Since I Couldn't Take Part in the Sports Festival, I Had to Appear at the Cultural Festival (4.5k) / Her, Him, and the Cat

Overall ability: B (74)

Although her data was already among the best in Class C, Shiina Hiyori still sighed with a little melancholy when she thought of Kitagawa Ryo's impressive four-dimensional score. Then, to avoid getting annoyed, she switched her phone back to her usual reading and discussion app.

Shiina Hiyori's latest book review is about "A Study in Scarlet," a novella written in 1887 by the United Kingdom mystery novelist Arthur Conan Doyle, and his first work featuring Sherlock Holmes as the protagonist.

For any mystery novel enthusiast, this should be a classic work they read long ago, Shiina Hiyori is no exception. In fact, she published a respectable book review when she was very young, expressing her views on this 'first case' of Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

But now she has published a new review on this platform.

Perhaps because she was still resentful about the perfect ring she received from Kitagawa Ryo at yesterday's Sports Festival, Shiina Hiyori dreamed of the same thing again last night.

She and Kitagawa Ryo, or rather, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, were never unusual sights in Shiina Hiyori's dreams. In fact, after befriending Kitagawa Ryo, a fellow reader of mystery novels with similar tastes and souls, she often dreamed of solving cases with him like Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

All the strange and wonderful images in a dream are essentially composed of everything seen and perceived in the mind during the day, and today is no exception.

Shiina Hiyori could clearly see the bright red [RACHE] on the wall, which is German for revenge, making it easy for her to understand that this was a scene from A Study in Scarlet.

"There's a wedding ring here; a woman must have been here."

In her dazed state, she could hear people reciting lines from a story. The next development should be that Sherlock Holmes uses the ring found at the scene as bait to lure the murderer to his door.

But in an instant, the ring was on her hand.

"This is for you."

It seemed as if I heard something like that, and then even the blood-written words on the wall changed from "revenge" to "[Geschenk]," the German word for gift.

For Shiina Hiyori, this was a dream that was both somewhat baffling and yet clearly made it clear why such a scenario was occurring.

However, this also reminded her that since she had agreed to give Kitagawa Ryo a return gift of equal value, she might as well give him a matching ring as well.

So, after an encrypted A Study in Scarlet, Shiina Hiyori conveyed her request to her parents through <A Study in Scarlet>, wanting to ask for their opinions and suggestions.

The small shop she just shopped at was actually run by a friend of her father's; her parents should have noticed it quickly if the recipient had been given their real name.

Now all you need to do is patiently wait for the package to arrive at school.

Shiina Hiyori nodded, confirming this.

Perhaps it was some kind of detective's intuition.

She felt as if she were approaching some forgotten truth.

Chapter 321: If I can't make it to the Sports Festival, I'll naturally make it to the Cultural Festival (4k5)

Soon, about a week had passed since the rules for the Cultural Festival were announced. During this time, the students of Class 1-A actively submitted their proposals and preliminary results to Ichinose Honami. After Ichinose Honami did a rough screening, it was time to discuss and vote on them in front of the whole class.

"First up is Horikita's dessert shop project. Please come up to the stage and speak, Horikita."

Ichinose Honami was in charge of the class coordinator for this Cultural Festival, flipped through the list in her hand. Perhaps because the occasion was rather formal, she did not use her usual more affectionate nickname, 'Suzune,' but instead, her small face was unusually tense, revealing a rather serious expression.

It must be said that Horikita Suzune was indeed the most well-prepared among the students present. She even made a detailed PPT and saved it on a portable USB drive to bring with her. After making a few minor mistakes on stage, her carefully crafted proposal quickly appeared on the whiteboard.

"In my opinion, although the proportion of adults at this Cultural Festival and the Private Points they hold are undoubtedly the majority, I don't think that those political and business people around 40 or 50 years old will be very interested in a so-called Cultural Festival organized by high school students. After all, whether it's trying to associate themselves with highbrow concerts or stage plays, it's difficult to impress them in terms of professionalism and execution."

