The second day of the cultural festival.

Forced by Sakura early in the morning, I put on a bright yellow class culture shirt, which looks like a couple's shirt, and when I take the train, I always feel like an aunt is staring at our clothes and snickering.

When I arrived at school, I went separate from Sakura, she went to class, and I went to the school auditorium.

With yesterday's experience, today's performance is still very smooth, the stage is the same program as yesterday, and the audience has changed batch after batch.

After the morning hall performance, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief compared to the hectic first day, and I was able to take time out to wander around the festival.

I made my way to the school building, which was dotted with makeshift stalls, and the enticing aroma of takoyaki and yakisoba struck the tip of my nose.

It is incredible that the cultural festival of high school students can create an aroma comparable to that of a summer festival night stall.

In the past, I never had this kind of thought, but I felt that this kind of festival for cash and pleasure had nothing to do with me, and it was far better to be at ease than to take a nap on the rooftop alone.

It's not so much hanging out for pleasure, it's almost subconsciously looking at it with the eyes of the organizers.

Which class is the most lively, which stall has the best food, I can't wait to do market research in person and give them a high level before I give up.

It's not boring, it's fun.

Obviously, I was engulfed by the atmosphere monster called the "Cultural Festival", and now I have no intention of resisting, but I hope from the bottom of my heart that this cultural festival will make those who have ignored or excluded me happy.

I know very well that this is not a noble act of repaying grievances with virtue, that kind of image really does not match me, I just want to lighten the burden on that person's shoulders.

In addition, despite all the external factors, I seemed to be somewhat immersed in it, and this so-called youth was far more massive and terrifying than I imagined, and I was caught up in this rosy whirlpool.

Walking into the school building, before going back to class, I first went to the first year C class where Yang Gongyao was, and there was an unexpectedly long queue, and sure enough, the more old-fashioned the program, the more popular it was.

At the door of the classroom of the first year C class, Kudo is sitting at his desk, seemingly in the position of receptionist.

"Kudo."

"Hmm, Jinguji senior......"

"Why are you sitting around here, over there?"

"There will be no problem with the bird tour to take care of, the class is a rotation system, I will go over later, what about the senior?"

"Rest over there in the auditorium, take the opportunity to take a look, where is the Sheep Palace?"

Kudo pointed to the classroom behind him with his thumb: "It's scary inside." ”

At the back door of the classroom, a pair of girls holding hands screamed and came out, and even the laughter of one of the characters inside could be heard.

That guy had a really good time.

I suddenly thought of the performance of the drama club yesterday afternoon, and I thought that Kudo would play the male lead himself, but he didn't appear on stage from beginning to end, which made me feel a little incredible.

"Now, Kudo."

"What's wrong? Senior. ”

"Why didn't you perform it yourself?"

"Huh?"

The junior looked at me blankly, as if he didn't understand what I meant.

"I thought you really wanted to act, so you would be the head of the drama department."

Kudo thought for a while before revealing a sudden expression: "Senior misunderstood, I didn't join the drama department because I wanted to act by myself, but I don't know anything about acting at all." ”

"Well, I know that last thing."

"The senior is too good!"

"But shouldn't acting skills be something that can be improved after tempering? I don't know, though. ”

I've been with Kudo for a long time, and I don't think he's a person who doesn't want to put in the effort and only talks about it, but I can deeply feel his passion for acting.

In many things, talent may be something that can determine the outcome of the victory, but if there is not enough enthusiasm to support it, it is often impossible to persist in deciding the victory.

Therefore, I think it is very important for a person to be passionate about something, and Kudo has it, which is very envious of me.

"That being said, my future direction is not to act."

"That's right."

"Well, because there's something I want to do in the future."

"What do you want to do......"

"Is it a dream?" I couldn't help but blurt out.

"Hmm...... It's a shame to dream or something, I don't know if this can be called a dream, but I'm fighting for it as a goal. ”

"What is the goal?"

"In the future, I want to engage in behind-the-scenes work in film and television, and I am currently aiming to be admitted to the University of the Arts."

Shy, shy, and resolute.

He didn't hesitate to talk about his dreams, and his eyes shone with a dazzling light that a person like me would never be able to show.

