The campus festival was one of the most familiar collective events in Japanese schools. Students organized activities by club or by class; when the day ended, the school would simply pick a few stands or exhibitions that had been particularly popular.
There were no prizes. It didn't help with entrance exams. They did it purely for fun.
Still — standing out before the whole school did bring a certain degree of "priority in the school's dating ecosystem," and in future events, the teachers tended to pick these students first.
So, there was value to it.
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Tobano High School, Class 2-C.
The terrazzo floor made Kobayashi Tetsu feel, absurdly, as though he had stepped into some early-2000s Chinese school. If not for the occasional Japanese signage and the exaggerated handwritten posters pasted on the sliding doors, the blue-painted lower walls could easily have passed for somewhere else entirely.
Sunlight poured through the big windows, so bright it made him squint.
As he walked the corridor, he saw familiar types of festival rooms — makeshift haunted houses, improvised bakeries, simple club exhibitions. Nothing particularly surprising.
He hadn't yet reached Class 2-C, but from the far end of the hallway he already saw Kozakawa pacing back and forth with her head down. She was stepping carefully, placing each foot exactly on the gap between tiles… speeding up a little, slowing down again, repeating the pattern obsessively.
From the half-open classroom door came lively noise, but she didn't seem part of it at all.
Tetsu could see it instantly.
Excessive tension — manifesting as compulsive habits.
If she had a phone, she would probably be turning the screen on and off again and again, not to check anything, just to soothe her nerves.
He walked over and raised a hand in greeting.
"Is it really the world shutting you out… or are you shutting out the world, hm?"
Kozakawa looked up, startled. A fleeting brightness crossed her expression — quickly smothered beneath the stiffness from before.
"W-what are you suddenly talking about… isolated worlds… I'm just waiting for someone."
But Tetsu had already caught that flash of joy in her eyes.
She straightened, trying her best to appear composed.
"You're late. Rinko thought you got lost."
"Impossible," Tetsu said, gesturing inside. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"A-ah… right!"
Only then did Kozakawa remember to pull open the sliding door and lead him into the room.
Inside, only three or four students were present, gathered around desks covered with papers and markers. Two desks were pushed together to form a display counter, where a hand-made signboard stood.
Tetsu narrowed his eyes at the words on it.
"Takoyaki… oh? How impressive."
Along the way here, he had already passed more than ten student-run takoyaki stands.
Japanese classes were small — twenty or so students made a "large" class in the 80s. Considering how many students didn't like participating, and how many were busy with club duties elsewhere, the fact that 2-C even had a booth was already more enthusiastic than most.
Many classes didn't have anything at all.
The students here barely looked up when he approached, still busy with prep. Tetsu leaned slightly toward Kozakawa and lowered his voice.
"How many of your classmates are actually involved?"
"Two," she replied. "Some are helping the kendo club. Besides those who don't participate… these are the only ones left."
Tetsu nodded.
Good enough.
Time to make them noticeable.
"Takoyaki? Not bad. Can I try one?"
He strode forward so quickly Kozakawa couldn't stop him, and she hurried after him.
A girl with braided hair looked up nervously. Maybe this was their first outside customer.
"T-Takoyaki… we're still preparing, but we have finished batches. Two-hundred fifty yen a serving. W-would you like to try?"
"Sure." Tetsu reached into his pocket, but found only two coins — the rest were bills.
It would feel obnoxious to flaunt big bills in front of students.
So he turned to Kozakawa.
"Didn't bring enough change. Lend me fifty yen?"
She agreed right away, pulling out a small coin purse. From a quick glance, he saw mostly coins — maybe around a thousand yen total.
The innocent worries of student life…
Tetsu shook his head lightly and handed over the money. Soon, he received a steaming tray of takoyaki.
Takoyaki was a staple of night markets. Plenty of stalls sold it, but few did it well. Ultimately, it came down to whether the seller was willing to spend money on good octopus and good katsuobushi.
He took a bite.
Honestly? Not bad. He could taste their effort — solid ingredients, earnest cooking.
If this were a night market, he would rate it highly.
But unfortunately… this wasn't a night market.
"It's decent," Tetsu said plainly as he put down the tray. "But there are takoyaki stalls all over campus right now. What makes you think yours can stand out?"
The students' faces fell instantly.
They'd been expecting praise. Hearing this instead shocked them.
"Um…" the braided girl stammered, embarrassed. "We're just participating for fun… It's not like we have to win anything. I mean, it's not unimportant, but… the happy memories matter more."
Tetsu couldn't hold back a laugh.
In fact, he did laugh.
"Is that really what you believe? If it didn't matter, you could've just wandered around like everyone else. You joined because you want to win something. But let's be honest — like this, you won't. I don't see anything here that's different from the other takoyaki stalls."
The girl bit her lip, holding back tears.
"We… we have heart. And dedication. And perseverance."
Tetsu laughed louder.
"You'd be better off saying you have the most tender octopus from Hokkaido and the finest katsuobushi in Japan. At least that'd be concrete. 'Heart'? Everyone else has heart too. Is your heart somehow heavier than theirs?"
The girl's eyes welled up.
Tetsu remained perfectly calm.
He was simply telling the truth.
"Don't rush to argue. If you want to win, do something no one else can do."
He spread his hands, striking a pose worthy of a stage magician.
"Now—why don't you let me organize things?"
#Note: Kozakawa and Kobayakawa are the same person
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