After finishing breakfast, I headed to school with Mika. The atmosphere on campus felt slightly different than usual. When I listened closely, I could hear the cheers of the cheer squad rehearsing their vocal exercises with intense spirit out on the sports field.
I parted ways with Mika at the entrance. As I walked toward my classroom, I noticed that most of the students I passed in the hallways had already changed into their gym clothes. Apparently, everyone had arrived a bit earlier than usual to get ready.
"Morning," I said, calling out a greeting as I slid open the back door.
Only a handful of classmates were inside, sitting in their chairs and chatting while already dressed in their gym clothes.
"...Huh? Is this everyone?"
I couldn't help but voice my confusion at the sparse turnout. A girl sitting near the entrance turned around to enlighten me.
"Oh, Kokonoe-kun. It's for that thing. You know, that."
"That?"
She pointed toward the front of the room. On the blackboard, a set of instructions had been written in chalk.
"Ah, right... 'Second-year boys use the Audio-Visual Room; girls use the Clothing Lab to change into gym clothes.' I forgot about that. No wonder the room is so empty."
It had been a year, so the routine had slipped my mind. Normally, we used the standard locker rooms for PE, but for major events like the sports festival where everyone had to change simultaneously, special classrooms were designated as temporary changing areas.
"Exactly. You should go get changed quickly too, Kokonoe-kun, or you'll be late for homeroom."
"You're right. Thanks for the heads-up."
After thanking her, I set my school bag on my desk and pulled out the cloth bag containing my gym clothes. Extra luggage would only be a hindrance.
I shed my school blazer, hung it over the back of my chair, and headed for the Audio-Visual Room. I wondered just how crowded it would be.
When I arrived, the room was already overflowing with students. It looked like I was late to the party. I stood on my tiptoes and scanned the area, searching for any scrap of open space where I could change. There—I spotted a gap.
In the back of the room, tucked into a corner by the steel lockers used for storing materials, I found enough space to squeeze in. I hurried through the crowd to claim it before anyone else could.
"Phew... mission accomplished."
I set my cloth bag on top of a low locker and breathed a sigh of relief at having secured a spot. Still... the air in here was thick. No matter how much larger a special classroom was compared to a regular one, it felt suffocating with this many guys packed inside.
I glanced at the sea of men around me, all scrambling to pull on their gym clothes, and frowned. Shaking off the discomfort, I silently and efficiently began to change.
"...Alright. Back to the classroom."
I checked the clock on the wall, stuffed my school uniform into the cloth bag, and fought my way back through the crowd to the exit. Near the door, I spotted Shigemori setting his things on a table, preparing to change. I called out to him casually.
"Yo, Shigemori. Morning."
"Hm? Oh, Kokonoe. Morning. You're done already...?"
"Yeah."
Shigemori looked at me in my gym clothes and let out a faint, weary sigh.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nah, just had a hard time finding a spot. I should've come to school earlier."
"Ah, I see..."
I took another look around the room as Shigemori vented. It was noticeably more crowded than when I had started. Some guys were even forced to put their school bags on the floor while they changed. The room was clearly past its capacity.
Looking at the time, this was likely the peak hour for arrivals.
"Well, just make sure you aren't late for HR, alright?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Cool. I'll head on ahead."
"Ou. See you in a bit."
I left Shigemori to his task and stepped out of the Audio-Visual Room. Tomorrow, I'd make sure to arrive early and give myself plenty of breathing room.
When I returned to the classroom, about half the seats were filled with classmates in their gym clothes. I looked around, but Yuji and Hiiragi-san were still missing. They were likely still in the middle of changing.
I sat down and pulled my uniform back out of the cloth bag. I’d shoved it in haphazardly in my rush to leave the locker room, so I took a moment to fold it properly. If I didn't, the wrinkles would never come out.
"Morning, Daiki. You're already finished?"
"Hm? Oh, Yuji... Morning."
I turned around to see Yuji standing there in his gym clothes, holding his school bag. It seemed he had gone straight to the changing room upon arrival.
"Wait, Yuji, how did you know where to go without coming to the classroom first?"
"What do you mean, Daiki? There was a notice about the changing rooms posted on the bulletin board at the entrance."
"Eh?"
"You didn't see it?"
"A-Ah. Right... The entrance bulletin board." I scratched the back of my head and looked away in embarrassment.
Yikes... I hadn't noticed at all. I rarely ever looked at that board. I needed to pay more attention.
"Well, to be fair, I probably wouldn't have noticed either if there hadn't been a crowd gathered around it."
"A crowd?"
That was odd. When I’d walked through the entrance, there hadn't been anyone there. Perhaps someone had discovered the notice right after I’d passed, drawing everyone else in. If they’d just been a few minutes faster, I would have seen it too.
"Yeah, it was a decent group. Was it empty when you got here, Daiki?"
"Yeah. So it was on the bulletin board, huh..."
"Well, you managed to change anyway, so what does it matter?"
"I guess you're right."
As long as I wasn't sprinting in at the last second, it wasn't a problem. I dropped the subject, finished folding my uniform, and stowed the bag inside my school bag.
