A sharp electronic beep echoed through the quiet room. Awakened by the morning sun streaming through the gaps in the curtains, I reached for the smartphone beside my pillow to silence the alarm. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and letting out a small yawn. A lingering drowsiness remained, but my mind was mostly clear.
Perched on the edge of the bed, I gave my back a quick stretch and glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. The mark I’d made on today’s date stood out clearly.
"So, today’s finally the main event... That felt long and short at the same time."
I stood up and pulled back the curtains. Outside, the sky was a bright blue, dotted with only a few wisps of cloud. The weather report last night had predicted a mix of sun and clouds for the day, so it didn't look like I had to worry about rain.
It would have been a real dampener to hold the long-awaited school festival under a gloomy, overcast sky.
"The weather’s on our side. Now it just depends on how hard we work."
I wouldn't be able to blame a poor turnout on bad weather, though between my class’s attraction and the club’s exhibit, I didn't expect us to be exactly overwhelmed with crowds. Still, if we were going to do this, we might as well aim for a full house.
"Well, first things first: breakfast."
I left my room, headed downstairs, and washed my face in the bathroom before walking into the living room.
"Morning."
"Morning, Daiki. You're late," my mother said.
"Morning, Onii-chan!" Mika chirped.
My parents and Mika were already seated at the table. It was rare for Mika to beat me to the breakfast table, but she had mentioned yesterday that she planned to head to school early for preparations. Apparently, she needed to secure extra time to fine-tune the mechanisms of her class’s attraction.
For a mere school festival display, her class was certainly taking things seriously.
"Morning. You’re early, Mika. Already in your uniform?"
"Yep! I’ve already finished eating. I’m planning to head out in a bit."
"You’re really motivated. Did you not finish getting ready yesterday?"
"The bulk of it is done, but if we don't do some final adjustments right before the opening, things tend to go wrong. It’s fun to watch, but it’s a nightmare to run!"
Mika furrowed her brow with a serious expression, but despite her complaints about the difficulty, there was a joyful ring to her voice. I gave her a wry smile and a nod.
I took my seat and thanked my mother as she began setting my breakfast in front of me.
"By the way, Daiki, is everything okay on your end?" my father asked.
"Hm? Yeah. Our class is fine. Unlike Mika's, our setup isn't very complicated."
"I see. You seemed so relaxed that I was getting a little worried."
"I might look relaxed, but I'm leaving at the same time I always do."
As I sat down, my father watched me with a slightly dubious look. Compared to Mika, who looked like she was ready to charge out the door, my leisurely pace seemed to baffle him. I gave a small dismissive wave and explained why I wasn't in a rush.
"Maybe our class should have picked something simple like Onii-chan's..." Mika mused.
"Don't say that. When you’re a first-year, it’s more fun to do the difficult thing you actually want to do. For us, we only went with something simple because we learned the hard way last year how exhausting the alternative is. Besides, I don't think you would've gotten much support from first-years if you tried to take the easy way out from the start."
"I guess... Maybe I’ll suggest something easier next year, then."
I hoped she’d find people to agree with her. There are always plenty of students who love big events, so unless next year’s second and third-years were as focused on the explorer profession as they were this year, her class would probably end up with another high-difficulty project.
Hopefully, the student explorer scene would have calmed down a bit by next year. Or rather, the school would likely implement some kind of measures based on the chaos of this year.
"Here you go, Daiki. Sorry for the wait."
"Thanks, Mom."
While I talked with Mika and my father, my mother set down my breakfast: toast, bacon and eggs, salad, and corn soup. It was a classic Western-style breakfast plate.
I thanked her and dug in. Unlike Mika, I didn't need to rush, but I couldn't afford to dawdle forever or I’d end up being late.
"Okay, I'm heading out now."
"Oh, already?" my mother asked.
"Yeah. Don't be late, Onii-chan."
"Yeah, I know."
As I started eating, Mika stood up, grabbed her school bag from the sofa, and finished her final checks. She was ready to go.
She was leaving more than fifty minutes earlier than her usual time.
"I’ll be coming to see how you're doing later, so do your best," Mom said.
"Understood! I'll do my best."
"Mika. I can't go because of work, but good luck," Dad added.
"Thanks! Good luck with work, Dad."
"See you later, Mika."
"Yeah!"
After saying her goodbyes to everyone, Mika left the living room. A moment later, the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the house.
"And there she goes. Daiki, are you sure you’re okay leaving at the usual time?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. The final checks for our attraction will only take a few minutes before the opening ceremony starts."
"If you say so... but still..."
My mother watched me with a lingering look of concern. There really wasn't much to do, so my usual arrival time would have been perfectly sufficient. However, since she was so worried, I figured I might as well leave a little early just to put her mind at ease.
"Honey, don't worry so much. Daiki knows what he's doing."
