Chapter 2: The Opening of the Eika Festival
Numerous tents lined the school grounds.
It was a clear day, and the air was filled with excitement.
The chatter of students could be heard from all around.
All eyes were focused on the stage, where the live performances would take place.
“Are you ready to get fired up? The Eika Festival for this year is now officially open!”
An upperclassman made the announcement, then turned the microphone towards the crowd.
“Yeah!”
“Woohoo!”
Perhaps it was the third-year students, in their final year, who were the most enthusiastic.
Centered around the upperclassmen, the excitement rivaled the intensity of the strong sunlight.
— The day of the Eika Festival had arrived.
Although work had kept everyone busy as usual, the festival was finally opening.
After a long period of preparation… they had at last reached this day.
Haruya and the other members of the executive committee were obligated to watch the opening ceremony, during which they also made final confirmations about the day’s schedule.
While he didn’t remember in detail how each department would operate, Haruya’s role as part of the recording team was twofold: to patrol the festival and to photograph the day’s activities.
Well, it wasn’t particularly difficult.
He headed towards the classroom while once again organizing the overall flow in his mind.
After the final preparations were complete, they would welcome the guests.
“It’s finally started. Let’s do our best, Akasaki-kun.”
“Yeah, let’s give it our all.”
Rin spoke cheerfully as she walked beside him.
Haruya agreed, and the two returned to the classroom together.
Looking around the room, each student was making final adjustments for their performance.
“Oh man, we’ve got this in the bag! No doubt about it!”
“Himekawa-san and Takamori-san… their makeup is on point!”
Regardless of gender, everyone in the class had their eyes on the two leads.
Even so, Haruya thought to himself.
(The costumes really are amazing. Himekawa-san looks great in that pure white dress, and Nayu-san’s military uniform suits her so well, giving off a real prince vibe.)
White and black are inherently contrasting colors, so when the two stood together, they exuded a certain radiance.
“Hey, committee member. Can you help with some final adjustments here?”
While Haruya’s attention was captured by the two leads, a female student in charge of backstage called out to him.
Perhaps due to his lack of presence, Haruya was simply referred to as “committee member.”
Although he didn’t particularly mind, Haruya moved to the corner to start working.
“Shall I help too?”
Rin asked, peering over at Haruya.
“Hey, Kohinata-san, can you come here for a sec?”
A male student interrupted.
“Okay, I’m coming~”
Rin replied, leaving with a light step.
Haruya returned to his work, but the classroom was buzzing with excitement.
“Hey — look at me properly,”
the prince delivered his line, causing the girls to squeal with delight.
Glancing towards the prince, Haruya saw Yuna doing the chin grab move on Sara.
“……………”
Sara’s face turned crimson as she flinched.
While it seemed like an embarrassing scene at first glance, the fact that they were both beautiful girls made it look impressive.
Even though they must have practiced this scene many times by now, the female students flocked around Sara and Yuna, making requests.
“Um, if it’s okay, could you do the chin grab on me?”
“No fair! Then I want Himekawa-san to do the chin grab on me~”
The chatter grew louder and louder.
Perhaps feeling left out, some of the male students spoke up as well.
“Hey, it’s not fair if it’s just the girls. Let us join in too!”
Kazamiya… you’re something else.
The one who spoke up was the male student who sat behind Haruya.
“Kazamiya, isn’t that sexual harassment?”
“No, I’m just advocating for gender equality here.”
“No, that’s definitely out of bounds.”
Faced with this exchange, Sara and Yuna looked at each other and laughed.
“It feels very much like a cultural festival, doesn’t it? This kind of atmosphere,”
Sara said, glancing at Yuna.
Yuna responded as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“…Sara, this is the actual cultural festival… Let’s do our best.”
“Yes!”
Sara and Yuna, at the center of everyone’s attention, were truly leading the class.
“…Sounds like things are going well, huh~”
Turning around, Haruya saw that Rin had finished her work
and had come over to speak to him.
“Before, everyone kept their distance, but now they’re all flocking to Sara-chin and Yuna-rin like it’s normal.”
“Isn’t that just because they’ve changed and become easier to approach? I think that’s a good thing.”
“Well, yeah… I guess you’re right when you put it that way~”
Looking to the side, Haruya saw Rin wearing her usual expression.
