Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051603068864073
A week before the cultural festival, our classroom was completely covered with blackout curtains, even at the windows.
Star-shaped decorations hanging from the ceiling swayed in the pale blue light. At the back of the classroom stood the wooden photo frame Shiori and I had built. Near the entrance, a reception desk and chairs for waiting were lined up—it was a completely different place from our usual classroom.
The name of our class project was “Starry Sky Café.”
Today, we had asked students from another class to play the role of customers so we could run through the entire process—from check-in to ordering to the photo shoot—to make sure everything was in order.
“Sato-san at the reception desk, the committee meeting is running late!”
Just before the rehearsal was set to begin, a girl from the executive committee rushed in holding the attendance sheet.
“We’re one person short. Can anyone step in at the reception desk?”
Tanabe scanned the classroom and pointed at me as I was carrying a chair for the photo shoot.
“Segawa and Miyahara should be fine. You both know the layout, and you can explain the photo spots.”
“But we’re on the decoration team.”
“The people who made it know it best, right? Here, take this apron.”
Before I could object, she handed me a dark navy apron and a star-shaped name tag.
Shiori took the apron without hesitation and put it on over her uniform. She tied the strings behind her back and looked at me.
“Minato, your name tag’s on backwards.”
“Huh?”
When I looked down at my chest, the top and bottom of the star were upside down. Shiori stood directly in front of me, took off my name tag, and put it back on correctly. Tanabe, who had been watching nearby, whistled dramatically.
“The atmosphere’s already great, even before we open.”
“Cut the crap, Tanabe. Go set up the chairs.”
I took a step to the side.
I didn’t want Shiori to be teased too, and I still wasn’t used to being seen as a couple in public. But Shiori, without saying a word, tugged at the hem of my apron.
“Minato-kun. Over here.”
“But if we sit too close, they’ll say something again.”
Shiori glanced once in the direction of Tanabe and the others. She wasn’t entirely unfazed—her ears were a little red. Still, she didn’t let go of my apron; after choosing her words carefully, she looked up at me.
“It is a little embarrassing to be teased. But I don’t want to hide the fact that I’m sitting next to you, Minato-kun. If you’re going to move away for my sake, please ask me first.”
She thought she’d been considerate in her own way.
But once again, I’d gone and decided on my own how Shiori felt.
“Sorry. I’d rather be with Shiori, too.”
“Then please don’t just walk off on your own. This is our station where we’re supposed to guide people together.”
Shiori lightly pressed her finger against my name tag and, this time for real, returned to her spot next to the reception desk.
Once the rehearsal began, I had no time to feel self-conscious.
Students playing the role of customers came in all at once, forming a line in front of the reception desk. The order slips were out of sequence by one, and students waiting to be photographed nearly collided in the aisle with those being shown to their seats.
“Minato, please move the students waiting for their photos over to the window side. Could you handle the explanations at the entrance?”
“Got it. Tanabe, move just two chairs over here. I need to clear the aisle.”
“Got it!”
While Shiori rearranged the order slips by number, I stopped the flow of people at the entrance and guided those waiting for their photos to the window side. I noticed that the wooden frame for the photo shoot was slightly askew, so I tightened the fasteners at the base.
We didn’t need to discuss in detail what to do next.
When I cleared the aisle, Shiori formed a waiting line in the open space. While Shiori was confirming orders, I explained how to take photos. When I started moving around too much on my own, Shiori reached under the reception desk and handed me a paper carton of barley tea.
“Here, have some.”
“I’m fine for now.”
“It’s not about whether you’re fine or not—you can drink it now. It’ll be too late once it gets crowded.”
It was quicker to just take it than to argue. I thanked her, took a sip, and Shiori returned to the order slips with a satisfied look.
Around that time, someone called out that we were running low on paper cups from the supply cabinet.
“I’ll get some from the storage room.”
Rino picked up a box on her own. Without passing the task to anyone else or calling for me, she ran down the hallway.
By the time she returned about ten minutes later, the line in front of the reception desk had disappeared.
I escorted a student who had finished their photo shoot to the exit, while Shiori was smiling as she explained how to use the wooden frames to the next group. When our eyes met, Shiori held up two fingers at me without pausing her explanation. It was a signal that the next pair was up.
I moved one chair back to make room for two people to stand.
Rino set the box of paper cups on the desk and watched for a moment. She didn’t say anything; instead, she checked the number of supplies that were running low and restocked the rest on the shelf.
When the rehearsal ended, a girl on the executive committee made a note in red pen on the duty roster.
“During the lunch rush, is it okay to assign Segawa-kun and Miyahara-san to the reception desk? You two handled the flow best today.”
“If you’re okay with us…”
When I looked at Shiori, she nodded immediately.
“Yes. We’ll handle it together.”
“All right, it’s settled.”
The revised duty roster was posted on the bulletin board outside the classroom.
In the slot for the busiest time, from 12:00 to 1:00, Shiori’s and my names were listed side by side.
Tanabe saw it and folded his arms.
“If it’s Segawa and Miyahara, we’ll be fine. You two managed things with almost no instructions today.”
The classmates standing nearby naturally agreed.
It wasn’t because we were a couple that we were paired up. The fact that people thought the two of us could be trusted with the task made me happier than I’d expected.
Shiori opened her navy-blue planner and wrote the time in the section for the day of the cultural festival.
“On the day of the cultural festival, this is my station.”
“My name’s right next to yours, too.”
“Yes.”
Shiori looked at the two names side by side once more, then added my name to her planner as well.
“All in all, I really like this.”
A short distance away, Rino was also checking the duty roster.
After looking at the column where our names were listed side by side, she slid her finger down to her own time slot for restocking supplies. Once she confirmed there were no mistakes, she said nothing to anyone and headed back to the classroom, carrying a box of empty paper cups.
Shiori closed her planner and tugged on my sleeve in front of the bulletin board.
“Don’t wander off on your own on the day of the event, okay?”
“I won’t. It’s our station, after all.”
“Okay. I’ll stay right by your side, too.”
The evening light streaming through a gap in the blackout curtain cast a narrow beam onto our names lined up on the duty roster.
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