Oregairu Vol. 6.25 Chapter 4

Vol. 6.25 Chapter 4
[However, their festival does not progress.]

After school, not long after Zaimokuza had declared war on Ebina.

There was a strange atmosphere enveloping the conference room where the Sports festival Committee were at.

Finally, the moment for the show-down has arrived.

East, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru.

West, Ebina Hina.

A shitty otaku wannabe vs.  a high-spec Fujoshi. It was like the opening scene from a dream match in a nightmare. [1]

For this unexpected match, we were making all sorts of preparations in the conference room. We were doing all sorts of jobs, such as putting up the screen at the front of the conference room, warming up the projector, checking the connections for the personal computers, and checking whether the projection was up to standards.

In the midst of these preparations, Hiratsuka sensei watched us from the back, and spoke in a voice full of emotions.

“Oh? Powerpoint? High-school students these days are really good at technology.”

“Isn’t PPT commonly used? You can’t see anything if not’s written big enough on a piece of paper.”

Hearing Yuigahama’s reply, Hiratsuka sensei gave a wry smile.

“No, because we were still using OHP during my time as a student.”

“……OHP? What’s that abbreviation?”

Yukinoshita tilted her head at hearing that unfamiliar term.

Thereupon, Hiratsuka sensei’s wry smile stiffened.

“No, it’s nothing. No need to worry. Quick, continue your work.”

As she said that, she slumped back onto her chair.

“Is that so…… So no one knows, kids these days……”

Hiratsuka sensei uttered in a small voice as though she didn’t want to be heard by anyone. It’s all right! I know!

Let me explain. About this OHP, it’s not the OPP in OPPAI (TL note: OPPAI = TITS), but it’s the abbreviation for overhead projector. You use a marker to write on a plastic wrapper-like type of transparent vinyl and then use a machines to project it. It was still possible that this was being used in a elementary school somewhere. I too, have a faint memory of this contraption.

Besides Hiratsuka sensei, whose face was pure white like a burnt out charcoal, the preparations for the presentations were complete.

Finally, after turning the laser pointer on and off to check that it was functional, Yukinoshita called out to Meguri-senpai.

“Meguri-senpai, the work at our side is done.”

“Thank you.”

After giving a smile in reply, she turned to look at the state Sagami was in.

“Then let us begin…… Well, Sagami-san?”

“Yes, that’s, that’s about right……”

Sagami’s voice was trembling. Probably Sagami was going to start hosting this conference by herself from now on. If I were to describe here expression, then it would be more of fear than that of nervousness.

However, rather than say that Sagami was afraid of her position as the committee chairman, it was more likely that she was afraid of the super energetic Ebina-san besides her.

“Then…… Hina-chan and...... you, I am counting on you two……”

“Leave it to me!”

“Yahoo!”

Both of them stood up immediately, with a look of nervousness and excitement, and went to the screen. They looked at each other, a provocative smile on their faces.

Finally, their presentation showdown was beginning.
X                                                           X                                                      X
What was surprising, was that it was Zaimokuza who led the offensive.

Generally, I felt that those who took the initiative in these sort of competitions was most likely to lose…… It seems to be fairly common in most cooking mangas.

“RUFUN!”

Zaimokuza stood in front of the screen, and coughed once.

Lowering his head into a bow, after which he proceeded to operate the computer and showed a summary of his work via Powerpoint. The title was “Sports Festival Game Proposal” which was surprisingly normal. Besides the fact that the font looked like of like calligraphy, there was nothing else that was particularly out of place.

<<Simple is best>> and phrases like that have often been used as an excuse to slack off work. I was one of those who loved using that phrase as well.

Now then, what kind of content would await us with this simple title? Everyone was watching attentively with that breaths held.

Every now and then, only the sound of the mosquito’s wings could be heard as it flew. It was too quiet, everyone was sitting perfectly upright.

Yet, Zaimokuza did not seem like he was going to start anytime soon.

“…… ………. ………………. ……is”

Zaimokuza took a deep breath, bowed once more and retreated.

Eh?! He’s already done?!”

Don’t, don’t tell me, that what sounded like a mosquito’s wings was actually Zaimokuza’s voice?!

