"Good morning, you two!"
"Good morning, Natsumi-senpai!"
"Good morning."
Since classes for the second-years resumed today, I met up with Natsumi-senpai at our usual convenience store rendezvous point.
We hadn't seen each other for over a week, including the duration of the school trip, but she didn't seem to have changed at all, which was a relief.
"Hmm? Is something the matter?" she asked.
"No, it just felt like it’s been a long time... I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"Pfft... What is that? I guess it has been a while, hasn't it? Though it doesn't really feel that way to me."
"Well, it’s only been a little over a week. Maybe I was being a bit dramatic."
"That's not what I meant~. Anyway, good luck, Takanashi-kun!"
"H-Huh?"
Good luck with what? Well, my part-time job was almost at its end, I suppose.
She was grinning at me with such a mischievous look that I found myself wondering if she was up to something.
"Shall we head to school, then?"
"Right. Ahh, back to school today. The school trip I was looking forward to so much was over before I knew it..."
"What was the next event on the calendar?"
"Let's see. In the immediate future, it would be the School Festival."
That’s right—high schools had school festivals!
It was an event we didn't have during my middle school days, a special kind of excitement that only high school could offer.
Given my current class, I was sure it would be fun, and if I could enjoy it alongside Sara-san, I couldn't ask for anything more.
"That's it! I still have the festival to look forward to! Isn't it about time to decide on the attractions?"
"Yes. That means the Student Council is about to get very busy. Kazunari-san, I’ll be counting on your cooperation as well."
"Of course. Supporting Sara-san is my job, after all!"
"Fufu... No matter how difficult the work, I can persevere as long as Kazunari-san is by my side."
Sara-san smiled happily.
Hearing her say that made me feel like joining the Student Council had truly been worth it.
"Yes, yes, thanks for the treat. By the way, are you going to enter the Miss Contest this year?"
"The Miss Contest?" I asked.
I’d heard of Miss Contests being a big deal at universities, but I hadn't heard much about them at the high school level.
"Calling it a 'tradition' might be a bit much, but our festival has hosted a Miss Contest since way back," Natsumi-senpai explained. "Also, it's customary for at least one person from the Student Council to be entered as a representative."
"Heh, is that how it works?"
"Last year, everyone was making a fuss about Sara being the frontrunner, and they even put her name in. But she just flat-out ignored it and spent the whole day doing Student Council work like it was nothing. It was like she was telling them to just go play by themselves..."
"It was only natural," Sara-san countered. "They entered me without my permission. If I had time to waste on something like that, I’d much rather spend it patrolling the grounds by myself."
Well... that certainly sounded like Sara-san.
Still, a Miss Contest, huh? Sara-san would be the guaranteed winner, but the idea of her being put on display didn't sit well with me. On one hand, I didn't want her to enter... but on the other, I kind of wanted to see her all dressed up.
"So that’s the situation," Natsumi-senpai continued. "I agree that whether she enters is entirely up to her, but she has a formal position now. If the Vice President ignores it two years in a row, people might actually start complaining..."
"Haa... When you put it that way, it's difficult. However, it hasn't been decided that I'll be entered yet..."
"Do you really think they won't?"
I wasn't sure how the system worked, but was it because she was a Student Council Member that she got entered automatically? It seemed like a questionable way of doing things.
"Is it really okay to enter someone without their consent?" I asked.
"Ah, maybe I phrased that poorly. It’s an Invitation Category from the Festival Executive Committee. It means you go straight to the finals without a preliminary screening. In Sara's case, she gets that plus the usual Student Council Category, so the request is essentially doubled."
"I see... Well, the festival would definitely be a hit if Sara-san entered. And there’s no doubt she’d win."
An Invitation Category. Given Sara-san's reputation, it wasn't surprising at all.
"Oh? Our school has plenty of other pretty girls, you know?"
"Wait, really?"
Were there really that many people who could rival Sara-san?
...Come to think of it, I hardly ever engaged in "guy talk." I’d only recently started having conversations with other boys about which seniors were beauties or which classmates were cute.
Regardless, I’d never had any interest in anyone other than Sara-san.
"......Are you asking that seriously? You're really not interested?"
"I was just thinking back, but from the very beginning, I've only ever had eyes for Sara-san..."
Pofu.
Suddenly, someone leaned their weight against my right arm. It was, of course, Sara-san.
When I looked over, she was gazing straight at me, a radiant smile on her slightly flushed cheeks.
"Kazunari-san... I'm so happy..."
It was just a few words, but they were heavy with emotion. It felt as though her entire heart was packed into that single sentence.
"There is only Kazunari-san for me. As long as you are here, I..."
"Me too. As long as I have Sara-san, I don't need anything else..."
"......And they're off. I guess it's been a while because of the trip, but honestly. Look, stop flirting and let's get moving!"
Natsumi-senpai's voice snapped me back to reality.
There were currently five figures gathered at the flowerbed.
