Chapter 187Crime Scene
The closing ceremony went off without a hitch, and after the Cultural Festival was over, there was no after-party in the evening — The school was not in a state of emergency, and the clean-up work began from then on. Well, in this day and age, no school would allow its students to stay at school until the evening. Even if the event was not held at school, after this work was completed, they would probably go to karaoke or some other place to have fun.
"You're going too, aren't you, Sajou?"
"Oh."
For the first-year students, the riddle competition could be considered a success because it had a large number of visitors. It was inevitable that a class after-party would be held. I'm sure the karaoke bars around the school must have gotten nervous when they heard that our high school was holding a Cultural Festival. Wait, I'll take my microphone.
"Huh... ...But, Sasaki finally has a girl to go out with, huh...!?"
"...? Oh...."
Yamazaki looked at one of the girls. She was a member of the Tea Ceremony Club and was heading to the classroom with her back straight. Despite her posture, which was like Yamato Nadeshiko's — Saitou-san's expression seemed relaxed, or perhaps she seemed to be floating somewhat. There must be progress in her relationship with Sasaki. I wonder what would happen if I told her that I was the one who pushed Sasaki to accept her confession....
Sasaki was still at the gymnasium because he had the same cleaning duty on the same Cultural Festival Executive Committee as Natsukawa. Sasaki probably didn't expect to be in a relationship with a certain girl during the Cultural Festival. What happened at that time, when he told me that he was interested in Natsukawa and I felt a little disturbed? I had already encouraged Sasaki to date Natsukawa, but I felt unable to accept that.
"Well, whatever..."
"Okay."
That's not good. I'm sure Shirai-san and Okamocchan, who are best friends with Saitou-san, also seem to have feelings for Sasaki, so there might be some awkwardness in the future. But it's not something to think about right now, right after the Cultural Festival. Let's just enjoy the rest of this fun event and have a good time without thinking about whatever will happen tomorrow and beyond.
"Um... ...Gosh."
There was a vibration from my uniform pocket. When I pulled out the source of the vibration, I found the name "Yuuki-paisen" on the lock screen of my smartphone. It was an unexpected call from the Student Council President. He was someone I didn't want to meet in person for now, anyway.
[Come to the waiting room next to the stage.]
"..."
Next to the stage. I wonder if it refers to the mysterious room next to the podium in the gymnasium. Does that mean I should go back there? I have a bad feeling about this, though...
"...I'm sorry, I need to go to the gymnasium for a moment."
"Okay."
♦
"..."
"..."
This room was cramped like a storage room and poorly ventilated. The equipment and supplies that were originally placed there had been crudely placed on the walls, and the light bulbs hanging from the electric wires wobbled from the low ceiling. In the forcibly vacated room, a number of dressing tables stood in a row, and actress lighting shone around the edges of the mirrors. I guess this is what the dressing room of a failed comedian looks like.
However, the people in front of me were clearly neither actresses nor comedians.
"...Are you guys okay?"
"..."
Four handsome boys were spread out in a room the size of six tatami mats. They were lying on a floor that could not be described as comfortable and clean, dressed in glittering costumes; they were trembling and trying to take a few breaths to stay alive. On a pipe chair in the center of the room, Big Sis, who was wearing a pure white wedding dress, was sitting and nodding in a pose like an exhausted boxer, her head drooping. I think the psychological damage was too much for her.
At first, I wondered what kind of face I should show when I was shown the scene, which was the same as the one in the manga with the Yankee girl characters, featuring my big sis wearing a wedding dress with four handsome boys beside her, it was a shock to me and I was in a state of shock.
The calm after the storm had passed. In this abandoned stark room, I had a high artistic value when I threw "Are you okay?" at the people who would become the storm themselves. There was probably not a single sane person in the room.
"Ugh... ..Y-You came here too...?!"
"Are you guys still alive?"
"Oh..."
Yuuki-senpai raised his head slightly from the floor and spoke. Who would have thought that the call would turn out to be an SOS message? At least my bad feeling was right.
"Are you guys okay? Who did this to you guys? What exactly is going on here...?"
"...Ugh..."