“He couldn’t say anything because he was too nervous.”

Yukinoshita analyzed the situation calmly.

Well, he’s probably not too used to this type of thing. In fact, there isn’t really a lot of opportunities whereby one got to present himself before a group of people. The reality was that the same stage where you gave your oral presentation was also the stage whereby you get jeered at. Then, since one was already standing in front of them, then it was alright even if you had to face the tide of unconditional criticisms and judgements.

“Hikki.”

I know what Yuigahama wanted to say. Well, since we did invite him over to help us out, even if that person was Zaimokuza, we should help him out till the very end. To see what is right and not do it, it is a want of courage. [2] What a good phrase from the people of old.

“What me?...... Well, that’s to be expected. Guess there’s no helping it…….”

What was depressing was that, the only person who could communicate with Zaimokuza here was me. This feeling was like communicating with an Ohmu…… [3]

I let out a short sigh and stood up, and spoke to Zaimokuza who was standing there like a statue.

“Zaimokuza, I will lend you a hand, let’s do it once more.”

GiGiGi…….GiGi……Zaimokuza turned his head towards me, all the while making those Musubi-like sounds and seized me in his vision. [4] Then, his tense expression softened like that of ice melting. Yuck, this guy,this kind of Yukitoki behavior. [5]

“……Fu, FUMU. So it’s like that.”

Probably he has already calmed down, and was slowly going back to his old usual self. This was infuriating.

“Then, let’s begin…….”

I gave a small bow and started the powerpoint.

“Please look over here for the details of the proposals.  It is called the cavalry battles of Chiba citizens. Eh, what the heck is this?”

I looked at Zaimokuza involuntarily. Zaimokuza who seemed to have very much recovered from the ordeal, was waving his hands about in my direction and called out in a loud voice.

“Cavalry battles of Chiba citizens. Or in shortttttttttt, CHIBASEN!!!!!” [6]

He would have been fine if he had just said all these from the very beginning.

“As I was saying, what the heck is this.”

“Ahem. Long ago, there was a battle between the Hojo clan and the Satomi clan in Chiba. This is a wonderful game that takes into consideration our history.”

“I seem to recall that this place was still a coastline during that time.  So, what about the rules?”

Following Zaimokuza’s cue as he gave his speech, I prepared to hit the enter button for the next slide when my hand was stopped by Zaimokuza.

“Ah, no, wait Hachiman! You see, that would be kind of embarrassing! That slide is still not done yet! It’s only half-done, it’s just scribbles! It’s is all random crap! It’s not, not properly done!”

Zaimokuza was earnestly giving meal sorts of excuses as he grabbed my hand with a remarkable amount of force. It was at that instant, that the enter key was pressed.

“HOGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”

Following Zaimokuza’s exclamation, something that resembled a photo shopped image appeared on the screen. It was a pretty normal photo of a cavalry battle, with armored riders riding on top of it along with various miscellaneous stuffs. It was like some cut and paste job from paint, the quality so low that it looked like it was done by an idiot.

With the image under everyone’s gaze, Zaimokuza froze once more. In the meantime, I proceeded to continue with the slideshow.

“Eh. Although the rules is similar to a normal cavalry battle, victory is decided by several generals who will be cosplaying, and points is given proportional to how many generals from the opposing side will be defeated. Hence, unlike normal cavalry battles, there’s more strategy involved, and it will be visually more impactful…… Wow, the rules are surprisingly normal. “

I read out the rules and ignored the words <<The storm of romance in Taisho Sakura (LOL) >> [7] written at the end. To be frank, it was hard to hide my surprise at Zaimokuza being able to give this matter serious thought.

“Is, is that so?”

Zaimokuza seemed to be perplexed at the positive comments directed towards him.

“Simple to understand. The picture as well.”

Meguri-senpai nodded her head with a “Un.”  Seems like the collage was sufficient to convey the outline of his proposal. Following Meguri-senpai’s clapping, the sound of hands clapping spread throughout the conference room as well.

Well, how should I say it? Even if you did the presentation properly, but if it’s not properly presented, then in most situations, you would not receive high praise for it. Originally, I had wanted to teach him more about the method of delivering his presentation. This way, it would probably lessen the trauma during lesson time.

