Side Story 2, Earth 6 – Hayami Eitaro – The Unknown
Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/
Translated by Gumihou
Hello, I am Hayami Eitaro.
I am one of the super important people who originally triggered the much talked about ‘Do You Know Our Kappa?’ project that was this year’s Cultural Festival event!
That’s right, it is I, Hayami Eitaro, President of the UMA Research Society.
On the edge of the now sparsely populated field, near the corridor leading to the back of the old building, I, a senior, was waiting to congratulate the first-year members of the Confessions Club who had worked hard to make this project a success.
“Hm? Hayami-senpai, where have you been?”
“I’ve been here the whole time, watching you guys.”
“I see.”
“… …”
In fact, I watched both the Cross-Dressing Competition and the Three-Legged Race, naturally, I must support the teams that represented our great Alliance.
Oda-san and Saiga-kun were both sweaty and tired out from their race. Both were wiping their faces with face towels as they looked at me with puzzled expressions.
Wait, you guys haven’t forgotten who I was, right?
“Oi, Hayami!”
A sudden loud voice called me. It was Kuroki-senpai!
I turned around and there he was, with his slicked-back hair and a whole head taller than me. [1] He jerked his head to the side, “The Vice-President wants to see you.”
“Huh?”
I looked dubiously in the direction he indicated and, there, leaning against a pillar with an awkward and somewhat indescribable expression on her face, was the Vice-President. She was twisting a lock of her hair around one finger.
“Oi, Confession Club peeps, go back to the HQ. Your reward’s waiting for you.”
“Is it food, Senpai?!”
Oda-san jerked her hand up, her question 100% serious. This person really loves to eat. It’s amazing how she manages to stay slim.
“Yeah, there’s plenty of food. Since the festival is almost over, all the food stalls have started their half-price deals.”
“I love you, senpai!”
“Hmph, don’t fall for me.”
“Hey, that’s kinda…”
“… …”
The three first-years made their way to the headquarters after glancing back at me. As for me, I made my way towards Vice-President Sakuma. Actually, I’m still really scared of her, but I’m sure it will be fine. After all, Kuroki-senpai is here too!
“Hayami-kun.”
“Y-yes…?”
My voice sounded strange. The way she said my name brought back the trauma of our last meeting a few months ago, and I suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
There was a very grim expression on the Vice-President’s face.
“I… admit defeat.”
“Huh?”
“I was in the wrong for taking over the UMA Research and… I’m sorry for calling the Cultural Club’s exhibitions boring.”
“Vice-President?”
“You guys did an amazing job, launching such an incredible project.”
She was so straightforward that it was actually a little scary…
“W-what…”
“Well, do accept my apologies~ I have all sorts of responsibilities and, well, I can tell when something’s the real deal. When I saw that banner, hmm, I understood that it was my complete defeat.”
“… …”
What is this feeling?
An indescribable emotion was welling up from the depths of my heart.
That’s right, we really, truly ‘did our best’, didn’t we?
A few months ago, we, the Cultural Club members, had been mocked so badly that we launched an incredible project fueled by bitterness and a need to prove ourselves. However, if the Vice-President had left us alone… would ‘Do You Know Our Kappa?’ project ever materialise? Would we really put ourselves on the line?
“Oi, Vice-President. While I did launch a rebellion against you, you were fundamentally right. In a way, it’s just a high school cultural festival, but we should all put in an effort to liven things up. It’s also true that the Cultural Club’s exhibitions were kind of boring and samey each year,” Kuroki-senpai interjected from his position by the door.
“Kuroki-senpai…”
“If you hadn’t pushed us into the old building, this project would never have happened. We wouldn’t have worked so hard out of sheer spite. In a way, I’m grateful to you. If we managed to make you go ‘yikes’ once, that’s good enough for my mind.”
“…yikes…?” I muttered to myself.
“Uwaahhh!! What’s with that response?! How annoying!!!” The Vice-President snapped, before looking up at Kuroki-senpai through her eyelashes. I tried to join in by saying ‘Yeah, that’s right’, but no one’s paying attention to me.
In the end, the Vice-President chuckled and said, “You’re both too kind.”
She had reverted back to her cheery self. As expected of a model, she’s pretty resilient. Her smile no longer felt scary any more, in fact, it was kind of sweet.
Yeah, I know. I’m pathetically weak, aren’t I?
