When they opened the door, the members of the literary circle saw a common square of tables in the middle of the room, with students sitting silently on chairs, and others standing in the corners behind them. These students waited until all those interested in organizing the festival were assembled, and their gazes synchronously flicked to those who had come.
There were about forty people in the meeting, and not only high school students, but middle school students as well. Two of the girls sat in vacant seats, and the boys leaned against the wall. Coughing theatrically, a tall guy, one of the school board representatives, who sat importantly on opposite sides of the chair, coughed, thus creating the appearance of his leadership.
"Well, if everyone is assembled, may we begin the meeting," he declared, with a friendly and nonstrict tone. All the students listened carefully, however, without averting their gaze. "My name is Natsuki Inoue, and I am the acting head of the student council. We are all here for one reason: to organize a major Cultural Festival in honor of our school's anniversary. The festival will be held on Culture Day, November 3. Before we begin, I ask with the utmost respect for all of you here: are you willing to lend a hand in organizing the festival and assist the chapters in fulfilling our responsibilities?"
After the chapter's smooth speech, the students in the room froze in thought. After a couple of seconds, not confronting the filled silence, they lifted their faithful gaze directly to Natsuki. No one raised a hand. Squeezing out a smile, the head continued:
"Fine," he folded his hands on the table, and the schoolgirl with pigtails standing behind him handed him a stack of blank office papers. "At the end of the meeting, we'll decide which areas some people will work in and which others will work in, and write down your names so it's clear who will get to work. We will divide these pieces of paper in sections to serve as a report in which area decisions have occurred or will occur. Also, we should sort out the areas of activity, and nominate our own leaders from each area."
Opening his eyes, the head took on a hard look:
"As of today, we will be making a detailed plan, which we will follow to achieve what we want. What is required of you is productivity and desire. From the very beginning we have a barrier in front of us: a one-month period is set for the realization of our goal. On weekends, we are all certain, no one will want to come to a meeting, which means we have five days a week to spare. We will set certain days for the general meeting, listening to your opinions, and make provisions for the ideal time. Importantly, from the following days we will need to begin setting up the school for the festival. So, a certain part of us will stand out as people doing physical labor."
At the head of the conversation was the structure of preparation for the upcoming event and the organizing of the final lineup. The Cultural Festival, which kicked off in November, was also, by regulation, an Open House. Students had access to invite their parents as well as friends from other institutions or acquaintances.
The Cultural Festival was meant to be an event designed to bring out the inner workings of students and showcase their level of culture. Students had the right to show organizational, creative, and artistic talent at their best, and all students were involved in the festival. Circles were prepared to showcase their particular talents; and elementary and middle grades could put on concerts or various entertainment contests. The older grades both helped the young creatives and took the lead in organizing large-scale projects like music concerts.
"Plus, it's up to us collectively to coordinate every step of our responsibilities and choose a theme that will inspire our high school students," the student body president added. "After all, besides us, the circles and younger classes will begin to prepare. We owe it to them to help. We'll start assigning areas now, team heads, that will be made up of willing students. Following that, we'll streamline our responsibilities in the plan. I await your opinions."
Through brief negotiation, a timeline for interviews was established. As a result, the meeting was held after school on even-numbered days, twice a week. It also became clear how meaningful the choice of a theme for the festival design was, and people began to choose types of industries.
"I guess we should assign sections to work on, and it would be easier to move through them," stated one high school student who raised his hand.
"Shall we also appoint minds in each section as leaders?" said another girl.
"For that, we should certainly write down everyone present as a participant, consequently choosing which labor each one is suited to in her personal opinion," Yumiko neatly spoke up, raising her hand. "We all know that the departments will differ from one another in the type of labor, and by starting with this step, I think we can build the foundation of a plan that we are going to follow."
The hushed people listened to every word the modest girl said, and when, after a brief pause, Yumiko noticed people nodding positively, she threw back her head and stopped fretting. The guys from the literature circle put on satisfied faces.
"Great," the student council president replied. "Let's get started immediately."
