The week before the Lantern Strings Festival was always chaos, but this year it felt even worse. Every hallway at school buzzed with plans, sign-up sheets, and someone inevitably shouting, "Who stole the tape again?!"
Arka was in his element.
He had somehow volunteered Bayu to help him hang paper lanterns across the gym entrance. Bayu was not amused.
"This ladder is shaking," Bayu muttered, clutching the side with one hand while holding a roll of string in the other.
"It's not shaking, you're shaking," Arka teased from below. "C'mon, higher, higher—perfect! Now tie it like this." He mimed the motion, of course without climbing the ladder himself.
Bayu shot him a flat glare, then did it anyway.
By the time they were done, Arka had already dragged him toward the festival game booths. "Come on, let's test them out before the real crowd arrives."
Bayu groaned. "Do I get a choice?"
"Nope."
They ended up at a ring-toss booth. Arka missed every single throw, each plastic ring bouncing off the bottles with tragic clinks. Bayu picked up one ring lazily, tossed it without aiming, and it landed cleanly on the bottle neck.
Arka froze. "What?"
Another toss. Another win.
Within five minutes, Bayu had won a ridiculous pink rabbit plush almost as tall as Arka. The stall owner looked both impressed and slightly concerned.
"Here." Bayu shoved the plush into Arka's arms, as if embarrassed to be seen holding it.
Arka blinked down at it, then at Bayu. "Wait, you're just giving this to me?"
"Too big to carry," Bayu mumbled, already walking away.
Arka hugged the plush tighter than he meant to. He didn't joke about it this time. Quietly, he decided he'd keep it.
Meanwhile, Lestari and Ubi were stationed at the food booth, supposedly "testing" the yakisoba portions. Ubi ended up cooking more than necessary, and Lestari somehow kept being the taste-tester.
"Open," Ubi said, holding out a chopstick full.
Lestari leaned forward shyly, taking the bite while glancing around to make sure no one saw. Their secret smiles lingered longer than the taste of the noodles.
"Not too salty?" Ubi asked softly.
Lestari shook her head, cheeks faintly pink. "It's perfect."
The two went back to work, but anyone passing by could feel the little bubble around them—warm and quiet compared to the festival noise.