Chapter Seven: The Biggest Event Of The Year

No matter how hard she tried, Chiyo's face wouldn't leave Kanako's mind. As she laid in bed, a quick glance at the clock told her is was nearly one in the morning. And yet, she hardly felt tired. Instead, she was restless. But perhaps that wasn't quite it. Perhaps guilty was the better word for it.

Since the beginning of her second year of high school, Kanako had been getting know the girl named Chiyo Wakabayashi. She had never had any plans for the two of them to cross paths, but unlike Michi, it wasn't as if Kanako had ever had anything against Chiyo. So when the two of them did meet, Kanako wasn't opposed. However, it had certainly been unexpected to see just how close she would get with the gal.

They talked nearly every day. They hung out now and then. Most importantly, Kanako got all sorts of advice from Chiyo. Truly, they had become such good friends… or at least, that's what Kanako had believed. After seeing Chiyo earlier, she had to wonder just how much of that closeness she had imagined.

To Kanako, Chiyo was many things. She was loud, just like Michi said, but Kanako viewed it more as her just being energetic. She was seemingly always happy, and when she got serious, she usually had something important to say, reminding Kanako of an older sister. Chiyo was great at bringing people together and getting others out of their shells, and she even managed to get Michi to call her a friend when she had once hated the gal. Kanako really thought that Chiyo was an amazing person, so perhaps that was what had led to her misconception.

What exactly was her misconception? Simply put, it was that Chiyo was spectacular, and a goal to reach for. Without realizing it, Kanako had begun to put Chiyo on a pedestal of sorts, and it was because of that that she had missed two crucial things about Chiyo.

The first was that she was more than her exterior.

The second was that she was painfully in love with Michi.

In regards to the first point, Kanako should've understood that better than anyone. She was surrounded by people who weren't quite what they seemed on the outside. Haruna had been so mean to her, but she knew inside she was actually nice. Michi was usually blunt, but she only said her honest feelings because she cared. Even Akio must've had his reasons for suddenly becoming so cruel, of that Kanako was certain. And yet, she had assumed that the outside was all there was to Chiyo. Was it because she never saw more? Or was it because she didn't want to?

Had Kanako just been seeing what she wanted to see of Chiyo so she could use her as a pillar of support? She really wasn't sure. No doubt that was at least part of the truth, but Kanako had a feeling that she had just simply been blind. So preoccupied with Akio, then Haruna and now adding in Michi, Kanako had lost sight of those around her once again. "How does this keep happening?" she wondered.

When it came to the second point, that felt less obvious, but Kanako knew that was only because she hadn't been looking. In hindsight, the way Chiyo kept acting with Michi was more than the intimacy shown by a friend, even for her. But Kanako hadn't even given it a second thought until she had seen how much pain Chiyo was in.

Throughout the time she had known Chiyo, Kanako had seen the gal make many faces, but she was sure that was the first time she had seen Chiyo show genuine suffering. The anguish that displayed in her expression told Kanako all she needed to know. Chiyo held strong feelings for Michi, but unlike Kanako who was pursuing hers, Chiyo was desperately trying to keep them inside. Not in a naive attempt to maintain the status quo between her and Michi, but because she knew she would never be accepted.

It made Kanako thankful, in a way. She already knew how Haruna felt. Her only problem was getting Haruna to hear her feelings. But for Chiyo, her problems were in another league entirely. Forget wondering if Michi would consider the idea of going out with another girl. Would she even want to be around Chiyo anymore if she knew how Chiyo felt? The potential outcomes were catastrophic.

That was what Chiyo was dealing with, and it had only been some hours ago that Kanako learned that. She had thought they were close, but now she didn't know if they ever had been. Just how much had Chiyo been suffering? For how long? When did she develop feelings for Michi? Was it recently, or a long time ago, maybe even before they met?

Kanako had answers to none of these, neither then nor now. Regardless though, she still considered Chiyo her friend, so she wanted to help her. But she couldn't. Not without becoming the world's biggest hypocrite. Could she really tell Chiyo something like "Chase after your love and tell Mi-chan how you feel!" when she herself was failing in that very department?

