Chapter 16: The Cultural Festival Begins.

"—Hey! Open your eyes!"

As I kept my eyes shut, my body was suddenly shaken roughly—rattle, rattle. He had been shaking me for a while, I realized, and then it hit me that I was being lifted and carried somewhere. No wonder it felt like the entire ground was swaying. Still, being jostled around in total darkness made me nauseous. Stop it. Judging by the voice, it was Takahiro-kun anyway.

Then, in the midst of that dizzying motion, the sensation abruptly vanished—and just like that, my vision switched.

Just moments ago, I had my eyes closed while someone carried me… yet before I knew it, I was standing alone on a narrow path beneath a star-filled sky.

Above me, to both sides, beneath my feet—even below the path itself—stretched a vast sea of countless stars. Darkness enveloped everything. As far as I could see, there was no light other than the stars’ glow. It felt as if I’d been left behind, all alone on a bridge suspended in space.

And… the air was so cold it prickled against my skin. I’ve never been there, but I imagine the sky must be just as cold. The first time I came here, I genuinely thought I had finally died.

…That’s right. This isn’t my first time here.

When I turned around, the narrow path extended endlessly behind me as well. Squinting, I could make out something like a series of countless floating screens. Various scenes played across them.

For example, the one closest to me showed Takahiro-kun crying yesterday, saying, "I had a fight with a friend." Honestly, part of me wished he had a bit more backbone.

…Well, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I’m sure there’s a place somewhere in the world where he can shine.

…I’ll just choose to believe that.

More importantly—

I shifted my gaze forward this time, toward the end of the path.

It wasn’t that far ahead—the path simply stopped. If I focused hard enough, I could barely make out where.

Around my second year of high school. Judging by the clothes, either autumn or winter… most likely autumn.

That’s where the path ends.

Every time I come here, I check—but that never changes.

…As I thought. I’ll have to do something about it.

Because this path is probably—

"…Shione!"

Hearing my name, I blinked my eyes open.

Takahiro-kun was leaning over me, his face pale with panic. Beyond him, white curtains swayed in the breeze, along with white walls and a white ceiling. A faint antiseptic smell tickled my nose.

…A hospital room, I see. So I must have collapsed again.

Then, suddenly, Takahiro-kun buried his face into my bed and burst into loud sobs.

Hey—wait, stop that! Seriously, stop! This is a hospital room!

I hurriedly glanced around and only then realized it was a private room, which eased me slightly. Only slightly—because I didn’t quite know how to process the fact that this was my childhood friend.

Takahiro-kun… as always, your presence is just a little too heavy for me.

"I’m so glad…! I thought you’d never wake up…!"

"Oh come on, you’re exaggerating, Takahiro-kun. …So stop crying right now, okay? Be a good boy."

"Exaggerating?! But you were barely breathing…!"

"Oh, really…? Still, I won’t die. Because—"

I cut myself off mid-sentence.

Even though it was obvious I had chosen not to finish what I was about to say, Takahiro-kun stared at me intently.

"Because what?"

"…More importantly, sorry. What day is it today?"

"You’re doing this again… And what do you mean ‘because’?"

When I simply smiled in response, my overly worried childhood friend slumped his shoulders. He knew well that when I got like this, I wouldn’t answer.

I turned my gaze toward the window, and only in my heart did I answer his question.

…Because I definitely won’t die until the autumn of my second year of high school.

That path in the starry sky I’ve seen so many times since I was little—whenever I’m close to dying, I end up there. It must be my past and my future.

That’s why, no matter how many times I collapse, I can’t feel much sense of danger. Because I know—my future exists, at least until my second year of high school.

And at the same time… since no matter how many times I look, I never see the path beyond that point, I understand that I’ll probably die there.

I’ve known that ever since I was little.

…So even if I say I’ll do something about it now…

Leaving Takahiro-kun aside, I absentmindedly raised my hand and held it up to the sunlight streaming in.

Within my palm, faint but clearly visible through the light, was a thin red trace of blood.

Looking at it made me feel like I was still here. Still alive.

But I don’t have much time left.

…Alright then. What should I do from here?

…What am I supposed to do…?

"…No, seriously—what happens after that?"

That was my honest reaction as I sat up in bed on the morning of the cultural festival.

Was that… a dream? No—judging by how Shione-chan looked smaller in the hospital window’s reflection, that must have been one of her past memories.

But if that’s the case, then her countdown had clearly already started. And in the game, she was supposed to go abroad at the end of the second year… but her “end” came in autumn before that.

Autumn is now.

Actually, it’s already halfway into winter, so it’s probably already passed.

So then…?

What happened to her after that…?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer. I pulled the blanket back over myself and lay down again—when my eyes met the dolphin-shaped clock by my pillow.

The dolphin stared back at me silently with its lifeless eyes.

…Seven o’clock.

At some point, it had already become time to get up.

