OUT OF UNIFORM

It's us, Teacher!

Hurry up and open the door!

Ein, you're going to break the door. Take it easy.

There's no way I can knock quietly when I'm this stoked!

Teacher, come and open the door before it breaks!

Good morning, Teacher!

Good morning, Teacher.

We apologize for making such a ruckus this early in the morning.

Well, it's beca...

We're so excited!

This is the first time a festival is being held at the Outpost!

We came running over as soon as we woke up.

My apologies.

I didn't have time to stop her.

Hey, a festival is a festival.

Did you just wake up,

Teacher?

I knew we'd end up waking you...

What the heck are you thinking, Teacher?

You should be getting up bright and early on a day like this.

Nope, not another word from you! Hurry and go wash up.

We have some things to prepare on our end as well.

You'll see when you're done getting ready!

Hehe!

...

All right!

Okay!

I'll come in then.

It's fine. I'll just put my hands through the opening of the door.

There you are.

Oh my gosh!

It looks perfect!

You really do look amazing.

Because it's a festival!

We ought to dress for the occasion,

so I prepared these outfits for us.

You bet I did!

... At least, that's what I'd be saying if I was working at Rushae.

As things stand, I bought some clothes that were on sale and made some minor adjustments.

It still took up a lot of my time, though. Enough that I wasn't able to do all my homework.

Excuse me?!

Aw c'mon, don't get angry, Zwei. You know you were looking forward to this as well.

...!

I-I can't really say.

... I've never been to one.

To be honest, I've always considered them a waste of time,

but Ein said she would make me an outfit, and then you're coming as well...

So I figured I ought to experience it at least once before I get too bogged down with schoolwork.

She couldn't make it because she had to redo one of her classes.

If she'd paid more attention in class, like me, she wouldn't have to do that.

You only passed by two points.

Hey, at least I passed.

...

It's a real bummer. I made an outfit for her and everything.

It would have been better if all three of us were here.

You're right.

Well then, let's have even more fun for Rei's sake!

Yayyyy! Let's go!

All right.

Welcome, Master.

Here at the Maid Cafe, we've prepared a special menu to celebrate the New Year Festival.

We have many unique dishes on offer which you won't normally find otherwise:

Warm rice cake soup to bring in the new year.

Sweet yawkgwa, cakes, and candy apples.

And omurice with plenty of ketchup, of course.

Feel free to pick whatever you like.

Wow, you guys are really getting into the New Year's spirit!

Man, they all look scrumptious. I wanna taste each of them.

How about we order one of each?

We'll never be able to finish it all.

You and I don't have huge sweet tooths either.

Come on, today is a special day! We can indulge a little.

Hmm...

What do you think, Teacher?

That's a good idea.

Aw...

The three of us can each order something different. That way we can introduce some variety.

Fine...

Phew... I'm full.

Me too.

...

Is it just me,

or are you guys not entirely satisfied either?

This is what eating the proper amount of food is supposed to feel like.

What's the point of moderation on a day like today?!

Especially with a limited-time dessert that's only available during the festival!

That's the spirit, Teacher!

I knew I could count on you.

We're going to end up being far too stuffed...

Fine. Let's order.

Ugh...

I'm so full...

Because we overate.

I knew this would happen.

It was delicious, though.

Besides, we can get the rest to go.

Still, it's too much.

It'll be difficult to carry all this around with us.

True...

Man... It'd be great if Tia showed up and helped us out. She loves her sweets.

Huh?

Did someone say my name?

Huh?!

That voice... Tia?!

Is she really here?

Huh?

She's not alone, either. Is that...

*Gasp*!

That's right.

I originally only planned on dressing up a little, but I guess I overdid it.

I don't look weird, do I?

You really do! Where did you get that outfit?

It's perfect!

Yeah, it looks really nice on you.

I thought the same thing myself.

I saw it at the shopping mall and managed to grab the last one.

I believe it's from Rushae?

I knew it!

*Sigh*... I have a long way to go until I can measure up against Rupee.

Both of your outfits look cute as well.

This almost goes without saying, but you also look fantastic, Teacher.

And look at all these beautiful dishes as well.

Hmm... Which should I eat first?

Since we're here, I guess that we're not gonna be going to the festival, ha.

Ah, your timing couldn't be better.

Can you help us?

With what?

Are you really going to give me all of these desserts for free?

Thank you so much!

If anything, we should be thanking you.

Enjoy.

I will!

Yeah,

it's gonna take Tia a while to finish eating all this.

