I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About - Chapter 21: Finally Free!? …Or So I Thought—Unexpected Extra Time Begins!?

Chapter 21: Finally Free!? …Or So I Thought—Unexpected Extra Time Begins!?

“Already done? Damn, you guys are pretty efficient!”

As we finished cleaning and took a breather, Sasaki-sensei returned, carrying a box.

It’s probably the one she mentioned earlier, the one with the coffee cups inside.

“Sensei… I’m at my limit… I’m exhausted… Can I go home now?”

I slumped my shoulders and spoke in a soul-drained voice.

“Misaki, you’re a high school student in the prime of your youth! Why are you talking like some middle-aged old man!?”

With that, Sensei placed both hands on her hips, striking a pose like an adult scolding a child.

Then, she casually ran her fingers through her hair.

…Wait, just that gesture alone has a pretty alluring adult-woman charm, doesn’t it?

If I were the same age as her, I might’ve fallen for her for a moment… No, no! That’s beside the point!

“Nah… this is just how I am. I can’t anymore.”

I declared in a totally resigned tone.

“…Seriously, you’re hopeless.”

Sensei sighed in exasperation.

At this point, I bet her only thoughts about me are either “I give up” or “All I can do is sigh.”

Well, whatever.

As long as she doesn’t physically hit me, my lazy lifestyle remains undefeated.

“So, that means we’re done now, right?”

“Yeah, you’re good. Thanks for your hard work. You’re dismissed for today.”

In that instant, electricity surged through my body.

“For real!? We can actually go home!?”

“Of course?”

Hearing those words, I was the first to grab my stuff and bolt out of the café before anyone else even stood up.

It’s still early. I can finally go home and rest!

…Or so I thought.

Thirty seconds later.

“Hold it right there!!”

A bad feeling ran down my spine. My feet froze.

…No way.

Did she just revoke the “you can go home” statement she made literally moments ago!?

Sensei, come on. A teacher rescinding their words this fast—what does that say about you as an educator!?

“W-What is it…?”

I turned around cautiously, only to see Sensei looking slightly awkward.

“Hmm… To be honest, Misaki, I do want to let you go…”

“Then please let me go!!”

“But I just remembered something—we still have one more thing to do.”

Knew it!!!

“…What!? Wait, there’s still more!?”

We cleaned up, tidied everything, and even finished putting things away. Don’t tell me there’s a third phase!?

“I was so focused on the café’s renewal that I forgot something really important.”

Sensei said this with a serious expression.

“Huh?”

All of us tilted our heads in sync, voices filled with confusion.

I had a bad feeling about this, but I didn’t think my “time-to-go-home flag” would get shattered like this…

Damn it… I was so close to going home!!!

“Sensei, does that mean… there’s something missing?”

Tsunekawa asked cautiously, and Sensei let out a slow breath, speaking in the wise tone of a sage bestowing a crucial revelation.

“Promotion.”

At that moment, all of us had the same stunned expression.

But… thinking about it, she had a point.

Renovating the café is great and all, but if no one knows about it, it’s meaningless.

“I see… Promotion is essential to attract customers… I can’t believe we overlooked that.”

Tsunekawa’s face gradually grew more serious as she turned to look at us.

…Hey, don’t look at me. I’m useless in this kind of brainstorming session.

Coming up with proactive ideas? Yeah, not my thing.

“But how do we even do that?”

Nakano voiced the obvious question.

“Hmm, we need to think of an effective method…”

“Oh! What if we promote it like an advertisement?”

Satohama raised her hand energetically.

Like an ad?

Not bad. But the problem is how we’re going to advertise.

Posters? Flyers? Social media? Or maybe…

For a split second, a certain idea flashed through my mind.

It would definitely be “eye-catching” promotion. But would it actually work?

Personally, I think it’s a perfect plan, but…

I have no intention of saying anything. I plan to stick to my “this has nothing to do with me” stance.

“Well, aside from ads, we could go old-school and hand out flyers.”

“If we’re basing it on Tsunekawa-senpai’s idea, social media might be a good option!”

“Maybe we should just go all out and do something crazy to really stand out?”

In no time, the discussion heated up.

Meanwhile, Sasaki-sensei stayed silent, simply observing us with a quiet gaze.

…Oi, you’re the teacher here, right? Shouldn’t you be the one pitching ideas in moments like this?

Instead, she kept glancing at me every so often, sending me some weird, meaningful look.

She furrowed her brows slightly, blinked a few times, and sent an obvious message: Hurry up and say something already.

…Alright, alright, I got it. Sensei, don’t make that face…

“Uh, about the promotion strategy—I do have an idea, at least.”

The moment I spoke up, all eyes turned toward me at once.

Their gazes were a mix of surprise and doubt.

“Huh? Misaki-kun?”

Nakano looked at me with skepticism, her sharp stare making me waver in confidence.

