Stealing Spree

"Double the fee, huh? That's a... great idea," I shamelessly smirked while rubbing my chin thoughtfully, "It will be a money trap that people will still pay to experience."

"Hehe. I know you'll back me up, Kii!" Chii proudly tapped my shoulder.

She then gathered the reaction of the other three at our table.

Nami let out a small sigh as she was clearly not enthusiastic about the idea. Possibly because of how I supported Chii's idea.

She tapped her pen against the notepad as she spoke, dissecting the idea, "I agree that sounds fun, Chii. But we want people to enjoy it and feel they're getting their money's worth. Doubling the fee for failure is too extreme, I think? The mystery element is a good twist but we should balance it with the experience. What kind of riddles or tasks are you thinking about?"

Chii grinned, clearly ready for the challenge. "Something spooky but fun! Maybe we scatter puzzle pieces around the room. Each one will be guarded by a 'ghost' or any other scary creature. Their main purpose is to scare the visitors and have them skip the mini-challenges or riddles to get the pieces. If they're brave enough to get all the pieces, they can combine them to unlock the final answer. We'll be giving them a souvenir at the end like an award for finishing the challenge.

Ogawa still hesitated but eventually, he spoke up, joining in the discussion. "Uhm. That could work. I... can see it working. However, the challenges should be easy. If we make it frustrating, it might turn people off. Maybe include hints that they can earn or buy? The 'ghosts' have to be convincing too."

"Not bad," I spoke up next, nodding at him which immediately made the guy flinch as if he wasn't expecting me to not put down his participation.

"Yes. Hints can be a way to generate extra revenue without making it feel like we're forcing them to spend. Plus, it adds an interactive layer. However, implementing it will be difficult. Since we want to scare them enough to skip, we should just let them buy the pieces rather than hints themselves. For example, another dedicated section where a fortune teller or a witch will be selling those while acting enigmatic.

Chii was easily the one most agreeable to that idea. Nami, although she could tell how shameless it would be to sell 'key pieces' to complete their booth's activity, she knew that it was in line with the workshop's theme.

Ogawa subtly nodded, not saying anything anymore.

As we seemed to have finished deliberating whether to adopt that as our idea, Shimura raised her hand timidly. "Umm, what about the decorations? A haunted house needs the right atmosphere. Do we also need to be mindful of that with the outline?"

"Good question," Nami said, jotting it down. "We'll have to put it to ensure that they won't be able to pick out the problem of producing such a booth. Let's decide on how much we want to spend versus how much we aim to earn, accounting for the current budget of our class, and list some other items that we can buy if we win the additional funding."

At this point, the brainstorming session was in full swing. Nami facilitated the conversation smoothly, keeping us on track while ensuring everyone had a chance to contribute.

Even Ogawa, with my pettiness towards him turned off, started showing some of his capabilities that many girls had seen before I stepped into the picture. He handled the logistical problems for the outline.

Soon, we got this general outline.

[The Haunted Mystery Room: Concept and Features Theme: A haunted house with a mystery twist. Participants are considered investigators trapped in a cursed room and must solve the mystery to escape.

Setup: The classroom will be divided into sections, each with a hidden challenge guarded by a "ghost" (a classmate in costume).

Challenges: Riddles, logic puzzles, or physical tasks (like finding hidden objects or unlocking a box). This will award the key pieces to solve the mystery.

Optional Task: In case the investigators get too scared or miss a challenge, they can buy the key pieces from another student in a witch or fortune teller costume inside a hidden section for a small fee.

Final Task: Combine the clues gathered from each challenge or bought to solve the overarching mystery and escape.

Additional Note: If they fail to find the hidden section leading to an unsolved mystery, they'll be asked to pay double the fee as a penalty.

Decorations: DIY spooky decor, dim lighting, sound effects, and props to create an eerie atmosphere.]

As the conversation continued, Chii's excitement grew. "That looks pretty great. Double the fee is now more optional. Hehe. Now then, we should talk about cranking up the scare elements! Rather than just some classmates guarding each section, some classmates could do jump scares at key moments!"

"I'll pass on that role," Ogawa immediately opted out of it.

"I can handle it!" Chii said confidently, puffing out her chest. "Let me at 'em. I can also be responsible for makeup. An-rin and Kushii will help me."

Nami smirked. "Alright, we'll put you on the scare team. But don't forget that it's about timing. Too much and it might ruin the flow of the mystery."

Shimura added softly, "We should also think about how to reset the room between groups. It needs to be quick so we don't keep people waiting."

"Good point," I said, giving her an encouraging smile. "We will assign a team specifically for resets. If we plan the room's layout carefully, it should be manageable."

Soon after that, we continued to add to the outline.

[Additional Ideas and Adjustments Difficulty Levels: Offer different levels of difficulty. Easy, medium, and hard. That way participants can choose based on their comfort level.

Time Limit: Introduce a time limit to add tension and keep the flow of participants steady.

Role Assignments: Split the class into teams for different responsibilities: actors, decorators, reset crew and logistics.

Safety: Ensure all tasks and props are safe, especially for younger participants.]

As the discussion continued, I couldn't help but glance around the room to check on my girls.

Other tables were deep in conversation, some animated, others more subdued.

At the senior tables, Arisa and Izumi were huddled together, their expressions serious. Marika, on the other hand, waved at me when she caught my gaze, earning a subtle sigh from Nami.

"Focus, Ruu," Nami said, nudging me gently.

"I am focused," I replied with a grin. "I'm just admiring the view."

Chii leaned closer with a sly smirk. "Jealous, Nanami?"

"Not in the slightest when we have this guy locked on our side," Nami shot back, though the slight tightening of her grip on my arm said otherwise.

As the forty-five minutes ticked down, our concept began to solidify.

Nami took charge of organizing the notes, Chii enthusiastically planned the scare tactics,

Shimura quietly worked on logistical details, and Ogawa, to everyone's surprise, came up with some of the riddles. I guess he can be useful too.

By the time Tachibana-sensei called for the brainstorming session to end, we were already confident in our plan.

"If we pass this round, let us do the presentation together, Ruu," Nami said with her eyes already sparkling with enthusiasm and confidence.

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