In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 32-33

Chapter 32: SNS 10: Preparations for the Cosplay Café

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Chika: So, a cosplay café. It’s decided then.

Saki: Yep. I’m really looking forward to seeing the guys in butler outfits!

Shizu: Right? The prince is definitely going to look amazing.

Kyoko: But what about the costumes? That’s going to be a lot of work, isn’t it?

Mika: The guys’ outfits will be outsourced. For the girls, we’ll mainly modify clothes we already own. If anyone can make their own from scratch, that’s totally fine too.

Hina: Isn’t outsourcing expensive? Do we have enough budget for that?

Mika: We’ve got a good connection for that. A very reliable one. Ran’s older sister.

Ran: Yeah. My sister makes cosplay outfits as both a hobby and a side business. When I told her about the cosplay café, she got really excited and said she’d make the guys’ outfits for super cheap. She’s basically just asking for the material costs. That’s why we can stay within budget.

Yuuko: That’s amazing! We really owe Ran-chan’s sister a huge thanks.

Shizu: Thank you, Ran, and Ran’s sister!

Ran: No worries. She’s totally hyped about handsome guys wearing the clothes she makes! She’s already started sketching designs and is having a blast with it. When it comes to cosplay outfits, she’s practically a semi-pro, so her skills are solid.

Kyoko: Your sister is incredible. Seriously, thank you so much.

Saki: By the way, what about the cooking? Do we have the right equipment and a place to prepare everything?

Hina: We’ve got that covered. The Cooking Club has reserved the kitchen for the festival, and I’m planning to set up our class’s booth right next to it.

Yuuko: Right. We’re allowed some flexibility as long as there’s a Cooking Club member in our class and our class’s food stall overlaps with their club activities. So, we should be fine.

Kyoko: Yeah, it’s going to get pretty busy. Cooking for both is a lot.

Shizu: We’ll step in and help where we can. I’ll do my best with the pudding.

Yuuko: Over the summer, when I went to the café where the prince works, he recommended their pudding à la mode. When I heard he liked pudding, that’s what came to mind.

Kyoko: Oh yeah! What kind of pudding was that again?

Yuuko: I think it was a classic, simple baked custard pudding. But they must have used really high-quality ingredients. The vanilla beans were the real kind, with visible specks, and the flavor was rich, not watery at all.

Kyoko: Now I remember. The caramel had a nice, slightly bitter touch, which made for a great contrast. And the whipped cream decoration was so delicious.

Yuuko: Yeah, exactly!

Mika: You three are in the pudding team, right? Since you already have a clear idea of what you want, could you handle the recipe, test batches, and budget calculations?

Yuuko: Got it! Leave it to me.

Kyoko: Okay! I’m going all in.

Shizu: I’ll give it my all too!

Mika: That leaves crepes, French toast, and croissant sandwiches. Since we’ll be using store-bought bread, we can start testing recipes right away.

Hina: We should also test the tapioca milk tea. If you don’t cook the tapioca pearls for the right amount of time, they end up with a hard center.

Mika: Good point. Let’s add tapioca to the test batch list. Time to organize the shopping team and go on a supply run.

Ran: The clothing team needs to have a meeting too, so we should get everyone together soon. Looks like we’ll have to make the maid outfits ourselves.

Chika: I didn’t realize hardly anyone owns a simple one-piece dress. Me included.

Ran: Yeah, that was unexpected.

Chika: How many maid outfits do we need? Since we’re doing this, they should be cute!

Ran: We’ll probably need four to five, depending on the sizes of the girls working as maids. We can’t outsource the maid outfits, so the base dresses will have to be simple.

Chika: Then we can make them cuter with accessories! Like detachable collars and sleeves.

Ran: Exactly. There are plenty of ways to do that. Leave it to me.

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Chapter 33: The Cultural Festival

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Today was the measurement day.

For what, you ask? Of course, for the cosplay outfits. I had assumed we would rent them from somewhere, but apparently, they were going to be custom-made for the festival. Due to the small number of male students, there weren’t many rental costumes in men’s sizes, making them difficult to get. On top of that, they were quite expensive. Especially butler outfits. Those were practically impossible to find.

So, they decided to have them made through their connections. It turned out someone knew people who made cosplay costumes both as a hobby and for business, and the arrangements proceeded smoothly. Specifically, it was the older sister of my classmate, Ran Akizuki-san. Her older sister and her friends would be making all the boys’ outfits.

Meanwhile, the girls’ cosplay outfits were maid dresses. I had thought that would be quite the challenge, but instead of making intricate designs, they planned to use simple plain dresses and attach collars, cuffs, aprons, and headdresses to make them look the part. The girls with sewing skills were making them themselves. Their real-life skills were seriously impressive.

That was the costume production team’s job.

Aside from that, we had groups for decorating the shop, purchasing supplies, cooking, accounting, and coordinating with the supervising teachers and the cultural festival committee. Each person was assigned a role, and as for customer service on the actual day, we would all take turns working the floor.

“Takeda-kun, can you raise your arms a little more?”

“Okay.”

“Like this?”

“Yep, stay still just like that.”

It felt kind of ticklish having a girl wrap her arms around me to take measurements. There were places we absolutely shouldn’t touch, and the risk of accidental contact made my heart race a little.

“That’s it for Takeda-kun. Next is Uesugi-kun.”

Akizuki-san, who was in charge of the measurements, was taking her job very seriously. Apparently, her older sister had made her practice a lot. With everyone working together, the progress to prepare for the cultural festival went on without a hitch. The costumes, the food—everything was ready. Finally, the cultural festival day arrived.

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“You look amazing!”

