A sprinkle of plot here…

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I'ds been catching looks from Yui all day. And Hitatsuka-sensei. They both knew. I knew they both knew. They knew I knew they both knew. But they didn't do anything. I mean, Hiratsuka-sensei glared disapprovingly at me when she thought I wouldn't notice but that was it.

Since the planning committee meeting was regularly scheduled at four in the afternoon, there was some spare time until then.

For someone like me who had not been entrusted with any kind of responsibility, I would only serve as a nuisance had I remained in class. Add to the fact that since I had been appointed to the planning committee, I could only offer haphazard assistance at best. If that happened, in the event where I had to leave and pass on the remaining workload to someone else, that would take effort and problems would happen. That's why it was better to not just stick my hands in anything from the start. In this world, there were many things where not working led to profits.

…If they had forced me into the planning committee because they anticipated that, then the only thing I could say was 'that makes sense'. In a contrary sense, the people who understood me the most might've been my classmates. An untouchable existence. Thinking about it like that made it sound kind of cool. At Sobu High, clubs could only exhibit one activity. For example, the orchestra club would perform a concert, or the tea ceremony club would hold a tea party.

People fundamentally participated in the festival for class credit. Otherwise, it was under the guise of 'volunteering'. The bang bong noises since earlier were likely coming from the practice the volunteer band was engaged in. Guitars, which were only cool at this moment, were rocked with gusto, blaring with the energy of an entire band, and the bass was plucked with the noises going pom poko pom poko as if there was an imminent war upon us.

But that continued only in between the main building and the annex.

The corridor which stretched to the special building was the only location sustaining its silence in this commotion. I could feel the temperatures drop one or two degrees, possibly due to the hallway being in the shade. The club room was already unlocked. I could sense a chill coming from inside as if it was a hallucination crawling out.

When I slid the door open, Yukinoshita was there, no different from the norm.

"Yahallo!" greeted Yui.

Yukinoshita slowly lifted her face, looked at the door as if it was bright, and reluctantly opened her mouth. "…Hello."

"Yo." We exchanged our typical greetings, and went to our seats after answering appropriately.

"So you're in the planning committee too, huh?"

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes…" Yukinoshita replied succinctly without removing her eyes from her book that she was holding.

"It's kind of surprising to see Yukinon doing something like that."

"Is that so…? Well, I suppose so…" She wasn't the type to stand in front of people. The Yukinoshita that I knew wasn't someone who didn't have the assertiveness, but rather, she was someone who didn't like to stand out.

"If anything, I find it more surprising to see you on the planning committee."

"Ah, I know, right? It totally doesn't fit him."

"Hey… I was forced into it in the middle… Well, if it means not having to participate in that musical, then doing some grunt work isn't all that bad in comparison. All is well in the end."

"That reason is very like you."

"I can't say the same for you though." Embedded in those words were prickling thorns. They weren't directed at Yukinoshita. They were thorns directed at myself. Again, I became aware of how I was forcing my image on other people, making me feel disgusted.

"…"

"…"

Yukinoshita completely ignored my words and her gaze didn't move from her book at all. It was a silence where even time had coagulated.

Only the antiquated clock hung on wall cut through time and the sound of the ticking hands were aggravating to the ears. Yuigahama let out a deep breath and looked at the clock.

"Umm… you have a committee meeting today too, right? The thing is, I actually need to show up to class discussions…" I picked up the words that she was likely going to continue with.

"Yeah, that's right. I'll be busy with the committee too, so I won't be able to show up to club for a while."

Or possibly, 'I won't show up' might be more accurate.

Yukinoshita closed her eyes as if reflecting on that and shut her book.

Afterwards, for the first time today, she looked this way. "…Good timing. I wanted to talk about that today too. For now, I was thinking of suspending the club until the end of the Cultural Festival."

"Well, sounds about right."

"…Mmm, okay, that makes sense. It's the Cultural Festival and all, so it might be better that way." Yui contemplated for just a little, but she spoke, looking convinced.

"Alright, guess we're done for today then."

