"Now then… let the post-festival party begin!"
The venue erupted into a thunderous roar of cheers. On the newly rearranged stage, the light music club’s guitars let out a fierce, howling riff.
The performance began with a high-tempo rhythm—a song I’d heard somewhere before, though I couldn't name it. Using that as background music, the school grounds became a bustle of crowds gathering in every available space.
Opposite the stage, a massive campfire blazed with roaring flames, surrounded by people chatting and laughing with drinks in hand.
The Rinka Festival, which had spanned two days, had finally reached its final event. Most of the student body and many of the visitors who had stayed late remained gathered on the grounds.
As for us, we watched the scene from the edge of the grounds. Under the pretext of a final patrol, we decided to at least soak in the atmosphere of the post-festival party.
"Haa… it’s finally over."
"This year’s school festival was way too intense. It was a world of difference compared to last year."
"Well, last year, we didn't even hang out together, did we? Sara was busy with her solo duties in the Student Council, and both Natsumi and I were focused on our own responsibilities," Eri noted.
"That's true," Sara added. "For me, the Rinka Festival last year might as well have never happened. The reason I was able to enjoy it so much this year is entirely because I met Kazunari-san."
"If things hadn't turned out like this with Sara-san, I’d probably be home and asleep by now," I admitted.
Meeting Sara-san had led to meeting everyone else; it had created the connections that formed our current group. The beginning of everything truly converged on that single encounter with her.
If that was the case—and it was no exaggeration—then Sara-san really was my everything.
"Marina-san, are you okay? You’re not cold?"
"I’m fine, Hayato-kun. Thanks!"
"Hmm… so even Marina has finally crossed over to that side. Does that mean we’re the only ones left as leftovers?" Natsumi teased.
"Hey, don't call us leftovers!" Eri protested. "It’s just that I haven't found a meeting that satisfies me yet…"
"Leftovers or whatever, I’m not even looking for a partner," Hanako chimed in. "For a big sister, a younger brother is the best."
Setting Hanako-san aside—regardless of whether her stance was good or bad—now that things had turned out this way, I couldn't help but hope that Nishikawa-san and the others would find someone good, even if they called me a meddler.
Really… oh, come to think of it, what ever happened with Uesaka-san? I wondered if he’d managed even a bit of progress, moving at a snail's pace on his thousand-mile journey.
"Heeey! Thank you very much! Next up, we have a volunteer band…"
The performers on stage swapped out, and the next to appear was a rare girls’ band. If I looked closely, I saw a very familiar natural enemy—rather, a familiar face…
"Yahoo! Sorry to keep you waiting! All right, let’s keep this energy going! First up is a song dedicated to my beloved Takanashi-kun—Owwwww!?"
"Idiot! I told you not to bring up the Takanashi-kun material because Satsukawa-san will get mad!"
A sudden exchange that looked like a comedy skit broke out on stage, drawing a massive roar of laughter from the audience. Those who had noticed our presence turned their gazes toward us all at once.
Really… that woman just wouldn't stop doing unnecessary things.
"Kazunari-san, do you have any requests for tonight’s dinner?" Sara asked, ignoring the stage entirely.
"No, you must be tired today, Sara-san. Maybe we should just go somewhere…"
"It isn't a problem for me at all, you know? Making meals for Kazunari-san is a precious—"
"Dammit! You Stupid Couple Grand Prize winners! Don't you dare ignore me—ow, ow, owwwww!"
Faced with the excessive noise, I was forced to look back at the stage. I saw Yuri-senpai being hauled off toward the wings by her ear.
Good. It would be quiet now.
"What was that idiot’s deal anyway?" Natsumi asked.
"Was she your classmate, Natsumi-san? The band is starting without her, so I guess it didn't really matter if she was there or not," I said.
"So she was just an extra who stood out the most? Well, either way, she’s earned herself an extra lecture after the break," Eri sighed.
"Indeed," Sara agreed. "I, too, have just found a reason to deliver a lecture."
"S-Satsukawa-senpai, are you perhaps angry?" Marina asked timidly.
"Fufu… don't you think it takes quite a lot of nerve to tease Kazunari-san right in front of me?"
"H-Her eyes aren't laughing…"
It was completely her own fault, but Yuri-senpai was now guaranteed to see hell as soon as school resumed. As for me, I found her constant meddling to be a pain, so I hoped Sara-san would be thorough.
