The Enigma of Erald

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: The Stage is Set

ERALD

THE CAMPUS-wide radio broadcast only took thirty minutes. That was my first time to get inside their small "radio station." It was only connected to the speakers installed in parts of the campus. Minsan lang din sila magsagawa ng mga live broadcast.

We learned from the Broadcasting Club president that we weren't on their list of guests for today. But due to the influence of the student council, they had to make a room for us. The noon segment was supposed to run for an hour. Dahil may nauna nang naka-schedule sa amin, napagdesisyonan nilang hatiin ang isang oras para bigyan kami ng slot.

As the club president, Charlotte did much of the talking. When Clyde broke the news to her, she was so excited to speak in front of the mic. Paraan din daw ito para mai-promote ang club namin sa mga estudyante. The more exposure we get, the more chances that we would have more clients in the future.

Surprisingly, she was good at it, speaking spontaneously. Throughout the thirty-minute run time, there was no dead air. Nagmistulan kaming display ni Clyde sa booth habang dire-diretso sa pagsasalita ang aming club president.

"That was excellent," Reign greeted us as soon as we got out of the booth. "If I were an ordinary senior high student, I would have been fully convinced to attend the party later. With the QED Club in attendance, there is nothing to fear."

"Good call to have Charlotte do the talking," Clyde commented, touching the bridge of his eyeglasses. "Kung si Erald ang nagsalita, baka mas dumami pa ang nag-back out."

Clearly that was a joke, and I don't like being the subject of a joke. If only I had control of the microphone, I would have—well, he wasn't wrong—been blunt to the listeners, telling them that there's no assurance they would get out of the party venue alive. Yeah, that was an exaggeration, but you get the thought.

Charlotte, on her part, reassured the listening public that we would thwart the rogue club's plan. And to be honest, that added a ton of pressure on us. She sounded like a politician who promised to get rid of criminality within three to six months, despite having no assurance that she could. Kapag pumalpak kami, malaki ang balik sa amin.

"We still have thirty minutes before the afternoon classes start," Reign remarked, looking at his wristwatch. "Do you want to see the venue?"

The three of us nodded and were led to the school gymnasium. The whole place was closed off as the student council, with the help of the executive committee, started arranging the interior designs. Tumulong na rin ang ilang housekeeping personnel para magbuhat ng mga mesa at upuan.

"We will put up a table here for the registration," Reign said as he pointed at the area near the entrance. "All attendees will have to pass through the security check later. We have already coordinated with the Office of Campus Security for metal detectors and manpower."

Tumuloy kami sa gitna ng maple-floored na gymnasium. We saw the student council officers busy with putting the backdraft on the stage. Inilibot ko ang aking mga mata sa venue. Was it me or the decorations looked so bland? Parang ni-recycle ang ilang decor mula sa mga previous event.

"We had a problem sa budgeting," Reign explained, also looking at the officers on the stage. "The president approved the budget request without reviewing it thoroughly. Nagkulang tuloy ang budget namin. Kailangang mag-cut ng expenses kaya they decided to recycle some materials."

"That is more eco-friendly, right?" komento ni Clyde. "You no longer needed to spend student activity funds for new materials."

Reign looked at him over his shoulder. "We have no problem with reusing old stuff. The problem is on the food and drinks. The student council based the budget proposal on last year's prices. Nagtaas na kasi ngayon kaya nagkulang ang pondo. Thus we have to resort to cheaper food and drinks to cater to the approximate number of attendees."