During Volume 12 Chapter 5
Going to the student council room became my routine.
Forming new routines was as difficult as breaking pre-existing ones. Even though I did not need to do so for the next little while, I sometimes found myself walking towards the usual club room after school. It could be supposed that my body acted before my brain.
…Although, I couldn't fully admit that I knew where I was going the first time.
Today, like the day before, I briskly walked towards the student council room. Such a walk was fast-paced; each deft footstep was on a mission. It was the opposite of the leisurely walks I had towards the Service Club, awaiting a time of tea and reading. No, what awaited me was anxiety and hard work.
When one had something concrete that they needed to do, it was easier to focus your efforts. To unsheathe the entire blade of Yukino, perhaps that was one reason why I had decided to help Isshiki.
As I walked down the corridor, I approached a four-way intersection. Walking from east to west was Hikigaya.
His hands were in his pockets, and his back was slouched forward. He took his time walking, making one leisurely step at a time.
His eyes were fixed forward, as if brooding over something. He was neither grinning nor frowning. He was simply stoic. Yet, rather than looking boring, he looked enigmatic, as if there were a thousand thoughts swimming in his mind.
It took me a moment before I realized that I had stood still and was staring at his face. When I blinked in hesitation, his figure had disappeared.
I had missed my chance to send him a greeting. Towards him, it was difficult to find the right words. Only when we noticed each other at the same time would I then be forced to let out whatever half-formed thoughts that I would have in mind.
But that was needlessly pessimistic. There was another possible explanation. As selfish as my request was to reject his and Yuigahama's aid, I had also hoped that it would give the both of them some respite. To maintain that, I did not reach out.
Even without needing to attend the Service Club, Hikigaya could find things to take care of. More precisely, he could finally attend to the things he did not have time for before. At least, he could have that leisure.
Everyone had their own troubles and their own worries. Confronting them was a matter of course. Those who would choose escapism were the broken ones. Even those who have given up were directly responding to it in their own way.
I resumed my walk. At present, my troubles lay with Isshiki.
While I was squinting at the text displayed on the screen of one of the student council's expectedly expensive laptop, a cup was gently placed next to my hand.
"Here's your tea, Yukino-senpai!"
I peeled my eyes away from the screen and look to the side. Isshiki was smiling expectantly at me like a waitress.
"Th-Thanks," I spoke.
I was a little stunned. I was usually the person serving tea to my guests. However, in this room, it was Isshiki who was in charge.
I drank the tea that was prepared for me. It was not the red tea that I usually served. The tea was white — light and flowery. I glanced over at where Isshiki was sitting. Several tarts and other fruit-themed treats were on a plate, a testament to her hobbies. No doubt, she sought to complement delicate with delicate.
Taking a moment to rest, I glanced around the room. The people who were around me, currently hard at work, were those whom I was not familiar with. I may have recognized the faces of the Vice-President and the Secretary, but the only person I was comfortable enough to strike up a casual conversation with was Isshiki. I was truly the foreigner here.
We had just finished a meeting that mostly dealt with the broad operational details of the prom, from the events to the budget. Then, we assigned work to everyone in order to nail down the finer details. Some people seemed a little uncomfortable being suddenly dumped with work by an outsider. Luckily, Isshiki managed to sway them, with a devious form of persuasion. In other words, they preferred to start working rather than try to argue with an unreasonable president.
Suddenly the chair next to me was pulled out, and a small body filled its seat. The one who claimed it was Isshiki. She sighed as she scooted closer to the table. She took a long sip of tea before resting one cheek on her hand.
"Taking another break?" I asked.
"Yeeesss…" she wearily replied.
I questioned, "Isn't that the fourth one?"
"That's right…" she tiredly answered.
Not satisfied with letting just her cheeks rest, she began to lean her entire upper body against the top of the table. I treated her with a disappointed glare. When she caught sight of me, she bolted upright like a spring.
"Well, um, how goes everything? Like, status report?" muttered Isshiki.
"We're not having a drought of ideas, and you've got some decently capable people here. I see no problem with the planning step. However, the issue is—"
"Time and money, and maybe even personnel, right?" interrupted Isshiki.
"That's correct," I solemnly spoke, "We will have to tread carefully to save on time and money. As for personnel, I don't mind getting a few extra helping hands from somewhere."
I had a good idea of prospective candidates, but I avoided voicing them out. Maybe one of the two was fine, but there wasn't a need to rely on the both of them this early on. I wouldn't be proving anything if just this much was able to bog me down.
Isshiki seemed to understand as she nodded.
"I see. For something like that, you can leave it to me," she pompously declared.
"Thank you," I gratefully spoke.
Rather than myself, who would be quick to rely on those two, I could trust the judgement of a third party who could objectively tell when we bit off more than we could chew.
"Aaahhh, there's so much paperwork to go through!" complained Isshiki, "And we have to do it all in such a short time! I really hope that it's worth it in the end."
"No rushing. If we don't get things sorted out well now, we might be left with a disappointing party that barely gets any attendees," I admonished.
"Yeah. We gotta come up with a lotta fun things, so that we get people to come!" boisterously spoke Isshiki, "And if we get people excited, we can expect whole droves of them to come through the door!"
"That's quite the optimistic picture. Are you even sure that there are that many people who have a good idea of what a prom is, in the first place?" I off-handedly spoke.
Marketing was definitely an issue.
I already knew people who were confused about the idea of a prom. There were a few comprehension issues with regards to Yuigahama. Then, there was Hikigaya who found it difficult to imagine attending a dance at all. Wait, those two were probably exceptions to the rule.
Putting aside the outliers, it is definitely true that a western kind of event wouldn't be familiar to Japanese students.
Isshiki seemed to understand that as well. She roused herself up by forming clutching her hands into fists.
"Yeah! You're right. We definitely need to start promoting this, like, right now," spoke the fiery Isshiki, "We could post it on LINE, get some fancy pictures in and stuff."
I had no problems with that. However, a prom was grander than what a few social media posts could illustrate. It took a drama movie to show off how big it was, as proven by Isshiki. Yes, we couldn't settle for anything less. Even before the prom itself, we needed to start with a bang, something that would set off the momentum to the finish line.
Looking at sparkling eyes of the ecstatic Isshiki, she had probably come to the same conclusion as I had.
"I have an idea," I proclaimed.
During the next day's lunch period, I had a particular destination in mind. I needed to meet with someone as part of our plans for the prom. Yet, I made no haste in finishing my lunch. Even when I set foot in the hallway, my steps were not rushed.
There was a simple reason for my leisureliness. A glance out the window made it obvious.
Scores of people flooded around the rows of bulletin boards laid out close to the entrance of the school. Various screams filled the air, some full of anguish and others full of rejoicing.
The entrance exam results to Sobu had been posted. Fate's finality had been forced upon the exam-takers. Reminiscing, I could still remember my own breath of relief, even though I knew that I had answered the majority of the questions correctly back then. Even if things were set in stone in the background, should one lack the knowledge of the result, one would still quiver in your boots up to the very last moments. From the test-taker's perspective, probability was still very much in play. The anxiety would not stop until the moment of definite confirmation.
