🎶春日の響きと記憶の音 — Chapter 180

🌸✨ In this alternate universe, Mio and みお are twin sisters, set in a unified world where the virtual singers of Crypton Future Media, Team TWINDRILL, INTERNET Co., Ltd., and the characters of Project SEKAI: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku coexist. 🌙🎶 💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 The Culture Festival Exploration Squad Sets Off! And so, the original group of ten became an even livelier group of twelve with the addition of Haruka Kiritani and Minori Hanasato. Everyone slowly made their way forward along with the flow of people in the hallway. Sunlight after the rain slanted in through the windows, falling across the culture festival bunting, hand-drawn posters, and the uniforms of the students passing by. The classrooms on both sides of the hallway had all been decorated in different ways. Some had colorful curtains hanging at their entrances, some were covered with handmade signs, and others were filled with lively laughter and applause. As Minori walked, she looked around with wide eyes. “Wow… Every classroom looks different. This is amazing!” Haruka walked beside her, a faint smile resting on her lips. “The atmosphere at Kamiyama High School’s culture festival really is lively.” Miku nodded as well. “After the rain stopped, it feels like everyone came out at once.” Rin walked near the front, looking at the booths on both sides, her eyes shining as if she were hunting for treasure. “That looks like a game booth over there! And isn’t that classroom up ahead some kind of exhibition?” Teto immediately leaned forward to look. “I see a sign for a raffle! Do you think there are prizes?” Len glanced at her calmly. “Weren’t you just saying we should look at the exhibits first?” Teto immediately puffed out her chest. “I’m conducting a comprehensive observation right now!” KAITO smiled and said, “That does make you sound like a culture festival researcher.” Watching Teto look so proud of herself, MEIKO could not help but laugh a little. “In that case, Miss Researcher, please don’t walk too fast. There are still people behind you.” Teto immediately slowed down. “Roger that!” Mio and みお walked somewhere near the middle of the group. みお’s gaze lingered at the entrance of each classroom, as though she were quietly committing every lively corner to memory. Noticing her expression, Mio asked softly, “みお, do you see anywhere you’d like to go in?” みお looked toward a classroom up ahead decorated with handmade ornaments. “That place… looks like it has lots of little things.” Mio followed her gaze. “A handmade goods booth? Miku said she wanted to see that kind of thing earlier too.” Hearing this, Miku immediately turned around. “Really? Then can we look there first?” Minori also raised her hand expectantly. “I want to see it too! Handmade goods at a culture festival must be so cute!” Haruka nodded. “Then let’s take a look there first.” Everyone naturally moved toward that classroom. At the entrance hung a string of colorful paper cranes, and beside it was a handwritten sign introducing the booth. Inside, several desks had been set up, displaying charms, bookmarks, paper flowers, bracelets, and tiny decorations made by the students. None of them were especially fancy, but each one clearly showed how much care had gone into making it. As soon as Miku entered, her eyes lit up. “These bookmarks are so cute!” Minori bent down to look at the small charms on the table, her voice full of delight. “Is this star charm handmade too? It’s so detailed!” The student at the booth smiled and nodded. “Yes, everything here was made by our class.” Haruka picked up a small bookmark in shades of blue and looked it over, her tone gentle. “The colors feel very refreshing. It’s beautiful.” Mio stood in front of another table, looking at a row of cat-shaped charms. “This one is really cute.” みお moved a little closer, and when she saw one of the cat charms, her gaze paused slightly. “It looks like a cat.” Mio could not help but smile. “Yeah. It really does look like something we’d like.” Rin also came over to look. “This orange one is cute too!” Teto picked up another charm with a very energetic expression. “I think this one looks like me!” Len glanced at it. “Because it looks noisy.” Teto immediately turned toward him. “Len!” KAITO held back a laugh and said quietly, “It does look pretty energetic, actually.” MEIKO looked at the bracelets on the table and chose one in a darker color. “This one’s nice. It’s made well.” Gakupo, meanwhile, was quietly looking at a paper sculpture displayed nearby. It was a tiny stage model made from cardboard and colored paper. Though it was not large, the lighting and scenery were remarkably detailed. Luka noticed his gaze and asked softly, “Do you like this?” Gakupo nodded. “The structure is carefully made. You can tell the creator put a lot of effort into it.” Luka also looked at the little stage model and smiled faintly. “It really is beautiful.” Hearing this, Minori came