Kanako was chasing, but at this point, she wondered if she was truly gaining any ground at all. There was no desire to give up, but… "What do I do when I don't know what I should do next?" Before, she had leaned on Chiyo. Now, she felt guilty. Just how many times had she gone to Chiyo for help with her love life, all while Chiyo was dealing with her own feelings? It felt so unfair to her. "Have I been hurting her this whole time?" Kanako wondered.

The pillars of support were crumbling. Michi had fallen, with the rebuild process continuously stalling. Chiyo was cracked, but only now was Kanako seeing the damage. Who was left? Hinami? Perhaps, but could Kanako expect her to shoulder so much weight? There was Mayu and Itsuki, but neither of them knew what was going on, as far as Kanako knew.

Her pursuit was slowing. Her support was falling before her eyes. "Can I even do this…?" she thought. "It feels like everything is falling apart…" But then, Kanako shook her head. "No, I can't think like that. My uneasiness and uncertainties are part of what has gotten me into problems before. I believe in my feelings for Haruna. I know I can get them across to her."

Reassured as she was feeling, those words did little to actually fix anything. "I should just take it one step at a time," Kanako decided. She was worried about Chiyo the most, so that was who she'd talk to first. "I need to apologize to her, and probably thank her too while I'm at it." With her mind made up, Kanako began to feel drowsy, although her sleep was hardly one that could be called restful.

*****

The next day, Kanako got out of her bed still feeling very sleepy. Sluggishly, she put on her uniform and put her hair up like always before heading downstairs for breakfast. As she ate, she idly wondered what Haruna had thought of her chocolates. She didn't get to see Haruna at all on Monday, so she couldn't even gauge a reaction. "I wish I could just ask her, but that probably wouldn't work…" Kanako thought, slightly annoyed. Aside from wanting to know what her crush thought of her chocolates, as an aspiring chef, she also wanted to know what someone else thought of the taste of her creation.

While Kanako was concerned with that, she was also still thinking about Chiyo too. She partly dreaded the conversation she would have with her. "After yesterday, I'm scared it'll be really awkward between us…" Kanako worried. Then again, it was Chiyo, so maybe it would be fine anyways. However, at that thought, Kanako quickly shook her head. "No, no, no! Saying, 'it's Chiyo, so it'll be fine,' and acting like she's invincible or something is exactly what got me into this mess!"

Chiyo had feelings too. Not just happy, bubbly ones, but ones that caused her sadness and suffering. If Kanako didn't remember that, she was sure she'd just repeat her mistakes. "I need to make more of an effort to pay attention to people," she told herself. Focusing back on Chiyo, Kanako did her best to mentally prepare herself for saying what she needed to say to the gal.

In the midst of that, Kanako finished her routine and headed toward the door to leave. But, just as she opened it, she froze. "….Huh?" she let out. It was the only thing that came to her mind to say, because standing in front of her was none other than Haruna. Her fist raised like she had been just about to knock, her face showed an expression of surprise as well. "Um," she said as she lower her fist. "G-Good morning."

"G-Good morning," Kanako repeated back to her. She was still shocked. What was Haruna doing at her house? It had been weeks since she had come to wake Kanako up, so why was she here now? "D-Did you need something Haruna?" Kanako asked instinctively. "No, um… I just thought… w-we could walk to school together, that's all…" Haruna answered nervously. She kept her face turned away as she spoke, and her words were halting, but Kanako made sure not to miss even a syllable.

This was huge news for her. She couldn't help but wonder if her chocolates had made this much of an impact. "Did she like them so much that she wanted to talk to me again?" Kanako thought hopefully, though she wondered if that could really be the case. But, more than anything, she was just happy that Haruna had come to see her. It told her that no matter what the cause was, progress had been made.

"S-Sure," Kanako finally replied. "I'll walk with you." Accepting her response with a small nod, Haruna turned around to start heading to school. Kanako followed behind her, tracing her footsteps in the snow much like she had on Christmas night. This time, they were a lot easier to follow.

