The school festival at Private Ikusei Elementary was scheduled each year on the anniversary of the school's founding.
Backed by wealthy patrons, the school never lacked funds for events, so the scale of the festival was always impressive.
Students contributed effort, teachers supervised, and together they created something vibrant. Parents came to watch, while many outsiders also visited the campus, making the festival an indirect form of publicity for the school.
Each class was required to prepare an activity, while clubs and hobby groups set up outdoor stalls of their own.
But among all the attractions, there was always one centerpiece.
A massive temporary stage stood in the front courtyard.
This was Ikusei Elementary's long-standing tradition: a platform for students brave enough to step into the spotlight and show their talents.
Anyone who signed up in advance could, under the student council's arrangement, perform in an orderly fashion.
The stage faced directly toward the front gate—the busiest part of the campus. Minutes before each performance, the school broadcast system announced it, drawing crowds instantly.
As a result, this stage was the most popular, most eye-catching spot of the entire festival.
The festival began.
The ensemble club, the light music club, and the choir each took the stage, firing up the atmosphere in an instant.
Then came stand-up routines, parodies, magic tricks, and other fun acts that drew endless applause.
The joyful atmosphere of the festival climbed toward its peak.
Meanwhile, inside a nearby clubroom, the drama club—up next to perform—was making its final preparations.
Sawamura Eriri stood among them, her body trembling, looking especially nervous.
At her side, Minamoto Senya spoke softly to comfort her."Relax. We're doing a stage play, remember? We'll all be on stage together, and the audience's attention will be spread out. No one will focus only on you. Just perform like we practiced."
He added with a faint smile, "Remember what I told you? Don't fear the audience's gaze—learn to enjoy it."
"Yeah, yeah! Senya-kun's totally right. I still can't believe we actually get to bring a manga storyline onto the stage for real—it's so exciting!"
The one jumping in was Aki Tomoya, currently clenching his fists in near-fanboy ecstasy.
Yukinoshita Yukino had once thought he needed help, but now she wasn't sure whether to call him resilient or simply hopelessly obsessed with anything 2D.
As soon as he learned that Senya wanted to adapt one of his favorite manga arcs into a play, Tomoya eagerly volunteered and secured the role of "background corpse B."
Seeing how little the earlier mockery had affected him, both Yukino and Senya decided not to worry about him further.
"I…I understand now!" Eriri took a deep breath, her expression gradually hardening with determination.
These past days, Senya had been by her side—practicing lines with her, teaching her how to use gestures and facial expressions on stage.
To help her overcome stage fright, he had even taken her to crowded parks to train her courage.
After all his effort, she couldn't bear to disappoint him.
"Ten minutes until it's our turn," Yukinoshita Yukino said, stepping over.
Compared to Eriri, who wore a puffy princess dress that made her look like a little fairy-tale doll, Yukino's costume was strikingly different: a dark-toned kimono that emphasized her pale skin. Her hair was tied high in a ponytail, and a wooden sword was fastened at her waist.
She looked every bit the cool, gallant kendo heroine.
Her appearance drew not only the boys' attention but even made several girls blush—her presence carried devastating charm across genders.
"What is it?" she asked calmly.
"Nothing," Senya said with a smile. "That look just… really suits you."
"Is that so."
His praise didn't stir much reaction. Yukino wore an expression that seemed to say, I already knew that.
It came off a little smug—but in her case, she had the strength to back it up.
"Looks like everyone's ready." A voice chimed in—Yukinoshita Haruno, dressed in a villain's costume with bat wings on her back, walked over cheerfully. "Great expressions. Let's do our best together."
"Yes!" Eriri answered quickly.
Haruno's usual warm smile shifted slightly when she turned to her sister. "Little Yukino, you too—make sure you don't forget your lines."
Yukino replied coolly, "You're the one who should be careful. Your role is crucial. Don't slip up and ruin the performance for everyone."
Eriri shrank back, intimidated as the sisters exchanged sharp words.
