About half a month passed, and Kent was busy with his part-time job, studies, and preparations for the school festival. Before he knew it, it was the day before the school festival. They were currently at the venue, a classroom, carrying out setup work for the haunted house, their class’s event, as a final preparation.
“Still, even if they say it’s okay to get such nice clothes dirty…”
“They also said we can take them home afterward, you know.”
“As expected from royalty being the sponsor. We should be grateful to Kent for organizing everything.”
The male students painting props for the background said so. The entire class participating in the work was wearing work clothes prepared by Kent, so their uniforms wouldn’t get dirty. The clothes weren’t expensive as they were produced from a terminal, but they were far superior to the clothes worn by commoners, so everyone worked cautiously at first. However, as they saw the paint getting on their work clothes one after another, they gradually stopped caring.
“Should I hang this cloth here?”
“Yes. A little more to the right, right there.”
A female student hanging cloth from the ceiling asked someone nearby about the installation spot.
“If I press this button, it lights up.”
“Uwah, and it makes creepy noises when you press it.”
A male student was happily operating the theatrical lighting and sound equipment for the effects.
“Kent, the preparations are progressing smoothly, aren’t they?”
“Yes. It’s a great help that everyone is following instructions.”
Josette and Kent, who were overseeing the work, said. Neither of them participated in the work but were in charge of observing the overall flow and giving appropriate instructions. Kent had already prepared materials from the terminal beforehand, so there was no troublesome transportation, but they had become quite particular about the construction, requiring a large amount of materials. Also, tools for processing them and materials for decoration did not exist in this world, so they had to prepare everything from scratch.
“Everyone, shall we take a break soon?”
“Yay! A break.”
“I wonder what’s coming next?”
Clara entered, pulling a cart filled with drinks and sweets. The entire class gathered, each person took a juice or snack from the cart, sat down in their preferred spots, and began their break, eating and drinking.
“I’m sorry to make you work, Clara.”
“It’s fine. I’m an outsider, so I can’t directly help with the setup. This is all I can do.”
When Kent said so, Clara replied without any particular concern. Clara was not there to help Kent directly; she was dispatched as a sponsor to monitor whether the money provided by royalty was being handled properly. However, in Kent’s case, the cost was determined when purchasing materials, so unless there were additional purchases, there was no work until the class event was completed. Since she couldn’t be directly involved in the work, she prepared the food and drinks for the break. Of course, the food and drinks provided here were also from Kent’s terminal and included in the expenses. The drinks and food, which did not exist in this world and were unlike anything they had tasted before, came out during each break, so everyone looked forward to the breaks.
“Kent, won’t you take a break too?”
“That’s right. Shall we take a break too?”
Josette handed Kent a cup of drink, and they sat down to take a break.
“Oh, so you guys are taking a break here. Can I join you?”
“Um, may I join you too?”
Just then, Bobby and Patty arrived and joined their circle.
“Bobby, are your preparations going well?”
“Yeah, thanks to Kent’s detailed instructions, our team’s work is progressing smoothly.”
“That’s good. And Patty, how about you?”
“Well, one girl pricked her finger with a needle while sewing, but other than that, everything is proceeding without any particular trouble.”
“Is the girl who pricked her finger okay?”
“Yes, she bled a little, but it stopped quickly, and she returned to her work.”
Bobby and Patty were in charge of the leaders for prop and small item production. Judging from their stories, the work seemed to be progressing smoothly.
“Still, I’ve never seen such well-made masks before.”
“They’d be a bit more realistic if we spent more money, but we can’t spend too much, can we?”
Patty said, picking up a party zombie mask to be worn by a frightener. These were familiar for Halloween costumes, and a wide variety of items, not just masks, could be ordered, so they had enough for the frighteners inside the venue.
“I think painting the finished walls with fluorescent paint and shining a light on them will be quite effective.”
“Is that the spray that’s over there?”
“That’s right. Also, the phosphorescent paint next to it stores light, so it’s effective if you paint it in dark areas.”
Fluorescent and phosphorescent paints, standard items for this kind of event, were also planned to be used to enhance the creepiness of the venue. Bobby had already been instructed on how to use them.
“What is this used for?”
Josette brought over an object that looked like a black hair dryer.
“It’s used like this.”
“Kya!”
When Kent used it towards Josette, air was suddenly shot at Josette, and she cried out in surprise.
“This is an air duster. It’s actually used for cleaning, but it can be used to startle people in the dark. This one is electric, so the air it emits is harmless and safe for the body.”
“Kent, please tell me before you use it!”
Josette protested to Kent, smoothing her hair that had become messy from the wind, her cheeks puffed out.
“Still, it’s amazing that you can prepare so many things I’ve never seen before. Kent, you’re so knowledgeable.”
“Well, I guess.”
Bobby looked at Kent with admiration. Despite all this, the method of acquiring these items was kept secret. The only ones who knew were Josette and Patty, and Clara, who was currently collecting the empty drink containers from the break.
“Well, let’s finish our break and get back to work.”
“That’s right. I’d hate to have to work overnight.”
“Indeed. Everyone feels the same way.”
As Kent spoke, Bobby and Patty stood up and returned to their work.
“About half of the other classes seem to be working overnight. We need to be careful not to end up like that too.”
Some classes were behind schedule due to disputes with sponsors or lack of preparation. If they couldn’t finish by the start of the school festival the next day, they would be disqualified, and in some cases, penalties could be imposed by the sponsor. Therefore, classes that were behind schedule had to work overnight. Normally, the school closed at night, but for tonight, soldiers were stationed for security, ensuring sufficient safety within the school, making overnight work possible.
“Everyone, good work. We managed to avoid working overnight.”
A considerable amount of time passed, and it was already dark outside. If it became late at night, the gates would be closed for safety, and even if work was finished, they would be forced to stay overnight. Kent’s class managed to finish their work before that time. Everyone gathered, and Kent, an executive committee member, praised them.
“Well then, I’ll explain the detailed operational methods tomorrow morning, so please rest well tonight and prepare for tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work.”
” ” ” ” ” “Thank you for your hard work.” ” ” ” ”
Thus, Kent’s class managed to avoid working overnight and disbanded for the day.
