A cultural festival themed around "The Future." That said, demanding the stalls follow that theme was apparently a bridge too far. While the exteriors were decorated to look vaguely space-like, they were actually just selling the usual, simple festival food: fries, late-season shaved ice, and other easy staples. I suppose it can’t be helped; the image of food stalls at summer festivals or New Year’s shrines hasn't changed since ancient times.
"Is it good, Ichinose-san?"
"It’th good..."
So incredibly cute.
Ichinose-san looked visibly delighted. Whether it was reading or eating, she was the type to focus entirely on whatever was right in front of her, so her reactions were always wonderfully honest. What is this feeling...? I could gather all the collective powers of law, science, and the very logic of the universe, and yet the truth remains that I can never become Ichinose-san's father... Dammit... Dammit...!
"The crepeth are deliciouth too!"
"Isn't this dough a little thick?"
"It’th nith and chewy, ithn’t it!"
Sasaki-san was mimicking Ichinose-san, intentionally using a lisping tone to give her review. Deliciouthly cute. Yuki-chan, who was eating the same crepe, was scarfing it down despite her complaints. If she were truly dissatisfied, she’d likely be giving it a much more caustic critique. Well, even if they called it a crepe shop, it was still a homemade effort by amateurs, so you had to give them some grace. If I recall, just clearing the health department's standards to start selling was the real hurdle... I think it's impressive enough that it even exists.
Suddenly, Yuki-chan's eyes snapped wide open. I’m certain she just activated her Search Eye. I bet that if Sasaki was within a fifty-meter radius, Yuki-chan’s eyes would gain highlights. I don't know... I feel like I’d gain a much more useful power by apprenticing under Yuki-chan rather than at that spiritual-whatever dojo at Shinomiya-senpai’s place.
"Maybe over there."
Even without being Yuki-chan, I could predict Sasaki's movements if the Soccer Club was moving as a group. If there was a place where a bunch of guys could gather and relax during lunch, it had to be the Central Courtyard.
"Whoa...!"
Sasaki-san let out a breath of wonder. The bustle of the Central Courtyard was something she hadn't seen during the Trial Enrollment. With more benches than usual and many visitors chatting while sitting on the grass—which had been neatly manicured for this day—it was just like Central Park. Sorry, I exaggerated. It was like a university campus. Actually, I heard the intention was to aim for exactly that kind of atmosphere.
Ichinose-san seemed a bit uncomfortable, perhaps because she wasn't a fan of large crowds. If this were Central Park, I felt like she would look more in her element sitting all alone in the middle of nowhere, lost in a book. Wait, is it rude of me to think that...? You can slap me if you want.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm... —Ngh."
"Oh, is that the group?"
"Is that Yuki-chan's brother?"
"...?"
In the distance, I spotted the familiar bunch from the Soccer Club. I think anyone would recognize them as the Soccer Club even if they didn't know the members. They had that mysterious "vibe" about them. They were the easiest to spot after the Baseball Club. For the record, the guys who are bald and tanned are the Baseball Club; the ones who are bald and pale are the Kendo Club; and the ones with hair who are slim and tanned are the Tennis Club. And if you see a delinquent woman leading a group of handsome guys, that’s the Student Council.
"Look, it’s Wanko-san!"
"A dog is walking..."
As I strode down the path in the Central Courtyard, a girl sitting on a nearby bench pointed at me, squealing with joy. When I waved at her, she turned a beaming smile toward the young mother in plain clothes sitting next to her.
Heh heh heh... It seems I’m quite the celebrity right now. Sorry, Ichinose-san, are you getting unwanted attention because you’re standing near a star like me? Well, just pretend you’re walking a rare breed of dog. I don’t even mind if you put a leash on me.
While soaking in the superiority of the surrounding attention, I approached the Soccer Club guys to brag to Sasaki. That was when I noticed something was off.
"Who are you—wait, you’re... Sajou, right? What’s with that outfit? You part of the Electrical Parade?"
"Ah, Sudo."
Sudo was a first-year in the Soccer Club, just like Sasaki. To me, he felt like a "friend of a friend." I’d spoken to him a few times when Sasaki was around. We weren't particularly close, but I’m sure he knew I was that weird guy who used to follow Natsukawa-san around.
"Where's Sasaki? I thought he'd be hanging out with the rest of the club."
