Maid
Cafe
Few know of the strange yet wondrous legend of the Tojo High School Cultural Festival.
At the bonfire dance on the last night, if you stand within the shadow of your one true love,
and softly murmur, "I love you,"
your feelings will reach them, and your love will be reciprocated!
That's the story we came up with.
Whaddya think? Whaddya think?
Saying "I love you" while standing in their shadow...
What's wondrous about it if you're standing that close to them?
It's a standard confession.
See? I told you it was a lame idea!
Aw, c'mon, it's super emotional!
How is it emotional?! C'mon, dude!
They sure are enjoying this...
Anyway, that's what we wanted the Literature Club to come up with:
a thrilling story about romance that happens at our Culture Festival!
You want us to come up with one?
Yeah! One that sounds like it's been a thing for forever!
If word spreads that you can find true love at our festival, kids from other schools will come, too.
Oh, there's one more favor we wanna ask, too!
We haven't even said we'll do it...
You guys did a reading at last year's festival, right?
Oh, you came to see that?
Reading:
Kenji Miyazawa,
"The Morning of
the Last Farewell"
Well, we heard there was a really good place to hang out and take a break...
"My dear little sister, about to depart for a faraway place.
The sleet is falling, and it is oddly bright.
'Ey, Kenjya, git me some ameyuju."
It was such a peaceful oasis! I fell right asleep!
C'mon, don't be rude!
It's not rude, I was learning in my sleep!
I want to bid these jokers farewell. It's not rude, I was learning in my sleep!
I want to bid these jokers farewell.
So anyway, we thought you might be able to write a little story and read it at the culture festival.
Then it'll become a rumor and spread all around...
Seems our guests hath gone a bit too far with their games.
U-uh... Seems our guests hath gone a bit too far with their games.
U-uh...
Very well, we'll do it.
Ai kara umareta issatsu no hon ni wa
Mada kakareteinai koi to iu hitomoji
Why do boys make my heart beat faster?
Do my instincts desire the genetic material that I lack?
If so, then it doesn't have to be human, does it?
They might be human, but boys...
are kind of like aliens!
Taikutsu na juugo peeji datta
Tsugi o mekuru to iki ga tsumari oboreta
Moji ni dekinai kono kanjou ni
Kyou mo rifujin ni uchinomesareta
Keppeki datta shiritakunakatta
Kono kurushisa no shoutai toka dakedo
Kizutsuitemo yomukoto o yamenai
Kirei ja irarenai
Kimi o shiru peeji
Arabure otometachi aragae otometachi
Itami o shitte yuke
Shiori wa iranai
Those Literature Club girls were kinda quiet and weird, but like, in a good way.
Episode 6: Maidens in the Woods
Well, I hope they get to have fun at the culture festival, too!
Yeah!
Culture festivals are all about making the most of our teenage years!
Hey, that's a good slogan!
Yeah!
That's none of your darn business!
Making the most of our teenage years, please!
The thing that confuses me the most...
Why'd we say we'd do it?
I figured you'd hate something as vapid as a romantic urban legend, Sonezaki-senpai.
All this time, we've only tasted the sweetest, most delectable gems the world has to offer.
Now it is our turn to produce one of those glimmering gems.
Undertaking that challenge has merit, indeed!
And there's a difference between the works we enjoy
and the works that reverberate throughout the general populace.
We're blessed to have Hongo-chan, after all!
If we make the most of this opportunity, our Literature Club may reach a higher level yet.
Well, now that you put it that way, it could be a good opportunity.
And I don't want those "fulfilled teens" to keep looking down on us!
We're gonna enjoy our frail youth even more than they will!
Yeah!
Hey!
Yes?
As promised, today, I'm...
wearing a black thong.
Oh, is that so?
This is another type of the "indirect play" you described to me, yes?
That's correct.
I know you're wearing sexy underwear.
You know that I know you're wearing sexy underwear.
Doesn't that get you aroused?
What a load of BS.
Roster
What's BS about it?
You don't seem to be enjoying this at all, Milo-sensei.
I'm over here wearing strings as undergarments, freezing my lower half to death,
it's like I'm fighting a sumo match by myself.
Oh, I suppose a thong is very much like a sumo wrestler's mawashi...
Forgive me.
Don't you worry, I am a bit flustered by it-
A bit?!
Fine then, want me to reveal it in all its glory right here, right now?!
