“The committee members are handling all the details now, so the class doesn’t know what we have planned yet.”
“Oh, I see.”
Generally, participation in the school’s festival was up to each class, and they left it up to volunteers or club members to plan their booths on their own. So that meant the other class members sometimes didn’t participate in the decision-making process.
“What club are you in again, Yashiro?”
“You told me before that you volunteer at the school library, right?” Hanamizawa-san answered Ido-san before I could.
“Ohh, that tracks.” Both of them giggled. Hey, leave me alone.
“So? What’s the library committee gonna do at the school festival?” Ido-san asked, and I shrugged.
“I guess they’re gonna open up the library and have a book café or something. The third-years are in charge of it.”
“Oh, so they’re going with food. Same as us.”
“You still didn’t tell me what our class is going to be serving.”
“We’re having a refreshment stand in the courtyard. Serving fried rice from the griddle.”
“Oh, so that’s why you’re wearing cheongsam.”
You can’t serve cold food at school festivals, as a precaution against food poisoning. Most clubs will prepare their food in the home ec classrooms and then reheat it on a griddle in their booths.
“Wearing cheongsam is really going all out, though. None of the girls opposed it?”
“The boys basically forced it on us! The trade-off was they’re going to do all the cooking for us in the home ec room while we serve at the booths.”
So basically, the boys would be in the back chopping up onions while the girls wore cheongsam and served the customers. It was kind of ironic that they wouldn’t even get to see the girls wear them when they’d been so insistent about it.
“Still...cheongsam?”
“You seem really interested in that, huh? Well, I guess you are a guy, after all.” Hanamizawa-san grinned and I shrugged.
“Yeah, well.” Maybe if I helped out at the class’s booth, I’d be able to see a certain someone wearing a cheongsam. Ah— Wait, in that case I’d just end up chopping onions in the home ec room.
Just as those wicked thoughts crossed my mind, I felt someone pinching my back.
◊◊◊
A few days later after school, I went to a big-box retail store near campus.
“Hmm, maybe these beans would be good...” We needed more coffee beans for the book café we were running for the school festival, so I’d come to buy some extras. Apparently the teacher overseeing the library committee was very picky about coffee, and insisted we brew each cup from whole rather than pre-ground beans. I checked the shopping list with my cart.
“Yep, that’s the brand. Now I just need to get snacks.” Although they were picky about coffee, I’d been told to get whatever snacks they sold in a big pack to serve with the tea. Like Lumonde or Morinaga chocolate biscuits. I mean, those were good and everything, but still...
With the coffee beans and snacks, I was carrying quite a lot of stuff. It wasn’t heavy, just unwieldy from all the snack boxes. If only I had someone with me...
My usual partner in crime for this kind of thing turned me down, probably because of all the things going on lately. I guess it was my own fault for skipping out on shopping with her last time.
Just as I let out a sigh, I spotted a familiar face by the cash register. “Oh, Yashiro-kun!”
“Sato-san?” She was carrying a plastic shopping bag in one hand. “Are you here shopping too?”
“Oh, yeah. I needed to buy frozen seafood to put in our fried rice,” she said, showing me what she’d bought. “Y-You’re also shopping here?”
“Yep. I had to buy coffee beans and stuff for the library’s café.”
“Oh, right. I think I’d like that kind of thing,” she said with a smile.
“Are you here alone? No one else came shopping with you?”
“Nope. I’m here by myself.”
“Everything going okay? They’re not bullying you, are they?”
“Huh?” She gave me a blank look and then giggled. “Everyone’s really nice to me. Hadori-kun, Kanon-san, and Chikaze-san too. It’s a warm and comfortable feeling, like a big ray of sunshine,” she said in a soft voice. I could tell she meant every word. “It’s such a nice, comfortable place to be. I wanna work really hard to fit in with everyone. Actually, I take that back—I don’t want to try hard to fit in. I want it to just happen naturally. I want them to think it’s just natural for me to be by their side. And I want to feel that way too.”
“Ah...” I said after a pause. Even though I was silently cheering her on, my reply was cold. Sato-san studied my face. “Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Did you say something, and that’s why they’re being so nice?”
“What are you talking about?” I answered quickly. I didn’t remember doing anything in particular. And even if I had, in the end it was up to Hanamizawa-san and the others to treat her nicely. I had nothing to do with it.
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but just shook her head. “It’s nothing. Never mind.” Then she smiled at me. “Well, I’ve got some more shopping to do.”
“Okay.”
“See ya, Yashiro-kun.” She waved and left. After she was gone, I decided to head back to school. Just then, I got a message on my phone.
Nue: ochazuke at the library
That was all it said. Apparently that was her way of telling me to buy her snacks. Well, if that’s all it takes for her to stop being mad at me... I was about to go back inside the store when suddenly I heard a voice say, “Hey, look! It’s Sato.”
Three girls with dyed hair surrounded Sato-san.
“Ahh! M-Misono-san!” Sato-san gasped, her face frozen with fear. Rather than an acquaintance, she looked like she’d crossed paths with a snake.
“So this is where you went, huh? You already left school by the time I got back.”
“Yeah... Ouch!” The girl with reddish-brown hair, who I assumed was the leader, grabbed Sato-san’s shoulder. She must’ve grabbed it pretty roughly, because Sato-san’s face was twisted with pain.
“Good timing. Come with us.”
“B-But I’m busy...”
“Huh? You really think you can say no to us?” The red-haired girl was too intimidating for Sato-san to say anything back.
Uh-oh. This isn’t good at all. I started to head over towards the girls but then stopped. Wait. Should I really be doing this? I hesitated. It wasn’t about whether or not I should help her. But if she wanted to change herself, I just wasn’t sure if I was the one who should be helping her.
I remembered what Sato-san had said before. “I’m sure you can tell by now, but at my last school I was basically a loner. I just...didn’t belong in my classroom.” Those girls had to be from her last school. And judging by her reaction to them, they probably weren’t friends either.
I wanted to help her...
But I wasn’t her friend. If I helped her now, she would remember this moment as just another time people were mean to her. That might make her even more reluctant to reach out to others. Maybe it would ruin her chances of getting up the courage to change.
Maybe she wouldn’t ever try to make friends again. And that was just too sad.
“Everyone has their own strengths, but there are still limits; things you can do, and things you just can’t. Confuse the two, and you’ll only end up miserable.” I heard her voice echoing in my head.
“Are you telling me to know my place?”
“No. I’m saying that if you understand what kind of person you are, you should only do things you’re capable of.”
She was right. I wasn’t the person who should be helping Sato-san. This was something I just couldn’t do. So in that case... I’ll have to ask someone else for help. I reached for my phone.