Cultural Festival (Part 2)

Ten minutes later, the bell rang, showing that break time had ended.

Mizuha then stood up. "Seems like it's time to return to class now and continue with the festival preparations."

"Yeah, looks like it," agreed Akemi.

"Huh? Why are you guys still sitting?" Mizuha asked, confused.

Hikaru turned to her. "Umm, Mizuha—actually, I need to talk about something with the others. Can you return to class first?"

"Yeah, he's right—just small talk. Akemi-chan, can you go with her first?" Takeru said, turning to Akemi.

"I have no problem with that—but what do you want to do right now?"

Takeru stood up, whispered to his girlfriend, and said, "Well, I’ll tell you soon, okay?"

"Okay… Understood. Let’s go now, Mizuha-chan."

"Oh… Okay…" Mizuha said before leaving with Akemi.

As they walked together, Mizuha spoke. "Everyone seemed strange earlier—they seemed to be hiding something from us. Do you know anything about that, Akemi-chan?"

"Well, I don’t know anything about that either."

Suddenly, Akemi remembered something.

"Ah, by the way, Mizuha-chan, I need to stop at the student council room first to pick up some things I left earlier—if you don’t mind stopping there? Don’t worry, it won’t take much time."

"Ah, no problem. Go ahead—I’ll wait," said Mizuha.

After taking her things she had left inside the room, Akemi left and said, "Please excuse me," before closing the door.

After that, they continued walking toward the first-years’ classroom corridor.

Meanwhile, Kurumi, who was talking with her gang there, noticed Mizuha and Akemi walking together.

One of her friends said, "Wait, is that Yuki-san and Minato? Why are they together?"

Another friend said, "Yeah, they seem close. What do you think, Kurumi-chan…?"

The friends hadn’t finished speaking when Kurumi quickly approached Mizuha and Akemi.

"Wait, Kurumi-chan?" the friends tried to chase after her.

As she got closer, Mizuha noticed it and turned to her.

"Ah, Kurumi… What's wrong…? Do you need something…?"

"I want to talk—but it’s not you, it’s this girl…"

Kurumi turned to Akemi and said, "What are you thinking? Why did you get close and become friends with Yuki recently? Did you plan something? I'm telling you—better stop."

Akemi looked down, feeling guilty and quiet.

Kurumi continued, "After what you did—using me and my friends to do something bad to her back then and making my reputation even worse."

Mizuha was confused as she asked Kurumi, "What do you mean, Kurumi?"

Kurumi said, "You see, Yuki—this girl was the mastermind behind what happened to you earlier. She used me and my friends, then left us looking like the villains. And now you're walking with her like nothing happened? Did she even apologize to you? You should avoid getting close to her."

Mizuha then replied to Kurumi, "Oh, that’s right—you guys didn’t know it yet."

"Huh? Know what?" said Kurumi, clearly confused.

"Well, I actually already know that she was the mastermind behind what happened. But we've already settled things between us. She told me everything and apologized. Let's stop talking about this, okay?"

Kurumi blinked, taken aback. "Ah, is that so? But are you sure? You forgave her just like that?"

"Yup… There's no need for me to hold a grudge against her anymore, so let it stay in the past, okay?"

Then Akemi interrupted, "No, she’s right, Mizuha-chan. It’s all my fault—even if you’ve already forgiven me, it doesn’t change the fact that I did it to you."

Mizuha looked at Akemi with a sad expression and said, "Akemi-chan…"

Then Akemi bowed to Kurumi. "Kurumi-san, I'm sorry—for using you and your friends to do bad things for my own purposes. I'm truly sorry."

Kurumi felt upset, clenched her fist, then released it and sighed. "Alright, I forgive you. You're satisfied now, right? Don’t get involved with me anymore after this. Ah, this is so annoying—let’s go, you guys," she said to her gang behind her.

Then Kurumi and her gang left to go back to class, leaving both of them there.

At the same time, on the rooftop, Hikaru and the others finished talking about their plan from earlier.

