#319
A quiet classroom devoid of any voices.
The only sounds echoing in the room were the clattering of keyboards and the faint rhythm of breathing. The source of the sound was just the two of us, Nakayama and me.
The others were not in the classroom, likely engrossed in activities outside.
The other day, I had a conversation with Shizuku and Kirasaka, and I gained Yuuto’s understanding.
They were able to understand what I was thinking and had a response ready.
Realizing how self-indulgent my own thoughts were, I was able to resume the halted progress in the form of cooperation. But what are they doing now―――
“Ahhh! Why are you here and not Ogiwara-kun!?”
As I naturally finished the introduction of the past in my mind while moving my hands, Nakayama, who remained in the classroom, exclaimed loudly.
She looked at me resentfully, with her head in her hands.
“I’ve explained it many times… We need to consider the remaining time and use manpower effectively. We can’t afford to waste resources.”
“I’ve heard that many times…”
Nevertheless, Nakayama groaned, still unsatisfied… No, she seemed frustrated. The reason why there are no other students in this place is simply because they are engaged in other tasks.
Shiraishi and Hino-kun were originally tasked with collecting data from students, and Yuuto was added to their roles.
Shizuku and Kirasaka are in charge of the faculty.
And Nakayama is the only one tasked with video editing, but dividing the collected data files inevitably takes time. It’s impossible to handle it alone, so I’m helping out there, summarizing the current situation briefly.
The reason is quite simple.
Regarding Shiraishi and Hino-kun’s data collection… We’ve been heavily relying on Shiraishi’s wide connections so far, but we need to make it more convenient.
More specifically, Shiraishi deals with male students, Yuuto with female students, and Hino-kun supports them both. Shiraishi is good at appealing to boys, and Yuuto is liked by girls in general.
So, it would be efficient to divide the responsibilities by gender.
The same goes for Shizuku and Kirasaka.
Even the faculty… mainly the club advisors, have smartphones. Naturally, there are many teachers who foster good relationships with students, and there may be nostalgic images of former students in the data.
So, we sent the two of them there for collection.
Shizuku, who is well-regarded by both students and faculty, and Kirasaka, who can provide strong support just by her presence alone.
She’s the daughter of a wealthy CEO who generously supports the school. In the current situation where we use whatever resources are available, her presence is very powerful.
…Let’s not mention the sacrifices I made to convince them of their roles.
With all that said, currently only Nakayama and I are in the classroom as members of the organizing committee.
I don’t feel sorry for Nakayama, who probably wanted to spend a fun afterschool life with Yuuto, but she’ll just have to endure it.
The roles of the seven members of the organizing committee this time are roughly divided into front and back.
Shizuku, Kirasaka, Shiraishi, and Yuuto are the front-facing roles.
They are often responsible for negotiating with students and teachers. Considering their popularity, it’s only natural.
As the backstage members, there are me, Nakayama, and Hino-kun.
Nakayama, needless to say, takes on the editing tasks single-handedly and also handles research on events at other schools, among other tasks. In this age of social media prevalence, it’s very convenient to find various photos with just a search.
Hino-kun handles the physical tasks. Power is power, that’s all. And if students start complaining about trivial things, there’s a possibility of avoiding trouble by pushing him to the forefront with an aggressive stance.
The strongest intimidating presence, Hino-kun… You can be confident in yourself.
Lastly, my role is schedule management and negotiation.
I negotiate with the supervising teachers about the event details and get permission from the student council president, Koizumi. It’s a modest job.
This is the division of roles we all discussed together at the beginning. Everyone may have their own thoughts, but the discussion should have ended with everyone’s consent…
“Even though I thought I could be with Ogiwara-kun… it’s Shinra. Ugh, Shinra.”
“Don’t say it twice, I might get hurt.”
“Maybe, but the possibility of getting hurt is low, right?”
Almost two hours into the task.
Despite occasionally murmuring complaints like this, Nakayama continued her editing work without stopping. But occasionally, she would vent her frustrations towards me like this.