The resolution of such anxiety was surely being sought by the one whom I was planning on meeting, Kawasaki Saki.
Kawasaki's younger brother was among those who studied day-and-night for a chance at entering through the school's double-doors. There was no doubt that the worrying Kawasaki sister would have made her way to the bulletin boards at the immediate start of lunch. That was why there was no rush to meet her; she would be absent from her classroom anyway.
My phone began to vibrate. Even though it was deep within my bag, I had still managed to notice it. I had expected it.
There was a certain someone else who had also taken that exam.
I retreated to the side of the corridor, withdrew my phone and started the call — a video call. Two faces appeared on my phone's screen. On the left was Yuigahama's beaming face. However, the real star of the show was on the right.
"Y-Yuginooh-saaahhn!" sobbed that star.
The one with tears streaming down her face was Hikigaya Komachi. Her loud sniffling made crackling sounds through the speakerphone. Her head bobbed up and down and she attempted to keep her fluids at bay. I could tell that she was trying her best to smile. However, all of that crying forced that down into a frown-smile chimera.
"I-I'm sho glad… Really, I'm sho happy…" spoke Komachi in a high-pitched voice between the sniffling.
"Don't tell me—"
Her oddly Nirvana-esque way of phrasing it made sludge rise in my stomache. I braced myself for the worst.
"I paaassshhhed, Yugino-saaahnn!" she exclaimed.
I sighed in relief, more than I had thought. Plenty of other things had filled my mind in recent times, and I had not interacted with Komachi much regarding her exams. Yet, even without having been able to get personally involved, I felt truly relieved, as if a missing puzzle piece had been found.
"I see. I'm happy for you, Komachi-san," I spoke as sweetly as possible.
"It must have been so hard on you, Komachi-chan!" exclaimed Yuigahama, "I know what it's like. Even I thought I wouldn't have made it! We're really happy for you, Komachi-chan!"
I smiled wryly. In Yuigahama's case, I suspected that she was even more emotional back then. According to an objective outlook of her abilities, she really must have felt that she shattered expectations.
Rude thoughts aside, one had to remember that the people currently attending this school had passed that very exam. Whether they looked as dubious as Hayama Hayato's groupies or whether they seemed as hardworking as Shiromeguri Meguri, every single one of them could demonstrate that they could do what it took, that they had the potential.
I smiled more properly. I tried to match Yuigahama's positivity.
"Yes, the fruit does not fall far from the tree," I expressed, "I had no doubts in the first place."
Komachi wiped her tears with her sleeves. The intensity of her crying had subsided somewhat. As if filling in, the greatest, most wonderfully mignonne smile spread across her face. There was a new kind of beauty to it. There was the weight of having taken an important step. There was a forward-looking brightness to it. It looked less like a child scampering about for affection. Enlightenment, peacefulness, loveliness, maturity, any number of words could be found to describe. Yet, for her dazzling self, I came back to that one word.
Komachi was cute.
"Yeah. I made it!"
Fearlessly, she made a peace gesture.
I stood in front of a door. I doublechecked the doorplate to make sure that it was the correct classroom. I nervously straightened my collar.
There weren't many students who were comfortable intruding into an unfamiliar classroom. Moreover, it was this classroom in particular that made me particular anxious. I was here to meet Kawasaki Saki, but this was also the classroom of Hikigaya, Yuigahama, Hayama and other familiar faces.
It was not like I was scared to death of drawing familiar eyes, but I was the type to duck my head down rather than to meet the eyes of someone I knew. Well, putting it like that was an exaggeration. I would only feel like that in certain circumstances, though this happened to hit that mark.
At least I was not afraid of unfamiliar rabble. If I was, I would seclude myself from any and all social interaction (at least I try putting in the effort). Fortunately, my personality was not rotten enough to stoop that low.
With my heart beating fairly rapidly, I knocked on the door. Following that, I slowly creaked it open and stepped inside.
Every single person in the class were focusing their eyes in my direction before my body had fully emerged. I tensed up. However, instead of freezing completely, I chose to immediately do what I came here to do.
"Is Kawasaki-san here?" I asked to the class.
"Eh? Me?" croaked Kawasaki, who was minding her business at her desk.
I nodded.
I could feel the sharp gaze of Hikigaya. He was undoubtedly surprised. Even so, he needn't worry himself about these matters. Thus, I did not meet his gaze.
Out of the corner of my eye, I also spotted Yuigahama. She remained where she was while observing me. I had already told her about what the student council and I were doing. Although I did not want to rely on her, Isshiki and I reasonably supposed that Yuigahama's networking ability would be needed. Being awfully involved, she could probably guess what I was here for.
Kawasaki quickly relocated herself to where I was, standing at the front of the classroom. All the while, her faced was flushed.
Half of the eyes that were on me began following Kawasaki. Her back was slightly arched forward, as if ducking from the attention.
I smiled wryly. She was the type to keep to herself, even more than me. Perhaps it wasn't such a noble thing to do, but I began to calm myself after seeing her embarrassment. I did not want to frame such a thing as pity. Rather, by being calm myself, I wanted to help her calm down. Though, that probably wasn't wholly forgivable either.
So that she could ignore the gazes, I got down to business.
"If you are able to, I would like to ask for your help, Kawasaki-san," I spoke in a low voice, "The student council and I are holding another event, and we'd like you to lend your clothing expertise to us for the costumes."
I did not speak to loudly in order not draw extra attention. It would actually be annoying if I did draw attention. The matter of the prom would probably spur on loud conversations in the background, even if most of the people in this room already knew about it from LINE.
Kawasaki sighed in exasperation. That was good. She was still blushing a little, but she managed to get herself together in order to voice her opposition.
"Me again? I've had my fair share of costume-making already, with those festivals and all," she bluntly spoke, "Can't you ask someone else?"
A while ago, Kawasaki had been persuaded to make costumes for the cultural festival and the athletic festival. Though there were some questionable demands, her very real skill shone through regardless. However, it was that expertise itself — her brain— that I was looking for, not her sewing hands.
I shook my head and clarified, "No, you do not have to make anything. Actually, we've got the clothes arranged already. I should explain what we are doing."
I explained to Kawasaki about the prom. When I was done, she had a most magnificent frown. With a casual stance and a hand on her hip, her whole body oozed skepticism.
"Putting aside all the stuff I find annoying, are you guys sure that you'll make it time?" she asked.
"…It will be an unimaginable stretch, which is why we're going to pull all the stops," I replied.
Isshiki made the correct move in originally showing us the prom movie to the Service Club. It reliably filled the gap in our knowledge about what a prom should be. Being in a digestible format, it helped build a decent amount of goodwill about it.
Thus, we will produce our own moving picture to advertise our prom. We will produce a short video to be uploaded onto the Internet. It will educate viewers about the foreign concept of a prom. Hopefully, it will also build excitement, luring in attendees.
"Such a video would be excellent for promotion. We're going to hold the shoot today. I apologize for the short notice, but I would like your help, Kawasaki. We need an expert clothier like you to get everyone dressed appropriately."
There was no need to hypothesize Kawasaki's strengths. I saw, with my own eyes, how Kawasaki professionally dressed and carried herself in that café where she was working. She was definitely ideal for the job.