Zaimokuza was surprised by the applause, his eyes darted about the room looking this way and that, and appeared quite unsettled.

“Ha, Hachiman, what is this…….”

“Well, your idea wasn’t bad at all. Good work.”

I clapped Zaimokuza’s shoulders lightly, and returned to my seat.

“DIU, DIUFU.”

Because of the unexpected appraisal of his work, Zaimokuza gave a satisfied laugh. And so, the applauses stopped and changed to whispers of “Gross”.

It would’ve been much better without that laugher at the end.

               X                                                                             X                                                                              X

After Zaimokuza’s presentation, it was now Ebina-san’s turn.

As expected of Ebina-san who had the experience of doing The Little Prince show back then, as well as being in the top-caste, she began her presentation with a look of familiarity.

“Eh, I am thinking about something like this.”

Ebina-san pressed the enter key and the PowerPoints’ slides began to appear.
At the start of the PowerPoint, were the words “Botaoshi’. [8]

Surprisingly normal…… Despite this being clearly Ebina-san as well……. Perhaps this wasn’t Ebina Hina, but Vigna Ghina instead? [9]

“The point this time, is the importance of the existence of the general. Although it’s kind of similar to the presentation just now, this focuses more on the aspects of a person’s charisma rather than battle strategies.”

Totally not noticing my suspicious look, Ebina-san continued on with her explanation. This person was really high-specced. From creativity to skills to leadership, she has it all. She is truly a rare gem.

“Popular amongst the student population, we have our soccer club president Hayama Hayato-kun. By placing him as the general in this Botaoshi event, we are bound to attract the attention of everyone.”

With another push of the button, the slide changed. What appeared next was a photo of Hayama giving a charming and carefree smile. What the hell…….

Although I looked on wearily, the girls from the sports clubs were all screaming and creating a ruckus. It’s super effective! [10]

“Seems like it will be tons of fun!”

Especially effective on Sagami, who seemed to greatly support this idea.

If that’s the case, other girls would probably have the same reaction. There was no problem with Ebina-san’s casting. If one wanted to carry out an event, then one had to choose someone who had the ability to attract people to said event, so that one could be certain of the payoff. Ebina-san’s idea was flawless.

However, it seemed like this proposal still had some flaw, because Ebina-san’s face was clouded with worry.

“However, Hayato-kun is in the white team. There needs to be someone from the red team to take the position as general as well. Eh, is there anyone who is suited for it?”

Ebina-san looked towards the committee chairman Sagami.

“I don’t know, what should we do…….”

As Sagami cocked her head, Meguri-senpai spoke to the conference room at large.

“Is there anyone present from the red team? It would be a great help if anyone could come up with a candidate.”

People began to confirm the teams in which they belonged to. However, no one proposed any name for that position. Meguri-senpai herself began to think as well and then blurted out, “Ah!”

“Yukinoshita-san and her club members are all from the red team, have your thought of anyone that could be the candidate?”

“Eh!! Hikitani-kun is from the red team?!”

Ebina-san immediately pounced on this piece of news. More precisely, she was onto me.

“Then it’s definitely Hikitani-kun! The opposing generals’ couplings are red-white and so we can all eat red rice today! At long last!”
(TL: Red rice is eaten during celebrations and joyous occasions)

Nope, not doing it, definitely not doing it.

“FUMU. Hachiman, so you are on the red team?”

Zaimokuza grinned broadly. That means this guy was on the red team as well……. Then we should just let him be the general. Although I had this thought, it seems that it’s going to be a no-go if the person was not a good match with Hayama. But if we think about from it a negative perspective, but this kind of concept surely won’t be accepted. ?????????

Of course, for the same reason, I wouldn’t be an option for them to pick for the general. It must be the same as Hayama, it had to be one who could gather popularity from the masses, as well as one would receive the support from the masses.

However, Ebina-san who had entered her Fujoshi-mode continued on her rampage.

