CH 210

“I refuse.”

President’s declaration caused not only the students of Kikyo Jogakuin but also Koizumi and Miura to look a little surprised.

The fact is that the joint event was virtually a done deal according to the prior information that I had heard from Sudo-sensei, and that’s why the students had set up a meeting to discuss further matters.

Originally, the other party’s idea was just to confirm what kind of event they would be able to bring out listening to our minimum requirements.

Naturally, I was also aware of this at the stage when I heard Sensei’s story.

However, President refused without any signs of hesitation.

“…Do you know what it means to say no? Are you saying that you are rejecting the school’s decision at the sole discretion of the students?”

“Of course, I’m aware of what I’m saying.”

Sera tells her undisturbed, and President cuts her off without hesitation.

Although, I advised that there was a need to clarify the hierarchy, I did not expect the proposal itself to be dismissed.

…Or rather, just turned down one-sidedly.

I had heard that avoidance was difficult, so my thinking was limited to how to direct the events.

It was a blind spot for me.

Even though I had heard about the joint event being difficult to avoid, I had abandoned the idea of evading the whole issue.

At that moment, the direction changed to how not to make the event happen, which was the exact opposite of what I had been doing.

Recalling the story from the beginning, I wondered what the problem was and where to point it out to the other party to cause the most pain.

Of course, it would be the joint proposal that was raised out of the blue.

Hearing the details of the joint event, there didn’t seem to be much wrong with it.

Even cultural festivals are unique to each school.

Some festivals are festive is like ours, while others, like Kikyo Jogakuin’s, focus on choral singing.

Therefore, it is impossible to deny the other school’s event itself.

The fact that these two are opposing cultural festivals but that does not in itself make it a bad idea to combine them to create a synergistic effect.

There are certainly advantages. But on the other hand, there is also a disadvantage.

If only the Sakura Festival is held at one school, the problem can be solved within the school, but if it is a joint event between the two schools, we have to keep in touch with each other.

With so little time to spare, this is an extremely inconvenient and time-consuming process.

Also, the expenses would be insufficient as in previous years.

Starting from the beginning, the calculations would have to be redone, class limits would have to be set, and so on.

Such a problem should be easy to envision, but it is something that has not been talked about until now.

In short, there are some minor questions about the process that led to this proposal.

Then we should look at what they are doing.

What would the girls gain by joining together, and what could be the greatest benefit?

They are also a high school in the same city, there is nothing wrong with having a connection with them.

Also, they are an all-girls high school and this is a co-ed school.

The purpose of the festival is not to make money in the first place, so if money is excluded from the options, the only thing left is the number of people who will come.

Kikyo Jogakuin’s main events are choral and brass band performances, which have a long tradition.

If this is the case, there shouldn’t be many visitors from outside the school.

Most of them would be relatives and friends.

What will change by making it a joint event?

The festival will be held at Kikyo Jogakuin, which will allow people from outside Kikyo to visit the festival.

Sakuranaoka Gakuen’s cultural festival is a public festival.

Many local junior high school students, out-of-town junior high school students who want to go on to higher education, and their parents will come to the festival.

If one thinks that they would like to bring in as many of these people as possible to their side, it seems to make sense in a number of ways.

This is just what I feel…

If we were to suddenly join together, they would have to deal with the situation, and it would not be a satisfactory cultural festival.

However, if it is the same chorus and performance every year, they don’t have to worry about anything.

The quality of the festival will be the same, even if the format is different.

I don’t know if this idea is right or wrong, but I don’t think anyone here can give me an answer.

The reason is that the aim may be to increase the number of applicants for next year’s school year.

The people in the student council must not have been told about such a problem.

They should have been told about it such that it would be a joint event, a collaboration between student councils, and a first attempt involving the shopping district.

And when I reached this point in my thinking, I was inclined to agree with President’s words.

Don’t be deceived by the phrase “Never before”, just stick to Sakuranaoka Gakuen’s cultural festival.

