When we reached the school, a flamboyant arch emblazoned with the words "Cultural Festival" stood at the gate. Inside, the halls were filled with the frantic energy of students rushing to and fro, putting the final touches on their preparations.
(It really feels like it’s finally happening...)
During my first year, my class had run a choco-banana stall, but as a loner, I’d barely participated.
Usually, a loner’s cultural festival consists of sitting in a folding chair in the gymnasium, pretending to watch the drama club while actually sleeping, or finding a quiet, air-conditioned classroom to read a book.
That was exactly how I’d spent my time last year. I never would have imagined that this year I’d be entrusted with such a massive role.
And to top it off, I was doing it alongside the kind of beautiful girls I thought I’d never have anything to do with in my entire life.
"Everyone looks so busy. It really feels like a festival, doesn't it?" Rui remarked.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Ryouta-kun, what did you do for the festival last year? Were you walking around with Tanaka, by any chance?"
"Why is Tanaka’s name coming up?"
"Oh, come on. Just tell me."
Sighing, I decided to give her an honest answer since she was being so persistent.
"I wasn't with Tanaka. My class sold choco-bananas, but I was such a loner that they didn't even put me on the shift schedule. I just spent the whole time reading light novels in an empty classroom."
"What? That’s literally the most loner festival experience ever," Yuria said, deadpan.
Well, I am a loner. Deal with it.
"Hehe. That sounds just like Ryouta-kun, doesn't it?" Rui giggled.
"Kuroki, you're making fun of me, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not. Tell you what—since you shared that embarrassing story with me, I'll tell you a little secret in return."
"A secret?"
"Actually, at last year's festival, Yuria wore a maid outfit. But her thighs were so thick that her panties—"
"Wait, Rui! Cut it out!"
Yuria lunged forward, clapping a hand over Rui’s mouth with terrifying speed.
(Wait, what?! What happened to Yuria’s panties?!)
Were they visible? Or were they not?
Don't stop now! Tell me, Kuroki!
At this high school's cultural festival, the class projects were generally divided into three categories: drama, exhibitions, and stalls.
The rule was that exhibitions and stalls were held in the classrooms, while the drama took place in the gymnasium.
Including our class, there were five classes performing plays this year. When you added the drama club, that meant six groups would each give one performance in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Each group was allotted thirty minutes. It was strange how, once you were actually performing, that time felt surprisingly long.
"I wonder if the others have started getting ready yet?" Rui asked.
"Probably," Yuria replied. "Our play is second in the lineup. Come on, we need to hurry too."
With Yuria leading the way, we hurried to our classroom. Preparations were already well underway.
The culture club girls, who were in charge of the costumes, were doing final checks. The athletic club guys, responsible for the large props, were hauling set pieces down to the gymnasium. Hino, our executive committee member, was huddled with a group of otaku girls who were handling the script and direction, discussing the lighting cues.
Seeing my classmates—people who usually just joked around—working together with such serious focus made the pressure of being the lead feel like a heavy weight on my shoulders.
(Oh man... the nerves are coming back...)
"Hey! There you three are!"
A voice called out from behind us. It was Miyama.
"Airi, you’re late. Today is the big day, you know?" Yuria chided.
"Sorry, sorry!"
Miyama apologized, trying to flatten a piece of bedhead that was sticking up.
Oversleeping even on the day of the festival... It was impressive, in a way. Or perhaps just exactly what I should have expected.
"More importantly, Ryouta! The girls from the costume team I just passed said they want Dwarf-Airi and Snow White-Ryouta to walk around the halls to attract some customers!"
"P-Promotion? Why can't you, Kuroki, and Ichinose do that?"
"Well... apparently the prince costumes were rented from a really high-end place, so they don't want us wearing them anywhere but on the stage."
"Are you serious? So Snow White and the dwarf costumes are fair game?"
"Yep! Airi and Ryouta’s outfits are just cheap cosplay stuff we bought at Don☆Ki!"
And there it was—the harsh reality of our class hierarchy.
Because Kuroki and Yuria had die-hard fans of both genders in the class, almost the entire budget had been funneled into their costumes.
In comparison, the Snow White costume was a bargain-bin find from Don☆Ki...
"Alright, Ryouta, Airi! Off to the dressing room. Let’s go!"