"That’s all for the plan. Don’t tell her about this, okay? Keep it a secret from her until the festival ends," Hikaru said.

Shimizu sighed, "Ah, I don't know if I can keep this from her, haha."

Takeru turned to her. "Hang in there, Shimizu—this might be a surprise for her. Don’t ruin it."

"I know, I know. Geez, you act like I’ll spoil it for her."

Hikaru turned to her. "Of course, I'm really worried your big mouth will spoil everything."

Shimizu became upset. "What did you say?"

Zul sighed, "There they are again… arguing over a small matter..."

"Anyway, let’s return to class for now. We’ve already taken enough time discussing the plan. Let’s go, Eri."

"Yes, you’re right—Mizuha might be worried if we take a long time here. Let’s go."

The five of them then left the rooftop and started walking through the corridor when they saw Mizuha and Akemi just finishing their conversation with Kurumi.

Mizuha turned to Akemi, "Good for you, Akemi-chan—even she has forgiven you. Cheer up, okay."

Akemi smiled. "Yes, you're right—I'm glad everything is cleared up now. Thanks, Mizuha-chan, you're really kind. I wish I were a positive person like you."

"Mizuha! Akemi!" Shimizu called out as they approached both of them.

Mizuha turned to them. "Ah, it's you guys," she said.

"What happened earlier? We just saw you two talking with Kurumi. Did they do something to you?" Shimizu asked with confusion.

Shimizu cracked her knuckles. "Are they doing bad things again? Need me to take care of them after this?"

"No need to go that far—they didn’t do anything earlier," Akemi sighed.

"Yeah, actually…" Mizuha tried to explain the situation to the others.

Still curious about earlier, Mizuha asked them, "So, what were you guys doing back then on the rooftop after we left?"

"Well, it’s a secret… you’ll find out soon enough, right, you guys," Takeru said.

"Yeah...!" they nodded.

After that, the group split into two groups—Hikaru, Takeru, and Akemi went back to their class, 1B, while Mizuha, Zul, Eri, and Shimizu returned to their class, 1F.

On the way to Class 1F, Mizuha thought, This is strange—they're hiding something from me… I wonder what it is.

Shimizu then came walking beside her. "Still wondering? Don't worry—it's not something bad. It's actually a sur…" Shimizu said, but her words were interrupted by Zul, who covered her mouth from behind.

"Okay, stop it right here."

"Sur…?" Mizuha asked, looking at them, confused.

Shimizu fought to free herself before Zul released his hands.

"Hey, Zul—what are you doing? You want to kill me or what?"

"Ah, sorry—but you almost spoiled it for her… you know."

"Geez, Shimizu-chan… shh," Eri said, putting her finger to her own mouth.

"Ah, sorry about that. Tee-hee…"

"You guys seem strange… Well, if you want to keep a secret from me, then it's okay… I don't want to know anyway."

"Don’t worry, Mizuha-chan. Like Takahashi-kun said earlier, you’ll find out soon. Just wait, okay?"

"Well, if you put it like that, then I'll be waiting."

After they returned to their class, they continued doing their tasks in preparation for the upcoming cultural festival.

That evening, in the student council room, the members were focusing on their work.

Then the final bell rang.

The student council president spoke. "Ah, it’s already late."

"Okay, guys—enough for today. It’s already late. We’ll continue tomorrow. We’re heading home now. Thanks for the hard work."

"Thanks for the hard work," replied the other members.

They tidied up their things and prepared to go home.

Takeru approached Akemi. "Thanks for the hard work—let’s go home now, Akemi-chan."

"Yeah, let's go..." Akemi replied.

"Prez, we’re going now… goodbye," said both of them.

"Yes, thanks for today—see you tomorrow," the president replied.

After the door closed behind them, the student council vice president approached the president…

"What a cute junior we've gotten this years, right?"

"Yeah… you’re right. Especially about that girl Akemi from earlier…" replied Nana, the student council president.

"Oh, her? The one who got the highest score on her entrance exam and gave a speech as the representative during the entrance ceremony earlier."

