Bab 177: The Meeting (Long Chapter)
Time returned to its usual tranquility, and the entire school was busy preparing for the upcoming School Anniversary. Usually, the hours after school were the most boisterous.
Even the teachers had become significantly busier, often working overtime to help the students prepare the logistics for the School Anniversary—don't think being a teacher is easy; many of these things require a teacher's supervision.
Today was the time for the regular late-stage meeting of the School Anniversary Executive Committee. Akishin and Shizuka once again headed to the meeting room.
"It's no wonder it's Yukinoshita. The School Anniversary work is organized so well that I've become quite relaxed. Ah, how comfortable~ Akishin, you have no idea how much chaos I had to clean up last year..."
Shizuka slumped over the table while complaining, her ample chest pressed against the desk until it slightly changed shape, looking like a salted fish coming back to life.
By chance, Shiromeguri Meguri, who had just entered, overheard this. Her body stiffened, and her face turned red at an invisible speed. She turned to give Akishin a small, apologetic smile before quickly taking her seat.
She was the one who served as the Chairperson of the School Anniversary Executive Committee last year. Overall, last year's festival was quite successful, and both the school and students were satisfied, but...
Indeed, due to a lack of experience, there had been a lot of chaos!
That had caused quite a bit of trouble for Hiratsuka-sensei.
Thinking of this point, Shiromeguri Meguri covered her face with both hands. Ugh~, I'm so embarrassed.
Akishin held his teacup, glancing at Shizuka—who hadn't realized she'd just wounded the heart of an honor student—and agreed. "Yukinoshita-san is indeed doing a fine job."
He looked appreciatively toward the cold and beautiful figure sitting at the top-center position. The girl had a serious expression, looking through the documents in her hand page by page, meticulously and flawlessly.
Even if placed in a large corporation, with a little training and adaptation, she was a talent capable of becoming a high-level executive.
After all, she was a daughter of the Yukinoshita family...
After taking office, Yukinoshita Yukino immediately demonstrated her ability to mobilize the entire Executive Committee—rearranging schedules, giving comprehensive announcements to all committees, and requiring every group to report progress daily to facilitate tracking...
Everything was going very smoothly.
When the Media Publication group felt confused about where to put up posters, she analyzed the flow of movement and differences in crowd volume on a map, then gave rational instructions.
When the Personnel Coordination group struggled because they couldn't recruit enough performers, she created local awards and, in Akishin's name (with his consent), proposed prizes from the school.
She took a little advantage of the students' interests and then mobilized them through the school broadcast to encourage registration. The results were extraordinary.
Hachiman and Yui worked hard to share Yukino's burden, with Hachiman shouldering eighty percent of it.
The three of them managed the Executive Committee together in an orderly fashion, occasionally chatting and laughing; the atmosphere was very harmonious. Before they knew it, the Executive Committee had held several regular meetings.
When the last person arrived, Yukino stood up, looked at the members in the meeting room, and announced, "Well then, let's begin the regular meeting. I look forward to working with you."
"We look forward to working with you."
Everyone bowed their heads slightly in response, showing respect.
Yukino sat back down, turning to nod at the two teachers. The first agenda item was the progress report from each group.
"First, I'll ask the Media Publication group to give their report."
"The planned poster placement areas are seventy percent complete, and poster production progress has reached about half."
The head of the Media Publication group stood up to report their progress.
Yukino thought for a moment, glanced at Hachiman, then shook her head. "That is still not enough, and it's a bit slow."
"!!!"
That unexpected statement triggered a slight commotion, but it quickly subsided.
Hachiman stood up, his voice a bit heavy. "The School Anniversary is only three weeks away. Considering the time for guests to adjust their schedules, it should have been finished by now... Are the negotiations with the shops for placement and the website creation complete?"
"Not yet..."
Facing the standing Hachiman, the people who were noisy earlier instinctively fell silent.
Hachiman looked at the person and emphasized, "Please speed up your actions. If it's the general public, it might not be an issue, but parents who have children taking high school entrance exams might look at the website very carefully..."
"We... un... understand."
The head of the Media Publication group was completely deflated, sitting back down like a popped balloon.
The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly became much quieter. Yui looked at Yukino and Hachiman with enthusiasm.
The meeting continued.
"Next, the Personnel Coordination group, please report."
"...Yes. Currently, ten groups have agreed to participate."
The Coordination head reported cautiously.
Yukino asked, "Are those ten groups all internal school groups? Have you asked the local community groups? Please filter last year's participant list and try to contact them..."
"Ah, right, I'll do that immediately later..."
"The School Anniversary every year emphasizes local relations; it's best not to let the number of participating groups decrease. Besides, is the stage division finished? What about the estimated number of visitors and the stage staff assignments? Please make a schedule list and submit it to us..."
Yukino once again threw out questions and instructions one by one. The head's face turned dark, but since these questions and instructions were all logical, there wasn't even a chance to argue back.
