Chapter 7 Cultural Festival

Chapter 7: Cultural Festival

Tsukishima Kei was standing right in front of Hoshino Haruna.

"Pfft..."

Before Tsukishima could say a word, Hoshino burst out laughing.

"I thought you knew we were doing *Hamlet*?" Tsukishima's expression turned somewhat wry.

"Yeah, yeah, I did hear from Hinata that the volleyball club was putting on this play for the cultural festival, it's just..."

Hoshino glanced at the ridiculous purple-and-black two-tone guard costume Tsukishima was wearing and couldn't help laughing again.

"Just... this is the first time I've seen you in this outfit—how do I put it—it's, uh... really not your usual style."

Tsukishima: ...

Thank goodness the role he pulled was a human and not something like a ghost or a horse—otherwise, given Hoshino's sense of humor, she'd probably laugh herself to unconsciousness.

"I came to borrow props from the drama club—found one missing when I was doing inventory," Tsukishima said, steering the conversation back on track. "What about you? Why are you here?"

"Taking photos." Hoshino raised the camera in her hand. "I told you before—I'm in the student council's publicity department."

"I see," Tsukishima continued, then asked casually, "What about the Manga Club? Shouldn't you be there?"

"Senior Miyahara and Senior Soda have that covered. I'd probably just get in the way if I went."

"...Can two people really manage that?"

"Our club only has four members total, and there's this senior I've never met—he doesn't seem to show up for stuff."

...

Tsukishima was silent for a moment.

"This club still hasn't been disbanded?" he said abruptly.

"...Hey, hey, what's this about disbanding? Don't underestimate the connection between us!" Hoshino retorted.

"Well, I won't interrupt your 'bonds'. Do you know where the drama club members are?"

Hoshino pointed down the hall.

"Thanks." Tsukishima turned and walked away.

...

After a few steps, he turned back.

"And delete the photos of me in this outfit," he added.

"…Hey!"

***

At first, Tsukishima thought running into Hoshino in the auditorium was a coincidence. After all, the school was big, and there were so many events that finding someone usually meant making an announcement over the PA system. The odds of running into the same person over and over were even lower. But as luck would have it, that's exactly what happened.

After the volleyball club's performance ended, Tsukishima changed back into his usual school uniform and wandered aimlessly around the school grounds. He had no idea what was coming.

When he reached the school gate—

"Welcome to Karasuno High School!" Hoshino was handing out name tags to visitors coming in.

When he walked past a booth—

"Hold on, one at a time!" Hoshino was giving out stamp cards to students joining in the activities.

When he got to the middle of the path—

"Excuse me, excuse me, let me through, please!" Hoshino was pushing a small cart full of bottled water.

Tsukishima: ...

Was there some kind of Hoshino curse on him?

"Why does it have to be you?" Tsukishima finally asked.

"Huh? What 'always me'?" Hoshino was so focused on her work she didn't even notice Tsukishima.

"...Never mind." Tsukishima let it go. "Aren't you supposed to be taking photos? Why are you hauling water here?"

That was way outside what the publicity department was supposed to do.

Hoshino sighed, her expression becoming complicated.

"Tsukishima, what do you think a first-year student is in the student council?"

"...A newbie?"

"No. A workhorse."

"..."

"Got it."

"I'd better get going—workhorses don't have much time for small talk." Hoshino waved goodbye to Tsukishima, muttering under her breath, "Wonder when I'll be done..."

Then she jogged away, still pushing the cart.

...

Tsukishima stood still, watching her retreating figure, but didn't follow.

He didn't really get why Hoshino was doing all this, but it was her own business. He wasn't going to say anything about it.

He wasn't the type to butt in.

But...

Ten minutes later, Tsukishima bumped into Hoshino again where he least expected it—and for once, he looked annoyed.

Maybe he needed to add a disclaimer to that thought.

"Director!"

***

At the student council's dedicated booth, Hoshino greeted the Publicity Director. But the person seemed completely oblivious, taking their sweet time organizing stuff.

"Uh, Director?" Hoshino called out again.

"Shut up! What is it?" The director finally lifted her head to glance at her.

"I've already delivered the bottled water to each booth, but there's still one case left here. Is it for something else? If not, I'll take it back to the storeroom..."

The director glanced at the remaining water in the cart, and her expression suddenly changed.

"What bottled water? Didn't I say soda water before?"

"Huh?"

"The bottled water is for the class activities in the teaching building. The soda water is for the booths here. Haven't I told you that many times?"

"No, wait, you said bottled water. I even confirmed it with you multiple times..."

"Shut up!" The director slapped the documents onto the table with an impatient "smack." "If you can't even handle a small task like this, what use are you to the student council?"

Hoshino: ...

Here we go again, denying her mistake and shifting the blame onto the newcomer. This routine is painfully familiar!

Sure enough, what followed was exactly what Hoshino had predicted—

"Look, look," the director said, pointing at Hoshino to her colleague in the student council. "Newcomers these days just keep getting worse. They can't even handle basic tasks and have the nerve to talk back to their seniors. I don't know what they're even good for."