“An, anyway. Ebina Ebina will continue to explain in an uninterested manner without hiding her surprise, bewilderment and joy. That, white, white group is Hayato-kun, the red,red group is Hikitani-kun’s rod, BUHA!” [11]

Ebina-san threw her head back in an instant and stopped her motions. Realizing the danger of this situation, Meguri-senpai nodded her head at the student council members. And so, the student council members moved immediately, and took Ebina-san by her hand and led her outside. That form of her being dragged out was like the Roswell incident. [12]

I should take this time to totally scrap the idea of me being the general for the read team. Well, even if I didn’t say it, I am pretty sure the rest would object to it anyway.

“I still have committee matters so I can’t do it. So, please find someone else as a candidate for this.”

“Un-------- , that’s true, and we still have to decide which proposal we should carry out.”

Meguri-senpai nodded her head.

“Sagami-san, let’s put it to a vote.”

“Okay. Then, those who think the Kibasen is a good idea?”

A few hands here and there were raised.

“Then, next, those who think the Botaoshi is a good idea?”

As Sagami said it, she raised her hand as well. This time too, the number of hands that were raised did not differ too much from before.

Even though it’s just by a little bit, Botaoshi seems to have gained the upper hand. I guess it wasn’t all that surprising since that activity meant being able to see Hayama’s participation.

Yukinoshita, Yuigahama and I did not raise our hands at any of this options. To us, what was necessary was just raising suggestions, not to decide on which one to pick.

“More or less the same…….”

Meguri-senpai said after counting the hands.

It’s no big deal if Botaoshi was chosen because of this. This was acceptable in a place whereby the winner was decided by the majority rule. Minority opinion, even weak opinions that tipped the scale slightly, were nevertheless opinions that could not be rejected. As the total number increased, so would be those who were rejected.

This was the majority rule. This system had a fatal flaw. That is to say, there was a problem. In other words, we should go by the minority rule. To put it simply, aren’t people like me in the minority generally right? I see, I am justice.

“Then, boys will be having the Botaoshi event……”

Sagami seemed to have made the decision without giving it deeper thought.

“Can’t we make the Kibasen the girl’s main event?”

“Oh! I get it now.”

Meguri-senpai accepted her proposal with a clap of her hands. Then, she looked at Hiratsuka sensei. Hiratsuka-sensei gave a nod.

Probably because her motivation has already vanished, she gave a considerably perfunctory response, but it seemed like she didn’t see any problem with it.

Noting her response, Meguri-senpai surveyed the people around the conference room.

“How do you’ll feel?”

Hmm, an appropriate decision. Each activity had the approval of approximately half the people here. Meguri-senpai’s questions did not raise any form of objection.

To silently kill off the opinions of half the people. In a situation where the majority rule is used, the work done after it was of paramount importance in rectifying the situation.

This point alone, was good enough to earn a passing mark from me.

I didn’t think there was anything wrong with this decision. Concept and creativity-wise, it didn’t really lose out to Botaoshi. It had also earned the approval of the student council who formed the core of the executive committee.

But, the conference room’s response was still rather slow.

Comparatively, the mood of the room shifted to one of detest.

Whispers that were like the sound of worms walking could be heard. “Pssst, Pssst.”

This sort of omen was felt by both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, who were sensitive to this kind of things.

“…….”

Yukinoshita squinted her eyes and looked at the source of this disturbance. Although it seemed that Sagami had yet to notice it, but the atmosphere was indeed worsening.

“Then, seems like there isn’t any objections, then its decided that girls will be having the Kibasen event. Let’s decide on the allocation of work next.”

Because her suggestion was being adopted, she was feeling great.

“The program catalog is now being distributed. Please write down the jobs that you wish to do on the front.”

Sagami gave an instruction. And so, the student council began to give out the materials. What follows next would be a short period of thinking, followed by filling out the form.

“You will be working in the name of the administrative committee on that day, the jobs that you will be doing won’t be hard so there’s no need to worry.”

“Yes. Then, let us proceed with the distribution of jobs by each department.”

Yukinoshita nodded her head and came with some arrangements with the executive committee.

“Un, yes we should.”

“Ah, then Sagamin too……”

Yuigahama searched for some signs of Sagami.

