Once again, the venue was wrapped in anger-filled silence.
N-No good… If this explodes, it’ll be riot level─
Slip!
“Gweh!”
I slipped on something and pitched forward.
Wh-What was that? Nothing on stage could’ve─
“A…a banana peel?”
Thrown along with the jeers earlier?
Stepping on that precisely at a time like this… Of course my misfortune would activate.
And not only falling, failing to break my fall, I banged my nose a bit awkwardly.
“Uu…Hm? Wh-What’s this?”
Something white on my wiped finger. Paint flecking from the floor stuck to my nose? No way something that normal could… Just how out of it am I right now.
While lamenting my misfortune─
“Enough already!”
“Disgraceful!”
“She’s not gonna cry just because you fell!”
“Waste of time!”
“Drag him off, staff!”
The hate towards me was reaching its peak.
Wh-What do I do…? At this level, I can’t resolve it by escaping─
“Ah…uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
An ear-piercing yell echoed through the venue.
“W-What was that just now? …Who was it?”
Everyone’s gazes gathered on the person who made that sound.
“O-Houjou-san?”
Yes, the owner of that voice was Houjou Reina.
“How…not again…again like this… But this has to be… No, I can think of nothing else… It must be that…”
Seemingly unaware she was the center of attention, Houjou mussed up her hair in frustration.
“I thought it was weird… There’s no way Ootomo would do something like this─ignore Awayuki-san’s feelings… Looks like I was right after all…”
“Um, Houjou-san… Sorry to interrupt your pondering, but…”
“Huh…?”
Only then did Houjou notice Senior Kurosu calling out to her.
“I’m sure everyone’s curious, but could you explain to us?”
“Oh, right… Of course you couldn’t notice something so absurd. Because it’s just so stupid… But having experienced it directly myself, I was somehow able to grasp his true intent.”
Then Houjou raised her voice to the students filling the venue.
“Then let me tell you. About his…Ootomo Youta’s grand plan!”
“Grand…plan?”
The grand …… Plan?
“Yes. First, to confirm, behind Awayuki-san today─there are massive amounts of red roses and chrysanthemums decorated, right? That’s natural for Teio academy, yes?”
“Yes. Those two are also Principal Ougami’s trademarks. The vibrant roses and chrysanthemums are a fixture at all our events and ceremonies.”
“That’s right. They’re also placed left and right on Awayuki-san’s table, so eye-catching. By the way Mr. Emcee, do you know the flower meanings of these two?”
Despite not using a mic, Houjou’s skilled orator voice carried very well.
“Yes… Red roses mean [Love], and red chrysanthemums mean [I love you]. Both tie into Principal Ougami Ai’s name… This is also a relatively well-known story around Teio academy.”
“Thank you. Now, here’s the gist. Actually, those two flower meanings─contained a message from Awayuki-san to all of us!”
“…What?”
The person herself beside me let out a small, questioning voice. She probably has absolutely no idea what this is about… Somehow this development feels so déjà vu.
“[Love] and [I love you]? Certainly fitting for kind Awayuki-san wishing for others’ happiness, but as a message, it doesn’t quite click…”
“I see… But, what you’re talking about takes on a completely different meaning because of something brought in by Awayuki-san’s will!”
“Something? What do you mean?”
Not only Kurosu senpai, but everyone in the audience seemed captivated by Hōjō’s speech. His ability to grasp people’s hearts was truly remarkable.
“It’s dumplings and tea!”
What came out of Hōjō’s mouth was an unexpected pair. It was prepared to suit Awayuki’s preferences, but…
“First, the dumplings. These were placed on the right side as we face it… Yes, next to the chrysanthemums on the table. Dumplings and chrysanthemums… together, it’s ‘Dangogiku.'”
“‘Dangogiku’? …Honestly, that’s the first time I’ve heard that word.”
“Yes, it is. The Japanese name isn’t… No, even the scientific name may not be that well-known. The Japanese name ‘Dangogiku’ refers to the name of the flower, which is… Helianthus.”
“Helianthus…?”
“Yes. And the flower language of this Helianthus is ‘tears.'”
“‘Tears’… I see. That’s indeed the theme of today…”
“That’s right. Now, think back to Awayuki-san’s actions at the beginning of the meeting. She quickly devoured the prepared dumplings. That means, at the moment the ‘Dangogiku’ turned into just chrysanthemums—it ceased to be ‘tears.’ In other words, Awayuki-san showed us that the true purpose of this meeting is not ‘tears’!”
“W-What?!”
W-What?!
