School was chaos.
The cultural festival was just a few days away, and every club, every class, every committee was in full preparation mode. The hallways were filled with students carrying decorations, setting up booths, arguing over last-minute details.
Akira, Rina, and Mia separated at the entrance: Mia to the student council room to coordinate logistics, Rina to cheerleading practice, and Akira to check on the various projects he was involved with.
His first stop was the art room.
He found Aoi there, alone, standing in front of the massive backdrop painting. She had paint smudges on her face and hands, her hair was a mess, and she looked like she hadn't slept last night.
But the painting was finished.
"Aoi?" Akira approached slowly. "You okay?"
She didn't turn around. "It's done. Finally done."
