(TL Note: Sorry for the slow update. I’m kind of busy with RL lately.)
“What?! A maid café?”
Inside the classroom of Class 1-1, the students were staring at Hecatia on the podium with disbelief written all over their faces.
Just moments earlier, Hecatia had announced their class activity for the academy festival.
The plan was to transform the classroom into a maid café to attract visitors and generate revenue. As for the profits, they would be distributed among the students based on their contributions, adhering to the principle of “the more effort, the greater the reward.”
“Yes, since you all haven’t come up with any good ideas, this is the result of a discussion among the teachers. It’s decided,” Hecatia said, glancing at the students.
“If there are no objections, you can start preparing the maid outfits. Make sure to include a variety of styles.”
Just as the male students breathed a sigh of relief, Hecatia glanced at Litte’s seat and suddenly added, “Oh, and the boys will also be dressing as maids!”
“What?!” The boys in the class were so shocked that their jaws practically hit the floor, while the girls erupted into laughter.
“What’s wrong?” Hecatia looked at the students in confusion.
“Are you saying only the girls should serve the customers? Wouldn’t that be too unfair?” Hecatia said.
“But, Professor, shouldn’t the boys be butlers to match the maids? What kind of weird concept is having male maids?” one of the boys raised his hand and said.
Hecatia thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
“Alright, fine. Anyway, seeing you guys in maid outfits would probably be too much of an eyesore.”
“Let’s settle it this way,” Hecatia concluded, and the boys erupted into cheers.
They immediately hailed the student who had spoken up as a hero. After all, the idea of a bunch of guys parading around in maid outfits wasn’t just embarrassing—it would likely deter anyone from stepping inside.
—
Elsewhere, after returning to the office, Therese quietly approached Hecatia.
“So? How’s the reception to my suggestion?” Therese said, grinning.
“Not bad,” Hecatia nodded. “Honestly, these kids who only focus on studying wouldn’t have come up with anything better anyway.”
“Then let’s follow through with my idea—combine your class’s event with ours.”
“Is that allowed? I’ve never heard of cross-grade collaboration before...”
“Well, the rules don’t say it’s prohibited,” Therese said with a smirk. “As long as it’s not explicitly forbidden, it’s fair game, right?”
“Besides, think about it: Orson and Olivia both have relatives in your class. If our two classes work together, won’t there be less resistance?”
“Alright,” Hecatia agreed to Therese’s proposal.
—
Meanwhile, in the Student Council office.
“A maid café?!” Orson stared at Olivia, who had handed him the event proposal, his eyes wide with shock.
“I didn’t expect it either,” Olivia shrugged. “Apparently, Class 1-1 proposed this activity, and then they invited our class to join in.”
“I don’t really mind...” Orson said.
As the Student Council President, he would be busy overseeing the festival’s operations on the day itself, so he wasn’t required to participate in the class activity.
“Neither do I,” Olivia said nonchalantly, her reasoning the same as Orson’s.
“Then it’s settled,” Orson said. He suddenly turned to Olivia. “By the way, Olivia.”
“What is it?”
“Litte seems to care quite a bit about Lianca. He even mentioned it when he went to your dorm to check on her, didn’t he?”
He’s not worried about Lianca at all—he’s worried about you.
Though Olivia thought this to herself, she didn’t say it aloud.
“Is that so? That’s a bit unexpected.”
“So, I was thinking, since he seems interested in Lianca, why don’t we create some opportunities for them to spend time together? Maybe we can matchmake them. What do you think?”
“Orson, are you serious?” Olivia said, clearly taken aback. “Are you trying to tie the families even closer together?”
“I think we should leave this to them to figure out themselves.”
“Oh, come on, Olivia, you don’t understand,” Orson said, shaking his head. “Love isn’t just about compatibility; it also needs interaction.”
“But they’re already desk mates, aren’t they?”
“Sure, but being desk mates in a crowded classroom doesn’t create the atmosphere of being alone together, so it’s not very effective.”
“Think about it: you and I are desk mates, but does that mean...” Orson trailed off, realizing mid-sentence that his analogy was inappropriate.
“Are you saying you and I aren’t a good match, Orson?” Olivia narrowed her eyes.