Certainly, it’s tough being alone with a guy who’s not your friend in such a large classroom. But surprisingly, she often picks up on my words and throws in a retort.
Maybe, unexpectedly, she has talent not just as a gal, but also as a retort specialist. I started thinking about such things in my mind.
“Besides, weren’t you glad not to be with them?”
“…It’s fine.”
It was immediately clear that the them Nakayama mentioned were Shizuku and Kirasaka.
Both Shizuku and Kirasaka, as well as I, had all desired the normal everyday life we had until recently. Chatting casually in the morning, having lunch together, and occasionally taking detours after school.
Maybe waking up in the living room on a holiday morning after barging into Shinra household for breakfast… that kind of ordinary life.
The noisy days that I had thought were bothersome became commonplace, and before I knew it, I started to long for them. That’s why the best thing for us to do is to spend more time together by cooperating.
The answer is no.
There are things to be done.
If I were to prioritize spending time with them now instead of focusing on the task at hand, they would surely be angry with me.
They don’t want to just be together doing nothing.
They want to do something together.
I’m not so good with words, I can only express vague thoughts, but surely that’s how it is. So, right now, completing this farewell party in a way that we can envision is the top priority.
And this thought should remain hidden within my heart alone.
If I were to put it into words and convey it to Nakayama, he would definitely say something like “That’s so lame” or “You’re gross” until I regretted it.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Ogiwara-kun… I mean, I originally had that in mind. But, Shinra and Ogiwara-kun―――”
“Oops, the computer broke. It can only type in capital letters now.”
“That’s because you pressed the CAPS LOCK! You’re really clueless about machines… Are you even from this generation?”
As I said this, Nakayama leaned forward and quickly operated the computer I borrowed from the school, returning it to its original state.
You can’t just ignore that I’m a modern kid. I don’t use social media, of course, and I hardly ever use SMS apps, still mostly using emails.
I don’t play games on my smartphone, and I only use it to check the time and make calls.
Is there anyone else as wholesome a modern kid as me?
No, there isn’t.
In fact, I’m proud to say that I’m the most illiterate in using a smartphone at the school. And especially with a computer.
And also, don’t try to operate it with two fingers, it’s complicated.
I’m waiting eagerly for the voice recognition computer that will surely be born in the future, so I’ll be fine.
…I don’t know if there’s such a faction, though.
“But, with three people joining, the efficiency of our work should improve significantly. The data collection should finish quickly, so we need to prepare for the next steps.”
“Oh… like checking the positions on the day of the event, decorations, and confirming the guests?”
Nakayama glanced at last year’s documents while confirming, but I shook my head. That’s a discussion for the next stage.
What I want to move forward with now is something more related to the content of the event.
“I have a place I want to visit.”
“Huh… Where?”
As we both turned our gaze to the computer in front of us and continued our conversation, Nakayama seemed interested, but not overly so.
So, without further ado, I disclosed the next destination.
“There’s a nursery school across from the school, and also the residence of Kirasaka ‘s conglomerate director.”
“Hmm, a nursery school and… the director?”
“Yeah, the director.”
Echoing back like an echo, Nakayama froze at the latter part. Slowly, like a rusty robot, her head turned to the side, and when our eyes met, she had wide-open eyes.
The Kirasaka conglomerate, one of Japan’s leading conglomerates.
Its president, Kirasaka Reiya, is an extraordinary and busy individual.
He’s not someone an ordinary student can meet.
But I can meet him.
Because I gave up five days of my private holidays to ask Kirasaka for a favour.
Use whatever resources are available.
With my current mindset returning to its original way of thinking, I seriously rely on others. Don’t underestimate me.
And there’s no cheaper investment than using oneself for that purpose.
What concerns me is whether bringing souvenirs from the shopping district would be okay as a gift.
It depends on personal preference, and I’ll ask Kirasaka about it later, but I’ll also ask Nakayama just in case. However, she remained frozen with her eyes wide open.
BrutalBot Tl 