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Chapter 152: Everything Converges at Shuka Festival
🕑 Added 2025-02-24 16:38:51 +0000 UTCAfter hanging up the phone with Shinjo Akane, Minami stepped out of the restroom in the "STARRY" performance hall.
He had just gone in to use the restroom, and while he was at it, he also took care of the matter with Akane.
As he walked towards the backstage lounge, Minami pondered to himself.
"With this… aside from narrating The Monster in the Human Heart during the Shuka Festival… it looks like I don't really have anything else to do?"
Thinking about it—
"It seems like I barely have anything scheduled for the entire festival?"
Minami suddenly felt a rush of energy.
"Not bad at all!"
He wasn't a machine that could work endlessly without a break.
Whether in work or in life, maintaining a balance was essential.
With nothing much to do during the Shuka Festival, Minami naturally felt in good spirits.
"Hmm… Aside from setting aside some time to accompany Shinjo-san around the festival, I should take this chance to properly relax. Lately, I've been so busy that I've barely had an hour a day for studying or entertainment."
Yes.
His family had bought several sets of complete exam prep materials.
However, because he had been busy with all sorts of things—
The Shuka school journal, Shinjo Akane's simulation, and the end of the band practice program—he hadn't had a chance to do any of it.
Similarly, it had been a while since he'd last heard the simulator's notification: "Your proficiency in X skill has slightly improved."
This was the perfect opportunity.
During the Shuka Festival, he could make good use of those exam prep questions and take a proper break.
Just the thought of getting some rest lifted Minami's mood. He reached out and pushed open the backstage lounge door of STARRY.
But before he could even step inside, he overheard the voices coming from within.
"Eh…? So Kita-chan and Bocchi's Shuka Festival event is going to be a maid & butler café? That sounds so fun!"
The one speaking, her face filled with envy, was Ijichi Nijika.
"Your school, Shuka High, is really amazing. It's so different from ours in Shimokitazawa. Every year, our school only allows a handful of event types per class, and honestly, they're all pretty boring."
She had good reason to say this.
In Japan, high schools often emphasize student autonomy during cultural festivals, where each class typically decides, with some teacher guidance, what activity or project they'll host.
Typically, two weeks before the festival, classes hold meetings, gather suggestions, vote, and the activity with the most votes becomes the class event.
However, some schools, like the one Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika attended in Shimokitazawa, imposed various restrictions due to their residential surroundings.
For example, they banned the use of "electrical appliances" and "open flames."
This meant that food stalls commonly seen in anime, like takoyaki and yakisoba stands, weren't allowed at their school's cultural festival.
By comparison, Shuka High was far more relaxed.
Not only did they allow students the freedom to organize their own events, but they even let students use the gymnasium as a festival stage.
Even an off-campus band like Kessoku Band was permitted to perform there.
But honestly—
Minami wished the Shuka Festival was a bit more dull.
Because setting up activities and festival stages was a huge hassle.
He had long outgrown any enthusiasm for these kinds of things.
Since he wasn't particularly interested in the festival, Minami wisely chose not to join in on the girls' discussion about Kessoku Band's plans.
He had a bad feeling that if he got involved, things would get way too troublesome.
To protect his plan for a relaxing festival, he simply kept his mouth shut, sat down, and quietly started grading their test papers.
Of course, just because he wasn't actively joining the conversation didn't mean he could escape being dragged into it.
A fair-skinned hand reached over from the side—
Poking his cheek.
Accompanied by a lazy-sounding voice—
"Minami, what's your class doing for the festival?"
"..."
Minami.
To be honest, he really didn't want to answer this question.
Because he had a gut feeling that the moment he answered, things would start getting complicated.
But since Ryo had asked him directly, ignoring her would've been rude.
After thinking it over, Minami kept his response short and simple, minimizing potential complications.
"Chocolate bananas or something like that."
The moment he said this—
Ijichi Nijika and Kita Ikuyo's eyes lit up.