Kudo is mostly aiming to become a film director, and I can't help but sigh that this ordinary junior has big dreams.

Sure enough, judging people by their appearance is the stupidest thing to do.

Probably, anyone who passes by me every day has their own dreams in their hearts.

Sakura has it, the president has it, maybe even Iwasaki, Hanamaru-san, and Tsuchiya-san.

It's just me, and I'm still empty.

It wasn't long before the short girl shook her sleeves on both sides, and with an unfinished expression on her face, she smugly emerged from the classroom, her forehead oozing a little sweat stain that blurred the plasma applied to her cheeks.

The little creature was wiping beads of sweat as if it had done a great job.

"Whew...... It's cool, huh? When did the seniors come? ”

"Just here."

"Ho ho ...... Let us guess, did you come to see us? ”

"Let's see if you're lazy."

"What~"

The creature glared at me, then said hello to the other girls, and suddenly dragged me out.

"What?"

"The senior came just in time, we're a little hungry, let's go out and buy some food together."

Originally, I wanted to go upstairs and go back to class to have a look, but since she said so, I don't plan to refuse her, and she has made a lot of efforts at this cultural festival, so I should treat her as a reward.

"Let's talk about it first, I can only buy one for you."

"Huh? Do you want to invite us? ”

"Huh? Don't you mean to ask me to invite you? ”

She suddenly stood still, her eyes staring at me without blinking, and I looked down at her, and saw that the red paint on her face had not been wiped clean from sweat, so I took a handkerchief out of my pocket and gave it to her.

"Wipe your face first."

"Hmm...... Thank you. ”

At the stall in the atrium of the school, I bought two servings of takoyaki, because this guy looked very wanted, and he reluctantly paid for her to buy marshmallows.

At her insistence, the takoyaki was paid separately, and only the marshmallow was my treat, which was barely a reward for her hard work so far.

I found a corner to sit in, and Yang Gong sat beside me without saying a word, which was the same position and distance from the student council room, and I seemed to have become accustomed to having such a small animal around me.

She was holding her head down, picking the bonito flowers on the octopus balls with a bamboo stick.

"What's wrong? Don't have an appetite? I couldn't help but ask.

"Not really."

Yang Gong is a magical girl, I have thought so since the first day I met her, and this slightly prejudiced idea has not changed to this day.

She picked up a ball, puffed out her cheeks and snorted, and the white mist fled in all directions, hiding her whereabouts in the air.

Like a kitten jumping and playing with a fish on a fishing rod, it lifts the octopus balls high, lifts its neck and opens its mouth to swallow it, and then transforms into a small monster that can spray gas, and at the same time makes a soft cry of "so hot, so hot".

When she swallowed it all, she suddenly smug at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We, cute?"

I knocked her on the head and told her to stop talking nonsense.

She used two bamboo skewers as chopsticks, and picked all the wooden fish flowers like sawdust into my takoyaki.

"It's not a good picky eater."

"If it's a soup, you can eat it."

I said "oh" suddenly, then stuck a bamboo skewer into the balls, swirled and rolled in a circle, letting the sauce on the surface stick to the sawdust she picked for me, and slowly ate it.

"Hey, Sheep Palace."

"What?"

"I ask you, what kind of person do you want to be in the future?"

"What kind of brain teaser is this?"

"It's not so much a brain teaser as a life negotiation."

"I see."

Did she really get it?

"We're still kids, and we haven't thought that far ahead."

"However, not everyone around me has something they want to do, or a dream or something."

Her big eyes kept blinking and staring at me, "Because everyone has it, should we have it too?" ”

I was stunned, not knowing what to say.

"We are only fifteen years old, and those who plan their own life trajectory at the age of fifteen and strive for this creed are amazing! It's simply the elite of the elite, does the senior think of us like this? ”

It seems that this is the truth.

How to say it, it's obviously a very meaningful topic, but when it comes to her, it's inexplicable, as if it's a thing that shouldn't be to have a dream.

"Of course, we don't look down on those who work hard to achieve their goals, but this set doesn't apply to us.

"We're three-minute people, and we want to learn to play the guitar because we watched the band's animation, and we want to learn to draw because we see light and astringent illustrations, and then we have new ideas because we watch other works.

