5. Those who place in the top three in each department and each grade will be given the right to perform on the special stage at the Ryouran Summer Festival.
6. There are no penalties for poor grades.
7. However, earning the right to perform at the festival will give you the opportunity to catch the eye of high-ranking industry figures, so aim for the top and give it your best shot.
“By the way, Shibuya, what is the Ryouran Summer Festival?” I asked.
“What, you don’t know? You must be the first student in the history of the school who doesn’t know about it.”
“Well, I’m a transfer student who only entered this spring. Give me a break.”
“Just search using the keywords, and you can easily find the info you need.”
“I can’t be bothered with that. Come on—cut me some slack here.”
“Hey, don’t sass me! Darn it. If you’re serious about calling yourself a manager, you should do your own research yourself.”
“It’s faster to just ask you. I don’t mind tossing aside my pride and asking someone more knowledgeable than myself.”
“Grrr. You’re so good at giving weaselly answers.”
Shibuya bit her lip in frustration and glared at me.
As a performer, she mesmerizes (and almost overwhelms) the audience with her powerful singing voice—she’s like a mad dog on stage. And a little doglike offstage, too.
Sighing, Shibuya continued. “The Ryouran Summer Festival is kinda like an ordinary high school’s culture festival.”
“Culture festival, huh… Then…”
“Hmm? You okay?”
“Guh… BLEURGH!”
“Oh my gosh, are you puking? What are you puking for?!”
“Culture festival. My brother has a trauma… And me too…”
Shiika turned pale and trembled as she rubbed my back, while I was still in a state of Udon Reverse.
The words culture festival were like poison for those of us who’ve struggled in school.
“The whole class working together… All for one and one for all… YERK!” I vomited again.
“Trite sayings about teamwork incite yet more puking? It sounds like you two have been through a lot. I totally sympathize,” Shibuya said.
“Hahhh, hahhh… It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I survived…with just some light, fatal injuries. But tell us more about the Ryouran Summer Festival.”
“Fatal injuries would have killed you. Well, to put it in simple terms, it’s Ryouran High’s culture festival. But it’s totally different from that of a normal high school.”
Shibuya lifted a finger as she spoke.
“For one thing, the scale of it is totally different. It’s a major event that attracts a huge crowd of ordinary folk.”
“I mean, culture festivals tend to do that?”
“Sure, other high schools’ culture festivals may be open to the public, but to be frank, no one actually goes except for the students’ own families and maybe kids from nearby schools, right?”
“Well, yeah. Not a lot of people would be clamoring to go to such a crummy event.”
“Putting aside your sad hatred of culture festivals, Gakuto, each and every student at Ryouran High has their own circle of devoted fans, be it large or small, so the festival attracts members of the public who come to see their faves. And there’s a lot of them, too.”
“Ah, yes. Impachi Live has tens of thousands of subscribers to its platform, after all.”
I’d seen on the news that a broadcaster active on WayTube actually managed to fill Tokyo Dome.
Now, I wouldn’t say this would go that far, but no doubt the festival could attract a considerable audience.
“Alumni currently active in the entertainment world will take the stage for certain events, so you can count on their fans coming, and of course there’s the talent scouts and other industry bigwigs. It’d be no exaggeration to say that the festival is the one event more than any other where attention will be focused on Ryouran High.”
“Party people love live events… But hey, what’s the special stage?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like! The one with the biggest crowd, the most visible stage of all!”
Shibuya spread her arms wide, showing just how big we were talking here.
Then Akiba joined the conversation.
“That’s not all! Almost without exception, the students who perform on the special stage become big stars after graduating. In other words, if you’re aiming for future success, you can’t skip this opportunity! If you guys get up there, my connections to you will be worth bank!”
“Relying solely on the success of others, huh?”
“You’re a fine one to talk, Gakuto. But only the top three can get onstage. There’s no way it’s gonna be us. Shiika, Shibuya, Komae. That’s three. And that’s more than good enough for me! Oh, I can almost taste it! Nya-ha-ha!”
Akiba, a woman who throws all her eggs in someone else’s basket when it comes to making a living for herself, gave a confident laugh.
I agreed it was a good idea.
Anyhow, thanks to reliable information sources, I think I found out more or less everything I needed to know about the Ryouran Summer Festival. And I believe I grasped the importance of that special stage. In short, win a spot, and you can gain popularity and earn big bucks. Excellent!
“…But never mind all that! Why is dancing a requirement?! It doesn’t make any sense, does it?!” I shouted.
“Looking at the requisites for the other departments… You can’t just stick to your own lane and be successful,” Akiba said.
“A message from the school saying that we should cooperate with one another beyond our departments…maybe,” Komae suggested.
“Well, I don’t like it. But if it’s a condition, then it can’t be helped. Dance routines are necessary now, even during live music performances. If we need to dance, all we can really do is practice our butts off,” Shibuya said.
“Erio, do you dance?” Komae asked.
“When Nakameguro was my manager, I took a few lessons. Just the basics, though. Nothing complex.”
“Ah, we’d expect no less from you, Erio. But if your foundations are solid, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Shibuya and Komae sounded calm, in contrast to me, wailing my laments.
“Guh. You can talk; you’re both good-looking and overflowing with confidence. But don’t underestimate Shiika’s true lack of coordination. She wouldn’t even cut it as a backup dancer.”
“Nnngh. No. I refuse to dance.”
“Actually, isn’t the scarecrow dance all the rage among young people? Yeah? You don’t really need to move, just sort of stand there. It’s a whole new style…”
“Nice idea, Gak. I think I could do that.”
“What do you think, Akiba? A new dance trend popular with the youths…”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Argh, we’re done for!!!”
“Gah…”
Reality was cruel.
Shibuya patted Shiika’s head and gave her an encouraging smile as Shiika openly despaired.
“It’s okay. We can learn together!”
“Huh…?”
“As long as you learn the basics and pull off a decent performance, it’ll be fine. There’s no one else in the Music Department who can beat me and you, Shiika!” Shibuya said reassuringly and with conviction.
But Komae stiffened.
“Ah… Well, I wouldn’t say that with such confidence…”
“Oh? What is it, Komae? Why do you sound so dubious? What happened to the handsome ladies’ man who’s always brimming with confidence?”
“Hey, Gakuto. Don’t think you can get away with saying whatever you want to me.”