Kyoko dropped her
chairs by the desks closest to the door and pushed them under their
respective desk.
Two members of
the literary club were busy cleaning the classroom, but nothing here
told of the book store it had been for two days.
“Good
festival?” Kyoko asked more out of politeness than any real want to
know.
“Superb,” one
of the girls said and turned her head. She ceased wiping the
blackboard for a moment. “We sold out.”
Eight thousand
guests simultaneously. Fifteen thousand in total. You'd better be
sold out. “Good to hear,” Kyoko said and headed for the door.
Yukio dropped his
chairs just inside the sliding doors and followed her to their
clubroom.
Inside she saw
how Midori-chan and Sango-chan had dismantled the walkie talkie
stations and were busy packing everything up in the boxes it had
arrived in.
Kenshin-sempai
and the three festival committee members she'd never bothered
learning their names were still there as well. Kyoko guessed they'd
gotten used to sitting in their clubroom, and there really was no
point in relocating for the clean-up.
With tired steps
she shuffled away to the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. Just
before popping it open she recalled Yukio following her into the room
and she peeped inside again.
Lemon squash.
He likes the sour stuff. She stretched an arm inside and took the
can. “Yukio, want one?” she asked and waved the can above her
head.
“Sure, and one
for Hiroyuki-kun as well.”
Kyoko looked at
the sofa where Hiroyuki-kun sat waving at her. Fine, guess you
deserve one as well. She took out a second can and beelined for
the armchair closest to the fridge.
“Lemon squash
for Yukio and Hiroyuki-kun, here you are,” she said.
“Thanks,”
both boys answered simultaneously.
She barely had
time to sink down in the armchair before she heard the dull clicks of
two cans opening and the sizzling sound of pressurised air leaving
the containers, allowing bubble to form and rise. Seconds later both
boys sucked foam from their cans.
Kids!
Kyoko thought, broke open her can and tilted it to her mouth. The
first sip was the best.
A quarter of an
hour she spent in that chair. A quarter of an hour in blissful
silence when she allowed aching muscles to rest. A quarter of an hour
before she began worrying about how Kuri-chan felt right now.
After that more
and more club members left the room and headed for the gym. Clubs
were of different sizes, most cultural ones too small for having a
proper celebration, and for that reason the main evening activities
centred on class and school. Clubs only gathered for a short time
between cleaning up and ending ceremony.
When Yukio made
company with the members recently transferred from Red Rose she
joined him together with Noriko and Ryu.
Too easy, too
easy to forget there are more former Red Rose students than those in
9:1. The thought scared her a little. The thought and the secret
she had been let in on. Most of her fellow students didn't know Urufu
had been assaulted in the first place, and almost none knew Red Rose
high school students were the perpetrators.
How are you
keeping it together, Kuri-chan? Kyoko scowled and admitted to
herself that she didn't even know where Kuri-chan was keeping
things together. Principal Nakagawa somehow arranged for one of the
helicopters suddenly arriving over the school to take Kuri-chan to
whatever hospital Urufu had been brought to.
“Thank you,”
Kyoko whispered to Yukio when she felt his fingers tighten around
hers. Are you as worried as I am?
When they arrived
at the gym she had to let go of his hand as they joined their
respective classes. With Kuri-chan absent Kyoko gravitated towards
the Wakayama twins, and she exchanged worried glances with Noriko
before they lined up.
Ryu kept up his
stupid antics and got told off by their class rep twice before a
scowl from Noriko finally calmed him down.
They're afraid
both of them. Just show it in different ways. Kyoko suspected Ryu
only knew how to be hyperactive whenever he needed to process
something beyond his control.
Around them
students she didn't even know smiled and showed her all kinds of
approving hand signs. It feels strange, being a part of the
admired group. Kuri-chan, you could have told me how to respond.
Thinking of her friend had Kyoko's stomach in a tight knot again, but
she forced herself to plaster a false smile to her face.
She noticed how a
wave of sudden apprehension went through the crowd, and then the
student council president entered the stage. Rie-sempai, or more
properly Tamura-san for anyone outside the club, grabbed a microphone
and served them all what Noriko would have called canned clichés.
Kyoko even looked over her shoulder to catch Noriko's smirk.
A second serving
of empty words rolled over them delivered by Principal Nakagawa, but
in his case Kyoko knew it was all an act. She had no doubts who had
called in helicopters and trucks after their frantic attempts at
keeping the festival afloat failed and the entire event cracked and
broke apart around them.
When the last
words fell silent the student council president once more took the
microphone and congratulated everyone. The entire gym erupted in
cheers before the congregated students left for the soccer field
where the traditional bonfire folk dance was being prepared.
So it's been
kept a secret after all, Kyoko thought. The jubilation had been
too honest for anything else. Maybe it was the smart thing to do.
Most certainly it was how Urufu would have handled it had he been in
charge. Still it left her with a bitter taste in her mouth.
Listlessly she
followed Noriko to the field, and in the falling darkness Kyoko
finally let go of her false smile. She'd save smiling for when she
found Yukio again.
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