Chapter 312: Rinka Festival – Final Day.

“…Nn.”

The morning air had already crossed the threshold of coolness and begun to carry a subtle chill, making the warmth of the futon feel all the more inviting. Unconsciously, the body sought out heat.

As I drifted in half-sleep, letting the distant chirping of birds wash over me, I became aware of an entirely different sensation—one far more pleasant than any blanket. Something soft and comforting enveloped my entire body, pulling me deeper into a lazy, indulgent haze. The urge to surrender completely to it was almost overwhelming.

“Mmm… nnn…”

“Fufu… Kazunari-san.”

Chuu…

A gentle, ticklish softness brushed against my forehead.

That sweet touch tugged at my consciousness, dragging me rapidly back to wakefulness.

“Nn… nnh?”

“Good morning, Kazunari-san.”

The familiar morning greeting from Sara-san. But today it came from much, much closer than usual.

No—this presence… this heavenly warmth wrapping around every inch of me…

There was no mistaking it. I was still being held tightly in Sara-san’s arms.

“G-Good morning, Sara-san.”

“Yes, good morning, Kazunari-san.”

I slowly opened my still-heavy eyelids. Predictably, the darkness right in front of me remained unchanged. Of course it would—my face was buried in the paradise that was Sara-san’s embrace.

“…Sara-san, are you running late today?”

“No. If anything, I’d say Kazunari-san woke up unusually early.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Normally I would already be getting out of bed around this time.”

“Eh… it’s still that early? Wait… um…”

I hesitated whether to point it out or not, but the truth was, Sara-san had me locked in an iron hug. I couldn’t move an inch even if I tried. Somehow, I had ended up like this again. Was this… an everyday thing now?

“Fufu… If you move, it’s no-good, okay? I haven’t finished my morning charge yet, so please stay right here and let me hold you a little longer, Kazunari-san.”

“Ch-Charge? …Understood, for now…”

Come to think of it, Sara-san had mentioned something about “charging” in the mornings before.

Was this what she meant?

“Ah, that’s right. Since Kazunari-san is already awake…”

“Yes?”

“Kazunari-san… please turn this way.”

“…Y-Yes.”

I didn’t need to guess what was coming next.

The moment I lifted my face, Sara-san’s expression filled my vision—melted, sweetly dazed, overflowing with affection.

“Nn…”

Chuu…

Her eyelids fluttered closed as her lips slowly drew near. And just like that, she stole mine.

As always, Sara-san took the lead. But since we both found happiness in it, I had no complaints. All I had to do was show a little manliness at the right moments. That was enough for me.

“Fufu… Once again—good morning, Kazunari-san.”

“Good morning, Sara-san.”

When our lips parted, the dreamy look on her face receded, replaced by her usual gentle smile. Though a faint trace of mischief still lingered in her eyes.

“Now I’m in perfect condition for the day♪”

“Haha, glad to hear it.”

“Yes! And… we still have about five minutes left, so…”

“………”

Gyuu…

Hearing that, I took the initiative this time—wrapping my arms around her and pressing my face gently against my usual spot on her chest.

Five more minutes. That had to mean it was okay to be a little more spoiled… or rather, that she wanted me to be spoiled. Surely that was what Sara-san was trying to say.

So I decided to go all in.

If I was wrong… well, I’d deal with it then.

“Fufu… Please let me pamper Kazunari-san to my heart’s content for the next five minutes, okay?”

The way she said it, I had a feeling five minutes wouldn’t be nearly enough… but somehow, that felt right. Every once in a while, a morning like this was perfectly fine.

“Good morning, you two~”

“Morning.”

We met up at the usual convenience store and started walking toward school at a leisurely pace.

The sky above was a brilliant autumn blue, almost completely cloudless—ideal festival weather.

Still, something felt off compared to a normal school day… Ah, right. It was Sunday.

No salarymen in suits, far fewer trucks rumbling by. That explained it.

“Wife, did something happen?”

For some reason Hanako was peering curiously at Sara-san’s face. As far as I knew, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred…

“Why do you ask?”

