I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Fujiwara Festival.

This was the official name of Ichijo Academy’s cultural festival, marking the 78th year since its establishment.

In 1939, during the 14th year of the Showa era, Ichijo Academy was founded with the mission to cultivate students who would become the nation’s foundation. The academy’s educational philosophy was based on the idiom “Renew yourself every day” (日新又日新).

Become a better version of yourself than you were yesterday.

For young people thinking about their future, no proverb fit better than this. In this sense, the Fujiwara Festival, held at the end of autumn, was a day for students to showcase to their families and friends the results of their year-long efforts.

“Hey! Watch out!”

“Someone bring me a board!”

November 13th, Monday morning.

Ichijo Academy was busier than usual as it prepared for the first day of the Fujiwara Festival.

Of course, not just anyone could enter. Only those who had received an invitation to the festival from a student were allowed inside.

“……”

Our class was also busy preparing for the festival.

“Who the hell put salt in the sugar jar?!”

“Ahh! I forgot my coffee grinder at home!”

“Hey! Go borrow one from the teacher’s office for now!”

In the chaotic scene, Ayase was sharply directing everything.

I remembered that she streamed a game for about three hours last night, but here she was on Monday morning, energetic as ever. Ayase must have some serious stamina.

At that moment, Satoru, who was slacking off next to me, asked.

“Yu-seong, did you try on the outfit that arrived earlier?”

“…Not yet.”

“Shouldn’t you try them on in advance? We’ll need to send them to a tailor if they don’t fit.”

“Honestly, I hope they don’t fit.”

I replied, trying to avoid the reality of the situation as I finally looked at the ‘outfit’ I had been ignoring until now.

The fabric was a mix of white and black, with a slightly cheap-looking feel.

The sleeves had frilly lace, and the skirt was neatly cut to reach the knees.

There was even a headband that made me feel like I’d be saying, “Welcome home, Master!” in Akihabara.

It was a picture-perfect cosplay maid outfit.

And the person who had to wear this outfit was none other than me.

That was because this year’s theme for the maid cafe was a gender-reversal cafe.

Girls wore butler outfits, while boys had to wear maid outfits—a blatant trap.

Originally, it was supposed to be a traditional maid cafe, but the girls suggested making it a bit more special since it seemed too plain. The boys, on the other hand, agreed, but only if they won and could increase the exposure of the maid outfits.

Thus began the battle for the fate of the maid cafe.

In the end, it was Rika’s ‘luck’ that decided the outcome.

Rika, known for her ‘golden hands’ in the class, achieved a perfect record of 10 wins in a row in the boys vs. girls rock-paper-scissors match, securing victory for the girls.

Anyway, the losers had no say, and the boys in our class accepted their fate of wearing maid outfits.

Naturally, that included me, who couldn’t even participate because my presence was considered a cheat.

“It’s easier if you just give up.”

Satoru, already dressed in his maid outfit, offered this piece of advice.

But it didn’t comfort me at all.

He had a slender frame that suited the outfit, but with my muscular build, I was sure I would look like a complete monstrosity in a maid uniform.

And to make matters worse, I had recently gained nationwide recognition.

If I wore a maid outfit in this state, it would surely become the most humiliating moment of my life.

In a way, Ryuji, a senior when it came to ‘embarrassing moments’, had already appeared in the classroom in perfect female attire, to the point where he could be mistaken for a girl, which only made the comparison worse.

“Kyaa! Sakamoto-kun is so cute!”

“How can a guy’s skin be this smooth?!”

“He’s even prettier than a girl!”

True to being the protagonist of a love comedy, Ryuji, who was naturally handsome, had become the girls’ toy, enduring all sorts of teasing.

Leading the charge was Ryuji’s girlfriend, Yaguchi, who seemed to be unleashing pent-up frustrations as she ran wild.

“Ryuji! Just hang in there! Once I put on these fake eyelashes, I’ll set you free!”

“That’s the third time you’ve said that!”

Sorry I couldn’t protect you, Ryuji…

I couldn’t help him though; I had my own problems to deal with.

