CH 227

After the opening ceremony in the shopping district, all the students of Sakuranaoka Academy boarded the buses lent by Kirasaka’s father.

The sight of a total of five large buses bringing them in was a sight to behold.

I got on one of the buses as well.

President, Koizumi, Miura, Shizuku and Kirasaka were also scheduled to be on the same bus.

However, Hino-kun was the only one who doesn’t want to get on the bus at all.

He squirms at the boarding gate, but his legs do not move forward.

“…What are you doing?”

“No… it’s…”

In his hand was an SLR camera he had bought along.

I don’t even need to ask him what he was going to shoot.

The first thing on the schedule after the opening ceremony is the Kikyo Jogakuin chorus in the town hall.

It is an opportunity that Hino-kun, who has worshiped Kaede as a goddess (provisional) ever since he was saved by her before, so he wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity.

Understanding what he was thinking, I asked that.

Excessive words would’ve been conveyed to him in a slightly more nuanced way than they should be otherwise.

So instead, I waited for a response with a straightforward question.

“Are you sure, senpai? It’s Kaede-san’s first cultural festival.”

“…”

He reveals the feelings he would have had in his heart at the time I was silently getting on the bus.

His words and voice are strong and loud.

He must have genuinely had doubts.

I couldn’t find the words to reply immediately to Hino-kun’s words.

To tell you the truth, I would like to leave such an event alone and see my younger sister’s bright appearance with my own eyes.

The only family member in the Shinra family for me right now is my younger sister.

She is the only one who has spent time huddled close to me, the one person who understands and loves me more than anyone else.

However, there are reasons to suppress this desire.

“…She won’t be pleased when I go to visit her now. Rather, she would scold me for why I abandoned my job.”

Serious, but pampered, and perhaps actually happy.

Maybe it’s just me thinking that, but I’m the only member of her family in a situation where our parents aren’t home.

While there is some anxiety around the first festival, it would have a huge positive impact emotionally to have family members there to see the event.

However, Kaede would still refuse.

The younger sister, who thinks more about those around her than herself, was somewhat like Shizuku.

Perhaps it is because she has always looked up to her like an older sister, and that part of her is similar.

Perhaps that is why a wry smile leaks out when I exchange glances with Shizuku, who was getting on the bus.

“Hino-kun,.. get on, this is my order as a senior.”

“…Yes.”

By nature, the Assistant for the Student Council has no authority to order anyone.

Although the situation and the mood of the moment pushed him over the edge, Hino-kun reluctantly got on board the bus.

When the last person took his seat, the bus started heading towards the Sakuranaoka Academy.

The bus journey took about five minutes.

In the meantime, while everyone else was chatting and enjoying the atmosphere, President was quietly catching her breath.

This is the real opening of the festival.

The previous ones were like tutorials, and the opening ceremony in the school after this is her first big performance.

The bus quietly parks at the bus stop in the school.

Students disembark in groups and head towards their tents.

In the middle of all this, Koizumi took out a large loudspeaker and began to explain what was going to happen next.

“The opening ceremony will begin in five minutes in the central plaza. All students must be present.”

At the sound of Koizumi’s voice, which echoes through the air several times, some students checked their clocks and quickly walked away from the scene.

They are probably proceeding with minimal preparations before the opening ceremony.

I too went to the student council tent and hung my jacket in the appropriate place.

Then I stood in line by the stage in the central plaza and waited for all the students to gather.

The order is, President, Koizumi, Miura, me, Hino-kun, and, on a tentative basis, Shizuku and Shiraishi in the last row.

Kirasaka was waiting quietly behind the stage, in the shade of a tree.

Within a few minutes of Koizumi’s announcement, many students had gathered in front of the stage.

After confirming that most of the students were present, the opening ceremony began under Koizumi’s leadership.

“First of all, I would like to ask the student council president to make an opening statement.”

With these words, the atmosphere in the area changed and became quiet.