I bowed my head and asked, "Please, would you help us? We are dreadfully short on hands."
"Wha—"
Kawasaki recoiled, backing up by a step.
"Is that a no?" I asked in dejection.
Perhaps I overstepped my bounds. Yet, there was no one else who was as good as her. I couldn't possibly handle all of the clothing on my own for the shoot.
"Please consider it, at least for the shoot. It will serve as a rehearsal of sorts, which will benefit us in many ways," I pleaded.
Kawasaki cleared her throat and said, "No, it's not that. I'm just a little surprised, is all. I just expected you to be pushier… well pushy in a different way."
She stared at my face as if she was staring at an alien. Confused, I could only tilt my head.
Kawasaki brushed her long pony tail. Averting her eyes, she provided her answer.
"W-Well, it's not like I don't owe you guys a bunch… But I guess something like a prom is a lot even for the three of you, huh…"
Without moving her head, she rotated her pupils in the direction of Hikigaya. Then, as if accidentally spotting disgusting, she worriedly spun her head to face the whiteboard.
"Not three. Yuigahama-san will help me out with the shoot, but she won't be involved in any of the main planning. Hikigaya-kun will not be involved at all," I clarified.
Even more surprised than before, Kawasaki whipped her head in my direction and blinked several times. Her pony tail lightly brushed against the wall.
She scratched her head and bluntly spoke, "Hey, are you guys going through some dumb stuff again? It gets really annoying for the people around."
Knowing what she was referring to, I responded, "N-No, it was something I decided on my own, so I won't involve—"
I stopped myself and shook my head. Something like that was mere excuses. If that was to be my reason, that I would be nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum.
"It's something that I should do on my own. That's what I decided," I declared.
Kawasaki narrowed her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth several times, repeatedly trying to begin saying something but failing. She unconsciously grasped her ponytail and stroked it.
Then, she sighed, not in frustration but as if releasing her anxiety.
"I've seen something like that before. And no, not just during those elections," she quietly spoke, "No one will blame you for working hard, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of trust, I think? I mean, like, today Taishi passed, so, I mean…"
She suddenly broke off into a giggle. It was quite uncharacteristically girly, for a cool lady like Kawasaki. I tilted my head in confusion.
She realized what she was doing and blushed. Clearing her throat, she continued.
"I mean, like all the way back then, didn't you guys suggest that scholarship to me so that I wouldn't worry my family so much? And, I've been worried sick about it, but my little brother managed to stand up on his own and pass the exams to Sobu."
"Is that true? Congratulations. Send my regards to Taishi-kun," I said.
It seemed like there was good news all around us today.
"Y-Yes! I-I will! Anyway, I mean there isn't actually a need to shoulder everything on your own," she said, finishing with a cough.
I nodded and spoke, "I am aware. That's why I'm asking you, no?"
"That's true," she grumbled, "Man, I've spoken too much. Ah, when are we doing it, tomorrow? Next week?"
"Today," I answered, "Please meet us in the gymnasium after classes."
"Wait, today!? That's really dang soon!" she complained.
She turned her back to me and sulked. Did she have plans after school? Wait, no, that was a stupid question. She obviously wanted to go and celebrate her brother's success.
She slowly walked back toward her desk. Then, as if she had forgotten something, she turned back to me.
"Well, see you again afterwards, I guess," she murmured.
I nodded. That was my cue to leave in peace. On Kawasaki's desk, I spotted an open lunch box. The lunch period was already more than half over, yet she had not even come close to finishing her food. I could imagine her rushing out the door at the beginning of lunch to check on the exam results.
With my conversation with Kawasaki finished, I noticed that no one was looking my direction anymore. It had actually become fairly noisy in the classroom, as conversations resumed. Yet, I had not noticed earlier because I was so deep within that conversation.
I left the classroom. I quickly sent a mail to Isshiki, informing her that I had recruited Kawasaki.
Things were slowly starting to fall in place. I could feel it. Even without Hikigaya, it was possible for me to help lead this event to a resounding success.
Yet, I still needed to be careful. I did not want to fall back on reliance, to prove myself. However, I did not arrogantly believe that everything could be handled by myself. I was far too small for that. While still remaining as the one in charge, I should not be afraid of seeking aid where it was justified.
'It wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of trust, I think?'
Kawasaki's words weighed on my mind as I made my way down the corridor. If I was the same self that I was last year, I would have brushed off those words.
After school, there were only a few people in the student council room. It was, of course, the day of the shoot. Since we already had little time to begin with, the video shoot was quite impromptu. As such, Isshiki and I had sent the rest of the student council to the gym immediately. Any helpers that we've managed to string along have also been told to head to the gym.
In fact, Isshiki and I would already be at the gym were it not for one additional errand we had to attend to.
Other than Isshiki and me, the only person here was Yuigahama. She was looking around restlessly, wondering where the rest of the people were.
"I appreciate your help Yuigahama. For now, we need to bring you up to speed," I spoke.
Understanding that, Yuigahama enthusiastically nodded.
However, it seemed like Yuigahama was not the only restless one. For some reason, Isshiki was making repeated glances at the door while frowning.
"Is something the matter, Isshiki-san?" I asked.
"Nooo, but he should be here any moment now," grumbled Isshiki.
Before I could ask who, the door opened. It must have been another helper that Isshiki had recruited.
"Hello—"
But my words of greeting were caught in my throat. Standing under the door frame was an all-too-familiar person.
"Hikigaya-kun…" I muttered.
"Hi… I was told by Isshiki to come over," he spoke nonchalantly, "Well, I'm here to help."
I had a blatant look of confusion. He was the last person that I expected to arrive. After all, I had explicitly told him that his help was not necessary this time.
Seeing my troubled look, Hikigaya glanced at Isshiki, looking for some answers.
Oops, I forgot, communicated Isshiki, with an impish smile.
Astonished, Hikigaya gave a vehement sigh. His discomfort in being here was blatant. Isshiki must have used some sort of cheap trick or coercion to get him to come. Yet, I couldn't exactly refuse him either, given his own consent, as well as considering the situation at large.
"I see. I'm sorry for having to bother you, then," I spoke, "We do need some help today, so you being here is greatly appreciated. Thank you."
Shaking his head, Hikigaya spoke, "No need. I'm quite free today after all. I don't mind."
He must've said that out of courtesy. Normally, I would have agreed and say that he always lived a low-energy lifestyle with too much time on his hands. Yet, today was a momentous exception.
"You are probably having a celebration party at home for Komachi today, right? I intend to finish our work and dismiss everyone as early as possible," I declared, "If you have anything to do after this, please let me know. I will make some adjustments."
Surprised, Hikigaya responded, "Ehhh… No, my father will get back home late after all. You don't have to care too much about it… Well, I wouldn't be against wrapping things up early though."
"That's true," I murmured.
While Hikigaya seemed confused at first, his eyes now had eagerness. While he dislikes volunteering to work himself to death, so long as he was faced with a reason to work, he would follow through with it, if only to bring the good and idle times back.
I wordlessly apologized to him once again, for saddling him with something unnecessary.