S-stop it!
Oh, there you are, Yamagishi-sensei!
Tomita-sensei!
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.
It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Hongo-san.
Thank you so much for the mushrooms yesterday!
They were so good!
I cooked them up in butter and fried them!
Don't mention it.
Ever since my father quit his job and moved into that inn in Yamanashi,
he's been sending them to me by the truckload.
And mushrooms are so healthy, you can eat them by the truckload and you won't get fat!
I think eating that much of them could turn into an issue.
Aw, Sensei, don't hurt me like that!
Wow, a bunch of classes are already starting on stuff.
The smell of youth makes me kinda dizzy.
Kazusa, that's no youth, that's paint thinner!
C'mon now, we have to think of stories for romantic urban legends!
Get that brain into gear!
Sure, but it's hard thinking of ideas for a romantic urban legend...
Why don't you start by thinking, "Well, what if it was me?"
What if it was me?
How would you want your love story with Norimoto-kun to start?
M-Miss Sugawara! You can't just ask that!
Really?
I'm... not as pretty as you, Miss Sugawara.
What do looks have to do with anything?
I-I dunno, just... I don't have much confidence in mine.
You're cute, Kazusa!
And what, can you not have a relationship if you don't look perfect?
I-I forgot something!
I-I totally forgot something back there!
Sorry, you guys head home without me!
Kazu-
See you tomorrow! Kazu-
See you tomorrow!
Kazusa...
Sorry, Kazusa...
Hey, Miss Sugawara?
Okay, Dad, it's my turn now!
There's movement on the bench-
Aw, the game's getting really good!
Nope, your time is up, mister! It's time for my drama.
It left off on a real cliffhanger last week!
Winds of Love
A romantic urban legend...
Think of the perfect situation for love to blossom...
I've always been around Izumi, ever since I was a kid.
So even when we're far apart, I feel like our hearts are still stuck together...
She's a real weirdo. That girl in your club, Sugawara-san.
You know who else is weird? Norimoto-kun.
You know, I think I'm pretty weird, too!
Huh?!
I think... I'm weird.
Y-yeah...
I'm not sure where this is coming from,
but sure, you're weird, weird enough!
Yep, you're weird! Be confident!
Kazusa!
Culture
Festival
Ideas
Bunny Girl Café
Haunted House
Karaoke Café
That settles it, we're going to do a karaoke café.
You've got a karaoke machine at home, right?
Sweet! This is gonna be easy!
I wanted to be a bunny girl!
Please, you'd be a walking billboard for public indecency.
When you put it like that, it sounds cool.
Okay, let's decide on jobs.
Romantic Urban Legends, by Sonezaki
draw a heart in blue pen on your hand...
We need someone to be in charge of dining, and someone in charge of kitchen,
then for decorations...
'Scuse me!
I'll do whatever, as long as I get to do it with Sonezaki-san!
Looks like she still hates your guts, as always!
Oh...
Yeah...
How much longer are you gonna pretend you don't like me?
A..Amagi-kun!
I really wanna tell everyone how happy I am to have you as my girlfriend.
What?! No, you can't!
Don't tell a soul until we graduate!
Why, though?
Well...
They'll start looking at me funny.
They'll think I'm shirking my academic duties to obsess over this romance,
that I'm having es-ee-
Th-that I'm participating in lewd conduct!
That's how they'll perceive me!
Can I ask you one thing?
You... want me to be your boyfriend, right?
Y-yeah, I do...
Okay, good.
Later.
Please, just wait...
Just a little longer.
Romantic Urban Legends
If we can help to conceive a plethora of couples at the culture festival,
everyone will be so distracted by their own developments that they won't stop to notice ours.
If you want to hide a tree, use a forest!
This is getting exciting!
I thought the Literature Club would never get to tread upon the holy ground that is a field trip!
We're so lucky that Milo-sensei's family owns an inn!
I know, I know!
And if the pension were a person, it'd be like "Penn Sean"!
Indeed!
Why is this happening?
If you write your name on a bandage, then stick it to the person you like,
Romantic Urban Legends
and nobody notices it until after the folk dance, they'll fall in love with you.
Hey, that works!
Yeah, especially the part about the band-aid.
Wait, did we have a folk dance last year?
Oh, they banned the folk dance last year.
The school got a complaint saying that allowing excessive physical contact between boys and girls
was "unseemly."
