Cultural Festival (5): Role Assignments and Awkward Reunions
With the role assignments wrapped up, we kicked off the official first meeting of the committee.
"Then, let's begin the first meeting of the 35th Blossom Festival Preparation Committee."
At the high school student council president's declaration, the committee members gave a half-hearted round of applause. For reference, that Blossom Festival is the official name of our school's cultural festival. It draws inspiration from the school names—Pullyip Middle School and Pulkkot High School—with "blossoming" as the motif for flowers blooming. It also carries the meaning of culture flourishing.
"As the saying goes, when starting something, your aspirations for it are key. So, the first order of business!"
With a gesture from the student council president, the PPT slid to the next slide.
"Deciding this year's festival slogan."
She gave a brief explanation after that too.
"Last year's slogan was 'Youth in Bud, Blooming Through Culture.' Since it's a festival even local elders participate in, something more educational that really captures the essence of youth..."
I didn't care about any of that. Jokes like "A Festival Where Love Blooms" or "A Festival Where Lovers Sprout" flew around in the cheerful atmosphere, but they went in one ear and out the other. I was staring at the cause of it all.
Turning my head to the side, there was Choi Gahee, looking at me with complicated emotions in her eyes, forcing just the corners of her mouth up.
After the role assignments, we'd gathered by teams, and by some twist of fate, she sat right next to me. I'd figured after I yelled at her last time, she'd be awkward and avoid me—but sitting right beside me? And with Choi Gahee on my immediate right, that put Seong Juyeon on my left. I was trapped between heroines with no escape.
Well, Seong Juyeon wasn't really a worry.
"How about this? Something with the meaning of growth... 'Us, Growing One Step Further, Finally Blooming into Beauty.'"
"Oh, that's good."
"Ooh~"
As if no one was taking it seriously anyway—or maybe just excited to get home soon—the slogan was decided on in a flash.
"Then, committee members, looking forward to working with you all."
"Let's grow one step further together and bloom some beauty."
The middle school student council president, who'd been quietly sitting, quoted the slogan in her closing remarks, and the meeting ended successfully. Time to wrap up.
I stood to leave, but a voice called from beside me.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Taeyang."
"Yeah, me neither. Did you volunteer for the committee too, Juyeon noona?"
It was Seong Juyeon who'd called me. We chatted like always. She wasn't the type to obsess over me, and she wouldn't be bummed that I was going to a different high school. Plus, in the game, she was definitely supposed to be doing maid duties—what was she doing here?
"Yeah, I wanted to try all sorts of experiences. Felt like I'd been living too statically lately."
Hmm... Probably some changes in her mindset after the thing with Seonwoo. It was a perfectly understandable variable.
"Alright, let's do our best together."
"Yeah, Taeyang. Looking forward to it."
Seong Juyeon beamed and stuck out her hand. I shook it firmly.
Seeing her like this, it looked like she'd shaken off a lot of the pain from the breakup.
"Um... excuse me, sunbae?"
"Yeah?"
"If it's okay... could we exchange numbers?"
"Sure, me too."
"Looking forward to working with you!!"
While we were talking, a few guys who'd been hovering joined in, asking for handshakes just like I had. Seong Juyeon looked flustered but exchanged numbers with all of them honestly. Probably thought of it as part of social life. The guys clearly had other intentions, though.
For example, numbers were flying mostly with Choi Gahee, Seong Juyeon, and a few other hot or pretty seniors and juniors. Kids trying to buddy up with the popular crowd jumped in, and before long, the area turned into a full-on social party.
Is this the life of the popular crowd? Nah, just the life of pretty people. I slipped away while Seong Juyeon was chatting animatedly with the girls.
Behind me, the number-swapping continued for a while.
"Sunbae! If it's okay, could I get your number?"
"Huh? Oh... sure."
"You're my ideal type!"
"Eh? But I'm..."
"Give me your number too."
I glanced over and saw Choi Gahee struggling big time with the situation. She scanned around, our eyes met, and she looked at me all desperately like save me.
I looked away.
Sorry, but unlike before, I couldn't step in. After what I said to her, I couldn't do anything to boost her affection again. Besides, it was better for Choi Gahee to mingle with more people. That way, she could fully cut off any twisted obsession or resentment toward me.
Luckily, some girls swarmed in to help her out, and the guys backed off tactfully.
"Unnie, you don't have to give it to everyone if it's too much."
"Oh?... Yeah."
Choi Gahee was sociable enough; she'd make friends on her own. That was good enough. My job was to avoid the heroines as much as possible. Seong Juyeon didn't have feelings for me, so no need to guard against her specifically.
Anyway, orientation was over. Time to bail. On my way out, I blended into the social vibe just enough, exchanging numbers with some nearby kids collecting them formally. No real use for them, but whatever.
"...Um."
"Yeah?"
"If it's not too rude... that is..."
A shy girl who'd been hovering nervously approached. She finally mustered the courage to grab my sleeve, but she looked anything but confident.
"Just need my number, right?"
"Uh? Yes!"
Her name tag said she was a first-year middle schooler.