First, the students chose types of labor and poured each into a separate section. As a result, three sections were identified: the art section, the educational and recreational section, and the concert and performance section. While the art section was in charge of specifying and decorating the school, the second was in charge of doing things with the appearance of game contests. The Concerts and Performances department was involved in staging acting skits and local concerts among students in the auditorium.
Truly, this idea was suggested by Yumiko and considered by the participants as an ideal choice. These departments were created to set the students in order in preparation for the festival and to help them discover their skills. These assistants can accompany the students in their work in every way, both physically and inspirationally, serving as facilitators. Yumiko literally presented the working idea on a platter, going into great detail about the hypothetical decision to start with a big step, and took in every detail that might be needed to avoid unintended interference.
After her words, the student council president and many of the participants lined up an opinion of her being really serious about the Cultural Festival, and her train of thought was supported even by the student council.
Assistant presidents from the student council began to go to everyone present with sheets in hand to make a list, and asked everyone what department they wanted to join. When they went around to all the attendees, the final list was forty-two people.
"We have a long job ahead of us," Natsuki said, putting his hands on the table. "The final touch for us today is to choose the heads and leaders of the divisions! Let those who sincerely believe in their abilities and wish to become leaders of the three departments hold out their hands. We need those who know how to draw people with them!"
Gratuitously, three participants raised their hands, confidence shining on their humble faces. As they addressed everyone, one short guy and two girls, one by one summarized their intentions and gave inspirational speeches.
The current department leaders were Haru Shogo, Kaneko Uki, and Tsubasa Mori, deputy president of the student council.
"I look forward to your cooperation and productivity, new acting leaders," Natsuki soothed the ears of the leaders with a gust of gentle care from his lips that made their apprehension disappear. "Now, let us proceed to the selection of the heads. As we found out, the best thing to do is to have two chapters at the table. This idea is excellent and coincides exactly with our common goal of organizing tentatively the largest festival in the history of our school. First of all, please allow me to nominate myself as the first chapter," he declared, choosing persuasive words about his importance, which only made the students agree.
Pleased by the attention and friendship of the large group, Natsuki became one of the two acting heads in the formation of the upcoming Cultural Festival. Coughing, he continued with his own seriousness:
"Now, raise your hands to those who are ready to lead forty lives and eighty able-bodied hands," he exclaimed frantically, causing Yumiko's thin body to shiver and her own cowardly eyelashes to lower. Finding herself in deep thought, the girl wondered if she was sure of herself and if she could guide people on an unmistakable path. "Show of hands, who is confident to achieve orderliness among the school and wishes to lead the whole discipline in the intended festival!"
All the faces of those gathered aggravated, and many in consternation either closed their eyes or lowered their heads altogether, pressing their hands to their knees. As a result, after a long pause, people lifted their heads and saw two girls raise their hands at the desk closest to the front door. A frightened Yumiko felt the gazes of forty people on her, and, wanting to know what was the matter, she looked at her desk mate without lowering her hand. She saw the raised hand of Akiko sitting beside her, whose hard gaze was obscured by her pink hair falling over her eyes. Her lips pressed together hard.
"Akiko-chan…?" the brown-eyed woman's hands shook as she glared anxiously at her friend.
"I..." the girl lifted her gaze slightly, lowering her even tone, "...no longer willing to put my hands down," her pale tired eyes showed through her bangs. "I want to fight for my dignity."
Those present, including the acting head, stared at the pair in amazement. The wide-open eyes of Ryou, Glenn, and Tomoyuki's friends huddled against the walls behind them staggered back and forth, whirling their heads with questioning thoughts.
***
In the evening, Yumiko was already at home, and tiredly flipping through newly published pictures of people from social media, she turned off her phone and jumped out of bed. Dressed in shorts and a long T-shirt, she sat down at her desk and began to prepare a detailed plan for the organization on a worksheet.
As was evident at the meeting, Yumiko was chosen by the students as the second incumbent chapter, far ahead of Akiko in the vote. Even the student council president favored the brown-eyed girl, which made Yumiko notice by the end of the meeting how Akiko's head and shoulders were uncharacteristically lowered, and there was a sense of darkness around her aloof presence. Failure, Akiko thought, was irreversible. Victory had been destined for Yumiko from the entry.