"…Right. Hikki, make sure to help out with class whenever you have free time too." Yui said. I thought for a moment. On top of my duties as a committee member, if I had to do spend effort on what my class was exhibiting as well, it was definitely going to be a hassle. Unlimited Double Works…

"…Only if I get the time… Alright, I need to head out." I gave a response synonymous with 'I definitely won't' to Yui, and stood up with my bag in hand. Even my incredibly light bag felt totally heavy to me. …Noo, I don't want to go. Just what was this feeling? Was it really this painful having to go to work? My stomach was somehow starting to churn inside out. Was it because of that? Now that my mind had surpassed my physical body's limitations, my convictions were affecting reality itself. What a frightening phantasm. Well, you know, it was work, so I was still going to do it though. But a sigh came out. I mean, I don't want to work after all. Just as I was about to grab the door, there were knocks on it.

When I strained my ears to the noise, I could hear the sound of giggling on the other side.

"Come in." Yukinoshita answered and the door meekly slid open. The laughter that sounded like the rustling of leaves grew even louder.

"Excuuuuse us." The one who had entered the room was a female student that I knew.

Sagami Minami. She was in the same class, a member of the same Cultural Festival planning committee as me, and also its chairman. Waiting behind her were two other girls. They were all wearing similar thin smiles. Sagami's eyes narrowed after looking at us. "Oh, it's Yukinoshita-san and Yui-chan."

Whoa there, I don't suppose you're forgetting one more individual here? You know, the guy that's in your class and also in the same planning committee?

"Sagamin? What's wrong?" Yui looked at that female student with an inquisitive face. Without answering her question, Sagami spun around, surveying the rest of interior of the room.

"Oooh~ so the Service Club is Yukinoshita-san's and you two's club huh?" Her eyes swam around the room, alternating between me and Yui. I felt a slight sense of dread. Her eyes concealed a slyness of a snake. It gave rise to a strange and unpleasant feeling like how your pupils would contract to a vertical slit.

"What business do you have here?" Yukinoshita asked, using her typical harsh tone, even though it was with people she didn't know very well. But somehow, it seemed much colder than it usually seemed.

"Ah… I'm sorry, for suddenly showing up here," said Sagami, adjusting her etiquette while slightly fidgeting. "I'm, actually here for a consultation…" Without directly meeting Yukinoshita's gaze, Sagami exchanged glances with her friends to the side and continued further. "Like, I'm kinda the committee chairman now, but I'm not super confident about it, you see… So, I'd like your help."

I wonder if this was what she was talking to Hiratsuka-sensei about after the meeting yesterday. So that's why, again, she referred someone who looked like he or she would have problems to this Service Club. Well, I had an idea of what she was trying to say. Anyone would feel intimidated in the face of a job entrusted with a lot of responsibility, especially if it was their first time. And from what I had seen of Sagami in class, she wasn't the type to assertively try for a job like that. But it begged the question as to whether Sagami was really someone who needed help. Yukinoshita shifted her gaze towards Sagami, taking a moment to think in silence. Because Yukinoshita was watching her quietly, Sagami averted her eyes out of discomfort.

"…I believe this goes against your goal of wanting to grow, no?" As Yukinoshita stated, Sagami was the one who willingly ran for candidate, stating she would accept the hardships for the sake of her own growth, and in turn, was named as the committee chairman. Sagami stammered for an instant, but the complexion on her face persevered, displaying the same thin smile again.

"Suuure, but, like, I really don't want to be a bother to everyone, and failing isn't exactly good either, right? And besides, I think cooperation with others is a part of my own growth too, so that stuff is important." Yukinoshita just sat there, wordlessly listening to the voice that went on and on without pause. "And like, I'm also a part of my class, so I totally want to help out there too. I'll feel suuuper sorry if I have to say I can't at all. Riiight?" said Sagami, and she faced Yui.

"…Yeah, I guess so." Though Yui had paused for just a tiny bit as if she was thinking about something, she agreed with Sagami.

