The Edge of Sixteen¹

(I’m back to where I started.)

(The main campus, situated in Ward 5, is 45 hectares large… To use an old example, that is the equivalent of nine Tokyo Domes. It is a grand campus that lives up to the institution’s reputation as an extraordinarily massive school.)

(It contains all the classrooms for Asu High’s 10,000 students, as well as practice fields for the school’s powerhouse sports teams that consist of the elite rank 5 students…)

(It states in small text that the less populated clubs also operate from this campus. I assume the Community Improvement Club is included in that description, along with other assorted clubs.)

(So, the finale of this tour will be…)

Hope you enjoyed the tour! I’m here to finish it all off for everyone!

Welcome to the “shout your wishes from the rooftop” corner!

(This boy is…Isotake Akuta, the leader of the Noon Team. Hm.)

You all just ate some mandarin cream puffs and went to the planetarium, right?

Was there anything that popped into your mind? Anything that you felt you wanted to do?

If you got one, then shout it from the rooftop! Put your chest into it!

Huh…?! In front of all of these people…?!

What if someone thinks it looks funny and takes videos…?

We’re gonna use AR tech, so to other people, you’re just gonna look like your avatars that you got earlier today.

So don’t worry about what you look like, or your age, or anything! ♪ It’s not embarrassing this way, right?

Still… Shouting is somewhat…

You can whisper it too.

Really, now?

Yeah. It’s okay if you’re the only one to hear it. You’re the person who has to hear it the most.

It’s just easier to hear if you say it super loud! But as long as you can hear yourself, you can do whatever!

Hm… Is that so?

Yep!

Oh, but I forgot. Your mini cameras recorded everything from today, right?

An AI is gonna use that footage to edit a travel vlog! And that’ll be your souvenir from the tour!

Also, you’re gonna show up in the vid as your mascot avatar. Cute, right?

I see, very interesting.

When you piece together your memories, you find out who you really are.

When you come to HAMA, you can take back your heart.

So when you go back home, you can be your true self. Your souvenir’s gonna be the courage to believe in yourself! And that’s why…

This is a tour where you can become your own main character and take back your confidence!

*chuckle*

(I understand. This tour…)

(It does not exist to sell something made for consumption, but instead, it exists to give guests an experience that will leave a deep impression on them.)

(It seemed to be rough around the edges at times, but the concept is quite provocative and very intriguing.)

(It is an excellent tour that painted a realistic depiction of these students as young adults filled with excitement for their future dreams.)

(However… I am only here to observe! And on that note…!)

Hey, old man! What’s up?

Go ahead and show me! Show me your true hospitality power!

How was that, everyone? Didja have fun?

Yeah! I feel kinda refreshed.

I can’t even remember the last time I was able to shout like that.

I wanna see my vlog soon! Show me yours too!

Thank you for that valuable experience, Akuta-kun.

How do you know my name…? Oh, it was written on the pamphlet. I forgot.

I’m really happy you liked it!

Haha, wonderful. Making others happy often makes yourself happy as well.

Yeah… That’s true. I think I finally got that when I tried it myself.

So thankya! HAMA NICE TRIP!

……

(So very youthful and inexperienced… But I feel I’ve been reminded of something that we all tend to forget as we grow older and the years chip away at us.)

I remember my feelings from that time of my life as clear as day… *chuckle*

……

Akuta-kun! Good work!

WOAH! You too, Teach!

All we have left is the hospitality live show! By the way…

Did you come up with a name for the Noon Team yet?

I did! Kafka-san approved it already.

Really? What is it?

Day2.

“Days”?

Yep. When we were writing our song lyrics, we used the word “day” a lot, so I went with that.

It’s kinda like… Even if one person or one day isn’t all that important…

When they pile up, they turn into a life that can create legends.

Like how 24 frames can turn into one second of video, or how seconds can pile up to turn into a 90-minute movie.

An overwhelming, unprecedented, and fate-like power to bring you back from the brink of death is hiding in there somewhere!

Ahaha! Yeah, you’re right! That must be… No, that is true!

I think it’s a great name!

Idiotake! Chief! Quit the chatter and get over here!

We need to start getting ready for the show.

……

Have you decided on our unit name yet? You didn’t tell us.

I sure did!

Our name is…

Wait, this song is…

It’s the song we sang on the karaoke stage!

I still remember the lyrics.

<⁠You’re all the main characters of today.⁠>

<⁠So we came up with a main character-y song that we could all sing together!⁠>

<⁠Feel free to sing along!⁠>

<⁠…along!⁠>

<⁠Or if you don’t wanna, you can just hum.⁠>

*pant, pant, pant…*

*pant, pant…* Ugh, that killed me…

*pant…*

Akuta, finish it off for us.

O-Okay…!

<⁠Um…!⁠>

(Woah… Everyone’s looking at me. It makes it kinda hard to talk. I can’t say anything.)

(Even though I was standing in the shadows, I always used to act all smug and call myself a genius…)

(But now that I’m under the sunlight, I think I’m scared that I don’t deserve to fill in this blank space.)

……

(Because I’m still a nobody. I haven’t become someone. But…)

<⁠I… I…!⁠>

<⁠I… We still can’t accept that we’ve become ward mayors. I mean, there are probably lots of other people who can’t accept it either.⁠>

<⁠I’m worried too…⁠>

……

<⁠But I’m pretty sure everyone would feel like that at the beginning.⁠>

<⁠It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or whoever. If you don’t have any experience or confidence, you can’t do anything.⁠>

<⁠I thought I had both of those for the longest time, but I never really did.⁠>

<⁠And now I’m standing here.⁠>

<⁠I was stubborn like a little kid, so I’m standing here.⁠>

<⁠I got courage from the people who believed in me. Even though I’m empty on the inside, I felt full.⁠>

<⁠I’m still struggling to find my true self.⁠>

<⁠And if I keep trying, I might become somebody one day, so…⁠>

<⁠I wanna become somebody like that to someone.⁠>

<⁠I wanna grow up to be someone who believe in others and gives them courage.⁠>

……

<⁠I wanna turn HAMA into a place where people can visit to remember what they love and to discover their true selves. So they can go home feeling confident.⁠>

<⁠Because we’re all the main characters.⁠>

<⁠I wanna turn this city into a place that reminds you that you can be somebody awesome, even if you fall down or struggle. I wanna…⁠>

<⁠Um…⁠>

<⁠I want to…do that!⁠>

Akuta-kun…! Akuta-kun, you’re amazing! You did so well!

That was a wonderful speech. Isotake, I’m proud to call you my friend.

…Me…too…

You really stole the show, huh? That was really cool.

I got nothing to say.

You… You guys…

Everyone! Thank you s⁠—

AGH?! Whuh…?! Something dripped on me…

WHAT THE HECK?!