They walked side by side once they reached the road, and as they did, neither of them said a word. Kanako had no idea what was going through Haruna's head, but she knew that as for herself, she didn't mind the silence. Even that was progress. Walking together in silence was certainly better than Haruna running away from and avoiding Kanako.

Finally, about halfway to school, Haruna spoke. "Hey Kanako?" she began. "Mm?" Kanako let out. "Those chocolates you gave me… they were… good… I'm sure I'm the only one that would like them though," Haruna said. "Glad you liked them," Kanako said calmly as she suppressed the urge to jump for joy. "And yeah, you're probably right. Chiyo said something similar." "Chiyo?" Haruna repeated. "Mhm. We made chocolates together, so she got to try one of the ones I gave to you," Kanako explained. "I see…" was all Haruna said in response. After that, silence fell over the two once more.

Next to Haruna, Kanako desperately wanted to ask why she had come to get her this morning. "But what if I do and I push things too far? What if I cause Haruna to run away again?" she thought. The moment that she was living in felt so fragile Kanako was sure it could break with just the tap of a finger. It was clear how difficult it had been for Haruna to even ask in the first place considering her body language earlier. If Kanako tried to push the issue and ask why Haruna had asked, Kanako feared that instead of providing an answer, Haruna would just run away again. "Then it would be who-knows how long until a moment like this comes around again," Kanako thought. So instead, she kept her mouth shut and did her best to just enjoy the fact that the two of them were at least next to each other again.

When they arrived at school, Kanako began looking for Chiyo, but she couldn't find her. "That's weird. It's unusual for Chiyo to be running late," Kanako said aloud. "Not really," Haruna suddenly replied. "She used to be late all the time." "Really?" Kanako asked. "Why?" "U-Um, well," Haruna sputtered, unsure of how to explain it to Kanako. "Late nights… with guys… and stuff…" Taking a moment to think about that response, Kanako managed to piece the meaning together. "O-Oh…" she muttered with a red face. She knew that Chiyo used to sleep around a lot, but having it brought up directly like that still made Kanako feel embarrassed.

Then, just before the final bell rang, Chiyo arrived. "Safe!" she announced from the door. "Chiyo!" Kanako called. "Oh, heya Kana-chan. This is different, you shoutin' my name," the gal said. Her tone carried no indication that she was bothered by yesterday's events. But Kanako knew better now. She understood just how good Chiyo was at hiding her true feelings. So instead of playing along, she went with a more direct approach.

"Can we talk after school?" Kanako asked. "After school? You gonna confess to me or somethin'?" Chiyo joked. "Chiyo. T-This is… important," Kanako said. Seeing how serious she was, Chiyo responded in kind. "Important huh? ...Alright. But I really hope this isn't some moment where you try to convince me to do something, y'know?"

Kanako knew what Chiyo meant. She was wondering if Kanako was going to try to persuade her into confessing to Michi. Of course, that wasn't Kanako's intent at all. "It's not something like that," she said, which seemed to satisfy Chiyo enough. "Then I'm all ears," she said.

*****

After school, the two of them decided to use an empty classroom on the third floor of the school. "You sure you're not confessin'? Seems like the perfect set-up for it," Chiyo joked. "Sorry, but I have feelings for somebody else," Kanako joked back, although her answer was truthful. "Must be some lucky girl," Chiyo said. "She will be. Someday," Kanako said. For a moment, Chiyo seemed surprised by Kanako's confidence, but then she just smiled. "Yeah, I bet."

"Actually," Kanako said. "That's kind of the reason we're here." "Ooh, ya need my help with another plan?" Chiyo asked, but Kanako shook her head. "No. This isn't about a plan. In fact, this has more to do with you than Haruna." "Me?" Chiyo repeated. Then, Kanako took one step back, took in a breath…

...and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry!"