“No, no, that’s not what I mean. I just think the analogy isn’t quite right,” Orson said hurriedly, shaking his head. “Anyway, you get what I’m trying to say, don’t you?”
“Fine.” Olivia nodded. “So, what’s your plan to get them alone?”
“That’s simple. I’ll take Litte to your dorm for a visit, then excuse myself midway for some ‘urgent’ Student Council business, leaving Litte to arrive first. Meanwhile, Olivia, you won’t be at the dorm either, so the two of them will end up alone together.”
“Then, they’ll start chatting, get to know each other better, deepen their bond, and eventually end up together,” Orson said with a grin. “What do you think? Isn’t it a great plan?”
“Pfft,” Olivia chuckled. “Listening to you, one would think you’re some kind of seasoned romance expert.”
“What, you don’t need to have dated to be an expert on love, do you?”
“Of course not,” Olivia said, shaking her head with a smile. She then looked at Orson, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “So, how do you plan to thank me for helping you, Orson?”
“After all, tricking my own little sister fills me with no small amount of guilt~”
Olivia wasn’t actually worried about Litte and Lianca getting together. If anything, she’d be thrilled—pairing them off would eliminate two potential competitors, making her life much easier.
However, she still needed to act as if she had made a significant sacrifice—that way, she could extract some benefits from Orson.
Listening to Olivia’s words, Orson thought to himself, You sly woman, this isn’t the first time you’ve tricked Lianca, so why are you pretending in front of me?
But since he needed her help, it was only fair to offer something in return.
“Uh...” Orson hesitated for a moment before suggesting, “How about I treat you to a meal?”
“Alright, then let’s go out for dinner while they’re alone together.”
This way, Olivia not only facilitated Litte and Lianca’s alone time but also secured an opportunity to go out with Orson—it was a win-win for her.
“Deal.”
The two quickly finalized their plan. That afternoon, back at the dormitory, Orson approached Litte.
“Litte, how about joining me for dinner at Olivia’s place tonight?” Orson said. “She invited me over, and I thought I’d bring you along.”
“Sure,” Litte nodded, not suspecting a thing.
As they walked toward Olivia’s dorm, Orson suddenly smacked his forehead as if remembering something. “Oh, Litte, I just remembered I have some unfinished Student Council work. You go ahead to Olivia’s dorm—I’ll join you once I’m done.”
Before Litte could respond, Orson had already darted off.
Watching Orson disappear into the distance, Litte stood there for a moment in confusion before heading toward Olivia’s dorm as instructed.
—
At Olivia’s dorm, she knocked on Lianca’s door.
“Lianca, we might have guests coming over later. I’m heading out to buy some groceries. If they arrive before I get back, let them in and have them wait in the living room.”
“Got it,” Lianca nodded. “By the way, who’s coming over, Sister?”
“You’ll find out when they get here,” Olivia said as she headed downstairs.
—
Ten minutes later, Olivia and Orson met outside the Student Council building.
“How did it go?” Orson asked. “I’ve already sent Litte to your place. Is Lianca at the dorm?”
“Of course,” Olivia replied.
“Good,” Orson said with satisfaction. “Now let’s see if the two of them can...”
Before he could finish, he felt a cold sensation in his palm.
Olivia had grabbed his hand.
“Orson, shouldn’t you stop worrying about Litte and Lianca for now?” Olivia said with a “kind” smile. “Isn’t it time to focus on our private date?”
“Uh...”
“Orson, bringing up someone else’s name during a date—Even someone as tolerant as me would get jealous, you know?”
“Sorry, Olivia.” Orson had no idea what this woman was up to, but he figured apologizing was the safest bet.
“It’s fine,” Olivia said with a smile, pulling Orson along toward the commercial district. “From now on, Orson, you’d better not make the same mistake~”
“Mm-hmm.” Orson nodded. “But are we just leaving like this? Shouldn’t we find someone to go back and let them know?”
“Let them know? How? By saying, ‘Your brother and sister are off on a date and won’t bother with you’? Like that?”
“Uh, but we should at least let them—”
“Oh, come on. They’re not three-year-olds. If we don’t go back, they’ll go out and eat on their own. It’s no big deal.”