Chapter 135Aftermath
I was invited to the benches that were lined up in a rectangular shape beside the corridor on the third floor that connected the East and West School Buildings. The first-year students didn't approach the benches because they didn't know, and the senpai-s also didn't approach the benches because they felt awkward due to their conflict last year. A little further down the corridor, there was indeed a spiral staircase that led directly to the courtyard.
"Ishiguro."
"Yeah."
When I arrived, I found that there was a tie-dyed, bespectacled, and gloomy-looking second-year student. He wore a business hairstyle with his bangs pushed forward, and a blazer that came with his school uniform that didn't quite fit him. A suit would have suited him much better.
That Ishiguro-senpai, who made eye contact with Yuuki-senpai earlier, was now standing in place and turned his attention to me.
"I'm Ishiguro, a second-year student. I have a personal relationship with Hayato-san, but my family also has a relationship with him. Yeah, let's call it that kind of relationship."
Th-Th-Th-That kind of relationship...!?
—I'm sure it was just a joke, but I think there might be that kind of relationship in a conglomerate family. But even so, unlike Yuuki-senpai, he seems like a serious boy... ...yet he doesn't seem too hot, I feel like he's the young head Yassan from R15* movies. I guess he must be a smart boy.
(TL Note: A reference to the character Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou?)
"Hello, I'm Sajou..."
"Sajou... ...Are you that girl's little bro? You don't look much alike..."
"Thank you very much."
".... Well, I think there are some things that are similar..."
I wonder what it is, I feel that he is strong-willed, but I also feel that he is weak-willed. I wonder if he's having a hard time... Anyway, he doesn't seem to be a boy with strong habits. Somehow, I feel somewhat safe. He has a pretty good physique, and he might be a good match for Ichinose-san. But my gut feeling tells me that he might be the type of person who can't take a joke. Gosh, is it possible that he's a boy who doesn't like people who blab?
To my delight, Yuuki-senpai had prepared my lunchbox. I could see that from a while ago. I've had high hopes for him since we met. Thank you so much for your kindness... I will repay this favor to you with Big Sis.
We sat in a U-shape on the bench that connected us. It doesn't feel bad that I'm hanging out with a boy who's very good-looking and a boy who seems very competitive. I think my status will be buffed. By now, I should be able to beat Big Sis... ...Hey. If I want to beat her, I need to counterattack her.
"Regarding the matter of the members of the Cultural Festival Executive Committee... ...I had asked Takuto about the movement of money during the preparation period of last year's Cultural Festival, and Takuto explained the current situation in more detail, and asked Ishiguro to find out about the performance of last year's Cultural Festival. Ishiguro?"
"Yeah?"
I listened to his story while eating my lunchbox. While I had my delicious lunchbox, Yuuki-senpai had nothing and Ishiguro-senpai had the sweet bread in his hands. He said he just wanted to share information with me, so I don't think he should hold back. Oh, this food is delicious.
Ishiguro-senpai responded to Yuuki-senpai and took out a gray binder. There were several sheets of paper stuck inside. It looked like that. It felt like he had a great sidekick.
"I thought that the information investigated by Kai alone was enough, but it turns out that there are still problems in every single area. That's why, under Hayato-san's direction, I expanded the scope of my investigation."
"...Your investigation? Did you ask them directly?"
When I felt uncomfortable and asked Ishiguro-senpai, it was Yuuki-senpai who answered my question.
"No, I avoid direct contact. The main reason is that I felt something was strange from what I heard from Wataru. Maybe it's different for you, though... ...Well, that's Kaede's intention."
I know that this high school has had some discrimination issues in the past. Right now I speculate that it is a matter of economic disparity. If students from lower middle-class families were placed in Classes A-B-C on the East Side, then Classes D-E-F on the West Side were filled with students from upper-class families. I haven't heard much about it since I started enrolling in this high school, and Big Sis doesn't seem to want me to get too involved in this matter.
Once again, Ishiguro-senpai started to open his mouth again.
"Based on the results of my investigation, although there are some deviations, the problems can be divided into three main categories."
"Three..."
"Let me explain them in order. First, I discovered that the format of this year's Cultural Festival preparations is different from last year's."
"...?"
Is that a problem? The theme and performance of the Cultural Festival can change every single year, so it's only natural that the preparation format should also change, right?
"Due to various circumstances, until last year, the Student Council and the Cultural Festival Executive Committee were almost exclusively based on ideas from the West Side. In this high school, there is a lot of competition between companies that tend to involve many people like the teachers and students... ...Yeah, there are some people among them who can take advantage of their reach."
"Huh...?"