"...Huh?" Chiyo let out, but Kanako continued. "I'm so sorry Chiyo!" she cried. "All this time, I've been relying on you for help with my feelings, but I didn't know anything about how you felt! I just kept taking my problems to you, one after the other, expecting you to fix it for me! But, all this time, you've had your own feelings to deal with! I'm terrible! I've been a horrible friend to you! All I keep asking for is your support, but I've done nothing to help you! I-"

Before she could keep going, Kanako's words were cut off by a soft embrace. Her face fell into Chiyo's chest, and it was only then that when she felt the dampness of the fabric on her face that Kanako realized she had started crying. "That's enough Kana-chan," Chiyo said gently. "It's okay." "No!" Kanako protested, her voice slightly muffled. "It's not okay! I've just been using you! But meanwhile, all this time, you-"

"My feelings have never once been in conflict with yours Kana-chan," Chiyo said swiftly. "It's true that I have my own love, but that and yours are two different things." Lightly, Chiyo pulled away just enough so Kanako could look up to see the gal's face. "Do you know why I support you Kana-chan?" In response, Kanako only offered a blank stare. Chiyo took that as a sign to continue. "It's because I truly believe, with all my heart, that you are what's best for Haru-chi."

"You remember how she used to be, right? The girl was miserable. Like, no one should be that angry all the time, y'know? But when you came back into her life, things got so much better. It was bumpy at first, yeah, but it all worked out didn't it? And that was because of you Kana-chan. Sure, I maybe helped out here and there, but you put in the work. So you can bring all the problems ya want to me, because ultimately, no matter what I say or do, it's your words or actions that will bring results."

"And now look at you two. I know it seems bad, but you and Haru-chi have made so much progress. I mean, Haru-chi actually confessed to you. And you, Kana-chan, realized how much you actually love her. I didn't do that for you. You figured that out for yourself. That's why I can keep supporting you."

"B-But, it almost feels like I've been forcing you-" Kanako tried to protest, but Chiyo stopped her once more. "I'm not being forced Kana-chan. I care about Haru-chi a lot. More than anything, I want her to be happy. And now, after getting to know you Kana-chan, you've become important to me too. Really, you're kinda like a little sister to me now. So I want you to be happy too."

"I'm supporting the two of you because I want to, and because I think the two of you are what make each other the happiest."

"Chiyo…" Kanako uttered. "A-And I'm not hurting you by asking for your help?" "Not a bit," Chiyo replied breezily. "A-And I can keep leaning on you?" Kanako asked. "Lean on me all ya want," Chiyo said. "Are you sure it's okay?" Kanako asked. Gently, Chiyo raised her hands off of Kanako's body and brought them to the girl's cheeks, cupping one of them while using her other hand to stroke the side of Kanako's head. "It's completely, one hundred percent okay," she said.

Then, Kanako lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Chiyo. "Whoa!" the gal exclaimed. "Kana-chan's hugging me!" "Mhm. I-It just felt like the right way to show my appreciation," Kanako said. "Well, I'll definitely never turn down extra skinship," Chiyo said, returning the hug.

Standing in the middle of the classroom, the two girls embraced like sisters would, like the older one was comforting the younger.

When they released, Kanako felt much better. "I-I'm glad that you weren't mad at me for yesterday," she said. "Huh? Why would I be mad?" Chiyo asked, confused. "Wha? B-But you seemed like you were in pain, and I practically dragged your true feelings out of you…" Kanako said, feeling guilty once more. "Don't worry about it," Chiyo said with a shrug. "I guess I understand why you thought that though. Honestly, that came out with more emotion than I intended. I guess it just goes to show how frustrated I am with myself." "Yourself?" Kanako repeated. Chiyo nodded. "Yep, because I just had to go and fall in love with someone who'll never love me back."

Kanako had nothing to say to that. What could she say? She knew words would do little to provide any comfort to the gal. So instead, she asked a question. "Shouldn't you try to be happy too?" Chiyo had talked plenty about how she wanted Haruna and Kanako to be happy, but what about her own happiness?

"I am happy," Chiyo said. At first, Kanako thought she was lying, but as she stared at the gal's face, she could tell she was telling the truth. "Honestly, I've been like, over-the-moon happy for most of this school year. There have been some hiccups that weren't too fun, but for the most part, I've been havin' a blast." "But how?" Kanako asked. She didn't understand. How could someone who seemed so hurt by their own feelings say they're actually enjoying themselves.

