Chapter 29: Embarrassment lasts longer than you think

Ah!
Ahhhh!!!

I woke up with a jolt, my mind blank. Remembering what had happened yesterday—no, over the weekend—made my face burn.

‘Kyaaaaa!!! I… I…!’

I’d been sitting next to Aya on a park bench… and…

I’d fallen asleep, thinking, ‘So soft and warm…’ and I’d probably… no, almost definitely… drooled (just a little).

‘Aaaaaah!!! I wish I didn’t remember!!!’

Mortified, I knew I had to face Aya again today. Back to normal school life.

[LINE Message]
Aya: Ready to leave soon?
Rina: Yeah, heading out!

I quickly grabbed my bag, checked my shoelaces, and hurried out the door. I hoped Aya wouldn’t think anything of yesterday’s incident.

Lost in thought, I realized I was running late and had to run to our meeting spot. Sneakers were better than loafers for running, but they still felt a bit constricting.

“Aya!”

“You’re here.” Aya was waiting for me at our usual halfway point. Her silver hair shimmered in the morning sun, making her easy to spot from afar. I caught my breath, trying to calm my racing heart.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s okay, I didn’t wait long,” she replied with a gentle smile, tilting her head slightly.

I couldn’t meet her gaze. ‘…Aya, you don’t remember anything, do you?’

I tried to act natural as we started walking. A little later, we met Mizuki at our usual spot.

“Oh~ everyone’s here~!”

“Ugh… I almost didn’t make it…”

“What? You’re not that late~?”

I forced a smile. Mizuki, with her usual playful grin, slung an arm around my shoulders. She was also quite tall, though not as tall as Aya, and standing between them made me feel small.

****

It was Monday. I wasn’t sure if the Japanese had a term for it, but it was the day everyone suffered from the “Monday blues”. Perhaps that was why the classroom was slowly filling with sleepy-eyed students.

I sat down, placed my bag on the floor, and rested my chin on my hand.

‘…Aya’s acting normal, so she’s probably not thinking about the… lap pillow incident… right?’ I breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, Aya’s calm voice made my heart skip a beat. “Tachibana-senpai wants to discuss the festival during lunch.”

I looked up, startled. The memory of the weekend made me feel strangely self-conscious.

“Ugh, I hate meetings~ so boring~ Can’t we just discuss it in the group chat~” Mizuki groaned playfully from behind us.

‘Well, the three of us first-year student council members are always together, so can’t we just… discuss it casually…?’ The thought crossed my mind, but even though the first-years were leading the festival, the second-years were still overseeing the process. A formal discussion was necessary. And I still needed to learn the specifics of the treasurer’s duties from Tachibana-senpai.

****

The lunch bell rang. The three of us headed to the regular cafeteria. Every time I came here, I wondered, ‘Is this really a regular cafeteria?’

The variety of food, the clean and stylish interior, the chandeliers, the marble floors… the more accustomed I became to school life here, the more I realized how extraordinary this place was.

And today, lunchtime wasn’t as relaxing as usual.

‘…A student council meeting right after lunch…’ I sighed, picking up my omurice.

Aya and Mizuki walked beside me, taking their usual spots.

“Rina, why do you look so worried?” Mizuki asked playfully.

“We have that student council meeting…” I mumbled, sitting down at our usual table by the window.

“Oh, that~” Mizuki said casually.

But the thought of participating in my first “official discussion” weighed heavily on my mind.

“We still have to attend the meeting,” Aya said, a reassuring smile on her face. “We can’t just discuss it amongst ourselves.”

Ah, Aya… but the memory of the weekend made it difficult to be near her. Mizuki, perhaps sensing my subtle discomfort, suddenly put down her spoon and looked at us intently.

“Did something happen between you two over the weekend?”

“Huh? No!”

“Nothing happened,” Aya added with a casual smile.

Mizuki narrowed her eyes, looking at us suspiciously. Aya remained calm, but I felt Mizuki’s gaze like a spotlight, and I poked at my omurice nervously.

“Really~? Nothing at all~?”

“Really,” Aya insisted, her expression innocent.

Mizuki sighed, turning her attention back to her food.

Thank you, Aya.

“Fine, if Aya-ring says so~”

“So, Mizuki, how was your weekend?” Aya smoothly changed the subject.

“The shrine?”

“Yes.”

“It was fine. I can act like a proper young lady when I need to.”