My eyes were drawn to her as she stepped onto the stage, and I waited quietly so that I wouldn’t miss a single word she was about to say.

Her brown hair shines in the sunlight as she walks, and her steps remain light.　

There was no nervousness in her behavior, and she stood in front of the microphone with an accustomed demeanor.

President looked at all these students and then slowly began speaking.

“My last cultural festival has come. Three years have flown by and this year’s preparations have felt like just a few days. …It’s sad to think that it’s really the last.”

At these words, the atmosphere at the venue became somber.

But then, just as quickly, President declared in a loud, clear voice to cut through the earlier gloomy atmosphere..

“That is why I declare that this festival will be the best! Students, enjoy and remember it, and for the sake of the upcoming student generation for the Sakuranaoka Academy, show them that this is what high school life is all about!”

The words were delivered with arms outstretched, and the entire audience erupted in cheers and passion that seemed to shake the entire place.

The teachers applauded the opening declaration, which was short and minimal, but still grabbed the students’ attention.

All the students applauded generously as President made a small bow and stepped down from the podium.

It was a moment that clearly showed how much Akane Hiiragi is loved by the students.

The opening ceremony was closed with introductions by the principal, the town mayor who had somehow arrived from the shopping district, and Reiya Kirasaka, who had personally donated for this school festival, and was also invited to the stage.

While the students quickly moved to their posts, I focused my attention on a single point without moving from my initial location.

The other person noticed this, too, and walked over to me, without even bothering to have a conversation with the heads of the school.

“It’s an unexpectedly quick reunion, Shinra Minato-kun.”

“…If you were going to come to the opening ceremony, I could have made preparations if you had told me beforehand.”

Well, saying to make preparation is just a matter of sentiment.

Reiya Kirasaka, still in his expensive-looking suit, chauffeur and with a secretary, showed up and surprised me.

Of course he would’ve had to adjust some time from his busy schedule, but it’s a little too much to think that a single student would take his interest this much.

Kirasaka, who made a similarly small bow to his father next to me, had nothing to say and was looking at the situation ahead on the spot.

“…So till what time today?”

“I’m thinking of staying as long as time permits, plus I’m interested in the sweets my daughter and you are serving up as a team effort.”

…I’m actually more of a waiter and customer service guy.

I don’t dare to say that because I feel like I’ll meet him in a different place if I tell him that.

I didn’t want to meet this person on this day because I feel like I’m more nervous whenever I meet him.

However, what has come cannot be helped.

When I was thinking of some way to pass the conversation along appropriately, the director unexpectedly turned his back on me.

“I think I’ll start by looking at the announcement from the Jogakuin’s side. Shinra-kun’s sister is there too, so I’m interested.’

“Ah…is that so?”

When I was relieved at the time when he left so easily, I couldn’t help but straighten my spine when he turned around again.

When I was thinking about what he would ask, it was a simple question

“Are you brother and sister alike?”

“No,… we are so different that I would say we are complete opposites.”

“Hmm… Your parents were overseas, weren’t they?”

“Yes, my father was supposed to move out on his own, but my mother is there to support him, so we are living alone.”

…Seriously why do you need this information now?

The fact that he directly asked for information that he could have asked even from his daughter, was this just checking facts?

However, there is nothing that comes to mind that would be his motive behind the behind the question, so I wonder if the person wished to confirm that it was not true.

After hearing this, the director had nothing to say and proceeded in the direction of the main gate.

He gets into a luxury car parked there, drives off and disappears.

“What …was that?”

“It’s best not to think about it, my father is mostly a mystery.”

Kirasaka also did not refer to the earlier question in any depth, and after seeing him off, she began to walk towards the student council tent.

In the meantime, I wondered if there would be anything to talk about, but in the end I chose Ayataka (green tea) …silence.

“Would you like some yakisoba?”

“We have frankfurters too!”

