— — — — — —
The school festival entered its second day.
Today was open to the general public, and so the staff, including Oikawa Tōru, were a little tense.
Which was only natural.
Sobu High was one of the most famous private schools in Chiba, and on festival day, plenty of nearby residents and prospective applicants would come by. On top of that, it was Saturday, so many parents showed up to support their kids. From early morning, the campus buzzed with an energy it had never seen before.
Laughter and chatter filled the air everywhere.
Fortunately, after yesterday's full rehearsal, the students had mostly settled into a rhythm. They greeted the outside visitors smoothly, everything running in orderly fashion.
As the vice executive committee, Oikawa didn't actually have that much to do.
Most of his time was spent wandering around campus, checking whether any classes were running activities that violated their applications.
"Violations," in this case, meant holding something completely different from what they had originally submitted. Bait-and-switch.
Like Class 3-B right in front of him.
Their application said "Mine Cart Adventure." Passengers would sit in a slowly moving cart and admire the decorations and miniature models inside. Basically a sightseeing ride. Not exactly thrilling. Probably just some props and paintings hung around the classroom.
But judging by yesterday's lukewarm reception… They had quietly upgraded it to a roller coaster.
The occasional screams coming from inside made that obvious enough.
Honestly, their ability to improvise was impressive.
Unfortunately, it was still a violation.
"Is the person in charge here? Your exhibition content doesn't match what you submitted."
The girl handling reception at the door froze the moment she saw Oikawa's armband.
"Our luck is terrible!"
"They caught us already!"
"Quick, drag him inside. If he rides it, he might change his mind!"
Several boys from Class 3-B rushed over with predatory grins.
"Let's not do that," Oikawa said quickly, raising both hands. "All you need to do is submit updated paperwork and put up a notice at the entrance explaining the ride so visitors can choose whether they want to board."
The students blinked, stunned.
They hadn't expected their rule-breaking to be forgiven so easily.
"Y-you're serious?"
The person in charge suddenly popped out from somewhere.
"Yep. Just follow what I said. Your attraction is pretty intense. Some visitors might have heart conditions."
Oikawa had never intended to make trouble in the first place.
It was a festival, after all. The point was for everyone to have fun. No need to make things difficult.
"Got it, I'll have someone post a notice right away." The leader grinned, then added, "Want to try our Mine Cart Adventure? It's really exciting. Free of charge."
"I'll pass."
Oikawa glanced through the window and immediately abandoned what little curiosity he had.
The cave setup was actually pretty good.
There were glowing "ores" lit by LED lights, crystal skulls, foam rocks, and bats hanging from strings swooping back and forth.
But the execution was completely unhinged.
Four burly students dressed head-to-toe in black were manually pushing the mine cart along tracks made from desks, wooden planks, and metal sheets.
Seriously.
A hand-powered roller coaster?
If someone lost control, the cart would launch straight off and send riders flying face-first into the floor. It was absurd. Absurdity opening the door for even more absurdity.
"What a shame," the leader said regretfully.
After getting him to sign a quick acknowledgment, Oikawa left.
The third-year area's theme was Pet Inn.
Students had brought various pets from home, and the classroom walls were covered in photos of animals.
Yukino Yukinoshita stood outside, secretly peeking in.
Oikawa followed her line of sight. She was staring at a photo of a kitten.
"If you want to see them, why not go in?"
Yukino paced back and forth several times but never pushed the door open.
"There are dogs inside."
Oikawa knew she had zero resistance to cats, but he hadn't realized she was afraid of dogs. The contrast was oddly cute.
"And… people would see me."
Probably meaning that if others saw her completely losing composure while playing with cats, it would damage the authority of the executive committee chair.
Oikawa understood.
"But... These cats are so adorable, right?"
Yukino nodded immediately. She seemed to have forgotten her duties entirely, as if her whole mind had sunk into a sea of cats.
"If you like them so much, why not keep one?"
"This... My apartment doesn't allow pets. And I don't have enough time to take care of one."
Her eyes dimmed slightly.
Then after about four or five minutes, she finally tore her gaze away from the kittens with visible reluctance.
"Let's go. It's about to start."
"Yeah. Time to begin."
Without another word, Oikawa and Yukino headed together toward the central venue in the gymnasium.
A large crowd had already gathered outside.
After entering through the back door, Oikawa glanced toward the center. The audience seats were completely full, and people without chairs were standing at the very back, waiting to watch.
"Looks like we didn't prepare enough chairs. Should we bring more?"
"These were set according to the attendance from the most popular festival a few years ago," one of the students responsible for setup explained nervously.
"There's no time. The performance's about to start. Even if we bring more, the gym can't fit them," someone else added.
Oikawa looked at the packed hall and shook his head. If they tried to bring in more chairs now, they might not even be able to accommodate the people already here.
"Let's just leave it."
At that moment, applause rippled through the crowd. The stage lights snapped on, and a symphony ensemble appeared at center stage.
"This isn't part of the competition program, is it?"
Oikawa stared at the orchestra members. Then his eyes landed on the woman standing in the center, wearing a white floral hairpiece, holding a baton, dressed in a deep blue evening gown.
Haruno Yukinoshita.
The sight was striking enough to take his breath away.
If this were a novel, she would unquestionably be the main heroine.
Standing among the crowd, Haruno shone like a dazzling star, making everyone around her feel overshadowed.
"Probably not," Yukino said. The performance wasn't on the official program list. She seemed just as surprised by Haruno's appearance.
Most likely, the school had invited her.
Though it wouldn't be surprising if Haruno had come on her own. She was a complete and utter sister-obsessive, after all.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
Under the brilliant spotlights, Haruno lightly lifted the hem of her dress and gave the audience a graceful bow.
In that instant, the entire gym fell silent.
Every gaze converged on her.
But Haruno just closed her eyes.
A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she were savoring a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Then—
The baton in her hand rose slowly.
The moment she opened her eyes, her arm swept through the air, and the baton followed.
Music like something heavenly filled the hall.
The violins came first, soft and flowing.
Then trumpets, cellos, recorders, one instrument after another layered in, weaving together a breathtaking musical tapestry.
The melody sounded familiar, something close to jazz, blended with classical harmonies. It felt carefree yet grounded, expressive without losing itself.
At first, some players seemed a little uncertain.
But under Haruno's direction, they quickly found their rhythm. These former students delivered a vivid, lively performance for the audience.
The atmosphere was electric, rivaling an idol concert.
.
.
.