However, because they were in the same conference room, one could not lose sight of the other that easily.

And hence, everything could be seen.

“What should we do about the person-in-charge? I wish I was in charge of the Botaoshi. Hey Yukko, you guys come over here!”

Sagami was beside Haruka and Yukko now. They were the same people who were with her during the Cultural Festival committee. It was thus most definite that they would cross paths here as well.

However, the distance between them seemed different from before.

Haruka and Yukko exchanged glances, and as though that was a signal, they both spoke the exact same words.

“About that, we……”

“We still have to attend to club matters so the preparation jobs are going to be a big bother so……”

Towards this slight distance that now separated them, Sagami appeared bewildered at that instant. That was replaced by a smile immediately.

“Eh…… Eh? But this kind of sucks?”

Just as Sagami was done talking, both of them rejected her gently at the same time as though they had long discussed this beforehand.

“Un, although that’s true, but we still have the meetings and such.”

“Our timings are hard to accommodate as expected. So, this kind of big events is still a bit …….”

“Ah, however, Sagami-chan shouldn’t mind that much, you should just do whatever you want to do.”

Sagami was at a loss. They were repeating the problems of the club again and again, and with a final look of consideration for Sagami, they brought the topic to its end forcefully.

Their way of dealing with her resembled some sort of Shogi from somewhere.

“I, I see. That’s too bad!”

Sagami smiled brightly to show that she didn’t seem to care about it.

“Sorry!”

In contrast, the two of them sounded very apologetic as though they really seemed to care about it.

And so, the conversation between the trio ended.

At this time, Yuigahama had walked over to talk to Sagami.

“Oh, Sagamin. Time to start work.”

“Ah, Un. I am going. Then I will be on my way.”

Sagami waved to the both of them and returned to the executive committee, and so we began our discussions.

“Ho, Hachiman. What am I supposed to do.”

“Eh, ah, you are still here? You can go back now.”

I jumped at the sound of Zaimokuza talking to me. To put it more accurately, why the heck are you staying here for?

“No, I think it’s more convenient if we keep him here.”

“Really? I didn’t think we would need him. Ah, is it that? We are going to hope that’s he going to turn out useful as a heater or humidifier?”

I didn’t feel that he had any more worth in him in other areas. Just as I was done talking, Yuigahama held her breath.

“Seems like breathing is starting to get harder.”

“Hah……”

Yukinoshita sighed as though she was at a loss for words.

“You, are you an idiot? We still have to flesh out the specifics for the Kibasenn, so it would be for the best if the person who first proposed this is available.”

“Ah, so you are referring to that.”

Is it really okay that Ebina-san remains here……. This is going to turn into some Area 51 from that place again.

When Sagami returned to her seat, the executive committee began its conference.

They verified the jobs that must be done, as well as deciding the people in charge of them. The rest of it, such as the personnel in charge of the various events would be left to the others to decide.

The problem lies elsewhere, such as first aid stations and broadcasting. There were also the issues of props before each event as well as the décor for the area. This was not something that the executive committee could tackle alone, hence a part of the work had to be given to the people who were on site.

Meguri-senpai followed the past years contents and explained them. Sagami nodded her head.

“Then, what we still need is……”

“The main events involve the entire school, so there’s a need for general mobilization. In this aspect, can we mobilize all the guys and girls?”

“Ah, that should be possible.”

Because of Yukinoshita, I noticed Sagami suddenly standing up. The people who were going to be on-site were half-way through their preparations, but there was a need to inform them of the total work volume.

“Sorry----.  We need everyone to participate in the preparation works of the main event. Please write down what you are going to do outside of your current area of responsibility.”

There was a sudden outpouring of chatter from Sagami’s words. There were more voice of objection among the chatter, probably due to a lack of motivation.

Amongst them, there were some who also paused their work in that instant.

It was those two who Sagami had spoken to earlier, Haruka and Yukko. They were whispering to each other, and nodded their head as though in confirmation of something.

Their breathing was synchronized to each other, and both took one step forward.

“About that, Sagami-chan. We object.”

Although I had no idea who said that, but that sentence said by that particular person, began to spread throughout the conference room like a ripple.

