The day of Qingchen High's Cultural Festival began with drums.
Loud ones.
Leo bolted upright in his dorm bed at 6:43 AM, thanks to someone's portable speaker blasting a taiko drum loop from the hallway.
Kai peeked around the door, fully dressed, grinning. "Rise and suffer, Mr. Manager."
Leo groaned. "I regret everything."
---
By 7:30 AM, the school grounds had transformed into a blur of color, banners, and noise. Students ran around in costume, booths were still being stapled together with questionable craftsmanship, and someone had already set off an unauthorized smoke machine.
Leo, clipboard in hand, moved between the classrooms-turned-venues trying to keep everything vaguely functional.
Their class's booth—"A Journey Through Dreams"—was a strange hybrid of a café, photo zone, and mini-game arcade. It looked like someone smashed three ideas together and prayed it worked.
Somehow, it did.
Yuki stood at the front in a white-and-blue festival kimono, waving guests in with a paper fan and an energy level that could jumpstart a car battery.
"Welcome! Welcome! All handsome boys get extra snacks, all pretty girls get a selfie with our mascot!"
Leo, from behind the curtain, muttered, "We have a mascot?"
Kai, already halfway into a dragon onesie, replied, "Apparently it's me."
Rin was stationed at the café counter, wearing a simple floral yukata. Her expression was serene, movements graceful, and her tea-pouring technique could put professionals to shame.
Hana, on the other hand, had set up a competitive shooting gallery with rubber darts. She was dressed in festival athletic gear and kept shouting things like:
"Step right up! Hit three targets, win a snack! Lose, and you do five squats!"
It was oddly popular.
---
Leo spent the morning running between stations, refilling supplies, managing queues, and mediating a conflict involving two kids fighting over a goldfish plushie.
Around midday, things calmed enough for him to grab a rice ball and sit outside the classroom.
"Hey."
He looked up. Rin stood nearby, holding a thermos.
"I made iced tea," she said. "You look dehydrated."
"…Thanks."
She sat beside him.
For a while, they just watched the crowd pass by.
Then Rin said quietly, "You're doing well."
Leo looked at her. "You think so?"
She nodded. "Better than most. You didn't run away."
"…I thought about it."
Rin allowed a tiny smile. "Everyone thinks about it."
---
Just as Leo finished his tea, Yuki burst out of the classroom.
"Leo!" she called, practically skipping over. "Photo time! You promised!"
"I did?"
"Yes. You forgot. I didn't."
Rin raised an eyebrow. "Photo?"
Yuki smirked. "Couple photo corner. Festival special. You and me. Come on."
Leo hesitated. "I should go check supplies—"
"Already done," Kai's voice called from inside. "Go be cute or whatever."
Rin didn't say anything, but she didn't move either.
Yuki took Leo's hand without asking. "Let's go."
---
The photo corner was surrounded by paper lanterns and fake cherry blossoms. Yuki handed Leo a cardboard heart prop and grinned.
"One picture. Smile."
Click.
"Okay, now one with you blushing."
"I'm not doing that—"
Click.
"Perfect."
Leo stared at the camera. "You're dangerous."
Yuki winked. "And you like it."
---
By late afternoon, the festival was in full swing. The crowd thickened. Music from the main stage echoed through the halls.
Leo finally caught a break, heading toward the back garden for some air.
He didn't expect to find Hana there, leaning against a tree, munching on skewered dango.
"Yo," she said. "Need a breather?"
Leo sat on the stone bench nearby. "Yeah."
"You've been running around like a headless chicken."
"That accurate, huh?"
She shrugged. "You did good, though. Everyone's talking about our booth."
Leo smiled faintly. "Thanks."
Hana tossed him a stick of dango.
"For energy," she said. "And 'cause you looked pathetic just now."
Leo accepted it. "You're nicer than you pretend to be."
"Shut up."
They sat in companionable silence.
Then Hana said, "You've been spending a lot of time with those two."
Leo blinked. "Rin and Yuki?"
"Yeah."
"…You're not jealous, are you?"
She snorted. "Nah. I'm just saying—if you pick one of them, don't half-ass it."
Leo looked over.
Hana was staring at the setting sun.
"Cause if you don't make it clear, people get hurt," she said. "Even the strong ones."
Leo didn't answer.
He couldn't.
---
As the sky turned orange and the lanterns lit the schoolyard, Leo looked at the photo Yuki had forced into his hands.
It showed him mid-blink, looking confused, while Yuki smiled like she owned the world.
He tucked it into his pocket.
The festival wasn't over yet.
But something had definitely begun.