Shimizu-san and Deciding the Festival Event 1
“Thank you all for gathering here today!”
“Lower your voice a bit! My ears are ringing!”
A few days after speaking with Seto-san on the phone, we second-year mbers of the Astronomy Club were summoned to the clubroom by Ai-san and Yousuke-san.
I hadn’t expected that all of us in the Astronomy Club would gather together again during the sumr break.
“Ai-senpai, why have you called us here today?”
We hadn’t been told in advance what the purpose of today’s eting was. Therefore, it was understandable that Seto-san was curious.
To be honest, I also had no idea why we had been called.
“Fu-fu-fu, that’s a good question, Mio-chan! The reason is…”
“It’s to decide on our event for the cultural festival, right?”
“Kei-san!? Don’t steal my lines!?”
Judging by Ai-san’s reaction, Shimizu-san’s guess was spot on.
“Kei figured it out, huh? Yes, I gathered everyone here today to decide on our event for the cultural festival.”
“Deciding on an event? I don’t rember us doing anything for last year’s cultural festival.”
“Only cultural clubs are obligated to put on events at the cultural festival. Until last year, we were just a society, not a club. Societies are free to choose whether to do a presentation, so we didn’t do one last year.”
“I see…”
“So now that we’ve beco an official club, we need to put on an event for the cultural festival.”
“That’s right, and that’s why I’ve gathered everyone here today to decide on the Astronomy Club’s event.”
Our high school’s cultural festival is just a month away after the end of the sumr break.
So clubs might have already started preparing at this point.
“So how are we going to decide on the event?”
“Due to personal circumstances, Ai and I have student council work, and we’ll be quite busy during the preparation period for the cultural festival. That’s why I’d prefer an event that doesn’t require too much effort…”
“Yes! And I have an idea for an event I want to do!”
Ai-san interrupted Yousuke-san, enthusiastically raising her hand.
“Honestly, I have a bad feeling about this, but let’s hear it. What do you want to do, Ai?”
“That is…”
“Don’t beat around the bush, just say it.”
Prompted by Shimizu-san, Ai-san took out a sheet of paper.
“A play! I want to do a play!”
Everyone else’s gaze shifted to the paper Ai was holding, which was emblazoned with the words, “Youth who want to perform a play at the cultural festival, gather!”
“…I have a lot to say, but first, why a play?”
“Thank you for asking! The reason I want to do a play at the cultural festival is…”
“Let guess, it’s not going to be a compelling reason.”
“Hey, don’t cut off before I even start explaining!?”
“Let’s at least hear her out, Shimizu-san.”
There was always a reason behind Ai-san’s whims.
There must be a proper reason this ti as well.
“…Fine, make it quick.”
“Okay! The reason is simple! I thought it would be fun if everyone in the Astronomy Club did a play together!”
The clubroom was enveloped in silence.
Ai-san looked puzzled as she observed the faces of Shimizu-san and Yousuke-san.
“You’ve oversimplified it. There must be more you want to convey.”
“Like, wanting the whole astronomy club to work hard together on one event?”
“Don’t skip that part. Can you explain a bit more about it?”
“I was thinking that there aren’t many more opportunities for the current mbers of the Astronomy Club to do sothing together. So, as I was walking down the hallway thinking about wanting to create a morable experience, I saw this flyer and felt inspired to do a play!”
As expected, Ai-san had her own reasons.
“…You didn’t just take that paper without permission, did you?”
“I properly got permission from the person who put up the flyer!”
“Who’s the owner of that paper?”
“Well, I’ll explain that later.”
“Please do. Right now, we’re in the middle of deciding what our cultural festival event will be. We can talk about the flyer after we’ve decided on the event.”
The conversation had gone off track, but I rembered that today’s purpose was to decide on our event for the cultural festival.
“That’s right! Let’s quickly decide on doing a play for our event!”
“We said we’d decide, but we never said it would be a play.”
“Ah, you betrayed !”
“I haven’t betrayed anyone. I listened to your reasons for wanting to do a play, but I never agreed to it.”
Indeed, Yousuke-san had only listened and had not expressed agreent.
“Why… I trusted you…”
“Don’t appeal to my conscience. As I said earlier, both you and I will be busy with student council work during the cultural festival preparation period. We also have to prepare for our class’s event and study for exams. We can’t allocate too much of our resources to the club’s event. That’s why I can’t agree to a play.”
“Ugh…”
Ai-san looked pained. Yousuke-san’s words must have hit her hard.
“I understand you want to do a play, but you’ll have to give up this ti.”
“No, I won’t give up! If Yousuke can’t do it, I’ll rely on our kōhai!”
“Do you have no pride as a senpai?”
“None at all!”
“Show so hesitation…”
As a junior, I wished Ai-san wouldn’t be so blunt in her assertions.
“Mio-chan! You want to do a play, right?”
“No, not at all.”
“No hesitation there!”
Seto-san’s expression remained unchanged as usual.
“I’ve gotten better at it since before I started my part-ti job, but I’m still a little uncomfortable speaking in front of people I don’t know.”
“I see, a play does involve performing in front of strangers…”
“Ai, why don’t we consider a different event this ti?”
“But but, there must still be a chance for a turnaround! Next is… Daiki-kun!”
“Yes!?”
I was called upon suddenly, so I reflexively responded.
“You really want to do a play, don’t you, Daiki-kun?”
“Don’t pressure Hondō-kun.”
“That sounds bad! I’m just asserting so seniority here!”
“That’s what people generally call pressuring.”
“Anyway, don’t you want to do the play, Daiki-kun?”
I hadn’t given it much thought before.
A play, huh… I decided to express my honest feelings.
“It does sound interesting, but I’m concerned it might be a big burden on everyone.”
“Oh! So, personally, you’re okay with giving it a try, Daiki-kun!”
“Well… yes, I suppose.”
“Isn’t that a bit too positive?”
“Life is all about taking a positive approach! That’s one vote in favor!”
Ai-san’s gaze shifted to the last mber of the Astronomy Club, Shimizu-san.
“What is it?”
“Kei! You want to do the play, right?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions! …Give a mont to think.”
Right after, my eyes t Shimizu-san’s for so reason, but she quickly looked away.
“Thinking ti over! So, what do you say, Kei-san?”
“That’s not much ti to think! …Well, I guess it’s fine.”
“That’s another vote! Including , that’s three votes! With this, the play is the majority choice!”
“Just to be clear, this isn’t final yet.”
“What? Why not!?”
“Our advisor Yuasa-sensei said beforehand that she wants the club’s activity for the cultural festival to be decided with everyone’s agreent.”
“I’m the club president, and I didn’t receive that information!?”
If Yuasa-sensei said so, then it’s true that we can’t decide on the activity by majority vote.
“That’s why we need to decide on the cultural festival’s activity in a way that leaves no one with regrets.”
“Indeed, if soone ends up feeling bad about the activity, we won’t all be able to enjoy the cultural festival.”
The clubroom fell silent all of a sudden.
Everyone must be thinking about the activity in their own heads.
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