As I asked him questions while squatting down, Yuuki-senpai's face showed his pain and he gritted his teeth as if recalling a traumatizing experience. He supported himself with his right arm and lifted himself up, then looked at my legs and said:
"—It's nothing... ...Nothing happened, though."
Well, this boy still has a lot of time on his hands, doesn't he?
It's hard to imagine who did this to them and what exactly happened here. Even though he said that nothing happened here, the damage caused by the kicks of Big Sis, who was wearing high heels and a wedding dress, to their feet was obviously not too painful for them. But then again, I guess it's because of Yuuki-senpai's feelings for Big Sis that he can say this. Even though it actually feels heavy.
"As you can see... ...Wataru."
"Eh?"
"We all got messed up and we've had enough..."
Why, Bro?
"I don't think we'll be able to walk well for a while."
They deserve that because it's their own fault.
"Just for a moment... ...may I ask you a favor?"
"Eh...?"
I couldn't hide the grin on my face at this unfortunate turn of events. Surprisingly, I didn't feel uncomfortable with the fact that I would be dragged here. The annoying thing about handsome boys is that even if they get carried away, the people around them will instantly forgive them, but in the case of these boys, they are in a lot of pain... ...I can't hate them.
"What about Gou-senpai...?"
"No need to involve Ishiguro in this..."
"Why not?"
"If we involve that kid, Kaede's fists will reach him too."
I thought he said nothing happened here, didn't he?
Yuuki-senpai, who was lying on his back while leaning against the wall, started explaining what happened to me while catching his breath. I guess, today's surprise appearance and Big Sis' counterattack were just as they expected. After that, they were able to dispel their worries about the future and prepare their tasks for the rest of the day, so they didn't have to worry about fainting like this.
What was unexpected was that just a few minutes ago, someone from an organization I don't know asked to meet with the Student Council Officials. They most likely came to ask for documents to be handed over by the vendors who had helped out at the Cultural Festival.
"The school called Kaede and said that they asked for just one person to hand over the documents, but I'm not going to just let her go. If they're going to meet, at least I'll be there — First of all, I want to say that I'll go with her, but Kaede and I are in this situation. It's not just a matter of changing uniforms and going straight there."
"Her hair, her face, and her toes, they're all glittering, aren't they...?"
What's more, there was even a menthol scent in the air that seemed to help them with their congestion. If they changed uniforms, they would look like a group of hosts and hostess wearing their high school uniforms and pretending to be high school students.
"We'll try a little harder this time and so we can recover to looking as normal as ever."
"You guys will try a little harder."
Therefore, he asked me to go to the Student Council Office and print out the necessary documents before that. It was a simple task where I just had to run quickly to the Student Council Office and back to the gymnasium. That's fine, but they should try harder.
"Huh... ...I see."
Even though I said so, Yuuki-senpai was holding his own body from the side, staring at the ceiling while saying, "Phew... ...phew...." and catching his breath. How much did that hurt? I guess he's a boy with high self-esteem, rich and handsome, right? Why is he trying so hard to forget the hurt without complaining or feeling sorry for himself? Seriously, what kind of relationship do these Student Council officials have....?
"—Wataru."
"Hmm?"
"...Good luck."
"Okay..."
Big Sis said so helplessly, still in her usual posture. Because she was originally looking down, and she seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable. She didn't even seem to have the energy to look up anymore. She didn't look like a girl who had just knocked down four big teenage boys. I mean, I can't believe the girl who did that was Big Sis. I think she felt like she'd been tricked by them into wearing a wedding dress like that, as I expected, and I felt sorry for her for that.
"The key to the Student Council Office... ...is over there — Uh."
"Eh, Senpai? Yuuki-senpai!?"
Yuuki-senpai cast his eyes to the bag in the corner and finally dropped his hand, holding his side to the floor. I think he had run out of energy. It was hard to believe that he would recover in 10 minutes. Are these people going to be okay?
I just took the key and left the waiting room next to the stage alone. Many students were hard at work on cleaning duties in the gymnasium, but no one noticed me. I don't know why, but I felt like a suspect who stumbled upon a murderer's crime scene, and I left the crime scene without saying a word.
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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