Someone complained?!
Aw, that was such a good idea, too!
"Excessive physical contact"? They're overthinking things.
I bet whoever wrote that complaint thinks everything is sexual!
Seriously!
Any other ideas?
I have one!
If you say your crush's name three times before the last firework fades during the bonfire party,
they'll fall in love with you!
Fireworks!
Similar to how it works with shooting stars? How poetic.
Unfortunately, we received a complaint about that, too,
so the board is currently discussing whether or not we will have a bonfire this year.
What?!
What for?!
Those creepy council jerks were the ones who suggested a bonfire, too!
Is it because it's dangerous or something?
No, according to the complaint,
the sight of flames burning against the dark sky could awaken dark passions and cause lewd conduct.
What?!
What the hell?!
That has to be from the same person who complained about the folk dance!
Seems there is an evil force afoot, shooting down all of our suggestions...
Who is this person?!
You rang?
Huh?
Love sparkles and glows at its brightest when it is born despite the fetters upon it!
A true romantic urban legend cannot be brought into existence without a few handicaps!
I see...
Right.
Yeah, that's it, totally it!
But at this rate, we're never going to come up with an idea…
Romantic Urban Legends
Why don't we go on a field trip?
A field trip?!
Wow, that sounds fun!
I've dreamed of going on a field trip! I never thought our club would have one.
Sure, but where?
I don't think the school would let us use one of their overnight facilities, so...
I know a good place.
Huh?
What?
Thank you so much, Milo-sensei.
You're incorrigible.
I'll repay you this debt, I swear.
Yes, on this field trip...
Erotica's no good! It's all about the "stories of youth" now!
Glorious, sparkling youth!
Oh, it'd be awesome if you could put some sci-fi elements in there, too!
What?
Let's be real, erotica written by a high schooler is a real turn-off.
Readers don't want something graphic; they want to escape from their reality!
Um, this is totally different from what-
You know what a novel needs?
It needs to hit you hard with the moment when a young, unripe heart
is completely shocked by a thrilling development!
An unripe heart...
That's right! So stop going on and on about erotica...
Oh, sorry, gotta take this.
Hey there, Sensei, congratulations on the big book!
That high school girl from before didn't sell very well.
From before?
A high-school girl makes her striking debut:
Ai Narimasu
A breakthrough work that explores young desires
But that works out for you, doesn't it?
You were the one who didn't want to write that stuff, right?
It's true. I never wanted to write erotic literature.
But now that I want to learn more about erotic things...
my unripe heart is...
experiencing shock by these thrilling developments...
If "youthful stories" are all about encapsulating those thrilling moments,
then I'm right in the middle of that.
That's why I won't be led astray any longer.
in real life
I'm going to write what I want to write.
To do that...
I'm going to repay you with my body.
Coffee, boxed lunches for sale!
Oh, boxed lunches! I want one.
Excuse me!
What can I get you?
Oh, they all look so good!
Look at that cute one, the Yurisuzume lunch!
It's so cute! And it looks just like a train!
You should get that one for Izumi-kun.
Izumi-kun really likes his trains.
How did you know Izumi likes trains?
Huh?
Oh, I mean, he's always reading train timetables and stuff, yeah?
He told me when we went out for tea the other day.
Huh?
Oh, c'mon!
By the time you gave him that lunch box, it'd be too gross for him to want to chew-chew it!
Chew-chew! Chew-chew!
What was that?
Miss Sugawara!
Huh. So Kazusa's worried about me and him.
Yeah!
That's why I want you to tell her that there's nothing going on between you two.
I dunno if I have a right to say this,
but I like you two a lot, and I don't want things to get awkward.
This misunderstanding might actually be a good thing.
Why?
Both of them are pretty shy, right?
Without something to spur them on and get them to make a move, they might stay this way forever.
Spur them on? No, I get it...
Plus, I'm kind of mad at her.
Huh?
All my life, other girls have accused me of "seducing" or "stealing" guys that I wasn't even interested in.
Kazusa's supposed to be my friend, but she still thinks of me the same way they did.
That's not it! Kazusa just...
I know, I've just had bad experiences.
And as her friend, I want to support the two of them getting together.
That's why...
you won't clear things up?
I'll make things worse.
M-Miss Sugawara...
Chew-chew-chew!
You're really intense... Chew-chew-chew!
