On the morning of the second day of the cultural festival, the weather was fine. Naruse woke up from bed, with bright light shining through the window. When he got up and went downstairs, Naoko had already come to prepare breakfast.

Before going to wash up, he said: "I will probably have more free time today, so I won't have to prepare my lunch box."

The cultural festival is a celebration led by students, and shopping and eating have always been the eternal themes of the celebration. He can't be hungry.

Shangzi looked back at him, "Then I'll just eat the bento alone."

"Why are you talking so pitifully?" Naruse was a little helpless.

"Let's go shopping together then. Didn't Shangzi say yesterday that the crepes taste good?"

"I want to try teppanyaki noodles today."

"Whatever you want."

After washing up, he came to the living room, turned on the TV, and then went to the kitchen to help out.

"Let me mix the salad."

"Okay."

When the two returned to the dining table in the living room and started eating breakfast, a morning news broadcast on the local TV station was about to be finished.

["...The fire in Tsugao Prefecture has been completely controlled. The fire chief assured...it will not affect normal classes...In addition, the last three days are the cultural festival in Tsugao Prefecture. In order to eliminate other fire hazards..."

】

Naruse was stunned for a moment while holding the soup bowl, then turned to look at the TV.

"Did someone say something outrageous on TV just now?"

Shangzi blinked, a little unbelievable.

"It seems like a fire?"

"It seems to be Tsugao?"

"I don't know..."

The news broadcast had ended, and while Naruse was drinking wakame miso soup, he searched on his mobile phone, but he could only find a text message.

He picked up the chopsticks again and said, "What happened around eight o'clock last night."

"Is Tsugao really on fire?"

Shangzi still couldn't digest this matter, "Do you have a severe fever?"

"The fire didn't seem serious, and it was extinguished not long after it was discovered."

"That's good."

After breakfast, I went out and while waiting for the bus, other Jingao students living nearby were also talking about the fire last night.

But like both of them, everyone knows very little.

“What a ‘hot’ cultural festival.”

"Be careful of getting struck by lightning if you say something like this."

Arriving at the school and passing by the courtyard, Naoko pulled Naruse's arm.

Without her reminding him, he could see a large group of students surrounding the open space in front of the connecting corridor.

"What's going on over there?"

"Could it be where the fire started..."

The two of them also walked over.

The students surrounding him were not too dense, and Monk Naruse squeezed in easily. One raised his eyebrows, while the other frowned.

"The one that was burned seems to be your tree?"

Looking at the black paper ash soaked in the water, Naruse still remembered the huge paper tree that was originally placed here. Even when looking down from the window on the third floor, it still felt spectacular.

Shangzi frowned and nodded, thought of something else, and muttered: "No way..."

"What?" Naruse asked.

She shook her head.

"I just feel like I'm in big trouble now."

Naruse looked around and saw that there was open space all around. The fire could not spread and did not affect other areas. "It must be an accident."

"Well..."

Perhaps because the handicraft club's annual work was burned to the ground, Shangzi was not energetic, and then said: "I'll go to the club first and have a look."

"Okay."

The two separated in the atrium. Naruse came to Class C classroom. Several students who had come over were talking about the accident below.

"It is said that cigarette butts were found at the scene."

"You mean someone was smoking and accidentally lit the paper tree on fire?"

"After all, it's made of paper, so it's easy to light."

"But it was too clean...didn't I say that the fire brigade would be here soon?"

"Idiot, by the time the fire was discovered and reported to the fire brigade, it was already out of control."

"Such a big tree..."

By the time they went to the gym for roll call, things were getting more and more bizarre. Naruse heard at least five completely different conspiracy theories.

"This is some kind of mysterious religious ceremony, the purpose is to contact the cosmonauts who are observing the earth from outer space!"

Shangzi showed up in the gym on time with a relatively calm expression. Listening to the random speculations of the classmates around him, as a member of the handicraft club, he just smiled when asked.

Naruse came over to ask about the situation at the handicraft club, and she said: "The incident happened suddenly, and the minister and others are discussing a solution."

"Are the exhibits from last year still there? Can we improvise?"

"After the cultural festival, it will be donated or disposed of."

Naruse's suggestions can only go so far.

"By the way, the paper apple tree was designed by second grader Takahashi, right? What was her reaction?"

"Before I came here, Takahashi-senpai never came to the clubroom."

The roll call was at 8:30, and teacher Nakahara Snow showed up about ten minutes early. After the roll call, she gave a special reminder to pay attention to fire prevention.

The morning meeting was only for roll call, and it could be dismissed after it was over. Naoko said hello to Naruse, and then went straight back to the handicraft club's office.

Other members also came over one after another, and when they saw the minister, Ritsuko Sugiyama, Naoko greeted, "Minister."

Ritsuko Sugiyama didn't know what she was thinking. She glanced at her blankly and nodded after a few seconds, "This flower."

The handicraft society suffered such a huge change, and the person who was most affected was the minister in front of me.

"Are you okay, Minister?"

"It's okay. Well, I'm okay..."

This is not a normal situation.

Shangzi did not say this, but instead asked: "Has the result of the previous discussion been reached?"

Ritsuko Sugiyama took a deep breath and regained some composure.

"Because I have to go to the gymnasium for roll call, I have put it on hold for now. Let's discuss it together when everyone returns to the department...Do you have any suggestions?"

Shangzi nodded.

"Before you think of a better idea, it's better to find someone to clean up the place first, then select two to three eye-catching exquisite works from the department, and set up a stall in the original place. It's better to make a sign.

, 'For more works, please come to the handicraft club on the second floor of the annex building to visit', etc., to guide the attracted guests to the department room."

Ritsuko Sugiyama was silent for a while and nodded quickly.

"It makes sense, let's do it."

Shangzi said no more. Giving orders is the responsibility of the minister, and most of the members are still on their way back.

"This flower..."

Sugiyama Ritsuko stared at her for a few more seconds.

"This matter has nothing to do with you, right?"

Shang Zi was startled, then glanced at her and said, "As long as I am a member of the handicraft club, this matter will be relevant to me."

"No, I mean..."

Ritsuko Sugiyama pursed her lower lip and stopped talking, "No, it's nothing. Ika's suggestion is very good. Please ask Komatsu-san to prepare the sign now."

"Okay, Minister."

The members of the handicraft club returned to the clubroom one after another after the roll call, and Ritsuko Sugiyama, who had recovered her senses, also followed Naoko's suggestion just now and intensively took remedial measures.

Selecting works, submitting applications to the Cultural Festival Executive Committee, and setting up stalls for display in the cleared area of ​​the atrium, etc., everything is almost busy, and the time has passed nine o'clock.
To be continued...