CH 230

Time and years accumulated for this one day were both joyous and fleeting, and it by in a flash.

The open air stage was bustling with people.

Students and visitors alike seemed to be enjoying themselves, paying no attention to the trouble at the main gate.

I do not intend to use exaggerated words like “rewarding,” but I was able to reaffirm once again that the actions taken by Shiraishi and the student council were not in vain when I saw the students who came into view as I walked by.

I walked up to the students wearing green armbands standing by the stage, and one of the girls, who stood out from the crowd, turned around and smiled at me.

“I’m sorry I put you through all this.”

“…It’s my job.”

I expressed my intention with my expression that it isn’t something to be worried about.

It was a choice I made on my own accord, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to argue now that I no longer want to work.

The fact that I came back with more people than on my way here was not mentioned, and Yuuto didn’t say anything in particular, and just asked Koizumi about his work.

I checked the time on the clock on the building and found that it was almost time for the students of Kikyo Girl’s Academy to visit.

Despite the hectic schedule, the student council also had to enjoy the cultural festival.

While Koizumi and Miura were taking over and passing on messages to the students, a bustling noise, different from the noise around us, reached my ears.

And then, I heard the sound of running footsteps coming from behind me.

“Tou-!”

“…”

A strong shock spreads across my back and a familiar scent tickled my nostrils.

Without even having to look back, I realized who had jumped on my back.

“Kaede, you’re heavy…”

“You’re terrible Nii-san, I’m a relatively light weight.”

Even though she said I was terrible, my little sister Kaede poked her head out from the side without showing any signs of being particularly hurt.

Black hair and well-defined eyes, which do not resemble those of her older brother, attract the attention of the male students around us.

But it’s not just her looks that draws attention, it’s the sailor suit she’s wearing that stands out above all others.

“Sorry to make you wait!”

As she got off my back and greeted the presidents, many female students came up to her from behind.

Among them, of course, was Sera, the head of the girl’s academy.

The presidents of the two schools looked at each other and spoke to each other.

“We will be ready to start selling at the scheduled time of 11:00 a.m.”

“You are as stiff as ever… I think it’s not too late for you to enjoy the festival here a little bit first.”

Hearing Sera’s words, President said with a wry smile.

However, Sera touched her glasses to adjust them and shook her head.

“The other students can enjoy themselves as they please, but we have our position as representatives of the school… and above all, we have the matter of the competition to deal with first.”

…She said it like it was just an afterthought, but I guess the match was her first priority.

Before I could say a word, Kaede pulled back on my sleeve and stopped me.

As expected of my sister.

She is a very skilled sister who knows what her brother is about to speak and is able to hold me back.

Rather, she is even a master of sisterly skills.

It is a title given only to those who have mastered their sister’s skills to the top, or so it says in the dictionary.

Anyway, the stage is finally set.

In RPG terms, this competition is just beginning.

I know that the cultural festival had already started, but now it has started in the truest sense.

After that, the students of Kikyo Jogakuin are divided into various groups as if they are dispersing, and they mix and melt in the noise and clamor of the cultural festival.

Kaede stayed where she was and began preparing to help the student council with their work.

We, the student council members, returned to the tent and were greeted by Shizuku and Kirasaka, who had returned from the commotion earlier.

“It looks like it’s about to start.”

Shizuku announced as she sat down on a chair.

The spectacle of all the students wearing aprons and having lively conversations was certainly that of a school festival.

“I guess so…”

I muttered in a weak voice and moved my gaze in all directions.

Everywhere I looked, the students had happy expressions on their faces.

Even the students in different uniforms are enjoying this situation to the fullest.

The students of Sakuranaoka Gakuen must be feeling even more fulfilled.

Since, it was an event that they had created themselves.

They have thought about it, discussed it, and implemented it to get to this day.

This is probably the reason why their expressions looked more natural and didn’t look as if they were trying to them up.

It is precisely because the event was created by the students themselves and not been set up in advance by the school, so it would remain vivid in the memory and would be passed down from generation to generation.

“Is this the right angle for the sign?”

“I’ll put the extra fabric in a cooler box.”

Under the tents and outside, I see the boys busily preparing for the opening and the girls making the final checks.

I wonder if I will be able to talk about this sight I am seeing now as a pleasant memory in the future.

With these thoughts in my mind, I go about the detailed work of preparing the menu and change on the desk.

“I hope it sells.”

“It will sell…”

“You’re being overly optimistic.”

When Shizuku gave a blank reply to the words I said with her chest puffed up in anticipation, Kirasaka returned calm words with a slightly cold voice from next to her.

They were also dressed in a sky blue-colored apron and a light pink apron.

Naturally, Kirasaka was in blue and Shizuku was in pink.

I am wearing a safe black one around my waist.

After confirming the “Pancake” sign in rounded writing that Yuuto had set up in the opposite direction of Hino-kun, President came up to us and joined the conversation.

“Even if it’s a competition and a business, and even though it’s important to make profit, you must remember that the most important thing is to enjoy yourself.”

She picks up the coins lying out on the table with her small fingers and throws them into the designated box.

This is a good argument, and the most important topic of this festival.

The students themselves enjoy it, and because it is right, they feel a great sense of alienation when they don’t understand it.

It’s like there’s they’re the only foreign substance in the mix.

Even though we know that no one thinks that way, our ingrained values and ways of thinking remain unchanged.

“And, even if you say it in a straightforward manner, you just be pushy…:

The bitter smile that spilled out of her fave looked very sad.

Some guilt pierces my heart for making her look like that at her last cultural festival.

“I’ve never been good at the idea of trying harder next time. …I’ve lived my whole life with the mindset of succeeding from the very beginning, and this might be the first time but….”

Once she had broken her words there, President paused for a moment before continuing with her next words.

That was not the sad smile that had been on her face just a few moments before.

“Next time… I’d like to see your smiling face at least once.”

Is what she says with her chestnut-colored hair flowing in the air.

Even though it was directed at me, it sounded like it was directed not at me but at Shizuku and the others who were sitting next to me.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to her usual dignified expression and called out to the other student council members to move out.

“Now then, let’s make a grand sale!”

Her words went around the tent, and when she turned around, everyone followed behind her.

Her appearance was strong proof that she was the head of this organization.

Koizumi, Miura, and Hino-kun also followed President’s back to announce the opening to the students.

Shizuku, too, quickly stood up from her chair, as if she had been looking forward to it.

“Minato-kun, let’s go!”

There are many students who have been looking forward to the Student Council opening a stall.

For those students, the student council is taking full advantage of its power to set up a short advertisement on the stage.

At the end of the moving student council, Shizuku pulled my hand and I stood my body up.

Kirasaka was standing next to me, arms crossed, waiting for me to move as well.

“My friend says that it’s tough working in the fast-food chains…”

“You don’t have friends like that, do you? Advertising the store is also part of your job.”

President was walking towards the stage when Kirasaka forcefully took my arm and pulled it.

And without hesitation, Sera also lined up on the stage where she took the stage.

At 11:00 a.m., the competition between the student councils of both Sakuranaoka Gakuen and Kikyo Jogakuin began with a grand opening on the school grounds at the open-air stage.