Excuse me... Chew-chew-chew!
Excuse me...
But would you like a boxed lunch?
Sorry! Yes, I'll take one!
Alright.
Um, oh, do you have anything like sandwiches?
Also, can I get some tea?
So beautiful...
Just you wait, Amagi-kun.
I'll prepare the most fantastic forest for our love to hide in!
Welcome! Glad you made it.
Thank you for having us.
Well, would you look at these well-mannered ladies, Tomo-kun!
Tomo-kun?
Thank you for welcoming us on such short notice.
And thank you for allowing us to stay for a lower price.
It's not quite summer vacation, so we've got rooms open.
Come on in!
We have the most wonderful communal bath! I hope you'll enjoy it.
Thank you so much!
What a lovely inn.
Well, thank you...
It's no use.
The more I think about it, the more lost I get...
It doesn't matter what we say, as long as it gets people to hook up, right?
If you kiss your crush somewhere during the Culture Festival, you'll get together.
How's that sound?
Here come the wild suggestions.
Kazusa, you haven't said a word this entire time.
Sorry.
Don't apologize, just come up with an idea.
U-um, well, how about if you're at the bonfire...
Come on, you know they banned the bonfire.
If you make a bonfire in the hallway and nobody notices and the school burns down,
then you'll be together forever in heaven!
Evil Kazusa?!
Sorry, Kazusa.
I shouldn't have forced you to come up with something.
Hey, why don't we take a little break? Here, have some sugar.
Thanks...
We're really hitting a wall here...
I agree.
Why don't you clear your heads with a little break?
Good idea.
Let's get refreshed!
Kazusa, let's go take a bath!
Huh? Okay...
That feels great!
Right, Kazusa?
Kazusa...
She's so much better than me...
She's already prettier than me,
but if my personality goes south, too, then she'll be way, way, way better than me.
Are you talking about Miss Sugawara?
Don't worry about her!
Even I knew that Izumi-kun liked trains!
Though I haven't taken him out for tea...
Hey, want to get out?
I'm feeling kind of light-headed...
Maybe they have some fruity milk we can drink!
You guys are still here.
What?
Oh, nothing, I was just kinda surprised since you weren't even covering up...
It's bad manners to bring your towel into the communal bath.
Plus, I like to use my hands to wash myself.
You getting out?
Oh, yeah, I was just about to...
Kazusa?
I think I'll stay in a little longer.
Oh, okay.
Well, see you out there.
Her boobs are pretty.
I didn't think Miss Sugawara's boobs were that big,
but it must be just her clothes, 'cause they're way bigger without them.
Their shape, their color... they're really pretty.
Compared to Miss Sugawara, my boobs are really lacking...
Oh, geez, I can't get out...
I don't want her to see...
my boobs...
Kazusa?
Kazusa?!
Kamisama tell me
Kamisama oshiete
(Naani?) Kamisama oshiete
(Douzo) Kamisama oshiete
Otona wa nigai mono ga suki nano?
Mou kotaete yo
Itsumo ayafuya dawa
(Okoranaide) Itsumo ayafuya dawa
Juunengo no jibun ni douga o totte mita kedo
Sugu keshita
Isshukan dake de seiipai yo
Calendar nuritsubushite
Dokidoki shiyou kaisei
Koi o shite otona butteru Cinderella wa
Kirakira kyuukutsu de garasu no kutsu o nuki suteta
Senobi yamete chikara nuite shinkokyuu shite
Soudayo tanoshimou ima no watashi o
Atto iu ma no yume o taisetsu ni shite
Next Episode
Please, lift me up and toss me out of the ring!
I want to know of your romance.
Romance is about two hearts barging into one another! I want to know of your romance.
Romance is about two hearts barging into one another!
I love you. I love you. I love you.
Wrong, wrong! Really snap at her! I love you. I love you. I love you.
Wrong, wrong! Really snap at her!
Let's do it!
Wrong, wrong! Really snap at her! Will you please stop?
I was trying to pick a fight with you.
I want to do it! I was trying to pick a fight with you.
I want to do it!
Really? This is awesome!
I can't do it out of the blue...
You don't really like guys very much, do you, Sonezaki-senpai? I can't do it out of the blue...
You don't really like guys very much, do you, Sonezaki-senpai?
STOP!
I'm stupid and my boobs are stupid, too.
Episode 7
Trembling,
Then,
After