"Chocolate bananas? Ohhh— I'm so curious! Minami-san's chocolate bananas must taste amazing!"
"..."
Minami.
See?
This was exactly why he didn't want to join the discussion.
Because he knew where this conversation was heading.
The next step would definitely be them asking about his shift schedule, followed by Kessoku Band planning to visit his class's booth on festival day.
For someone who wanted a peaceful festival, this was not the ideal scenario.
But since he had already spoken up, he was prepared for this.
Letting out a small sigh, he changed the subject with a relaxed tone.
"Speaking of which, aren't you all preparing for a band performance? Or have you already gotten everything ready?"
Smart move.
He hadn't forgotten that Kessoku Band had a performance scheduled during the festival.
Might as well use this to steer the conversation away.
"Ah… you're right."
Just as he expected—
Hearing him mention the band performance immediately shifted Nijika, Kita, and Hitori's focus away from chocolate bananas.
They started discussing what they needed to prepare for the performance.
Perfect! Perfect!
Yes, yes, keep talking about the performance.
Sorry, but I really want to relax during the festival.
With his plan working, Minami quietly exhaled in relief, ready to continue grading the test papers.
And then—
"Speaking of which, after the performance, I wanna try Minami's chocolate banana. Also, there are so many fun things to do, so I kinda want him to take me around the festival."
Ryo, who had been resting her head in her hand without saying much, suddenly spoke up.
Her gentle eyes and pale pink lips turned toward Minami.
"..."
Minami inhaled sharply.
He turned to look at Yamada Ryo.
No, seriously, Yamada-san, can you just… not talk? I promise I won't think you're mute if you stay quiet.
Also, do you realize how misleading your words sound?
No, no, no.
That's not the main issue right now.
The real problem was that he needed to redirect the conversation again to protect his precious festival free time.
He still hadn't touched his expensive exam prep books!
Just as he was about to speak—
"That's a great idea! After the performance, we should treat ourselves."
Nijika's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Our test is wrapping up, too! Having fun at the festival sounds like the perfect way to celebrate!"
"Ah… I… I want to go too."
Bocchi timidly raised her hand, a soft blush spreading across her face beneath her bangs.
Spending time at the festival with Minami…
Even though it was with everyone else, the thought of it still felt… nice.
"I…"
Minami's lips twitched.
Just as he was about to object—
"Hold on, everyone."
Kita suddenly stood up, her expression unusually serious.
"We've all been talking about this, but what if Minami-senpai doesn't actually want to go with us?"
Then, turning to him, she smiled sweetly.
"It's okay, Minami-senpai. If you don't want to, we totally understand. No pressure at all."
"..." Minami.
Looking at Kita's genuinely considerate expression, Minami rubbed his temples.
If Ryo had planted the seed, and Nijika and Hitori had given it water and sunlight, then Kita had completely cut off his escape.
Under these circumstances, how was he supposed to refuse now without seeming like a complete jerk?
"The chocolate we're using for the chocolate bananas is just the cheap kind you can find in any supermarket, and the bananas are nothing special either. There's really nothing exciting about it, plus it's kind of overpriced. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend you guys wasting your money on it."
Minami made one final attempt to resist.
"Minami, Minami."
Someone tugged at his sleeve.
"... What is it now, Yamada-san?"
"My dad just gave me this month's allowance at the end of the month, so I'll be setting aside some money to eat your chocolate banana. Even if it's a waste of money, I don't mind."
"Oh wow, thanks so much for that, Yamada-san!"
Minami turned to her with a look full of meaning, emphasizing every syllable of his words.
"No need to thank me that much, Minami."
Ryo, looking a little embarrassed, turned her head to the side.
…Forget it.
Seeing her expression, Minami gave up.
At this point, if he kept trying to find excuses to refuse, it would just seem petty.
Besides, taking them around the festival wasn't really that much trouble.
However—
"If I count the Kessoku Band girls… plus my promise to show Shinjo-san around…"
Minami stroked his chin, thinking.
