Chapter two (segment six), 2016, October, Yukio

“I'm not that good at estimating numbers, but at least five hundred by now. Over.”

Beside him the student council president instructed the last arrivals of students wearing security armbands. Yukio looked at the six already by the gates. He hoped it would be enough.

“I'm on my way to the principal's office. Should be able to get a useful estimate from there. Over and out.” Urufu's voice sounded excited and tired at the same time.

Yukio sent a grateful thought of thanks to his friend. The council president lost control of the festival from before it opened. Any teenage student would, but Urufu wasn't a teenager, was he?

“Urufu?” Kyoko's voice said from the loudspeaker.

“Urufu here. What's your status? Over.”

“Kyoko here. I'm mailing their phone numbers to you. Two of them are away in Kondo-sensei's car. Sato-sensei called and said she's here soon. Over.”

Yukio listened to the conversation on the open channel while he stared at the growing mob waiting outside the gates. She sounds so grown up. My Kyoko!

“Superb Kyoko. Send the numbers to Noriko as well. She'll take it from there. Over and out.”

The praise made Yukio blush a little, even if it was praise from his friend to Kyoko. Then he turned his attention to the gates again. During the short time another fifty or sixty guests had been let through. Any normal school day would have allowed them inside by the hundreds, but on a normal day those gates opened up to a flat expanse covered by gravel. Now stalls limited mobility to narrow streets.

“Yukio?”

Yukio winced at the sudden call of his name, but he quickly regained his composure and pushed the button. “Yukio here.”

“Ulf here. Send a security detail outside and redirect people to the service gates. Over.”

Security detail? Oh! We don't have enough people for that, unless... “President, follow me!” He grabbed the stunned president by her hands and started dragging her outside. “Man, you're impossible, but I'll handle it. Over and out.” Damn, she'll have me pay for this later.

With his senior in tow he negotiated his way through the gates. Yukio registered how her hand was soft and small and warm in his, and how it felt very different from Kyoko's.

He hoped Urufu had arranged staffing of the back gates, but given the monstrous organisational capacity of his friend there were probably already students there setting up a second entrance to the festival.

“Noriko?”

“Noriko here,” the loudspeaker blared.

“Ulf here. We have an estimated fifteen hundred guests here, and I see hundreds more coming on the streets. Over.”

That's a lot of guests. Isn't it family and alumni only today?

“Fifteen hundred? Sorry... Noriko here. Hang on a moment. Eh… Over.”

Yukio grinned at the uncertainty in her voice. So she can't handle everything on the fly after all. Good to know that she's human. Even though he did feel some satisfaction at that thought most of him filled with affection. No matter what she was one of his best friends.

He made it across the street and stood to attention with the president by his side. “Honoured guests. I have the Himekaizen Academy student council president at my side. We have opened another entrance. Please allow her to instruct you."

As he had hoped the cue he gave her was enough for her to become their president again, and after she shot him an uncertain but grateful smile she took command.