CH 209

<TL> : I had internet issues yesterday, sorry for that. 

The place where Sakura and Kikyo had their first encounter was an empty classroom.

Two long tables were placed facing each other, and chairs were set up in an open space with plenty of room to spare.

After completing the minimum necessary preparations, everyone waited for the other party to arrive.

“Are you sure this is all we need?”

Hino-kun said, looking restless.

It certainly feels too bare to be welcoming students from other schools, but that’s what you get when you have to deal with a situation on short notice.

President’s voice echoes in the classroom as if to calm the student as she adjusts the angle of a chair.

“Originally, when other schools interact with each other, information is shared in advance. But in this case, we only found out about it the day before, after school, so the other school shouldn’t have any complaints about it.”

I watched their conversation as I sat by the window.

It is now 3:30 p.m.

The appointment is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., but it is not surprising that they should have arrived by now.

As Miura and Koizumi were checking the documents, I let out a sigh as I imagined what was about to happen.

What’s with all the discussions between the student councils?

After all, they just want the students to solve the modifications to the events that have been decided on their own, and it’s just a way of spreading the burden.

It’s a nice way of saying it’s the student council’s job, but when you think about it, it’s just another chore that has to be done, I can’t help but sigh.

Since the student’s council is familiar so conversation is possible, but there are two people here who I don’t think can communicate with a total stranger.

Of course, it’s me and Hino-kun.

Although President had already explained the gist of conversation with Sudo-sensei the other day, I cannot deny the possibility of making the conversation more complicated.

It’s not for nothing that they call him the ‘Hino the reactionary’, and ‘Shinra the complainer’.

As I was killing time with such random jokes, I heard the sound of steps being taken in the corridor.

I straightened my position leaning against the sound of footsteps of not one but several people walking in unison.

Since we chose a place where there are few students pass by, if someone comes walking in a group, they must be students of Kikyo Jogakuin*.

A few taps on the classroom door are heard before the inviting words were said.

The first person to enter was Sudo-sensei, and behind him stood several female students in familiar uniforms.

The white and navy blue based sailor-like uniform is the same as the uniform that Kaede wears every day.

The size of the crest embroidered on their chests seemed to indicate that they are very proud of their school.

“This is the student council of our school.”

I turned my gaze to the figures behind them, feeling uncomfortable with the teacher whose speech was different from usual for the student council of a neighboring high school, even though they were also students.

The uniforms were so formal that it felt uncomfortable, and the hairstyles were clean and neat, as if the school rules dictated it.

Students with long hair have their hair tied back, and their bangs are pinned back so that they do not fall into their eyes.

They have a serious appearance, which is rare among today’s high school girls.

Among the several students, there was one who stepped out in front of the others.

Her stern demeanor seemed to prove that she was the head of these girls.

…Kaede was living among such serious students?

As I was astonished at my sister’s ability to communicate and adapt to her environment, the female student in front of me opened her mouth.

“I’m Sera from Kikyo Jogakuin’s Student Council. Thank you for your time today.”

She has an armband on her arm, and the students around her stood a step back.

Sera, who blatantly claims to be from the student’s council, is probably their president.

It is easy to understand.　

President answered Sera’s greeting by stepping forward in the same manner.

“Hiiragi, the student council president of Sakuranaoka Gakuen*, please take a seat and some tea first.”

After signaling Hino-kun with a look, Hino-kun started preparing tea in a tea-pot placed at the corner of the room.

The other party also sat down on their seats, and the President, Koizumi, and Miura sat down there as well.

I stood in the back with my posture straightened, and Hino-kun came to stand next to me after serving tea to all the other students.

“I’ve heard that …it’s a high school with flexibility, but there are some very unique people in the student council, aren’t there?”

Hino-kun was just serving tea to the student named Sera, when she muttered in surprise.

The girls who spend their time with strict self-discipline, a student with a flashy appearance like Hino-kun must be a rarity.

Understanding this point, President responded.

“A certain amount of freedom leads to a comfortable environment for students and allows them to be motivated in their studies. It is also our school’s philosophy to allow students to have fun because they are at the peak of their adolescence.”

“I see. That is very helpful.”

Sera-san straightens her glasses and replies with words that are devoid of any emotion.

It was a reply that made me think whether it was helpful or not.

The documents that Koizumi had prepared regarding the joint cultural festival …well, it is a simple summary of the number of visitors last year and the number of visitors from the other school, so it does not contain any important details.

Hino-kun, next to me, was shivering before we handed out the documents and the discussion was about to begin.

“…The restrooms are to the left after you exit the classroom.”

“I’m nervous! It’s not that I’m trying to hold back going to the bathroom or anything!”

Sharp criticisms entered my ears in a whisper.

Frankly, I get annoyed when someone fidgets at the edge of my vision, so I want him to stay still.

I just called out to him appropriately, but still, perhaps a little better, Hino-kun straightened his posture and turned his gaze forward.

“Now then, may I ask you about today’s visit?”

President starts the conversation.

We have only fragments of information, and what we have is limited.

It is the other party who has the initiative in today’s conversation.

In response to President’s question, Sera let out a short breath and started to speak.

“I am here today to propose that we jointly hold a cultural festival at the end of this month.”

“Joint?”

