“...And that concludes the reasons for securing the assistance of external collaborators—and, by extension, a company associated with Hanawa-senpai’s family. With class preparations about to begin, there is simply no other way for the Executive Committee to get back on schedule. In fact, we expect this to create a margin of extra time. I believe this is the ideal way to add value to the Cultural Festival.”
How? Why?
Those were the only questions surfacing in my mind, even before I could process the actual explanation. It was true that Wataru had an older sister on the Student Council, but still... would he really go this far to help?
However, even that doubt was drowned out by the sheer impact of what was being said.
The details were staggering. I had been under the impression that the delays in the Cultural Festival preparations were entirely due to the Executive Committee’s own incompetence. Yet, once the truth came to light, it turned out that several factors were intertwined. In particular, the friction between the previous Student Council and the current one was something I’d never heard of before.
“The most troublesome point this time was that it was beyond Executive Committee President Hasegawa’s authority to resolve. Whether it was the past troubles or the way Teacher Oneda instructed the work to proceed, the Student Council has judged that these were things that simply could not be rectified by the President alone.”
Ishiguro-senpai spoke with a dispassionate tone. Between his sharp, well-set hairstyle and his mature features, he gave off the impression of a competent working professional rather than a student. He seemed like a very reliable upperclassman, but I wondered what kind of person he was... I never knew Wataru had a senior like that. I wondered if this was another connection through his sister...
“……”
Wataru stood silently by Ishiguro-senpai’s side. He didn’t interject in the upperclassman’s explanation at all, making me wonder all over again why he was even there. What could a first-year like us possibly do? I grew anxious, fearing he might end up as overwhelmed and helpless as I’d been.
◇
“—So, the files you need are in that folder. Just copy and paste them into the same location, rename them according to the sample, and then look at the documents gathered from the outside while typing in the necessary information.”
“Um... sorry. I wanted to ask something—”
“Oh, that’s—”
“……”
Wataru was gathered with the other first-years, explaining the task. Perhaps because the nature of the work was different from what the upperclassmen were doing, it seemed very simple. Even so, when I thought about doing all of this by hand, the time it would save was probably immense.
As I watched him acting with his—not so much dignified, but rather his usual demeanor—I realized my mouth was hanging half-open. Not knowing how long I’d been like that, I hurriedly closed it.
Wataru talking to kids from other classes. Wataru teaching someone. Wataru holding a laptop casually in one hand with practiced ease. He wasn’t using a mouse; he was moving the cursor by touching the trackpad with his fingertips. For some reason, my eyes were drawn more to the movements of Wataru’s hands than the screen he was explaining.
All of it was a side of Wataru I didn't know.
“Ah... how are things over there? Are Sasaki and Natsukawa okay?”
“A-Ah...”
“...!”
“I see.”
My name was called, and I hurriedly lifted my gaze from his hands. I made direct eye contact with Wataru. For some reason, I felt incredibly guilty for having been staring at his hands the whole time, and I instinctively looked away. Hating myself for being so blunt, I managed only a nod to go along with Sasaki-kun’s response.
But that alone didn't feel right, and the question on my mind slipped out of its own accord.
“Um... W-Wataru, what are you going to do...?”
“...Some of you might have realized while I was explaining, but you first-years won’t really be dealing directly with the ‘external collaborators’ Ishiguro-senpai mentioned. The necessary materials and data have already been handed over, so all that’s left is sharing progress updates... and the task of submitting the finished products to the Student Council. I guess I’m... a bridge of sorts?”
“I-I see...”
It was a perfectly reasonable response. Despite having asked the question myself, I felt intensely frustrated that I couldn't give a better reply. I didn't know why I was so tense. If it was just awkwardness, I should have been able to treat it like a job and act accordingly.
“—Well then, let’s get to it with the time we have left. Oh, the mice are in that box over there, so just grab one whenever.”
“Ah...”
With those words from Wataru as the signal, everyone took their seats and began working on the laptops assigned to them. Smiles of relief appeared on their faces. Unlike the marathon with no finish line we’d been running before, the end was now in sight, and the path forward was clear. I felt it just as much as they did.
“Everything’s fine now”... While I was happy, I realized there was a lingering dissatisfaction in my chest that I hadn't fully processed. I knew I was being greedy. Still, I couldn't stand just letting things end with a simple dismissal.
“Wataru—Eek!”
“……Um, yeah... what’s up?”
“Ah, u-um...!”
As I rushed toward him, Wataru noticed and turned around sooner than I expected. I tried to stop in a panic, but the hand I reached out to grab his arm missed, and I ended up lunging into his side. I caught a direct whiff of his scent—that familiar “Wataru scent” I’d known for years—and I scrambled away in a panic.
(Aaaah—!)
Amidst the shame of what I’d done, another “me” inside my head screamed wordlessly. My face burned. When I looked up timidly, he was answering me while averting his gaze, trying to hide his face with his hand. His reaction was so transparent that my own face only grew hotter.
“I mean—you’re okay, right...?”
“What do you mean by okay...? Ah.”
What exactly did I mean by “okay”? Even though I was the one who asked, I didn't really know what the meaning behind those words was myself. At the very least, I hadn't asked it just in reference to this Executive Committee activity.
Despite it being a vague, inadequate question, Wataru looked toward the ceiling as if searching his thoughts for a moment, then met my eyes and answered.
“I guess I’m fine? I can’t say for sure, though.”
“Geez... what’s that supposed to mean?”
Wataru gave a lighthearted smile and, looking as if there were no particular problems, headed toward a seat in the opposite corner of the room. Truthfully, there were still things I wanted to ask. Even so, just hearing those words for now was enough to put me at ease.
“Phew...”
Maybe I was the one who shouldn't have been worrying about others. Come to think of it, Wataru had been his “usual self” from the moment he first appeared. He hadn't shown a single sign of anxiety. Maybe I had just been projecting my own worries onto him. I needed to calm down.
After getting a mouse, I took my seat and faced the screen. Sasaki-kun was already silently working through the task exactly as explained. I wasn't used to computers, but I often searched for videos online, so I figured I’d be fine with the keyboard. As instructed, I double-clicked the folder on the home screen to check the contents.
“……”
Every time I recalled a step of the procedure, Wataru’s face came to mind. After all, Wataru was the one who had explained the method to us. I shouldn't have been able to listen with full focus, yet for some reason, every word of the explanation played back in my head in Wataru’s voice. I was generally good at memorizing things, but it felt like there was more to it than that.
I opened the designated file and scanned the screen. I see; this definitely looked like simple work that just involved typing in the details from the documents we were given. There wasn't much need to think. While alternating my gaze between the documents and the screen, I found myself dwelling on the thing I still hadn't asked Wataru.
In the first place, why is Wataru helping out here?
No, I suppose he was helping the Student Council rather than the Executive Committee. He did call himself a “Temporary Assistant” for the council earlier, so that was probably it. In that case, was it for the sake of his sister?
“……Must be nice.”
Without thinking, I let those words spill out in a tiny whisper.
Every time Wataru spoke about memories with his sister, I found myself envious. Wataru’s sister rushing to the health room to see him, looking slightly out of breath... and then Wataru helping out like this for her sake. Even though I only ever heard strange anecdotes about their relationship, seeing siblings who supported each other like this made me feel like it was somewhat unfair.