“Therefore, I do believe that it’s a good idea to push the Cultural Clubs even harder next year. It would be good to make you guys taste more bitterness, again.”
“Eh?”
“Ahahahaha, I would have graduated by that time, but then again,” Kuroki had a hand on our shoulders. That is, he had a hand on mine and the Vice-President’s shoulders. “Hayami, you’re here, aren’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“You’re the second-year guy I work with most on this Kappa Project. Next year, you’ll take over as the leader of the Cultural Club Alliance.”
“Eeeeh?! What?! What!!?”
“Yes, it’s been decided. Next year’s project would be just as amazing, if not better than this year, so take your time to think about it.”
“N-no way…”
Kuroki-senpai turned to the Vice-President, “So, it’s fine to push the Cultural Clubs next year. Even if I’m not around, Hayami will still be here. And the most frightening thing is…”
“The Confession Club members.”
“Yup, yup, those guys aren’t normal people.”
While everyone from the Cultural Club Alliance had worked hard in their respective roles, the MVP members were undoubtedly the three from the Confession Club. Even though they were still first-years, their charisma, potential and influence were among the major reasons why everything was so lively this year.
The Vice-President must have felt this, too.
“I wouldn’t mind scouting those kids into the Student Council…” said Vice-President as she touched her chin thoughtfully.
“Hahaha. They wouldn’t fit into such a rigid organisation.”
“They’re kind of free spirited, aren’t they…”
I can agree with that.
Members of the Confession Club aren’t motivated by things like seniority, student councils, superiors or power. Even though they were younger than me, there were times when I felt like there was a gulf between us.
Like, like, they were beings beyond the clouds.
“You can lure Oda-san in with food, and then…”
“Once you have Oda-san, you’ll get Saiga too. Still, Yuri is the most level-headed of the lot, so if you want to talk them in, you should try talking to him first.”
“Hm, how did we end up talking about the ways to lure the Confession Club members in?”
Thus, on the second day of the cultural festival, the months-long standoff was finally settled. The Vice-President and I shook hands and nodded; both sides agreeing that this was the Cultural Club’s overwhelming victory.
However, from here on, well, you could say the battle for next year’s cultural festival had just started.
Once Kuroki-senpai graduates, the true test of the Cultural Clubs’ strength will begin. To ensure victory next year, it would be wise to get along well with the Confessions Club members.
I’m sure that the Vice-President will try and get them on her side.
On the final day of the Cultural Festival, thanks to the success of the ‘Do You Know Our Kappa?’ project, the day was even more lively than before. Word had spread, and we have visitors from all over the place.
The old, forgotten building suddenly became something closer to a main attraction.
In the end, we won the overall project category, and received awards, recognition and more importantly, a party allowance!
Kuroki-senpai was lifted up in victory, while Shizu-chan was nominated for Miss Seijo High and won.
As for the Vice-President? She won first runner-up. Although she did not manage to win Miss Seijo High for two consecutive years, she still looked quite satisfied.
Thus, ends one of the most memorable cultural festivals I have ever had in my life.
“Let’s leave all the proper cleanup for tomorrow and depart first!!”
“Ou!!”
The Kappa Alliance had decided to party with the funds like proper high school students.
When asked for suggestions, Oda-san quickly raised her hand and shouted, “Yakiniku!”
Everyone grinned and agreed. Oda-san was treated kind of like a mascot or a pet by senior members; it was kind of sweet.
She has a sharp kind of beauty to her, but her attitude is pretty cute.
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“Alright! Cultural Club peeps! Let’s celebrate the grand success and victory of the Kappa Festival. Cheers!”
“Cheers~!”
We’re at an all-you-can-eat yakiniku restaurant in Shinjuku. At Kuroki-senpai’s command, we raised our juice glasses and clinked them together. Everyone had a look of accomplishment on their faces.
It was the same for me.
I had been researching Kappa lore alone all this while, and never worked with so many people to create something before.
As Cultural Club members, we had been satisfied with quietly working in the shadows. For this project, we all gathered our seeds of pride and pushed forward together on this single project. We worked, brainstormed and created, dedicating time and effort to the Cultural Festival and doing our best to improve every little bit. I believe that this project was a success thanks to the unique characteristics of each cultural club and the members who gathered there.
It just shows that when tiny clubs like ours gather together under a great flag, we can take on something big with our creation.
This time, the theme happened to be Kappa. However, I’m sure that everyone would work to pursue their own themes in the future.