"Oh, me too. I'm the type that likes to work with others anyway…"

"I knoow~ Like, I definitely want to get on better terms with people through this event, so we have to make this a success, right!" The other two girls nodded their heads with "I know, right?" to Sagami's words. But, Yui had a slightly sullen face. Her feelings were understandable. When all was said and done, what Sagami was doing was requesting Yukinoshita to clean up her mess for getting carried away. This wasn't any more different than the time when Zaimokuza wished curses upon a group of folks called the game club after going berserk on the internet. What Sagami was deeming important wasn't the experience and knowledge gained as the 'Cultural Festival planning committee chairman', but the title itself. If she had truly wanted to act as a proper chairman, then what she should be doing was requesting help from insiders, not outsiders.

For example, Meguri-senpai was proficient at getting the cooperation of everyone in that inner circle. She may appear somewhat unreliable, but she was able to solidify the student council and its members, possibly due to her personality, and even appeared as a competent student organization. Though, there was also the possibility that her unreliable and feeble conduct might've been the reason for that unity to come about. But Sagami was different. It was because she was ashamed of showing her shortcomings, no, it was because she wanted to pretend to be brave that she sought the assistance of outsiders; that's how I saw it. That was something that didn't vary too much from Zaimokuza some time ago.

Unfortunately for her, that kind of clean-up work was something we would refuse. It was about time for everyone to come to grips with the fact that getting carried away and bringing out your courage usually never turned into anything worthwhile. It was only when you made wretched memories, regretted it, and admonished yourselves to never repeat that same mistake again that you could call it growth. With that in mind, it would do us some good to refuse Sagami's request here. In fact, considering it's her we're talking about, then we shouldn't be extending helping hands so easily.

I'd rather not have my workload increase either. Concerned about Yukinoshita who had been silent since earlier, Sagami glanced at her with a downcast look. Noticing she was waiting for her to answer, Yukinoshita slowly opened her mouth as if she was putting together her thoughts and confirming them.

"…So if I sum things up, it should be fine as long you have an aide, correct?"

"Yep, right, right." Sagami brightly nodded, having finally been understood, but Yukinoshita's expression continued to stay cold.

"I see… I don't mind then. I'm in the planning committee as well so as long it doesn't go farther than that, I can assist you."

"Really!? Thank yoooooou!" Sagami clapped her apparent happiness together in her hands and took two to three steps closer to Yukinoshita.

In contrast to her was Yui. She looked at Yukinoshita with a gaze with slight surprise. Honestly, it was unexpected to me too. I had completely thought these kinds of requests were the types we should avoid.

"Okay, thanks for the help!" Sagami said, looking somewhat excited, and left the room with her two accompanying friends. Only the three of us remained in the room and the mood became slightly heavier.

When I tried to leave the room again, it was that moment. Yui stood before Yukinoshita, looking resolved.

"…Weren't you going to stop the club?" Her tone was much more severe than normal. Having noticed that, Yukinoshita's shoulders twitched, and though she lifted her face for just an instant, she quickly looked away.

"…It's something I'm doing personally. It's not something you two need to worry about."

"But if it's like before—"

"It is like before… It's not all that much different."

Tenaciously taking her ground, Yui's words were cut off by Yukinoshita. Realizing that her will wasn't going to budge, Yuigahama let out a thin sigh as if she had given up.

"…We should at least do it together—"

"That's fine. If it's regarding like the Cultural Festival planning committee meetings, then I have a decent understanding of it. It's more efficient if I do it by myself."

"'Efficient'… Maybe, but even so…" Yui mumbled her words.

Yukinoshita sent her cold gaze to the front cover of her book. She was indicating that she wasn't going to speak any further about this matter. For the two of us who had saw first-hand Yukinoshita Yukino's excellence, we knew all too well. In reality, she could probably work something out even if she had been alone.

"…But I still think it's weird," said Yui, and she turned her back. No voice called to that back of hers.

"…I'm going back to class." Yui walked off. I was standing dumbfounded as I watched their series of exchanges, but once I came to, I readjusted my bag, and left the club room after Yuigahama.

When I closed the door, I turned around. The only person sitting in the club room was just Yukinoshita herself. It was a sight so frighteningly beautiful, yet extremely melancholic, as if it pictured the light of the sun shining upon the ruins from the aftermath of a destroyed world.

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-WG