Get your own Free Home PageIt is in autumn. At the school everyone is busy with the preparation for the upcoming Art Festival. In Akari's class, girls are making posters for their event, a tea shop.
OPOne of the girls asks Akari if there is drawing paper left. Seeing none left, the girl asks Tomoko, the class representative, to get some more from the Student Society [when Tomoko herself is also busy with posters]. Akari volunteers to go for her; she has just finished her poster.
On her way to the Society Room, Akari sees many students in a happy chaos of the preparation, including Serika, Kotone and Aoi. Aoi's martial art club is on the right truck now and having an exposition, "History of the Martial Arts" at the Festival.
Akari gets some paper and other materials. On her way back to the classroom, she finds Shiho, busy commanding boys of her class. Their class will have a karaoke contest. Shiho tells her that some trouble is happening in Akari's class.
She is right. A group of girls, lead by Okada, wants to serve some food like sandwich in the tea room. Class E is also planning a tea room and they must have something unique. Tomoko turns down the idea down as such matter needs permission from the Society and the deadline for application was last week [This is true; you can cell foods very easily but serving it at a school festival needs a lot of redtape]. The girls suggest to so it without permission but Tomoko isn't moved. Such an act could cause the termination of the tea shop itself. The girls finally back down and leave the classroom... with a sarcastic comment. Hiroyuki comes into the room just then and senses something is going wrong.
Akari and Hiroyuki see Tomoko coming out of her crammer school. Akari talks of the School Festival but Tomoko shows little interest and leaves. Hiroyuki is sympathetic, who wants to be a class representative?
In the evening, Akari is afraid that Okada and her girls cause more trouble. Unfortunately she is right. On the next day they come up with a new idea, a tea shop with an antique mood. Tomoko's concern about money and time gets answer. One of the girls has a friend whose father runs an interior design shop. So they can borrow many items for nothing. Besides the guy will deliver the materials on his truck later. Tomoko agrees with the idea and leaves the room to return the now-unwanted board that she has just borrowed. Akari runs after her to help.
Akari wonders if it was OK to bring such an idea without prior consultation with Tomoko. Tomoko says, without emotion, it is fine as long as they can handle it. Akari asks if she doesn't like events like the Art Festival and this kind of change bothers her. Tomoko remains emotionless, or indifferent, "As long as everyone will enjoy, that is all I want."
Next day, Masashi tells Hiroyuki about his club's event for the Festival; "Live Penalty Shoot-out" where spectators can join the shoot-out. Hiroyuki is impressed with all the ideas people come up with. He asks Akari if his class's plan is going well. Her reply is positive but he fails to notice the uneasy look on her face.
It is the day before the Festival. Hiroyuki and boys removes all the desks and chairs from the classroom to make room for special ones, which will be delivered soon. Okada and her friends are waiting for the delivery at the school gate but the truck hasn't turned up.
Eye CatcherThe girls in the classroom wonders why the delivery is so late and some think they should prepare for the worst. Tomoko and Akari come to the gate to see what is happening. Tomoko, who fears it won't come, tells them she will going to the Society office for any extra boards. Okada makes another sarcastic comment; "You must be feeling really nice to see our plan is in trouble." Tomoko denies it as calmly as she always is. Then the truck turns up; some extra work has delayed it. Hiroyuki comes to the scene with other boys to bring the tables and chairs into the classroom.
Most of the furniture is in the classroom now. But it is already close to seven o'clock, the time by which the students must leave the school. Tomoko has persuaded teachers so that they can stay until all the furniture is brought in. Okada is not happy; bringing them in is not enough. They must be set in place for tomorrow, otherwise the first day will be spent for the preparation. The girls insist there are some clubs who defy the rule to stay in the school overnight and, if Tomoko doesn't agree, she can go home and leaves all the responsibility on them.
Hiroyuki comes to rescue. He points out it was Okada and others who insisted to upgrade the tea room plan. They now should follow Tomoko's order and do the preparation tomorrow. The boys will help, too. Okada is finally persuaded.
Akari and Hiroyuki are at the entrance hall when they see a teacher who is checking the students. Akari asks him where Tomoko is, who has gone to report that all the students of her class have left school. The teacher says he hasn't seen her. Akari suspects what she is doing.
When she comes back to the classroom, Tomoko has been setting the furniture on her own in the dark classroom. Tomoko says it was her who gave the permission to change the plan and she must take the responsibility. If she alone is too brake the rule, the class can get away in a way or another. Hiroyuki is appalled yet quick to help her. He asks the teacher for extra two hours. He refuses right away but Akari's plea moves him in the end.
The preparation of the tea room goes well. Akari offers to wash the china. Seeing her working eagerly, Tomoko finally speaks up from her heart, "Why did you two pleaded for me? There won't be anything good to you even if you take my sides, right? Why?" Akari quietly tells her that she has been adoring Tomoko, who keeps her word and always thinks of the class. After a little silence, Tomoko speaks again, "Have you ever thought the place where you belong?"
Tomoko tells Akari she used to get excited over events like Art Festivals at junior high school. But, when she was about to enter a high school, her parents got divorced. It was a shock; what she had trusted collapsed instantly. Perhaps because of this, even after she came to this school to live with her mother, she didn't feel at home. So she told herself this is not a place she belongs to. Akari cannot help denying it straight away, "No, that's not the true. You're now doing your best for the class. There is a place for you here!"
The preparation is over. Tomoko sits down on a one of the chairs, with her back to Akari, "I suppose there are officious people anywhere in the world." Akari, not able to see her expression, also sits down without a word. Tomoko's next word, however, tells she is not angry; "I can't change my nature so easily..." Then Hiroyuki comes up; "There's no need to hurry up." He has brewed coffee, the first ever coffee of the shop. But Tomoko refuses to drink it, "I cannot drink without sugar and milk", which make Akari and Hiroyuki laugh as her cool mood has convinced them she would take it black.
Okada and her two friends come to school very early (before six) next morning to prepare the shop. They are surprised to see the shop is almost ready. Akari and Tomoko greet them without revealing what happened. But even Okada cannot complain about it. The Art Festival is now open.
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