Summer Festival (Preperations)

It was three days before the summer vacation started, a Wednesday, and the last day before the summer festival when the whole class came together to prepare the maid café for the festival. The school had a sewing club and a lot of the students in this club were practically in the Class 2-C—Airi, Ren and Haruto's class—so they could make use of their skills. And so, the sewing club members had to prepare some maid outfits for selected girls and even Airi got one, although as the class president, she didn't need to partake in the maid café itself. Also there were maid outfits bought if a replacement was needed.
To be fair, the boys had to bring or make the dishes that would be served in the maid café. That would be coffee, tea, and a wide variety of cakes and cookies that had to be made, either at home or at Midoridai High itself.
"Hello and welcome everyone to this special day. With today's preparations it will be decided whether we have a good or a bad maid café. Thank you to those who had to prepare in advance, for example the sewing club and the others who made or bought the decoration for the maid café. Let us be productive and make the best maid café the school has ever seen!" Airi said and tried to encourage the class.
"Good luck everyone!" Ren added. With a loud "GOOD LUCK!" from the class, the preparations started. Some people went to make some chocolate sweets in the chemistry room, some built up room divider and started decorating, and some tried the maid outfits on. Ren was helping the decoration team, because he didn't want to just sit around even though, as the vice class president, because he planned the maid café out with Airi, he could relax and do nothing, when Haruto came to him.
"Hey Ren, it's Airi's turn to try the maid outfit on. You have to come with me and look at the scene!"
"Why should I? Can't you see that I'm doing something important?" Ren retorted.
"There's nothing more important than to go and see your newly made friend in a maid outfit! Especially when she's also one of the most beautiful girls in our school!" Haruto admonished jokingly.
Ren sighed. "Okay, then I guess I have to see this spectacle." Ren replied reluctantly.
Then the two boys went into the biology room which was filled with girls from their class, wearing maid outfits. In the preparation room next to the biology room were Airi and some girls from the sewing club. Ren was surprised. He had never imagined seeing one of the girls in a maid outfit but it was looking good on all that got selected by the class. Then it happened. The door of the preparation room opened and a beautiful girl in a maid outfit stepped outside. Everyone in the biology room looked at her.
Her black dress stopped a bit over her knees and she had white ruffles on her shoulders and around her wrists. She also wore a white bow tie and white stockings with black ballerina shoes and a black headband. A white portion of the dress accented her chest and she overall looked like a model.
Ren didn't know what to think because he got soo overwhelmed by her appearance.
"Oh, Sato-kun. You're here too?" Airi said a little embarrassed because of her wearing a maid outfit.
"Oh, y-yes." Ren stammered in astonishment. He saw the most beautiful girl right in front of him. He couldn't look away. The scene was literally burned into his eyes and memory.
"S-stop staring at me!" Airi said. "It's embarrassing you know?"
"Oh, I-I'm very s-sorry! I didn't mean to stare at you but you just look so beautiful." Ren said without thinking about what he said again. He immediately turned away from her and looked into the opposite direction.
Haruto burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha, you're very funny to observe Fujimoto-san and Ren-san." Talking to others, Haruto's being more formal to Ren than usual. "That's what I came for to see."
"Don't make fun of us! You're mean!" Airi scolded him.
"I'm truly sorry." Haruto wasn't. "Well, have a great time! I'm going to the others making some sweets and discussing what I should make for a cake." And with these words, Haruto left the biology room and went to the chemistry room.
"I'm sorry for Haruto. That's just how he is." Ren said, now looking at Airi again.
"Don't misunderstand me. It's not like I don't like it being seen by you like this but it's really embarrasing and I don't know what to do about it. But it's better now, so it's not as problematic as before now when you look at me."
Ren didn't know what to do with this information. Was she flirting with him? He couldn't tell. But she said that it was okay for him to look at her. Did that mean that it wasn't okay for the rest of the people that were standing in the room? Was he the only one that was allowed by her to do so? Was Airi HikariAi and was she in love with him? Many questions rose in his mind but he got interrupted.
"Hey, don't make me say it a third time!" Airi interrupted him.
"What?" Ren was confused.
"I said 'Thank you for your comment on my outfit'." Airi answered.
"Oh, I didn't notice, sorry. Yeah, n-no problem. But why do you care about my opinion?"
"Oh, uhmmm..." Airi had to come up with a lie quickly. She wasn't ready to tell him that she loved him yet.
"It's because we're friends and I value the opinion of my friends!" Airi decided to say.
"Oh, okay." Ren said the only thing he could come up with in response.
"Okay then, I think I should change back into my school uniform and then we should look around if some of the teams need help with something." Airi said and went back into the preparation room and closed the door. 
Ren was taken aback. He felt like he witnessed an angel. He sat down on a chair and waited while he could hear the whispering of his classmates about Airi's appearence.
It took some minutes until Airi came back, wearing her school uniform. Ren stood up and they both left the biology room and went into the direction of the chemistry room.
"Hey, Sato-kun. Do you think it would be good if I were to wear the maid outfit as well and would help the other girls out for promo?"
"Where does that come from?" Ren asked back.
"The girls in the prep room asked me if I could do that. They said I was perfect for this task."
"Well, they're right, you should do it. Hmmm..." Ren said and drifted off in thought.
"Is something wrong?" Airi asked him because she was a little bit concerned.
"No, it's nothing."
Airi got the feeling that Ren would feel lonely if he was the only one was doing nothing in his class while she was doing something and she didn't want him to feel that way.