“You seem to be in an unusually good mood. And considering there’s a miss contest today, that’s kind of unnatural.”

“Now that you mention it… Yeah. For someone who hates miss contests, you’re way too chipper.”

Natsumi-senpai shot Sara-san a blatantly disgusted look—and then turned that same look on me.

But honestly… after that exchange, even I had figured it out. Natsumi-senpai had basically arrived at the same conclusion.

“I see… So Kazunari was being all sweet and clingy from the very morning, and you loved it.”

“…You figured that out awfully fast.”

“How could I not?”

Hanako was the one who nailed it (sharp as ever), yet for some reason Natsumi-senpai was the one retorting. At this point it was officially acknowledged that Sara-san’s mood depended entirely on me… though honestly, that had been obvious for a while.

“Fufu… When we’re in bed, Kazunari-san is surprisingly honest about being spoiled—”

“Sara-san, stop!”

I knew she was just happy and wanted to say it out loud, but that phrasing was dangerous in every possible way.

I wanted to believe these two wouldn’t misunderstand… but the statement was loaded with risk regardless.

“…W-Wait. You two didn’t—”

“…It’s fine. What my wife said is exactly what it means—nothing more, nothing less.”

“Y-Yeah… Geez, don’t make it sound so suspicious!”

“I’m simply stating facts?”

“I know!!”

Sara-san remained perfectly calm because she genuinely meant nothing by it. Meanwhile, Natsumi-senpai—who had overthought everything—turned bright red. Hanako, on the other hand, stayed completely unfazed. As expected—her mental fortitude was terrifying.

And me? I genuinely had no idea what exactly Natsumi-senpai had imagined… Nope. Not a clue.

“Sigh… I’m scared to even ask what kind of life you two have at home.”

“Better not to ask. I’m pretty sure there’s more where that came from.”

Sharp… Truly Hanako…

If they ever found out we bathed together too, there’d be no convincing them nothing was happening. Especially our parents—absolutely could not let that slip…

“But Sara, we’re fine with it, but you really shouldn’t say things that hint at cohabitation. If the school ever found out…”

“Most likely, that won’t be a problem.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The school has told me directly—if anything troubling comes up, I should consult them.”

Come to think of it, the homeroom teacher had said something similar. Considering how they handled things the other day… that was probably Mayumi-san pulling strings behind the scenes…

“By my estimation, the school already knows about your cohabitation and is turning a blind eye. Normally it would be an issue, but when the partner is a formally recognized, parent-approved fiancée, they have no choice but to accept it.”

“Ehh… They know that much?”

“If they didn’t know at least that much, they wouldn’t be able to respond properly if something happened later. With your mother-in-law, that level of groundwork and connections at the school is child’s play…”

“I-I see…”

“Yes… Mother would handle something like that without batting an eye.”

“True… If it’s Mayumi-san…”

For a second, I could almost hear a cheerful “Nfu~fu~♪ Anything for my adorable son, your mother-in-law will do her very best~!” echoing in my head.

I instinctively glanced around… Nope, she wasn’t here.

The fact that her voice could dominate my brain even when she wasn’t present was honestly frightening. Mayumi-san truly was terrifying…

Speaking of which—Hanako seemed to understand Mayumi-san on an almost unnatural level.

“By the way, Natsumi, are you going to be okay in today’s match?”

“Ah… Should be fine. It’s not an opponent I can take lightly, but if I can show the results of practice…”

“With Natsumi-senpai, it’s a sure thing. The ball bounces and just happens to fly straight into the opponent’s face—”

“That’s impossible.”

“Or maybe every ball the opponent returns somehow ends up right back in your hand—”

“Stop, Hanako-san. That’s far enough.”

A mysterious divine emergency brake activated in my head, so I hurriedly covered Hanako’s mouth—well, more like placed my hand gently over it. Symbolically, of course. I wasn’t actually going to shut her up.

“…Do tennis players really have moves like that?”

“Of course not!!”

“Of course it was a joke.”

“…………”

Sara-san smiled sweetly while Natsumi-senpai glared at her with half-lidded eyes… and then turned that glare on me too.

