Chapter 47: I’m Mina Kayano, an insider(genie) who knows how to give gifts.

The fourth week of the cultural festival has begun.

Naturally, everyone in the class has become busier, with some even leaving as it nears 9 o’clock.

And within that atmosphere, I…

“Um, Miyauchi-san. I’ll go in now…”

“Thank you for your hard work today, Kayano-san.”

For some reason, it was still quite calm.

Or rather, to be more precise, I was leaving a bit later than usual.

This was because the number of decorations we needed to make had increased.

However, even taking that into account, the average leaving time was still before 5:30.

Miyauchi-san reassured me that it was fine since she had her own flyer work to do at home, and none of my classmates expressed any mild complaints. No matter how much I returned home to work on flyers, the fact that I was leaving early during the cultural festival preparation period remained unchanged.

…Why is that?

After pondering, I finally realized.

Oh, I see.

It’s a little uncomfortable for them when I stay in the classroom for too long…!

I had never participated in any class gatherings or engaged in conversations with my classmates as I usually went straight home, so it was natural for them to feel a bit uneasy if I lingered in the classroom.

How had I only just noticed that?

Heh. I guess I’ll have to relinquish my title as the sharp-witted loner…

I had five flyers to prepare in total.

Since the purpose was to attract people’s attention, I decided to tailor them to various tastes.

At first, I worried there might be a budget issue, but thankfully, Miyauchi-san told me that the budget was sufficient.

Of course, this meant that the workload had increased, leaving about a day until completion.

[Kayano Izumi: What do you think of this design?]

[Koga Suzuka: Wouldn’t it be better to add a bit more to the drawing? It feels a bit empty compared to the others.]

“Hmm….”

That was quite a good suggestion.

Adding a drawing wouldn’t take too much time anyway, and I couldn’t deny that I felt it was lacking, just as Koga-san had mentioned.

Maybe I should add a drawing of a slice of bread in the corner…

[Koga Suzuka: I expected this when Izumi mentioned wanting to do drawing streams in the last broadcast.]

[Koga Suzuka: But you draw much better than I thought! (>ᄆ<)>]

Having made that decision, I started to play around with my tablet pen when Koga-san sent me that DM.

[Kayano Izumi: Thank you….]

I had always loved drawing since my previous life, so receiving such compliments naturally made me happy.

Well, even so, I didn’t boast about it in various communities.

I had realized this in my past life.

Communities can turn into endless hell once you get involved.

If you become famous, it’s tiring in its own way, and if you’re obscure, that’s exhausting too.

You’re nitpicked for every little comment, and there are countless annoying situations.

So, avoiding communities from the start solves everything.

Besides, since I wouldn’t be pursuing a career related to drawing, there was even less reason for me to join a community.

Showing my drawings to just the people around me was enough.

“Hmm.”

But if I were to actually do a drawing stream, I wouldn’t know when would be a good time to start.

The manager had told me it was fine to do it whenever it was convenient, but I felt a bit embarrassed to start right away.

…Maybe I should think about it after the cultural festival ends?

[Kayano Izumi: Are you really coming?]

[Akabane Yukari: Is it not possible?]

[Kayano Izumi: It’s not that, but there are many more delicious things in the world….]

[Akabane Yukari: I also want to feel nostalgic by visiting high school after a long time (≥∀≦)]

[Kayano Izumi: Understood. I’ll send you the access barcode once it’s issued.]

[Akabane Yukari: Thank you!]

It seemed that my plan of giving her a gift coupon for expensive food so that we’d both be satisfied had failed.

What if Akabane-san comes to our high school and finds the food unappetizing?

That would just lead to both of us feeling disappointed…

B-but today is still Tuesday.

Akabane-san’s feelings might change by tomorrow, so I shouldn’t lose hope.

“Um, Miyauchi-san. I’ll go in now….”

“Ah, Kayano-san. Could you send me the original files of the completed flyers to my email by 8 PM when you get home? The printing company contacted me, saying it would be good to submit them today.”

“Yes. I-I’ll send them right away.”

I was already planning to send them as soon as I finished the final touches at home.

Thanks to Koga-san’s help, the quality turned out quite high, so I wondered if Miyauchi-san would be surprised when she saw them.

I hoped she would be satisfied, knowing that I had returned early during the cultural festival preparation period for this purpose.

If Miyauchi-san or the other classmates found it subpar, it would be a disaster…

I wouldn’t be able to hold my head up high in class anymore.

…Not that I often held my head up high to begin with.

“Well then, see you tomorrow, Kayano-san.”

“Ah, goodbye….”

…But thinking about it, I had received quite a bit of help from Koga-san this time; I shouldn’t let it go without acknowledgment, right?

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

I should express my gratitude with a small gift.

“Hmm.”

What would be good?

Koga-san definitely likes… She mentioned that she enjoys having iced chocolate at cafes, right?

Then I could send her an iced chocolate along with a dessert set.

With that thought finalized, I immediately launched the Miscode app on my phone and opened the message window with Koga-san.

“Phew….”

Since I rarely send DMs, I felt a bit nervous.

In fact, I had only done it once before.

Just once when I suggested a collaboration.

Thinking about the fuss that caused only made me more anxious.