"Since we’re already staying late, why don’t we all have a meal together? If you’d like, I can make a reservation," Eri suggested.
"I’m in!" Natsumi yelled.
"Me too," Yuji said.
"No objections here!" Hanako added.
"I’m fine with that as well," Tachikawa-san said.
"Hayato-kun, what do you think?" Marina asked.
"What about you, Marina-san?"
"I… want to go."
"Then it’s decided for me too," Hayato said.
Everyone except me and Sara-san had confirmed. Since I had no reason to refuse, it all came down to Sara-san.
"Sara-san?"
"Fufu… then shall we join them?"
"That’s right, Nishikawa-san," I said.
"Yes. Since everyone is participating…" Eri pulled her smartphone from her pochette. She never contacted restaurants directly, so she was likely messaging someone to handle the reservation. Come to think of it, we always ended up in a different, high-end private room. I wondered if her life was always like this.
"Good job, everyone. How’s the party looking?"
"With the Three Princesses all gathered here, it was easy to find you," someone said.
"Plenty of people are looking this way instead of at the stage. I suppose it can't be helped," another voice added.
"Good job, everyone," I greeted.
"Good job… oh, where is Uesaka-san?"
"Uesaka-kun should be here soon. But more importantly… you did it, Takanashi-kun!"
"To think you’d actually go as far as a proposal!"
"Aah, if I’d known you were going to do something so interesting, I would have stayed at the venue until the end!"
"I don't know about it being 'interesting'…" I muttered.
Because the four of us had been stationed at the Miss Contest venue, the other Student Council Officers and the former officers had taken charge of patrolling the entire school. Thanks to their hard work, we had been able to move around freely—which meant we wouldn't be able to get away with this next year.
"Satsukawa-san, congratulations again!"
"Hey, hey, let us see the ring!"
"Aaaah, I want to see it too!"
"Fufu… certainly."
The area around Sara-san quickly became noisy as the crowd density spiked. Led by the female officers letting out high-pitched squeals, Natsumi-senpai and Hanako were also firmly in the mix. Hadn't they seen it enough already?
"Whoa, it’s an Eternity ring!"
"Wow, Takanashi-kun really went all out for this!"
"How did you even manage to buy something this incredible?"
"Takanashi-kun worked very hard at his part-time jobs!" Sara said proudly.
"Heh… oh, so is this the 'three months’ salary' thing?"
With meaningful grins, the group peered at the ring sparkling on Sara-san’s finger. Sara-san seemed to be enjoying the attention, looking quite proud of the gift. I was just glad she liked it.
"Hmm… I want to work part-time too, but club activities take up all my time," Hayato sighed.
"That's true. Hayato has practice even on weekends. I’m thinking about starting a part-time job myself," Yuji noted.
"If you don't mind late hours, maybe Todo-san's grandfather’s place would take you…"
"Wait, wouldn't that be a total leak to Marina-san?" Yuji pointed out.
"So you’re aiming for a surprise?" I asked.
"Well, yeah. Since it’s her first present, I want to give her something special as a surprise. Plus, Christmas is next month."
"Me too," Hayato agreed. "We rarely get time for dates, so I want to push myself for Christmas at least."
"Christmas, huh…"
Like them, I had plans for a Christmas gift. However, having already delivered a massive surprise like an engagement ring, I was genuinely stumped on what to give her next. Plus, I definitely wanted to go on a proper date, which meant I needed a budget. In that regard, the work Masaomi-san provided was a godsend.
"Good job, everyone."
"Good job, Daichi."
"Hah, I’m beat."
The male officers, led by Uesaka-san, finally returned. It seemed they had met up along the way. Now the entire Student Council was assembled.
"Takanashi-kun, good job. I heard you were quite the star today."
"Ahaha… I’ve heard that from everyone I’ve run into."
"I suppose you have. There have been cases of Miss Contest winners getting confessions, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a public proposal."
"I mean, there’s no way you’d expect a proposal from a high school student, right?" another officer added.
"And giving her an engagement ring, too. If people didn't know you two were already fiancés, they’d be wondering what on earth you were doing."
"When I was at the headquarters tent by the main gate, a bunch of male visitors suddenly left. I wondered what had happened… was the situation really that extreme?"
"I… wonder?" I said, avoiding a direct answer. Whether it was extreme or not depended on the observer, but considering how many people left all at once, the answer was obvious.
