A handful of students had already gathered on the rooftop, looking down at the bonfire being prepared in the schoolyard.
A few were still in their aprons; their stalls had likely sold out, and they were finally taking a breather after finishing the cleanup.
Now then... we should probably stake out a spot for ourselves.
"Should we stick to the corner? It’ll be even more of a spectacle if Kuroki, Miyama, and Yuria are all standing together."
I didn’t want to draw any more attention than necessary, so I suggested a secluded corner of the rooftop.
"A-A spectacle... well, if it bothers you, Ryouta, I don't mind."
Yuria, my reliable understander, readily agreed to my suggestion.
As we waited for Kuroki and Miyama, Yuria and I looked down at the ground, watching the preparations for the bonfire.
"By the way, Yuria, don't you have to help with that? You're an Executive Committee Member, aren't you?"
"Apparently, the male teachers and the guys on the committee are handling the setup, so the rest of us have some free time. In exchange, we're stuck with the tedious stuff like equipment checks and accounting once the Cultural Festival is totally over."
"Huh, I see."
Looking closely, only guys were working down on the field.
"Why did you join the Cultural Festival Executive Committee in the first place? You don't seem like the type to volunteer for that kind of thing."
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm a woman of action when the time comes!"
"...Is that a sex joke?"
"No, it's not! Don't lump me in with you!"
Yuria snapped back at me with a sharp retort.
Lump her in with me... she made it sound like my very existence was a lewd joke.
"The... the reason I joined was because it looked like Rui was going to be stuck with it."
"Kuroki?"
"Everyone in our class is always 'Rui this' and 'Rui that,' dumping every single task on her shoulders, right? Sure, Rui can do anything and she's perfect at everything she tries... but it has to be exhausting. I figured if I volunteered, I could lighten her load a bit."
For Kuroki's sake, huh?
Come to think of it, Yuria volunteering to play the Prince Role was also about wanting to reduce the burden on Kuroki.
Well, the play ended up with a Double Cast in the end, though...
"Wait, Ryouta, why are you grinning?"
"No, it's just... you're a really good friend, Yuria."
"Wh-What’s that... are you actually praising me?"
"Yeah. I’ve never really had proper friends myself, so I don't think I'd have the confidence to go that far for someone else."
If I were in Yuria's shoes, I don't think I could have been that self-sacrificing.
That’s exactly why I felt a genuine sense of respect for her.
"Then, just as an example, what if Tanaka was about to be made a committee member?"
"I’d make Tanaka do it."
"That's cold."
"She needs to work on her social skills, after all."
"I can’t argue with that."
"Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Just as we were finishing our roast of Tanaka, Kuroki and Miyama appeared at the rooftop entrance... wait.
"H-Hey, what's with all that?"
The two of them walked toward us, their hands full of plastic bags stuffed with food.
"We bought up everything that was left over at the half-price sales! You know, for the SDG-whatever!"
"Even so... good grief."
That might be sustainable for the planet, but if Miyama’s chest gets even bigger from all that food, it’s inevitably going to increase my personal tissue consumption. In the end, it’s a wash, isn't it?
"Let's all eat until the bonfire starts!"
Well, if her massive breasts get even bigger, I guess anything goes.
As long as I can see some big tits, I'm satisfied. I decided to stop overthinking it.