on their phones. This alone wouldn’t be suspicious, however, it was what they were doing on their phones that had him jumping into action.
Their phones were angled low and it’s clear to him that they were attempting to look up the skirts of his classmates through the camera feature. While he knew that all the women were likely in danger of being targets of these men, they were harassing one person in particular, who probably didn’t even realize what they were doing, his best friend, Akane.
While he would step in no matter who their target was, it was the fact it’s Akane, someone who didn't often understand when someone was making unwanted advances toward her, that had him completely taking control of the situation.
He didn’t do much, not wanting to confront them unless absolutely necessary. He simply got between Akane and the group of men and placed their food on the table. He didn’t move out of the way immediately, instead choosing to stand there with his arms crossed over his body. He used his height and build to his advantage, trying to intimidate them while having no actual plans to do anything more than this.
It was only when they put their phones away, embarrassed at having been caught that he stepped out of the way, going back to what he was doing before he caught wind of the perverted acts of these men. He would keep an eye on them until they left and would get involved once more if he needed to. However, from their reactions to him having seen them, he didn’t think that would be a problem.
Thankfully, the men left without any more issues, and soon, the day came to a close. Their maid cafe was much more successful than any of them had anticipated and they were all grateful for that. They were tired from a busy day of work but it was worth it. They had fun and that’s all that truly matters in the end.
Nekomaru was returning to the dorms after they had cleaned up the classroom back to how it once was. While it was a bit sad to think this was the last time he’d be able to experience a school festival, he made many fun memories that he knew he’d look back on fondly for many years to come.
As he was strolling through the courtyard, taking in the fresh, night air and enjoying the sights of the stars twinkling above him, he was stopped in his tracks by a feminine voice calling his name.
“Nekomaru!”
When he turned around, he instantly spotted Akane running up to him at full speed. She had changed out of the maid dress she was wearing earlier and was back to her normal outfit consisting of a tight, white button-up and a red skirt. Before he could even blink, she was no more than a of couple feet from him, a smile on her face and not out of breath in the slightest. He smiled back at her, always happy to have her in his presence.
He waited for her to continue, thinking that there must have been a reason she caught up with him. She hesitated for a moment, her smile dropping a bit as she found the words she wanted to say. He found this odd. Akane never hesitated, always rushing into everything without a second thought.
“I just… wanted to thank ya for earlier. Ya know… with those guys pervin’ on me. I don’t really care that they were but it’s good to know my panty shots won’t be all over the internet.”
It was at that moment that Nekomaru realized he may have underestimated her. He always thought she simply didn’t know what went through the minds of some people when looking at her or the intent behind their actions. Now though he thought that maybe she did and just pretended not to. As much as he’d like to talk with her about that and delve into the reasons she was fine with these things, it would have to wait for another day. It wasn’t what was important right now. What was important was making sure she knew that he’d always be there for her, whatever she needed, even if that meant standing up against perverts on her behalf.
“You’re welcome. Any time. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” Akane responded with a nod of her head, her smile returning to her lips.
With that, they parted ways, each going back to their respective dorms. As Nekomaru did so, he reconsidered the events of the day with a new perspective. From his brief exchange with the fiery brunette, he received more questions than answers. If she had noticed what the men from earlier were doing, how much else did she know? Why did she pretend to be clueless? Why didn’t she fight back? Was it simply that she didn’t care or was there a deeper reason?
He thought he understood her, they were best friends, and they told each other everything. He’d told her about the countless nights spent in the hospital, about the reason he became a team manager, and about the heart condition that would kill him in no more than a couple of years. She’d told him about her upbringing, about her family, and how they were the reason she became a gymnast.
However, today showed him that there was still much to learn about one another. While many may find the fact that one person can truly never know everything about another sad or daunting, he found it exciting. Learning about each other little by little was what made any relationship, whether it be a friendship, a romantic relationship, or a familial relationship, interesting. He loved learning about Akane and he hoped he’d get the chance to continue to do so as they grew closer as friends.