What lay behind that expression, in the depths of her eyes?
What was she captivated by?
He hoped the Eika Festival would end without any incidents…
“You two have worked really hard on the behind-the-scenes stuff, and you’ve got your executive committee duties too, so feel free to head out now if you want.”
As Haruya was thinking this, a male classmate called out to them.
The other students seemed to have no objections, nodding in agreement.
“Committee member-kun. You turned out to be more serious and helpful than we thought. Thanks for your hard work.”
A female student added, addressing Haruya.
“Oh, is that so?”
Wait a minute, Haruya thought to himself. Even if she’s saying it with a pleased smile, isn’t that kind of a backhanded compliment? What does she mean by “more serious and helpful than we thought”?
Does that mean they didn’t think he was serious usually?
Well, I guess I can’t blame them since I’m always pretending to sleep. I’m sorry.
Haruya inwardly retorted and apologized to himself.
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And so, taking their classmates’ words to heart, the two executive committee members left the classroom work behind—
As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Haruya spoke up.
“I’ve got to take records and do rounds, so I’ll be wandering around. What about you, Kohinata-san?”
“Hmm. I’ll probably just be in the closing live performance.”
“Even with final checks, that’s not until the afternoon, so you’ve got plenty of free time. Well, that’s good for you.”
Saying this, Haruya was about to leave, but he felt a tug on his sleeve.
He stopped and turned around to see Rin looking at him as if she wanted to say something.
“Wait a second! I don’t have anything particular to do. Besides, I’m the vice-leader, so I’ll help you with your work, Akasaki-kun.”
“That’s a kind offer, but are you sure?”
“Yeah. My friends from other classes are probably busy with their class work right now, and it’s a bit… you know, going around alone. I’d rather avoid getting hit on…”
“I see.”
She probably wanted to enjoy the Eika Festival on her own,
but their school’s cultural festival was open to the public, and many visitors from outside the school were expected.
The risk of being hit on came with the territory.
“I might not be much help, but if you need a guy repellent…”
“I’m glad you understand so quickly.”
Rin moved closer to Haruya’s side.
“Well, the job is basically just taking photos, though.”
“Since we’re at it, let’s look around while we work.”
“Huh?”
Haruya stopped in his tracks.
Wouldn’t it look like a date to others? Wouldn’t that be a problem?
But Rin confidently pointed to her arm and said:
“We’re wearing armbands as executive committee members, so people will definitely think we’re working.”
Executive committee members were instructed to wear armbands on the day of the Eika Festival.
They were large, red armbands.
When he was in elementary school, Haruya had admired such armbands, thinking they looked cool and made you feel special and different from others. But now, looking at them, he thought they looked a bit lame.
“Well, I guess you’re right when you put it that way.”
Rin turned to face Haruya and gave him a wink.
“…So, Akasaki-kun, that’s how it is~ Please lead the way, okay?”
“Alright, alright.”
Casually brushing off her coy act, Haruya picked up his camera.
And so, Haruya set out to do his job as part of the recording team, with Rin accompanying him.
It was even livelier outside than inside.
Perhaps because there were many food stalls set up, delicious smells immediately filled their nostrils.
Miin, min. Miin, min.
The cicadas’ cries were barely noticeable amidst the surrounding commotion.
“Ahaha, it was so hard to get permission for that stall over there~ And look, the decorations for that one were really difficult to make~”
“Ah~ I see.”
Rather than discussing what they wanted to eat, they shared stories about the challenges they faced as part of the executive committee.
It was a conversation only possible because they were both on the committee.
Haruya felt foolish for even momentarily worrying that others might mistake them for being on a date.
“It’s really hot today, isn’t it? Shall we get some shaved ice?”
As Haruya was taking photos to record the activities, Rin suddenly asked.
“…Yeah, let’s go get some.”
They joined the line where several people were already waiting.
Middle school students, high school students from other schools, and even groups that looked like college students could be seen here and there.
Noticing this, Haruya couldn’t help but smile.
Considering the hellish days they had endured for this day, seeing the festival bustling with people was quite pleasing.
“Looks like more people showed up than we expected. That’s great.”
“……………Huh, yeah, you’re right.”
“What’s wrong?”
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