"I bet the school will be buzzing about you two once the break is over," Yuji said.
"There might be a lot of absences. Even in our class, there were several guys who were seriously in love with Satsukawa-san."
"My class too. My buddy was actually planning to confess. I had to tell him to give it up a dozen times."
Thinking about school after the break made me nervous and a little bit scared. But I suspect the scariest part will be the girls—the young maidens of our class. I could already see myself being surrounded the moment I stepped into the classroom.
"Good job, Uesaka-san."
"Good job, Daichi."
"G-Good job, Nishikawa-san!"
"I didn't do anything special. If anything, it’s thanks to you that I was able to enjoy some free time like this."
"It’s a special occasion, so I’m just glad you could enjoy yourself."
Hmm…
Uesaka-san had always been a handsome guy, but he seemed about thirty percent more radiant than usual. Over the last two days, his attitude toward Nishikawa-san had clearly improved. I wondered if he was secretly intending to move to the next level.
"Hey, Daichi, don't you dare ignore me," Natsumi barked.
"N-No, I wasn't! It was just a coincidence. More importantly, don't you have something else to do?"
"Hah? Not really."
"Then shouldn't you be spending time with someone else instead of bothering me?"
"Heeey… so you want me to leave that badly? I wonder why~?"
"W-What’s with that look!? T-There’s no special meaning behind it! I was just thinking of your own benefit…"
"Fufu…"
"Nishikawa-san?"
"Eririn?"
Nishikawa-san, who had been watching them with interest, let out a chuckle she couldn't suppress. I think I understood the meaning behind it.
"No, excuse me. I just realized once again that Uesaka-san has that side to him as well."
"That side…?"
"Yes. As expected of childhood friends, you show such a relaxed attitude toward Natsumi."
"Ah…"
An expression of "I messed up" flashed across Uesaka-san’s face. It was very easy to see. When Uesaka-san was with Natsumi-senpai, his usual "(former) Student Council President" persona completely vanished. The casual bond of childhood friends took over, and it seemed like that was actually his true self.
"Fufu… please don't make that face. It isn't a bad thing. In fact, I find it quite charming."
"Eh!? I-I-I-I see!?"
"Daichi, you’re grinning so much it’s pathetic," Natsumi mocked.
"S-Shut up! Stop saying unnecessary things every single time!"
"Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m heading back to Yuji."
Leaving behind a massive, teasing smirk, Natsumi-senpai walked back to Yuji. Whether it was intentional or a lucky coincidence, she’d given him a great opening. Knowing her, it was probably a bit of both.
At any rate, it felt like the right time for me to back off and leave them to it.
"Oh right, I should go to Sara-san—"
"Nishikawa-saaaaan!"
"Eri-chaaaan! Long time no see!"
"Fufu, it has been a long time."
…Or so I thought. Nishikawa-san was immediately swarmed by a group of girls, leaving Uesaka-san and me pushed to the side.
Things just never go as planned. Then again, since Nishikawa-san’s feelings were still ambiguous, I wasn't entirely sure how much I should be trying to help anyway.
"Takanashi-kun, what are your plans after this?" Uesaka-san asked.
"Um… we’re all going out for a meal."
"I see. In that case, we’ll hold our celebration party another time. The Rinka Festival was a success, and we’ve all been working hard until today."
"That's true. We’ve really been taken care of by you and the other seniors."
"No, no, we did it because we enjoyed it too. It’s nothing to thank us for. But…"
"Yeah. We won’t be able to do this next year, will we?"
"Right. We can enjoy the festival while on patrol, but for so many officers to just gather and hang out… that’ll be impossible."
"Yeah."
As Uesaka-san said, as we move up a grade and the seniors graduate, we’ll have to take on the primary workload. I felt nothing but gratitude for being allowed to enjoy this year to the point of having no regrets.
"Uesaka-san… thank you again."
"Haha. It’s a bit embarrassing to hear you say it so formally. But… you're welcome. Do your best next year, Vice President."
"I will."
Uesaka-san held out his right hand, and I met it with mine, sharing a firm handshake. Thinking about the Student Council after the seniors leave made me feel a bit anxious, but I knew I had to keep moving forward. I would support Sara-san as the Vice President, and…
"Fufu… are you two finished talking?"
"Sara-san?"
"Satsukawa-san, good job today."
"Yes. Good job to you as well, Uesaka-san. And thank you from me as well."