Mizuki seemed more comfortable in her usual energetic persona than acting like a refined lady. But the shy Mizuki I’d seen at the department store had been the epitome of a demure young lady. So, she only showed her true self around us.

But the shrine? Was that mentioned in the novel? Come to think of it, Mizuki had known about our weekend plans in advance. She would have joined us, but she couldn’t. This must have been the reason.

“What shrine?” I asked.

“Ah, Mizuki is from the Asakura family, so she always visits the shrine around this time of year. It’s a ceremony to pray for the prosperity of the region,” Aya explained.

“Oh… that’s impressive.”

“Impressive? It’s just something we do every year. Boring,” Mizuki said dismissively, waving her hand, but her fidgeting fingers betrayed her true feelings.

‘Perhaps her family duties are a burden to her…’

But I didn’t press further. It was better to respect her pretense of indifference.

****

After lunch, we headed to the student council room. As we approached the door, we could hear voices from inside – Tachibana-senpai and Hiiragi-senpai.

I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was serious. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.

‘Are they… about to assign me a mountain of work?’

I knocked lightly. A gentle voice called out from inside.

“Come in.”

Hiiragi-senpai was the first person I saw as I opened the door. He looked up, a smile forming on his lips as he saw us. “Oh, you’re here.”

“Hello, senpai,” Aya greeted, and Mizuki and I followed suit.

Hiiragi-senpai nodded and gathered some papers. “I’ll be leaving now. Tachibana-san has a lot to discuss regarding the festival.”

‘Oh no, this is it. I’m doomed…’ The thought made my stomach churn. Tachibana-senpai having “a lot to discuss” could only mean one thing: a mountain of work.

Hiiragi-senpai left, and we entered the meeting room. On the table were refreshments, neatly arranged, likely by Tachibana-senpai.

“Welcome,” she said, gesturing towards the snacks and drinks. “Sorry, I’m not as good at making tea as Shirazuka-san.”

“No, this is plenty!” I quickly reassured her. I hadn’t expected her to prepare anything.

“I was actually only planning to meet with Yukikawa-san and Kurosawa-san today, but I suppose it’s fine that all three of you are here,” she said, taking her seat at the table.

We sat down beside her, waiting for her to speak.

“First, the budget. It’s always an issue, but the Spring Festival is our biggest event of the year, so adjustments are necessary. These documents contain last year’s budget allocation.” She tapped the papers.

“As expected,” Aya replied, nodding calmly, then continued, “I’ve been thinking about it. With recent inflation, our budget hasn’t kept up. I’ve been trying to figure out how to maximize the impact of our festival, which is practically a regional event, with our limited resources.”

“Do you have any ideas, Yukikawa-san?” Tachibana-senpai asked.

Aya smoothed out the documents. “In addition to the basic budget allocation, I’ve been looking for ways to provide additional funding for each club. Many clubs have relied on family contributions for large-scale events, only to find themselves unable to continue the following year. So, I’ve been exploring ways to provide them with additional financial support.”

Tachibana-senpai, her arms crossed, nodded as she listened. “That sounds reasonable, but the question is, where will the additional funding come from?” She neatly stacked the documents. “The student council budget won’t be enough, and the school won’t provide additional funding.”

“And that’s where Rina comes in,” Aya said, turning to me.

Wait, me? I thought this was Aya’s responsibility, since she was in charge of planning…! I took a small, shaky breath, the air suddenly feeling thick and heavy.

“Yes… how about… sponsorships?”

Tachibana-senpai narrowed her eyes at me. “And where will you find these sponsors?”

I smiled, trying to appear confident. “Considering Takamari Academy’s reputation, local businesses would be eager to sponsor our festival. Especially companies with alumni connections or those who regularly participate in the festival. I believe we can secure sufficient funding through these channels.”

Tachibana-senpai raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Securing corporate sponsorships would certainly solve a large part of the budget problem. But we need someone to handle that.”

I raised my hand confidently. “I’ll do it. I’ve already done some research.”

Aya’s eyes widened in surprise. Tachibana-senpai looked at me with renewed interest, her expression suggesting she hadn’t expected that answer. And Mizuki looked the most surprised of all.

“Alright, then prepare a detailed proposal for securing sponsorships. We’ll review its feasibility. And have a backup plan, just in case.”

Mizuki nudged me worriedly, but I was confident. I could do this. With a little help from Mizuki, of course.