"I don't have to do it. I was just asking because they asked me about it. But I would like to look at the things the other classes did for the summer festival, especially the third years. And I want to do that with you, Sato-kun."
"That sounds like a plan. I didn't want to bore my self to death either so I highly appreciate your suggestion."
"But you could've done that on your own too if I would help out."
"Yeah, I guess I would've done so anyway but I wouldn't enjoy it as much."
"Haha, you're charming me."
They arrived at the chemistry room and looked inside. Plenty of boys were trying to make some chocolate and cookies for the festival. There were some that had an easy time doing so and some that were in trouble. As Airi saw the troubled guys, she immediately went to them and helped them by explaining what they had to do. She wasn't one of the best students at school for nothing. Of course she could do anything and knew anything with ease. Even how to bake cookies or make chocolate. "Had she ever given chocolate to anyone before?" Ren thought. He couldn't remember her doing so, so knowing how to make chocolate even though not using this skill seemed a bit odd but what did he have to care? He actually made some chocolate as well because he already knew that Airi had to wear the maid outfit so he thought he might as well make some chocolate. But he didn't know where to go with it. He thought about it giving the chocolate to Airi. Because it wasn't Valentine's Day it shouldn't be mistaken by her, right? Or maybe he should just give it to the other boys and let them use it for sale in the maid café? "That would be the obvious decision right? But I guess, if we're friends, I could give it to Airi as well. But do I trust her that much that she won't hurt me like the others did? Hmm, I don't know." Thought Ren with the last words saying out loud.
"What don't you know?" Haruto asked. He was standing, since the middle of the thoughts, besides Ren and waited for him to wake up from his day dreaming.
"Huh? Oh, Haruto. Since when are you standing beside me?"
"A while."
"Oh, haha." Ren said embarassed.
"What were you thinking about? Did you make the chocolate and now you're thinking who you're going to give it?"
"Can you read minds? Why didn't you told me beforehand. That's pretty usefull and you could've seen what the others were thinking back then."
"No, I'm sorry to tell you but I can't read minds. But I can guess and read you pretty well. You told me yesterday that you also want to make chocolate because you didn't want to do nothing for the preparation today. So I guessed, since you were here and looking at us baking and making that you're thinking about your chocolate. And because you thought soo long I guessed that you were thinking about who to give it. And I was right on top of that!" Haruto concluded.
"It's really no wonder you get better notes than me. I would've never thought about something like that if you would stand here thinking."
"Well, every pot needs its lid, right?" Haruto laughed and petted Ren on the shoulder.
"While we're at it. I suggest to you, that you should give the chocolate Airi. If tomorrow or today doesn't matter but do it. She will love it, getting a gift from you." Haruto suggested.
"Hmm, okay. I hope you're right and there will be no misunderstandings."
"I can't guarantee you that part but it will be alright. Trust me. Until today I was never proven wrong with my intuitions."
"I don't know if I can rely on these words but you're evidentally right so I guess I should try it. I will give the chocolate today!" Ren was now fully determined to give Airi the chocolate.
As they—Airi and Ren—were finished in the chemistry room, they went back to their classroom where everything was prepared and decorated.
"Wow, I can't believe that we're done and ready." Airi said.
"Well, not yet but soon." Ren tried to correct her.
"I know but there's nothing much to do now. The classroom is finished, the outfits are finished, and now there are only the boys left baking their cookies and making their chocolate."
Ren agreed with her. 
Airi let out a deep sigh of relief. Most of the heavy weight that laid on them was gone now and there was only tomorrow left.
"As promised, if everything's finished for tomorrow you can all go home and have a great day. I will go home as well because I trust you all that you finish everything, right everyone?" Airi said loud and clearly into the classroom so everyone could hear what she had to say.
"Of course!" That was the answer to Airi's question.
Everyone was happy and laughed and chatted. You saw some celebrate their success and others quickly finishing what still had to be finished.
"Can someone please tell the others as well? The people of the sewing club and our maids are finished as well and only the boys are left to finishing but I think they'll be finished in an hour or so." Airi asked. Someone was quickly found to deliver the good news to the others and so Airi went to the stairs to go home.
She was half way down on the landing when Ren finally caught up after slowly realising something. Now's the time to give her the chocolate!
"Hey, wait Fujimoto-san!" Ren shouted.
"Hm? What is it?" Airi turned back to Ren.
Ren went onto the landing as well and was now standing right in front of her.
"I have something for you. Because we're friends and you made such a great job, I wanted to give you the chocolate I made for the summer festival. I think it would be a waste not giving it to you." Ren held the chocolate out to Airi.
Airi was shook. Was that a love proposal? No, it wasn't White Day and she didn't give anyone chocolate on Valentine's Day. Did he say he wanted to honor her engagement? "That's super cute," was the best thing she could think of. She went red like a beetroot.
"T-thank you, Sato-kun!" Airi said and grabbed the chocolate. Then, out of embarrasement, she ran down the stairs, almost tripped on the last step, and went straight to the lockers to change into her street shoes. "See you tomorrow Sato-kun!" was the last thing Ren heard before Airi left the school building.
Did he do something wrong? Why did she leave so fast after she took the chocolate? He was confused.
Airi was really happy while going home and couldn't believe what she recieved from Ren. Her heart was racing. She really was in love with him.
Meanwhile, Ren went back to Haruto and waited for him finishing his cookies he baked. Then they both went home as well.