Chapter 16

The cultural festival was just ten days away. The deadline to order materials or foodstuffs had come and gone, while the production of signboards and costumes had reached a fever pitch. Many students came in on Saturdays and Sundays at this point. Things just needed to be in a good place by the next day after class, or even the day after that, but if you had club or sports activities, the reality was that it was hard to find the time. Many of the nonathletic clubs had stalls related to their activities, while the sports teams practiced long and hard all year round. Finding the time you needed amid it all was the epitome of the school’s value on taking initiative. Or that was the nice way to put it; but one big driver behind this punishing schedule was that there would be talk if the committee members’ grades all suddenly dropped. Midterm exams weren’t until next month, but that only meant there would be more material on them. Even Hirano could only sigh at the contrast with first term, when there had been two tests in quick succession. After all, the difficulty was up across the board compared with middle school, and teachers warned students that their degree of comprehension here would impact how they did on the national mock tests. Meanwhile, students were also urged to go to open-campus days and school festivals at educational institutions they hoped to attend. Suffice to say, fall was a busy time, whether you were a first- or second-year. “Hirano, they say another typhoon’s coming in a couple of days,” Kagiura said as he came in, looking uneasy. Recently, his mood had risen and fallen with the weather report. After his initial panic about the frenzy of second term, Hirano thought Kagiura had achieved a certain detached dignity, but now he was acting like a kid again. He was on pins and needles as if every day was a field-trip day. “Yeah, that happens this time of year,” Hirano said. “I wonder if it’ll be sunny next week…” He sighed and gave a dry cough. Maybe his throat was bothering him, because he took a lozenge out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth. “Well, there’s always the backup day.” “Was everything okay last year?” Hirano thought he could hear the lozenge click off Kagiura’s teeth. “Not sure. I guess if I don’t remember, that means it probably was.” “The teacher said we wouldn’t have to stop if it sprinkled, but I think what he meant was we’d use the gym, and I just wasn’t sure if all the stalls would fit in there…” “Ahhh, so that’s what they’re doing with the outdoor stuff. Sorry, I don’t know.” “That’s okay. Thanks anyway.” “By the way, have you decided who’s taking what shift during the festival? If I’m going to check it out, I figure I might as well do it while you’re behind the counter.” “Yeah, we’ve got it all set… But if our schedules match up, I was hoping you and I could check out the festival together.” “You sure you want to go with me?” “Sorry for the short notice. It’s all right if you’ve already got plans with someone else.” You don’t look like it’s all right, Hirano thought, observing the pout that immediately appeared on Kagiura’s face. Was this a sign of him giving up too quickly—or not quickly enough? “Maybe in the morning, then,” he said. “The food-related places tend to get pretty busy around lunchtime, so I’d like to fill up early and get a sense of which events I want to check out. I’ll have a look around.” “Sure!” With that, Kagiura announced that he was going to do his homework by dinnertime and sat down at his desk; Hirano opened a book of practice problems so as not to disturb him. The only sounds were the scratching of their mechanical pencils, paper, and the occasional small cough. A faint sound, dazing him, like when a rain shower passed outside. Curious, Hirano focused and listened, and realized Kagiura seemed to be drinking more water than normal. Well, who could blame him? The weather was still hot enough to make you want to jump straight in a pool during the day, but the nights were getting colder and colder. Kagiura might have had stamina to spare, but between sweating during morning and evening practices and rushing all over for the Cultural Festival Committee, this couldn’t have been an easy season for him. Hirano knew guys like him didn’t always pay attention to their own health. It was just a tickle in the throat now, but if he wasn’t careful, it could become a full-blown cold. It’s always the ones who look the toughest, Hirano thought.