I Was Supposed to Be Giving Love Advice on the School Radio, but Before I Knew It, the Beautiful Girls at School Were Hitting on Me
And so, the cultural festival planning meetings began again. From now on, it seems that we will be working on tasks divided by department. I was assigned to the General Affairs Department, which was the department I had hoped for, so I was relieved.
“First of all…welcome to General Affairs ! I’m Aihara, the leader !”
Aihara senpai, the leader of the General Affairs Department, had his usual refreshingly handsome face.
“The General Affairs Department handles various procedures that form the foundation of the cultural festival, coordination with each club, and orders from external companies…well, we don’t do anything flashy, but we’re the unsung heroes, so let’s do our best !”
Compared to other departments, there were clearly fewer people in our department, but my senior chose his words carefully to encourage us. Well, the reason was obvious……to put it bluntly, it was boring.
If you’ve made it into the Cultural Affairs Department, it’s only natural to want to join a more visible department like stage setup or decoration. Only someone as eccentric as me or someone with ulterior motives would deliberately choose this department…
“Senpai ! I’ll do my best !”
“Great, Shirahama san ! Keep it up !”
…Sorry, by ‘us’ I mean me.
Next to me, Shirahama is making a high-energy fist pump. What can I say, she’s an honest person…
“Senpai, I’m free, so please give me as much work as you can !”
“The General Affairs Department is short-staffed this year, so let’s all work together to get things done.”
“Yes ! Count on me !”
“Kageyama kun, even though the General Affairs Department is short-staffed, let’s work together and do our best.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll do my best.”
I bowed to the senior who gave me a bright smile. As I was doing that, someone tapped my shoulder from behind. When I turned around, there was Saionji senpai, looking hesitant. She was also in the General Affairs Department.
“Hey…..Kageyama kun?”
“What’s wrong, Senpai?”
The president, looking hesitant, looked around and spoke to me.
“Um…are you really okay with this? Here…”
“Here? What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean, are you really okay with being in the General Affairs Department?”
Perhaps because Aihara senpai was there, Saionji senpai spoke in a low voice. …Well, after talking about that at the café, she must be worried that I’m concerned about her…
“It’s okay. I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes type of person. There’s no need for Saionji senpai to worry.”
“Oh, really?”
The president relaxes, relieved. Well, it’s true that I chose General Affairs so I could support her as much as possible… But I don’t need to say that. It’ll just make her worry unnecessarily.
Satisfied with the growing bustle in the General Affairs department, Aihara senpai nods contentedly.
“Alright, let’s get to work right away ! We’ll divide the tasks nicely, so please do your best.”
“Yes !”
Aihara senpai’s declaration echoed loudly throughout the general affairs department.
♢
About 15 minutes passed. We were working according to Aihara senpai’s instructions.
“But paperwork is such a hassle…”
Of all people, Shirahama Mikuri was targeting Aihara senpai… She stared at the budget requests for each club from this year and last year piled up in front of her, unable to hide her frustration.
“Move your hands before you move your mouth.”
“Shut up, don’t interfere.”
Keeping her gaze fixed on the paper, Shirahama spoke. Just the two of us in the empty classroom. The cheers of the baseball team could be heard from outside.
“Ugh, this job is so boring, and why do I have to be stuck with this guy…”
“That’s what I should be saying.”
I finished checking the last sheet of paper in front of me and turned back to Shirahama.
“There, the sports club part is done. Send over the first part.”
“What, it’s already done? What about the mock store?”
“I used last year’s data as a reference, so it was quick. Here you go.”
I gestured for Shirahama to hand it over. After a moment’s hesitation, Shirahama handed me a sheet of paper.
“…This is what I did earlier. Check to make sure there are no mistakes.”
It was a blunt request, but it was fine. If I double-checked it, I wouldn’t cause the president any unnecessary trouble.
“……”
“……”
Despite complaining earlier, Shirahama suddenly became quiet and started working intently… Her serious expression didn’t match her girly appearance.
“You are…surprisingly serious.”
“Shut up, I just don’t want Aihara senpai to think I can’t do my job.”
Keeping her eyes on the paper, Shirahama continued to argue with me, still focused.
“So you’re after Aihara senpai after all.”
“…Huh !? Why would you think that…”
Even though she brought it up herself, Shirahama looked genuinely surprised. Her eyes were clearly shaking with emotion. I felt like this was the first time our eyes had met today.
Shirahama stared at my face for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.
“…Don’t tell him.”
“I won’t. No one cares about your love life.”
“Liar. You’re definitely gonna talk about it on the radio.”
“You…what do you think my radio show is?”
Shirahama looked utterly despairing, and I suddenly remembered something I had been wondering about.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you had a boyfriend the other day?”
“…Haa.”
“Why are you sighing?”
“Because this is perfect gossip material ! You’re definitely gonna broadcast it, right !?”
“I said I won’t !”
“Ugh, this is the worst. I’ll end up being made fun of like everyone else’s letters…”
Shirahama complained, and that one sentence made me snap. I felt a surge of heat in my core.
“Listen, Shirahama, you seem to be misunderstanding something, so let me clarify.”
“What’s with the sudden change?”
“Just listen.”
Perhaps sensing that my voice was stronger than usual, Shirahama stammered, I continued without hesitation.
“I absolutely do not take the radio show lightly. I take each and every love advice I receive seriously.”
“What, suddenly getting all passionate…”
“It’s fine if you dislike me. This is the nature of the program, and some people will find it difficult to relate to. But don’t make fun of the people who took the time to send letters to my radio show.”
Shirahama remained silent, glaring at me defiantly.
“Listen, those people are enduring their embarrassment and sending letters because they want encouragement. It’s not your place to arbitrarily dismiss them, got it?”
Uncharacteristically, I ended up raising my voice. Shirahama flinched reflexively.
I thought I might have gone too far, but it was already too late. Shirahama stood up with her head down, picked up her bag, and turned around.
“Hey, Shirahama…”
“I’m going home.”
Without looking back, Shirahama said curtly and started walking away. I couldn’t find any more words to say to her, so I silently watched her leave.
“…Damn it.”
I don’t know what I’m angry about, but I’m inexplicably furious. Well, I’ll just finish the work Shirahama left behind and go home to listen to the radio…
In the classroom, which had grown even quieter than before, I picked up the stack of papers Shirahama had left behind and flipped through them.
“…What the hell, this is messing with my rhythm.”
I gathered all the papers I had checked, slung my bag over my shoulder, and left the classroom.
Maitoshi