Once I sorted out those sentiments, I shifted gears.
"Without further ado, let's get to work," I proclaimed, "But before I could use some help, just in case, I would like to give an overview of the event."
I directed my eyes to the empty seat next to Yuigahama. Understanding my intent, Hikigaya helped himself to the seat. Then, I passed around several documents outlining the major details of the prom.
I brought both Hikigaya and Yuigahama up to speed about the venue, timeline, budget and more. The prom will take place in March, which was coming up in the blink of an eye. That, combined with our limited budget, brought looks of concern by Hikigaya and even Yuigahama. However, we did manage to scrape together funds from various sources. There were some unspent funds from previous years that we dug into. We even went as far as debt financing using next year's budget. Of course, we also trimmed expenses, leaving the excess fat off the bone, as well as offloading some of the expenses to the attendees — namely their clothes.
Of course, regarding the willingness of attendees to foot their own bills, that would come down to how well we could market the event to the graduates. Everyone already knew about the event. Now, we had to make it seem as exciting as possible.
On that note, Hikigaya mumbled while reading a document, "Hmm, 'Announcing the Event in a Notice'… I had no idea that you guys have already announced it!"
All three of us girls looked at Hikigaya like he was some kind of alien.
"Huh? Why are you asking?" interrogated Isshiki as she crossed her arms.
"Eh? Because I hadn't heard about it anywhere…? Right?" weakly muttered Hikigaya.
We could only stare at him dumbfoundedly. I was pretty certain that we pushed announcements through in the most frequently used communication channels amongst students. Hikigaya would have literally needed to bury his head under sand in his free time to not catch wind of it.
The man under sand, Hikigaya, gave a troubled look toward Yuigahama, seeking confirmation.
"…I also knew about it, already," she carefully muttered.
"Huh? How? Why?" exclaimed Hikigaya, "Are you people bullying me?"
He suddenly thrust himself up onto his feet and slammed both of his hands down onto the table.
"We are not!" complained Yuigahama, "I was also wondering why you didn't know about this… Ah, wait a second."
Yuigahama swiftly withdrew a certain device from her bag. This device was a common one that let just about anybody tap into that common channel of communication in question — her smart phone. Beside me, Isshiki also took her phone out. Then, like saleswomen in an aggressive television ad, they flipped their screens in front of Hikigaya's face. Two familiar tones sounded out at the same time, which quite familiarly indicated the opening of the app for LINE.
I explained, "We created an official LINE account and released all prom-related information there. Since it's the what our generation uses most frequently, we decided to use it as our main channel for distributing the information."
A wide audience, instant posting of messages, enrichment of messaging with pictures and videos, notification of interested parties, just about the only downside of LINE was getting into the habit of posting things before they are fully vetted by the student council.
Indeed, the only person in all of Japan that did not use LINE was this hapless individual who distanced himself from others both in real life and online.
"Hmm… I see… Huh, wait, are you also using LINE?" he asked me.
"I am. It's pretty convenient, though," I affirmed, "You can easily obtain information like store information and electronic coupons on LINE. If you send a message to these official business accounts, they can also send you back photos and images of their merchandise."
Companies these days realized just how much business they could draw from keeping casual relations with their customers. This was true even down to smaller businesses like cafés. They had surprising amounts of followers, and they worked to get that far. For example, you could ask them about the ambience and about any unusual features of their café. They would then respond with photos of the interior and especially emphasize the animals that they have around. Ask more about the animals, and they would suddenly unleash hoards of photos dedicated to them, earning tons of impressions. The felines in the photos were reclining on the couches or walking around with their tails up. There were even some photos of the cats snuggling up to the legs of the attendees with extremely content looks on their faces. Staring at those cats, you could imagine the purring that they would make. You could almost feel their sleek fur, as well as the occasional pricks as your hands brushed by their whiskers. Just thinking about it made me want to pull out my phone right this instant and browse to that cat café's page and show everyone the photos, purely for referential purposes.
"By the way, why is Senpai not using LINE already?" shouted Isshiki, "Is it because you don't know how to use it? Were you born in the Showa period!"
While scratching his head, as if to cover up gray hairs on his head with his hands, Hikigaya retorted, "Nah, I'm from the Heisei era! You underestimate those born in Showa. Those older people can use LINE just fine. I'm not using LINE because I don't think it's necessary for me."
I agreed, "Well, it's true, though. I heard that businesses these days use LINE internally as well… It's not a tool only limited to young people."
Social media and similar tools are beginning to see some widespread usage in the workplace, thanks to how easy it was to connect with each other. Collaboration is key, and LINE offered the kind of instant connectivity to achieve that. Your physical location also didn't matter, as you can communicate from anywhere. There may come a day where most people would not even have to leave their own homes to talk to their colleagues and do work. Well, something like that would have its own share of troubles.
While nodding, Hikigaya added, "I think it varies from person-to-person. Whether they're young or old, if they find it necessary, they would definitely practice using it as much as they can."
"But most of those people just pretend that they are young and energetic in conversations," mentioned Yuigahama, "How should I put it… For example, they would send random emotes, emojis and stamps over and over… Also, their way of talking to us casually sounds so old fashioned."
"I can totally sympathize with you. I know, right, it's unbelievable," agreed Isshiki, "You made me remember that 'old person smell' that you can sense in their words."
Although rude, what Isshiki and Yuigahama was saying had truth. The way that older folks and us approached social media definitely differed in some fundamental way. For example, older folks' ability to discern between genuine messages and messages crafted by trolls was concerningly bad.
"Wait, why are you all so familiar with what it's like to talk to old dudes?" startlingly asked Hikigaya.
"My dad is using LINE," replied Isshiki.
"Same here," responded Yuigahama.
Mine as well. It is probably a little different for my father, since he is using it for diplomatic reasons. When he posts government-related messages, they tend to be overly stiff, though bulletproof, having gone through rounds of vetting. However, when he occasionally sends me mails, being completely unfiltered, the image that they give off is troubling. My father is supposed to be somewhat emotional but mostly stern, though his overuse of emojis in electronic messages makes him seem needy and jokester-y.
For some reason, Hikigaya seemed dazed, as if the topic of older adults and LINE struck close to home somehow. He cleared his throat and asked about something else.
"More importantly, do you still think it's a good idea to make announcements only on LINE? What about the people like me who simply don't use it?"
Fortunately, we haven't put all of our eggs in one basket.
"We've been syncing our LINE account with other SNS websites. Just in case, we also post announcements on school bulletin boards and have been running the official website as well. So, I don't think there'll be any issue," I replied.
Diversifying one's portfolio may lower returns in any single area, but it does safeguard against individual failures. With regards to our promotional activities, we did try our best to follow the eyes of all kinds of students — though, not every single kind.
"For those who can't be reached even with all these efforts and isolate themselves, they do not deserve to be reached to, nor do they have the intention to attend the prom, in my opinion," I continued, "A good example would be you."
Most things had diminishing returns. To save our precious time and energy, we cut our efforts off where it made sense.
Though looking a little hurt at my comment (amusingly, he always pretends that he can handle the teasing), Hikigaya seemed satisfied with my explanation.