I quietly swung my legs off the bed and stood up, then glanced back once more at my pillow.

There it was—the dolphin clock.

The one Shione-chan liked the most in the game.

…Right.

At the very least, Shione-chan hadn’t taken anything from this room with her.

I spread butter over my breakfast toast and chewed slowly when my mother suddenly spoke in an unusually cheerful tone. She’s not normally low-energy, but today she was especially lively—so much so that she fidgeted with excitement.

"Hey, hey, Takahiro-kun is coming to pick you up today, right?"

"Looks like it."

"Why are you so unenthusiastic? You get to walk to school together! And on such a big day, too! I never had anything like that!"

"Yeah."

"Well, you see, I met your father back in college."

"Didn’t college have cultural festivals?"

"Ugh—"

Clutching her chest, my mother collapsed face-first onto the table with a thud. So they did have them—she just didn’t go. She conveyed that with her entire body, and I decided not to press the matter any further.

After a moment, she slowly pushed herself back up and, as if nothing had happened, resumed speaking with a bright smile.

"But I’m glad the weather’s nice. It’s absolutely beautiful today."

"Yeah. You’re coming too, right?"

"Of course I am! There’s no way I’d miss my daughter’s big day!!"

"I’m not even doing anything, though…"

For some reason, my mother broke into a knowing grin, even giving me a little “oh you” look.

But I had no clue what she meant. For a split second, I wondered if she’d somehow found out about the four-timing date, but calling that my “big day” felt off. Besides, it’s Takahiro who’s the one juggling four girls. Seriously, what a guy.

"So, you mean Takahiro-kun, right?"

"Oh, so the four-timing date guess was correct?"

"Four-timing!? You’re that much of a cheater!? I mean, as your mother, I know you’re dangerously cute, so I can see how it’d be possible, but still—that’s unacceptable!!"

"No, the one doing the four-timing is Takahiro-kun."

"…Excuse me!?"

Just then, ding-dong, the doorbell rang. The protagonist must have come to pick me up. Ideally, I would’ve liked him to go ring the doorbells of Takamiyagi-senpai, Kitatsuji-san, Kaimori-chan, and Yuno-chan in that order before coming here, but that might be asking too much. I’ll just make him work extra hard later to make up for it.

I stood up, grabbed my bag, and turned back to say goodbye to my mother, who was still trembling while clutching her head.

"Alright, it’s time. I’m heading out. I’ll message you when I get there."

"I’m going to have a word with Takahiro-kun later. Four-timing…! That’s absolutely unacceptable…!"

"Ah, you can forgive him for that. It’s what I want, after all."

"What kind of depraved preferences do you have at your age!? …I—I don’t understand my own daughter…"

She collapsed face-first onto the table again, but since she was still talking normally, I left her there and headed out the front door.

And as expected, Takahiro was there.

The star of the day. The center of it all. The protagonist.

I immediately gave him a once-over, checking his outfit from head to toe.

…Hmm, hmm. It’s the usual uniform, but today it feels more put together.

…Not bad. Nicely done!

I started patting the protagonist’s back repeatedly, as if giving him a final boost of encouragement.

Pat, pat.

The light slapping sound echoed, and he made a slightly ticklish face.

N-no, it’s not about strength. It’s about conveying the feeling.

"I’m counting on you, Takahiro-kun!"

"Y-yeah. Shione was saying she was looking forward to the festival too!"

"…Huh? Did I say that?"

"Yeah. You said it before summer. There’s no way I’d forget something Shione said."

…Oh. I see.

Before summer? Then that wasn’t me—it must’ve been the real…

As I stopped and looked down, recalling the dream I had about Shione that morning, my hand was suddenly gripped tightly.

When I looked beside me, Takahiro—staring straight ahead with an oddly stiff expression—was already walking forward briskly, still holding my hand.

"H-hey, Takahiro-kun… let go…! That hurts…!"

Since he was holding my hand, I was naturally dragged along, forced into a quick pace. No matter how much I tried to pull away, I couldn’t break free—if anything, my hand felt like it was creaking under the pressure. I’m definitely lecturing him later. Even a newborn gorilla would know you don’t need grip strength when holding a girl’s hand, yet somehow this guy still hasn’t figured it out.

Realizing he wasn’t going to let go, I eventually gave up resisting. Fine. I’ll let him have this nice memory on the way to school today—in exchange, I’ll work him to the brink of death later.

Just then, a chilly gust of wind swept past, making me shiver.

I looked at Takahiro’s back ahead of me, then up at the sky beyond him. Just as my mother said, it was a perfectly clear autumn sky without a single cloud. But every now and then, the cold wind reminded me that winter was steadily approaching.

Shione had said she was looking forward to the cultural festival.

What exactly did she see in this event?

No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find the answer in the vast blue sky.