"Oh, right. Yuji."
"Hm? What's up?"
I called out to him as he returned to his seat.
"If we have to do our club introduction appeal during today's rehearsal, let's decide how far we're going to take it. We probably won't use props, but they'll likely have us map out our positions. It might just flow into the actual performance from there."
"Good point. We should probably have a plan ready just in case."
"Right? I was thinking we could just go through the motions with a light spar... What do you think?"
"I'm on board with that. It would be awkward if we were called up and did nothing. But if we do anything too flashy now, it might spoil the surprise for the actual event. Keeping it light is the safest bet for today."
Yuji agreed with my suggestion. If the rehearsal called for an appeal, we'd settle for a casual spar.
"One more thing, Yuji. Just to be safe..."
"Hm?"
"Don't pull any of the moves you used during that spar in the Clothing Lab the other day, okay? That actually hurt."
"Ah... right. Of course. Sorry about that, Daiki. I was a bit on edge back then..."
"I get it, but just keep it in mind."
"Got it."
Yuji's expression soured slightly, so I left it at that. If I pushed the point too hard, some "unfortunate accident" might actually happen during the rehearsal. It was always important to know when to quit while you were ahead.
We chatted for a while longer until Hirasaka-sensei walked through the front door, dressed in a tracksuit.
"Hey. Everyone, get to your seats. We're starting homeroom."
At his command, the students who had been standing around scrambled back to their desks. Once everyone was settled, Hirasaka-sensei finished the morning formalities and began the briefing.
"Alright. As you know, today is the full run-through for the sports festival. There were a lot of last-minute changes, so you might be confused, but make sure you verify the procedures so tomorrow goes off without a hitch. Most importantly: do not be late when your event is called for assembly."
"Yes, sir!" the class replied in unison.
"The rehearsal is scheduled to end by noon. However, in the afternoon, we have venue setup, equipment prep, and pep rallies for each group, so don't slack off. A lot of you seem unmotivated about this festival, but it'll look pathetic if you get a last-minute injury and have to spend the whole day watching from the sidelines."
A few bitter laughs rippled through the room. The students were well aware of their own lack of enthusiasm. Hirasaka-sensei seemed to sense the mood, cleared his throat, and wrapped things up.
"Anyway, there's nothing else to report, so we'll end HR here. The rehearsal starts immediately, so head out to the sports field now."
The sound of other classes moving through the hallways reached us. Hirasaka-sensei gave the final cue.
"...Day monitor."
"Stand. Bow."
"Thank you very much!"
As the students bowed, Hirasaka-sensei hurried out of the room. Time to get to work.
We navigated the congested entrance and stepped out onto the field, which was already teeming with students in gym clothes.
"The entrance was packed, but there's already a huge crowd out here..." I noted.
"No point lingering in the classroom. We have to be here anyway, so everyone just comes out early," Yuji replied.
"I guess so."
I gave Yuji a distracted answer as I scanned the field. My eyes landed on a corner of the field—near the first-year assembly area—where a peculiar group had gathered.
Those were...
"So that's the one. The problematic first-year explorer group," Yuji muttered, his voice laced with irritation as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm. They really stick out, don't they?"
"...Yeah."
Even from a distance, it was obvious. The other first-years were keeping their distance, pointedly avoiding the cluster of students surrounding the repeating student who acted as their leader. While only a few looked at them with open hostility, most of the first-years seemed to be feigning ignorance out of discomfort. I see. From the look of it, those undecided students could easily be swayed to the side of the repeating students if the momentum shifted. At this rate, things might get ugly after summer break... or perhaps even after this sports festival, depending on the results. For Mika's sake, I needed to use this festival to send a strong message of deterrence, even if it meant showing off a bit.
As I stared at the Repeating Student Group and solidified my plan for the club activity introduction, Shigemori spoke up from behind us.
"Whoa, what's with you two? You look like you're about to pick a fight."
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing..."
"It doesn't look like nothing. You've got this aura like you're ready to charge... wait, huh?"
Shigemori, who had been warning us with a strained smile, followed our gaze. When he saw the source of our mood, he tilted his head in confusion.
"...What is it, Shigemori?"
"No, it's just... I recognized someone over there. It's rare to see him."
"...You know him?"
"A-Ah, yeah, sort of. You mean that guy, right?"
Shigemori pointed toward the problematic repeating student.
"He was in the same class as me last year."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I heard he went into a dungeon around last November, got seriously injured, and had to take a leave of absence. I guess he finally returned to school..."
So he really did know him. To think Shigemori was former classmates with that guy... Well, that worked out perfectly. I wanted to know more about his character. Yuji looked like he was itching to hear more as well.
"Hey, Shigemori? Could you tell us a bit more about him?"
"Hm? I don't mind, but we weren't close, so I don't know the details."
"Just a general idea of what he's like is fine. Please."
"Well, if that's all you need..."
Despite his slight hesitation, Shigemori began to explain what he knew about the repeating student.
"First off, his name is Hisashi Goto. He's a first-year because he repeated, but he's our age."
Shigemori pointed toward the dark-skinned student who was wearing his gym clothes with a delinquent flair.