Looking at both Yuigahama and Hikigaya, I spoke, "If you have any other questions or concerns, please go ahead and ask."
However, the both of them had put down whatever documents they had been reading. It seemed like they had no more concerns about the logistics of the operation.
Suddenly, Hikigaya turned around. He was looking at the whiteboard, full of scribbles and sketches. It was the result of a brainstorming session that the student council held. Then, he started looking troubled.
"It might be a little late to ask it now, but I still don't understand what exactly a prom is in the end… I don't get it at all, nor can I imagine what it would look like. To be honest, this is the thing that concerns me the most right now," he said.
There it was. This was the kind of question that Isshiki and I had anticipated in advance.
Yuigahama shared in his concern, albeit a little differently.
"Yep, well, that's true, but… Assuming that we wanted to have the same kind of prom as in the movie, I still feel like there's something wrong and awkward about it."
She also did not have a very good idea of the prom, with most of the knowledge she had being derived from that film. Of course, not every aspect could or should be replicated from that movie. Although hard to put to words, there were parts that we could find enjoyable as Japanese students and parts that we could not.
"I get that! I get that!" shouted Isshiki, "I want it to be a prom that we could hold, that only we could celebrate, that is only celebrated for our sake! That'd be it, right?!"
"That's totally wrong…" complained Hikigaya.
"Really, if it's wrong, then what do you think it is…?" retorted Isshiki.
That was, of course, not an easy question to answer. Unsurprisingly, Hikigaya still looked confused and looked in my direction for help.
"In that case, I suggest that we work on the answer together from here on," I spoke.
Not everything could be neatly framed into words, constructs that humans could easily utilize. If that were true, then life would be a breeze.
The video shoot could help raise awareness by illustrating in moving pictures and audio what words alone could not. It would also serve as a dress rehearsal for the real event.
However, there was another, more important function. No one had the experience or knowledge to say that they knew exactly what a prom was and how it could bring joy to the graduates of Sobu. It was too elusive.
Yuigahama and Isshiki were both correct. Though we were holding a foreign kind of event, we needn't restrict ourselves to every stanza of a foreign playbook. Where there was a gap in our knowledge, there was an alternative to researching what was one-hundred-percent by-the-book.
We could create our own answers. By experiencing a prom right this moment, in the form of a video shoot, we should be able to discover what best for us and only us.
The gymnasium had been transformed into a dancing stage. Neat mats were laid out over one-half of the floor space. Disco balls, balloons, flowers, and other flashy adornments decorated the surroundings. Even with only a few people around, a party-like atmosphere could definitely be felt.
Yuigahama breathed out in amazement. Hikigaya, too, could only stare in wonder.
But this was not the time to be standing around. I began giving instructions.
"Could you all please get ready to change? Kawasaki-san will be preparing costumes by the stage," I spoke, "Yuigahama-san, could you please give her a hand?"
"Okay!" replied Yuigahama.
Yuigahama ran off in the direction of the back rooms. However, Hikigaya was still standing where he was, seeming even more out of it, after hearing me say "Kawasaki-san".
"Have you not heard about her from Isshiki-san yet?" I asked.
"Not at all…" he replied as he vigorously shook his head.
He sounded significantly unconfident, as if he did not belong. Beyond Kawasaki, did he actually not understand why we were here at all?
The both of us turned our eyes towards Isshiki, who was sneaking away to give the decorations one last adjustment. Upon meeting our eyes, her shoulders leaped up, and she gave me a fearful, guilty look.
As much as I wanted to punish her, now was not the time.
I briefly explained to Hikigaya that we were holding a shoot for a promotional video. A new, reluctant frown spread over his face, having not been given any time to prepare.
After verbalizing our plans, I realized that I had overlooked something. In a sense, our video will consist of two protagonists, stars of the show.
"So, we need an actress for the video. The person that I'd like to ask the favor is… Isshiki-san,"
Hikigaya muttered in confusion, "…actress for the video?"
Once again, our eyes drifted in the direction of Isshiki. Feeling two pairs of eyes on her back, she whipped around. She clearly heard every word that I've said, as she was sweating as profusely as an athlete.
Aside from the guilt of negligence, Isshiki probably had some valid concerns about being an actress. That was a fault of mine; things have been pretty hectic.
"We will post-process the videos in a way that viewers cannot recognize the identities of the actors involved, so don't worry. I also intended to ask you to help with the editing as well," I clarified, "After all, you must have been pretty troubled to be suddenly told without advanced notice, right…?"
Rather than soothe her, Isshiki seemed even more frustrated. Suddenly, she thrust herself in front of Hikigaya and bowed her head.
Like a bomb, she ran on, "I am sorry, I apologize, I have been really regretful, and I am seriously repenting, don't get it wrong, I was talking about something else, so my attention kind've went away…"
Holding her stomach, she took a breath to calm herself before continuing.
"Also, I told Tobe-senpai about this and asked them for a favour as well, and I thought I must have told you as well…"
"Tobe?" murmured Hikigaya.
"Yeah. I guess I wanted them to cheer up the mood as background actors," explained Isshiki, "So I recruited Tobe-senpai and some other first-year students from the Soccer Club."
Tobe Kakeru was as unreliable, obnoxious and loud as they come. Under ordinary circumstances, I would stay several feet away from his mad ravings. However, in this circumstance, he could prove to be useful. We could use his excitability to liven up the video.
"As for the girls' roles, I asked students from our class and Isshiki's friends to fill in," I added.
Unmentioned was the surprisingly few numbers of the latter. I did not point that out because the quantity of how many friends ones possessed did not determine their overall worth. If that were true, then Hayama Hayato would be an invincible superhuman.
"It looks like you've asked quite a few other people as well," commented Hikigaya with some astonishment, "Well, as long as there are enough people for me to blend in, I'll do it."
He nodded with satisfaction. Any reluctance he had dissipated. As soon as he was able to ensure that he could remain a wallflower, he found immediate comfort.
Ordinarily, Isshiki might have put on a cheeky grin and teased him about his behaviour. Yet, all she did was glumly hang her head.
"…sorry about that," she muttered.
Shaking his head, Hikigaya spoke, "Nope, it's partly my fault for not confirming the details of my job, after all."
Both Hikigaya and I wryly smiled. Little by little, Isshiki built up what it took to be a leader. In the beginning, Hikigaya did all he could to instill in her the confidence of one who stood at the top. Having achieved that, she was now beginning to understand the humility of the respected.
With appreciation, Isshiki thanked Hikigaya.
"It would have been quite troubling for me to ask someone that I'm not familiar with to retake the scenes again and again…" she tiredly spoke.
"Please do not assume that we are going to have retakes," complained Hikigaya, "Whatever, let me go get changed for now."
Hikgaya looked back at me once more, to check if there was anything else. I shook my head. Then, I gave him a small nod, a show of my own appreciation.
Isshiki had already started to walk away, to show Hikigaya the change rooms. He hurriedly caught up with her.
Little by little, things were falling into place. Our efforts were starting to bear tangible fruits. Beyond the whiteboard, this dance floor would soon be filled with mingling students in fancy dress, and our camera would be capturing a living moment.