"It's always like this. Nowadays, the freshmen are such a hassle!"

"Why not just dump her in your department?"

"Haha, no way. We already have enough trouble!"

Hoshino: ...

Do these two even realize they're standing right in front of me?

No, it's not that they don't realize it. They simply don't care.

Damn it. I really want to just quit right here and now. If it weren't for...

"Hoshino?"

A familiar voice came from behind.

"What are you still doing here?" the person said.

***

To be honest, Hoshino really didn't want to run into Tsukishima right now.

Although she had made a fool of herself in front of him more times than she could count, this time she didn't want him to see her in a sorry state.

Why? She wasn't quite sure herself.

Was it because of Tsukishima's sharp tongue, and she didn't want him to mock her for being pathetic? Probably not, since she had already heard much worse from her student council seniors and had grown immune to it.

Was it because he was the prototype for the male lead in her manga, and she didn't want the character she created to see her in a vulnerable state? Probably not, since the male lead was just a character in her manga and couldn't possibly break through the dimensional barrier to find her.

...

So why? Hoshino didn't have the time to think about it, because Tsukishima was already standing next to her.

"And who are you?" the director asked Tsukishima in an unfriendly tone.

Tsukishima glanced at her with a blank expression, then looked past her directly at Hoshino.

"The performance is about to start. Aren't you going back to change your clothes?" he said.

...

Huh? Performance?

Hoshino blinked, then quickly caught on and explained to the director, "Oh, right, Director! I have a performance later! I'll leave the rest to you!"

"Hey, stop right there!" the director immediately stood up, trying to stop Hoshino from making her escape.

"What's wrong?" Tsukishima turned back to look at her, feigning confusion. "Didn't you just say she's a useless newcomer? So letting her help us out shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

The director: ...

Damn, she miscalculated! She gritted her teeth.

"Let's go," Tsukishima said to Hoshino.

***

After leaving the scene, the two walked side by side along a quiet path.

The atmosphere was eerily quiet.

"Hey," Hoshino said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Tsukishima asked.

"Go ahead and say it. Your mocking words," Hoshino said.

Tsukishima: ?

Hoshino: ?

"Don't you usually enjoy mocking others?" Hoshino asked, confused.

Tsukishima: ...

"I just have a habit of speaking the truth. If you think that's mocking, then I can't help it," Tsukishima said.

"...Tch."

The silence returned.

"But I really don't get it," Tsukishima suddenly said. "Normally, you act all wild in front of me. Who would've thought you'd be this lame in situations like this?"

Hoshino: Hey!

"What do you mean 'wild'? Who uses that word to describe a pretty young girl?" Hoshino retorted.

"What pretty girl?"

Hoshino: ...

Forget it. Arguing with this guy will only drive you crazy!

"I'm not an idiot. Of course I wouldn't go looking for trouble," Hoshino explained. "I have my own reasons for staying in the student council's publicity department."

Tsukishima nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Hoshino: ?

"How did you know? I never told you that." Hoshino was a bit puzzled.

"Because even though you're a total airhead, you can still understand human language," Tsukishima said. "So you probably aren't that dumb."

"...Hey!"

She was seriously about to call the cops, Hoshino thought.

"Fine, to be honest, those people might not have great character, but their painting skills are pretty good—professional for high schoolers, at least. I can learn something by staying there," Hoshino explained. "But I really didn't expect you to come over. I thought you were the type who acts all respectful around seniors."

"...Depends on the senior." Tsukishima said.

A senior who bosses underclassmen around like that isn't worth respecting.

Just then, Hoshino suddenly stopped walking.

"I've got it!" Hoshino said, sounding delighted.

Tsukishima: ?

"Tsukishima-san, you came specifically to help me out, didn't you!" Hoshino was clearly excited by this realization. "Otherwise, with your usual style, there's no reason for you to directly confront a senior like that, right!"

Tsukishima: ...

"No," Tsukishima pointed out. "I just saw someone I know making a fool of herself and didn't want them to keep embarrassing themselves, so I made up a lie on the spot. That's hardly helping."

"Well, even though I still have to stay in the Publicity Department, thanks for stepping in this time~ Otherwise, I'd probably be stuck working for those seniors until dark today." Hoshino said, patting Tsukishima on the shoulder as she spoke.

Tsukishima: ...

She wasn't listening at all!

"At least this way, I can watch a full show before the festival ends—Oh no!"

Hoshino suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Tsukishima looked at her.

Hoshino slowly pulled a stack of blank cards from the left pocket of her uniform jacket.

"Aren't those name badges for visitors? The ones they write their names on and wear?" Tsukishima recognized.

"Yeah, I was originally called to help out at the gate handing these out, but I let another classmate borrow my jacket for a while. She might've accidentally left the cards she was supposed to hand out in my pocket..." Hoshino's tone grew heavier. "What am I gonna do... I don't even know that classmate, so she might already be gone by now... But the number of cards is based on reservations. If I don't hand them all out, some people won't get a name badge. Not all events require name badges, but..."

But if someone misses out, it'll spoil the experience, right? But she didn't want that to happen, even if she was just a temporary helper.

