Chapter 1 | Until Yesterday, Until Tomorrow | Remake our Life!
Part 5
"We will now begin the Art Study Group Festival Meeting!!"
With Kiryu-san's ridiculously excited declaration, a meeting about the cosplay cafe that will be held at this year's school festival begins.
Everyone seemed somewhat tired, as the meeting was held in the evening, after classes had finished.
Kakihara-san, who said he had just finished a practical dance exam, was lying on his desk, and Sugimoto-san, Hiyama-san, and the other seniors were in a somewhat downbeat mood.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you guys? It's the first festival of the year. Let's get more enthusiastic, hey!"
In such a situation, this person's tension was very high.
"Third year students are busy with a lot of things, especially in our department, and assignments are tough."
Sugimoto-san answered with a big yawn.
"That's right, you're actually a research student, so why are you so energetic? I can't believe it."
Hiyama-san looks at Kiryu-san with her usual cold eyes.
"It's not about the research students! For the University Arts students, the school festival is a big event that takes precedence over classes, and that's how it came to be in the first place."
Finally, something like a noisy speech began.
But it is true that there are many students other than Kiryu-san who put a lot of effort into the school festival. Not all of them are serious about their studies, but there are also those who are usually serious but burst into full throttle only during the festival.
(Yes, this year, there will be a screening in addition to that.)
Last year was last year, and in a sense, it was a school festival with a lot going on, such as Nanako's stage performance and the customers who got involved at the maid cafe.
The screening is not such a big event on campus as a whole, but I have a feeling that it will not end there.
I hope it's something that makes you laugh.
"Well, I think we should think carefully about the menu."
Kawasegawa, folding her arms, looked at the sheet with last year's review and mumbled.
"Many ingredients are discarded without being used because the menu was designed without considering the efficiency of the ingredients. If we can make these things more efficient, we can prevent sudden shortages of ingredients, can't we?"
"Yees, Yee~s! If we do that, the fun menu I came up with won't be featured at all, so I think I'll be sad!"
Kawasegawa's gaze shot through Kiryu-san, who interjected in a strangely high-pitched voice.
"Does that take priority over everything else?"
"Eh......?"
"The question is whether this is a priority for all of us in opening this new store. In other words, if what the customers are looking for coincides with many of the menu items that Kiryu-san has created, and if this is one of the perceived attractions of the store, then it should be taken into consideration."
"O-O-O-Of course! The menu I came up with was so popular that people started lining up and waiting in line. Wait, why are you all looking at me with such cold eyes!?"
Last year's main staff all voiced their doubts all at once.
"Somehow it made you scratch your head, didn't it, the menu that Kiryu-san came up with."
"This is the Kiryu World! It was so incomprehensible, you know."
"The last part was cut down due to lack of ingredients."
"And it didn't affect customer traffic at all."
"H-Hey, you guys! This is a fabrication! It's a cover-up! This circle is infested with a person who is a trusted follower of power!"
The dictator suddenly began to assert his rights, to which all of the members of the club, who had tolerated him ......, responded with cold eyes and calm criticism.
The girl who became the head of the new revolutionary government let out a cold sigh and said.
"So, let's start with a completely revised menu. It's meaningless, right?"
"Meaningless!"
"G-Guys, if you resort to violence by the numbers like that, it will come back to you! Remember that!"
Well, in this way, the menu has been made even more efficient, and we can actually expect the quality of the food and drinks served at the school festival to be even higher than last year.
The topic finally gets to the main topic.
"Now then, about cosplay."
As soon as Kawasegawa mentioned the topic, all the eyes of the club members turned to her.
"Uwh... A-As for the staff members who will be in charge of serving customers at this time, they are welcome to cosplay voluntarily. Register in advance to avoid costume overlap."
Having said that,
"Kawasegawa-senpai!"
Saikawa Minori leaned forward and approached Kawasegawa.
"W-What is it, Saikawa?"
"You said it's voluntary, but of course senpai will do it, right?"
"......What are you talking about?"
At this point, Kawasegawa turned her head away and tried to escape.
However,
"I won't let you run away! We made a promise at a previous meeting that senpai would be cosplaying as a member of the customer service staff!!"
Saikawa's face approached the one that had run away.
"Y-You! You're really clinging to me like that, but in the first place, no one expects me to do cosplay......"
Kawasegawa said and looked at everyone present.
"Uwh......"
The eyes on each of their faces were refreshingly sparkling, and it was clear that they were looking forward to Kawasegawa's decision.
"Eiko, you're so cute, why don't you just give up and let's do it together ~"
With a grinning Nanako,
"I think you would look good in a cool uniform~"
With a grinning Shinoaki,
"Hmm, I feel bad for Kawasegawa-chan, but I really want to see it too."
Hiyama-san is grinning,
Well, cruelly, there was no one on her side here.
"No one? What happened?"