“It’s an issue that is already being talked about at both schools, you know? And yet the student council refuses to do so out of personal considerations?”

Sera is still staring at President’s face with a look of disbelief.

However, those eyes still do not show any emotion.

The reality is that the schools have certainly been talking to each other.

There are only four weeks until the festival.

The festival will be held at the end of October without anyone doing anything.

By then, they will have started their ongoing activities to create the best festival ever.

Well, they will be happy if we tell the students that we will hold the festival jointly.

Of course they will think it’s fun to hold such a typical teenage event with a lot of excitement.

However, the committee members who are responsible for organizing the event would not be too happy about it.

They had already put together a plan based on the data they had gathered so far.

But now, if they were being asked to throw away all of that and hold a new event jointly, it would be foolhardy.

“…The student council should be committed to the good future of the school.”

“It is also the student council that helps create a better environment for the students, and we should not involve the students in the convenience of the school.”

I don’t know what those eyes were looking at, but I could hear see a little anger and disdain mixed in with the tone of her voice.

The student council supports the school.

Therefore, it seems that the student council is an organization that does not object to the school’s decisions, but is committed to the direction in which the school is going.

“…What did you think when you heard about the joint event?”

I was suddenly asking such a question.

They are students before they are student councils.

They must have their own imagination about school life and the cultural festival.

How did they feel when the school proposed something different?

Were they positive about it, or were they reluctant to go along with it because it was the school’s decision?

“That’s…”

Their gazes  turned away.

The students sitting next to me also looked reluctant to answer my question.

Certainly the other student council was shared this information before us.

So, they must have come to this meeting with a concrete plan.

However, not everyone agreed with the idea.

“The student council is caught between the school and the students, so we understand that your position is difficult.”

When President told this to them, she turned the proposal about the joint cultural festival that was just handed to her, back to them.

What it meant, there was no need to put it into words.

“The student council is certainly obligated to support the decisions made by the school …but simply nodding and obeying is not what it means to be chosen as a representative of the students.”

The words filled with a strong resolve echoed through the classroom.

The word “Representative of the students” weighs heavily on my shoulders as well.

I, too, was chosen by the students as a member of the student council after competing with Ogiwara Yuuto for a seat.

I had to leave behind appropriate results and take appropriate actions.

“The cultural festival is the most exciting event for students …and it should not be used as a tool for adults.”

It seems that the answer President arrived at with the limited information was similar to mine.

Silence prevails for a while on both sides as the words signify the complete end of the discussion.

Soon after, the other student council members stood up, gave a small bow, and turned themselves around.

As they walked toward the door that led into the room, Sera, the president, looked back at us.

“Lastly, I’d like to ask, is Shinra-san possibly a family member of Shinra Kaede-san from our school?”

“Her elder brother…”

It was short and I just stated the facts.

Then she nodded a few times, as if she had come to a point, and then smiled with a hint of mockery.

“Is that so… When I heard that there was Kaede-san’s sibling, I had high hopes that they would be outstanding, but I was a little skeptical because of the weak resemblance.”

I let out a sigh and listened to the words I have become accustomed to hearing for more than ten years, and it was President who responded to her words.

“Sera-san, it’s better not to touch Shinra carelessly.”

“Yes?”

Sera, who had a look of difficulty in understanding, was about to say something else, but President put her hand on her brow and let out a sigh.

It’s too late, as if to indicate that.

Sera, tilting her head, stiffens the next moment.

Two hands came out from behind her and were placed on her shoulders.

Sera turned her head vigorously to see Kanazaki Shizuku, the pride and joy of our Sakuranaoka Academy, and Kirasaka Rei, the queen.

Shizuku had a scary broad smile on her face, and Kirasaka had a sharp look in her eyes as if she was about to pierce her.

“In our place, we’re very careful about handling Shinra …but I guess it’s too late for that.”

The last thing that echoed in the place where Sakura and Kikyo had their first encounter was a small cry of astonishment and fear.

…No, I’m kinda sorry, really.