I remembered Yuigahama's concerns about my health. I was only a little bit tired, and I was still far from burning myself out. I was still at a point where such thoughts occupied the periphery of my mind.
It was time for me to prepare for my own debut on the stage.
I made my way towards the change rooms, with thoughts swirling around the bigger picture.
I donned a tailcoat, a tie, and dress pants. I tied up my hair in a ponytail, the best I could do to make lengthy hair look the slightest bit more masculine. Reflecting in the mirror was a crossdresser, a girl in a costume, and an effeminate man.
Yet, this costume fit me rather well. From a clothier's standpoint, I supposed that I could give this a pass. I had to thank Kawasaki later, as she might have left by now. It was almost enough to almost forget the startling revelation that my body had disappointing enough curves to be mistaken for a man. However, it could also be said that a mistake was but a slight deviation from correctness. Staring at the mirror long enough, I could begin the traces of femininity encroach upon the intended image of the costume.
I shook my head. There was no point dwelling on it. It needn't be perfect, so long as it was convincing.
I left the women's changing area to return to the gym, in order to wait for everyone else. Soon, Hikigaya came by. More accurately, he stumbled his way to my front.
Dressed in a tuxedo, his body was unnaturally stiff. He was clearly not used to dressing in formal clothes. He stood up straight, a deviation from his usual slouching, but only because of how the frame of his tuxedo urged him to do so. To Hikigaya, a tuxedo may as well have been a male corset.
Even so, there was no sign of bagginess. His dress pants was also not being dragged across the floor.
"Looks great!" I complimented, "The size also seems to fit you."
Despite his proximity to me, Hikigaya reacted with a slack-jaw, as if he had just noticed me. There was a distant sort of confusion on his face, like he was trying to make sense of a piece of abstract art. Then, his eyes, which were swimming around erratically, suddenly fixed themselves on my face. He called out to me in his typical, familiar manner.
"Oh… You are Yukinoshita… What is this, what happened to you?" he asked.
He had a disconcerting look, as if spotting something out of place. I inspected my sleeves, my collar, and the other parts of my clothes.
"Just as I thought, do I look strange…?" I muttered
Perhaps this was a bad idea after all.
However, Hikigaya refuted himself, "Nah, it's not strange at all. So handsome… to the point that you look like you are in a movie scene."
"Ara, thank you," I spoke in good humour, "By your standards, that's a pretty well-chosen compliment."
I could not help but giggle. Spoken by anyone else, his words would have sounded like a poor attempt at flirting. Of course, Hikigaya was simply speaking his mind.
"No, I'm very serious," he assured, "If you were to be featured in a live-action movie adapted from a manga series, it would definitely have received very high scores and top reviews."
"If you put it that way, then somehow it doesn't really sound like much of a compliment though…" I said before sighing.
Being described as excessively movie-like and exceptional could quickly turn around to being treated as otherworldly. To put it another way, being told that you were head-and-shoulders above everyone else was the same as being told that you were not the same as everyone else — that you were weird.
I took another look at Hikigaya. To make up for being unable to slouch as much, his hands were glued to the insides of his pockets. His dead-fish eyes and wooden frown were his given features. Yet, when those characteristics were combined with a tuxedo, his miasmic aura was intensified.
"Your costume fits you well, and you look like some character from a movie as well. Maybe you are the protagonist… no, an aristocrat that bullies the protagonist… the protagonist's hanger-on," I spoke.
"I'm not like some yakuza's thug," he groaned, "You don't need to force yourself to compliment me."
"That's not the case. You are the right person for the job," I corrected him.
No one has ever said that Hikigaya had an unhealthy body or that his entire face was malformed. It was the unfortunate case that his depressing eyes drew the most of his attention. Ignore that blemish, or minimize it, and his appearance would at least not turn eyes away.
Though Hikigaya managed to fit on his tuxedo, there were a few details that he had neglected. Just those few mismatching details was enough to make him seem slovenlier than he should have.
"If you try a little harder, you would actually look a lot better," I advised.
Hikigaya definitely had the potential to adjust to high society, or at least blend in within a formal event. A commoner unexpectedly becoming a high-ranking member of society was more common than you would think.
I couldn't help myself. I took off my gloves. Holding my hand out to him, I asked for his sleeve button and handkerchief. I approached him. Sensing my intention, he let me do as I pleased.
I straightened his cuffs, adjusted his bow, and rebuttoned where they were misaligned. I folded his handkerchief into three peaks and neatly placed it into his breast pocket.
Hikigaya looked significantly less slovenly with just those few changes. A little extra effort in tidying him up brought him a lot closer to being prim and proper. I smiled in satisfaction, and it seemed I wasn't the only one satisfied.
"Ohhh. I feel like this is something that I've seen before," muttered Hikigaya in amazement, "The thing that you see in a wedding."
He gleefully examined his clothes, with a new appreciation.
"Proms are, in fact, chances for you to learn etiquette," I explained, "Although, for us, we usually don't have these events."
"In our case, this is almost just a cosplay, in my opinion," commented Hikigaya.
I groaned, "That's a rather unfavourable way of putting it. Well, something like that."
This wasn't something nearly as crude as cosplaying. And, I suppose that these kinds of ceremonial events aren't held for the sole purpose of having fun either.
Hikigaya asked, "So, why are you wearing a tailcoat?"
"We wanted to film a scene where the Prom King dances with the Prom Queen. However, we didn't know of anyone who was capable," I replied.
Because of that, the logical conclusion was to saddle myself with the job, with so few other candidates.
"Hmm, I didn't know you could dance," spoke Hikigaya in amazement.
"Only as an amateur. However, a tuxedo wouldn't have looked good on me. A tailcoat, on the other hand, ended up fitting me unexpectedly well. Don't you think so?" I spoke in high-spirits.
Without thinking about it, I did a quick spin, giving Hikigaya a full and vivid display of my entire state of dress. Unintentionally, that caused him to survey every inch of my body. My face heated up a little, but ultimately, any embarrassment was overcome by the feeling of satisfaction, seeing his nod.
Referring to my other point, Hikigaya spoke, "I feel sorry for the person who is going to dance with you."
"Don't worry. Isshiki practiced with me a little bit already. She seems to have good talent," I admitted.
My inexperience wouldn't hold Isshiki back, in other words. Perhaps that was to be expected, given her aspirations.
"Isshiki is going to dance with you?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes. She is the future Prom Queen, after all," I replied.
Suddenly, Hikigaya looked past me, seeming anxious. Following his eyes, I could spot the boys and girls, dressed up and ready to dance. Mingling with the pack was Isshiki, in a sky-blue dress and with an ice-blue flowery hair ornament.
"Now then, it's time to welcome the princesses," I spoke.
Formality and high society — Isshiki likely did not explicitly desire such things when thinking of the prom. More than likely, she, at first, superficially admired the gorgeous dresses and fanciful dancing. Naturally, she may have realized that she could hold her own dress-and-dance event to the benefit of our school.
Hikigaya had donned a tuxedo. While he was distracted by its foreignness earlier, he now wore it comfortably, emanating maturity.
In our own way, we were all trying our best.