No, no—this was just Sara-san being adorably playful. We’ve gone to cheer for her so many times; there’s no way we wouldn’t know that much.

“At least she doesn’t seem overly nervous or tense. That’s the important part.”

“Well, she can’t exactly afford to lose in front of Tachibana-kun cheering her on, can she?”

“Guh…”

And just like that, the conversation swerved violently. The moment Yuuji’s name came up, Natsumi-senpai instantly went on the defensive.

But this teasing was really just lighthearted concern—an attempt to loosen her tension by making her laugh…

“Ah…”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Takanashi-kun?”

I accidentally let out a sound when I realized something fairly important.

Come to think of it… hadn’t Natsumi-senpai still not told anyone about her and Yuuji?

Even if most of her fans were the same gender, she was still carrying a pretty big personal bomb…

“N-No, I was just wondering… Has Yuuji ever come to cheer at one of your matches?”

“Ahh, that. Actually, no, not yet. We haven’t really had any big matches since we started going out, and on days off there’s always practice, so we haven’t had much time for dates… Wait—why are you making me say this!?”

“Uh, that’s not my—”

“Natsumi, I won’t allow you to falsely accuse Kazunari-san.”

“That cannot be overlooked.”

“Yeah, yeah, same old pattern…”

Phew… Somehow managed to dodge that one. Thanks to Sara-san and Hanako’s perfect timing.

Honestly it did bother me a little, but I couldn’t risk upsetting Natsumi-senpai with unnecessary talk right before her match. She needed to focus.

Still…

Me, Hayato, Yuuji… Why do our problem points line up so perfectly?

“Good morning~!”

“Morning!!”

“Good morning.”

Members of the student council were steadily gathering at the main tent in front of the school gate. Morning assembly would start soon—today’s schedule check and final briefing.

Thanks to yesterday’s chaos, preparations for crowd control were already flawless this morning. All the risky decorations and entrance obstacles had been cleared.

The only remaining concern was how many visitors would show up… but—

“Whoa, that’s insane.”

“Right? Is that line some kind of wall-circle wait queue? lol”

“They even have traffic-control security guards!?”

“Yeah, looks like the teachers stepped in after seeing yesterday’s mess.”

Indeed… even a quick glance showed the queue for entry was noticeably longer than yesterday’s.

Probably because it was Sunday—far more families with children, students in casual clothes. But thanks to the traffic control, it seemed we wouldn’t need to go out front ourselves.

“Now then, it looks like everyone’s here. Let’s begin the morning assembly.”

Sara-san lowered her tone, instantly sharpening the atmosphere.

Her clear, dignified voice drew every gaze—including mine.

“Good morning again, everyone.”

“““Good morning!”””

“Considering the preparation period, the Rinka Festival has felt long—but today marks its conclusion. And today is truly the main event. Especially since it’s Sunday, we’ll see many more families. That means a higher chance of small children getting lost. If you notice anyone who looks troubled, please approach them proactively.”

“““Yes!!”””

“Next…”

Sara-san went over precautions, confirmed the final schedule, and verified each person’s assigned area.

Just like yesterday, the colored cones were set up, with the newspaper club standing by beside them. Entrance preparations were now complete. All that remained was to open the gates.

“Man, today’s miss contest is gonna be wild.”

“I’ve got a window to sneak away, so I can cheer for Satsukawa-san properly!!”

“But doesn’t Satsukawa-san have zero intention of winning?”

“Even so, she’s representing the student council.”

“Satsukawa-san, how’re you feeling?”

“Same as always. I have absolutely no intention of trying.”

“Haha, never wavers, huh.”

“It’s just a hassle. I want it over quickly.”

True to her words, the phrase “this is such a pain” was practically written across Sara-san’s face.

Yet despite saying that, she was still participating. That was… unusual. Normally she would’ve already declared “I’m out” and ghosted the event without hesitation.

Keeen—

“Ahh~ ahh~ Test, test, mic test… okay…”

A familiar, slightly grating noise burst from the speakers, followed by the ever-energetic, cartoonishly high-pitched voice of Fukazawa-san—Minamin.