“Come on, come on, why don’t you try it on? The breeze between your legs feels surprisingly nice.”

“Shut up.”

“Ouch!”

I gave Satoru, who was suggesting cross-dressing in a sly tone like Satan tempting Eve, a quick flick on the forehead and, after a long internal debate, decided to flee.

If I hid in the Student Council room until the class forgot about me, I might be able to avoid this whole mess.

But as if they had anticipated my escape, Sasha and Rika caught me as I was sneaking out the back door.

“Hehe, sorry, Ryu-chan.”

“Just accept your fate, Kim Yu-seong.”

Was this what it felt like to be betrayed by those you trusted?

More than anyone else in the class, these two were looking forward to seeing me cross-dress.

“Hehe, do you think I’ll let you escape? Quietly become our class’s star!”

Wait, now that I think about it, the mastermind behind all this was the class president, Ayase.

The three of them slowly closed in on me, holding the maid outfit that had been specially tailored for me.

Trapped in an instant, I let out a desperate cry.

“Stop it! Yamero!”

I won’t stand for this kind of bullying anymore! ¹

“……”

In the end, I was forcibly dressed up.

“Surprisingly, it suits you. Pfffthahahaha.”

“Truly, the strongest maid in the academy.”

“Ryu-chan, how about trying on this eye patch?”

Rika, already seeing me ruined, seemed eager to push it further.

It was a complete disaster, no less.

‘I want to die.’

I lowered my head, overwhelmed by the shame welling up from deep within.

‘Cross-dressing at this age… against my will…’

If I looked half as good as Satoru or Ryuji, it would be one thing, but even I could tell I looked horrifying.

At least I hadn’t put on makeup, but even in my current state, I was walking around like a monstrosity.

The other students bustling around weren’t laughing out loud, but their subtle smirks made it clear I was already a joke.

“Hoo.”

But, well…

It was just the cultural festival. Cross-dressing could happen, right? Let’s think positively.

Barely controlling my desire to hide in a hole, I spoke to Ayase.

“Class President, let’s make a deal.”

“What deal?”

“It’s for the class, so I’ll wear the maid outfit. But give me something to cover my face.”

“With those terms? Sure.”

She responded without a second thought.

In truth, since no one could force me to act if I went on strike, Ayase readily accepted my condition.

“I figured something like this might happen, so I prepared something in advance.”

What she produced was a triangular mask.

It had a very deliberate design, almost as if to announce, “I’m not an otaku.”

With no other options, I reluctantly put on the mask she handed me.

“…Let’s go.”

Snap!

Class 2-B.

The students themselves were unaware, but Class 2-B was famous throughout the school for being full of beautiful girls.

“Is this the fabled 2-B class’s maid cafe…?!”

“Hehe… I volunteered for a full 5-hour shift at the haunted house tomorrow just to be the first customer here!”

Two otakus, members of the much-maligned “Beautiful Girls Research Society,” which lurked around the school, suspiciously pushed up their black-rimmed glasses as they grinned.

They had put in a lot of effort to be the first customers of the maid cafe.

Passing students shot them disdainful looks, but as the lowest of the low in the school caste, the two otakus were already used to those stares and brushed them off without a care.

At last, as 10 o’clock hit, the doors of Class 2-B swung open.

“Welcome, Master~!”

As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by the girls of Class 2-B dressed in butler uniforms.

‘Ohhh! What is this?!’

‘As expected from the famous Class 2-B full of beautiful girls! Their level is high!’

Breaking away from the stereotypical maid cafe, the beautiful girls in butler uniforms welcomed the guests.

For these two, who had already visited countless maid cafes in Akihabara, the beautiful girls’ butler cafe was a refreshing change.

‘But doesn’t this make it a butler cafe instead of a maid cafe?’

‘Where is the most important maid?’

As the two realized their oversight and their gazes wandered left and right, distracted by the beautiful butlers, they failed to notice the beast approaching them.

“Allow me to guide you this way, Master.”

The figure was none other than the strongest man in the academy, with an unusually smooth voice.

T/L N: A parody of a famous line from anime/manga. ️