98. Then, the Resolved Cultural Festival. (2)

“See you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget to draw the promotional poster.”
“I won’t forget.”

The sunset bathed the quiet street in golden light. The boy and girl said their goodbyes, and after the boy’s figure disappeared from sight, the girl entered the neighboring house.

“I’m home.”
“Welcome back.”

Throwing her backpack onto the floor, the girl collapsed onto the sofa, looking utterly exhausted.

“There’s a letter for you in the mailbox. Mom put it in your room.”
“Eh~~ Who’s it from?”
“How should I know? Go check it yourself.”
“Seriously, Mom, can’t you care a little more about your daughter?”
“Of course I care. I just want to see how long you’re going to keep messing around with Tsuki-kun. Isn’t it time to confess already?”
“Ugh? Stop it... I can handle things with Tsuki on my own, don’t worry.”

Though she said that, in truth they had been together for three years already and had foolishly stumbled through their relationship.

In short, she felt very sorry.

Sakura Koji Saya thought to herself.

Not wanting to continue this topic, she grabbed her backpack and went upstairs to her room.

Entering her bedroom, she spotted the letter her mother mentioned sitting on the desk. Tilting her head in puzzlement over the sender’s address, she tore it open and began to read.

...

The next day.

As usual, Tsuki Jinguuji rode with Sakura Koji Saya to the station. But after arriving at Nakameguro, Sakura Koji Saya did not part ways with Tsuki as she normally would.

Tsuki wanted to separate and head to school alone, but it was too late; upon exiting the station, a female classmate spotted them walking out together.

“Good morning, Sakura Koji-san, um... and Tsuki Jinguuji-san too, good morning.”
“Good morning.”

After some brief greetings, Tsuki excused himself with “I’ll go ahead,” naturally breaking away from the group of girls.

Once Tsuki had gone, the girls surrounded Sakura Koji Saya, asking how she and Tsuki ended up going to school together.

Even if she wished to improve Tsuki’s social environment, Saya knew it wasn’t something that could change overnight, so she said they had just bumped into each other at the station by chance.

This might be a lie, but it was a necessary prelude to eventually telling the truth with ease.

At school, Tsuki resumed his dull and uneventful campus life.

The only difference was that from time to time, girls would approach him to chat, mostly trivial matters, and these interactions were usually initiated by Sakura Koji Saya.

Thus, leveraging Saya’s standing in the class and the occasional simple interactions with the female group during midterms, Tsuki had graduated from being invisible to officially becoming a marginal figure.

Still, the boys harbored hostility toward him.

Amid such daily life, the Cultural Festival Committee’s work proceeded smoothly, and before they knew it, it was Friday.

With less than three weeks until the festival, after-school meetings had become a daily routine, requiring attendance even on weekends.

Perhaps due to the heavy workload, Hoshino Mori Hoshino’s complexion had looked poor these past few days, often bringing a mountain of work home.

Usually elegant and composed, a closer look revealed faint dark circles beneath her eyes.

After the meeting, Tsuki bought coffee from the vending machine and handed it to Hoshino Mori, who was busily typing away on her laptop.

“Uh... thank you, Jinguuji-san.” Hoshino Mori smiled faintly, her voice tinged with fatigue.

“President, when did you sleep last night?”
“Uh... two maybe three o’clock? I can’t quite remember.”

Tsuki sighed deeply. “President, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? You should rest more. If you make a mistake because of exhaustion, it’ll only slow down efficiency.”

“That won’t do. If my workflow stalls, it’ll hold up everyone else. They’re all waiting for my instructions. If I rest, no one will review their work, and everything will come to a halt.”

Tsuki couldn’t argue; Hoshino Mori was telling the truth.

“Then at least let me help share some of the load.”

“Jinguuji-san, you still have to draw the promotional poster, right? I know that — you took on the drawing for the publicity team. I’ve been meaning to praise you but haven’t found the right moment.”

“When we’re alone, I’ll give you a little pat on the head.”

“Don’t try to change the subject; I’m still talking about the president’s health.”

“Oh, you saw right through me? Such arrogance for just a Jinguuji-san.”

Even at moments like this, Hoshino Mori didn’t forget to tease Tsuki.

After spending so much time together, Tsuki had learned her temperament well. In some ways, they were both similar and opposite.

Opposite in how they dealt with people, similar in that both were easily convinced by others.

Tsuki’s attitude was unusually firm, unilaterally taking over work that Hoshino Mori was supposed to handle, which surprised her.

After the initial shock, Hoshino Mori propped her cheek with one hand. Despite her slight exhaustion, she remained stunningly beautiful, a hint of pride shimmering in her eyes as she spoke softly:

“Jinguuji-san, you’ve changed a bit.”

Her narrow eyes squinted slightly, sparkling with a mix of pride and joy — as if she had accomplished a feat worthy of celebration or was sharing a secret only she knew.

Faced with that look, Tsuki found it hard to respond and honestly said, “President, who do you think is to blame?”

“Oh dear, maybe you’re mixing up ‘fault’ and ‘credit’?”

“Anyway, President, you need to pay more attention to your health. Leave that part to me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I have a good memory. I’m probably better suited for planning and organizing since I remember every detail clearly.”

“No wonder you’re a 700-point monster.” Hoshino Mori clapped her hands lightly, teasing him.

“Well... I’ll gratefully accept the kindness from my junior.”

The girl set aside her work and took the still-warm coffee Tsuki had just handed her.

Tsuki glanced at her well-manicured nails and took the cup, opening it for her.

Hoshino Mori stared at him briefly, then smiled: “Jinguuji-san, you’re so kind. Ah, are you trying to win me over? How annoying~”

Ignoring her flattery and playful teasing, Tsuki picked up the documents, opened his laptop, and quietly returned to work.

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(The end of this chapter)