“Eh……”

Sagami seemed unable to say anything after being directly rejected. As though she had no idea what they were trying to say. However, the truth is, there probably isn’t anyone who could grasp the current situation accurately.

“If there’s a need to force everyone to participate, then we, probably would be of much help……”

Hearing another person say this, Sagami’s face changed.

“Eh, but, isn’t this what everyone decided….. Right, right?”

“However, everyone has their respective club activities…… And we still have to be in charge of other stuff as well…….”

“It’s going to take a lot of time just to prepare for all of it. The burden is so huge that its quite troubling.”

With the both of them saying as such, Sagami could only keep quiet.

A huge portion of the entire committee comprised people from various sports club. They definitely could not be considered to be one heart and one mind with the executive committee, who were mainly student council members.

Meguri-senpai too, seemed troubled.

“Although it will indeed be a big problem, can I still request your help?”

Hearing these words of consideration, and also the fact that it was the student council president who said it, Haruka and Yukko averted their gaze and sank into silence. However, they made no signs of wanting to give in.

Meguri-senpai gave a wry smile at this display of stubbornness.

The difference in the level of interest was obvious.

Since it was a plea from the executive committee, it must sound too forceful. Because a proper hierarchical relationship and a system for delivering instructions have yet to be established.

Even if it was the committee chairman, she was just a mere link between the various members of the same project. Since she could not give orders, people would also not feed the need to follow up on her pleas.

There was a lack of structure.

It wasn’t a matter of hierarchical relationship, but a matter of trust, then the possibility of accepting the plea was pretty high. I thought that that was how Meguri-senpai and her predecessors did it.

However there was no such thing as trust between Sagami and the two of them. No, to be more precise, that trust was possibly lost.

The three of them were on the same side during the Cultural Festival, and hence they were close to each other. However, in the Sports Cultural Festival, owing to a difference in position, they could see the difference between their burdens in both the form of their club activities as well as workload.

Omens really do exist.

The whispers and ripples that arose from Sagami’s speech and conduct. Those were probably spread about by the two of them.  Words about how she was inconsiderate towards the current situation began to accumulate and drew their ire.

Now, what had been held in for so long lashed out.

“Let’s stop here.”

A strong, piercing voice.

As I looked, I saw Hiratsuka sensei standing up and opening the door with vigor.

“It’s already pretty late, we will dismiss for now and continue on another time.”

The executive committee and the rest, although their positions were different, but all were students nonetheless. If someone of higher authority had not sounded out, then they would have not done anything.

The only way who could bring this whole affair to a close was Hiratsuka sensei.

Haruka and Yukko looked at each other, picked up their bags and ran from the conference room. As though following their lead, the rest of the administrative committee left as well.

Only the executive committee was left, the members of the student council and us, as well as Sagami.

“Shiromeguri, could you come here for a while?”

“Yes……”

Hearing Hiratsuka sensei request, Meguri-senpai walked out of the room as well.

Silence fell upon the conference room.

Sagami who was standing rock still until then, collapsed onto a nearby chair.

The waning sunlight shone into the conference room.

Against the glare of the setting sun, Sagami did nothing but cast down her eyes.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Reference to 史上空前!! 笑いの祭典 ザ・ドリームマッチ. A variety show from JP
[2] 義を見てせざるは勇無きなり <- idiomatic expression from Confucious.
[3] Reference to the Ohmu, from Nausicaa of the valley of the wind. They can only communicate with certain sensitive people.
[4] Musubi is a character from Hadashi no Gen.
[5] You should know.... From the 1st season OP. [The meaning of the lyrics in said song is something about the transition to spring from winter.]
[6] Google kibasen for many many videos and explanations.
[7] A reference to an ancient game: Sakura Wars.
[8] Think of it as a JPN version of Capture the flag. Alternatively, google it.
[9] Mobile suit in the movie Mobile Suit Gundam F91
[10] From Pokemon. I mean, everyone knows this right? RIGHT?!
[11] Reference to the way the Misaka Sisters talks. Both Ebina and the Misaka sisters are voiced by the same CV: Nozomi Sasaki
[12] Roswell incident. A UFO conspiracy.