I think that's the story that Big Sis doesn't want me to hear. Well, I think this is indeed a complicated topic, and if I can I'd rather not interfere, that's better. Even so, why is she still trying to get me into the Student Council?
"The Cultural Festival at Kōetsu High School is directly influenced by those people. The scale of the Cultural Festival has been expanded with the involvement of the local community, and since the preparations are hectic every single year, it is customary to start the Cultural Festival earlier, and the details of the preparations have been determined in a manual."
"Well, that's a good thing."
"The preparations for the Cultural Festival should continue this year based on the manual as well. Even though the West Side took over the stock of the manual last year, I don't think there will be a problem, since there are many people who have experience on the East Side."
"I don't think there will be a problem". Those were words that gave me a 100% bad sign. If it was Akira*, he would be bored. Something must have happened. Something that negatively affected the Cultural Festival by making it into a manual.
(TL Note: A reference to Akira, the 1988 anime movie with the main character of the same name?)
"—That manual has been turned into a skeleton for years now."
"H-Has been turned into a skeleton...?"
"The "West Side" on the other hand still faithfully carries out the Cultural Festival according to that manual — on paper."
"But even more so according to the data, anyway!" added Yuuki-senpai, and Ishiguro-senpai extended his left hand to the binder he was holding as if he wanted to say something bad. It was scary, scary. He looked exactly like a bodyguard. If I were to compare him to a fighting game character, he would probably be the type of character who has high strength and low speed. I don't think he would use magic.
"Um, what do you mean you're doing something special?"
"It's an "outsourcing"."
"Huh?"
But, "outsourcing"? This is what outsourcing means, isn't it? This is when you ask an outsider to do part of your work, someone who is not involved in your work, right? Since it's a commission, of course, they need to be "paid"... ...Eh? You must be joking, right? High school students doing something that a small business would do as a desperate attempt...?
"Expanding the scale of this year's Cultural Festival is risky, but if it succeeds, it will be a great achievement. In this school — this year's Cultural Festival has become a competition to determine "contribution" to this school, and by extension to the local community. When I looked again at the possible scale of this year's Cultural Festival, I found that this time it will be 2.5 times bigger than last year's Cultural Festival."
"Two—!?"
Ishiguro-senpai continued. This was indeed something that could be easily known by investigating it. However, since the contents were not visible, how could he bother to investigate this in the first place?
"That, well... ...Wasn't that recorded in the records from last year's Cultural Festival?"
"I told you, "It's on paper". Everything until last year was done unofficially. With pocket money as if they were volunteers. That's why there is no data record about the "scale". Last year's Cultural Festival might have been much bigger."
"But, you see, in that case, there will be a digital footprint of the work they have done last year in the data."
"It has been deleted from the data."
...Huh? It was deleted from the data?
"B-But, from what I've heard, wasn't the rampant "outsourcing" not only last year but also the previous years? I don't think it's a coincidence since it happens almost every single year... ...Didn't the same problem happen last year as well?"
"When I tried to restore the Student Council's backup data, I found... ...that last year's and previous years' unofficial data had been deleted — This happened in late November last year."
"Huh? Late November...?"
Why? This Cultural Festival started in early October. I don't see any continuity with when the data was deleted. Why did last year's Student Council go to the trouble of deleting last year's Cultural Festival event data...? If only this was a decent part-time job, we would have gotten into trouble right away, right? A long time ago, one of my senpai-s, a reckless university student who worked part-time in my office made such a mistake and disappeared.
What does that mean...? While I was confused, Yuuki-senpai, who looked mysterious with his eyes closed and arms crossed, opened his mouth with the same expression on his face.
"—It's time for the Student Council to take over."
"..."
After hearing Yuuki-senpai's words, Ishiguro-senpai, who was still disgusted, sighed. To me, that was still a questionable "?". I could do nothing but listen to his words. However, somehow, I could deduce that this case still had something to do with the old issue of the "East vs. West" conflict.
"I probably won't explain this specifically out of respect for that girl's intention, though... ...But last year, there was an event where a movement of students from the 'East Side' and some students from the 'West Side' led to a major effort to curb the 'excessive partiality of the West Side'. As a result, the senpai-s in the Student Council and the Cultural Festival Executive Committee, which consisted of students on the 'West Side' who were heavily involved in managing this school at the time, were forced to resign."
"Resign?"
I've only heard that word in foreign policy news and History class... ...Eh? Is this high school darker than I expected? I mean, is it possible that Big Sis was also just involved in this? You guys aren't going to start dropping me this time, aren't you? I never expected that, anyway...
"—I think this might be the souvenir of last year's Student Council or its President, to take revenge on this year's Student Council."
Heh... ...It's a very sunny day, isn't it?
Author's Note: I'd rather eat this delicious lunchbox.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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