Cultural festival preparations begin with malice.

***
Furukawa Itsuki

The preparations for the cultural festival started that day. I stayed in the corner of the class, watching. The time crawled as I witnessed the malicious something close in on the group.

But I didn't do anything. Just watched.
Watched as cruelty and malice crept up on them.
Watched as their fragile hearts strained as their pasts came back to hunt them.
Watched as my lone friend's dream almost crumbled.

Maybe that was just my nature.

***
Maegahara Shosei

Today after classes, we had to decide what we would present for the cultural festival. Discussion raged on as people fired suggestions one after another. Finally, a girl with short raven hair spoke up. It was Kato Mitsu, her usual playful attitude nowhere to be seen. Her words were hesitant and slightly awkward — as if she was unsure whether to bring up her suggestion or not. Finally, she mustered her willpower and spoke.

"Ehm... T-the truth is... I was working on an original play...," she said in a weak voice. Her words traveled the class, reaching all of the students. Immediately the class erupted in a mixture of surprise, confusion, and excitement.

"You worked on it for a while?" "That's so cool!" "Specifically written for the festival, huh?" "Show us, show us!" "An original play is pretty exciting..." "I didn't know you had a hobby like that, Mitsu-san."

They swarmed Kato-san and, driven by curiosity, began rapidly firing questions. Kato-san seemed troubled but slightly happy about this as she explained the reason behind her sudden request.

"Ehm. You see, I always wanted to try making a story and then I remembered that the cultural festival was coming up so... I decided to go for it. I've already finished the entire thing, although I'm not sure if it's any good..."

She settled in the center with the physical manuscript. Apparently, she wrote it on her laptop and then printed it. Everyone was sent digital versions through Line. The class started by reading the outline and then reading the story itself. I also lowered my gaze to my phone and began reading.

It is set in modern times. The story is about a child with a single mother raising him. His father left the family when the protagonist was only a kid, leaving the mother and child to fend for themselves. With help from their relatives and the parent's hard work, the kid grows up without any massive issues. However, their lives can't be called luxurious by any stretch, and the mother is constantly swarmed with work. Meaning that the child often had to rely on no one but himself. He is okay with that and is grateful for her hard work, but his parent can't accept that. She feels guilty and is plagued by anxieties. Despite his circumstances — or maybe because of them — the main character becomes a kind person, always being there for his friends and classmates, in the process, becoming somewhat of a school celebrity.

Things escalate when the mother loses her job due to her workplace going bankrupt. They both start working part-time and somehow manage to keep things afloat, but the mother's guilt keeps getting worse and worse. The protagonist tries to comfort her but can't convince her that those are his real feelings. His friends at school learn of his circumstances and decide to help him with his plight. Together, they try to make the main character's feelings reach her.

Well, that's the overall plot. The kids use various means to reach the mother's heart — from giving her gifts to writing poems and making a song. They fail time after time and are unable to achieve an understanding. The protagonist keeps taking on more and more part-time jobs to ease his mother's burden, but it just causes her to feel more guilt. Finally, his friends come to talk with her personally. They tell the mother about how much her kid has done for them and that no miserable person could ever reach the hearts of so many. They go to the school where everyone who's been helped by the main character expresses their gratitude to him. In the end, mother and son find an understanding.

It seems no one shared my worries, or at least, no one voiced them as the conversation immediately turned toward the casting.

"So, who should play the main character?"

"It has to be Yamada-kun!"

It seems Kato-san has already thought of the roles' distribution as she swiftly offered her opinion.

"No, I already plan for Yamada-kun to play someone else."

"Huh? Who? No one seems to fit the bill..."

"The oblivious, happy-go-lucky dumbass ^_^," she replied with a wide smile. I can't actually argue with that, somehow... Although, the person in question seemed to have some problems with that.

"Eh? What...? Is that how you see me...?" Ishikawa-san quietly asked, slightly down. But the author heartlessly ignored him.

"Anyway, moving on to the next role."

"It's already a final decision!? I didn't even get a chance to object..."

While Ishikawa-san slumped in resignment, A loud voice rose from the corner of the class.

"Oh! Oh! I wanna play the main character. Can I? Please, please, please!" Nakano-san pleaded. The crowd's reaction, however, wasn't very receptive.

"No way! You don't fit the role at all, Akira-kun!"
"Yeah, like, you're the opposite of the considerate main character."
"Don't worry, Akira. This role isn't as easy and fun as you think. There's a lot of pressure, you know?"

"Whaaat? But I really want to... Hey, Mitsu-Mitsu, can I?" he yelped and then asked Kato-san for her permission. But seriously? Mitsu-Mitsu? That's not even a nickname — that's just her name repeated twice...

Kato-san didn't seem to mind Nakano-san playing the role, as she yielded relatively easy.

"Sure, no objections from me."

"Yessss! I knew you would understand, Mitsu-Mitsu!" Nakano-san happily screamed as he lifted his hand in the air in a celebratory gesture.

"Really? I guess that's fine." "If the author doesn't mind..." "Akira playing the main character is kind of hilarious in its own way..."

Apparently, the class didn't mind too much. Well, this was just a class play, after all. Nothing to be losing your sleep over. No one was that serious about it, at least not to the point of outright hoarding specific roles. In the end, what mattered was that we enjoyed ourselves.

