Preparations for the Sobu High School cultural festival were in full swing.
This time, it was serious.
At least, in the preparation phase. Planning events, arranging performance areas, promoting activities, securing sponsorships—each class was actively working on their own projects. Even though there were still three weeks left before the festival, the festive atmosphere was already beginning to take shape.
As the unlucky guy chosen to be the executive committee president, Hikigaya Hachiman had been overwhelmed with work this past week, to the point where he hadn't even had time to exercise.
Meetings after school every day, dealing with various issues—being the committee president wasn't just about listening to progress reports and giving orders.
He had to be involved in nearly every department's work, oversee the big picture, and sometimes even take work home.
By the time he got back each day, he would collapse onto the couch, completely drained, not wanting to move at all—let alone exercise.
Today, after school, another routine meeting was scheduled.
With slouched shoulders, the dead-fish-eyed boy walked to the long table and sat in his designated seat, the executive committee president's nameplate placed in front of him.
The moment he stepped into the meeting room, all eyes turned to Hikigaya Hachiman.
The chair beneath him felt like it was covered in thumbtacks—no matter how many days he had been sitting in this spot, he still wasn't used to it.
Luckily, Yuigahama Yui was sitting next to him, helping to ease some of the pressure from all the staring.
"Alright, let's start the meeting. Each department, report your progress in the usual order," Hikigaya Hachiman said in a low voice.
To someone hearing him for the first time, his tone might seem lacking in confidence, but the committee members had gotten used to it and didn't think much of it anymore.
"Yes, this is the publicity department."
A student in charge of the publicity department stood up, holding a written report. "We've completed about half of the posters we planned to put up."
Hikigaya Hachiman rested his elbow on the table, tapping his fingers against his forehead in thought.
"…Anything else?"
The student paused for a moment, then scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Uh… that's about it."
"The cultural festival will be open to the public, meaning it's not just for students but also for people outside the school," Hikigaya Hachiman said in a serious tone. "So the posters aren't just for the school. Has the publicity department arranged locations for posting them outside the school? And what about updating the school's official website?"
"Make sure those are taken care of as soon as possible. Also, speed up the poster designs. We only have three weeks left, and time is tight."
"I got it," the person in charge nodded and said.
"Next."
"Alright, this is the volunteer management team. We now have ten groups of volunteers participating in the performance." A girl with glasses stood up and reported.
"Are they all students from our school?"
"Yes."
"What about groups from outside the school? Just having our students isn't enough. If you don't know where to look, try contacting clubs from local universities in Chiba and see if they're interested in joining. Also, reach out to various local organizations."
"U-Understood."
"Also, can you make a table showing the schedule for stage usage and a detailed list of performance staff?"
"Got it."
"Next…"
The meeting continued smoothly as each department gave their reports. Sitting in the audience, Hiratsuka Shizuka watched as the dead-fish-eyed boy on stage, despite looking a bit hesitant, spoke calmly and confidently. She couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
She had thought Hikigaya Hachiman would struggle as the executive committee president, but it seemed her worries were completely unnecessary.
Not bad, kid.
Time passed quickly, and after the meeting ended, most people left. Only a few committee members who still had work to finish remained in the room. Naturally, the two executive committee presidents were still there as well.
Hiratsuka Shizuka walked up to Hikigaya Hachiman with her hands on her hips and praised him without hesitation. "Not bad. Looks like you have a knack for this. I didn't see it before, Hikigaya."
The dead-fish-eyed boy let out a deep sigh. "Please don't joke, Hiratsuka-sensei."
There was no such thing as talent. He had just crammed last-minute knowledge by working overtime and even called Yukinoshita Yukino for advice. That's the only reason he barely managed to pull this off.
"Don't underestimate yourself, Hikigaya." Hiratsuka Shizuka grinned and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"Yeah, yeah! Hikki, you're really amazing!" Yuigahama Yui chimed in.
As the vice president, she hadn't been much help at all. She mostly assisted Hikigaya Hachiman with simple tasks, and sometimes, she even needed his guidance to figure out what to do.
Seeing how busy and exhausted he was, she couldn't help but feel guilty.
Maybe if she hadn't taken the vice president position, Hikki wouldn't have to work so hard.
But it was too late to change that now. All she could do was try her best to take on more work and not cause him extra trouble.
"This is what growth looks like." Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled. "Well, keep it up. I have high hopes for you~"
With that, she waved her hand casually and left, leaving the two still drowning in work.
"Yuigahama, can you help me make this table?" Hikigaya Hachiman pushed his laptop toward her.
"Ah! No problem! Leave it to me!" Yuigahama Yui declared with confidence.
Five minutes later, the pink-haired girl slumped onto the table, nearly in tears. "How do I even do this…?"
"…Didn't you say you had it under control?"
Hikigaya Hachiman sighed helplessly, put down his documents, and turned to help her.
"Hikigaya, here are the equipment requests and miscellaneous item records, all sorted out." One of the committee members in charge of supplies handed over a stack of papers.
"Oh, thanks for your hard work."
"Well then, I'll be heading out now."
After giving Hikigaya a knowing look, the person packed up their things and left with their teammates, leaving the two still stuck in the meeting room.
The meeting room was now empty, with only Hikigaya Hachiman and Yuigahama Yui remaining.
The scratching sound of a pen against paper and the tapping of a keyboard gradually drowned out the ticking of the clock.
...
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