Just like giving a report in the Student Council, Horikita Suzune skillfully used the whiteboard to introduce herself to the whole class:

"In this situation, catering facilities naturally have a significant advantage. After all, guests may not be interested in the programs, but they still need to eat. Considering that many children will be attending this Cultural Festival, opening a dessert shop suitable for all ages will undoubtedly bring considerable profits to the class."

After describing the favorable conditions of the objective environment, Horikita Suzune nodded and began to talk about the inherent advantages that Class 1-A had in this project:

"Of course, the advantageous position of catering facilities at this Cultural Festival is something that more than just our class can realize. And when everyone is determined to explore this new track, the key to success will be who can do it more thoroughly and better meet user preferences."

"And that's also a major reason why I chose the dessert shop category. If I'm not mistaken, the food and beverage items chosen by other classes are mostly the same old festival snacks like fried noodles and takoyaki. After all, they fit the atmosphere of the Cultural Festival, and the requirements for ingredients and the chef's cooking skills are relatively low, making them a very safe choice with a high minimum standard."

"However, this also means that the price of these snacks cannot be set too high. After all, these are very common foods, and everyone has a clear understanding of their price, so the final profit will be quite limited."

At this point, Horikita Suzune paused slightly, turning her gaze to Kitagawa Ryo sitting in the back row, her tone also rising a few notches:

"But desserts are different. They can be carefully packaged and sold for several times or even ten times their cost. It's also an absolute advantage that other classes can't compete with, as long as Liang and I take the lead."

Although Horikita Suzune's words were full of absolute confidence, the other students in the audience did not doubt her at all, and even gave her a round of enthusiastic applause.

Before today's discussion even began, Horikita Suzune had already distributed samples of various desserts that Kitagawa Ryo had specially made over the past two days to everyone in the class. With their mouths already sealed with sweet treats, the students had no time to argue with Horikita Suzune's plan. Many girls were even preparing to sign up to help out at the facility, perhaps under the guise of tasting before the store opened...

Horikita Suzune was also quite satisfied with the students' reactions. After continuing to demonstrate the feasibility of the project from a cost and economic perspective, the presentation of the project proposal officially ended. She gave a slight bow to express her gratitude, then unplugged the USB drive and stepped down from the podium.

"So, regarding Horikita's project, does anyone have any questions or suggestions?"

After Horikita Suzune finished her explanation, Ichinose Honami returned to the podium and asked the other students in the audience the same question.

"How many people are needed for Horikita's project?"

The first student to raise her hand and ask a question was Sato Maya from the class.

"Regarding labor costs, the initial preparation work only requires Liang and me, two experienced people. Of course, if there are other students in the class who have experience in dessert baking, they can also sign up with us."

When asked by Sato Maya, Horikita Suzune patiently and methodically gave her an answer.

"No, no, no, what I mean is, um, do you need someone to help out? After all, I'm quite interested in dessert baking."

As soon as Sato Maya spoke, many of the other girls in the class perked up their ears, eager to get an answer from Horikita Suzune.

However, they underestimated how much Horikita Suzune valued this project, still maintaining an attitude that unless you were also a pastry chef, there was no room for negotiation:

"I'm sorry, but because it concerns the product quality and the class's interests on the day of the Cultural Festival, we don't plan to recruit any more newbies during the menu development and baking process. If you are really interested in this project, you can try working as a shop assistant and signboard sign on the day of the Cultural Festival."

"... All right."

Although still somewhat disappointed, Sato Maya couldn't find a reason or excuse to continue the kiss, and could only thoughtfully return to her seat.

"Any other questions?"

After waiting a minute or two and seeing that no more students in the class raised their hands, Ichinose Honami gently clapped her hands and took the initiative to ask Horikita Suzune:

"So, shall I announce that we're entering the show of hands voting stage?"

"Good."

After receiving confirmation from Horikita Suzune, Ichinose Honami and addressed the class again:

"That concludes Horikita's presentation of his proposal. Now, please vote on whether the proposal is feasible by raising your hands. If you think the proposal is viable, please raise your right hand in three seconds. If more than two-thirds of the students agree, the proposal will be officially approved."

"Three, two, one."

After gently counting down from three, Ichinose Honami raised her right hand, and most of the other students in Class 1-A below the stage also agreed without hesitation, officially making Horikita Suzune's confectionery shop project one of the facilities that Class 1-A would operate at this Cultural Festival.