But if she went back to hand out cards now, she'd probably be stuck at the gate until dark, and by then all the performances would be over, wouldn't they?

...

Hoshino could almost see the stage shows turning into little spirits waving goodbye.

Just then, she felt something slip out of her hand—

Tsukishima had taken the cards from her.

Hoshino: Huh?

"What about the marker?" Tsukishima asked.

Hoshino: Huh? Huh??

"If there are cards, there should be a matching marker, right?" Tsukishima asked again.

"...Oh! Oh!"

Hoshino snapped out of it, found the marker, and handed it over.

Wait, that's not the point—the point is…

"Tsukishima-san," Hoshino tilted her head and glanced at him slyly, "are you gonna help me hand these out?"

...

"No," Tsukishima said deadpan, slipping the cards into his jacket pocket. "Just passing the time."

Hoshino didn't say anything; she just leaned in closer.

"...What are you doing?!" Tsukishima couldn't help but lean back.

"Tsukishima-san," Hoshino looked into his eyes and said, "You're a textbook tsundere—the kind from manga who'd deny it even if the sky were falling, aren't you?"

"...No, I'm not. And don't go around giving me weird labels. Thanks."

"Hmph, you can't fool me. I have superpowers—I can read minds from their eyes~"

"...I don't know what you're talking about, and stop staring into my eyes. It's weird."

"Anyway, thank you for today! I'll buy you two slices of strawberry cake after school!"

"...Oh."

...What was that? Hoshino couldn't help but laugh.

Tsukishima Kei... he's not so bad after all!

***

That evening after getting home, Hoshino immediately transferred the photos she'd taken into her computer and started organizing them.

Just then, she heard her phone buzz on the desk.

...A new message?

Figuring it was, she unlocked her phone and saw a message from Tsukishima.

「So, what show did you end up watching?」

Hoshino was taken aback for a moment, then realized he meant the cultural festival shows.

So she started typing a reply.

「It's a musical by the drama club and choir club! It was amazing! The only show I watched from start to finish today. (PS: Too bad I missed the volleyball club's performance (Ｔ▽Ｔ))」

A moment later, another message came from Tsukishima.

「Good thing you didn't see it.」

Hoshino: ?

She was about to ask for more details when she received another email from Tsukishima.

"Oh, and don't forget to delete the photos you took of me in the costume today."

Hoshino: ...

Seriously, how many times does this guy need to say it!

"Got it! (￣ー￣)"

After replying, Hoshino went back to the computer and started organizing the photos again.

...

Come to think of it, where was that photo of Tsukishima?

Hoshino scrolled and quickly found the one she had accidentally taken of him in the auditorium.

Then she fell into deep thought.

Strange, was it just her imagination? Why did this guy look so handsome even in that weird costume and at a terrible angle? Is that even fair?

It must be her imagination. Yeah, definitely her imagination... It must be because of her amazing photography skills. There was absolutely no way it was because Tsukishima himself was good-looking.

With that thought, she slowly moved the mouse over the delete button.

—Then moved it back.

Wait, why did she have to delete it? Wouldn't it be better to keep this kind of photo as ammo for teasing than to delete it outright?

But then again, this photo actually turned out pretty well, though. Could it really be used as teasing?

Hoshino was lost in thought again.

After what felt like a long time, Hoshino finally made up her mind. She right-clicked, selected 'Save As', closed the window, and shut down the computer in one fluid motion.

Yes, perfect! She now had ammo for teasing Tsukishima Kei! Hoshino thought happily.

Of course, she was only keeping the photo to have ammo for teasing Tsukishima Kei, absolutely not because Tsukishima Kei is handsome. Absolutely not.

But...

Five minutes later, lying in bed, Hoshino suddenly realized—she had only saved that one photo of Tsukishima, leaving the other photos still on the camera's memory card.

...

So what exactly had she accomplished tonight?

Meanwhile, at the Tsukishima residence.

***

Tsukishima Akiteru looked curiously at his younger brother, who had returned home carrying two boxes of strawberry cake.

However, Tsukishima Kei quickly explained that a friend had treated him to them, so Akiteru didn't ask any further.

But...

When he casually picked up his brother's uniform jacket from the sofa, something fell out of the pocket with a soft plop.

Akiteru picked it up.

Akiteru was utterly shocked.

This pink color, this star shape... wasn't this a girl's hair clip?!

In short, as soon as Tsukishima Kei stepped out of the bathroom, he was met with the bizarre scene of his brother staring at Hoshino's hair clip as if it were a face-off.

...

Oh no, Tsukishima thought.

The hair clip had most likely been mixed in with the name tags by Hoshino accidentally, and then stuffed into his jacket pocket along with them.

But the most pressing matter was no longer to figure out how the hair clip got there.

"Brother," Tsukishima Kei said calmly, "please don't imagine me getting married in your head."

"...Sorry!"

-TBC-

Author's Note:

*

If you want to see the volleyball club perform "Hamlet," check out the stage play "Evolution Summer." (Yes, I'm recommending it again.) (Hey)