University Festival

“Whoa, it’s pretty big, huh?”

Autumn is the season for school festivals. Our academy’s already done with ours, but since there’s a university-hosted festival this weekend, we figured it’s a good chance to check it out, especially since we’re starting to think about college.

“Kouki, you’re planning to go to university, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan for now. You too, right, Aisa?”

“Mhm.”

The vibe at our academy pretty much assumes everyone’s going to college. It’s just how we’ve all been conditioned to think, I guess…

“Yuuki’s got the option to focus on work after graduation, though.”

“I do kinda want to go to university… but either way, I probably won’t be able to attend much…”

Man, she’s really something else.

The reason Yuuki’s here today isn’t to check out the festival but to perform.

She’s already making waves as a singer, and she’s got a live performance on stage. Half the reason Aisa, Manami, and I came was to see Yuuki’s show.

“Wait, you two are way too chill about this, but Manami-chan’s lost, right!?”

“Eh… that’s just business as usual for her…”

“She’ll probably show up before the live, so don’t worry about it.”

“I-I see…”

With so many eye-catching attractions at an event like this, there’s no way Manami wouldn’t wander off. Aisa and I are used to it by now, but Yuuki, who hasn’t had much experience with this, was clearly thrown off. She’ll get the hang of it eventually.

“Alright, how about we check out the festival until Yuuki’s live starts?”

Yuuki was still a bit rattled, but just as we started walking to enjoy the festival—

“Kouki, look…”

There, standing alone in the middle of the path, was a little girl.

She looked way too young to be here by herself. Definitely lost.

Before I could even move, Aisa was already calling out to her.

“Hello!”

“H-Huh… uhh…”

The girl flinched at the sudden voice, but when Aisa crouched down and flashed a warm smile, she stopped in her tracks.

“This big sister’s name is Aisa. What’s yours?”

“…Ai.”

“Ai-chan, huh? Wow, our names are kinda similar!”

“Yeah…”

Whoa… where’d she learn to handle kids like that?

As expected of Aisa-onee-chan. Yuuki and I could only watch from behind. Not that we’d jump in anyway—us butting in might scare the kid.

For now, we decided to leave it to Aisa.

“Did you come here with your family?”

“Yeah… Mama got lost…”

“I see, I see. Don’t worry, we’ll find her together, okay?”

Maybe it was the relief of being reassured, but the girl suddenly burst into tears, like a dam breaking.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! Look, this big brother can give you a piggyback ride, and you’ll be able to spot her from up high in no time!”

“…Really?”

“Yup. C’mon, Kouki.”

Urged on by Aisa, I stepped forward to the girl named Ai-chan.

“We’ll find her in a snap. Leave it to me.”

“…Okay!”

I gave her head a gentle pat and hoisted her onto my shoulders. Meanwhile, Yuuki had already asked around and found out where we could make a lost child announcement, so we headed there while keeping an eye out for Ai-chan’s mom.

“Wow… so high!”

“Hold on tight so you don’t fall, okay?”

“Okay!”

Ai-chan seemed to cheer up, her mood lifting as we started walking.

I figured I’d try to get some info about her mom while we had the chance, but…

“Onee-chan, Onee-chan!”

“Huh… me?”

Ai-chan had taken a liking to Yuuki, who was walking beside us.

Even though she was dealing with a kid, Yuuki looked nervous and tried to hide her face behind her bangs, but…

“Onee-chan, I’ve seen you before!”

“Huh…?”

“Mama has a picture of you! I love your songs!”

“You mean…”

She’s a fan of Yuuki?

“Yuuki, what time’s your stage performance again?”

Yuuki caught the hint behind my question and answered.

“Some people might already be waiting around by now.”

“Plus, there’ll be a ton of staff near the stage, right?”

I doubt a mom whose kid is lost would be casually waiting by the stage, but there’s a good chance she’d be nearby, maybe asking staff for help.

“Nice one, Yuuki.”

“R-Really…?”

Either way, the stage area should have staff and announcement equipment. We changed course and headed that way.

Yuuki, who’d been a bit flustered, gradually slipped into her professional mode as we walked.

“Hey… isn’t that…?”