Sara-san, Natsumi-senpai, and I were the regulars. Joining us were Hayato and Todo-san.
The two of them had looked after me every day while Sara-san was away. Spending time together at the flowerbed had been part of that, and it seemed Todo-san had grown to enjoy the routine.
I was a little surprised when the two of them approached me during the lunch break, but—
"Um, even if it's only occasionally, could we join you for lunch...?"
I didn't have any reason to refuse, and I figured Sara-san wouldn't mind these two, so I brought them along.
I had messaged Sara-san on RAIN before leaving the classroom just in case, so she wasn't caught off guard.
As a side note, I was relieved that both Sara-san and Natsumi-senpai welcomed them warmly.
"I wanted to thank you both... Thank you for looking after Kazunari-san while I was away."
When Sara-san bowed politely, the two of them looked incredibly flustered.
Well, that was to be expected.
"S-Satsukawa-senpai, please stop! It's not something you need to thank us for!"
"Yokogawa-kun is right! Takanashi-kun is our friend. Still, I'm happy to hear you say that, Satsukawa-senpai."
Though they were both humble in the face of her formal gratitude, Todo-san couldn't resist adding a little extra.
"It feels strange to be thanked by Satsukawa-senpai regarding Takanashi-kun. It makes the two of you seem like a married couple. I'm so jealous..."
"Eh!?"
"Ah, um... I..."
At that moment, I'm pretty sure Sara-san and I turned the exact same shade of crimson. When I glanced at her, she happened to be looking at me too, and our eyes locked.
Sara-san shyly averted her gaze and began to fidget, her body swaying slightly. Seeing her act like that only made me more embarrassed.
"Todo-san, don't feed the stupid couple."
"I-I'm sorry, Yuzuki-senpai."
"W-Well, I think it's a bit late to worry about that with these two."
Hayato... that wasn't exactly a helpful follow-up.
"Now, say 'aahn'."
Chomp...
Munch munch.
"How is it, Kazunari-san?"
"It's the best!"
Eating Sara-san's bento like this really drove home the fact that our daily school life had returned. It made me incredibly happy.
"...And that's the story."
"Heh~. I'd heard about the Miss Contest talk, but I didn't know there was an inside story like that."
"I didn't know that much either," Hayato added. "In that case, the Executive Committee must be desperate to have Satsukawa-senpai enter."
The three of them were ignoring us, continuing the conversation from this morning. I wasn't sure if Sara-san was even listening; she just watched me eat her bento with a blissful expression.
"Hey, Sara, why not just enter for now and get it over with?"
"Aahn... Well... I'll think about it when the time comes. I'm not really in the mood for it, though..."
"Munch munch... gulp. Um, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to force yourself, right? If they try to push you, I'll..."
If Sara-san was being coerced into something she hated, I wouldn't mind crushing the whole thing myself. Even if I ended up being hated by everyone else, as long as Sara-san was by my side, that was all that mattered.
As those thoughts swirled in my head, a gentle palm was placed against my cheek.
"Kazunari-san, thank you. It makes me so happy that you would get angry for my sake. It's alright, so please, calm down..."
Gazing into Sara-san's smiling face as our eyes met, I felt my rising surge of indignation recede as quickly as an ebbing tide.
"It’s true that I have no interest in the contest. However, as Vice President, I do feel a desire to make the School Festival as enjoyable as possible. Besides, if the festival is a success, it will only add more color to my memories with Kazunari-san."
"Sara-san..."
"...And she's back to that again."
"...No matter where the conversation starts, Satsukawa-senpai's actions always lead back to Takanashi-kun in the end, don't they?"
"...Well, that's just how those two think. Their partner's happiness is their own."
My friends certainly understood us well. Though I wasn't entirely sure if they were complimenting us.
"Oh, right. Sara, don't forget you're hanging out with me after school today."
Natsumi-senpai looked at me, then checked with Sara-san as if she'd just remembered.
Of course, this was all because I had requested it.
"Yes, I remember. I'm very sorry, Kazunari-san, but I might be a little late today."
"No, it's fine. I have plans to go out with Hayato anyway."
"Sorry, Satsukawa-senpai. I'm borrowing Kazunari for a bit."
Hayato played his part perfectly.
After school today, I was finally going to order the locket pendant.
The most significant present of my life so far—the first real gift for my lover. I had the budget, and the timing was perfect.
I’d coordinated with everyone; at this stage, there was no way the plan could fail.
"Spending time with your friends is important too, so please, have a good time."
Prick...
I felt a sharp pang of guilt at Sara-san's smile.
I had started this plan because I wanted her to be happy, but the reality was that I was stacking lie upon lie, even if they were necessary ones.
I hadn't forgotten my promise never to lie to her, and I kept telling myself that this wasn't a "bad" lie.
"Yeah. I hope you have fun too, Sara-san."
It was only a little longer until Sara-san's birthday.
Once it was over, I would tell her everything. But until then...