"Alright, let's do well from now on."
"Y-Yes... Th-thank you, sunbae."
The Choi Gahee group looked like they were wrapping up, so I bolted out of the auditorium.
"Phew~ What a mess everything's turned into."
I'd somehow survived the day, but I had zero clue how things would go from here.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back, Master."
"…………"
"Hehe~"
The maid was waiting as soon as I got home. More precisely, it was my sister in a maid outfit, speaking in that clumsy tone.
"Don't you usually get these outfits later?"
We still had a full month before the festival really kicked off. Issuing maid uniforms already?
"Just getting used to it early... What do you think?"
"Suits you."
"Really?"
Unlike the cheerleader outfit last time, the exposure level was low, so I was relieved. It gave off a calm, pretty vibe. Black dress base, with white frills from the buttoned collar down to the sleeves and hem. And a big apron-like thing on the skirt. Was that an apron? I didn't know much about maid outfits, but it felt like that.
Sis was always pretty, but with her long black hair and the maid headband, it made her usual soft, gentle impression even cuter. A beauty like her serving customers with that sweet voice? She'd be super popular. But what if some weirdo guy latches on? After the Seonwoo incident, I was starting to worry about strange men hitting on her again.
"Taeyang, is there anything weird about the outfit?"
My sister in white fussed with her maid headband, asking worriedly.
"Nah, it's pretty..."
"Yeah. Pretty?"
"Just... be careful not to get tangled up with any weird guys again. I was worried, that's all."
She burst out laughing at that.
"Why're you laughing?"
"Just... you're the same as ever, Taeyang."
"Same as ever? What do you mean?"
"Your siscon tendencies are as strong as ever."
"Wh-who's a siscon!!"
Damn it, jumping to weird conclusions again! Sis never appreciates it when I worry!!
"Forget it. Whatever!"
"Got it. I'll be careful."
I tried to brush past her to my room, but I caught her muttering softly behind me.
"If only he treasured others this much too..."
My steps halted for a second.
"Hey, sis."
"Yeah?"
"That..."
I took a breath and asked.
"Did you know I was on the festival committee?"
"Huh? Wh-what do you mean..."
She flinched when I turned around. Crap, ease up the expression.
"Phew~ Just curious, so be honest."
"...I happened to see it when you dropped your phone and I picked it up."
"And you told Gahee noona?"
"Uh......"
She panicked and couldn't answer. If she didn't know what went down between me and Choi Gahee, she'd have just said "Yeah, I did" casually. Her hesitation meant she knew.
"Phew~ Okay, got it. I was just wondering since Gahee noona and Juyeon noona were on it too—how they got picked."
Actually felt a bit relieved. Now I had a rough idea of how things had played out. My suspicions checked out. Water under the bridge now. And considering sis's position, no real reason to be mad.
"Taeyang... sorry."
"Nah, why're you sorry? If anyone's sorry, it's me."
Sis looked like the world's saddest maid. I told her it was fine again and apologized.
"Sorry, sis. For dragging you into our mess."
"Taeyang, I just..."
"But I haven't changed my mind."
She didn't say anything after that. I headed to my room as casually as possible, changed, showered, and we ate dinner while shifting to lighter topics to ease the mood. White sis didn't bring it up again either.
The first task from the festival committee came down. Reviewing applications for the Blossom Festival.
Due to the nature of this year's event, both schools were holding festivals simultaneously, connected by a street linking their back gates. I'd never been there, but it gets filled with student booths and street vendors linking the two schools' events. Not just classes and clubs—personal circles, friend groups, even outsiders submit tons of applications.
"Even so, isn't this way too many?"
True to the visual novel world's main event of school festival season—and with two festivals merging—the scale was massive. So on the first day of committee activities, the support team was buried in paperwork the moment we gathered.
"And we're stuck handling the street booths."
"Ah..."
The spot where outsiders applied too. As I reviewed docs, I heard a flustered noise nearby.
"Eek—!"
"What's up?"
"S-sorry..."
It was that first-year girl who'd gotten my number last time. She was panicking because someone had applied for an insect observation booth on the street. The attachments were full of bug photos.
"......I'll take this one. Pass it over."
"Th-thanks."
"And don't check too meticulously. Just filter out the obvious rejects—the student council will deliberate the rest."
"Okay."
She seemed super tense, so I gave her a quick pep talk and kept processing. Just nix anything too ridiculous or educationally iffy. We weren't picking favorites anyway, and for stuff like food trucks from outside vendors, festival teachers would inspect hygiene and food safety on-site.
I focused mechanically, but another noise came from the side.
"Ah!"
Flutter—slide—
Her desk shook, and the stacked papers tumbled. Including the ones next to mine.
"S-sorry!!"
Sighs rose from around us. First-year, bound to mess up sometimes.
"It's fine."
She scrambled to pick them up, glancing nervously, so I helped. My papers were mixed in too—had to sort them to get back to work. Ended up re-sorting her reviewed and unreviewed piles.
"I'm really sorry."
"Junior, enough with the sorrys—just work quietly, okay?"
"Yes!"