Inside the coffee shop on the fifth floor of Keyaki Mall.

Having already ordered, Kitagawa Ryo took a small sip of his fruit drink, idly waiting for his date to arrive while reminiscing about the class discussion meeting that had just ended.

Perhaps because Horikita Suzune's plan was so mature and flawless, the performances of the subsequent Class A students were somewhat unsatisfactory. Many of their plans seemed like empty shells conceived on a whim. Although there were some plans that sounded good at first glance, such as maid cafes, theatrical performances, and symphony concerts, most students started stammering after being asked a few questions about the specific implementation by their classmates, and ultimately failed to obtain the two-thirds majority required.

In fact Ichinose Honami had already said a week ago that she hoped the students in the class would produce some results before submitting their projects after their first attempt. However, most of the students were still only at the stage of "I think it can be done". Some of their ideas were indeed quite good, so Kitagawa Ryo could only hope that they could gradually improve them and eventually submit a more complete project.

"Sorry, something came up in class and we were a little late today."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was thinking about some class matters, a figure with a somewhat hurried expression sat down in the seat in front of him. It was Asahina Nazuna- senpai, whom he had arranged to meet for drinks and a chat on his phone earlier that day.

"It's alright, it was only a short wait. Wipe your sweat."

Seeing that her senior seemed to have run all the way over, her breathing was visibly rapid, and a thin layer of fine sweat was on her fair and smooth forehead, Kitagawa Ryo politely took two tissues from the tissue box on the table and handed them to her.

"Phew—thank you."

After wiping her sweat with a tissue handed to her by Kitagawa Ryo, Asahina Nazuna let out a long sigh of relief. She tidied her slightly disheveled hair, which had become messy from running, but still seemed somewhat dissatisfied. So she simply placed her bag and phone on the table, stood up from her seat, and somewhat embarrassedly lowered her voice to say to Kitagawa Ryo:

"I'm going over there to wash up for a bit."

"Um."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded with a hint of surprise, then watched Asahina Nazuna- senpai walk briskly toward the restroom while taking out a makeup kit from her small bag. He couldn't help but think to himself that girls really do seem to pay special attention to certain small details in all sorts of strange places.

So, after sitting for a while longer, having touched up her makeup and tidied her hair, with even her eyes sparkling a little brighter Asahina Nazuna sat back down in front of Kitagawa Ryo. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and a familiar, warm, and gentle smile, like that of a girl next door, appeared on her pretty face.

"I'm sorry to have kept Kitagawa-kun waiting. To express my apologies, I'll treat you to today's meal."

As if afraid that Kitagawa Ryo would refuse, Asahina Nazuna immediately took the bill from the transparent cylinder on the table and put it in her hand, preparing to ask the waiter for the bill later.

"Okay, then I'll treat you next time, senior."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't refuse. After spending two or three months together since summer vacation, he had also figured out the personality of the pretty senior opposite him. Unlike another second-year senior he knew, Kiryuin Fuka, Asahina Nazuna's way of dealing with people was undoubtedly closer to Kitagawa Ryo's imagination of ordinary high school girls. On the contrary, she was a bit unlike the kind of girl one would see at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, especially in such an unusual second-year class.

"It's okay. I already told you, Kitagawa-kun, during the Sports Festival. I made a lot of Private Points off you, senpai. That money alone is enough for me to treat you to drinks until I graduate from this school."

Asahina Nazuna skillfully placed her order on the app on her phone, then put the phone back in her pocket. She rested her chin on her hands, propped them on the table, gave Kitagawa Ryo a bright smile, and then winked at him smugly.

"It's a full five figures."

"So many? Then I'll have to keep asking you to come until graduation, there's still a whole year and a half left."

Seeing that Asahina Nazuna was in a good mood, Kitagawa Ryo also made a teasing remark in an exaggerated tone.

"Yeah, anyway, it was Kitagawa-kun who helped me win those Private Points."

Asahina Nazuna nodded earnestly, then, with a somewhat complicated expression, reached out and touched the ends of her freshly styled hair that fell smoothly down from her ears.

