I Reincarnated as the Villain in a Rom-Com but I’m Enjoying Youth with My Favorite Heroine - I Reincarnated as the Villain in a Rom-Com but I’m Enjoying Youth with My Favorite Heroine chapter 82

82. Towards the Cultural Festival ②

After the discussion with Himeno Kairi, I left the café and headed back to school.

I was going to meet Mashiro, who was preparing for the cultural festival in the classroom after school.

“Well then, I’m counting on you, Shindo. And you don’t need to use honorifics with me. Let’s be more casual, okay?”

At parting, Himeno Kairi told me she wanted to speak in a more relaxed tone, waving goodbye as she left.

I felt anxious about not knowing at all what would happen next in this development that didn’t follow the original story, but I was glad to have created a chance to get closer to Himeno. As a fan of the original “Fusekoi,” I didn’t dislike her character, and becoming friends with a heroine who was supposed to be an antagonist was a good sign for breaking away from being a villain.

“The only problem is… Fushikawa Yoritomo’s strange behavior.”

The protagonist, Fushikawa Yoritomo, was showing a completely different demeanor from the original.

The reason for his behavior, which was far removed from the typical romantic comedy protagonist.

Until now, I thought it was merely the result of the irregular developments I had caused, but based on what I heard from Himeno, there might be another factor at play.

I needed to identify the nature of whatever it was that Himeno was sensing and assist them in reconciling. While pondering what I should do first, I opened the door to a classroom.

From noble mtl dot net

Her glossy black hair shone beautifully in the evening light. The cute, glamorous, and pure, elegant beauty—Mashiro’s figure came into view.

Mashiro was seriously working at her desk, conversing with her friend, Haimura Yui. Yui was a former gal girl with a trademark gray short bob and glasses.

Mashiro and Yui were in the same class and were close, often spending their breaks together. This scene was familiar, but today they seemed to be showing a slightly different side.

“I think this design isn’t bad… Hey Yui, what do you think?”

“Mashiro, you have great taste! You’re good at drawing, too; you might even become an illustrator someday!”

It seems that she was drawing designs for the maid outfit she would wear at the cultural festival in her notebook and discussing it.

I had heard about it, but rather than buying or renting a maid outfit from somewhere, Mashiro would prepare one by hand.

Mashiro is a very homey girl. She’s skilled at everything from cooking and laundry to sewing and knitting, and her hands are quite dexterous. She’s sure to create a wonderful maid outfit.

With her close friend Haimura, she cheerfully chatted while seriously sketching design ideas in her notebook. There’s plenty of time until the cultural festival, but it’s typical of Mashiro to proceed with preparations in a relaxed manner.

She held a mechanical pencil to her mouth, pondering deeply, and showed Haimura the rough design of the maid outfit she envisioned. Looking at the rough draft, Haimura nodded repeatedly.

“Hey, hey, Mashiro. This one with a lot of frills is super cute. I’d love a maid outfit like this!”

“Hehe, isn’t it cute? I thought it would be nice, like a princess.”

“But this more traditional one is cute too. It seems like it would suit anyone, which is a big plus.”

“Since we’re all wearing it together, that’s an important aspect too. Hmm, it’s tough to decide.”

“What do you reference when you’re thinking of designs like this, Mashiro? Is it like, you want to wear something like this, or do you have an image of working in a maid café?”

“Well, I kind of imagine the reactions of the people who will see it… um, I think about how happy they would be to see someone wearing it as I draw.”

Mashiro blushed shyly, gently stroking the maid outfit drawn in her notebook with her finger.

I wonder if she’s imagining someone who would be happy. Mashiro’s cheeks were soft and relaxed.

“Mashiro, you’re making such a cute face. Who are you thinking about? Is it that person, after all?”

“That’s, um… Yui, don’t tease me…”

Mashiro looked embarrassed as her cheeks turned red.

Seeing Mashiro’s flustered reaction as her gaze wandered, Haimura couldn’t help but smile.

“Mashiro, you’re just too cute! You’re awakening the wolf inside me!”

“Wah! I told you before not to suddenly hug me—ah…”

Haimura joyfully hugged Mashiro.

As I felt the preciousness of the sight of the two beautiful girls playfully interacting, coincidentally, Mashiro’s gaze turned toward me, standing at the entrance of the classroom.

I was trying to find a good moment to interrupt their cultural festival preparations, but since our eyes met suddenly, I couldn’t find the right words.

Come to think of it, there was a time when I stumbled upon Mashiro and Haimura getting along like this before.