Actually, Yukino had known about this situation for a long time; she was just bringing it up in public now to force them to change—she directly played her dominant cards in front of the teachers and everyone.
As for the Joker cards (Akishin, Shizuka), they were in her own hand, along with the backup card (Hachiman) and the Ace (Yui).
She had the absolute power to suppress any "rebellion."
Yukino wouldn't let everyone work haphazardly.
The conditions of the Health and Hygiene and Accounting Audit groups afterward were the same. Every time a head's report finished, Yukino would ask very detailed questions and give many instructions.
"Next, the Administrative Records group..."
"Nothing special to report."
The head of the Administrative Records group stood up and said, his expression not as serious as the others.
The main task of the Administrative Records group was to handle video recording and photography on the day of the School Anniversary. At this stage, there wasn't much to be busy with.
However, Yukino still gave instructions. "The records group, remember to submit the day-of schedule and equipment request forms in advance. On one hand, the amount of photography equipment in the school is limited; on the other hand, there might be other performing groups who want to document their work. To avoid schedule clashes, before the equipment is handed over, please coordinate with them..."
"...Yes."
The head of the records group was a third-year student, but even he was left speechless.
Even when facing seniors from a higher grade, Yukinoshita Yukino still made demands without any hesitation. The atmosphere on-site became increasingly awkward.
However, this was the last part. Finally, all the groups had finished their reports, and everyone took a tired breath.
But the Chairperson had no intention of ending it just like that.
She looked toward Shiromeguri Meguri and asked, "Can the task of welcoming foreign guests be handled by the Student Council?"
"Yes, leave it to us."
Shiromeguri Meguri agreed quickly. She answered immediately upon hearing the question, likely spurred by Shizuka and wanting to show her remaining capabilities.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Senpai. If the Student Council could update last year's guest list, it would be a great help to us..."
"Understood."
Meguri-senpai nodded happily. She was truly in awe of Yukino's efficiency.
Yui felt a bit awkward. She felt as if she hadn't helped at all. At least Hachiman had stood up and said a few words, while she had just sat beside Yukinon the whole time.
"Sigh~"
She couldn't help but let out a sigh.
The next second, her hand was squeezed.
"Yukinon~"
"Yuigahama-san, there's no need to sigh. You've already shared a lot of the burden for me; it's really been a big help. It's because you guys are here that I can do this so calmly and flexibly without having to think too much..." Yukino said seriously.
Yui's cherry-blossom-colored eyes sparkled slightly. She nodded firmly and said, "Yeah, I get it, Yukinon. I'll definitely do my job well."
After every group had delivered their routine reports, identified implementation problems, and found solutions, and once the next schedule was confirmed, the content to be discussed today was finally finished.
The atmosphere in the room relaxed. Some people couldn't wait to stretch their muscles, making small cracking sounds.
It was the kind of sound people make when cracking their knuckles.
Finally, Yukino stood up for the second time and announced, "Thank you for your hard work. Today's meeting ends here. I look forward to your efforts moving forward; everyone has worked hard."
"The Chairperson has worked hard."
Everyone thanked each other for their efforts before rising from their seats.
"I'm so tired, so tired... it's always like this..."
"But honestly, she's amazing, isn't she?"
"Yeah, it feels busy with piles of chores..."
"But it feels productive, right? I kind of like this feeling. I wonder if it'll be like this when we join a big company..."
"If only Yukinoshita-san could be the next Student Council President..."
Hachiman heard such conversations from many people. Everyone was praising Yukino's work ability incessantly.
Unsurprisingly, Hachiman also felt happy.
And perhaps because her ability was too strong and her appearance too striking, even within the Student Council, some members were recommending Yukino to run for the next Student Council President.
One can only say, she truly lived up to the name Yukinoshita Yukino!
"Huff~"
Shizuka looked at the stack of documents in her hand and sighed. Today, even though Yukino had organized everything very well, because she was chasing progress, she had left some hidden risks that needed help resolving.
Fortunately, they were only small detail issues.
As a Guidance Counselor, the most important thing is to be able to guide the students.
"I'm sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei, I've caused you trouble."
Yukino came over and bowed apologetically. She actually understood the problems caused by her actions, and such small issues would likely have to be handled by Hiratsuka-sensei.
"Sigh!" Shizuka looked up at Yukino in surprise. After a few seconds, she gritted her teeth and said, "Yukinoshita, you knew there was a problem but did it anyway!!"
"Yes, doing it like this has the highest efficiency."
Yukino nodded without hiding it, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. She looked a bit proud, as if causing a little trouble for her teacher was a pleasant thing.
Looking at it another way, Shizuka had set Yukino up several times; this could perhaps be considered a little bit of petty revenge?
"Yukinoshita..."
Shizuka balled her fist, pretending to glare at Yukino fiercely. However, Yukino kept her wide-smiling expression until finally, Shizuka gave up.
"What does Chishima-sensei think?"
The three girls—Yukino, Yui, and Shizuka—looked at Akishin and asked.