If he calculated it this way, his precious free time would definitely be significantly reduced.
Still, as long as nothing unexpected happened, he should still have some time left for himself…
Minami reassured himself with this thought.
Compared to his simple consideration—
On the other side, the members of Kessoku Band were getting excited after getting his acceptance.
Visiting another school's festival with Minami as their personal guide—
No matter how you looked at it, this was like a dream scenario.
They started chatting among themselves.
But this time, they weren't discussing their band performance.
Instead, they were debating what to wear and what to bring on that day.
Even Bocchi joined in—just being able to walk around the festival with Minami was enough motivation for her to push past her usual shyness.
The discussion grew more and more lively.
But soon, the cheerful atmosphere was abruptly interrupted by the sharp ringing of a phone.
The girls exchanged curious glances.
Then, they heard Minami's apologetic voice.
"Sorry, that's my phone."
"It's fine, Minami-san. More importantly, you should pick it up—it sounds like the caller is in a hurry."
Nijika, always thoughtful, spoke kindly.
At the same time, they couldn't help but wonder—
Who would be calling Minami this late at night?
As their curious and puzzled gazes fell on him, Minami calmly continued grading papers with one hand while picking up the phone with the other.
"Hello? Ah… It's you, Naomi-nee and Yuko-nee… What's up, calling this late at night?"
"...No… No, I don't have anything urgent going on. More importantly, what's up with you two?"
"...What?! You're coming to Tokyo? During the Shuka Festival?!"
Hearing the voice on the other end, Minami shot up from his seat, his face full of shock.
Why did it suddenly feel like everything in his life was getting crammed into these two days of the festival?
The Shouji Family
Minami had two older sisters:
The eldest, Shouji Yuko, had a gentle personality. Every movement she made carried an unexplainable elegance. She did things slowly but with extreme attention to detail.
The second sister, Shouji Naomi, was completely different.
She had short hair, big black eyes, a round face, and an impatient personality. She was quick to act but often made mistakes.
As for Minami himself—he was like a mix of the two. He could work quickly without messing up.
Because of this, both of his sisters adored him—to the point where they babied him excessively.
They cherished him like he was something fragile that might dissolve if they held him too tightly.
At that moment, hearing Minami's surprise, his impatient second sister, Naomi, immediately turned to their eldest sister.
"Yuko-nee, next time you call, stop just asking about what he's eating and drinking! Ask about his personal life too!"
She nagged while muttering—
"Mom's been talking a lot about wanting grandkids lately."
"Naomi! Don't talk nonsense. Last time we called lil bro, he clearly said he doesn't have a girlfriend."
Yuko frowned slightly and gently scolded her sister.
"With how well-behaved our little Minami is, how could he possibly get a girlfriend after just one year of high school in Tokyo? That's way too fast."
"Hehe… I was just saying."
Naomi pouted adorably, counting on her fingers.
"But I heard Tokyo has tons of cute girls, like potatoes in a field—you can scoop up a whole bunch at once! I honestly wouldn't be surprised if lil bro already had one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight girlfriends!"
"Those are Tokyo girls we're talking about! Tokyo girls are way more sophisticated. They've met all kinds of guys! Honestly, I'm more worried that lil bro, a small-town boy, will get tricked by them."
Yuko shot her sister a disapproving glance.
Her voice was gentle, but Naomi still listened to her.
Naomi blinked her big round eyes and pouted but didn't argue back.
Because, from a realistic perspective, she kind of agreed with Yuko.
Tokyo was Japan's biggest city.
Tokyo girls had met all kinds of men.
It wouldn't be that easy for someone like Minami, a small-town boy, to charm them.
Forget about dating, hugging, or anything romantic—
Naomi figured her baby brother probably hadn't even held hands with a girl this entire year.
"Sigh—"
Her little brother had always been so straight-laced around her.
When was he ever going to get a girlfriend?
Such a tragedy.
Such a tragedy...