The other party did not seem interested in the proposal.

Rather than interjecting in the middle of the process, President has instructed me to let the other party talk it through to the end and then consider it.

“I think I’ve already given you a rough outline of what we’re going to do, but it’s our idea to hold this year’s festival as a big event that will include our school, Sakuranaoka Gakuen and the shopping district.”

At Sera’s signal, one of the girls sitting next to her took out a document and handed it out to all of us.

When I took it and looked down at it, I saw that it was a paper with a detailed plan of the project.

It included everything from preparation costs to projected sales, as well as how many people were expected to attend.

It would be impossible to provide such detailed data without preparation well in advance.

As President predicted, there is no doubt that this plan had been proposed by the other side for a long time.

Based on the contents of this proposal, Sera’s words continued.

“As you may know, our school continues a good old tradition of holding cultural festivals, mainly for the presentation of brass band performances and chorus singing. And I have heard that at Sakuranaoka Gakuen, the students will be organizing a festival inside the campus featuring a variety of stalls and booths.”

“Yes, even if we put aside the details of the significance of the Sakura Festival, it is not wrong to think of it in this way.”

President nodded to Sera’s words.

Certainly, that’s the festival.

It would be correct to call it a scaled-down version of a real festival.

Obviously, it’s an asymmetrical cultural festival between ours and the other high school.

That’s why I don’t understand the meaning of being joint.

Although we have a brass band and a chorus club, they focus on competitions and such, so they participate in the festival as ordinary students.

They haven’t practiced the music they will perform for the festival, so they won’t be able to make it in time.

I am sure that the other party knows that much about it, so I am curious about the purpose of the proposal.

As I was thinking this while observing the two sides facing each other at the wall, Sera-san added a few more words.　

“The two schools have different directions for the festival, so I believe that by working together and involving the shopping district in this big event, we will be able to hold a festival that integrates the town in a way that has never been done before.”

At this point, she paused for a breath.

President puts her hand on his chin and looked thoughtful, while Miura was perhaps calculating the budget in her mind.

Koizumi nodded and showed sincerity in response to the other party’s opinion.

Because our schools are in the different direction …we have to join hands.

It’s not something I don’t agree with.

In terms of popularity and freshness, it will certainly be a cultural festival unlike any other in the past.

But, there are a few problems that even I can see.

First of all, the budget and the transportation arrangements between the two schools.

Moreover, is it possible to prepare it in a short period of time?

“First of all, how do you plan to solve the problem of connecting the two schools or whether the festival will be held at a single location?”

“Kikyo Jogakuin has a school bus, so we are thinking of using that bus as a means of transportation to connect the two schools during the festival. …And, if we could get a means of transportation from here as well, that would solve the problem.”

When asked about the means of transportation, which is also the biggest problem for President, Sera responded immediately.

The school bus will be between the two schools, and the shopping district is located between the two schools, so it would be possible.

“Miura, what about budgetary considerations?”

“If we don’t have to spend any money on transportation, the only issue is that we will have to increase the budget a little in the preparation stage due to the increase in the number of visitors.”

“Koizumi, how do you think the students would react to a joint festival?”

“I think there are a lot of positive opinions about a joint festival, and not many negative ones if it means that we can expand the scope of what we can do due to the increased budget.”

The questions were posed to the two most reliable people on either side of President.

President nodded as each of them frankly expressed their opinions in their own words.

The other party’s students’ faces softened a little.

However, there was only one person whose expression did not change, Sera.

His eyes were fixed on President, and I could not sense what she was thinking from her expression.

It was dark, the depths of her eyes were dark and sunken.

While I was having such an impression when I looked at Sera, President turned her eyes to me standing at the back of the room.

“Shinra, how about you?”

I guessed from the fact that he did not specifically name what in particular she wanted to ask me, she was asking me if I had any opinions from the entire discussion.

President warned me and this time I kept my mouth shut, but I guess this is a signal that the ban has been lifted.

“I just don’t understand the meaning of doing this jointly.”

I told her shortly.

The other student was surprised that just one person had a negative opinion, and Sera, their leader, looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“The meaning is that it will involve both schools and the shopping district, as I explained earlier, which has never happened in the past…”

“It was originally a sudden talk about a joint event. If it is an event that was to be adjusted slowly in the future, there would be no problem, but there would be no point in having a joint event for each school’s main attraction… involving risks”

The proposal itself is not a bad idea.

With only two schools in town, and because it is a rural town, I am very much in favor of holding an event that mixes the community as well

However, I think it is important that the cultural festival is a festival for students and that adults should not intervene.

The parents and students should be able to enjoy the ideas that only students have, even if the students are not good at what they did. They can enjoy the fact that they created the event from scratch.

If the two schools were to join and the shopping district were to be included in the event as well, the intervention of adults would be unavoidable.

Would it really be called a cultural festival by the students?

Hearing my opinion, President turned her head back to the front.

Sera also noticed that President had turned her head and returned her gaze to her.

Their gazes met, and I guessed that some kind of compromise or improvement plan was about to be worked out.

Students from each side watched them with anticipation.

The one who broke the silence was Akane Hiiragi, our school’s student body president.

“I refuse.”

“Eh…?”

With a smile on her face, she clearly and without any hesitation refused the proposal.