"So, what about her? Don't tell me you're attracted to her?" said Chitose, the student council vice president.

"Well, you can say that… I saw earlier—she's sharp and fast when doing her job."

"Oh, I see, so you think that too?"

"Huh!? What do you mean?"

"Here, these are our budget calculations… please take a look." Chitose handed them to Nana, and she checked them properly.

"Wait, is it all correct and already finished?" replied Nana.

"Wait, wait, Chitose, don't tell me?"

"Yes, you can guess. It’s all her doing. She even corrected three errors I made and sorted the papers in the correct order without needing me to tell her when she was helping me earlier…"

"Thanks to her, a lot of my work has gone smoothly since she joined. So, you’re right—taking her into the student council was the right decision."

The president nodded. "I see. If she stays like this, I’m sure she’ll have the potential to become our successor next year."

"Haha, let’s hope for that…"

At the same time, Akemi and Takeru left the school entrance and walked together to return to their houses.

"Ah, so tired today… my back is a bit sore…" Takeru sighed.

Akemi chuckled. "Haha, you sound like an old man, Takeru-kun..."

"Here—eat these cookies. It’ll make you feel better," Akemi said, handing her usual homemade cookies to Takeru.

"Yeah, your cookies… Bon appétit…" Takeru happily ate them immediately.

"So, how does it taste? This is my new recipe…"

"As usual… The greatest cookies ever…" Takeru showed a thumbs-up to Akemi.

"Geez, you’re making me blush… Here—there’s more. Finish it, okay."

"By the way, Takeru-kun… can I ask you something?"

"Huh, what is it…?" Takeru replied while continuing to enjoy the cookie.

"What were you guys discussing after Mizuha-chan and I left earlier? You promised to tell me about that."

"Oh, sorry—I totally forgot to tell you about that."

Takeru whispered to her. "Well, actually…"

Takeru then told Akemi what they had discussed earlier. Akemi's expression turned relieved and a bit excited afterward.

"I see… That actually happened… I thought something bad had happened to her… So, you guys want to surprise her soon after the festival ends..."

"Yeah… but please keep this from her, okay? Just act normally, like nothing happened. We want to surprise her so much with that."

"Understood… of course I'll keep it secret, it's an important day for her, right?"

"Ah, by the way, are you free tomorrow after school? I want you to accompany me..."

"Yeah, I’m free… Do you want to go somewhere…?"

"Yup, I want to buy something for our class festival preparation too—we’re out of materials for our planetarium."

"Also, I want to buy something for her for that day… but I don’t know what I want to give her. So, can you go with me tomorrow? I need your advice."

"Oh, no problem—just leave it to me… Tomorrow, after school, right? Understood."

Takeru then thought, "Yes, going out with Akemi-chan… I can’t wait."

Then Takeru smiled and suddenly grabbed Akemi's hand. Akemi's face turned red.

"Wait, Takeru-kun—what are you doing? We're still near the school. What if someone sees us?"

"Haha, let them talk—it doesn't change the fact that we are going out together."

"Geez, you… Takeru-kun."

After that, they kept walking together with their hands still joined until they reached Akemi's house.

Takeru then went back to his house after sending Akemi home.

A few days passed since then. The students at MA High continued their preparations and had now entered the final stretch of cultural festival preparations.

Class 1F was no different—the setup for their maid café was almost complete.

The classroom had been decorated like a real maid café, with the tables arranged neatly.

"Hey, can someone hang this balloon over there?"

"Ah, give it to me—I’ll do it. Please check if it’s okay."

"Just move it a bit to the right… okay… done."
The female classmate asked the male student to hang it higher on the wall.

"Thank you…"

"No problem… If you need help with anything, just call me, okay?"

"Shimizu-san, we're done with the decoration…" The girl from earlier reported to her.

"Ah, understood…"

"Okay, look—the decoration is already done, check!!" Shimizu said while checking and marking the checklist she held.

"The tables and the glasses. Check!!"

"Shimizu, where should I put this box?" asked one of the male classmates, who had just brought it from the costume room after the group in charge finished their work.