So that we could ascend onto the stage, I stepped out to meet my queen.
The bustling actors and actresses, while initially forming large groups as they walked to the stage, eventually broke off into pairs of men and women. Naturally, the select few without partners stood out like a sore thumb. Isshiki Iroha was one of those lonely princesses, and she was looking back and forth, obviously looking for her escort.
The curtains needed to rise for our grand act. Without hesitation, I speedily walked to where Isshiki was standing.
"Ah, Yukino—"
Before Isshiki could finish speaking, I hooked my arm around hers. Without jerking her around, I brought her body, gently but resolutely, close to mine.
"Hey, wait a min—"
Isshiki struggled, acting a little bewildered. To keep our student council president from making a scene and affecting morale, I strengthened my grip just a bit. I began walking toward the stage, half-forcing Isshiki to move forward. However, I did not need to drag her along for very long, as she obediently let herself be escorted.
Around us, the student actors began excitedly chattering. Making glances at us, several of the males began escorting their partners in much the same way as us.
"OOOOOHHH YEEEAAHH! I'm feeling it now!" screamed Tobe.
Isshiki's face twisted in disgust. I, myself, was frowning so hard that it felt like my mouth would fall off my face.
Yet, that Neanderthal's roar served to heighten the mood. The bustle around us greatly increased their hustling. The noise of the chatter rose to stadium-like levels, and some people even began practicing their dancing ahead of the actual shoot.
So as to not lose to them, I brought Isshiki's body closer to mine. She gasped as our shoulders became close enough to touch. However, her surprise was momentary. She soon adopted a devious smile, as if she had discovered some funds in a bank account that she forgot she had.
Wondering why she seemed so energetic, I looked around at our surroundings. Unfortunately, our behaviour attracted a lot of attention. Most of the students were staring at us, spellbound. With so many pairs of eyes being focused on our direction, I started feeling claustrophobic.
Eventually, the two of us were approached by Hikigaya. While he briefly looked at us with admiration, he began shifting his eyes at the surroundings, clearly discomforted.
"This might sound terrible, but it feels really great to be waited on by a bishounen," said Isshiki before blissfully sighing.
She peered at me longingly, with a sinful look in her eyes. I could not help shuddering.
I groaned, "You really said it in the worst possible way… Could you please do me a favour and stay a little farther away from me…?"
I shrank away from her, but Isshiki closed the created gap.
"But isn't accompanying me part of a gentlemen's responsibilities?" devilishly spoke Isshiki, "I didn't mean to, but I suddenly had a little heart-throb in the moment…"
Doki doki. Ufufu.
"…I am reflecting on my conduct," I muttered.
Not good. I wanted to take this as seriously as I could, but I ended up acting like a Casanova. Thanks to that, I ended up putting Isshiki in an irregular mood. A wave of fatigue washed over me.
I tried not to let myself get bogged down before the show even started. I took a deep breath.
Hikigaya was still waiting patiently. Staring at me, he most likely wanted to know what we will do next.
"It's about time to start filming, shall we?" I proclaimed, "We will need to go and have some discussions first. Hikigaya-kun, could you please go and bring Yuigahama-san here? I think they should have already finished changing by now."
"Understood," he replied.
He headed off the stage to look for Yuigahama.
The first shoot would soon begin.
I sorted out the plans in my head. Though we gathered a large number of people, we could not guarantee their dancing ability, given that we had little time to prepare. As such, we asked them to dance for the video if they could, but if they couldn't, they could simply pretend to do so. The focus of the video would be on Isshiki and I, after all. In other words, the success of our shoot hinged on the performance of Isshiki and me.
Yes, it was Isshiki and me. My efforts involved not only myself but Isshiki as well. I needed to maintain a wide span of awareness, thinking not just of my own work but the bigger picture.
Isshiki and I were entwined. Along with the orchestration, we moved our bodies, not in spite of it but conjoined with it. The choreography of our dance had already been engraved in our minds and limbs, but it was the accompaniment's rhythm that flew us through the stage.
With sweat on her brow, Isshiki fought to keep pace. Yet, at moments, she would fall to mistakes. A sharp pain would alight at my feet, her heels having dug into them. She would hang her head in dissatisfaction, which had a mysteriously alluring mood of brooding. However, instead of crying foul, I would return to her a reassuring smile. Her confidence would restore itself, and our dance would continue unimpeded.
We danced through the movements. Though it was somewhat long, we would rest assured that only the highlights would be in the final product.
Finally, the finale was reached. I spun Isshiki around, speeding up our movements in line with the generous sixteenth notes and beyond. I released a single hand, letting Isshiki's body roam more freely, widening her presence. Then, when the final cadence began to play, on the anticipatory dissonance, I brought her back in my arms. With the cadence's resolution, I dramatically arched Isshiki's back. I stared at her from above.
The music ended, and the onlookers gasped.
From her slender stomach to her modest bosom, Isshiki was entrancing. Her head was slightly drooped back. She held a wistful expression, basking in a performer's end.
The following round of applause was but the cherry on top, a final sweetener to enliven the moment. Receiving all of the attention, Isshiki's mature expression gradually morphed back to her usual sly grin.
There were a few problems here and there. Though my tailcoat hid the sweat on my own back, Isshiki's entire pale neck was glistening with the traces of her fatigue. It was not a perfect run-through by any means. However, our efforts bore definite fruit.
Though Isshiki aspired to be a dancing queen, I could tell that she was far from it, even with my amateur's eyes. Though she was able to imitate, she did not know of the fundamentals of dance.
She was not yet a queen. She was still a gaudy princess. Yet, with time, her eccentricities will become lovable quirks, making her endearing, even as she builds hard respect.
The way that my eyes were glued on Isshiki was not entirely a by-product of the character portrayed by my clothes.
"Somehow, it ended up looking like a dancing competition to me," muttered Isshiki in dissatisfaction.
We were reviewing the footage. Neither of us could deny that we seriously put our blood, sweat and feet on the line. Unfortunately, that itself was the problem.
Proms were formal, to be sure, but they also had an element of fun. When people danced in a prom, they didn't do it in order to put on a show. Rather, they danced with the intention of mingling and connecting with others. In other words, as much as it was formal, a prom was a party.
"True," I said while reluctantly nodding, "Even I think I had a different impression than what I had expected."
Unfortunately, what was in the footage was anything but a party. Focusing on our aggressive, complicated moves, our dance looked anything but impromptu and loose.
"Well, I think it might be good enough for the cheek-time dancing video," said Isshiki with a complicated expression, "In addition, I wanted another video that's more high-spirited."
"I see, so something that feels earth-shattering and clamorous…" I pondered.
Unrestricted high-energy dancing would definitely do the trick of equating prom with party.
"Let's aim at taking a shot in which everyone dances together. Isshiki-san, could you please pair up with Tobe-kun and have the both of you following the camera as the main actors?" I requested.
Instantly, Isshiki frowned in reluctance.
"Well, it can't be helped… haaaa…" sighed Isshiki.
I spoke on the basis of individual ability alone, but I realized that I put her together with that troublemaker. Well, it was necessary to bring out that party-like mood, so I had no intention of taking back my words.
