There was not even a moment to mourn the end of the midterm exams; rushing onto the battlefield next was the school cultural festival.

The midterm exams spanned three days, from Wednesday to Friday, and were conducted uniformly across all three grade levels of the school.

For Jinguji Tsuki, it was no different than usual. Unlike the students around him who were complaining incessantly, exams were, to him, a mundane, everyday affair.

What should have been a perfectly ordinary exam week was suddenly ruffled by a minor stir: Sakura-koji Sakura, of all people, had actually brought several other girls along to check their answers with him.

"Jinguji-kun is the smartest student in the second year, so your answers are the most reliable reference."

Having been addressed with such a grand-sounding excuse, Jinguji Tsuki found himself at a loss for how to refuse. Most importantly, this was the first time Sakura-koji Sakura had taken the initiative to speak with him while accompanied by other girls. When asked, "Oh? Are Sakura and Jinguji-kun close?" she merely brushed it off with an ambiguous laugh.

How to put it? She had become much more proactive than in the past. Even when Jinguji Tsuki signaled for her to tone it down, she acted as if she hadn't noticed at all.

When Jinguji noticed that his classmates were not ostracizing him for talking to Sakura-koji, he felt a sense of relief, while simultaneously mocking his past self. Thus, this unremarkable exam period had, quite naturally, granted Jinguji Tsuki a tiny bit of utility in the eyes of the female students.

Aside from that, there was one other thing that weighed on Jinguji Tsuki's mind. Recently, he had noticed a marked increase in the number of times Sakura-koji Sakura and Hoshinomori Hoshino were seen together. If Hoshino were a boy, Jinguji would be pondering whether he, the childhood friend, had lost out to this "girl who fell from the sky."

In any case, amidst such occasional idle thoughts, the midterm exams came to a quiet close.

Time moved to Friday afternoon, October 9th. After finishing the final exam, Jinguji Tsuki was forced to compare answers with the girls in his class. As for the boys, they were clearly less compatible with him; aside from one or two bookworms who only cared about grades, the rest continued to treat him as if he were transparent.

After packing his bag, he made his way to the classroom at the very back of the fourth floor of the old school building. When he entered the student council room, everyone else had already arrived, mostly because he had spent a significant amount of time comparing answers in class.

Yomiya Yo was currently sprawled on the sofa. Jinguji Tsuki walked over and nudged the edge of her shoe, signaling her to move and clear some space.

"Ugh... Senior, I'm already done for. I've burned into ashes. I can't move a muscle."

"If you've burned into ashes, you should be sitting, not lying down like that."

"...Wow, that makes so much sense."

The little creature painfully braced herself and sat up against the sofa, eyes bleary with sleep. Jinguji Tsuki set down his bag and sat beside her. "What's wrong with you?"

"The midterms... they were a bit hard," she said, looking dejected.

"Heh, I thought you'd be full of composure, saying it was a piece of cake."

Yomiya Yo let out a heavy sigh.

"Really that difficult?"

"I finished the paper in ten minutes, but the proctor wouldn't let me sleep. Having to stay awake while having nothing to do—it was torture."

Jinguji Tsuki was speechless, then reached out and pinched the top of her head.

"Ow, ow, ow—"

"Are you awake now?"

"Eh? I'm actually not sleepy anymore... Wait! No violence!"

Hoshinomori Hoshino, sitting at the desk, clapped her hands lightly to draw the attention of the student council members. "Alright everyone, the midterms are over. Regardless of how you did, we must now devote ourselves fully to the next task."

The members gathered around, and Hoshino handed out the forms to the three juniors. The student council's next task could be considered the most important of the semester. From the beginning of the new term, it was the fixed event everyone had been looking forward to. Unlike the sports festival, the school left this entirely in the hands of the student council. For high school students, it was one of the most significant festivals of the year: the Cultural Festival.

"First, as you all know, our student council is short-staffed; that is our weakness. Therefore, establishing the Cultural Festival Executive Committee as soon as possible is key. Otherwise, come the final week, we'll be wishing we could borrow the claws of every cat, dog, and cow in existence."