Hmmm.

Would you like to join us, Naga?

Huh?

That's okay, I'll stay with Tia.

I'd be worried leaving her alone at a festival.

I'm fine. You go ahead.

Are you sure?

It would be a shame for you to be wearing such a pretty outfit and spend all your time here.

By the time you do a lap around the festival, I should be done with all these desserts.

Then you can take me to whichever place you thought was the best.

That's right! The festival just started.

Tia is having plenty of fun by herself,

so you can come and enjoy the festival with us, Naga.

...

It should be fine for one day.

It's not like you're leaving Tia and joining us permanently.

Even you think it's okay, Zwei?

Are you really sure that you'll be all right on your own, Tia?

Of course.

With this many sweets, I'm in hog heaven.

As long as she's in the Maid Cafe,

you don't need to worry about anything happening to her.

Not only are Soda and Ade here,

but I, in my duty as a professional maid, will be sure to keep this place safe for her!

Wow, I really do feel safe now.

All right then.

I'll leave her in your care.

You enjoy your dessert, Tia. In the meantime, I'll go see if there are any interesting places.

All right, see you later.

Okay, let's get a move on!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Happy New Year! We have some special offers going on in celebration of the occasion.

Hello, Mica.

Got anything special for us?

Wow! You're even prettier than usual today, Naga.

Really? I'm so honored that you think so, hehe.

Whoa...

Mica, pull yourself out of that daze.

If you don't hurry up and explain our special event to the customers, they'll get bored and leave.

Oh! R-right! Um...

We're doing a raffle which tells you your fortune for the New Year.

In this box, there are many balls, inside of which are slips of paper with fortunes written on them.

Who wants to go first?

I'll go!

Hmm...

I like... this one!

Drum roll please...

Oh, there actually is a piece of paper inside.

I'll read it.

It will be a difficult year for you.

If you don't work harder than you are now, misfortune will befall you.

What the heck is this?!

This is the worst fortune I've ever seen!

Zwei, you try.

I'm a bit hesitant after that,

but okay.

I'll go with this one.

Hurry up and open it, hurry!

I feel uneasy.

Hmm..

It will be a difficult year for you.

Set your sights on a single goal and work hard to achieve it.

What the... That's a terrible one too!

Are there only bad fortunes in this thing or what?!

Huh... Surely that can't be the case.

You two are just unlucky, that's all.

Besides, this is all just for fun. Don't take it too seriously.

All right, who's next?

... Should I try?

Come on up!

Hmm...

Hmm...

You're taking an awfully long time.

Are you scared that you're gonna get a bad fortune?

No, it's not that.

The box seems a lot deeper than it looked from the outside, but my arm isn't able to go in that far.

I was just thinking it was strange.

Huh? Really?

There's nothing strange about that.

I think it's just your imagination.

I don't know. When I press down on the bottom, it has a little give to it.

It feels like there's a panel in the middle of the box.

I wouldn't know anything about that.

Mica, did you tamper with the box?

Wh-what? Why would I ever do something like that?

Hehe, was it that obvious?

Ta-da! A special prank for the New Year's Festival!

I must say, I didn't think you'd catch on that quickly.

Ugh... I hate it when you do these things without consulting me.

Huh?

Then the fortunes that Zwei and I picked out...

All the fortunes in there were bad ones, so you don't have to worry.

Here, I'll give you proper ones.

...

What kind of a prank is that?

Phew, what a relief!

We're getting a second chance to turn our luck around.

We wouldn't have needed a second chance in the first place if she hadn't pulled that stupid prank!

Don't overthink it.

Today is supposed to be a good day, isn't it?

Right, right. Okay, this time I brought a proper box.

Now, go ahead and pick a real New Year's fortune.

This upcoming year will be one filled with positive energy.

If you share that energy with those around you, even more good things will happen.

This will be a year where all your hard work will come to fruition.

Keep at it and continue to be as diligent as you always have been.

Now is the time to pamper and take care of yourself.

You spent a lot of time taking care of those around you, and you may be more exhausted than you realize.

If you take care of yourself and your surroundings at the same time, you will have a happy and healthy year.

Wow, these are all right on the money.

Yeah, it'd be great if everything really turns out like they say.

Compared to the ones we got earlier, these are like night and day.

Are you sure you didn't put in only good ones this time around?

They're almost too good to be true.

What did you get, Teacher?

Oh dear, you got a bad one.

I guess the box wasn't filled with only good fortunes after all.