"I know, but I can't help it. Especially with Mika leaving so early..."
"Haha."
Yeah, I’d definitely head out ahead of schedule. I watched my parents' exchange from the corner of my eye as I focused on finishing my breakfast.
After finishing my meal, I returned to my room, changed quickly, and grabbed my school bag. Instead of textbooks, it was filled with supplies for the school festival.
"Oh, you're down already?"
"Yeah, I decided to head out a bit early after all."
My mother looked visibly relieved. My father seemed to realize I was leaving early specifically for her sake, and he watched me with a silent, slightly apologetic expression.
Sigh. I ended up leaving the house nearly thirty minutes earlier than usual.
"By the way, Mom, what time are you planning to come to the school?"
"Let's see. Between eleven and twelve, I think."
"After eleven, huh? Around then I’ll be helping at my class’s attraction. If nothing goes wrong, I'm on the morning shift."
"I see. I'll drop by then."
Our class shifts were divided into three blocks: I had the morning, Hiiragi-san was on from twelve to two, and Yuji had the two to four slot. The festival itself ran from ten to four and was open to the general public, with clean-up starting immediately after. Since it was a school event, the schedule was strictly managed.
"I'll be on exhibit duty for the club and then have free time in the afternoon, so it’ll be easier to find me if you come to the classroom in the morning."
"I'll check on Mika first, then head over to your place. I heard you're running a cafe, so I want to try it."
"It's all industrial-grade instant stuff and pre-made desserts, so don't expect five-star quality, okay?"
Everything we were serving was business-use wholesale stock. While it was definitely tasty, it wasn't exactly artisanal.
"I'll look forward to it regardless."
"Sigh... Just don't be disappointed."
After a quick chat, I gave them a final nod.
"Alright, Mom, Dad, I'm off."
"Take care. Good luck!"
"Do your best."
I grabbed my bag and headed for the front door.
"I'm leaving!"
I called out loud enough for it to reach the living room and stepped out. I couldn't help but think that if I was going to leave this early anyway, I might as well have walked with Mika.
Even though it was much earlier than my usual commute, the number of people on the road was actually higher than normal. It seemed most students had the same idea: get to school early to finalize their displays. My class’s "everything's already done" attitude was likely the exception.
"Well, maybe it was a good thing I left early."
Given the crowd at this hour, if I had waited for my usual time, I probably would have been walking down a deserted street. Even though I wouldn't have been late, I might have felt like I was.
I'd only left early because my mother rushed me, but looking at the bustle around me, it was clearly the right move.
"I wonder if Yuji and Hiiragi-san are okay?"
Since they didn't have any extra club prep and their class duties were also minimal, I worried they might stick to their usual schedules. I wondered if I should have sent them a message telling them to come in early.
"...Well, it's not like they'll be late. It's fine."
They had their own morning routines, and being told to rush in at the last minute would probably just be an annoyance. I apologized to them in my head and continued my leisurely walk.
"With Mika gone, I didn't run into Saori-chan either. It’s been a while since I walked to school alone..."
Ever since Mika entered high school, we’d always walked together. Usually, she’d be chatting away, and occasionally Yuji or Saori-chan would join us to make things even louder. Walking alone in silence—not loneliness, mind you—was a nice change of pace. I could see details of the neighborhood I usually overlooked.
I took my time, enjoying the morning air and walking at my own pace, arriving at the school a little later than usual for the distance because there was no need to hurry.
"They really went all out on this Entrance Gate."
At the main gate, a garishly decorated Entrance Gate announced the festival. It was covered in bright paper flowers and vibrant illustrations intended to excite the visitors. However, the fact that there were dungeon-style runes and patterns scattered throughout the design was clearly the creators' idea of a joke. I just hoped no one was planning to have actual monsters jump out at people.
"I wonder if anyone's doing an attraction that replicates trap training for the Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures? Or maybe a documentary on monster sightings..."
It’s a tradition for people to get a bit carried away during events like this. I couldn't entirely rule out the possibility of a guerrilla screening or some other unsanctioned stunt.
Worrying about such things, I passed through the Entrance Gate. The campus had been transformed since yesterday.
"The courtyard stalls are looking good, too..."
The first thing to catch my eye was the forest of tarp tents filling the courtyard. Beneath them, students were frantically setting up folding tables and draping them with tablecloths. There were food stalls, craft shops, and prize games of every description. Once my free time started, I’d have to make a point of walking through here.
"They're really firing on all cylinders."
At the student entrance, red traffic cones and striped poles had been set up with signs prohibiting guest entry. Visitors were supposed to use the main entrance to enter the building.
I ducked past the poles and entered the building, finding the walls plastered with posters for various class attractions—advertisements that hadn't been there yesterday. While guests might miss some of them, every student would see them at least once. It was prime advertising space.
The day of the school festival was finally here. I wondered how it would all turn out...