"Kuh"
Kawasegawa's intelligent expression from earlier seemed to have disappeared, her face completely red, and she couldn't seem to come up with any words of protest.
Eventually,
"Okay...... I won't run away anymore."
A small voice was heard and a statement was made,
"We did it! Everybody heard it, right!"
With a burst of cheers, Kawasegawa Eiko's cosplay debut in public was decided.
Uwh~, Kawasegawa lets out a frustrated voice.
Well, Saikawa had asked her to participate even during the planning stage, and above all, since it was her own idea, it was hard to refuse.
As expected, I felt a little sorry for her and called out to her.
"Are you okay? If you really don't like it, you can work in the kitchen."
"Thank you. Well, I don't really dislike it that much, and if it is really no good, I'll have refused from the beginning. Besides..."
"Besides?"
Kawasegawa tried to speak, then stopped, repeated this two or three times, tightened the corners of his lips, and then spoke in a voice that only I could hear,
"I'd like to wear it a little bit too..."
She said, looking away shyly.
"R-Really, it's just a little bit! It's just that I thought so! If you make the story bigger and say that "she has finally woken up to cosplay~", you'll pay for it!"
"I won't tell anyone! It's okay!"
Something like, well, I'm personally glad to see so many sides of Kawasegawa like this coming out. Lately, she is loved very much by the people around her.
"I-It's not like I'm really awakened or anything..."
"I said I got it."
If things go like this, we might be able to see Kawasegawa participating in an event with Saikawa next year.
--- seireitranslations.blogspot.com ---
Part 6
Well, that was about the highlight of the meeting. The rest of the meeting proceeded smoothly, with the modest matters to be confirmed and the responsibilities to be assigned.
Kawasegawa's sharp voice still echoes in the clubroom.
"Basically, customer service staff should refrain from restocking the back room. I will be in charge of that in order to prevent additional purchases from being made."
"Me and Shinoaki just need to focus on serving customers."
"Yes. If you notice anything, please tell me or Hashiba. We will take care of it."
Roger~, Nanako's cheerful voice echoes.
"Then, I guess Tsurayuki and I will handle the shopping."
"That's right. Kiryu-san, just like last year, you will be responsible for cleaning the venue, taking care of the dishes, and being the person in charge of calling for help when there is a problem with a customer."
"Got it! Next time, I'm going to call the ace of the judo club!"
I'm curious, but why does Kiryu-san interact with the top athletes of the athletic club?
(Even though he's a skinny guy who has no relation to sports...Wait, ah.)
Same interests? I was strangely convinced by the combination of the words "ero", "store", and "regular customers" from the category.
(W-Well, it's good to have a wide range of friends.)
Let's keep this a secret from Kawasegawa...
The meeting was almost over, Saikawa had summarized the meeting notes on her laptop, and the mood was beginning to look like it might be time to leave.
"Well then, I guess it's time to call it a day."
When Hiyama-san was about to declare the end of the meeting.
"Um, excuse me. I'm the school festival executive committee."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the clubroom door, and a girl wearing a yellow armband appeared.
"A member of the executive committee? Well, what is it?"
When it comes to large-scale events such as school festivals, not just at the University of the Arts, an executive committee is formed to manage the event.
The festival committee wears yellow armbands, and from the time of preparation, during the festival, and until the cleanup, they are the authority on campus, as well as the hosts who treat all students with courtesy.
The work of the staff, led by the chairperson and divided by a structured hierarchy, is highly appreciated not only by students but also by outside customers.
It seems that the Art Research Group has never had much contact with the Executive Committee. No staff was ever dispatched by them, and when they would come by on the last day to check on things, they would usually leave in a second, saying, "Oh, there's nothing going on here."
This is probably because when it comes to indoor exhibition spaces where people do not come, they are categorized as quiet and less likely to cause trouble.
However, last year, we suddenly decided to open a store for food and beverages, and the popularity of the restaurant, which was thriving day after day, and the appearance of unwanted customers, which caused problems, made us the target of close monitoring at once.
In addition, Kakihara-san and Sugimoto-san from Art Club joined as staff members of the executive committee, which deepened the exchange between the two as if it had never happened before.
A girl from the executive committee came to the club room. I thought she was going to talk about security for the day, but,
"Um, I came here to confirm your intention to participate in the school festival event that I announced on flyers and other documents."
She started talking about something completely different from what I had expected.
"School festival event?"
What is she talking about? I don't remember it, and it wasn't on today's agenda.
When I tried to answer a question with a question,
"Wah, sorry sorry, about that right, Miss Daigeidai matter!"
One person, Kiryu-san, clapped his hands and reacted loudly.
"Miss Daigeidai??"
The other club members still tilted their heads.
Before the contrasting reactions, the girls on the executive committee said, "Areh? You don't know?" and she pulled out a document from her hand.
"It's the main stage event this year. Last year was the live event, and this year is the Miss Contest. We have four major events that rotate from year to year so that every student who enrolls gets to experience one each."