“Well, Hōjō-san, isn’t that a bit of a stretch…?”
I think so too.
“While that might be the case with just that, right after Awayuki-san finished the dumplings, she called out, ‘Ohana-chan, yay!’ This is referring to Mihaneya Getsuka-san form my class, her nickname is Ohana-chan’s and ‘Hana’ means ‘flower.’ She spoke to a flower… That indicated that ‘flower language’ is the keyword!”
“W-What?! I thought she was just being overly casual, but…”
“No, I just talked to Ohana-chan like I normally do…”
Awayuki’s murmurs were completely drowned out by Kurosu senpai’s loud exclamation.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Hey…what do you think?”
“Well, still feels kinda forced…”
“But it’s that Houjou saying it, man.”
“Yeah…somehow each word feels kinda persuasive.”
The crowd seems half skeptical… I think you should be more skeptical.
“Here’s the crucial part. The roses were placed to our left from the table, right? And next to them was Earl Grey. Britain’s most famous tea. Combine Britain and roses, and the flower that comes to mind is…the English rose!”
“Could its meaning…also hold some significance?”
“You guessed it. Feel free to look it up on your phones, everyone.”
Following Houjou’s skillful prompting, everyone did as she said─
“Ahhhhh!!”
Along with Senior Kurosu, surprised voices echoed through the crowd.
“Th-The English rose’s meaning is…a smile!”
“That’s right! And Awayuki-san didn’t drink the tea. She erased the tears and left the smile… In other words! Awayuki-san’s true intent wasn’t to cry…it was to laugh!”
“…What did you sayyyyyyyyy!?”
Amidst the venue’s shock, Awayuki whispered to me.
“Ootomo-kun…just what is that Houjou person saying?”
Yeah, I’m wondering that myself, but…with all these coincidences and twists, it somehow feels persuasive… Houjou’s skill at capturing hearts is bolstering it tremendously.
“Then how were you able to notice a message as cryptic as this, Houjou-san?”
“No, I wouldn’t have figured it out with just that. The catalyst was Ootomo-kun’s actions…that pratfall after the hototogisu pun…that’s when it hit me!”
“Huh? …I’m completely lost on the meaning…”
“At first I had the wrong idea too. I thought that hototogisu referred to the bird.”
“Did it…not?”
Did it…not?
“There is in fact a lesser known flower called the hototogisu.”
“A flower…so another flower meaning?”
“That’s right. But that alone is still incomplete. There’s a subspecies of hototogisu called the shiobanahototogisu. After the hototogisu pun, Ootomo intentionally fell to turn his nose─the flower white, subtly indicating the shiobanahototogisu.”
“Sh-Shiobanahototogisu… What does that one mean?”
“[Hidden feelings].”
“─!?”
“Despite openly saying she wants to cry, Awayuki must have circumstances where she can’t openly say her true desire is to laugh. But Ootomo noticed right away. However, since it goes against the person’s own wishes, he can’t explain that to everyone─so! He was showing it through action! No matter how much booing or vilification he received…He was fighting alone to make Awayuki smile! Sending her the message [I alone have noticed your hidden desire─to laugh]!
” ” ” ” ” Wha… ” ” ” ”
Everyone’s eyes opened wide as they were rendered speechless.
Wha…
Then I was rendered speechless as well.
The bird poop and pratfall lined up way too perfectly… For it to activate in a place like this…
“Ootomo kept it secret this far, so for me to just blab is the height of boorishness! But I couldn’t stay silent after realizing… A gallant man’s actions going unacknowledged… I won’t allow it!”
Then Houjou pointed sharply at Awayuki on stage.
“And Awayuki-san! Whether you have reasons or not, you needn’t hide wanting to laugh! Call me arrogant and deny it, I don’t care! But Ootomo─this man has thrown himself away with actions! Please…please accept it!”
Then Houjou spread her arms wide to the crowd filling the venue.
“Right…everyone!?”
” ” ” ” ” Th-That’s rightttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt! ” ” ” ” ”
No, none of that’s right!
Are you an idiot, Houjou? Are Teio academy students idiots? Even just thinking normally, it’s clearly too forced! Don’t just get swept up in the mood!
“What exactly is that Houjou person saying?”
Awayuki’s overly reasonable tsukkomi is completely drowned out by the crowd’s cheers, audible only to me.
** “Ootomo!” “Ootomo!” “Ootomo!” “Ootomo!” “Ootomo!” **
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scene transition
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Stoooooop that Ootomo yell! I don’t wanna stand out at allllll!
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