In my hands was the DVD of the movie ‘Have You Seen My Kappa?’ that the Filming Club President had given to me earlier. For some reason, the DVD came with a horror-esque illustration on the cover. I think I’ll just quickly put this away in my drawer later when I get home.
However, there’s no doubt that I will watch this movie again one day and remember this year’s cultural festival.
“Hey, I was grilling that meat! How can you just eat all of it, Tooru!?”
“What? This is an all-you-can-eat place, so just get more.”
“You need to eat some vegetables too, Maki-chan. A meat-only diet is not good for your beauty.”
I glanced over where the Confession Club members were making a ruckus nearby.
What a mysterious trio. Although they were usually quiet to the point of being secretive, whenever they came out of their little unused art room hidden within the old building, they would inevitably stand out and draw all attention.
“Oda-chan!! We have extra premium galbi meat!!” First-year Art Club member Maruyama-san called out, her red-rimmed glasses gleaming.
Oda-san got up and rushed to her table, “Oh, you have loin meat too!”
“Hey, do something about that thing’s eating habits, Yuri…”
“Well, this is an all-you-can-eat after all, Tooru-kun.”
“That’s beside the point. What about her image as a woman?”
“Well, she’s still in her growing phase, right?”
“You’re spoiling her too much.”
For some reason, it felt like I was listening to a father and mother talking about their gluttonous daughter… how mysterious.
Amidst the savoury smell of grilling meat, I suddenly wondered… just what do they confess in this Confession Club?
What is the purpose of the club?
The question came to mind when I first heard about the club. After getting to know them better, my desire to know had deepened.
I have always liked to seek out the unknown.
Sizzle…
Amidst the savoury smell of grilled meat, everyone was enjoying themselves, eating and drinking.
And then, Oda-san returned with a large amount of meat on a plate and noticed the kappa DVD next to me.
“Senpai, what’s that…? It looks pretty scary.”
Well, the Kappa illustration was a bit scary-looking.
“It’s the DVD of the movie that was shown during the festival. You can get one from the Filming Club or Kuroki-senpai if you want one.”
“It looks kind of scary… but like, I want to watch it too.”
As she stared intently at the DVD, I suddenly asked, “So, um, what exactly are you guys… confessing?”
“… …”
Oda-san looked a little taken aback by my question.
Then, she smiled. A mature and mysterious smile that made my heart skip a beat as she said, “It was something from a long, long time ago…“
“….?”
“There was a big fight between the three of us. We want to record it down so that we will never forget.”
“… …”
Then, as though she could no longer wait, she sat down and started piling more and more meat onto the grill. The flames flared up from the oil dripping onto the charcoal, and Saiga-kun snapped, “Hey, careful!”0
Something from a long, long time ago?
That was it, that was all.
I felt lightheaded and kind of floaty… it was similar to the feeling I get when studying unknown creatures. It’s fine not to understand everything. That’s right, that’s what researching UMA creatures was like.
Yup.
“Oi, Hayami, you gotta show us some spirit and do your best next year, yeah~?” Kuroki-senpai yelled. Then, he turned to everyone and said, “Next year, Hayami will take over as leader.”
He looked drunk. Can someone get drunk on the atmosphere and juice?
“Oi, Confession Clubbers, make sure to support him next year too, yeah?”
“… …”
“Sup? You had fun, right?”
“Only if we get to eat yakiniku again next year.”
Oda-san mumbled around a mouthful of meat.
Saiga-kun sighed but did not refute it. Yuri-kun laughed awkwardly, “But no more cross-dressing, please.”
Still, since none of them outright refused, I guess they did enjoy the cultural festival in their own way.
Even though they were my juniors, they felt oddly reliable and stable. I mean, not reliable exactly, but I get the feeling that we won’t lose if we have them with us next year.
Of course, it’s important to come up with strategies that cover all aspects and not over-rely on them to pull in customers. We should also come up with high-quality cultural festival projects, but it is still reassuring to have them with us.
Even though the year started off weirdly, it was still a lot of fun. I have no idea what next year’s cultural festival will be like, but I’m excited to create something together.
Our Kappa Festival is just beginning.
Author: The Kappa Festival arc turned out longer than expected, but it has finally come to an end. Thank you for reading.
Gumihou: I really enjoyed it too. Though I have to wonder what impact their deaths have on their friends on Earth…
[1] Added details
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