We performed twice during the event, marking the end of our first-ever performance on a small stage.
You could say it was successful based on the audience's reaction.
However, this was only the beginning.
I felt like we could perform on much bigger stages in the future.
"Hey, Brier! Madam Louise called us to eat at the faculty room!!! The other performers are already eating!" Joseph shouted.
The same Joseph who looked half-dead after our back-to-back performances somehow regained all his energy the moment food was mentioned.
Everyone else was limping from exhaustion after the adrenaline finally wore off.
Seeing Joseph sprint ahead of us despite supposedly being the most exhausted among the four of us was honestly irritating.
"That pig really has reserved energy specifically for food," Raven muttered.
Everyone nodded begrudgingly.
"I'll probably need to teach him a lesson once practice starts again," I said while imagining several ways to make Joseph suffer.
Honestly, he deserved it.
If you counted every mistake during our performance, Joseph's mistakes alone would probably outnumber the combined mistakes of the rest of us.
We only stayed patient because we understood that he had the lowest stamina among the group.
Still…
Seeing him suddenly move around like this made me smile in disbelief.
"Hey, Brier… you're scaring us," Carlo said cautiously.
I slowly looked at them.
Instinctively, they stepped backward.
"Hey guys, I won't bite. Why the hell are you reacting like that?" I asked.
The smile on my face still hadn't disappeared.
"We made quite a lot of mistakes, huh?" I continued calmly.
"Let's watch the recording later so we can discuss everything peacefully."
The three of them immediately nodded without arguing.
Then we followed Joseph toward the faculty room.
---
The moment we entered the faculty room, cold air immediately hit our bodies.
Instantly, my exhaustion disappeared.
Honestly, I almost felt sleepy.
I looked at my friends and nearly laughed at their reactions.
Kyle practically collapsed onto the nearest sofa while desperately enjoying the air conditioning.
Carlo peacefully stood directly in front of the AC with his eyes closed like a man who had finally achieved enlightenment.
"HEY!! Don't block the airflow! You're stealing all the cold air!!" Kyle shouted while standing up.
He was about to drag Carlo away from the AC when he suddenly noticed something horrifying.
His seat on the sofa had already been stolen by Raven.
"AHHHH…" Raven practically moaned in relief.
"Aircon… my beloved."
"FUCK! Don't you know what first come, first serve means?!" Kyle shouted.
Instead of pulling Carlo away, he immediately pushed Raven off the sofa.
The two instantly started wrestling over the seat.
Nearby teachers and students stared at them strangely while others openly laughed.
"Good afternoon, teachers! First of all, I don't know those kids. You're free to call security and have them removed," I said politely while greeting the teachers properly.
Joseph and I immediately abandoned the three idiots behind us.
"They look homeless," one teacher commented jokingly while laughing.
"Sorry, ma'am. Monkeys don't have air conditioning in the jungle," I replied while throwing a crumpled tissue at them to get their attention.
The three quickly fixed themselves before joining us properly.
Inside, the faculty room was packed with performers, organizers, and teachers eating together.
Long tables were covered with food prepared for the event.
There were trays of pancit, spaghetti, lumpia, rice, fried chicken, and rows of soft drinks lined up at the side.
Joseph's eyes immediately sparkled.
"That's not a buffet," I warned him.
"That food is for everyone."
"You underestimate my abilities," he answered confidently.
Before anyone could stop him, he already grabbed a plate and disappeared into the crowd like a starving predator.
"He moves faster while eating than during practice. Seriously, why am I the only normal person in this group?" I asked Raven beside me.
Raven's face immediately crumpled after realizing he was included in the group I insulted.
Some teachers nearby overheard us and laughed.
"VANTIX, right?" one organizer asked while approaching our table.
"You boys did great out there."
"Thank you," we answered almost simultaneously.
Honestly, receiving compliments from teachers felt awkward.
Especially after getting publicly booed earlier before our performance started.
Then another person approached us.
It was one of the main organizers.
The moment we recognized him, the atmosphere became slightly awkward.
The man scratched his head before bowing lightly.
"About the delay earlier…" he started apologetically.
"I'm really sorry."
Our group quietly listened.
"The backstage laptop froze, and the audio system suddenly stopped responding," he explained tiredly.
"Everyone panicked because your performance was already next."
"We honestly thought the audience was about to throw slippers at us," Raven joked.
The organizer laughed awkwardly.
"I seriously thought some students would rush the stage."
"Well…" Joseph suddenly spoke while stuffing food into his mouth.
"I almost wanted to rush off the stage too."
"Finish chewing before talking," Carlo said in disgust.
The organizer sighed deeply.
"You boys handled the situation professionally. Most students would've walked off after getting booed for that long."
I silently looked at him.
Professionally?
If only he knew how many murder scenarios I imagined backstage earlier.
I could only smile innocently.
"It's fine, sir," I eventually answered.
"At least the performance still worked out."
Then I suddenly heard whispering beside me.
"Plastic," Carlo muttered quietly.
The others immediately agreed.
I instantly elbowed Carlo in the stomach, causing him to collapse onto Kyle beside him.
"HEY! What happened to you?!" Kyle shouted in panic.
"Bri-.. "
"OW, SIR! I think my member is just hungry!" I interrupted immediately.
"Then eat as much as you want! Don't be shy," the organizer said worriedly while looking at Carlo.
We finally started eating properly.
Honestly, the food was delicious.
You could tell it was homemade and carefully prepared.
While eating, we overheard nearby conversations about our performance.
"The students screamed louder than during intramurals."
"Even the CAT officers were singing."
"That chorus completely made everyone lose control."
Hearing people talk positively about our performance somehow made all the exhaustion worth it.
Meanwhile, Joseph had already finished his first plate.
Then I noticed another empty plate beside him.
Never mind.
That was already his second.
Eventually, even the principal approached our table with a warm smile.
"You boys performed very well today," she said proudly.
"The audience clearly enjoyed your performance."
"Thank you," we answered once again.
"Especially you," she suddenly added while pointing at me.
"Hm?"
"You were the one who shouted before the song started, right?"
The entire table immediately burst into laughter.
I covered my face in embarrassment.
"I got carried away…"
Honestly, if our performance had been aired on television, it probably would've received an SPG rating.
"You sounded genuinely angry," one teacher commented while struggling to hold back her laughter.
I glanced toward the main organizer.
His face had already turned red from embarrassment while standing in front of the principal.
"Because he was," Raven answered immediately.
"Very angry," Carlo added.
"I honestly thought he was about to fight someone backstage," Joseph finished.
I slowly looked at the three of them while mentally planning the training hell I'd put them through once Lukas wasn't around anymore.
The principal softly laughed before shaking her head.
"Well, regardless of that little incident, your group managed to save the atmosphere of the event."
Everyone nearby smiled warmly at us, making us feel awkward again.
Thinking back earlier…
The crowd really had been close to becoming uncontrollable before our performance started.
Yet somehow, the music managed to pull everyone together again.
For the rest of the afternoon, the faculty room stayed noisy with conversations, laughter, and students replaying recordings on their phones.
Different groups took pictures together while teachers congratulated performers one after another.
Eventually, the sun slowly began setting outside the windows.
And just like that
The event that consumed almost two months of our lives finally came to an end.