By the time we arrived at school, it already looked completely different from usual. Instead of its normal, tidy and orderly appearance, it was lively and chaotic, buzzing with energy.

Colorful handmade signs were displayed everywhere. On the school grounds, stalls and event tents lined up in every direction, while students bustled about carrying large items back and forth—hustle, hustle. Peeking behind the school building, I saw stacks of chairs and desks piled up, waiting for their turn in whatever was about to begin.

It really sank in—the cultural festival was about to begin.

Man… there’s just something great about this kind of atmosphere. It’s like the whole place is overflowing with energy.

I stepped into my classroom and slowly looked around.

Just like everywhere else, it felt completely different from usual. There were several round tables set up with clean white tablecloths, a large refrigerator and an electric kettle placed behind curtains at the back, and some vaguely stylish decorative objects lined up by the windows. Apparently, our class was running a cosplay café. I had an important mission, so I couldn’t help out today—but I wished them the best.

"Ah, Shione, this way."

"Huh…? W-was there still something left to prepare?"

But the moment I entered, some of the girls grabbed me and started dragging me toward the girls’ changing room. I had already done a fair amount of behind-the-scenes work—decorating (low areas), setting up wiring (mostly at foot level), mass-producing cookies at home (with Kaimori-chan’s help), and so on. So today was supposed to be left to the others.

Which meant I shouldn’t have anything to do—unless I’d forgotten something… but that didn’t seem likely.

"You’re going around the festival with Ryuzoji-kun today, right? …Do your best! Settle things today! …And here, since you’re at it, wear this sash. You know, for promotion."

"Yeah, that’s the plan today! The sash is fine. You all helped with preparations too, after all."

I was handed a sash that read in big letters: “Class 2-B Cosplay Café Now Open.” When I raised my arm with a cheerful “Got it!” at the settle things today remark, the girls in the changing room all squealed at once.

Haha, thanks. A sash is no big deal.

Back in the day, I even walked all around the school during a cultural festival wearing a full-body mascot costume and holding a sign. Honestly, that wasn’t embarrassing either… if anything, all the attention got me a bit hyped. Compared to that, a sash is nothing.

So I went to sling it over my shoulder—only to be stopped.

"Ah, wait, wait. If you wear just that, people won’t realize it’s a cosplay café, right?"

"No, I think anyone who can read Japanese would get it…? It’s written pretty clearly right here."

"And that’s why—this!"

Without listening, one of the girls dramatically held something up with a flourish.

It was a black one-piece dress.

Almost entirely black, with only the trim at the hem and neckline in white. It had an excessive number of frills, fluttering everywhere. Then came a black parasol, black knee-high socks—one thing after another was handed to me, and I instinctively took them, lowering my gaze to inspect them.

…Black. So much black. If I wore all of this, I’d look like the culprit in a detective manga…

"…Um, what is this?"

"After a class meeting and vote, we decided gothic lolita suits you, Shione."

"Wait, what? I was never told about this."

"Technically, this isn’t exactly gothic lolita," a bespectacled boy explained, adjusting his glasses beside her. "But precisely because of that, we believe it conveys our class concept—enjoying the costume itself as cosplay."

…Right. Thanks for the passionate explanation.

I don’t understand a word of it.

…Wait. A guy?

When I looked up again, the glasses boy was being mercilessly beaten by the girls and tossed out into the hallway. One of the girls who participated dusted off her hands—clap, clap—then smiled sweetly.

"Got it now?"

"…But I’m supposed to be backstage, right…?"

"That’s why we didn’t assign you to classroom duty, didn’t we? You’re free to move around today—but in exchange, you’ll promote us as part of the backstage team. The front line is the classroom, right? Promotion is rear support. And rear support is backstage."

"I—I see… but still, I’d rather wear normal clothes… this is embarrassing…"

I still wasn’t even fully comfortable wearing the school uniform skirt. If I put on something this frilly, I’d die of embarrassment. The mascot suit was a hundred times better. It’s not even about how much skin is exposed—it’s a different kind of problem.

"By the way, if you don’t wear it, we’ll have to assign you to classroom duty instead."

"Why!? I contributed a lot, didn’t I!? You said the cookies were good!! If I can’t go around today, I’m seriously in trouble! This festival is like my Okehazama! No—Sekigahara! No—more like Honno-ji!!"

"Well… all the other backstage members are wearing outfits like this while going around. If you’re the only one who refuses, that’s a bit…"

With a sigh, one of the girls placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.

At the same time, all the other backstage girls turned to look at me with a collective “Ehh!?” expression. When the lead girl glanced around with a smile, they all nodded vigorously.

Wait—everyone? Everyone’s wearing this?

…Isn’t the “backstage” role way too big?

"Backstage work is tougher than I thought…"

"We’ll be working hard in the classroom too. …Alright, stylist team, get ready! Bring Shione to her final form!"

"“Roger!”"

"…Final form?"