These things are all just a bit of fun, so you really shouldn't take them too seriously.

Now then, it's time for the final gift!

Huh? What gift?

We give out complimentary gifts for participating in the raffle.

It's a mini firework set!

If you set this off later tonight, it'll be a beautiful display.

It's a miniature one, so it may not be as big and flashy as an ordinary fireworks display,

but it's sure to brighten your day, or night, rather!

Cool, thanks!

I've never seen fireworks before. I'm excited to check it out.

Thanks. We'll put this to good use.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

All right, here we are.

I wonder what kind of fun things they've got happening at the Train Station?

Welcome!

To celebrate the new year, we are running the Happiness Express.

The Happiness Express? How exciting!

Does riding the train make you happy?

Naturally.

But you must have a ticket in order to ride it.

What?

But we don't have any tickets.

Where can we buy them?

Hehe.

You can find them right inside this train.

That's right.

The tickets are hidden inside the train.

All you have to do is find them within the time limit.

Only two of the carriages have the tickets, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

So...

It's like a treasure hunt?

That's correct!

Cool! This will be fun!

Since there are four in your party, you'll have to find a total of four tickets.

Got it.

...

What's on your mind, Zwei?

Oh, it's just...

I've never done anything like this before, and I didn't want to drag everyone down.

Don't worry, Zwei.

I'm really good at games like this.

Wow, I never thought the day would come when I'd be saying something like that to you of all people.

This is amazing!

It really is! And even if we don't find it, it's no big deal.

As long as we have fun,

we shouldn't worry about anything else.

I couldn't agree with Naga more.

After all, we're not in school.

... Very well.

Thank you, both of you.

All right!

I will give you 10 minutes.

Ready? Begin!

I should check out the storage spaces behind the seats,

but there are more seats than I expected.

There are storage spaces under the seats too.

This won't be easy.

We should also check each of the individual luggage racks on top.

Teacher, you take care of that.

You're tall, so it'll be easier for you.

Is it here?

Nope...

Here?!

No...

Wait, is this...

!!

I found one!

Good job, Ein.

I'll keep looking!

Let's see... Nothing under here.

What about the next seat?

Hmm?

Something seems to be stuck in between the seats.

Oh! I found one too.

Nice!

You found one too, Teacher?

That's three down so far.

...!

So only one left.

I'll keep at it.

Thanks.

...

...

Teacher.

That thing in the window gap, is that that another ticket?

No, we shouldn't do that.

Let's help Zwei find it herself.

That way we'll all have found one ticket each.

We can guide her.

Zwei, Ein! Teacher and I already searched the inside and there's nothing there.

I think it'd be smart to search the middle area.

Yeah? That was quick.

Okay!

I'll look on the left side, and you can handle the right, Ein.

...?

Huh?

Teacher, what are you doing?

???

What are you doing?

Ein, we only have 90 seconds left.

We can't afford to be distracted right now.

Sorry, it's just that Teacher is...

Huh?

Just a moment, Ein.

What is it?

...

Sorry, it's just that Teacher started doing this weird dance, and...

Gah!

...

Huh?

What are you doing, Zwei?

There's something in the gap of the window behind you.

Isn't that a ticket?

Huh? Is it?

Oh my gosh, it is!

I found the last ticket!

Did you see that, guys? Zwei found it!

Wow, really?

So we all found one.

That's right! Let's take the tickets and go talk to Diesel.

We brought all four tickets!

Hehe, I thought I hid them very well.

You found them faster than I thought you would.

Congratulations!

First off, here are some strawberry candies as an additional prize.

Thank you.

Wow, thanks!

Thank you!

So how do we board the Happiness Express?

You enter through the door behind you.

After you enter, just follow the instructions.

Hehe, we prepared it specially for today.

I hope you all have a pleasant journey.

Oh boy, my heart is pounding.

What could be inside?

Huh?

The inside looks exactly the same as the train we were just in.

You're right.

The space seems smaller, but the seats and windows are nearly identical.

The only difference is that all the windows are black.

Hello passengers.

My name is Brid, and I will be your conductor for today on the Happiness Express.

I hope you have a safe and pleasant journey as you travel through the new year.

This is so cool!

That speech really gets you pumped.

Would everyone please take their seats?

Okay!

Thank you.

If you could all present me with your tickets,

we'll make sure your departure begins as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Thank you, all of you.

And now we will begin your journey on the Happiness Express.

We will ensure your safety throughout the journey.

Wow...

To be honest, I thought this was gonna be something for kids.