"But what about that? Are we going to be blamed for this kind of thing?

"Senior, it's not a shame to have no dreams.

"It's shameful to know what you want but deliberately ignore it and not do it, and finally deceive yourself as if you were comforting yourself."

Speaking from the bottom of my heart, I was shocked by this guy's words, not surprised by her arguments, but surprised that they came from a girl who was only fifteen years old.

And this girl is still Yang Gong Yao.

"Jinguji classmates, Yanggong classmates, what a coincidence."

Just as I was about to continue speaking, a girl's voice came to my ears, and I looked at the source of the voice, which was Fukada-senpai, who was the head of the wind department.

I greeted her, and she smiled and sat down next to us.

"Did I disturb you?"

"Nope."

Fukada-senpai didn't seem to be in good spirits, and there was nothing she could do, so Chibongi-san left with her parents immediately after yesterday's performance.

I don't know what happened to them, and I don't know if I should mention Chibongi-san's name, so I can only pay careful attention to her words and deeds, and not touch the soft places in her heart.

"This time, I am really grateful to Jinguji and Yangmiya."

I didn't seem to be able to say anything else except "don't take it to heart", but Yanggong had a warm chat with her.

After this incident, Yomiya-san, it seems that he has developed a wonderful friendship with Fukada-senpai, and I don't really understand the idea of girls in this regard.

As for the fact that she was accidentally pushed down at the meeting at that time, it was a complete accident, Fukada Senpai solemnly apologized, and Yanggong had already forgiven her.

Just talking about this, I once again witnessed how the girl named Yang Gong Yao chatted with people.

"So senior sister, didn't you confess in the end? To Chibongi-san. ”

Senior Sister Fukada's expression was very exciting, presumably she didn't expect this guy to say it so bluntly, but this is Yang Gong Yao's character, she doesn't have any thoughts in her heart that wants to make fun or be weird, she just asks if she wants to.

However, Fukada-senpai gave an answer that surprised both of us.

This answer caused me and Yanggong to freeze in place, and after a long time, I squeezed out a word of congratulations from my mouth.

I don't know if this can be considered a congratulation.

She is also a girl, a senior and a senior in high school, Tokyo and Hokkaido.

Love will ferment after parting, and the story always begins after the end.

It was supposed to be a rather difficult relationship, probably a sadness that I would never be able to experience, and perhaps it would end with the end of their adolescence.

But at this moment, I will only stay away from others to gain inner peace, but I want to cheer for them from the bottom of my heart.

I looked at Yonomiya's face, and her expression seemed to be doing the same thing as I thought.

Fukada-senpai seems to be here to tell us about this.

At this time, I looked at the exhaustion and tiredness on her cheeks, and I couldn't help but recall three years ago, on the night of my first day of dating Sakura, listening to each other's voices on the phone, neither of us would close their eyes and sleep.

After separating from Fukada-senpai, Yomiya returned to her class and continued her great career of fright, and I stood in front of a bulletin board on the first floor, which was plastered with all kinds of posters, some of which I had drawn.

And my head, which had never cared about others, flashed all the things that had nothing to do with me.

Kudo, Yomiya, Fukada-senpai and Chibongi-san.

They have different personalities and actions, but without exception, they have their own thoughtful thoughts about the future.

Even if it's that little animal, everything she does is just elimination, and after experiencing all the things she is interested in, she will definitely be able to find her own path in the future.

So she never looks lost, always energetic and full of vitality.

So what about me, what is the thing that my heart desires?

I wanted to deny myself as an empty shell, that I had become numb from the long period of isolation, that the inside of my body had long since dried up and cracked, and that I was desperate for something to fill my heart, and that a heavy rain from the sky would wash me away into a no longer numb Jingu Terakitsuki.

Maybe I should learn from Yanggong, even if I don't know what I like for a while, it doesn't matter, and if I experience everything once, maybe I can make a difference.

But I know that without heavy rain for no reason, it is impossible to stand still and transform, but it is better to jump into the lake in front of me, and if I can swim to the other side smoothly, I may be able to make a difference.

I thought, it's time for me to give myself a dream.

Thank you for the reward of "Accustomed to Watching Idle Birds and Idle Flowers".

(End of chapter)