My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 180

"By having customers queue, we can identify those who need to be monitored in advance. When the queue exceeds a certain number of people, we will limit the dining time to increase table turnover."

"So it's killing two birds with one stone—no, killing three. Because queuing will attract even more people to queue. While deliberately making customers queue has its risks, it's certainly a bold proposal..."

The judges were amazed.

However, the vice president's offensive was not over yet.

"So, let's move on to the next concern. Wouldn't this method fail to prevent the first occurrence? Since the method involves identifying the problem creator and increasing vigilance, at least one person will inevitably suffer the first time. So, you're willing to tolerate this situation?"

Let's start from this point. I could also use a compromise approach, saying it was a last resort, but...

"...No. We also have a solution for that."

"Oh?"

"Over the years, the general public has been required to present an invitation and sign the register at the service station at the main gate upon entry. The service station can pre-mark visitors who are overwhelmed by the anniversary celebration atmosphere or who show rudeness to the staff."

"Yes, the research is quite thorough. Indeed, the school sets up service stations every year to check invitation letters. I think that's a reasonable approach—but by your standards, you'll have a large number of people to watch out for. Do you want the students present to remember every single one of their faces and features? The database entries will skyrocket!"

"No, you don't need to remember it or register it."

"Um?"

"Everyone must take a photo as a memento of their visit to the school's cultural festival."

"……oh."

The vice president's eyes sharpened, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

It was as if they had found their prey.

Nan didn't notice her expression and continued reading out the answer I had prepared.

"We can take photos of all attendees at the service station and create a database by categorizing potentially inappropriate visitors by hairstyle or physique. This way, we can quickly filter out potential targets."

"So, you're trying to deceive people who haven't done anything wrong by creating a blacklist? Am I right?"

"It's not considered deception."

"why?"

"During the school festival, photos are already taken on campus for the school's publicity and operational management purposes. When attendees sign the register, they are indicating their agreement to this rule. We believe that this is not only necessary for the school publication or website to use the photos, but also a way to make visitors aware of the cameras and prevent disturbances. Our proposal is simply an extension of this practice."

The vice president and the reviewers other than the accountant all widened their eyes upon hearing this answer.

I obtained last year's invitation and roster through Kawanami to confirm this. The quickest way to share someone's appearance is through a photograph. However, taking photos without permission can cause disputes, so I wanted to find a theory that could be considered as having obtained permission.

The school website is full of photos showing faces completely, so I know that they must have obtained permission somewhere, but that is only for promotional purposes and cannot provide a legitimate reason for using photos to maintain discipline.

The words "appropriate operation and management" on the admission roster solved the problem for me—the moment I saw those words, I knew that the idea was at least theoretically feasible.

"Heh...you're just arguing with me."

However, the logic behind it is sound.

Even under the vice president's sharp gaze, Nan remained composed and dignified. She has real courage. It was definitely the right decision not to let Jie give the presentation.

"I understand. I see. It seems you've addressed all the shortcomings—however, this isn't a system a class can build; it's more the responsibility of the preparatory committee—we're not sure if the school will approve it. But I'll treat it as a proposal and accept it for now."

"Thank you, Vice President."

That's enough. The issue isn't whether this system will actually be adopted. The important thing is to let them know that we've considered so many approaches when facing this situation.

It seems the biggest hurdle has been overcome...

I sighed softly. Luckily, I'd thought about it enough, even suspecting I was overthinking it. Because I just felt that, given that eccentric vice president's personality, he might relentlessly pursue even the most trivial questions...

"Finally, I have only one question to ask—"

It was then that I realized the vice president hadn't put down the microphone.

"Who came up with these countermeasures?"

"Oh, yes—"

Nan glanced at Jie and prepared to say her name.

That's right. I anticipated this problem, which is why I acted first.

For me, excessive accolades only bother me.

I prepared myself to hide in the shadows. To hide in the shadows behind the bright light that was about to fall on the girl. To me, that shadow was the only place of peace.

Minami-kun is about to reveal Yui's name—

Just a moment before that...

"It's Irito Mizuto!"

Jie Nu stepped forward and shouted.

I was speechless and looked at the girl beside me. The girl gently nudged my back.

"These—are all his ideas."

What are you thinking?! What is this woman thinking?!

Nan stood there with a wry smile, a "see for yourself" attitude. Did she know it would turn out this way? Why...? Why? She could have taken all the credit—

There was no time for me to deny it.

The vice president looked at me.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Since things have come to this... I can only give up.

"...It just happened to come to mind."

