Dinner's On Me

"Hey, Tsuki," Taiyori called for me. "Come take a look."

"Hm?"

After finishing up some paperwork, Taiyori pulled out the giant poster she was carrying and rolled it out on the table. It seems like a map of the main path that leads to the Yasuda Auditorium. A bunch of boxes were drawn along the sidewalk.

"See all of these boxes?" she said. "They're all the stalls we have that are currently set up. As you can see, they're different sizes, so we should probably put some of the bigger games like the fishing pond in the larger ones."

"Sounds good to me," I replied.

"Yeah! So, I was thinking. Should we set up the stalls next to each other based on what they offer? Like... All the games will be in the center, all of the food stalls will be on the left side, and all of the souvenir stalls will be on the right side. What do you think?"

"Wouldn't it be a better idea to spread them out? Maybe alternate each stall. Food, game, souvenir, repeat. That way, it would be something different throughout the entire thing."

"I thought about that too. Don't you think that would create a bit of traffic?"

"If anything, sectioning off the stalls by categories would create traffic. Let's say a bunch of people were only there for the food. They would only hang out in the food area, or vice versa on everything else."

"That... makes sense. In that case, what about..."

For the next two hours, Sakuno and I helped the girls with the structure of the festival and also a bunch of paperwork that needed to be filled out and turned in to the headmaster. We're not officers, but we may as well have been. This all seems so tedious. I think I did more work here than I have since I started attending this school.

However, I do think it's nice. I've never been that great at reading, writing, or working with numbers, but today, it was bearable. Time flew quicker than usual. Even though we were talking the whole time, we still got so much done. Is it because I think it's fun to be around these people? Or perhaps...

I looked over to Taiyori as she huddled up on her side of the couch. Her legs were up, and she was using them as a surface for her clipboard. With a pen in her hand, she looked over her work attentively. Even like that, I can't help but think how adorable she is.

Suddenly, her head turned, and we finally locked eyes. Instead of turning away, we steadied our gaze, our gazes piercing through one another. She was the first to break, as she slightly tilted away with a faint smile before scribbling something on her clipboard.

She then threw herself over to my side of the couch, leaning the back of her head on my shoulder while raising the clipboard. I peered over to see a small tic-tac-toe grid at the corner. Underneath it was a message that read, 'Loser pays for dinner.'

I let out a small chuckle as I reached for the pen, but she swung it away at the last second. I suppose she wanted to go first since she marked an 'X' in the bottom left corner.

I pointed at the center, and she marked it with an 'O.' I thought the center was the best spot to make the first move. Is she playing me...?

She then placed an 'X' in the top right corner across the center. I placed one at the bottom right corner, and she blocked me by placing hers at the top left corner.

"... Eh...?" I mumbled.

There were two possible ways for her to win, but I could only block one of them. Shit... she did play me, and she knows it too. A huge smile stretched across her face as she looked at me.

"Haha... Fine. You win," I chuckled.

"Don't feel so bad, Tsuki," she snickered. "You just weren't good enough to face me."

"Give me a few days. I'll have you beat by then."

"Ehhh? Really~? You're willing to go that far just to beat me?"

"In case you didn't notice, I'm pretty tenacious."

"Oh, trust me. I know. You wouldn't stop coming after me even though I told you to leave me alone. Ah... but I guess that applies to me as well, no?"

"Hah. I suppose it does."

Again, we stopped, but it wasn't by the sound of popcorn crunches this time. It was the chattering of two people who thought they were being slick when they actually weren't. We looked over to see Shiro and Sakuno whispering to each other with their hands covering their mouths.

"Cut it out!" Taiyori screamed, and they immediately did just that.

"Well, as per a bet I just lost against Taiyori, I suppose I'm buying dinner," I said. "What are you guys feeling?"

"Oh! Fried chicken!" Shiro exclaimed gleefully.

"Fried chicken and wine!" Sakuno agreed without hesitation.

"Wait, we're drinking too? Say less. I'm down to wake up with a migraine tomorrow."

"I feel like I just found my new best friend. Sorry, Tsuki, you're out."

"Sure," I said. "One of us is an alcoholic, and the other one isn't. We weren't compatible anyway."

"Tsuki?!" he cried with a melodramatic tone. "How could you say that to me, bro?! We've known each other for years! Years, I say!"

While he fell to the ground and flooded it with his fake tears, I looked over to Taiyori.

"How about you?" I asked. "Anything in particular?"

"Hm... I haven't had fried chicken in a while, so that sounds nice. And you? What are you feeling?"

"I'm down for anything."

"Eh? Shouldn't you be a bit more decisive than that? You're the one paying after all."

"It's nothing. I'll go with whatever you guys choose. Besides, I wasn't raised to be a picky eater."

"Tch... Fine. Fried chicken and wine it is."

"Woo~!" Shiro and Sakuno cheered together.

"I'll go pick it up," I said as I stood up.

"What? No, absolutely not," Taiyori grumbled. "You're paying! Go send Sakuno to pick it up."

"Ay, man, he's the one offering," Sakuno shrugged.

Taiyori shot him a deadly glare, forcing him to subtly jolt. Even the Smiling Murderer is no match for the Belle it seems.

"It's fine," I smiled. "I don't mind."

"But..." she muttered.

"I'll be right back. Don't miss me too much, hm?"

"Eh...? Eh~?! W-who's gonna miss you?!"

I quickly stepped outside, letting out a small chuckle. This joyful feeling... I suppose this must've been how she felt whenever she would tease me back then. Makes sense why she never stopped. It's fun.

I placed the order for pick-up at a restaurant just outside of the campus and began making my way over. Through the traffic of school and beyond, I eventually made it to the shop and picked up my order.

Along the way, my mind was drifting off. So many things have happened in just the last month and a half. I met Taiyori and Shiro, Sakuno joined me in my school, and everything seemed to be going so well. Even though Taiyori and I had a rough quarrel, we got past it.

With a takeout bag in my hand, I continued my silent walk in the cold. Such walks in the past would always make me feel so lonely. I didn't mind it. It was just another part of my life that I steadily got used to.

But... No matter how strong of a will a person has, they can never escape the creeping sadness that follows everlasting isolation.

However, walking here today, I don't feel so lonely despite being alone. Front and center, the thoughts of those I hold dear occupied my mind.

The way Sakuno and Shiro were hanging out and laughing on the couch made me smile. The look that Taiyori gave me when she leaned on my shoulder filled me with warmth.

I stopped for a moment to look up at the sky, wondering... Have I ever felt so at peace before?