The fourth week of the cultural festival has begun.
Of course, everyone in the class has become more busy, and it’s nearly 9 o’clock with some starting to head back.
And within that chaos, I…
“Uh, M-Miyauchi-san. I’ll, um, take a look inside…”
“Thanks for your hard work today, Kayanoh-san.”
For some reason, things were still quite calm.
Actually, to be precise, we left school a bit later than usual.
That’s because the number of decorations we had to make has increased.
But even considering that, the average after-school time was still before 5:30.
Miyauchi-san said it was fine since she also had work at home with flyers, and no classmates seemed to express any light complaints.
No matter how much I came home to work on flyers, that fact of leaving early during the festival prep period wouldn’t change.
…Why?
After some contemplation, I finally realized.
Oh, I see.
It’s a little uncomfortable for others when I stick around in the classroom for too long…!
Usually, I head home right away without participating in any group activities or having any conversations with my classmates, so it would naturally be a bit awkward for them if I kept hanging around.
That I just now picked up on this…
Heh. I guess I’ll have to return my title as the perceptive outsider….
★
I was preparing a total of five flyers.
Since the aim was to catch people’s attention, I thought it would be good to cater to a variety of tastes.
At first, I was worried there might be issues with the budget, but thankfully, Miyauchi-san assured me that there were plenty of funds available.
Of course, that meant more work for me, and it still felt like it would take about a day to finish.
[Izumi Kainoh: How about this design?]
[Suzuha Koga: Wouldn’t it be better to add a bit more detail? It feels kind of empty compared to the others.]
“Hmmm…”
Those were some pretty solid suggestions.
After all, adding a bit of detail wouldn’t take too long, and I also felt it might be lacking, just like Koga said.
Maybe I could add a picture of a slice of bread in the corner…
[Suzuha Koga: I suspected this when Izumi said she wanted to do a drawing stream during the last broadcast.]
[Suzuha Koga: Wow, you’re drawing much better than I expected! (＞Д＜)ゝ]
With that decision made, as I started playing with the tablet pen, Koga sent me a DM.
[Izumi Kainoh: Thank you….]
I loved drawing even back in my previous life, so being praised like this certainly made me happy.
Well, that said, I didn’t flaunt it in various communities or anything.
I learned from my previous life that communities can be an endless hell once you get involved.
Becoming famous comes with its own set of troubles, and being unknown brings its own frustrations as well.
You get nitpicked over even the smallest remarks, plus there are annoying situations galore.
So, if I just avoid communities altogether from the start, that solves everything.
Plus, I’m not planning on working in a profession related to drawing, so I have even less reason to join one.
My drawings are just fine to show to the people around me.
“Hmmm.”
But if I were to actually start a drawing stream, I have no idea when would be a good time.
My manager said it’d be fine to start whenever, but for some reason, starting right away feels a bit embarrassing.
…Maybe I’ll think about it after the cultural festival is over?
★
[Izumi Kainoh: Are you really going to come?]
[Yukari Akabane: Is it not okay?]
[Izumi Kainoh: That’s not it, but there are a lot of tastier things in the world….]
[Yukari Akabane: I want to go back to high school for the nostalgia (≧∀≦)ゞ]
[Izumi Kainoh: Understood. I’ll send you the code for entry when it’s issued.]
[Yukari Akabane: Thank you!]
It seems my plan of exchanging a gift card for an expensive meal so that we’d both be satisfied is going to fail.
What if Akabane-san comes to our high school and finds the food subpar?
We’d just end up hurting each other’s feelings….
B-but today is still Tuesday.
Her mind might change tomorrow, so I won’t give up hope.
“M-Miyauchi-san. I’ll, um, head in now…”
“Oh, Kayanoh-san. Can you send me the original files of the completed flyers by 8 PM when you get home? The printing house said it would be good if they could process them today.”
“Yes. I’ll send them right away.”
I was already planning to finish the final touches and send them off the moment I got home.
Thanks to Koga’s help, they turned out at a pretty high quality, so I bet Miyauchi-san would be impressed.
I hope she appreciates that I left early during the festival prep for this.
If Miyauchi-san or the other classmates think they’re subpar, I’ll be in big trouble….
I might not be able to walk around with my head held high in class anymore.
…Not that I usually do.
“Well then, see you tomorrow, Kayanoh-san.”
“Ah, goodbye….”
…But thinking about it, I’ve received quite a bit of help from Koga this time; I shouldn’t just brush by that, right?
Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.
I should express my gratitude with a small gift or something.
“Hmmm.”
What would be good?
Koga had mentioned she likes to drink iced chocolate at the cafe, right?
So I could get her an iced chocolate and dessert set.
Having made up my mind, I immediately activated the app and opened the message thread with Koga.
“Phew…”
Sending DMs isn’t something I do often, so it felt a bit nerve-wracking.
I mean, come to think of it, I’ve only done it once before.
That one time when I suggested we collaborate.
Recalling how chaotic that moment was only made me more anxious.