I once heard a profound saying.

This sudden remark made me frown slightly.

"This is a quote from Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo, the creator of 'Mario'—he said, 'A good idea must be able to solve multiple problems in one go.' Don't you think that definition is incredibly concise and clear?"

...What exactly was she trying to say?

Just as I was wondering what she meant, the vice president continued:

"Your proposal solves the three problems of 'low staff training level,' 'customer acquisition methods,' and 'contingency plans' all at once. Although its effectiveness still needs to be verified, it is undoubtedly a 'good idea'... You know, turning the English 'idea' into the adjective 'ideal' means exactly 'ideal'."

……ideal……

"Thank you. You've shown me your ideals."

After he finished speaking, the vice president began to applaud.

Influenced by her, the other judges and students waiting to go on stage also began to applaud.

Everyone applauded me.

Jie and Nan held hands, beaming with joy. Yes, they were right to be happy. The presentation was a resounding success, so it was only natural to be happy.

But—but.

None of these things moved me.

No matter how much applause I receive, it cannot touch my heart in the slightest.

Ideal, ideal—ideal, right?

The thing you're talking about—I can't see it at all, Vice President.

In the end, our Class 7 of Grade 1 was granted permission to open a Cosplay café, as was another maid café that was later presented on stage.

There seemed to be a formidable maid in their class who went on and on about the place of maids in cultural history and gave a passionate speech about how suitable a maid café would be for a cultural festival booth.

"Yay!" "That was amazing!" "You guys actually beat the seniors!" "Incredible!"

After returning to the classroom and reporting the results, our classmates praised us highly.

Jie and Nan accepted the compliment shyly, sharing their joy. For some reason, word of my praise from the vice president reached the class, and the overwhelming praise, such as "You're really good!" and "You're really amazing!", almost washed me away.

When we unite to achieve a common goal, we hold hands to share our joy and reward those who have made contributions.

Is this what is commonly referred to as youth?

If so—

After the barrage of praise had largely subsided, Jie approached casually.

Then she spoke.

With a smile that says, "I'm sharing a little secret."

"It's nice to be like this sometimes, isn't it?"

At that moment, I remembered things from the past.

During the period when our relationship was strained, you tried to extend goodwill, but I responded like a hedgehog.

So──

"...Perhaps."

I said something that wasn't from the bottom of my heart.

At least I've grown a little bit.

As they staggered out of the school building and arrived at the school gate, a girl stepped away from the pillar she was leaning against and gently waved her hand at chest height.

It's Izana in the east.

I don't remember making plans with her...? I walked over, puzzled, and Isana grinned and leaned in to look at my face.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mizuto."

"...Didn't I tell you you could leave early today?"

"I did say that, but I want to wait for you... Hehehe, doesn't that sound like a girlfriend?"

"I really don't think the guy who's currently trying to pair me up with other women should be saying something like that..."

This makes me think that Kawanami's concerns are not necessarily unfounded.

Well, it's her freedom to enjoy whatever kind of situation she wants.

I walked forward, and Izana walked up beside me. It was a distance befitting a girlfriend, but this was exactly how it was for us. We walked along the familiar, tired-of-the-day road home from school, at our usual pace.

Normally, we would naturally drift into conversation about recent book releases, however...

"I heard, Mizuto. I heard you did a great job during the presentation?"

What Isana brought up was a topic unlike anything she would normally discuss.

At this moment, I find myself feeling a little disappointed.

I thought Isana wasn't interested in the school festival... but since the whole school is like that, maybe there's no way to escape it...

"Who told you that?"

"That's what my classmate Yui said! I heard you want to hide your achievements and stay behind the scenes completely—?"

"...I guess so. It just didn't work out."

I tried to make it sound a bit self-deprecating.

However, this has happened countless times. Human social behavior, when I say this, elicits the response "No way." It's like a robot that only knows how to react this way.

But...

"Pfft—!"

But Izana from the east deliberately smiled at me.

Just like usual, he had an overconfident attitude.

"Trying to hide my strength but messing it up (laughs). Wanted to be the protagonist of a light novel but failed (laughs). What a loser (laughs)."

"...Hey, don't get too cocky. You might end up regretting it."

"You're the one who tried to be arrogant but ended up embarrassing yourself—ouch! Temples! Please don't stab me in the temples! So cliché! Such a cliché way of lecturing people!"

Sigh—I'm hopeless.

Compared to receiving praise from my classmates, I actually felt much more comfortable being relentlessly teased by this guy.

He's hopeless—a misfit in his youth.