After the opening ceremony, the loud voices of business were heard all the way to the student council’s tent.

The activity gradually began to pick up, and more and more people started to arrive after the opening ceremony in the shopping district.

The Kikyo Jogakuin tent next door is still unoccupied, so we, the student council, have not opened for business as well.

We had only made preparations and were ready to open at any time.

Under these circumstances, Shiraishi’s eyes sparkle at the cultural festival that has finally begun.

Her eyes were wide open and she was staring intently at the students with her nose in the air.

With her by my side, I sat down in the student council tent.

I was chewing on the donated food for sampling, placed on the table.

“Minato-kun, you’ve got sauce on your mouth.

“You idiot …this is state-of-the-art makeup.”

Giggling, Shizuku takes out a piece of tissue and offers it to me.

I can’t understand… after all, it could be a modern trend that was difficult for me who usually doesn’t wear makeup.

Immediately wiping the sauce from my mouth, I reached for my next target, the grilled chicken.

People often say that the food served at festivals is not tasty, but to be honest, it is cheap and uses store-bought ingredients, so it has a consistent taste.

It’s better than being served a taste you don’t like at a restaurant that tries to be unique.

With this in mind, I put the yakitori in my mouth.

“Oh dear, there’s a stick stuck in your mouth, Shinra-kun.”

“This is because I am eating yakitori… don’t say misleading things with a straight face.”

Next to Shizuku, at the back of the student council tent, Kirasaka announced this while looking down at the book in her hand.

No, a person with a stick growing out of his mouth is dangerous in terms of common sense.

Or rather, it is too painful to watch.

When I cast a cold gaze at Kirasaka, whose sense of humor is too low, she raises her mouth in a grin, as if she enjoyed that reaction.

President, who was looking at the conversation between the three of us with a gentle gaze like an older sister, checked the time on her wristwatch and stood up.

“It’s about time the students from Kikyo Jogakuin came in. Eat in moderation.”

“Eat…?”

The student council tent still has a lot of food on the table.

All of the food and beverages from all the stalls were placed there.

The students have offered to give us this as a token of their appreciation for all the preparation we have done so far.

It would be a shame to leave any behind.

Koizumi, Miura and Hino-kun all ate their fair share, but there is still quite a bit left.

When I offered her another yakitori, President fell silent and stared blankly at me, wondering what I was thinking.

…What now?　

As I watched quietly, President did not …accept the yakitori I offered her, but put it directly into her mouth.

Is this what they call an ‘ahn’?

Bending down and holding her swaying hair by the ear with her left hand, President’s face came close to my eyes.

A slight flowery fragrance from President tickled my nostrils.

The completely unexpected behavior made my body stiffen.

After taking a small bite, she returned to her original position and chewed on her food.

Then, after swallowing, she smiles victoriously, not at me, but at the girls sitting next to me and behind me.

Even as the President …some things are unacceptable.”

“You’ve some nerve …really good one at that.”

President’s transparent provocations had a great effect.

Shizuku and Kirasaka both look completely outraged.

With a low voice, Kirasaka’s eyes were sharp and cold.

As for Shizuku, her gentle smile disappeared and she looked emotionless and scary.

“The two of you, I wanted to tell you. The festival is also a competition, you know?'”

The words, akin to a declaration of war of some sort, were thrown from the senior to her juniors.

The three of them exchanged glances.

This is a completely a scene of carnage.

No, it’s really Koizumi and Miura with Shiraishi moving to the edge of the tent to not get involved completely.

It’s scary, I’m scared too.

However, I can’t escape because I was completely sitting in the center of the three of them.

In the midst of all this, I turned my gaze to Hino-kun.

“Is this …tapioca milk tea!?”

…Has he never been to a shop with his friends before?

Was he this impressed by it’s taste for the first time?

…I know, but let’s try glance at him too.

My last remaining glimmer of hope was short-lived, and I spent some time in this situation with my shoulders narrowed.