The Cultural Festival 7
“Hey Ichinose, isn’t one bowl of udon not enough? Let’s go around to the other booths and eat different things. Aren’t you curious about the cafe by 1-1 or the crepes by 7th class?”
“That sounds good. I’d like to see what they’ve got.”
Still feeling a little hungry, Sōma decided to take up Wakui’s invitation.
Together, they returned to the first-year floor and tried various foods like yakisoba, crepes, frankfurters, churros, and tapioca, whatever caught their eye.
Each booth, like 1-4, was low budget but full of creativity and innovation, often making them think, “I didn’t know you could do this…”
And above all, the atmosphere of the cultural festival was fun.
“Ichinose, there’s a dance contest in the gym. Wanna check it out?”
“That sounds interesting. Let’s go.”
So when Wakui suggested it while eating a chocolate banana, he agreed without hesitation.
The gym was packed with a huge audience. On stage, students wearing the same design T-shirts were earnestly performing their dances, and cheers erupted every time they nailed a move.
Sōma had never danced outside of PE and had no interest in it, but watching them dance and sparkle with sweat, even he got excited.
“Hey Ichinose, did you have fun today?”
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While watching the dance from the back, Wakui asked.
“Yeah, it was fun.”
“That’s good. I had a lot of fun too.”
Riding the upbeat rhythm, the girl with pudding hair sighed in relief.
“Then, you know… next year, how about we go around the cultural festival together again?”
“Next year?”
“Well, you know, we both had fun this year, so I thought it would be nice if next year was the same.”
When Sōma shifted his gaze from the dancing students to Wakui, she flapped her hands and spoke quickly, making excuses.
“A year from now? Isn’t that too soon to talk about it now?”
“Is it? But it’s fine. It’s all about momentum and going with the flow.”
Looking up at his classmate, who seemed a bit nervous, he tried to imagine a year later.
It’s impossible to know what will happen a year from now.
It’s not easy to envision something so concrete.
However――
“I can’t promise anything about a year from now. If I look free next year, just give me a shout.”
Sōma couldn’t bring himself to nod in agreement to Wakui’s invitation.
“R-Right… Maybe it was too soon.Okay, if I’m free next year, I’ll call you.”
Wakui laughed with a ‘haha,’ but she seemed a bit sad.
It’s impossible to imagine what I’ll be doing a year from now.
However, somehow, he felt that Chika would probably still be by his side.
§§§§§§§§§§
The cultural festival was over.
She, Miki and the others had chosen a yukata together. It was a bit bold, but she was satisfied with the very cute yukata she got to wear.
For the first time in her life, she experienced what it was like to serve customers.
It was always someone else bringing her food, so the reverse was a very fresh sensation.
She went around to various booths and performances with her friends.
The vice president of the student council lamented the low budget, but even so, it was more lively and glamorous than the junior high school cultural festival, and it was interesting everywhere she looked.
It was a very fun and fulfilling day.
She looked forward to next year’s cultural festival. There was no doubt about that.
But at the same time, she felt an indescribable emptiness somewhere in her heart.
“Yesterday and today, I couldn’t talk to Sōma-san at all…”
As she trudged down the corridor, still littered with remnants of the cultural festival, her feelings slipped out of her mouth.
She was in the same classroom with Sōma for half a day.
She received the baby castella he baked over and over again and delivered them to the customers. But that was it.
They didn’t talk, nor did they even exchange eye contact.
After school, she wanted to talk about the cultural festival, but before she knew it, he was gone, and he hadn’t read her messages on my smartphone.
It seems he went home quickly.
Miki has to stay at school to summarize the cultural festival in the student council room.
She was invited by a close female friend to go out for a celebration, but she couldn’t bring herself to go without Sōma and Miki.
So, despite the cultural festival being incredibly fun and fulfilling, Chika had to go home alone, feeling lonely after school.
She changed from her indoor shoes to loafers at the shoe locker and left the school.
“…Really, I shouldn’t be disappointed.”
Chika and Sōma’s collaboration is a secret to everyone in class.
Therefore, they can’t openly converse inside the school.
The most they could do was sneak in a conversation where no one would find them.
But since it was a special day, Chika wanted to share the fun feelings and experiences with him.
Her feet felt unusually heavy due to fatigue and disappointment.
“――Good work today.”
As she walked down the commuting road with her head down, someone’s shadow, elongated by the setting sun, fell at my feet.
“Wakui-san…”
When she looked up, Wakui approached with a slow gait as if she had been waiting for her.
“We were both busy, huh? But it was fun.”
“Y-Yes, it was.”
She nodded hesitantly, and she stopped a few meters away from Chika, staring straight at her as if asking her not to move.
“Chika, what else did you do besides tending the shop?”
“Uh… I went around with my classmates. We watched plays and listened to band performances.”
“I see. I was with Ichinose the whole time.”
“Ah…”
Chika’s heart leaped as Wakui mentioned Sōma’s name with a triumphant look.