"At Monday morning's homeroom, each class will elect an executive committee member. I plan to hold the first executive committee meeting after school on Monday. Yomiya-san, Jinguji-kun, I need you both to attend with me."

"Yamada-kun, please prepare the table for the club funding applications and submit it to Jinguji-kun as soon as possible. Some clubs have already received their funds, but the rest must be distributed by next week."

"There are only twenty days left until the festival. We must ensure every club operates smoothly; we cannot afford any mishaps."

Hoshinomori Hoshino organized the work in an orderly fashion while the other three members took notes. Jinguji Tsuki's main role was to handle negotiations within the executive committee—a task usually well-suited to Yomiya Yo, but she was already responsible for liaising with all the various clubs. To expect her to take on more work while running back and forth between the floors of the club building on those short legs would be asking too much.

Therefore, Jinguji Tsuki had to take on this task. Secondly, regarding the approval of club budgets, he had already finished that; all that remained was for the school to release the funds, and for him to personally hand them to each club.

After efficiently setting the tasks, Hoshinomori Hoshino placed both hands lightly on the table, scanning her juniors with confident eyes. "We must make this Cultural Festival a success."

"Lastly, and most importantly, everyone must keep this in mind. This is one of only three high school cultural festivals you will ever have in your lives. While you carry out your duties, please never forget that you are also members of Shin-Sakura High School, and you have the right to enjoy it just as much as anyone else."

"Let's make this festival lively together, and then, let's create wonderful memories together."

...

...

After school, the student council members left the school together; they were still the last group of students to depart.

"By the week after next, there will likely be students staying longer than us," Hoshinomori Hoshino said softly, looking back at the school building. Because of the festival, there would be countless students staying behind to work; staying overnight at school wouldn't be a strange occurrence. During last year's festival, almost every classmate of his had stayed at school, and even those who had to go home didn't leave until after eight in the evening. Jinguji Tsuki alone was the odd one out, leaving at three-thirty every afternoon.

Looking at Hoshinomori Hoshino now, observing the expectant glow in her eyes, Jinguji Tsuki suddenly realized that this was her final Cultural Festival as a high school student. After the festival, she would devote herself entirely to her studies until she graduated, left the school, and left behind this group of naive children to become an adult. Thinking of this, he realized there wasn't much time left for her at the school.

"Jinguji-kun, time to go," she said.

"…Yeah."

Walking down the long slope, Yomiya Yo ran ahead, with Hoshinomori Hoshino calling out worriedly for her to watch her step. Jinguji Tsuki walked in the back with Yamada Kanade, who was busy scribbling in his notebook with a look of intense focus. Jinguji glanced over briefly and saw the notebook filled with dense lists of club names and figures.

*What a diligent guy,* he thought.

A comfortable autumn breeze blew toward them. The youth looked at the trees swaying in the wind. By the time the cherry blossoms bloomed here, he would likely never see the elegant figure of the girl in front of him again. He didn't have much of a real sense of it yet, but suddenly, he couldn't imagine what the school would be like without her.

The autumn breeze passing by the youth didn't linger, just like the passage of time, rushing resolutely toward the direction behind him. It was an indescribable feeling; he only wished time could flow a little slower—just a little slower.

Arriving at the station, he parted ways with his fellow student council members. Jinguji Tsuki took the train back to Jiyugaoka alone. Upon returning home, he placed the caramel nut Danish he had bought from Andersen on the home altar in the other room, staring blankly for a long time. Without realizing it, he was already starting to forget the sound of that person's voice.

He went upstairs to his room, took a copy of *Norwegian Wood* from his drawer, and began to read in silence. Between reading and working, the leisurely weekend vanished in the blink of an eye.

October 12th, Monday.

After greeting Yomiya Yo and Yamada Kanade, who were checking grooming standards at the school gate, Jinguji Tsuki entered the school building. Standing in front of the bulletin board on the first floor of the new building, he found his name on the midterm exam results list.

Second Year:
1st Place, Jinguji Tsuki, 700 points.
2nd Place, Arisugawa Alice, 675 points.
3rd Place, Sugizaki Ryota, 668 points.
4th Place...