Akishin put down the document for the next action plan, nodded with a smile, and gave his affirmation. "It was done very well. Even if there are minor flaws, they can be left to us to resolve. Go ahead with peace of mind. You can use my name to get things done; just let me know afterward..."
"Using Sensei's name! This... isn't that a bit too much..."
Akishin's name at Sobu High might be more useful than the principal's. If someone at the school offended Akishin, even if Akishin didn't act, the school would deal with it for him first.
"I believe in you all. Would you really use my name to do something bad?"
Akishin crossed his arms, showing a confident expression that said 'no problem at all.'
...
"The problem is, what about the costumes? Should we use a rental service?"
"If we rent, they might get dirty."
"Hmm~~"
The female students were deep in thought. They were thinking about the costume issue for "The Little Prince."
"No way, no way. The concept image for the Little Prince is already set. At least for his part, we can't use existing costumes. For other characters, rentals are fine..." Ebina raised an objection.
Yui said weakly, "It should... be okay, right? Some of the audience might not have read the original work..."
"Yui, are you looking down on the original work! Do you want to get flamed on the internet?"
Ebina fumed, clawing at the air.
Someone else proposed an idea. "But our budget is very limited; it's hard to rent clothes. I'd rather the money be used for other things..."
"..."
Yui was typing on a calculator while writing a stack of things in her notebook—on the Executive Committee side, the Vice Chairperson position had become a bit more relaxed, so Yui took the initiative to rejoin class activities to help with the grunt work.
Miura Yumiko, after hearing their words, propped her face up and said what she was thinking. "Why not make them ourselves?"
She asked again, "Can anyone sew?" Then she added, "I learned a little during home ec, but I don't think I can do it..."
"..."
Hachiman, as usual, huddled in his seat observing the various directions in the class. By chance, in his peripheral vision, he saw a bluish-black ponytail swaying back and forth.
Ah, it's Kawasaki!
Is she really that interested in the girls' conversation?
She kept glancing in that direction, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
This caught Hachiman's attention. Initially, he thought Kawasaki Saki had no interest in this kind of activity; after all, during the study sessions at the Chishima Residence, she was the one who spoke the least.
However, Kawasaki's work at the Chishima Residence was quite good; Sensei had even taught her some signature dishes...
Damn, I'm so jealous. The hourly wage Sensei gives is so high; one day's pay is more than my allowance for half a month. I want to work part-time at the Chishima Residence too!
His mind accidentally wandered!
Hachiman refocused his attention, continued to observe Saki for a bit, and found that every time the girls mentioned a word like [Production], [Costume], or [Sewing], she would react.
Even though he felt it wasn't her style at all, on the basis of a relationship that could probably be called friendship, Hachiman stood up, walked over to Saki, and called out, "Hey, if you want to do it, just say so. Wouldn't that be easy?"
"W-what are you talking about? I don't want to make clothes at all!"
"Heh, doesn't this mean you're admitting it? I haven't even said making what yet."
"...Are you always this sneaky!"
"Correct. Are you scared?"
Saki was very emotional; she wouldn't admit she wanted to help make the clothes until she died. In this case, a slightly indirect tactic had to be used.
"Yuigahama~"
"Hikigaya, wait a second..."
Saki pulled Hachiman's sleeve, her eyes pleading with him not to continue. Unfortunately, that kind of reaction only woke the little devil inside Hachiman's body.
"What's up?"
Yui heard Hachiman calling her; she tucked a red pen behind her ear and walked over.
The corner of Hachiman's lip curled up slightly as he said, "Kawasaki says she wants to give it a try."
"Damn it, what are you saying! That kind of thing is too complicated; I can't make it at all! And I've never made clothes... it'll just be a bother to everyone..."
"Heh, this time I didn't say making clothes either!"
"Hikigaya Hachiman, you... bastard."
Saki gritted her teeth, her face red from holding back her emotions, and she balled her fists. If they weren't in class, she definitely would have punched that wide-grinning face!
Yui: "???"
What happened?
She seemed to think for a moment while looking at Kawasaki Saki—who felt embarrassed and curled her tall frame inward—quickly, Yui's gaze stopped on Saki's head.
"Saki, did you make that scrunchie yourself?"
"Y... Yes!"
"Can I see it for a second?"
Yui didn't wait for Saki's permission; she immediately took the hair tie from her head. Saki's beautiful hair, which was originally tied up, now flowed down, looking glossy under the light.
"It's so pretty, you're so good at this~"
Yui praised the scrunchie in her hand, then called Ebina over. "Hina, look at this."
"Coming~"
Ebina came over enthusiastically, looking at Kawasaki's hair tie with curiosity.
"This... I hand-sewed it... and used a sewing machine for the rest."
Saki took another scrunchie out of her backpack pocket—she admitted she wanted to make clothes in class.
It was truly unexpected that Kawasaki Saki had such a talent.
So, does she usually dress like that because she wants to show off her skills?
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