I see. I convinced.
Last year, there was a huge uproar at a live event. The memorable event where Nanako's determination and seriousness blossomed was apparently going to be a beauty pageant this year.
"Anyway, Miss Contest, huh......"
In the world 10 years from now, the number of such events will have decreased due to political correctness and various other considerations, but here at the University of Arts, it seems to have continued without any particular problems, partly because of its strong policy of storytelling.
The contest is highly controversial because boys are allowed to compete and a boy is selected one out of every three times. However, the selected students are required to participate in various events as Miss University of Arts, and they can earn a certain amount of money if they participate in public events.
Another characteristic of the Miss Contest is that "cuteness" is valued above all else. However, the cuteness is not about beauty or ugliness, but rather "cuteness" from a general point of view.
...... The girl on the executive committee told us something like that.
"So, what do you think? If you would like to participate, please fill out the form......"
"Yes, yes, yes, of course we will be participating! For the time being, all the girls in our place, both members and non-members, will fill the form mugo gyu ga gugu"
Kiryu-san dashingly took out a pen and tried to fill it out, but Hiyama-san stopped him from behind with all her might.
"Ah, sorry, don't pay attention to what this guy says. Art Study Group not participating, no one will participate. Please write in red letters that it has been decided not to participate and that no one will be participating."
"Y-Yes......I understand."
"If someone comes in later and asks for a change, don't deal with them!"
Perhaps sensing the unusual atmosphere, the girl of the executive committee nodded her head many times and hurriedly left.
"Eh, wait wait! Why are you sending her back, Hiyama-chan? If someone is chosen as the winner of Miss Contest, it would be a great way to advertise our store, and that's just smart, right."
"You really have no thought for this! Why should the customer service staff, who worked so hard last year, be burdened with an event on top of that!"
Kiryu-san made a face that said, "Ah, that's right."
"Haa, mou...... please, stop making all decisions based on spinal reflexes..."
Seeing Hiyama-san's exhaustion, everyone couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"But come on! I think it's the first time since Art Club started that we've had so many cute girls! Don't you actually want to see how amazing they are?" (Note: If anyone is confused about the name of the club. The full name is Art Study Group (Bijutsu Kenkyukai) but sometimes they are shortened to Art Club (BiKen))
Perhaps wanting to justify his opinion, Kiryu-san has been appealing for the significance of participating in Miss Contest from a different direction. Did he really care that much?
"Kawasegawa-senpai, uhm."
Saikawa looks at Kawasegawa with sparkling eyes.
"No."
However, Kawasegawa immediately rejected it.
"W-Why do you reject it that much when I just call out your name! At least you could have listened to my words until the end!"
"Because everything you were going to say was leaking out of your smug face! I've agreed to the cosplay thing, so don't talk to me any more about the Miss Contest or anything like that!"
"Ah, you figured it out?"
Saikawa says nonchalantly and smiles. Apparently, what Kawasegawa had guessed was correct.
Saikawa was recently involved in a stalker-related incident. No matter how skilled she is in combat, she would not inadvertently appeal herself to the public.
"Kyoya-kun, MissCon is an event to determine the cutest girls, right?"
Shinoaki suddenly pulled my sleeve and asked me that.
"I guess...so. Well, I guess there are all sorts of things that go into making a decision."
"All sorts of things?"
"Well, I think they should judge things like talk, singing, and other things like the person's individual charm, I guess."
I'm not familiar with the MissCon situation, so I don't know the details.
"I see, then."
Shinoaki smiled innocently and said,
"Then Nanako is perfect."
"I thought you'd say that! I-I won't do it!!"
She suddenly threw the bomb at Nanako, who was right next to her. Well, it looks like Nanako hit it back with a bat before it hit the ground.
"Oooh... Indeed, Nanako-chan has everything necessary for the elements of a Miss Contest!"
Kiryu-san suddenly got up and had a look of joy on his face, as if to say, "There is a jewel here."
"I mean, I think Shinoaki will become extremely popular!"
"I can't do it, because I'm tiny."
"T-There's a demand for that now! So it's okay!"
I'm not sure what's okay though.
Well, maybe it was fortunate that everyone didn't have the motivation to participate. If there had been any, I'm sure Kiryu-san would have been motivated instead of letting them out.
"Hmm, if you had told me that you were even slightly interested, I would have gone to the executive committee to tell them about the correction we made earlier."
See, I knew it.
"Well, even if I had been asked to participate, I would have immediately refused."
Kawasegawa turned her icy gaze towards Kiryu-san.
"Ahaha, that's right."
In fact, if she said she was going to participate aggressively, I would suspect she had a fever.
"In this kind of thing, it would be great if there was a person with that kind of brilliance who truly wanted to stand out in front of people."
And with Kawasegawa's usual reaction, the meeting came to an end.
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