But they've even got a real-life conductor out here talking to us. This is exciting!

You're right.

I wonder what's going to happen next?

Holy moly, the quality is amazing.

It really feels like we're riding on a train!

Is that...

the Outpost?

This whole ride must be centered around a tour of the Outpost.

Hold on, is that Teacher on the screen?

You look good, Teacher!

Everyone looks so happy.

You're right.

It really puts a smile on your face.

Let's see...

Where...

Ah, there we are!

There's Rei and Miss Marciana.

Cool!

We have arrived at our final destination.

May I direct everyone's attention to the ceiling?

The ceiling?

Hey, why'd the lights go out?

What are they going to show us?

Huh? They've even got a screen on the ceiling?

Hold on, don't tell me...

Fireworks!

Amazing. They've even written out "Happy New Year"!

It may be CGI,

but it's absolutely breathtaking nonetheless.

Wow...

I always looked at fireworks as little more than glorified explosions,

but looking at this...

It's absolutely breathtaking.

Zwei, your expression... I've never seen you look like this.

It is beautiful, isn't it?

Don't you think we ought to go out and have fun more often?

You're right.

Once a year should be sufficient.

For crying out loud...

It's a shame that we're the only ones enjoying this.

I should have brought Tia along.

That was nice.

The Happiness Express is meant to take you on a tour of the Outpost

as well as revisit the positive memories you've had this year.

I trust you all had an enjoyable journey?

Thank you for that.

Next time, I hope we can ride an actual train.

Thank you for saying that.

Next year, we hope to offer an upgraded experience that will impress even further.

To all of you who are present, we wish you a Happy New Year.

Happy New Year.

Man, time really flew by.

I should probably go pick up Tia.

Aw, that's too bad.

We're having a lot of fun hanging out with you!

Me too! But I made a promise to Tia.

I told her I'd take her somewhere she'd enjoy. Although I'm not sure if we'll have enough time...

Anyway, I'll see you guys later.

Naga! There you are.

Tia?

How did you get here?

I finished eating those desserts, so I started wandering around,

and I happened to run into you.

That's great.

This means you don't have to go pick her up.

You're right.

Now that we're all here, why don't we go to one final place together?

Where should we go?

How about the amusement park just behind us?

I don't think they're holding any special events there.

We still have those fireworks we got from the Toy Store.

If there's nothing going on there, it'll be dark and quiet, which is perfect.

My thoughts exactly.

It'd be an awful shame for us not to set off the fireworks, so I think it's a good idea.

What about you, Tia?

Sounds fun!

All right, then let's go.

What? Even this place is decorated.

They've left the lights on, and these decorations are perfect for a nice winter atmosphere.

You're right.

I'm glad that we came.

It's just dark enough for the fireworks as well.

Here, Tia, you have one too.

Thanks!

It's so small! Adorable.

My heart is pounding!

...

Hehe, I've been looking forward to this for a while.

...

...

...

Hmm?

Is it lit?

...

Is this because of how small it is?

Hmm...

Could it be defective?

Even the fuse has nearly gone out.

Talk about a disappointing finale.

Gah! What's that?!

That came out of nowhere.

Oh my...

So pretty!

Ow, it's hot!

Everyone, step back!

!!

Are these really mini fireworks?

I don't think so.

Do you think this is another prank?

It may have caught me a bit off guard,

but they are awfully nice to look at.

You're right.

They're quite pretty.

Seeing a big fireworks display on a screen is nice, but

nothing beats seeing them in person.

What do you think, Tia?

I'm just happy that the year is off to such a wonderful start.

Here I am surrounded by people I care about, eating delicious food and seeing beautiful sights.

Thank you for everything, Naga.

Hehe, don't mention it.

The festival is still on tomorrow, so we'll have more opportunities to explore.

You're gonna love it.

I'm sure I will!

...

Ein,

thank you for making these clothes and for convincing me to come out.

!!

Jeez, you're gonna make me blush talking like that.

I'm the one who's thankful, hehe.

Let's make sure to tell Rei everything that happened today.

Absolutely.

And you, Teacher.

Thank you for spending so much time with us today.

We're excited to spend another year with you.

Yeah, we're really looking forward to it.

Me too!

I'm sure this next year has all sorts of exciting things in store for us.

Hmm...

Thank you for always sharing so much useful knowledge with us.

I'll keep studying hard and do everything I can to learn.

All of us will graduate,

and when we do, we'll be calling you Commander!

...

Zzzz...

*Snore* Mmmrrbbb...