However, we could use definitely use a few more reliable clips, just in case Tobe ran out of cooperative brain cells. I needed to ask the people that I trusted the most to act as secondary actors, to guarantee some quality shots.
Turning around, I was face-to-face with those two reliable people in question.
"Yuigahama-san, can I ask you to do the favour? Hikigaya-kun also?"
The two of them froze. Yuigahama widened her eyes.
"Huh? Eehhh, I have never danced before…" nervously spoke Hikigaya.
Putting two hands on her hips, Isshiki retorted, "You could follow a video tutorial, and I think you should be fine. Just give an impression of dancing in a nightclub or something, you know."
Yuigahama was just as stupefied as before. Hikigaya, on the other hand, seemed even more scared after hearing Isshiki's suggestion. Rather than understand, for a person like him who almost always keeps to himself, the concept of a nightclub would be quite alien.
"It's okay to just imitate what you see. We only need it just in case," I followed up, "When we compile the videos, it doesn't hurt to have more than the necessary amount of video clips on hand. Or even, it'd be good enough for you two to just back Isshiki-san and Tobe-kun up."
In other words, rather than stand out, I presented Hikigaya with option of serving as the inconspicuous accompaniment. With that, Hikigaya was somewhat convinced. But that didn't solve Yuigahama's concern.
"Are the two of us really good enough?" questioned Yuigahama without confidence.
I smiled reassuringly. Yuigahama's inexperience was exactly what I was looking for. I expected that the average participant would be just like her. For a prom, most of what they needed was simply the eagerness to attend.
As for Hikigaya, I merely had to trust that he could pull through, like he always does.
"I don't want to ask other people to do it since these are quite prominent roles. If you two could help out, then you are really doing me a great favour. If it's still troubling or difficult for you, we could discuss other options, though…"
As usual, I rambled on, unable to pinpoint what I truly thought. I was aware of my weakness. The less one comprehended something, the less able they were to paraphrase it and the more words they needed to describe it.
However, Yuigahama seemed to understood. Her hesitation disappeared like a retreating mist.
"Ah, no, that's not what I meant… If you think it's okay if it's us two, then it's fine."
"So, let's do a dry run for now!" announced Isshiki.
The two of them seemed fully convinced now. The two of them turned around and left to join the crowd.
Turning to me, Isshiki spoke, "Yukino-senpai, let's go and— No, we'll make this a good one! Please help out with the filming!"
"Yes," I replied, "Please dance well so that we don't have to do too many more shoots."
Only heaven knows how much remaining stamina I had left. Appraising the previous shoot with Isshiki distracted me, but I realized that there was still plenty of sweat on my back, even after my own dancing role was over. With the filming crew was where I ought to be.
Isshiki turned around to rush up to Tobe. That boy in question was currently strangling Hikigaya, spouting something like "WEEEIIII WEEEIIII". Actually, I could hear every word. With a big smile on her face, Yuigahama was also fired up, unfortunately leaving Hikigaya to his energetic demise. It was not until Isshiki scolded Tobe with a demonic gaze that Tobe released Hikigaya from his grips and finally stopped shaking the walls with his voice.
I left to meet with the cameraman. When I arrived, he gave me an appreciative bow and complimented me about my dancing. I reluctantly accepted the praise, for I was unable to recall his name.
The gymnasium became dimly lit. Illumination was provided only by the spotlights and the disco ball. Visibility fell and fine details became indiscernible. Fortunately, that meant that only highly conspicuous activities could be noticed. For a prom, that let the participants dance, make mistakes, hide them, and only reveal the fun.
As per Isshiki's request, the first dance piece that played was uplifting and proceeded at a fast, presto pace. Yet, the students could only awkwardly shift around at first. However, the brash Tobe began pumping his fist into the air, recklessly thrashing around. This encouraged the rest to let their bodies move more freely, letting the dance truly begin. With frantic steps, moving bodies and spirited screams, the scene well-illustrated a party for pleasure.
Satisfied with what I was seeing, I instructed the DJ to switch to the next piece.
This piece was substantially calmer, at a steady walking pace. Everyone, including Tobe, seemed to slow down and catch their breath. Partners linked up and began dancing together. Transitioning from the frantic party, the dance became something that was more formal and adult-like. It was a scene that would be fitting for graduates that were about to move to maturity.
As per my request, Isshiki danced closely with Tobe. While both of their movements were crude, it was clear that Isshiki took what little she had picked up to heart. Even with movements that lacked the backing of formal instruction, Isshiki tried her best to follow the music's approachable rhythm, imitating the moves that we witnessed in videos, and, overall, attain some sense of grace. There was a line between ordinary horsing about and dancing, and it seemed that Isshiki had managed to crossed over that line on her own. Even as Tobe tried to do things that Isshiki would be physically unable to do (she can't bend that much) or unintentionally touch her strangely (she expertly avoided that waist-wrapping), she managed to string him along according to her whims. She was certainly doing well for the camera.
A broad smile came on my face before I knew it. The title of "Prom Queen" or "Dancing Queen" would attainable by Isshiki if she kept up her efforts.
Then, I caught sight of Hikigaya and Yuigahama. Arms around each other, they were dancing slowly and carefully. Hikigaya's eyes seemed to be fixed, in deep concentrating. Of course, it hardly needed to be said that what he was so fixated and concentrated upon was Yuigahama. As Yuigahama made one step, Hikigaya obediently followed. Over the distance that separated me and them, I was not able to see any minor bashfulness or mistaken movements. No, from my point of view, they were picture-perfect.
I began understanding why Isshiki chose to put on an event for the graduates. Seeing Yuigahama and Hikigaya dance together, in spite of Hikigaya's personality, was a very good thing. It felt like puzzle pieces neatly fitting together. A puzzle that was completed needed no additional pieces.
Additionally, with me spending time at the student council, they had plenty more chances to get along.
I squeezed the hem of my coat. Seeing the activity, I felt the urge to take the stage once more. More specifically, I had the temptation approach that fish-eyed individual, witness the awkwardness that could only be seen from a close distance, and personally teach him the right way of dancing, just like how I fixed his outfit.
However, I resisted. I was already tired, so it didn't make sense for me to push myself for little gain. More importantly, I had no right to ruin a scene such as this. The camera's flash memory deserved to store every moment, to get enough footage for the video.
I instructed the DJ to transition to the final piece. For the end, we chose the same piece as the one used in the prom movie that Isshiki initially showed to the Service Club. It was a grand orchestration. Yet, as much as its melody was majestic and broad, its pace was moderately fast. Furthermore, it emphasized cheerfulness and vivacity. Thanks to the combination of maestoso and vivace, one could dance however they wished. They could choose to remain graceful to the end. Alternatively, they could let loose with a final bang.
I bore witness to the fruits of our efforts. At last, everyone should have a solid image of what our prom should be like. There was plenty to be confident about.
When the music stopped, everyone continued to congregate, excitedly chatting about the dancing and the prom. Though most of the people who were in the shoot were not going to graduate next month, they were eager about the prom, hoping that they could participate in something similar when it was their turn.
As far as my mind's eye could see, there was little standing in our way.