The sight before me was a far cry from the school’s usual sober, sturdy atmosphere. The halls were a riot of color, festooned with vibrant, boisterous decorations that caught my eye as I walked toward my classroom, passing several others along the way. I had a general idea of what each class was planning from the rumors and the school festival pamphlets, but seeing them in person was different. A few of the attractions were impressively professional in their construction.
You could tell which classes were truly committed; they were really going all out. I wondered if the students who were good at building things had taken the lead on those.
Watching Mika and her group had already given me an inkling, but the floor with the first-year classrooms felt like a full-blown shopping district. It was great that they were so fired up for their first high school festival, but I had to wonder how much time they had sunk into just the exteriors.
By contrast, the upperclassman attractions mostly seemed to focus on the interiors. At most, they had some pop-up displays taped to the doors or windows, or perhaps a cute, handmade sign. The first-years, however, had draped their rooms in colorful party tinsel, flag garlands, and paper flowers. There were even classes shimmering with rainbow-colored LED lights.
Wasn't this... a bit much?
"I just hope Mika and her friends don't end up with burnout syndrome once the school festival is over..."
The first-years were likely cutting loose because the stress of the Repeating Student explorer recruitment incident involving Goto-kun’s group had finally dissipated. It had ended on a somewhat sour note, but they were finally free from the mental strain of that whole ordeal.
They had overcome the trials of entrance exams only to have their long-awaited high school life turned into a suffocating experience by the reckless actions of a few. Given the sense of liberation they must feel now, I suppose their enthusiasm was only natural.
"Well, there's no point worrying about the aftermath before things even start. It's not like a dungeon where lives are at stake. For now, it’s a good thing they’re enjoying the festival with everything they’ve got."
Even if they did hit a slump afterward, I could always revive them. I was out of marbled minotaur meat, but a regular minotaur meat barbecue held under the guise of a club wrap-up party would likely do the trick. We had proven to ourselves just the other day that delicious food was the best way to lift one's spirits.
I'd have to consult with Yuji and the others about it later.
"Yeah... this looks about right."
Compared to the first-year floor, the decorations on the outside of my own classroom—which were supposed to be reasonably festive—seemed meager. We didn't need to go as far as rainbow LEDs, but maybe we should have put a little more thought into the decor.
Feeling a slight pang of regret, I looked over our class display one last time and stepped into the classroom. Lively voices were already drifting out from inside.
"Morning."
As I offered my greeting, I saw that more than half the class had already arrived, despite being told there was no need to rush. Since the interior decorating had been finished yesterday, most of them were standing around chatting. We had set out tables with tablecloths for the guests, but there weren't nearly enough chairs for the whole class to sit down at once.
The chatter mostly revolved around the first-years' elaborate exteriors. I guess everyone else had noticed them too. Given the route from the entrance, you couldn't really miss them even if you weren't looking.
"Good morning, Kokonoe-kun. You're here early? Like I said yesterday, you didn't have to push yourself."
"My sister wanted to leave early, so I just timed it with her."
"I see. Well, as you can see, a lot of others had the same idea."
Azuma-san, the girl serving as our class's executive committee member, spoke to me as I walked in. As the person in charge, she had naturally come in early, but she seemed surprised to find over half the class already present.
Since the room had been rearranged into a cafe and lacked seating for everyone, she lamented slightly that it would have been more convenient if people had arrived as late as possible. We only had enough chairs for about half the class, after all.
"Looks like it... Anything I can help with?"
"I'm all set, actually. Most of the morning prep is done, so just hang out and chat with the others. Oh, but do double-check the staff rotation just in case."
"Got it. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thanks."
After a quick confirmation, Azuma-san bustled off. From what she said, the food items for the cafe had already been delivered, and we were ready to open as soon as the clock struck ten. At this stage, trying to force myself into a task would probably just get in the way. The best way to help was simply to be ready when called upon.
However, that meant I had a fair bit of time to kill. Yuji and Hiiragi-san... didn't seem to be here yet. In that case... Ah, perfect.
"Morning, Shigemori. You're here early too?"
"Hm? Oh, Kokonoe. Morning. Yeah, I just woke up early for some reason. I figured I'd come in and see if there was any work to do. What about you?"
"Timed it with my sister's departure."
Shigemori was among the early arrivals, so I joined him for some small talk to pass the time. He looked like he'd already done his part; apparently, he’d arrived ten minutes before me and helped Azuma-san and the others with the food delivery.
Though, calling it "delivery" was a bit of a stretch—he’d mostly just been loading plastic bottles into coolers filled with ice water.
"Industrial-grade desserts these days are impressive," Shigemori noted. "Apparently, you just let them thaw naturally for about an hour and they're ready to serve. And since they’re frozen solid, they don't lose their shape even if they get bumped around during transport."
"Huh. So that’s what industrial-grade desserts are like now."
"Yeah. I imagined they’d be plain and utilitarian, but I checked a few, and the presentation is actually quite good. Azuma-san said they’re the same ones used in hotel and restaurant buffets."
"Then the guests shouldn't be disappointed."