He didn't continue reading, walking up to the second floor with a calm expression and entering the classroom for Year 2, Class A. As soon as he sat down, the girl sitting diagonally across from him turned around and said in a calm tone:

"First place again. That's really amazing."

Jinguji Tsuki was taken aback for a moment. He looked at the girl named Hanamori and nodded slightly. Another girl came over to talk to him; Jinguji remembered her as one of the girls who had been asking for his answers after every exam.

When the classroom door opened and Sakura-koji Sakura walked in, she saw the troubled look on Jinguji Tsuki's face as he was pestered by the girls. She curled her lips slightly, then immediately composed herself.

When the time came, all the students gathered in the auditorium for the customary Monday morning assembly. On stage, Hoshinomori Hoshino was giving a speech about the Cultural Festival. After the assembly, their homeroom teacher, Hasebe, entered the classroom to oversee the election for the class committee member for the festival.

"Is there anyone who wants to volunteer?" Hasebe asked.

The classroom fell silent. In general, being a Cultural Festival committee member was a laborious task; it meant you couldn't participate in your own class's activities as much, yet you had to shoulder the work of other classes.

"Yamashita?"
"I'm definitely not cut out for that!" the boy replied.
"Hanamori?"
"I don't care what happens."
"Hey, hey, you can't threaten your teacher like that."

The other students in the class erupted in laughter. Helpless, Hasebe looked toward the boy in the corner of the classroom.

"Jinguji?"
"I'm a member of the student council. Even if I don't take on the role of cultural festival committee member, I'll be putting in the work regardless," Jinguji Tsuki replied.

With that, silence fell over the classroom again.

"Um... how about I give it a try?"

The source of the voice was from the front row—a voice Jinguji Tsuki was all too familiar with. Sakura-koji Sakura raised her hand, volunteering herself. It immediately drew gasps of admiration from the students around her.

What was this? This was the spirit of self-sacrifice! As expected of the goddess of 2-A, her spirit of putting others before herself was truly moving. Jinguji Tsuki saw such expressions on the faces of many boys, which left him somewhat speechless. It was just being a committee member; there was no need for all that.

"Oh? Are you sure, Sakura-koji?" Hasebe was pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, I'd like to try," Sakura-koji Sakura replied.
"Then the class committee member for the Cultural Festival will be Sakura-koji. Does anyone have any objections? ...It seems not. Let's give her a round of applause."

A warm round of applause filled the classroom. Sakura-koji Sakura stood up, bowed in every direction, and scratched her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. She also made a point to look at Jinguji Tsuki.

The boy likely understood her intentions and sighed slightly in his heart.

During the lunch break, Hoshinomori Hoshino's voice echoed over the school intercom. Jinguji Tsuki took the documents from his desk and left the classroom alone.

"Jinguji-kun!"

As expected, the girl's voice came from behind. Jinguji Tsuki turned to look at her.

"We're going to the conference room to meet, right? I'm an executive committee member for the festival too, let's go together."

Everything was unfolding exactly as Jinguji Tsuki had imagined. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the gazes of other students watching them. He nodded, and together with Sakura-koji Sakura, he left the classroom.

"Hey, hey, have those two been hanging out a lot lately?"
"What's so strange about that? Sakura-koji-san treats even ants with that same attitude."
"Lately, that guy Jinguji seems to be getting approached by girls a lot."
"He's always been like that, hasn't he? More importantly, Sakura-koji-san is so kind. She actually volunteered for such a troublesome job."

...

...

On the way to the conference room, Sakura-koji Sakura wore a cheerful smile, clearly very satisfied with her "strategy."

"You've been quite bold lately," the boy said suddenly, without warning.

"Isn't it effective? Besides, it created an opportunity for you to be approached by girls. How is it? Any girl make your heart flutter?" Sakura-koji Sakura revealed a sly look.

Jinguji Tsuki remained unmoved and sighed softly.

"Anyway, let's do our best, Jinguji-kun."

After the girl said this with a smile, she walked into the conference room ahead of him.