"Ah, put it over here…."

Zul, who stood beside her and was also making a checklist, then asked…

"This is really a big box—what’s inside it?"

"Hehe… I’m glad you asked. Please wait a moment," Shimizu said, opening the box.

"Tada—these are our maid uniforms!" Shimizu said, taking one out of the box.

"Ah, it’s finished already… It looks nice," replied Zul.

"Right? Kurumi and the others also did a great job on this, you know…"

"Want to wear it, Zul?" Shimizu teased her with a mischievous grin.

"Are you kidding? No way I'm wearing that—it doesn't fit me at all."

"Ah, come on—you can take mine. Our heights aren’t that different at all…"

"Enough, Shimizu—take this seriously…" Zul said and punched Shimizu's shoulder with the checklist paper.

"Haha, sorry, sorry—just kidding… Let’s continue checking…"

"Okay, let’s see what others are doing…"

Meanwhile, Eri was finishing her last dish for today, while classmates surrounded her, watching her make egg omurice.

"Okay… it’s finished…" Eri said, wiping her forehead.

"Oh, looking good, can we taste it now…"

"Yes…go…ahead…"

A few classmates from her group then tasted her omurice.

"So… how does it taste? Does it taste bad?"

"Wow, this is so delicious—that’s the one, Sakamoto-san."

"This will be a hit tomorrow." They felt amazed by her cooking.

Eri then smiled as she heard their compliments. "Really, thank you so much..."

"Ah, Sakamoto-san is so… cute…" They felt blessed seeing Eri smile.

Shimizu then joined them. "Oh, it smells nice… Is that omurice?"

"Ah, Shimizu-chan… Yes, that is it."

"Hey, can I taste it too…"

"Yes…" Shimizu took a spoon and took a small portion to taste it.

"So, how does it taste?"

"Eri…" Shimizu slowly approached Eri.

"You’ll become a great wife…" Shimizu showed her thumbs-up.

Eri’s face turned red. "What do you mean by that, Shimizu-chan…?"

The classmates nearby were laughing, watching Shimizu joke around.

Meanwhile, in Mizuha's group, some classmates were surrounding her to see her finish the classroom banner.

"Just this and this… And it’s finished…" Mizuha said.

The classmates surrounding her were amazed by it. "Wow, it looks so beautiful, Yuki-san…"

"As expected from our class artist…"

"Thanks. Now we need to let it dry first before we hang it at the class entrance."

Mizuha stood up and spoke. "By the way, how about the flyer we made earlier—did you guys print it already?"

"Yes, we’ve done it already…"

"Really? Can I see it?"

A classmate handed her a copy of the flyer. "Here, please take a look."

Mizuha looked amazed. "Wow, it looks so great… Is this really the flyer we created earlier?"

"Yes, there it is—it looks good, thanks to you, Yuki-san."

"No, this wasn't just me—it was only possible because of all of you. You helped me so much with it."

Zul approached them. "Oh, this banner looks nice, Mizuha."

"Ah, it’s you, Zul—thanks for your hard work."

"Is it dry already? Come on, let me hang it outside," Zul offered to help.

"Please wait a moment. Let me check it first."

"Okay, it's dry enough—I think it's good to go. I'm counting on you, Zul."

"Let’s help you too, Zul," some male classmates said, offering to help him.

"Ah, thanks…" Zul replied.

After that, Zul carefully brought the banner out, helped by a few male classmates, and hung it at their classroom entrance for display. "How about it?"

Another classmate replied, "Ah, move it a bit to the left… Okay, done."

Their classmates, who were watching, were amazed by it. "Oh, looks nice… what great talent from Yuki-san."

"Yeah, I wonder how many people will come here tomorrow. I feel a bit nervous…"

Shimizu interrupted them. "Feel nervous? Don’t worry, guys—I’m sure many people will come. Believe me."

"Shimizu-san—yeah, you’re right…"

"Then, let's get back to class and finish our preparations," Shimizu said.

After that, they returned to class and continued with their preparation.