“A-Ah… Well, I did think of something, but I have no clue if it’ll work. So, seriously, don’t expect much, okay?”

“Of course not.”

Tsunekawa responded instantly.

“Honestly, I never planned on relying on you in the first place.”

“That’s just cruel!!”

Her words struck my heart directly.

I mean, sure, I basically admitted I was useless, so I had no room to argue… but still, hearing it so bluntly actually hurt.

“Well, since you’ve put thought into it, let’s hear it.”

Sasaki-sensei crossed her arms and gestured for me to continue.

“If it’s doable, we’ll consider it. Though, the chances seem low.”

“Sensei!? That sounded just as harsh as Tsunekawa-san!!”

They seriously had zero expectations for me, huh?

No, scratch that—they absolutely had none.

Damn it, would it kill them to show a little enthusiasm?

“Aha… Well, Misaki-kun, since you’ve gone through the trouble, why not share it?”

Nakano tried to smooth things over.

…Honestly, she was starting to feel like my only ally here.

“…Haa, fine.”

Resigned, I started explaining my idea.

“In short, here’s the plan.”

I laid everything out in one breath.

“Nowadays, the internet is the most convenient way to spread information. But the most effective method is still the old-school way—flyer distribution. Relying on just one method would be inefficient, so the best approach is to use both online marketing and physical flyers together. Maximizing exposure is key. That much is standard advertising practice. But the real issue is—how do we attract customers? The most crucial part isn’t the promotion method itself, but how we spark their interest. That’s the core of advertising and what requires the most thought. And my idea is—using you guys. You all have a reputation at school as ‘the most beautiful girls in the ranking,’ right? Then why not capitalize on that? The theme is a maid café, so the best way to draw in customers is to wear the outfits and hand out flyers in a visible area. If people see cute girls promoting a place, they’ll naturally be curious. That’s it!”

By the time I finished, I was completely out of breath. Probably because I talked for way too long.

If I had paused for breath, they definitely would have interrupted with questions and derailed the discussion.

That’s why I rushed to say it all at once.

Not that I actually put that much serious thought into it—it was just some random idea that popped into my head.

“…”

Silence.

I glanced around to see their reactions.

…Wait. Were they disgusted?

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!

Unexpectedly, the silence was broken by applause!

…Am I hallucinating?

“This… might actually be a good idea.”

“Though, whether it’ll work is another matter.”

“Well, at the very least, it’s a solid reference! I’m all for it!”

Nakano nudged my elbow and winked.

…Wait. Wasn’t that… kind of cute?

“A-Ah… Thanks…”

I tried to play it cool, but internally, I was a little shaken.

I mean, these girls were basically the idols of the school!

No matter how much I tried to distance myself, it was impossible not to be aware of them as girls.

“If Ouka-san thinks it’s good, then I’m in too~”

Satohama raised her hand enthusiastically.

“Hmm, I’m surprised someone as unmotivated as Misaki-kun came up with a decent suggestion.”

“Hold up, don’t talk like I’ve never contributed anything before.”

“I never said that, did I? If that’s how you feel, that’s your problem.”

“You—… You know what, forget it.”

When I first met her, she seemed so polite, but now she was just a full-on savage.

Did people really change this much?

Or did she just lose any sense of restraint around me?

Regardless, my idea had at least gained Nakano and Satohama’s support, and even Tsunekawa, despite her sarcasm, admitted it wasn’t bad.

And Sensei—

“Alright, then. We’ll go with Misaki’s plan for the promotion.”

The moment Sensei said that, I knew I had won.

“Yes! That means I can go ho—”

“Wait.”

…Damn it, that flag got triggered way too fast!!

“Huh!? But it’s settled! I should be allowed to go home now, right!? Right, Sensei!?”

“Well, yes, it’s decided. But once something’s decided, you should execute it right away, right? We have time now, so let’s start preparing.”

“Sensei… Do you have a personal grudge against me…?”

“Not at all. I’m just helping you fix your lazy habits.”

Can we stop using morality as an excuse to strip me of my freedom!?

There was no way I was getting out of this…

If I had left right after my speech, I could’ve ignored any call-back texts with Oops, I didn’t see my phone! and escaped.

But… it was too late now.

“So, Sensei… How exactly do you plan to execute this?”

“Simple. Yuki, you know what to do.”

“Got it!”

At Sensei’s cue, Sasaki-chan immediately dashed out of the café.

…What just happened? No one told me anything.

“Uh… Sensei, what was that?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

With a calm smile, Sensei pulled out a chair and sat down, leisurely scrolling through her phone.

Her movements had a certain mature allure, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see the smooth lines of her long legs.

…Crap, don’t look, me!!

Nope, nope, nope. I wasn’t falling for that trap.

I quickly took out my phone and opened my favorite manga.

Just focus on that.

I must not look! She’s Sasaki-sensei! The terrifying teacher!