“Suuuuu… Everyone, goooood moooorniiiiiiing!!!”

“““Gooood moooorniiiiiiing!!!”””

“Hmm~ Your voices are too quiet~ I can’t heeeear youuu!!!”

Come on, you’re literally in a soundproof booth… but we’ll skip the usual retort.

And so, another morning began with Minamin in full hyper mode.

How she managed to reach this level of energy first thing in the morning was honestly professional-level.

“Alright! Today is finally the last day of the Rinka Festival!! Packed full of main events!! The volunteer band in the gym has guest performers from other schools today, and some sports clubs are holding invitational matches!! There are way more things to see than yesterday, so we’re all gonna be super busy!!!”

She completely skipped over the gym events, but personally I was at least a little interested in brass band and drama club performances. The volunteer bands… not so much.

But with the schedule this packed, it was impossible to see everything. Couldn’t be helped.

“And and and—!! This afternoon, on the special stage in the school courtyard… at loooong laaaast… the moment you’ve all been waaaaiting for—the MISS CONTEST BEGINS!!!”

“““OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!”””

“Ugh…”

“Gross…”

The moment Minamin shouted “miss contest,” a deep, sweaty roar erupted from every corner of the school. The female student council members’ honest reactions mirrored mine perfectly.

Disgusting.

“Of course, yours truly—Minamin—will be your host!! Listen up, you horny bastards—if you vote for me just because I’m cute, I’ll never forgive you!!!”

“““MIIIIINAAAAAMIIIIIN!!!”””

“““……”””

What was this feeling…? The entire school was exploding with excitement, yet it somehow drained the energy right out of our little group. Like an equal and opposite reaction.

I could tell they were enjoying the hype, but honestly… I just couldn’t keep up. Was this on us? Were we the ones being lame or cold?

“Idiots, all of—”

“Stop.”

Another divine warning pinged in my brain, so I hurriedly covered Hanako’s mouth again. Lately this was becoming routine, but when God says stop, you stop.

Apparently that line from Hanako would be dangerous in multiple ways.

Reason?

No idea… Yep.

“And moreover—!! This year’s miss contest features—finally—the grand appearance of thaaaat person!! If you’ve got time, get your asses over here nooow!!!”

“““OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!”””

An unprecedentedly creepy, heavy roar shook the entire school—and somehow, it was coming from the road outside too.

Meaning… the number of general visitors coming specifically for the miss contest was way higher than expected!?

But more importantly—more importantly—Sara-san looked absolutely revolted.

Even I, who was always by her side, was shocked by the sheer glacial cold in her eyes.

This… had to be absolute zero. Honestly troubling.

The pressure radiating from her had every guy in the vicinity frozen stiff, faces twitching.

“Nn…”

Chuu…

And for some reason, Hanako took advantage of the chaos to sneak a kiss onto the palm of my hand.

Sara-san wasn’t looking, but still—that was way too bold. It tickled… and sent a tiny shiver through me.

“Wow… Looks like today’s miss contest entry info leaked to the general public too.”

“Satsukawa-san’s famous even at nearby schools. Wonder how this’ll go.”

“Nothing will happen. I’m just going to participate and do the bare minimum.”

“Yeah, figured. Planning to no-show again?”

“No. I will participate. That’s separate.”

“Got it. Do your best.”

“I won’t.”

Hmm… With this much commotion, normally Sara-san would’ve ignored everything and straight-up ditched. For her to endure this purely out of student council president responsibility…?

It was honestly a little worrying.

“Countdown time!! Everyone readyyyyy?!!”

“““OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!”””

“Here we gooo—ten, nine, eight—”

“Seven—”

“Six—”

“Five—”

Sara-san looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

Hanako was beaming, holding hands with Marina-san.

Even the smiles of everyone who wasn’t here somehow felt clearly visible.

“Three, two, one—”

And so, the second—and final—day of the Rinka Festival

“ZEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“The Rinka Festival—Final Day—is officially underwayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!”

The curtain rises!!!