Xue
That girl dumped the balloons on me and went off somewhere...

Classmate B
Look, look, a unicorn.

Classmate C
Oh wow! Haha, it looks like a yokai! Let's take a picture. Get in the shot, artist!

Classmate B
Okay! I'm a future master artist, so make it super cute!

Xue
Haah.

Xue
Hey, you guys, be serious. We don't have much time.

Classmate C
Oh...Wang-san.

Xue
You're on menu creation duty, right?

Xue
Get back to your station.

Classmate C
Okay, sorry~.

Classmate B
Wang-san, you're so serious.

Xue
You guys are just not serious enough.

Xue
Don't you want to finish on time? Hurry up.

Classmate B
Haha, you're good at taking charge. I didn't know Wang-san was the big sister type.

Xue
What...!

Xue
It's because you guys keep fooling around, right?

Classmate B
I said I'm sorry. I'll be serious now.

Xue
...

Classmate A
Huh, where are you going, Wang-san? Looking for something?

Xue
Not really. I'll be back soon.

Xue
You guys keep working on the decorations.

Xue
Haah.

Xue
Getting irritated over little things like this, Wang Xue.

Xue
...This is why I hate group activities. School is just a collection of people I'll never see again after graduation, yet it's such a hassle.

Xue
How does Hikari put up with that lawless zone...

Ramona
Oh? Who do we have here but Xue.

Ramona
Is your class preparing for the cultural festival too?

Koyomi
You're the class committee member, right?

Koyomi
The cultural festival is coming up soon, are you busy with preparations?

Xue
...Not really. You guys have it easy.

Xue
Preparation, getting along with everyone-that's all your specialty, Germany.

Ramona
Huh? Oh, right.

Ramona
We're having fun preparing for the cultural festival with everyone in our class.

Koyomi
Thanks to that, we're behind schedule, we're short on materials, and I've been forced to come shopping with her.

Ramona
Come on, don't put it like that. It's just an exhibition, so once we finish preparations, we can relax on the day.

Ramona
How about your class, Xue? Is everything going well?

Xue
...Who knows. I can't tell if my classmates want to prepare or just play around.

Xue
They keep taking photos, wanting background music, saying they need this or that...we're making no progress at all, and I got fed up and ran away.

Koyomi
I see.

Koyomi
Fufu, that's rather endearing, isn't it?

Xue
What part? I'm just getting dragged around. Even Hikari left me behind and went somewhere.

Koyomi
Yes. But isn't that part of your "youth memories"?

Koyomi
I've never been recommended for committee positions myself.

Xue
Huh...? What, are you bragging about having it easy? You're privileged as always.

Koyomi
No, I genuinely find it endearing.

Koyomi
People tend to be too formal when they hear the name Senju.

Ramona
That's exactly why I'm dragging Koyomi into this!

Ramona
What does your family name matter? You'd be missing out if you didn't enjoy yourself as a student!

Xue
Hmm. So even proper young ladies from good families have their own troubles.

Koyomi
Well, yes. It's not work or a part time job, so.

Koyomi
Xue-san, why not try to enjoy the chaotic drama since you're already involved?

Xue
Mmm...

Koyomi
Any experience can become material for your acting someday.

Xue
Yeah, yeah, thanks for that.

Koyomi
I hope your booth goes well.

Hikari
Ah, Xue is back!

Hikari
Geez, everyone was worried when you suddenly disappeared!

Classmate A
Welcome back, Wang-san. I was thinking of putting balloons on the sign too, what do you think?

Classmate B
I made it look like my unicorn is holding them! We got a lot done, right?

Xue
O-Oh. ...Thanks.

Xue
(The atmosphere is better than before. The work is progressing too...they can do it when they try.)

Hikari
Haah~. Today's shift was tiring~!

Hikari
Xue, do you do this every day? That's amazing.

Xue
You make a lot of unnecessary movements and mistakes. Once you get used to it, you can work more efficiently and easily.

Hikari
I see.

Hikari
yawn I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Xue
Well, you're probably tired from all the cultural festival preparations.

Xue
Speaking of which, how are things going with the festival committee?

Hikari
Hmm? It's challenging in many ways every day.

Hikari
Meetings, checking documents, making guides, inspecting everyone's booths.

Hikari
I thought it would be fun when I started,

Hikari
But I was surprised by how much work there actually is!

Hikari
There's so much paperwork, I don't understand computers, and I'm exhausted every day. When I get home, I still have to practice dancing with Ramo-san.

Xue
Just how many things are you doing...

Xue
I know you like dancing, but didn't you think you wouldn't have time for it? Why bother with the stage performance?

Hikari
Hmm...

Xue
What's with you? It's rare to see you hesitate.

Hikari
...Promise you won't laugh?

Xue
Hm? Sure.

Hikari
You know, I was reading the Ongeki story, and I thought the Kanazaka High School festival looked really fun.

Hikari
So I wanted to try doing various things at our cultural festival.

Hikari
Performing dance on stage is kind of like Shooter Fest, right?

Xue
Shooter Fest?

Hikari
That's something in Ongeki! I told you when I lent you the CD.

Hikari
So, I want to aim to be a Primera and get the audience excited.

Xue
Oh, I'm starting to remember. Primera is like, the top Shooter, right?

Hikari
That's right! I want to aim for that at the cultural festival! To fill the Higashiueno High School gym with people!

Xue
Is that why you're doing so many things?

Hikari
Yeah. And it's not just because of Ongeki. This is my first high school cultural festival, so I want to enjoy it.

Hikari
It's my first cultural festival, and we only get to spend three years with our schoolmates, and even our class will change next year.

Hikari
I want to enjoy everything to the fullest with these members who are together just for now! I want to create school memories.

Hikari
That's what I'm thinking.

Xue
...I see.

Xue
(I never thought about that. Every day is so busy with things to do.)

Xue
(And yet, looking at Hikari's face, I couldn't bring myself to say that school life is just a hassle.)

Edit

Pub: 28 Aug 2025 16:44 UTC

Edit: 14 Sep 2025 20:11 UTC

Views: 3