“Yuki Usagi…? I think she mentioned she’s performing today.”

“So cute…!”

The aura Yuuki was giving off now, completely different from her earlier shyness, was starting to draw attention from the crowd.

Normally, Yuuki wouldn’t want this much attention. Even now, Aisa and I could tell she was pushing herself.

But she was probably doing it to increase the chances of Ai-chan’s mom noticing us.

“Th-Thanks…”

With Yuuki in the middle, Aisa and I flanked her on both sides to shield her from some of the stares. Plus, with Ai-chan on my shoulders, I was probably drawing more eyes than she was.

Considering Yuuki’s goal, this setup should work fine.

“You’re amazing, Yuuki.”

“Huh?”

I whispered to Yuuki.

I was genuinely moved by how Yuuki, for the sake of her fan—Ai-chan—could push past her shyness and keep up her professional front as we headed toward the stage.

“I’m looking forward to your live show, Yuuki.”

“…Yeah!”

In the end, we didn’t spot Ai-chan’s mom on the way, but Yuuki had come so far from the nervous girl who’d just transferred in.

She was downright dependable.

◇

“Oh, Kouki-nii… wait, you had a kid?!”

“As if! Whose kid would it even be?!”

“Haha! What’s your name, kiddo? Let’s play! I got a ball!”

The moment we reached the stage, we were greeted by Manami, inexplicably holding a soccer ball and a mountain of snacks.

The second she locked eyes with Ai-chan on my shoulders, she invited her to play, dazzling her with some fancy footwork and instantly winning her over.

Even Aisa had to work to get past Ai-chan’s initial wariness…

“Kouki-nii, I just talked to a mom looking for her kid. I told her I’d let her know if we found her. This is Ai-chan, right?”

“Whoa…”

“I sent her number in a message, so while I keep Ai-chan busy, give her a call!”

As expected of Manami—she’d already been on the move and sized up the situation in no time.

“Kouki, I’ll make the call. It’d be weird if it came from a guy after she was talking to Manami.”

“Good point.”

So, I left it to Aisa.

And then…

“Yuuki, shouldn’t you head backstage to get ready?”

“Ugh… thanks.”

The stares were getting intense. It’d be better for Yuuki to duck out before it overwhelmed her.

I thought she’d head straight backstage, but after taking a few deep breaths, Yuuki walked over to where Manami and Ai-chan were playing.

“Ai-chan.”

“Oh! Onee-chan!”

Yuuki crouched down to Ai-chan’s level and said softly,

“I’m gonna sing up there soon, so have tons of fun, okay?”

“Really?! Yay! I’m so excited!”

“Alright. I’ll give it my all!”

“Wah!”

Yuuki ruffled Ai-chan’s hair with a grin. Her face no longer looked like that of a timid little animal scared of crowds—it was the face of a pro ready to take the stage.

Yuuki headed off to the staff area by the stage, and just then, Aisa returned from making the call.

“How’d it go?”

“She’s on her way. She’s been looking everywhere and is just around the building, so maybe ten minutes.”

“Got it.”

Phew, that’s a relief.

Thanks to Manami eagerly keeping Ai-chan entertained, ten minutes would fly by.

“I always thought of Manami as the little sister, but at some point, she’s gotten pretty good at being a big sister too, huh?”

Aisa murmured.

It’s true—when she’s with us, we mostly see Manami as the little sister, but she’s totally capable of being a big sister too…

“If Manami had made the call, it might’ve reminded Ai-chan’s mom of her missing kid, and she’d probably be on edge the whole ten minutes.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Manami must’ve figured that out on her own and split up the roles.

When it comes to distracting a little kid, Manami’s the best for the job.

“She’s a sister to be proud of, huh?”

“Mhm.”

Aisa beamed with pride, while Manami and Ai-chan were having a blast.

Ai-chan’s mom arrived soon after, thanking us profusely.

Since Ai-chan had grown so attached to Manami and didn’t want to leave her side, we ended up watching the live show together with her grateful mom. Ai-chan stayed on my shoulders the whole time so she could see better.

Yuuki’s live performance was a huge success, and we got a good feel for the university’s vibe—a fulfilling day all around.