"Anyway, even if I don't spend it on Kitagawa-kun, Nagumo will take it away sooner or later."

Unlike before, this time when addressing Miyabi Nagumo, Asahina Nazuna did not use the previous "Masashi," but instead addressed him by his surname rather formally.

"Honestly, he lost the Sports Festival because of his own fault, but in the end, all we students in his class have to do is make up for it. Now, like the other three classes in the second year, Class A has to increase its monthly Private Points contribution from 50% to 70%."

At this point, Asahina Nazuna's tone naturally carried a hint of dissatisfaction. She herself didn't know what Miyabi Nagumo had gone through. Before and after the Sports Festival, the other party seemed like a completely different person. Even after becoming the Student Council President she had always longed for, she still looked lifeless and became more and more stubborn and autocratic. This Cultural Festival was no different.

"He's really like a different person now. It seems like he didn't intend to handle this Cultural Festival properly at all. Instead, he's single-mindedly focused on creating a few high-end items regardless of cost, and he keeps muttering things like, 'Sales figures aren't the key,' 'What's the point of still thinking about the gains and losses of the Cultural Festival itself?' 'It's better to take this opportunity to get to know a few more important people...' and so on."

Seemingly realizing that bringing up Miyabi Nagumo again would only annoy her, Asahina Nazuna leaned forward on the table with a hint of helplessness, lazily asking Kitagawa Ryo:

"By the way, Kitagawa-kun, what kind of program or facility is your class planning? If it's a secret, you don't have to tell me; I'm just asking casually."

"Telling my senior is no problem. Our class's current project is a dessert shop concept, and by the way, I'll be the head chef."

As he spoke, Kitagawa Ryo took out a portion of the dessert that hadn't been distributed that day (his own portion) from the paper bag he had brought and handed it to Asahina Nazuna:

"Would you like to try some, senior?"

"Hmm, this looks even better than the ones sold at school."

"Delicious! Did Kitagawa-kun study this kind of thing before?"

"Hmm... If I had to say, I used to own a really popular dessert shop called 'Hotaru'."

"Really? You're not kidding me, are you? Kitagawa-kun is so young, and he used to be a famous theater Actor, right? He wouldn't have time to open a dessert shop... Wait, isn't the name of this dessert shop the name of your cat?"

"Yes, because Hotaru is the mascot there. Cat Dessert Shop is just like Cat Cafe."

"Even though I know Kitagawa-kun made it up, it does sound pretty good, right? After all, Hotaru is really cute. When will you come and stay in my room for a few nights again... uh, I was talking about Hotaru."

"Haha, there's a chance."

To be honest, chatting casually with Asahina Nazuna was a very comfortable and relaxing experience for Kitagawa Ryo.

But a cat cafe...

It seems there's actually a slight possibility of it happening.

It's good to let Hotaru breathe some fresh air after all this time.

Chapter 322: She, Him, and the Cat

The day after Kitagawa Ryo and Asahina Nazuna- senpai's rather leisurely afternoon tea, the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School finally announced to each class teacher the total amount of additional funds the students had contributed to this Cultural Festival, and the teachers then relayed this information to their respective classes.

"As shown in the image, this is the total number of students and the amount of additional funding received by Class 1-A for this year's Cultural Festival."

The homeroom teacher Mashima Tomoya, naturally shared the news immediately, displaying the form sent to him by the school on the whiteboard behind him in front of all the students in Class 1-A.

A total of sixteen students were awarded additional funding, and their names are listed in a column from top to bottom according to the amount of the additional funding:

Horikita Suzune (Student Council Member): 10,000 activity points.

Sakayanagi Arisu (Student Council Member): 10,000 Activity Points.

Kitagawa Ryo (Head of Drama Club): 10,000 points as an activity reward.

Ichinose Honami (Drama Club Member): 10,000 activity points.

Amasawa Ichika (Drama Club Member): 10,000 activity points reward.

Sakura Airi (Drama Club Member): 10,000 activity points.

Ken Sudō (Basketball Club member): 10,000 activity points.

Onodera Kayano (Swimming Club member): 10,000 activity points.

Miyake Akito (Member of the Archery Club): 5,000 activity points.