When Arashi and his group entered the school building, they were immediately forced to slow down. The main hall was unusually crowded, packed so tightly that it was hard to even move forward.
Arashi looked around, confused, trying to spot the cause of the blockage.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Takumi sighed deeply, already sounding irritated.
"It has to be that annoying girls' group," he said. "You know—the ones who think every boy in the school is secretly in love with them."
As they stood there, the crowd slowly began to part. That was when Arashi finally saw them.
A group of girls stood dramatically in the middle of the hall, flipping their hair, laughing loudly, and soaking in the attention they believed they were receiving.
"Oh my God," one of them squealed, "everyone is staring at us!"
Arashi leaned slightly toward Takumi and Satoru and spoke in a low voice—quiet enough that only they could hear.
"We're staring at you because you blocked the entire hall," he muttered. "And you sound like three malfunctioning car alarms fighting each other."
Satoru nearly choked trying to hold back his laughter.
One of the girls suddenly turned around, clearly enjoying the spotlight, and decided to speak.
"Guess what?" she said with a grin. "Why did the floor break up with the wall?"
She paused dramatically.
"Because the wall couldn't support her."
There was a brief, painful silence.
Then, for reasons no one could understand, her entire group burst into exaggerated laughter—clapping, bending over, and acting as if they had just heard the greatest joke in human history.
Arashi stared at them blankly.
Turning back to Takumi and Satoru, he whispered, "You guys used to think I liked that girl."
He glanced at the group again.
"She sounds like a vacuum cleaner that swallowed LEGO bricks and is now crying in pain."
That finally did it. Takumi laughed openly, and even Satoru couldn't hold it in anymore.
After a few more moments, the hall gradually cleared. The girls moved aside, still giggling loudly, and the normal flow of students resumed.
Arashi and his friends walked forward at last, heading toward their classroom, leaving the chaos behind as if it had never mattered in the first place.
One by one, they moved toward their respective seats, the familiar atmosphere of the room wrapping around them. Chairs scraped lightly against the floor as everyone settled down, and soon enough, the class officially began.
Time passed quietly, marked by the teacher's voice and the occasional sound of pages turning. For Arashi, the class went by without anything unusual, his thoughts drifting in and out, until finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson.
As break time started, Arashi and his friends gathered together, talking casually among themselves. It was during this relaxed moment that Hina spoke up, her tone thoughtful.
"Arashi," she said, "I tried asking around a little about who's good at chess."
Everyone's attention shifted toward her.
"But honestly," she continued, "I didn't get much useful information. The only thing I found out is that there's a girl—umm… I forgot her name—but she won the last chess match."
She paused briefly, then added, "Other than that, there wasn't much to learn. Most of the students don't seem interested in chess at all. They don't even go to watch the matches."
Hearing this, Arashi felt a small but noticeable sense of relief. A faint confidence settled in his chest, easing the tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying.
"Thank God," Arashi said with a light sigh. "There won't be a big audience then. Otherwise, I'd feel extremely awkward if everyone was just staring at me."
Miyu looked at him and shook her head slightly, a familiar expression on her face.
"You've been like this for so many years," she said. "And you still haven't changed at all."
Arashi gave a helpless smile and replied, "What can I say? This kind of stuff just isn't for me. Who even has the energy for all that?"
After that, Mizuki spoke up, looking at Miyu with a thoughtful expression.
"Miyu," she said, "I was actually thinking… since you, Hina, and Ayane are participating in this, I should join the same group too."
Miyu's face immediately lit up.
"Yes, yes—why not?" she replied enthusiastically. "I was actually looking for one more member anyway."
"That's great," Mizuki said with a small smile. "So… what exactly are we going to do?"
Hina answered calmly, as if the plan was already clear in her mind.
"First, we'll decorate the classroom. And second, we'll make some food and sell it. That's all—nothing too complicated."
Ayane's eyes sparkled at that.
"That's perfect," she said confidently. "Mizuki's cooking is really good. At this point, you can assume we've already won the festival."
Mizuki immediately shook her head.
"No, no," she said modestly. "It wasn't that special."
Ayane leaned closer, smiling.
"It really was," she insisted. "Believe me. Ask Arashi if you don't trust me."
Hearing his name suddenly, Arashi turned toward them, completely clueless.
"Huh? What?" he asked.
Ayane looked straight at him.
"Tell us," she said. "How was Mizuki's cooking?"
Arashi froze for a moment. His face slowly turned red as he struggled to find his words.
"Uh—uh—i-it was… good. Really good," he said, clearly embarrassed.
Takumi immediately elbowed him in the side.
"What's there to be shy about?" Takumi said. "Just say it properly—it was good."
Miyu laughed lightly before turning to Mizuki again.
"Alright then," she said decisively. "Mizuki, from now on, we're all going to learn from you, okay?"
She paused for a second, then continued, thinking out loud.
"I was imagining something like this: one main food item, then something to drink with it, and finally a sweet at the end. But we'll need to test everything first by actually making it."
She frowned slightly.
"But… where are we going to do that?"
Mizuki answered without hesitation.
"Come to my house," she said. "We can make everything there."
Hina's eyes widened.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yep," Mizuki replied casually. "Everyone come on Wednesday, okay?"
Takumi pumped his fist into the air.
"Yes!" he said excitedly. "Free food!"
After classes ended and everyone went their separate ways, Arashi headed home.
The house was quiet, just the way he liked it.
He dropped his bag near his desk, loosened his tie, and sat down in front of his laptop. For a moment, he simply stared at the screen, his mind replaying Hina's words about the chess competition.
A girl won last time… and hardly anyone even watches, he thought.
"That's… manageable," he muttered to himself.
Opening his browser, Arashi began searching for basic chess strategies—openings, common mistakes, simple tactics. He wasn't aiming to become some grandmaster overnight. He just wanted to not embarrass himself.
As videos and articles filled the screen, Arashi leaned forward slightly, his usual laziness replaced with quiet concentration.
"If I'm doing this," he said softly, "I might as well do it properly."
Meanwhile, in her own room, Mizuki sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her thoughts weren't on schoolwork—but on the festival.
Decoration… food… drinks… dessert… she mentally listed.
She turned onto her side, a small smile forming.
"If we're really doing this," she whispered, "then I should make something everyone remembers."
Her mind drifted through possible dishes, flavors, and combinations, already imagining how they would taste together. It wasn't pressure she felt—just a quiet excitement.
That night, while Arashi studied chess moves in silence and Mizuki planned flavors in her head, the festival slowly began taking shape—without either of them realizing how important their efforts would soon become.