While waiting, Tsuna glanced at the time. It was just past four-thirty, and some of the School Festival stalls had already rolled up their tarps, save for a few special ones.
However, the lively corners showed no signs of quieting down. The sound of human voices remained bustling, and the energy, instead of decreasing, seemed to increase.
"Why can't the School Festival have a program schedule like this opera performance?"
Tsuna glanced at the unknown creature slumped on the chair next to him. He didn't speak, but he nodded in agreement.
"But if it were like that, the School Festival would lose a lot of its fun," Shouko, who was beside him, shook her head in disagreement, counting on her fingers as she countered,
"Like exploration, and the constant little surprises at some of the stalls."
"Exactly, exactly! The School Festival shouldn't have a program schedule at all." Ajitani's voice suddenly rang out.
When the three of them turned their heads, they saw her carrying a square cardboard box full of film rolls. Her figure had just swept past them, leaving only her words and the hurriedly departing back of her head.
"Ajitani-chan, do you need any help?!" Shouko saw her walking with such speed that she seemed to be creating wind and couldn't help but raise her voice.
Responding to her was Ajitani's unwavering back and the golden twin pigtails that swung vigorously as she rapidly shook her head from side to side.
It was clear there was no hesitation, yet no sign of her slowing down or turning her head.
Shouko stood up, wanting to follow and help her, but Ajitani was already out of sight. She could only sit back down in her chair, waiting for Takagi to come out of the changing room.
"Shouko, what kind of event is your Art Club holding at the School Festival?"
Tsuna saw her sit down as if the chair had nails, so he diverted her attention by asking.
"An exhibition of each member's work. It's in the left corridor on the first floor of Building Two. You'll see it as soon as you get there."
"Does it require an admission ticket?" Nishikata had recovered a bit on his chair and asked curiously.
He also knew that Shouko was Nanase-sensei, who was close to breaking a hundred thousand followers on Twitter, so he was a bit curious about what kind of artwork she would display.
"No," Shouko shook her head. "Admission is free. The expenses are covered by the club's budget, so we, the club members, don't have to pay extra."
"Then what artwork did you draw, Shouko?" Tsuna pressed on.
"It's a secret. You'll find out when you get there." Shouko playfully wrinkled her nose at him, letting out a slight snort.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. Shall we go now?"
At this moment, Takagi's voice rang out behind the three of them. When Tsuna and the others turned around, they saw her glance around and then curiously ask,
"Where's Ajitani-chan? Did she leave already?"
"Coming, coming! Let's go, everyone!"
As soon as Takagi's words fell, Ajitani's hurried voice came from the passage entrance. As she quickly approached, Tsuna and the others could still see the fine layer of sweat on her forehead.
"Ajitani-chan, where are you going?" Takagi took out a small pack of tissues from her pocket and handed it to her, asking in confusion.
Ajitani took it without hesitation and wiped her forehead, waving her hand casually.
"A task assigned by Nanase-sensei, but it's not important. The most important thing is enjoying the School Festival next!" As she spoke, she didn't forget to playfully raise her eyebrows at them.
Tsuna and his group were already immune to Ajitani's antics, even the cute eyebrow raise at the end. They didn't feel anything in particular and didn't even bother lifting an eyelid.
In contrast, a black-haired student who had just returned from the lounge to retrieve a forgotten item stopped dead in his tracks at the doorway.
His gaze was fixed squarely on that fleeting eyebrow raise, and he remained stunned for several seconds.
——
As soon as they left the auditorium, they parted ways. Takagi and Ajitani walked toward the sports field, while Tsuna and Shouko headed to Teaching Building Two, wanting to first see the Art Club's exhibition.
Nishikata, who was left alone, followed the directions on his phone and met up with his friends waiting under the large banyan tree.
Tsuna and Shouko stepped into the teaching building corridor, where only the chirping of cicadas could be heard, and their footsteps involuntarily paused.
The ceilings, walls, and even doorframes were covered in colorful handmade paper, exaggerated promotional posters, and cheap but shiny plastic decorations.
There was almost no plain space as far as the eye could see, forming a strong contrast with the simple corridor they had seen earlier today.
If it weren't for the sign, they would have considered turning back to check if they had entered the wrong place.
At this moment, students were densely packed, and a cacophony of voices mixed together—from those in dark uniforms to those wearing strange performance costumes.
Vaguely, they could also see a white sheet of a "ghost" floating among the crowd, and committee members with armbands hurrying along.
The classroom doors were all open, with different signs hanging at the entrances:
Class 2B's "Horror Maze," Class 2A's "Maid Cafe" with big-eyed anime girls drawn on it, and the Food Club's "Spicy Yakisoba Challenge."
They could also see dark outlines inside or mountains of drink cups piled up in trash cans.
"Hiss…" Tsuna, who usually disliked noisy environments, instinctively took a breath. "It's almost 5 PM, and I didn't expect there to be so many people."
"Huh? What did you say, Tsuna?!"
This time, Tsuna translated with sign language, and Shouko, who had been bewildered, immediately understood.
Shouko nodded in agreement, then echoed, "High school is quite different from our middle school. If this were middle school, by almost five o'clock most places would be packing up."
"Let's go, we'll check the left corridor first," he said, gripping Shouko's small hand next to him. "The Art Club exhibition is over there. It's probably less crowded and quieter."
Before he finished speaking, he had already protected her with his body, carefully leading her through the noisy crowd.
Shouko slightly shrank behind him, one hand tightly held by him, and the other unconsciously clutching the clothes on his back. Her small figure tried hard to hide in the little space he had carved out for her.
She just needed to follow him closely, avoiding the shoulders and arms that bumped into them. As long as Tsuna was there, the sense of security in her heart would always remain…
The two squeezed through the noisy, hot corridor for a while, finally finding the sign for the Art Club exhibition.
The sea of people gradually receded as they got closer.
The door was more tightly closed than those of the food and drink stalls, but the display board at the entrance was covered with smaller versions of student artwork photos, colorful and vibrant, with "Art Club Exhibition" and "Welcome to Enjoy" written on them.
"Is it inside this classroom?" Tsuna turned to Shouko, whose face was slightly red, and asked in confusion.
As for Shouko's blushing face, he thought it must be from the heat of being squeezed in the crowd; otherwise, there was no other reason.
"Mm-hmm, it should be," Shouko nodded, scanning the small artworks on the display board at the entrance. "Perhaps the club president was afraid the works would be damaged, so they moved them into the classroom."
There had been no notification in the Art Club's communication group, so she thought it must have been a last-minute idea from the president, or perhaps they moved everything inside early since it was almost 5 PM.