***

That day we settled on the preliminary casting and discussed how we would go about some of the more challenging aspects of the play. In the end — we couldn't come to a definite conclusion and decided to deal with things in the process.

From the next day onward, preparations began. We mainly rehearsed the scenes and revised the script. Additionally, we tried to find people who could write a poem or create songs for important moments. There were some talents within the class, but, as expected, making all the preparations in time difficult.

The first few days of preparation went smoothly. Kato-san and Maeda-san somehow convinced Suzuki-san to play the role of the mother. Mainly because, according to them, her singing voice was phenomenal. I played a side character, one of the protagonist's friends. Kato-san was like a director of the play, and Maeda-san's role was the main female character. Most of the students worked on making the set and searching for appropriate songs. However, we decided everyone would participate in the last scene with the grand gathering since we didn't have enough people otherwise.

The month changed to October. That's when the difficulties started. Slowly, the class started realizing the difficulty behind setting this play. The mood started taking a nosedive. It began with a couple of complaints but quickly transformed into massive opposition. Suspiciously quickly, I would say. Most likely, there were people unhappy with this arrangement in the first place. Then, as soon as the first problems started, they snowballed them into something bigger.

Every day the air became more and more oppressive, resulting in poorer performance and less progress. That, in turn, made the mood even worse. At this rate, there was absolutely no way we could successfully prepare the play. At least not to a remotely decent level.

Knowing that, Maeda-san tried to dispel the negativity surrounding the class. She walked into the center of the group and when she was sure all attention was on her, spoke in a loud cheerful voice.

"Come on, guys. This is not the time to be gloomy. Sure, this play is hard to pull off, but that's all the more reason to put our backbones into it!"

"Y-yeah, let's do it, Maeda-san," I said, trying to sound as enthused as possible, although not very successfully. I glanced around and saw that the response was lukewarm at best. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Ishikawa-san, a stiff smile on his face.

That day's preparations ended, and I headed back home. Near the entrance, I spotted a group of classmates discussing the state of our class. Well, to be more precise, complaining about it.

"Seriously, this play is a mess. What does Kato-san think this is? A Hollywood movie?"
"Yeah, yeah! She's usually pretty chill, but now she's basically obsessed. She is lost in her delusions."
"Also, Maeda is crazy. How can she be all cheery when it's their group's fault we're struggling? Put some thought into it."
"Totally. They're all being so unreasonable with this."
"I hate it when people go and get all fired up without thinking of the consequences — grow up already!"

And so on. I wasn't sure that 'they' only meant Maeda-san and Kato-san. If anything, that might have meant the usual five. Slowly, the negativity spread to all of the group. I was confident those boys were not the only group to say such things. Soon, this sentiment would spread among the majority. This really wasn't looking good...

Maeda-san's attempt at encouragement sadly had no positive effect. In fact, it was the opposite — in a stressful environment, those who stick out often become the target of unjust resentment. On the surface, no one objected to her, at least not directly. But an opinion started circulating throughout the group. They think she was just sticking up for Kato-san — since the play was her idea in the first place. It's easy to talk when your friend is the reason we're in trouble. That sort of thing. With time it got even worse. This wouldn't end well...

Damn, I was starting to sound like him.

***

In a couple of days, the negative sentiment had already settled in. And what was probably even worse was that all of the usual five sensed it. We were discussing the next scene. We struggled to act it out, which was felt in the mood. I could hear the whispers in the crowd, undoubtedly filled with unpleasant gossip about the one they designated as their scapegoat.

Suddenly I saw Suzuki-san stand up, facing the gossiping crowd. Undoubtedly she understood the malice as well. Her sharp gaze darted around, landing on one classmate after another. She directed her ice-cold stare at one of the guys, and he reeled back, caution written on his face.

A chilling silence lasted a few moments before Suzuki-san smashed it with a scorchingly freezing voice.

"If you have something to say — say it upfront. At least have enough backbone to face us directly rather than scurry around like rats."

Her words cut through the surroundings, sharp like a knife. She eyed everyone once more, then turned around and resumed working on the play as if nothing was wrong. Her direct challenge seemed to have an effect because the class remained quiet for the rest of the day. Although, I doubt it fixed the situation. If anything, it only got tenser. Suzuki-san's actions only sullied the mood further.

***

I was leaving the school, following my usual path, on my way to pass the school entrance, when a voice called out to me.

"Hey, Maegahara-kun, do you have a minute?" asked Kato Mitsu as she suddenly appeared from behind the corner. 

"Ah! You startled me... Sure, I can talk right now." Despite my surprise, I agreed.

"Great, can we go to the park nearby?"

Her suggestion caught me off guard, and I ran my brain ragged, trying to figure out the reason behind her offer. I couldn't come up with anything. Still, I decided to go along with her regardless.

I nodded and followed her. We walked in silence, and there was a weird sense of tension I couldn't quite put my finger on. Something felt off about her expression and tone of voice. It was similar to how she always was but simultaneously different. Finally, we reached a nice spot in the park, free of others. 

She stopped and twirled around in place, her arms slightly flailing. Her seemingly easygoing body language contrasted against her serious, almost solemn expression. Gradually, that expression transformed into a sad wilting smile. She took a deep breath and faced me. A weak plea fell from her lips, so faint the wind almost silenced it.

"Will you help us, Maegahara-kun?"

With that, the most eventful cultural festival in my life truly began.