[Izumi Kainoh: Koga-san. Thank you so much for your help with the flyers for the cultural festival.]
[Izumi Kainoh: Is it alright if I express my gratitude?]
I figured I’d get a reply as soon as I got home, right?
Just as I was thinking that, Koga replied before I even had the chance to close the app.
[Suzuha Koga: Well, I don’t mind, but if you want to do something, feel free.]
[Suzuha Koga: I’ll decline anything too expensive, though.]
[Suzuha Koga: Something small is fine too. I just want to feel like I’m back in high school again.]
[Suzuha Koga: Got it? I had fun too, so I’m okay with something really small! (o^-’)b]
…As expected, Koga is so kind.
I was touched that she’d try to lessen the burden, no matter what I was overthinking.
[Izumi Kainoh: W-well, would an iced chocolate and dessert set be okay?]
[Izumi Kainoh: I remember you said you liked iced chocolate last time….]
“Hehe…”
Since I’m remembering something she casually mentioned during our last chat, I bet she’ll be happy about the gift.
Maybe she’ll even praise me for being more perceptive than before?
This could be the start of my journey to become a super popular person!
[Suzuha Koga: …Okay. I’ll enjoy it. Thank you so much. ( ´･ω･)]
“…Huh?”
What’s this? She doesn’t sound that thrilled….
[Izumi Kainoh: Is there something else you’d like instead?]
[Suzuha Koga: No, really. Thank you. I’ll enjoy it (￣▽￣)V]
I felt a little uneasy about it, but I decided to dismiss those thoughts.
It’s foolish to keep obsessing over problems I can’t resolve with my own abilities.
Besides, I didn’t actually do anything wrong….
★
[Yukari Akabane: I’m thinking of going on Friday; what time should I come?]
“…Oh.”
My working hours are from the morning until 1 PM. After that, I’m free.
Normally, I’d just go to an empty classroom and mess around on my phone.
Well, I’ll do that tomorrow only.
[Izumi Kainoh: You should come to the front of Shiodome Private High School after 1 PM.]
[Yukari Akabane: Got it. See you on Friday then! ヾ(‘▽’)]
Before I know it, the cultural festival will finally start tomorrow.
Fortunately, the flyers I sent were received very favorably.
Miyauchi-san said they had a much higher quality compared to those of other classes with similar themes.
Well, considering how long it took and the help from Koga, it would have been even more bizarre if the quality was low.
“Sigh.”
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
To be honest, I didn’t feel excited about the day before the festival.
I’d been leaving school early each day and handling the flyer production almost entirely on my own.
Still.
“I hope it goes well…”
The fact that everyone put in effort is undeniable, and I’m definitely part of that, right?
…Right?
Either way, I hope the result satisfies everyone.
★
[1-A Class Cosplay Cafe!]
As I arrived at the classroom early in the morning, there was a signboard in front of the door.
The cute drawings and the paper decorations I made added a nice touch.
…Come to think of it, I usually arrive early and just lie on my desk; they probably rearranged everything for today’s activity.
So where exactly am I supposed to sit?
As I hesitated to open the door while contemplating this, I realized I couldn’t just stand there forever, so I slowly opened the sliding door.
“Wow…”
I couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
My balloon art was beautifully displayed alongside curtains, and there was a faint aroma of coffee, likely from a fragrance spray.
The desk was covered with a clean white cloth, giving a neat impression, with the menu neatly arranged on top.
Of course, compared to a professional cafe, it was lacking in some ways, but I felt that those imperfections showcased everyone’s passion beautifully.
“Oh, Kayanoh-san.”
“Yikes…!”
“What’s up? You always come at this time, huh?”
“Probably.”
Feeling startled when I turned around, there stood Miyauchi-san and Tateyama-san.
“You both came in so early…”
I was trembling in surprise, yet somehow managed to speak up.
Thanks to the broadcasting and Koga, my communication skills had really come in handy.
“Today’s the cultural festival, and I’m the class representative, so I came early to check if there’s anything left to be done.”
“I’m the one who proposed the cosplay cafe, so I thought I’d come help Miyauchi.”
“Oh, I see.”
What should I do?
If it were any other day, I’d have my head down on the desk during this time, so I wouldn’t usually have a chance to have a conversation like this.
But suddenly sitting down and putting my head on the desk would seem weird.
I need to find a way to escape….
“What do you think, Kayanoh-san? Isn’t the atmosphere pretty lively?”
As I was racking my brain, Miyauchi-san asked me.
To be honest, I wanted nothing more than to run away, but I figured that wouldn’t do right now.
After all, I’m also, uh, a member of Class 1-A?
“Yes… I can feel how hard everyone worked, so it feels nice…”
“Right? Everyone really put in the effort! As the proposer, I’m so proud!”
“Oh, and everyone loved the flyers you sent, Kayanoh-san. They said they turned out amazing.”
“I saw that too. Did you draw all the pictures on the flyers?”
“Ah, um, y-yes…”
“That’s truly impressive!”
S-someone save me….
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