Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko:Volume6 Prologue
Prologue - School Newspaper Article: Culture Festival Preparations
Total current Youth Points: +4
…And so, this week’s topic is, without a doubt, our school’s cultural festival, which is just around the corner this weekend. Last year’s festival fully showcased the unique characteristics of our region, and we received praise from the local people. However, on the other hand, many students felt that the cultural festival itself was rather small in scale. I, Mary Okui of the newspaper club, shared this same impression based on my experience as a participant. There is a part of me that feels that it is unavoidable since interest and enthusiasm for cultural festivals are generally on the decline, but on the other hand, as someone involved in this matter, I cannot help but hope for a memorable cultural festival. This year’s cultural festival theme is, quite simply, “Attraction[1]”.
When I asked about its true meaning to the head of the cultural festival committee, the one who had chosen that theme, which is maybe a bit harder to understand than last year’s “Soaring”, he answered, “It has a cosmic feeling to it, doesn’t it?”
It would appear that they have carried over the core concept of a community-based cultural festival from last year.
As a project conceived by the student council chairman, drawing inspiration from the theme of Attraction, each student will be given a “thread” in the order they arrive at school on the day of the festival. Each thread will have a unique pattern, and each student will be given only one thread dyed with the same pattern. The highlight of this year’s school festival, themed around the “Attraction” between people, will be for each student to find their matching thread and tie their little fingers together. Threads will also be distributed to guests invited by the students. We encourage everyone to participate!
The couple who will successfully find each other and tie themselves together with threads of the same pattern will be given the right to attend the event scheduled for 2 PM in the gymnasium from seats in the arena. As for the content of this year’s highlight event, a concert is scheduled featuring singer Nijou Owari-san, who is active in a wide range of fields… or so we were told. When we asked Nijou Owari-san, who is not a student, why she kindly agreed to participate in our school’s cultural festival, we received the following response:
“A child can refuse a request from a known face. An adult can’t. In short, I am already an adult.”
Yes, as you’d expect from an eccentric singer, her Japanese isn’t very specific, right? And what kind of face is a “known face”?
While enjoying the cultural festival’s Attractions, it might also be fun to look for someone you’re drawn to. As for the rather unusual idea of ”tying a thread”, which is rather old-fashioned like the red string of fate[2]… the cultural festival committee chairman said, “Huh? It’s a total rip-off. Back in elementary school, I saw a couple acting lovey-dovey holding their little fingers together like that.” So, everyone, please be careful not to praise the committee chairman too much.
During the interview, a trivial question arose: “What if the thread combines two men or two women together?” When I asked this year’s cultural festival committee chairman for his comments on this matter, he responded with a furious and almost bee-shock-like response: “Two men? Just go for it! Two women? What’s the problem with that?!” If I, Mary Okui, had to take a guess, I would assume that they hadn’t thought that far ahead and it is now too late to come up with a solution. Now, moving on, let’s address the performances’ features.
Among the preparations for food stalls that line the area, the girls’ basketball team stands out the most. They’ve registered to sell giant takoyaki[3] the size of a basketball. When I asked for a comment from one of the girls who was preparing them during our visit, she only gave the same response, so I’ve omitted it. I don’t know anything about that special intensive training month or whatever.
And the takoyaki that they made during practice was divided into small portions, and female club members were seen around the school using deceptive phrases like, “They are homemade; eat them,” to get male students to accept them.
Regarding the taste of the takoyaki, I happened to ask a male student, N-san, who was receiving some in front of the newspaper club. With a sour expression, he whispered so the girls wouldn’t hear, “It’s full of cabbage and doesn’t have any octopus in it. I was prepared for it since it was the fruitarian who brought it, though.” The latter sentence was a little hard to understand, but it seems to have been well-received overall. Come on everyone, let’s all go with the determination to eat one takoyaki each from the girls’ basketball team… Is the girls’ basketball team butting in? No, what are you talking about?
In addition, among the cultural clubs, the art club’s participation announcement has caused a stir. The art club, which boasts the highest number of ghost members[4], had not produced any club activities for several years, but this year, it appears that a few members led by the club president are planning something.
It is also said that the art club was responsible for creating the aforementioned thread. When we interviewed the art club president, who is also renowned as the tallest person in the school, she remarked sceptically, “Are there actually people who would try to tie something like this?” before suddenly collapsing. I quickly supported her from behind, and the art club president managed to leave unharmed. What a relief, right? Anyway, that was the art club.
In addition, there will be other events such as a play in the gymnasium in the morning and a target practice competition hosted by the baseball club on the field in the afternoon, so we recommend that you read the pamphlet thoroughly.
Also, we saw an unfamiliar card mascot lumbering down the hallway, and we plan to investigate the truth behind that in tomorrow’s special issue of our column, “Okui’s Inner Parlour”, so please look forward to it.
The school newspaper club plans to run around the school grounds throughout the cultural festival, investigating any event that might occur. We apologise in advance if we abruptly request an interview while you are enjoying yourself.
The Attraction Cultural Festival is finally happening the day after tomorrow!
I hope you have a memorable encounter with someone who attracts you!
- Treated to homemade (?) takoyaki by Ryuushi-san while preparing for the school festival: +2
Total current Youth Points: +6
- ↑ The word used here (引力 ) means “attraction” as a physical attractive force. In many contexts it could be translated as “gravitation”. All throughout this volume the author will play with various meanings of the word.
- ↑ The “red string of fate” is originally a Chinese myth about an invisible thread tied around the ankles of those who are meant to be together. In Japan it manifests as a thread tied to the pinky.
- ↑ Takoyaki is a snack made of pieces of octopus rolled in batter and fried in a special pan. They are shaped like a marble and typically eaten with a toothpick.
- ↑ Ghost members (幽霊部員) refer to people who are registered in a school club but don’t participate in its activities.