"The 49th Private Kouetsu High School Cultural Festival—'Brand New World: To a New Era'! Is now officially open!"
A special stage had been erected in the gymnasium. Up on that platform, the Cultural Festival Executive Committee President, Hasegawa-senpai, declared the opening with a bright voice into the microphone, triggering a roar from the audience. It didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but seeing a serious-looking girl with glasses go all out with such a cheerful tone made me think, Ah, she’s cute. You have a surprisingly moe voice when you project, Senpai.
Since this year’s theme was all about pursuing the "new," there were quite a few high-tech attractions. Our class's Riddle Contest utilized wireless buzzer buttons, and we’d even built a trick top hat designed to pop its top (though that ended up being scrapped). While the third-years mostly stuck to traditional festival staples, the second-years were aiming for a more futuristic vibe. Although, I wasn't entirely sure how a Mini 4WD racing tournament counted as futuristic.
Ironically, the "old traditions" within the Executive Committee had been a major hurdle during the planning stages, but the event itself seemed to be off to a smooth start. I suppose that, regardless of Natsukawa, I still had some lingering attachment to the committee, given how I was still looking at things from an organizer's perspective. For now, I decided to cross my arms and watch over their progress like a proud mentor.
As soon as the opening ceremony concluded, a collaborative concert between the Chorus Club and the Brass Band Club began. From this point on, students and visitors were free to roam. If they stayed in the gym, they could catch the concert, followed by performances from the Light Music Club or volunteers from the Alumni Association. People like me, whose shifts started immediately, had to clear out right then, though.
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"—And now for the second question! 'What animal is always in the bathroom?'"
"I've got it! A capybara!"
"Wrong."
"Whoa, cold."
The elementary schooler sitting next to me burst out laughing. Even the parents watching from the back of the classroom let out a few chuckles. I suppose the sight of a guy peeking out from the hood of a baggy dog costume being shot down so bluntly was half the entertainment.
I might have been biased, but our class’s Riddle Contest was actually quite well-conceived. The key was having "Sakura" shills planted among the contestants to handle the comedy. There wasn't a rigid script, but we essentially participated on the premise that we’d give silly, incorrect answers. The system was modeled after variety shows, where the female MCs would then tease the shills. Being laughed at by the kids and parents meant the plan was working perfectly. Why Iiboshi-san had chosen me as one of those shills remained a mystery, though.
"Congratulations! Here’s your prize."
Shirai-san, dressed as a witch, handed some sweets wrapped in Halloween packaging to a young boy. The kid hurried back to his mother’s side, looking thrilled. Hmph, such a child. If it were me, I’d be looking at Shirai-san more than the candy.
The five contestants—including me, the shill—would compete in a buzzer battle. Once a winner was crowned and given a prize, they’d be swapped out for the next group of participants. By repeating this process for every question, we kept the crowd moving and allowed as many guests as possible to join in. I’d heard that the prize candy actually made up the bulk of our budget.
"Hey, Yamazaki, don't you dare get an answer right by accident."
"What do you mean 'by accident'? I wouldn't get it right even if I tried."
"That’s exactly what scares me."
In the backyard area partitioned off by curtains at the back of the room, Yamazaki—acting as another shill in a wolf costume—spoke with unearned confidence. That was the problem... even though he was terrible at riddles, I felt like he might accidentally blurt out a perfect answer with enough force to crush an elementary schooler’s spirit. Well, I suppose it would be fine once in a while, but the girls on MC duty would probably nag him about it later.
"Sorry, Sajou-kun. I probably could’ve come up with a better way to tease you than that."
"Ah, no, I think it was fine."
A slightly dejected Iiboshi-san apologized to me. I mean, sure, that one-word "Wrong" had been pretty sharp, but... it wasn't like I was a professional comedian. She didn't need to apologize for that. I wondered what she was even aiming for. Her getting this serious about it really highlighted her personality as the Class Rep.
Through the preparations for this contest, a switch had definitely flipped in the girls. I was sure they were on their way to becoming total party people. Why they seemed to think I was more skilled in that department was also a mystery. Iiboshi-san was definitely misunderstanding something about me.