"No, no, Takanashi-kun already thanked me. We were enjoying ourselves too, so it’s not—"
"I see. Then we’ll leave it at that."
"Whoops…"
"It was a joke."
Whether it was actually a joke or not was obvious from her expression. But it was rare for her to joke with anyone outside our immediate circle, which meant she was in an exceptionally good mood.
"By the way… is that the engagement ring Takanashi-kun gave you?"
"Yes. It is my lifelong treasure."
"Haha, it’s still surprising to hear you say such a thing about a gift from a man. You’ve really… changed, haven't you?"
"I think so too. But… the only person in this world who can change me, now and forever, is this one man."
Sara-san looked away from the ring and glanced at me with a smile. Seeing that made me feel a swell of pride.
"Well, that was quite a feast for the ears. Please, make sure to invite me to your wedding."
"Fufu… I’ll consider it. Although the final decision rests with Kazunari-san."
"Waaaaait a minuoooote!"
"Satsukawa-san, you have to invite us too!"
"Satsukawa-senpai in a wedding dress!"
"As a guy, just seeing that would let me die without regrets!"
"…Wait, did she say wedding!?"
"…Well, they are fiancés… they really are… oooooh!"
"…Dammiiiiiiit!"
"…Satsukawa-san is gone!"
"…This is going to take a long time to get over."
"And now, next on stage is our highly popular volunteer band! With rumors of a scout already circling from a certain agency, it’s 'Rapid Stream,' featuring Saeki-kun on vocals!"
Kyaaaaaaaaah!
A piercing cheer rose from a section of the crowd as the next volunteer band took the stage. Apparently, they were famous, but I didn't know the name and had zero interest. It had nothing to do with us—
"Thanks for the support! Something really sad happened today, but with your cheers, I can keep going!"
Kyaaaaaaaaah!
"Saeki-kun is as popular as ever," an officer noted.
"I wonder what happened that was so sad?"
"Wasn't it about Satsukawa-san? He’d been publicly vocal about liking her."
"But I’m sorry! This song… I have to dedicate this song, at least, to Satsukawa-san!"
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
I thought I could just ignore it, but then a comment came out that I couldn't overlook. In fact, it made me really irritated. A silhouette came running toward us from the stage, clutching a microphone.
"Satsukawa-san! A word for Saeki-kun!"
"Huh?" Sara looked at the person with cold disdain. "I have no concern for someone who spouts such chilled-to-the-bone nonsense that makes me doubt their sanity. Creepy."
"C-Creepy!?"
"Do not ever call my name so casually again. It is unpleasant."
"Guaaaaaaaaah!"
At Sara-san’s biting words, the man collapsed onto his knees on the stage.
Serves him right—is what I wanted to say, but I was honestly annoyed too, so I decided to deliver the final blow.
"Don’t you dare say such ridiculous nonsense to my fiancée ever again."
I snatched the microphone that had been held out to Sara-san. I knew this would only increase the number of people who resented me, but I had to make it clear. It was common knowledge by now that we were fiancés, but there would always be people who tried to pull something. I had to be firm.
"Kazunari-san… fufu."
"Sorry, I overstepped."
"No. It made me happy… Darling♪"
Kiss.
Sara-san leaned into me, stretching up slightly to press her lips against my cheek. I knew I was being simple, but that one reward made me feel like I could work even harder.
"Sara-san…"
"Fufu… don't make that face. We can take our time with the rest once we get home."
"Eh!? No, I wasn't thinking…"
"Do you dislike the idea?"
"…I don’t dislike it."
"Yes♪ I have plenty of rewards for you… so please, spoil yourself with me as much as you want, okay?"
"Y-Yes…"
If it made Sara-san happy and I was happy too, there was no reason to hold back. I would just have to let her spoil me. Of course, that meant my lonely battle would begin again tonight, but for the sake of her smile, I’d face it as many times as it took.
"Hey! How long are you two going to keep flirting!?"
"You can flirt as much as you want once you get home!"
"Kazunari, the big sister’s lecture is waiting for you after the break."
"Honestly… you really can't let your guard down around them…"
"Takanashi-kun, something cool started over there!"
"Shall we go see?"
"Look, everyone’s waiting for you!"
"Fufu… shall we go, Kazunari-san?"
"Yeah!"
With Sara-san by my side and all our friends around us, I soaked in the moment. I would cherish this happiness and the time we spend together—from now on as well.