Though they might get a sense of déjà vu, feeling like they'd eaten them somewhere before... Still, the quality was guaranteed to be higher than anything we could have made ourselves, so we just had to hope people would overlook that.
In that sense, our class was positioned perfectly as a simple place to stop and take a breather.
"Right. They're only thawing what they need, but because of the expiration dates, Azuma-san said she'd distribute any leftovers to whoever wants them at the end of the day. If you want to try some, you should let her know then."
"Oh, that's good to hear. Though, if there are enough left over to hand out, it means we didn't have many customers... It’s a bit of a mixed feeling."
"True. Well, they’ve got industrial-grade desserts for about a hundred people. If it gets busy, I doubt there'll be any left."
"A hundred people? That's quite a lot."
Wait, did they really order that many? They’d mentioned having dry snacks too; wasn't that a bit of an overstock?
"The industrial boxes come with a fair amount in each. By the time they ordered a few different varieties, it totaled about a hundred servings. Each portion is small, though, so they figured if people order a few at a time, they’ll be gone in no time... Well, what will be, will be."
"I see. Hotel buffet desserts are usually bite-sized. I usually grab a bunch at once myself... so maybe a hundred servings really will go fast."
"They're trying to minimize leftovers, so Azuma-san and the others were talking about suggesting dessert platter sets to the customers."
"Ah, so that’s what they’ve been working on."
Following Shigemori’s gaze, I saw Azuma-san and several other girls huddled around one of the few available desks, making something. Hearing his explanation, it finally clicked. They were likely panicking because the actual quantity of the products was more daunting than it had looked in the catalog.
It wasn't every day that ordinary people ordered industrial-grade desserts in bulk, after all. These sorts of "more than I expected" situations were common.
"They were debating what to charge for a set. Since they hadn't planned for set menus, the pricing is tricky. Do they just sum up the individual prices, or do they offer a discount? And if they do a discount, how much should they take off?"
"They originally planned to just charge the sum of the items. If they give too much of a discount, they’ll fall below cost and end up in the red."
"The goal was just to break even or make a tiny profit so they could keep the prices low for the guests."
"If they suddenly try to calculate a discounted set menu now, the accounting will be a nightmare. Even if there's no real 'deal,' wouldn't it be easier to just sum up the individual prices? It's not like we're running a permanent business; it's just a one-day school festival."
In a real shop, a bargain price is a way to build a loyal customer base, but that doesn't really apply to a festival stall. Since we were already offering low prices by ignoring profit, I didn't think anyone would complain about a simple summation. Even then, it would probably be less than half the cost of a normal cafe.
As I chatted with Shigemori, time slipped away. Eventually, Yuji arrived at his usual time and called out to us.
"Morning, you two. You seem to be having a lively discussion. Did you get here quite early?"
"Morning. I arrived with Mika. Shigemori was..."
"Morning. I just woke up early today, so I figured I’d come in."
"I see. No wonder the path to school was so deserted. I actually panicked for a second, thinking I might be late."
It seemed things had played out exactly as I’d imagined. When the streets are quieter than usual, you can’t help but feel a sudden surge of anxiety.
With Yuji added to the group, the three of us continued our small talk to kill time until the morning assembly.
When the bell finally rang, our teacher entered the classroom. He looked weary and a bit melancholic, yet there was a faint, pleasant smile on his face. He’d likely been run ragged by the festival preparations. Between the usual classes and managing students who were buzzing with excitement, plus meetings with local residents and city officials... just a brief thought about it was enough to make me feel tired.
The teacher glanced around the room and addressed us.
"Well then, everyone, the school festival is finally upon us. I know you've all worked hard and cooperated as a class to prepare for this day. Today is your chance to show those results to the local community, your parents, and the middle schoolers who might be joining us next year. This is one of the few large-scale events in your school life, and while I want you to let loose and have fun, please remember to act in a manner that wouldn't bring shame to a student of this school."
He paused, scanning our faces. His expression soured slightly as he spoke again.
"This is the first school festival since dungeons were opened to the general public. Historically, these events always see some friction between students or with outside guests. Most issues are minor and resolved peacefully, but there are always exceptions. A heated argument is one thing, but there have been reports of brawls that pull in bystanders....Many of you in this school hold an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures, and many of our visitors will likely hold them as well. If a conflict were to escalate under those circumstances, I'm sure you can imagine how much worse it could become."
His serious gaze and somber tone threw cold water on our festive mood, and the room fell silent. Large-scale events were always breeding grounds for trouble, big or small. As the teacher said, a small squabble was manageable, but with the added factor of explorers... it was a chilling thought.
The exhaustion I'd seen on his face earlier was likely from days of debating security measures. Perhaps that melancholy look was because he hated having to be the one to dampen our spirits like this.
"Therefore, I ask you once more: please conduct yourselves as students this school can be proud of, show everyone what you've achieved, and enjoy the festival."
He bowed with an apologetic look, and we all responded with solemn, quiet nods.
We all wanted to be able to say it was a fun festival when everything was said and done.