[Kayano Izumi: Koga-san, thank you so much for your help with the flyers for this cultural festival.]

[Kayano Izumi: I’d like to give you a small token of appreciation, if that’s okay?]

I expected I’d get a reply once I got home, right?

As if mocking my thoughts, a response from Koga-san came back before I even closed the Miscode app.

[Koga Suzuka: Well, I’m fine with it, but if you want to do something, feel free to.]

[Koga Suzuka: But I’ll refuse anything too expensive.]

[Koga Suzuka: Anything small is fine. I just wanted to relive the high school feeling.]

[Koga Suzuka: Got it? I had fun too, so anything really small is okay! (o^-)b]

…As expected, Koga-san is so kind.

Her efforts to ease my burdens, just in case I was overthinking, were genuinely touching.

[Kayano Izumi: Then, would an iced chocolate and dessert set be alright?]

[Kayano Izumi: I remember you saying you liked iced chocolate last time….]

“Hehe….”

Since I remembered what she mentioned during our previous conversation and was giving her a gift based on that, wouldn’t Koga-san be happy?

Maybe she’d even praise me for having gotten much better at picking up on these things than before?

This could be the start of my path toward becoming a super socialite!

[Koga Suzuka: …Okay. I’ll enjoy it. Thank you so much. (‘w・)]

“…Eh?”

What’s this? She doesn’t seem that excited…

[Kayano Izumi: Is there anything specific you’d like instead?]

[Koga Suzuka: No, really. Thank you. I’ll enjoy it. (VI]

Feeling a bit uneasy, I resolved to just let it go.

One of my beliefs is that it’s foolish to keep holding onto problems that I can’t solve with my abilities.

Above all, I really didn’t do anything wrong…

[Akabane Yukari: I’m planning to come on Friday; what time should I arrive?]

“…Oh.”

My work hours are from morning until 1 PM. After that, I have free time.

Originally, I planned to go to the empty classroom and mess around with my phone alone.

Well, I’ll just do that for tomorrow.

[Kayano Izumi: You should come to the front of Shiodome Private High School after 1 PM.]

[Akabane Yukari: Got it. Then see you on Friday. (‘▽’)]

Before I knew it, the cultural festival was finally starting tomorrow.

Thankfully, the flyers I sent were highly praised.

Miyauchi-san had mentioned that their quality was much higher than the other classes with similar themes.

Well, considering the time it took and Koga-san’s help, it would have been even more embarrassing if the quality had been low.

“Haa.”

I lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

To be honest, I didn’t feel excited or anything about the day before the cultural festival.

I had returned home the earliest every day after school, and I had almost made the flyers all by myself.

Still.

“I hope it goes well….”

The fact that everyone had put in effort didn’t change, and I was definitely part of that.

…Right?

Anyway, I hoped for a result that everyone would be satisfied with.

[1-A Class Cosplay Cafe!]

As I arrived at the classroom early in the morning as usual, that signboard was standing in front of our classroom door.

It looked quite decent with the cute drawings and the paper decorations I had made attached to it.

…Thinking about it, I usually arrive early and just lie on my desk, so they probably rearranged everything for today’s activities.

If they hadn’t, where should I be sitting?

I hesitated a little before opening the door with those thoughts in mind, but I couldn’t just stand in front of the door forever, so I slowly opened the sliding door to the classroom.

“Wow….”

I couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.

The balloon art I had made was decorated with curtains, and a subtle aroma of coffee lingered in the air, probably because they had sprayed some air freshener beforehand.

The desks were covered with white cloths, giving a neat impression, and the menu was neatly organized on top. Of course, compared to a professional cafe, there were definitely some shortcomings, but I actually liked how those parts showed everyone’s passion.

“Oh, Kayano-san.”

“Eek…!”

“What’s up? You always come at this time, don’t you?”

“Maybe so.”

I turned around in surprise and saw Miyauchi-san and Tateyama-san standing there.

“You both came really early, huh…?”

Despite trembling at the sudden presence, I managed to speak somehow.

This was the moment my communication skills, honed thanks to broadcasting and Koga-san, shone through.

“Today is the cultural festival, and as the class representative, I wanted to check if there was anything left to finalize, so I came early.”

Well, since I was the one who suggested the cosplay cafe, I wanted to help Miyauchi.

“I see.”

What should I do?

Normally, I would be alone during this time, with my head down on the desk, so I wouldn’t have any reason to have a conversation like this.

Sitting down and putting my head on the desk all of a sudden would be weird.

I had to find a way to escape………

“What do you think, Kayano-san? Doesn’t it feel lively?”

As I was racking my brain, Miyauchi-san asked.

To be honest, I wanted to run away right now, but I knew I shouldn’t do that.

I am, after all, a member of 1-A, right?

“Yes…. I can feel that everyone has worked hard, so I think it’s good…”

“Right? Everyone really worked hard! As the one who proposed it, I’m incredibly proud!”

“Oh, and everyone really liked the flyers you sent, Kayano-san. They turned out amazing!”

“I saw that too. By the way, did you draw all the pictures on the flyers?”

“A, um, y-yes….”

“That’s really impressive!”

S-Someone, help me……