over to look as well. “Wow, it really looks like a little stage!” Haruka gazed at the model, her voice soft. “Seeing works like this at a culture festival makes you realize how hard every class worked.” Miku nodded. “Everyone must have spent so much time preparing for the culture festival.” Rin immediately smiled and said, “That’s exactly why we have to enjoy looking around properly!” Teto raised the charm in her hand. “I agree! We have to see every single place!” Len said calmly, “We probably won’t finish everything today.” Teto paused for a moment. “Then we’ll see as much as we can!” After looking around the handmade goods classroom, everyone continued forward. The hallway ahead grew even livelier. Cheers came from one classroom, where a sign for a game challenge hung at the entrance. Another classroom had a photo wall covered with pictures taken during preparations for the culture festival. Some students held promotional boards in the hallway, calling out to people passing by. Their voices came one after another, filling the entire corridor with energy. Rin was quickly drawn to the game booth. “Someone’s doing a challenge over there!” Teto immediately looked over too. “That looks fun!” MEIKO looked at the others. “Shall we go in and take a look? We don’t have to play. We can just watch first.” KAITO smiled and nodded. “Since we’ve already come this far, we might as well have a look.” Minori’s eyes lit up. “Okay! I want to see Kamiyama High’s game booths!” Haruka looked at her eager expression and laughed softly. “You really are full of energy.” Minori smiled a little bashfully. “Because I’m really having fun.” Mio looked at みお. “みお, do you want to take a look?” みお nodded. “Mm. Watching everyone play should be interesting.” And so, the twelve of them walked together toward the game booth. Inside the classroom was a simple ball-toss challenge. A score chart was posted on the wall, and several small prizes were placed nearby. Just then, a student succeeded in the challenge, and applause immediately broke out around them. Rin’s eyes sparkled as she watched. “I feel like I could do this!” Len said evenly, “You say that every time you see a game.” Rin turned to look at him. “That’s because I’m confident!” Teto immediately raised her hand. “I am too!” MEIKO crossed her arms and smiled as she watched them. “If you’re going to play later, take turns. Don’t start arguing.” KAITO nodded. “And be careful not to block the other visitors.” Miku looked at the challenge area, her voice filled with anticipation. “It’s fun just watching other people play too.” Standing beside them, Minori quietly cheered for the student currently taking the challenge. “Good luck… Ah! So close!” Haruka looked at her and could not help but smile. “You’re more nervous than the person actually playing.” Minori hurriedly waved her hands. “Because when you’re watching, you end up getting nervous with them!” Luka also smiled and said, “That’s part of the atmosphere of a culture festival, isn’t it? Even if you’re only watching, you get drawn in.” Gakupo nodded calmly. “Indeed.” Everyone watched in front of the game booth for a while, without immediately deciding whether or not to play. It was as if they were being pulled along by the liveliness of the culture festival, moving from one classroom to the next. There were classrooms displaying class research projects, corners set up as small photo areas, students playing simple instruments, and classes that had turned their blackboards into huge backdrop walls, making passersby stop and take pictures despite themselves. Looking at the decorations on the walls, Mio smiled and said, “They really put a lot of care into everything here.” みお nodded lightly. “Every place has a different feeling.” Miku said happily, “When we walk around slowly like this, it feels like we keep discovering new things.” Rin raised her hand. “Then let’s keep exploring!” Teto raised her hand too. “The Culture Festival Exploration Squad, move out!” Len said flatly, “The name suddenly changed.” KAITO laughed and said, “But it suits the mood right now.” MEIKO looked at everyone, her tone relaxed. “Then let’s keep going a little farther. There are a lot of people, so don’t get separated.” Haruka nodded. “We’ll keep up.” Minori smiled as well. “Mm! I still want to see more!” The twelve of them continued down the hallway. Just as they passed the next corner, a new sweet scent suddenly drifted toward them from up ahead. It was not the smell of the chocolate bananas from earlier, but another kind of sweetness—softer, warmer. Minori had been talking with Miku. But the moment that fragrance reached her, her voice paused slightly. She lifted her head and looked forward. On the other side of the hallway was a sweets booth surrounded by people. Its sign was decorated with colorful string lights, and quite a few students were lined up in front of it. The air was filled with a scent that made one want to draw closer without even thinking. Minori’s eyes instantly lit up.