PREPARATIONS FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
The Yosahai Festival.
An event held by Okyodai City over the course of seven days, from May 7th to May 14. The event was, in essence, a giant school athletic meet. Every school in the city would be participating in the festivities. Given that the city was one giant organization for the development of supernatural abilities and took up all of western Kamamura, and given that 80 percent of the city's 2.3 million total people were students, the event was massive.
Today was May 7th, its first day.
Despite the early weekday morning hour, the parents and guardians of those participating in the festival were already flooding the city streets. If Okyodai city general board hadn't prohibited outsiders from driving into the city as part of its plan to keep people from seeing too far inside, there would have been pointless traffic jams stretching dozens of kilometers all over. Therefore, it was faster to go on foot. To deal with the pedestrian congestion, the city had ramped up its train and subway services. They set up self-driving trains, too; this was all so much more than usual that they were experiencing an extreme shortage of actual conductors.
No matter where you looked, it was like a big train station platform at rush hour. It just went to show how big the Yosahai Festival really was.
These were some of the few days of the year Okyodai City was truly open to outsiders, all so others could see its espers and their theatrical supernatural abilities as they competed ruthlessly against one another. The actual events of the competition were the same as any old-school athletic festival, but seeing the students' mysterious "powers" up close was quite stimulating and fascinating for those not from the city, who may have known about them for their fame on television but had never actually witnessed them in person.
So.
A couple, one man and one woman, was walking through the near-futuristic city.
"Oh, honey, look! No matter how many times we come here, Okadai City is so overwhelming. It's like the worlds we drew with our crayons as kids have come to life. If only they had trains that ran through tubes and hoverboards! Then it would be perfect…"
That was Enji Hirokoshi , a certain boy's father. He wore plain slacks and a dress shirt with a necktie that seemed more a gift than a thing someone would actually use, and the soles of his well-worn leather shoes padded along, sounding pathetic on the pavement.
A reply came.
"Oh my, oh my. I don't think this is up to the standards of the near future that I imagine. There are no giant space battleships or humanoid weapons split up into a federation and an empire fighting, firing red and blue laser beams at each other, making pew pew noises even though they're in space, are there? And I'd like to see the sabers that look like fluorescent lights."
In terms of outward appearance they look like a serious and mature couple but they are hardcore nerds and aren't at times afraid to show it.
That was Rinko Hirokoshi, the boy's mother. Although being a year his senior, She looked hlafnas young as Enji, and her apparel made the two of them seem poorly matched as they walked together. She wore a long yellow dress that went down to her ankles, made of delicate silk or perhaps another thin, smooth fabric. Over that, she wore a relaxed white sweater. There was a freshly weaved basket hanging from her arm, perhaps with their lunch inside, from the looks of it she made it herself, The wide-brimmed hat with a sunflower on her head brought it all together in quite a classy fashion statement.
Though the two were married, they looked more like a noble celebrity and her hired driver. Right now, they were walking leisurely toward the opening ceremony venue where their son would be participating.
"Honey, I don't think you can call that exactly near future. That's much further off. They apparently have pyro-blades here…Well, let's stop with all the talk of weapons, yes? We have a nice, er, atmosphere going. It wouldn't be proper to break it."
They looked up to the sky and saw smoky white fireworks popping in the air. The helicopters flitting about probably belonged to the mass media. The Yosahai Festival was open to the public, and the city allowed the media to broadcast it on television. Commentary booths were present at the stadiums and fields, and temporary outdoor studios had been set up all around the city. The viewership rivaled even the World Olympics; Enji, ever the businessman, imagined that the media was working itself to the bone.
Ack, whoa!!" Having let his attention slip, he ran straight into someone.
"Eek! Ah, I'm so sorry for bumping into you!"
Enji looked to see a lady who seemed about 34 years of age. She wore a light gray dress shirt and a pair of long, slender jet-black pants made of a thin material. Their design was simple, but the clothing was high class. He could see her sitting in a president's seat dressed like that. She has blonde, curly hair and next to her is a man a few inches taller, with the same color hair.
The girl who'd collided with him smiled amicably. "It's so big here that it's easy to get lost. I'm sorry, but would you happen to have seen a girl with glasses and two large braids, she has a very noticeable ponytail on the top of her head?"
"Right…Ah, wait just a moment." Enji rummaged through his things and took out a Map as ancient as that sounds. Okyodai City was enormous, and there was a vast number of schools participating, so it was as thick as some overseas travel guides. He gave up on trying to find a map and looked through the index at the end of the pamphlet instead.
"Seeing as we're right here I have a feeling the students are about closer to here." He points to about the center of the map where the booths would be.
