I Reincarnated as the Villain in a Rom-Com but I’m Enjoying Youth with My Favorite Heroine

91. Finding a Clue

Masahiro and Himeno were chatting, their smiles blooming.

I watched them with a warm smile.

“If such a cute Masahiro is wearing this maid outfit, the cultural festival day is sure to be a huge hit. Yes, yes, it seems like it will draw a great crowd!”

“Thank you. Hearing you say that, Akari-san… it makes all the effort I put into drawing worthwhile.”

“We can’t let ourselves be outdone either. With such rivals in the neighboring class, we need to put our hearts into preparing the sweets café. We’ll do our best, Shindo.”

“Yeah. If Masahiro is serving in a maid outfit, all the boys in the academy will flock to our class. They might just ascend to heaven from how precious it is.”

“Ryusuke, you’re being so dramatic… But I’ll do my best. I really want to do my best!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll also go all out to support Masahiro. If I can see Masahiro in a maid outfit, I could take on the world as my enemy.”

“Ehehe. Really, Ryusuke, you say such strange things. But you’re complimenting me, right? Thank you.”

Masahiro gazed at me with her blue eyes, smiling sweetly.

I had held back earlier in the classroom, but after being shown such a cute side of her, I reached my limit.

Her smile was so adorable that I couldn’t help but gently pat her head.

Then Masahiro narrowed her eyes and rubbed her head against my hand like a sweet cat.

Ah, really. Masahiro is just too cute. I can support her endlessly.

As I melted in the warmth of Masahiro’s charm, Himeno tapped my shoulder with an exasperated expression.

“Hey, Shindo… is this how you guys always are?”

“Hm? No, I mean… I’ve been saying that’s how it is.”

“I see. So you’ve been doing this without a straight man until now… Alright, I understand. From now on, leave it to me.”

“??? O-Okay? I’m counting on you…?”

Leaving me confused, Himeno nodded vigorously, filled with determination. It seemed we had inadvertently pressed her mysterious motivation switch.

Seeing Himeno murmur with eyes full of enthusiasm, “Things are going to get busy from now on…” I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back, wondering what kind of developments lay ahead.

However, as I thought during Himeno’s earlier conversation, Masahiro in her maid outfit would surely attract attention from all over the academy during this cultural festival.

While the success of our class’s cultural festival was assured, Masahiro’s cuteness always brings about miracles. Surely, there would be excitement that wasn’t in the original story.

(…Wait a minute. Does this count as an irregular development?)

I pulled up the memories of the cultural festival arc depicted in “Fusekoi.”

If my memory serves me right, in both the anime and manga versions, the maid café in Class One, where Masahiro was, didn’t seem to be very lively.

(Class Two’s sweets café was incredible. Students from all over the academy gathered, forming a long line.)

—

In the second classroom, male students flocked in hopes of being served by the school idols, Yuna Hanazaki and Karen Himeno.

Thanks to Yorito Fusegawa’s efforts for the success of the cultural festival, a collaboration with a famous Western-style confectionery shop was realized, drawing many female students eager for the deliciously photogenic sweets.

On the other hand, the maid café in the first classroom, where Mashiro was, was overshadowed by the sweets café set up by the second classroom and was not very lively.

Moreover, the maid outfits depicted in anime and manga were not the cute frilly ones, but rather simpler, more orthodox maid uniforms, as I recalled.

As a result, it ended up being less appealing in terms of customer attraction and the quality of the food offered, leading to a complete defeat against the second classroom’s sweets café.

But what about now?

In the original story, Mashiro, who was a delinquent girl and the antagonist, had undergone a bold transformation due to the irregular developments we initiated, and she had now become the ultimate heroine.

Now, this world’s strongest beautiful girl, Mashiro, was wearing an incredibly cute maid outfit, ready to serve on the stage of the cultural festival.

The maid café in the first classroom would undoubtedly become a hot topic, far surpassing anything in the original story, and male students would rush in, significantly boosting sales and foot traffic.

Even though the school idols Yuna Hanazaki and Karen Himeno were in the second classroom’s sweets café, the cuteness of Mashiro in her maid outfit had a destructive power that surpassed the two main heroines.

Additionally, based on my suggestion, it was decided that instead of the orthodox maid outfit, she would wear a fluffy, frilly, and adorably cute maid outfit.

In the original story, the girls in the first classroom wore the more orthodox maid outfits because Mashiro had likely prioritized fitting in with her peers over her own preferences.

However, that development shifted when I expressed my desire to see “Mashiro in a fluffy maid outfit,” leading to a change that respected her opinion for the maid outfits to be showcased at the cultural festival.

While the second classroom’s sweets café might still achieve the greatest success in the school, Mashiro’s performance in her fluffy maid outfit would surely showcase a remarkable leap that was never present in the original story.

Thinking about it this way, it could be considered another irregular development.

(That’s right. Mashiro’s cuteness always creates miracles. Can we harness that momentum?)

The significant leap of the first classroom’s maid café alone would likely not be enough to defy the original story’s conclusion.

However, just as Mashiro and I had created miracles together many times before, if we joined forces and worked hard, there was a possibility of achieving a different ending—an even more wonderful cultural festival than the original.

If we could create the best cultural festival that even the protagonist couldn’t achieve, using Mashiro’s cuteness and my accumulated knowledge of the original story, it would surely astonish Yorito Fusegawa.

Perhaps we could even uncover the true nature of the strange occurrences happening to him. There were no guarantees of success, but this was a significant opportunity.

Just as hope began to emerge, Himeno clapped her hands. I snapped out of my daze, lost in thought about the future.

“Well then! It’s getting dark, so let’s call it a day. I’m heading home now.”

“Ah, right. I completely lost track of time while we were chatting.”

“I got to become friends with Mashiro, so it was a big harvest for me. See you tomorrow!”

“Yes! Thank you for today, Karen!”

Himeno waved goodbye to us as she left the classroom, and after I waved back at her retreating figure, I exchanged smiles with Mashiro.

“I’m glad, Mashiro. It seems like Himeno really liked you.”

“Yeah! I had a lot of fun talking with Karen. Plus, Ryusuke complimented me a lot, which made me really happy.”

“Well, I mean… it’s only natural to want to compliment someone as cute as you, Mashiro.”

“Hehe, thank you! The fact that Ryusuke praises me is the best feeling ever.”

Masahiro’s white cheeks were faintly flushed, and her blue eyes swayed shyly.

I always felt like I was being drawn into those beautifully pure blue eyes. Seeing Masahiro embarrassed was truly bad for my heart and reason.

As I savored such a sweet moment, I smiled at Masahiro.

“By the way, Masahiro. Actually, I have a favor to ask you tomorrow.”

“Huh? It’s rare for Ryusuke to want to ask me for something, isn’t it?”

“Actually, I need a little help from you, Masahiro. It’s early in the morning, but is that okay?”

“Since it’s a request from Ryusuke, I’d be happy to help!”

“I see, that helps a lot. I’ll explain the details tomorrow, so please take care of it.”

“Okay! Leave it to me!”

Masahiro, who tightly clenched her hands and pumped herself up, was so cute that I couldn’t help but pat her head once more.

Masahiro relaxed her cheeks with a smile.

As I was healed by such Masahiro, the two of us left the classroom after school.