The announcement came right after lunch:
> "Attention, everyone! Volunteers for the Cultural Festival Committee, please gather in the gym after school!"
Haruto didn't even look up from his math notes.
There was no way he'd volunteer for something that loud, crowded, and chaotic.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans — and those plans involved a very cheerful girl with a half-eaten sandwich.
"Haruto-kun!" Aoi called from across the room, waving her hands like an excited puppy. "Guess what? I signed us up for the festival committee!"
He nearly choked. "You what?"
"You're so good at organizing things, and I thought it'd be fun! You always look like you could use a little more… sparkle in your life."
"I prefer order, not glitter explosions," he muttered.
"Then you can be the order, and I'll be the glitter!" she said proudly, as if that solved everything.
---
The chaos began immediately.
After school, the gym buzzed with chatter. Students shouted ideas for booths, decorations, themes — some even argued about which idol group to invite.
Haruto sat quietly, trying to take notes, while Aoi enthusiastically volunteered them for everything.
"Let's do a café!" she told the group. "I can bake cookies!"
Haruto sighed. "You nearly burned toast yesterday."
"Practice makes perfect!"
Then someone from another class suggested a haunted house.
Aoi's hand shot up again. "We can help with that too!"
"Aoi," Haruto hissed, "you can't volunteer us for everything."
She blinked. "Why not? We're a team!"
At that point, Riku wandered by, laughing. "Haruto, you look like you're doing advanced calculus just trying to survive this meeting."
Haruto didn't deny it.
---
Over the next week, chaos reigned supreme.
Aoi accidentally mixed up paint for decorations (the banner now read "Welcome to the Cultural Fesitval!"); she also tripped over extension cords twice, and at one point managed to glue her sleeve to a cardboard wall.
Haruto tried to help. Tried.
When she spilled lemonade over the floor and nearly slipped, he caught her by the wrist just in time. Their eyes met — close enough that the world seemed to pause.
"Th-thanks," she whispered, cheeks pink.
He cleared his throat. "Maybe you should just… supervise."
"But then you'd have to do all the hard work!"
"I already am."
Her laughter rang out, bright and unbothered. "Then I'll cheer you on!"
And somehow, despite the disaster that followed, Haruto couldn't stop smiling.
---
The day before the festival, they stayed late to finish decorations. The gym was empty except for the two of them, and the faint hum of evening cicadas drifted through the open doors.
Aoi placed the last paper lantern on the stand and stepped back, proud. "We actually did it!"
Haruto looked around. Despite everything — the misspelled signs, the uneven paint — it all looked… lively. Real. Them.
"Yeah," he said softly. "We did."
Aoi grinned, wiping her hands on her skirt. "See? Team Order and Glitter works every time."
He rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. "You're impossible."
She tilted her head. "But fun, right?"
He didn't answer — but the faint blush on his cheeks said enough.
---
The Cultural Festival was just around the corner.
And if the committee was this chaotic, Haruto could only imagine what the actual day would bring.