At the same time, Hikaru, who was passing in front of their class with some of his classmates while carrying a box, saw that, smiled, then chuckled, "That girl is really…"

His classmates called out, "Hikaru-kun, what are you doing? Hurry—we need to finish this now."

"Ah, I’m coming now…" They then returned to their class.

As the day grew dark and everything was complete, Shimizu went to the class podium at the front.

"Okay, you guys—thanks for everything. I really appreciate it."

The classmates teased her.

"What’s with that speech, Shimizu? We haven’t even started yet."
"Yeah, don’t say this like it’s the end."

Shimizu felt embarrassed and upset. "Ah, shut up, you guys."

"By the way, is there anything we need to ask before we wrap up?"

Then one of the male classmates raised his hand and spoke.

"Hey, Shimizu-san—is it true that we have to wear those maid uniforms tomorrow?"

"Ah, that was just a joke—it was only to stop that idiotic perverted group from imagining something weird about the girls earlier," Shimizu said, pointing to the group of guys from before.

"Don’t worry—I’m not forcing you guys to wear them."

"Really? That's a relief…" The male classmate sighed.

"Ah, but there are some spares left—if you guys want to…"

"No thanks on that…"

"Haha, just kidding…"

"Anyway, let’s do our best for our festival tomorrow!!!" Shimizu shouted excitedly to motivate them.

"Oh!!!" The classmates agreed.

Mizuha chuckled. "That girl—she really knows how to motivate everyone… right?"

"Yes, you’re right, Yuki-san—compared to before, when everyone avoided her, now she can really get along with people."

Another classmate agreed. "Yeah, I was even scared to look at her before. I think thanks to you, we can get along with her now."

"No, I didn't do anything… This all happened because of her. She tries her best to make sure people accept her."

"Wow, you really know her well, Yuki-san—I’m so envious of your friendship."

"It's nothing special, haha."

After they finished their preparations, they left the school as the sky turned darker.

Mizuha walked alone and thought, "Everyone is working hard for the festival—I can’t wait for tomorrow’s event."

As she stepped out of the school grounds, she found Hikaru waiting for her at the school entrance gate.

"Ah, Mizuha...!" Hikaru called her.

Mizuha was surprised and approached him. "Huh!? Hikaru—what are you doing there? Haven’t you returned home yet?"

"Well, I’m actually waiting for you—let’s go home together. Here, I’ll give you a ride," Hikaru said, asking Mizuha to climb onto his bicycle.

"Wait—you don’t need to do that for me. Let’s just walk like before." Mizuha hesitated.

"Don't worry about that—you're so tired, right? Let me send you home with this ride, okay?"

"Well, if you say so…" Mizuha said before climbing onto the back of the bicycle, and Hikaru began riding. "Here, we go…"

"It’s been a while since you gave me a ride on your bicycle… Is that okay? Am I too heavy?"

"Nope, you weigh just like a feather, Mizuha… You’re so light… haha…"

"Geez, don't say things like that—it's so embarrassing."

As they started moving, Hikaru continued.

"It's been a while since we've gone home together, right?"

"Yeah, since last week we were busy with our class preparation, and we didn’t have time for that."

"By the way, how did your class do? Has preparation been done already for tomorrow?"

"Yes, it’s all done already—everyone is working hard for this. That’s all thanks to Shimizu’s leadership."

"Haha, you’re right—I watched her work so hard to motivate your classmates earlier. I know that tomboyish girl is capable of doing something like this."

"Geez, watch your mouth—what if she hears that? She might be really upset about that."

"Hahaha, you’re right about that… Sorry, sorry."

"So, how about your class too, Hikaru? Has everything been completed already?"

"Yup, everything’s done too… You should visit tomorrow—you’ll be amazed seeing our planetarium."

"Haha, can’t wait to see it tomorrow."

After that, Hikaru stopped at Mizuha’s house to send her home before returning to his house.

While on the way back to his house, he thought, "Me too, Mizuha—even I can’t wait for tomorrow, especially after the festival… You might be surprised."

To be continued Part 3…