After my rotation with Yamazaki, Nakazato, and Iwata ended, another four people would take over for the afternoon shift. Was it my imagination, or did the visual quality of the shills seem to level up starting with the afternoon group? It had to be my imagination... right?
"Ah, Sajou-kun..."
"Master. Good work."
"P-Please don't call me Master..."
It was Ichinose-san, who had been one of the people in charge of preparing the riddles. While the other girls were busy scouring the internet and social media, she’d left behind a legend by crafting thirty original riddles all by herself. To me, Ichinose-san was a familiar face, but to the others, she was a mysterious girl who had recently become incredibly cute. An aura of Wait, isn't Ichinose-san actually amazing? had formed around her, and people had started calling her "Master." I felt for her. Hang in there.
"I’d prefer... the usual way from you, Sajou-kun."
"Ah, yeah. Sorry, Ichinose-san."
I panicked slightly after being so clearly shot down while she looked at the floor. I’d thought she’d grown fond of me lately, but I wondered if a distance had formed after that "Sajocchi Express Departure Incident"...? I’d managed to avoid a total fallout by messaging her afterward as if nothing had happened, but maybe she’d put up a bit of a wall.
"Is Sasaki-san coming in the afternoon? Did she say she’d eat before she got here?"
"..."
"...Um, Ichinose-san?"
Ever since I’d called her "Master" and she’d looked down in embarrassment, she hadn't looked back up at me. Was it really that bad? If it were me, I’d actually love being called "Master." Was it really something to get that upset about...?
"...Cute."
"Huh?"
"...Doggie."
You're the cute one.
Whoops, that was dangerous. I almost flirted with her by reflex. Honestly, I really needed to do something about this flippant side of me!
Ichinose-san was stroking the fabric of the dog costume I was wearing, testing its texture. Her softened expression was adorable. Careful now. If you keep that up, I might start stroking you instead, you know?
"Ah. Want to wear it? You want to put this on? You can go around with Sasaki-san while wearing it."
"Ah, no..."
It wasn't like a guy wearing a wearable dog blanket was particularly cute anyway. Ichinose-san seemed to like it, but Ashida had laughed herself hoarse at the sight of me. It would definitely be cuter if Ichinose-san wore it. A hundred out of a hundred people would agree.
"Ah, don't take it off. Go around the festival in that."
"Huh?"
As I started to unbutton the costume to go meet Sasaki-san, Iiboshi-san, who was busy organizing the MC cue cards, interjected. I felt like she’d just said something outrageous.
"Sajou-kun, you're going around with Mina-chan and the underclassman, right? Go around and promote the class while you're at it. It has '1-C' written on the back."
"Wait, aren't I supposed to hand this over to the next shill?"
"We still have two more. It's fine if one person walks around in it. Good luck with the advertising."
"Wait, hey...!"
She buttoned the costume back up before I could escape and shoved me out of the classroom. The sudden turn of events left me reeling. No, wait, what...? What kind of face am I supposed to make at the people passing by?
"Um, Sajou-kun..."
"Ichinose-san...!"
"Hyaun!?"
I reflexively grabbed Ichinose-san’s arm and pulled her close. Being alone in this situation was too much to bear! Ulterior motives aside, I absolutely needed her with me!
"Let's... endure the stares together..."
"Auuu."
Ichinose-san’s eyes were spinning. I could tell she was overwhelmed. However, I had no intention of letting her escape. We’d planned on going around with Sasaki-san together from the start anyway, so it should be fine, right? Right?
"Oh, that's right, Sasaki-san."
Right, Sasaki-san. Let's regroup with her. If we did, the stares would at least be somewhat split between us. After all, Sasaki-san was a middle schooler who looked exactly like a middle schooler cosplaying as a middle schooler. Everyone would surely end up looking at her. I would, too.
"—Ah, Fuuka-chan."
"Ah, did you get a message?"
"Yes... it seems she's already here and looking for us."
"Wait, really? I wish I could’ve gone to the gate to meet her. Where is she now—hm?"
The moment I tried to ask for Sasaki-san's location, I felt a double-tap on my shoulder. This was it! This lady-like gesture... this humility in not speaking up unnecessarily... there was no mistake, this feeling was definitely the Sasaki-san I was just talking about—
"—Where is Big Brother?"
...Wrong Sasaki.