At that time, when Mashiro noticed me, she reacted like a dog that had found its owner, and now, she seemed to be wagging her tail in the same way. She really is a friendly girl.

It seemed Haimura also noticed I was there, as she quickly pulled away from Mashiro and greeted me.

“Hey, hey, Ryusuke-kun! Are you thinking of joining in on the maid outfit design for the cultural festival too?”

“So you two were preparing together. If that’s the case, would it be alright if I joined in for a bit?”

“That would be very welcome! We were really looking for opinions from guys too. Come on over!”

Haimura grabbed my arm and began to pull me along. I was led to the seat next to Mashiro without resistance.

Mashiro stood up from her seat a bit flustered, lightly fixed her hair, and smiled at me.

“Ryusuke, thank you for coming. It looks like you’ve recovered from your cold… I’m glad.”

“Yeah, I’m fine now. You took care of me yesterday, right? I really appreciated it.”

“No, it’s okay. I thought I’d let you sleep since you were in your room. I’m sorry for sneaking in like this. But I’m relieved to see you’re feeling better.”

Mashiro let out a sigh of relief, her hand resting on her chest.

She had worried quite a bit over the past two days.

I wanted to express my gratitude for her help in getting better, and I decided to join her in preparing for the cultural festival.

I placed my bag on the desk next to me and sat down, then turned my gaze to Mashiro’s design notebook.

The notebook was filled with rough sketches of maid outfits, showcasing all of Mashiro’s hard work up to this point.

“Did you come up with all of these, Mashiro?”

“Yeah. I brainstormed some designs while chatting with Yui. Right now, I’m narrowing down the options. This one is a classic maid outfit, and this one next to it has a lot of frills and is super cute, don’t you think?”

Every maid outfit Mashiro designed was adorable and delicate, yet it seemed to consider functionality as well. Either design would surely delight the guests at the cultural festival.

“You have great taste, Mashiro. You could even be a clothing designer. The details are so well thought out and really cute, and I think both would suit you perfectly.”

“Hehe. Thank you for the compliment! By the way, which maid outfit do you think is better? I’d like to consider your opinion on which one to make for the festival.”

Mashiro asked with a shy smile.

I lowered my gaze to the notebook and pondered, twisting my neck in thought.

Both the classic maid outfit and the frilly cute design had their merits, which made it difficult to choose.

I wanted to say both were good, but due to the budget allocated to our class and the time left until the festival, it wouldn’t be possible to do both at the same time.

Moreover, I found myself considering which design would attract more customers, which would contribute to sales, and how to keep costs down—thoughts swirling in my mind.

As I struggled to come up with an answer, the person next to me, Haibara, raised a finger decisively and made a suggestion.

“Ryusuke-kun, why not just decide based on which maid outfit you’d like to see Mashiro in? You don’t have to think too hard about it; just go with your instincts!”

“My preference, huh…”

I took a moment to think seriously.

The classic maid outfit had a long skirt and a pure, elegant impression, with a simple white apron that enhanced its purity. It was a design that would look good on anyone.

The frilly design, on the other hand, featured a large ribbon at the chest that highlighted its cuteness. The knee-length skirt was enveloped in fluffy frills, creating a soft silhouette. With a white headpiece, it would combine cuteness and elegance, resulting in a flawless appearance.

Both designs were hard to choose between, but if I had to pick based on my preference, the frilly design that accentuated Mashiro’s cuteness would win out.

The sight of the ultimate beautiful girl, Mashiro, in a fluffy maid outfit would undoubtedly be unbeatable, and wanting to see that was a natural desire for any guy.

“Then I guess I’ll go with the frilly one…? It seems like it would suit you well, Mashiro.”

“Right? I think Mashiro in a fluffy frilly outfit would be super cute too.”

Haibara and I nodded in agreement multiple times.

It seemed that whether male or female, we were thinking along the same lines, and even with Haibara, whom I hadn’t talked to much, our opinions matched perfectly.

I smile, feeling reassured by the words exchanged between me and Haimura.

“I’m so glad to hear that! To be honest, I actually preferred the one with more frills too.”

“Then it seems all three of us here are in agreement.”

“Yup, yup! Masahiro, let’s present this idea to everyone tomorrow!”

After staying behind after school to discuss, we successfully narrowed down the designs for the maid outfits we would wear at the cultural festival. I didn’t contribute much since I joined in later, but if I could help Masahiro even a little, that’s what matters most.

Masahiro’s class is fired up for the cultural festival.

Thinking we should take a cue from them, the three of us began preparing to head home.

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