In short, it truly is inconvenient without the hypnosis app.

During the afternoon homeroom, Hasebe distributed the signup sheets for the upcoming Sports Festival.

The festival was scheduled for September 25th, a Friday—no doubt the school had chosen this day so that once the festivities were over, students could look forward to a restful weekend. Should such an event fall on a weekend instead, it would surely incite a wave of protests.

As soon as the signup sheets were handed out, the classroom buzzed with lively discussion. Tsukimi Jinguuji, however, quietly folded the piece of paper in his hands.

“Let’s settle down for a moment,” Hasebe said, clapping his hands for attention.

“I’ll start by explaining the group events. Every student must participate in at least one of the following: relay race, ball toss, or tug-of-war.

“As for individual events, everyone must sign up for at least one. Naturally, I hope you’ll all be enthusiastic and strive for good results—it’d make me proud as your teacher.”

“And there’s a cash prize, right?” a boy heckled, prompting laughter throughout the class. Hasebe adjusted his glasses and smiled sheepishly.

“Kataoka, I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Don’t think you can slack off during the festival,” Hasebe addressed the boy who’d spoken out.

“Don’t worry, Sensei. Mission accepted. I’ll take the anchor leg in the boys’ relay and bring home the win.”

“Bold words,” someone commented.

Events like the relay were a Sports Festival staple, the most classic of classics. Every runner mattered, but common wisdom dictated that the fastest was always saved for the final leg.

“For the girls’ relay… Sakurakoji, would you like to sign up?”

After surveying the room, Hasebe’s gaze settled on the girl with the side ponytail seated in the front row.

Sakurakoji Sakura scratched her cheek, nodded after feeling everyone’s eyes upon her. She had expected this outcome—being the fastest girl at Shinou High, her absence would raise more questions than her participation.

For Class 2-A, the girls’ relay victory was practically a foregone conclusion. The air in the classroom was thick with youthful excitement.

Yet Jinguuji, sitting alone by the window in the corner, felt as if he existed in a world apart, quietly folding his signup sheet, indifferent to the merriment around him.

The laughter and chatter of his classmates crashed into the invisible barrier around him and fell away, lost.

When Hasebe announced the end of homeroom and left, students gathered in small groups with their signup sheets, some making plans to enter events together, others challenging each other in secret to see who would place higher.

After placing the carefully folded origami crane on the windowsill, the boy slung his bag over his shoulder, slipped past the little clusters, and left the classroom alone.

…

…

“Good afternoon, Jinguuji-senpai.”

Opening the door to the Student Council room, he found first-year Kanade Yamada at work. The other two female members had yet to arrive.

Jinguuji greeted Yamada, set his bag down on the sofa, and sat at his desk to deal with the remaining paperwork.

Shinou High placed great emphasis on club activities—so much so that even among Tokyo’s four hundred high schools, the variety here was renowned.

As a result, reports and applications related to clubs piled up at a rate several times that of other schools, all to be processed by the Student Council. It was no surprise Hoshinomori Hoshino had been so eager to recruit him.

“How’s the Sports Festival shaping up, Jinguuji-senpai?” Yamada suddenly asked, catching Jinguuji off guard. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “What do you mean?”

“Huh? Didn’t the president mention it to you?” Yamada looked surprised.

“What did she say?”

“This year, besides the usual class competitions, there’s a special group event, open to all grades and genders.”

Jinguuji nodded—he had seen mention of it on the signup sheet.

“The president said she and Hitsujimiya are planning to enter together.”

“So?”

“Well… she asked me to see if you wanted to, um, team up with me for the event,” Yamada ventured, watching Jinguuji’s expression with caution.

“Sure,” Jinguuji replied.

Yamada waved his hands nervously, “Oh, it’s fine if you don’t want to, senpai. I’m not especially—wait, what?”

He stared in confusion at Jinguuji, who was busy stamping documents.

“Did you just… agree?”

“Yes.”

To be honest, Yamada was baffled. Jinguuji always seemed hard to approach, his face perpetually cold, only showing any emotion when dealing—often violently—with Hitsujimiya Yo.

Still, Yamada thanked him, and Jinguuji replied with a calm “Let’s do our best.”

It wasn’t that Jinguuji had suddenly changed. He recalled that aside from the required group events, participating in any event at all would count as entering an individual event.

If he competed in a same-grade event, no matter how he performed, he’d stand out. But in an all-grade, mixed-gender event, he could blend into the crowd and go unnoticed.

So, based on his own circumstances, Jinguuji made a calculated decision: forego the standard individual competitions and join the special event instead.

“By the way, what exactly is this special event?” Jinguuji asked.

“I’m not sure—it’s supposed to be revealed only on the day of the festival.”

“We’re the Student Council and we don’t even get a hint?” Jinguuji quipped, his mind already running with the scheming thoughts of an adult, though he was still underage.

“What do you take the Student Council for, Jinguuji?” Hoshinomori Hoshino entered, her expression exasperated by the boy’s attitude. Behind her, Hitsujimiya Yo made a face at Jinguuji, sticking out her tongue.

“Senpai, you’re shameless, trying to get insider info,” Yo teased.

“As if you’re one to talk,” Jinguuji replied coolly.

Yo sniffed, unwilling to admit she’d spent the day pestering Hoshinomori Hoshino for answers to no avail.

Apparently, even the Student Council President didn’t know what the special event would be at the Sports Festival.

All in all, not having the hypnosis app really was inconvenient.

That was Hitsujimiya Yo’s conclusion.