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The closing ceremony went by without a hitch…and in the end, all that was left was announcing the winner of the Princess Award.

*”And now, in second place! Breaking the record for the highest position obtained by a male in the history of this school is… Kuga Reo, from the first year Classroom A!!”*

Applause erupted in the hall as Sakura read out the name. But as for the person himself who had gotten second place…

“Thank god I managed to avoid first place…”
“Did you really want to avoid being in first place so bad, Kuga?”

Seeing how relieved he was, Kasumi grimaced a bit as she asked that.

“I mean…I do think it would’ve been an honor, but the title of princess seems a bit, you know… Especially since I know a real one.”
“Hm, what was that?”
“No, nothing… Look, they’re about to announce the first place.”

Reo had said something under his breath, but rather than clarifying what he meant, he switched topics just as Sakura spoke again.

*”And finally, it’s time to announce the winner of this year’s Princess Award!”*

A drumroll began before she continued. The sound increased the suspense, and when it reached its peak, Sakura raised her hand up into the air.

*”This year’s winner, our Princess is…”*

As Sakura made a pause to garner even more suspense, the whole audience fell silent in anticipation. Then, her raised hand slowly lowered…until it pointed to a certain person sitting in the audience.

*”…Also from the first year Classroom A! Mitsuki Kou!! Congratulations!!”*
“…Huh?!”

Together with the announcement, various spotlights were pointed at Kou, singling her out from the audience and startling her as everything became bright around her. Meanwhile, Sakura continued her commentary.

*”Let’s see some of the comments from the voters. Many are praising her cuteness and so on…and oh, she seems to be quite popular amongst the girls as well, since they all want to cheer for this cute little girl who always works hard!”*

Sakura joked a little about how it was rare for someone to be popular amongst everyone like that, but Kou seemed to not understand a single word she was saying, already overwhelmed by the situation she was in.

*”I also see some of the girls who are impressed by how she can stay calm and collected when something bad happens. I can’t believe she’s even mastered the art of gap moe…this girl could be dangerous!!”*

Saying that, Sakura struck a pose that looked straight out of an old shoujo manga, which was accentuated even more through her virtual avatar as her eyes went blank in shock, something that greatly entertained the audience.

*”Now, I’ve been given permission by her to disclose this information so I’ll reveal a secret. All of the many votes for the unknown girl who hosted the opening ceremony alongside me were also added to her count, as it happened to be her who stood with me!”*

After that additional remark, Sakura held out her hand to Kou with a smile.

*”Mitsuki, come up with me, will you?”*
“Ah, yes…!”

When Sakura called her name, Kou suddenly jerked awake and sprang to her feet, walking up to the stage with nervous and unsteady steps amidst a sea of applause.

Sakura’s hologram walked alongside her, escorting her to the center of the stage where someone…the principal Aureo was waiting for her.

That was so unexpected for Kou that her mind went blank, completely forgetting how the award ceremony went, and when she finally came to, she noticed a flower ornament had been placed on her head.

It was a hair ornament modeled after white and blue iris flowers.

Then, the principal took Kou’s hand and held it high before raising his voice, “…This year’s princess has been crowned. Give her another round of applause!”

The entire hall was booming with cheers and claps, and Kou just stared vacantly, hardly feeling like any of it was real…

“Heh…sorry, I just find it a bit funny.”
“Funny…what is?”

Kou’s superhuman auditory system had caught the principal’s mumbled words, even amidst the loud cheering. He was chuckling about something, which confused Kou.

“You see… The first of these awards was won by my daughter way back when. And now I’m crowning that dem… Amari’s daughter as a winner too.”

He seemed to stumble on his words a little, but Kou was more shocked by a different revelation. The first Princess Award had been given to his daughter.

“If you’re curious I could tell you some of Amari’s buried past too.”
“Somehow, I feel like I both want and don’t want to know that…”
“Heh, oh well. If you’re ever curious just pay me a visit. Now, you can go back to your seat.”

Kou finally realized she was still on the center of the stage when the principal pointed that out, and rushed to go back to her seat amongst the cheering audience.

“Welcome back, Kou. What were you two talking about?”
“Mmm, about my mom, I guess? And how the first Princess Award was won by the principal’s daughter.”
“Ohhh…”

Hijiri welcomed her back, and as they spoke for a bit, the cheering around them changed into wondrous voices.

The prelude to a song had started to play, while Sakura stood on stage as her outfit began to change from her feet up. It was going from her default outfit to a more showy one used during performances.

“Ah, Haru’s song is about to start.”

That was the final special show, a closing song from Kirisu Sakura, accompanied by a rapid light show that dazzled the audience.

It was a motivational song, speaking of how the thoughts of one’s friends always live in the heart, and no matter how far away they are, they’re always there to push one forward.

It also praised the efforts everyone put to get to this day, and how one had to keep going no matter what happened in the future as well.

The whole audience was raptured by the song, barely feeling the time as the song’s five minute duration passed…and with that, Morinomiya High’s school festival came to an end.