Chapter 8: School Festival Disaster

By Monday morning, the class is buzzing. The annual school festival has the same effect every year—everyone gets loud, ambitious, and extremely unhelpful.

Ren already feels a headache coming on.

“Let’s do a cosplay café!” someone shouts.

“No, a haunted house!”

“We should do a live band!”

Ren rubs his temples. If this goes on, we’ll be in this room until graduation.

Yuki slips into her seat, quietly hoping the day ends without drama. She should know better by now.

Haru claps his hands. “Okay! Let’s vote!”

Ren sighs. Haru should never be allowed to lead anything. He runs on enthusiasm, not logic.

But somehow, after half an hour of chaos, they land on a decision.

A theme café with rotating roles.

Ren scratches his head. “How did we end up with that?”

Yuki deadpans, “We lost control the moment Haru opened his mouth.”

Haru beams. “You’re welcome.”

Ren groans.

---

Pairing Time

Mina grabs the board marker. “We need pairs for decorations, props, costumes, and serving.”

Haru stands up. “Ren! You go with Yuki.”

Ren almost chokes. “Why?”

“Because,” Haru says confidently, “you need love in your life.”

Ren stares at him. “I—what? No! I don’t—”

Haru pats his back like a wise old monk. “Your aura is lonely. I can feel it.”

Yuki coughs into her hand to hide a laugh.

Mina points the marker at Haru. “No way. Yuki goes with me.”

Yuki tilts her head. “Why?”

Mina leans in dramatically. “Because you must avoid that boy.”

Ren gapes. “What did I do?!”

“Existing too close to her,” Mina says, narrowing her eyes. “Suspicious.”

Yuki sighs. “Your imagination is dangerous.”

The class starts chanting random name pairings like a weird auction.

“Ren with Yuki!”

“Mina with Haru!”

“No, switch that!”

Ren tries to help organize, but every time he opens his mouth, someone throws out another wild suggestion.

Then Haru and Mina start fighting.

“Yuki should be with Ren,” Haru insists.

“No,” Mina snaps back, “Yuki’s staying with me. You’re always pushing her around.”

“Only because she runs away from her feelings!”

“What feelings?!”

The class stares as they bicker like a married couple.

Ren whispers to Yuki, “Did they… get worse?”

“They’ve always been like this,” she says. “We just didn’t notice.”

---

Finally, their teacher steps in. “Alright, enough. We’ll draw names.”

Mina mutters, “This is still cheating.”

Haru crosses his arms. “May the gods of romance decide.”

Ren leans back, defeated. “Please let me work with anyone else. Even Haru.”

Yuki murmurs, “Same.”

The teacher shakes the first paper.

“Pair one… Ren Aoki and Yuki Harada.”

The room explodes.

“AGAIN?!”

“No way!”

“They’re cursed!”

Ren’s face goes blank. Yuki’s goes pale.

Haru pumps a fist. “Destiny!”

Mina glares at the universe. “What kind of cosmic joke is this?!”

Ren sinks into his seat. Yuki pinches the bridge of her nose.

This is exactly what they tried to avoid.

--

After school, Ren and Yuki sit in an empty classroom with a pile of cardboard, scissors, and fabric.

They stare at it.

They stare at each other.

They look away at the exact same time.

Ren clears his throat. “So… props?”

Yuki nods stiffly. “Props.”

They start cutting cardboard for a fake café counter, trying very hard not to make eye contact.

Ren hands her a cutter. Their fingers brush for half a second.

Both freeze.

Both pull back like the object is cursed.

Yuki mutters, “That was nothing.”

Ren nods too quickly. “Of course. Totally nothing.”

They keep working in tense silence.

After a few minutes, Ren accidentally knocks over a roll of fabric. It falls toward Yuki. She jumps aside, tripping on her chair.

Ren grabs her arm on instinct.

She steadies herself against his chest.

Both stare at each other, eyes wide.

Too close. Too warm. Too familiar.

Yuki steps back fast. “Don’t touch me like that so suddenly.”

Ren raises his hands. “It was reflex. You were falling.”

She looks at the floor. “I know.”

Neither says more.

The air between them feels thin.

---

Meanwhile… Haru and Mina

In the hallway, Haru leans against a locker, grinning. “See? They’re perfect together.”

Mina crosses her arms. “You’re an idiot.”

“Oh? You’re jealous?”

“Of what? Her suffering?”

Haru smirks and leans a little closer. “You know… if you’re jealous, you could always pair with me instead.”

Mina snorts. “In your dreams.”

“You show up in those a lot.”

She goes red so fast she spins around and kicks his shin.

Haru yelps. “Ow! That was a love kick!”

“Shut up!” she says, flustered.

He grins. “You didn’t deny it.”

She kicks him again.

---

Back in the Classroom

Ren ties a ribbon to the top of a cardboard sign. “This is so much work.”

Yuki nods. “At least we’re getting it done.”

He glances at her. “You’re good at this. You always were.”

She pauses, surprised by the calm honesty in his voice. “You remembered that?”

“Of course I did.”

She looks away quickly. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” she whispers, “they make old habits return.”

Ren goes still.

She doesn’t look at him again.

---

When they finally finish, Yuki stands up and stretches. “We should head home.”

Ren nods. “Yeah.”

As they leave the classroom, Haru and Mina jump out at them from both sides.

“SO?” Haru asks eagerly.

“How close did you get?” Mina demands.

Ren and Yuki shout at the same time:

“NOT CLOSE!”

Haru smirks. “Suspicious.”

Mina nods. “Very suspicious.”

Ren groans. “I want a refund on this timeline.”

Yuki sighs. “You and me both.”

But as they walk home—awkwardly, silently—they each catch themselves smiling just a little.