Chapter 4:
Chapter 4: The Festival Committee
Campus Confessions — Volume 1: The Secrets We Keep
Campus Confessions — Volume 1: The Secrets We Keep
The whiteboard already looked like a battlefield.Rurii had drawn three exclamation marks, two hearts, andsomething that might’ve been a booth—or a fish.“Emergency meeting!” she declared, tapping the marker like agavel. “Operation: Win the Festival!”MeiMei yawned. “You mean Operation: Skip Class and EatSnacks?”Haruka sighed from the teacher’s desk. “No. I mean the actualcampus festival. Every club has to present something. Theathletics division was almost dropped last year, so this time, wehave to impress the board.”“That’s why we’re doing a maid café,” Rurii said instantly.“No,” Haruka said.“Yes,” Rurii said.MeiMei raised her hand. “Seconded!”Hina scribbled ‘motion carried?’ in the corner of hernotebook.Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose. “We are not running acafé.”Yuki lifted her tablet. “What about a photo booth? It’squieter.”Rurii gasped. “A photo café!”Kazuki leaned back in his chair. “That’s... just the same idea,with extra steps.”Before the argument could restart, the clubroom door slid open.---A New Face“Excuse me,” a calm voice said. “I’m looking for theFestival Committee head.”Every eye turned toward the doorway.A tall boy with sharp features and neatly rolled sleeves stoodthere, holding a clipboard and an aura of administrativecompetence.“Student Council assigned me to assist your preparations,” hesaid. “I’m Nao Ishikawa.”“Assist?” Rurii asked. “Like, free labor assist?”“More like ‘keep-you-from-setting-the-gym-on-fire’assist,” Nao replied without missing a beat.Kazuki half-smiled. “Good luck with that.”Nao’s eyes flicked to him. “You must be Kazuki Arata—theclub’s acting lead.”“‘Acting’ is generous,” Haruka said. “Mostly he just stopsthem from turning practice into improv comedy.”Nao jotted something down. “Noted.”
© 2025 Kokuren Media. All rights reserved.
The whiteboard already looked like a battlefield.Rurii had drawn three exclamation marks, two hearts, andsomething that might’ve been a booth—or a fish.“Emergency meeting!” she declared, tapping the marker like agavel. “Operation: Win the Festival!”MeiMei yawned. “You mean Operation: Skip Class and EatSnacks?”Haruka sighed from the teacher’s desk. “No. I mean the actualcampus festival. Every club has to present something. Theathletics division was almost dropped last year, so this time, wehave to impress the board.”“That’s why we’re doing a maid café,” Rurii said instantly.“No,” Haruka said.“Yes,” Rurii said.MeiMei raised her hand. “Seconded!”Hina scribbled ‘motion carried?’ in the corner of hernotebook.Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose. “We are not running acafé.”Yuki lifted her tablet. “What about a photo booth? It’squieter.”Rurii gasped. “A photo café!”Kazuki leaned back in his chair. “That’s... just the same idea,with extra steps.”Before the argument could restart, the clubroom door slid open.---A New Face“Excuse me,” a calm voice said. “I’m looking for theFestival Committee head.”Every eye turned toward the doorway.A tall boy with sharp features and neatly rolled sleeves stoodthere, holding a clipboard and an aura of administrativecompetence.“Student Council assigned me to assist your preparations,” hesaid. “I’m Nao Ishikawa.”“Assist?” Rurii asked. “Like, free labor assist?”“More like ‘keep-you-from-setting-the-gym-on-fire’assist,” Nao replied without missing a beat.Kazuki half-smiled. “Good luck with that.”Nao’s eyes flicked to him. “You must be Kazuki Arata—theclub’s acting lead.”“‘Acting’ is generous,” Haruka said. “Mostly he just stopsthem from turning practice into improv comedy.”Nao jotted something down. “Noted.”
© 2025 Kokuren Media. All rights reserved.
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