"That guy...? Sigh."
"...Dammit..."
"Wait, what?"
When I mentioned Sasaki's name, Sudo let out a weary sigh. The guy next to him, whom I’d never spoken to, lamented Sasaki's name with frustration. Everyone else had the same reaction. Uh... what, did Sasaki die? Did he stand up to some great evil but meet a tragic end?
"Sasaki was taken away by a girl from our class."
"What!?"
"—..."
One guy, who didn't seem particularly jealous, gave me the answer in a normal tone.
I inadvertently let out the kind of voice a Shonen manga character makes when witnessing the enemy's attack for the first time. This hatred welling up from within... it seems the time has come for me to fall to the dark side too. I'm so jealous. Dammit...!
"...Hey, Sajou, are you popular?"
"Huh?"
"I know you got dumped by Natsukawa-san from Class C... but you’re always with girls, aren't you?"
Sudo's gaze drifted toward the people around me. On my left was Sasaki-san, and behind me to the right, Ichinose-san was hiding, using my back as a shield. Well, yeah, I guess it is quite a perk to be the only guy with several girls today, but this is strictly under the guise of showing Sasaki-san around, and it's not like I'm actually popular or anything...
"Sigh... maybe I should do some cosplay too..."
"Don't call it cosplay. Call it a mascot costume."
It’s not like I’m trying to actually become a dog. I’m just wearing it for the mascot character appeal to help promote Class C. Although I can't deny I look a bit like I'm getting too excited at an amusement park.
"—Hey, is everything okay?"
"Hmm...?"
As I was striking a bizarre adventure pose at Sudo, the guy who’d told me Sasaki's whereabouts earlier peeked out from behind him.
"About what?"
"One of the girls went off somewhere."
"Eh...?"
When I turned around, Yuki-chan was nowhere to be seen. In her place, the triangular tip of a crepe that had shared a deep kiss with the ground was pointing at me like the muzzle of a gun. It felt like if I moved even an inch, I’d be shot through with a bolo.
"Wait, what!? Yuki-chan!?"
"S-she’s gone...!"
"...!"
The three of us scanned the area, but the foot traffic had just increased, making it hard to see anything. We kept looking for a while, but in the end, we couldn't catch sight of Yuki-chan.
'Sasaki was taken away by a girl from our class.'
"Crap!"
Since Yuki-chan was self-aware about being a brocon, I thought there was a bit of a joking element to her madness. But if she went as far as dropping her crepe to go after him, she must have moved on pure impulse! Crap... I have no idea what Yuki-chan might pull when she's like this! That's exactly why I never mentioned Natsukawa-san's name whenever I gave her a Periodic Report on Sasaki's school life!
"We’re looking for Yuki-chan!"
"Y-yes!"
"...!"
◆
Trying to find Yuki-chan while dragging Sasaki-san and Ichinose-san along was impossible. Setting aside the obvious need to worry about Ichinose-san's stamina, if Sasaki-san started running, the maturity rating of the scene would jump to 15+. I’ve looked at her from the front about three times now, so I know I’m not wrong.
Because of those circumstances, we split into two groups, and I ran through the school alone. I felt bad since the original purpose was to show Sasaki-san around, but since a problem was likely to occur, I had to prioritize the search.
If it's Yuki-chan, she’ll reach Sasaki through sheer tenacity—with that mysterious conviction in mind, I figured it would be faster to search for Sasaki instead.
He’s with a girl—maybe they went somewhere couples usually go. With that in mind, I ran up the stairs leading from the piloti near the Central Courtyard toward the Student Council Room and dashed into the South Wing where the Home Economics Room was. If I recall, they were running an attraction called Drawing Cooking over there. Apparently, you draw a picture on paper, scan it into a special machine, and it automatically bakes a cookie in that shape. You can even draw patterns on them.
As I approached, the savory scent of cookies wafted toward me. Oh man, what is this heavenly smell...? I’m about to forget about Sasaki. My instincts as a dog are howling for food. If Natsukawa-san told me to "sit" right now, I’d probably obey as naturally as drawing breath.
"—Ah."
That single syllable was all I heard. When I shifted my eyes from the window toward the inside of the Home Economics Room, my gaze met that of a beautiful girl who had her mouth open in an "aaan," just about to pop a cat-shaped cookie into her mouth. Cookie, trade places with me.