Rumors about the cultural festival had been swirling around Class 1-4 even before the midterms. It wasn't just their class—everywhere in the school, whispers of ideas and plans passed from student to student. Popular kids pooled opinions, and during homeroom or idle moments before dismissal, these ideas spread like wildfire. What began as idle chatter soon took root, creating a collective mindset in the class.
As for me, Makoto Akaya, I stood as an isolated island in the ocean of my classroom. This unique position granted me a peculiar talent: the ability to overhear fragments of conversation from everyone around me. Not that I was eavesdropping, mind you—just a byproduct of my surroundings. Don't get the wrong idea.
Through this unintentional observation, I'd pieced together that Class 1-4 had split into two factions, quietly vying for dominance over the cultural festival's main attraction.