The morning of the festival. I was wearing the prepared cosplay outfit—a butler uniform. It had been modified from a tailcoat into a more flamboyant, anime-style design. I had wondered, Shouldn’t this be a morning coat since it’s daytime? But apparently, in cosplay, as long as it looked good, anything could be pardoned.

Wearing it, it felt like a slim-fit suit with a cinched waist. Did it really suit me? The other four guys were also dressed up, each with slightly different designs tailored to them. Adding a personal touch to every costume… It was pretty impressive. Then, we all took a commemorative photo. Snap!

Since it would be hard to gather everyone again due to the shift schedule, we took the picture now.

“We all worked together to prepare for this. Now, let’s make sure no one gets hurt, and since we’re handling food, be extra careful with hygiene. Everyone, head to your assigned stations. When switching shifts, please be mindful and spare plenty of time for the next person.”

And so, “2-A Cosplay Café” officially opened. We had expected the crowd to pick up closer to lunchtime, but that prediction was completely off. As soon as we opened, customers started pouring in. The festival lasted for two days. The five of us playing the role of butlers worked in shifts: two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one spanning both shifts. I was assigned to the morning shift on the first day and the afternoon shift on the second.

Time to work. My partner was Yuuki. Apparently, since both Houjou and I had a habit of spacing out, we were each paired with someone more reliable.

“Welcome. May I take your order?”

“Whoa! As expected from Class A, they look amazing!”

“Come on, we need to order!”

“Right! Umm, I’ll have the decorated pudding and a hot milk tea.”

“I’ll take the chocolate banana crepe and an iced tea, straight.”

A pudding and hot milk tea, a chocolate banana crepe and straight iced tea. Got it.

“We’ll bring your order as soon as it’s ready. Please wait a moment.”

Here, I flashed them my best customer service smile, honed through my part-time job. How was it?

“”Kyaa~♡””

Nice! They looked happy. With the café packed and the morning shift a great success, Yuuki and I were free to roam the festival.

“Takeda, where do you want to go?”

Since the other three were still working at the café, Yuuki and I were going to check out the other class exhibits together. Among all the different attractions, we decided to visit the festival-style booths.

“What a surprise. You don’t seem the type, but you’ve got a bit of a childlike side, huh?”

Was that just a roundabout way of calling me childish?

“I haven’t been to many festivals, so I’m really curious. What about you, Yuuki? Anywhere you want to go?”

“Me? I don’t have anything specific in mind, so I’m good with just going around the festival booths.”

He really was a good guy. So, first up—balloon darts. A board was divided into a 5×5 grid, with slightly underinflated balloons filling the squares. Pop the balloons, get a bingo, and win a prize.

Pop! Pop!

Whoa. Yuuki was seriously good at this.

“Bingo! Congratulations! Please choose a prize from here.”

The prize was a bag of assorted snacks. Even if you didn’t get a bingo, you’d get a single snack as a consolation prize. I had gotten one earlier.

“What’s next?”

“How about the shooting gallery?”

“Sounds good!”

After that, we played ring toss, yo-yo fishing, and whack-a-mole. Yuuki was amazing at all of them.

“You’re like a festival game prodigy. How are you so good at this?”

Curious, I asked him where he picked up these skills.

“Well, my family runs a shrine, so I’ve been doing this kind of thing since I was a kid.”

“A shrine!? So are you going to be a priest in the future?”

“Nope. My big sister’s inheriting it, so I’m free.”

“Huh. That shrine must be pretty close, right? If they have a festival, I’d love to go.”

“The big festivals are over, so if you want to visit, New Year’s would be best. It gets super crowded, but there are tons of food stalls, so it’s fun.”

“Seriously? I’m definitely going!”

“You’re more than welcome! But just so you know, my sisters will probably make a big fuss when they see you.”

“Sisters? How many do you have?”

“Four. And they’re loud.”

“Wow, a big family. I only have one little sister, so I can’t really imagine that.”

A small but surprisingly responsible little sister.

“You have a little sister? What is her grade?”

“She’s in ninth grade here.”

“Does she look like you? If so, she must be really pretty.”

“Not really. She’s more of the cute type than beautiful.”

“Ah, too bad.”

“Are you into good-looking girls?”

“Totally. You, on the other hand, seem more interested in food than looks.”

I couldn’t deny that.

“Yeah, I find girls who can cook really attractive.”

“Then I bet there are a ton of girls who’d go for you.”

“You think? Isn’t a guy who just loves eating kind of lame?”

“No, no. To girls, that can actually be a charming trait.”

“Huh. Then I guess I’m fine as I am.”

“Seriously? That answer is so you.”

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After that, we went around checking out various events—watching the “Gender-Swap Fashion Show,” playing a ball-throwing game called “Strike Out,” and enjoying the “School Parody Theater” and “Impression Show” one after another.

“This is surprisingly fun.”

“The exhibits are way more well-prepared than I expected.”

“Takeda, changing the topic, but did you see the BatFla promotional video?”

“Yeah, I saw it. The one with the trent, right?”

“My sisters went nuts after watching that. You were super popular, you know?”

“Your sisters, Yuuki?”

“Yeah. They kept saying, ‘This guy is so cool!’ over and over. They’re even thinking of playing the game themselves.”

“Hmm.”

“‘Hmm’—you’re always like this, Takeda.”

“I mean, that’s me, but it’s not really me, you know?”

“Well, yeah, it’s an avatar. But with how much you were in that PV, your public recognition might be going up.”

Huh? Public recognition? But that game doesn’t have that many players, does it?

“Ahaha, you totally look like you don’t get it. That’s so like you, Takeda.”

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