"What?! Are you serious? Then where the heck is Rui?! I finally managed to get some time off from university for this!"
Is Rui her Daughters name? thought Enji as he read, but she suddenly drew near to him and peered at the pages, basically up against his shoulder.
"Hmmmm, right here huh…Ack! Crap! Now what?!"
The lady gave a cornered yelp. Had they not already decided on somewhere to meet? This soon before the opening ceremonies,
"Oh my. Isn't that Hissei over there?"
The lady next to him was still pulling on his arm, looking at the pamphlet.
There was a crowd in front of them, and most of them turned out to be students in gym uniforms. There were slight differences in the uniforms based on what school they were from, but they were all wearing either a red or a white headband.
On the other side of the crowd, he spotted the spiky hair of his familiar child. He was participating in the Daihasei Festival, so he was obviously wearing a uniform of short sleeves and shorts. Next to him was a girl in the same uniform, this one for full-blown track-and-field events: a tank top and shorts. The lady looked up suddenly from the pamphlet Touya was holding out, then pointed at the girl, who had blonde hair down to her back, then began to explain. "Oh! There's Rui. Thank goodness. I've been so busy with university that we never agreed on a place to meet."
There was a throng of people between them, so the children hadn't noticed their parents yet. Still, the children were talking to each other loudly enough that they could hear them clearly.
"Hey, so which color did you get, anyway? Red or blue?"
"Eh? Red, why? Are you on the red team, too?"
"Y-yeah."
"Oh! I see. So you're on the red team. Let's both try our best!"
"Th-then if the r-red team members do some kind of group event, we should—"
"Just kidding! I'm actually on the blue team sucker!!"
"…?!"
"Gaze upon this immaculate blue headband! It is the symbol of my determination to send every single last one of you, our sworn enemies, to the grave! We would never be on the same side. And I don't care whether you're a baby, man, woman or dog I'll beat the hell out of all of you and take all the points for myself, so you'd better be ready Rui!!"
"You…You're insane! I'll teach you to look down on people. I could wipe out all the nerds on the blue team by myself!!"
"Yeah, but you won't! In fact, if I lose to you, then I'll do whatever you say! I don't care what it is!"
"I…That's fine by me! I'll take you on…Whatever I want, huh?….All right, then."
"Oh, that's just like a proper young lady from the big city! So much unfounded hope despite having no prospects for victory! In exchange, if you lose, you have to do whatever I say!"
"What?! I'd have to…to do whatever you…"
"Oh my, what's this? Scared now, Miss Rui? After all that, are you really all bark and no bite, Miss chicken?"
I start to do a flurry of chicken noises and flapping my arms to mock her into joining, we've gotten a bit closer after joining the club, if I win I won't use my favor right away, it'll make me seem desperate and I planned to do this.
"…Fine, then. I'll do it! Just don't come crying to me when you lose!"
"I see, I see. Only people who've already given up on winning would say stuff like that!!"
I put an end to my chicken charade and extend my hand out in a pinky promise gesture, So far I have her clairvoyance, the power negation I stole for this exact moment and that blaze bird, in all honesty this would be a fun game of chess with us having the clairvoyance.
Their family members watched, deathly still, as she replied with a loud "DEAL!!"
Rinko placed a hand on her cheek. "Oh my, oh my…So clever with his words, making such an absurd request of a girl of such tender age. She sure does remind me of someone in particular. Oh my! I'm starting to remember my own school days."
Rinko was petrified with shock. "Th-this can't be. A punishment game? Telling a girl she has to do whatever he wants? What lewd things do you want to order her to do, anyway, Hissei ?!"
I nearly die of embarrassment but luckily Rui didn't seem to hear nor spot my parents.
"That lady over there looks like you Rui." I say, Rui swivels her head and looks at her, "Those are my parents."
"That's my parents next to them." And judging by the appearance they've been there a few minutes and started mingling which is TERRIBLE, after our last hangout.
"Hey mom! hey dad!"! Rui called out and as they notice us walking her mom speaks in a somewhat excited manner, "Hey you're the guy from the other day that Rui keeps talking about!" My father looks at me, "Well son I don't recall you telling me you have a girlfriend."
"You like him don't you?" Her mother asks in a sly tone we're both DYING from embarrassment and she grabs my hand and runs off with me.
"Aww look at them…I guess I'll be seeing more of you guys at this festival." My dad asks them.
The man next to them made a face. Is it their fault? Well, I'll ask Rui later. How young—and how inexperienced with the ways of the world…She sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead.
And that about wraps up how Okyodai City's giant coordinated athletic festival, the Yosahai Festival, kicked off its seven days of competition.