Senya patted her head gently. "Don't worry. That's just how the Yukinoshita sisters show affection. You'll get used to it."
The last minutes of preparation ticked away.
"Next up, the drama club presents an adaptation of a manga story…"
The eager crowd fell silent.
As the villain, Haruno took the stage first.
At the same time, Senya, serving as narrator, switched on a microphone at the side of the stage and began introducing the story's setting and characters.
———
It was a simple story.
Several magical girls, defeated time and again, eventually realized the true value of unity. With friendship and bonds as their cry, they faced the villain once more.
After triumphing, they delivered a heartfelt speech, even convincing the villain to turn over a new leaf.
The plot was cliché.
But clichés were easy to understand and even easier for the audience to embrace.
At last, Yukino and Eriri ran forward hand-in-hand, their weapons striking Haruno in the chest.
Senya delivered the final narration, and the play ended.
Thunderous applause erupted.
From an adult's perspective, the performance's overall quality was "good" at best—not flawless.
But who would apply strict standards to an elementary school play?
The very fact that they managed to stage an entire story was impressive, and several main actors' performances were genuinely praiseworthy. That alone made it a delightful surprise.
After the host gave closing remarks, the cast and crew returned to bow in thanks.
A member of the photography club, prearranged by Senya, sent him photos of the performance via Bluetooth.
The shots came out beautifully, especially the final few frames.
The Yukinoshita sisters and Eriri stood together—delicate and radiant, like colorful bubbles floating beneath the summer sky, fragile yet dazzling, dreamlike in their beauty.
"Everyone worked so hard… thank you, senpai…"
Everything had gone smoothly, just as planned.
"Thanks to you, I really enjoyed this," Haruno said brightly. This time she tried poking Senya's cheek. He resisted the urge to flinch and endured it.
"I did too. It was fun, thanks to your help, Haruno-senpai."
"Don't forget what you promised me. You'd better keep your word."
"I will."
Once Haruno left, Yukino came to stand beside Senya.
She still hadn't changed out of her costume—the kendo-girl look still drew gazes.
Together, they looked toward Eriri, who had just stepped down from the stage.
Her friends crowded around her, and her smile shone brilliantly.
Noticing Senya and Yukino's gaze, she happily waved at them from afar.
Yukino tilted her head slightly. "Do you think… this means we really helped her?"
"Don't worry," Senya replied quietly.
At first, he had thought resolving a child's emotional struggles would be simple.
But the more time he spent with Eriri, the clearer it became—it wasn't simple at all.
The human heart is complex. Age has nothing to do with it.
Eriri's sadness wasn't just because of other people's mockery.
What truly weighed on her—was it the wounds inflicted by others? Or her own weakness, the fact that she couldn't bring herself to resist back then?
Even Eriri herself might not know the answer.
Just then, a small commotion broke out nearby.
Sharp-eyed Yukino noticed that the troublemakers were the same group of upperclassmen who had teased Eriri before.
She frowned, ready to intervene, but Senya held her back.
"Can you believe they even put that cringey manga on stage? Total otaku trash. Wearing those costumes, weren't they embarrassed?"
"Haha, that last part—'friendship and bonds'? What a joke!"
"Seriously, what was the drama club thinking? The whole thing was so childish!"
Being older and taller, the boys jeered without restraint at the younger girls.
Eriri looked uneasy, but this time, she didn't run away.
Nor did she swallow it in silence.
She took a step forward, lifted her chin, and snapped back in a clear, sharp voice:"W-what does it matter to you? Idiots!"
The bullies froze. The girl they once reduced to silence now dared to talk back!
Their faces darkened with anger as they prepared to teach her a lesson—
—but upperclassmen from the drama club slipped up behind them, grabbed them by the neck, and dragged them off toward the trees.
Senya released Yukino's wrist and smiled. "See? She's fine now."
[You successfully resolved Sawamura Eriri's inner turmoil. Her affection toward you has increased. Charm +1. Free Attribute Points +2.]
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