"Because Kana-chan," Chiyo explained. "This is the first time in my life that I've ever been surrounded by so many friends!"

At that, Kanako's eyes went wide. When she thought about it, she realized she knew very little about Chiyo's past. Aside from knowing about parts of her colorful nightlife, Kanako had no idea what Chiyo's life had been like growing up. She knew that currently a lot of the students at Iwanai High didn't like her, but she had thought that Chiyo would've at least had lots of friends when she was a young child. "Maybe she's had it rougher than I thought…" Kanako realized, taking notice once again just how much she had been putting Chiyo on a pedestal.

If Chiyo wanted to act like the older sister for Kanako, she was fine with that. However, she also had to remember that Chiyo was also just a girl. Kanako couldn't make the same mistake that she had seen so many other characters make in stories where they think their older siblings are perfect. She needed to remember that Chiyo was anything but. She had her struggles, just like anybody else, but she still did her best to smile for everyone. Whether that was admirable or not, Kanako wasn't sure, but she was certain that she had come out of this having a new view and appreciation of Chiyo. "I won't take her for granted," she thought.

"So what now Kana-chan?" Chiyo asked randomly. "What now?" Kanako parroted. "I-I figured we'd just go home." "Boooo!" Chiyo complained. "We should do something! It was so much fun hanging out with you last weekend, so we should totally do it more often!" When Kanako gave it some thought, she realized that she and Chiyo usually didn't spend time together, just the two of them. There were almost always other people around. "I think… I'd like to spend more time with her too," Kanako thought.

"What do you want to do?" she asked. "Let's get ice cream!" Chiyo said excitedly. "Ice cream?!" Kanako exclaimed. "But it's so cold out!" "That's the best time to eat it!" Chiyo insisted. "C'mon, let's go get some!" With the decision of what they'd do being forcibly made, Chiyo grabbed Kanako by the hand and pulled her along. "C-Chiyo, wait! I'm going to trip and fall like this!"

*****

Not long after Kanako had left her house, Haruna had tried the chocolates she had been given. "Wow…" she thought. "These are great." But as she ate them, it felt like she couldn't really enjoy the flavor. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me?"

Valentine's Day had brought about two unexpected things. The first was Kanako coming straight to Haruna's room to deliver chocolates. The second was a realization of sorts. Although, perhaps calling it a realization was inaccurate. A reckoning? Coming-to-terms? No, none of those quite fit either. Rather than anything so dramatic, that moment had simply resulted in an acceptance of potential fact, and… a change in feelings.

For what was getting close to months now, Haruna been spending a lot of her time finding way to avoid Kanako. Whether it was going to school, at lunch or even at her own home, Haruna kept dodging her. She was driven by one singular reason, accompanied by one singular emotion. Haruna didn't want to hear Kanako's answer to her confession. And why? Because she was afraid that she might get rejected.

That fear had been the driving force behind Haruna's actions, but after her latest encounter with Kanako, that same fear had begun to morph into something else. Thanks to Kanako, Haruna had come to a conclusion that seemed more likely than not. That conclusion was that Kanako probably felt the same way about her as she did about Kanako.

It wasn't as if Haruna didn't know that. She had just simply chosen doubt and fear over hope and belief. The way Kanako had acted toward her ever since her injury. The way Kanako would reach for her hand. The way she would continue to chase after her. Finally, a kiss atop her head. These were all things that Haruna had noticed, but in her doubtful mind, she had chosen to view them as anything other than what they really were: shows of affection.

Because of what had happened on Valentine's Day, Haruna could no longer think how she had been. Really, that sort of thinking had already been eroding away, but the final blow had now been dealt. She had to accept Kanako's actions for what they were. Haruna understood that. She did, but… that was what made it worse.

Coming to terms with Kanako's actions meant where there was once fear, now regret resided. This whole time, Haruna had been doing nothing but avoiding Kanako, even telling her stay away from her. Was Kanako hurt by that? Her chase had certainly slowed down, not being nearly as aggressive as it had been. Considering Valentine's Day, it was clear that Kanako hadn't given up, but Haruna wondered if she had damaged the girl's drive. "Not that that would be even the worst of it," Haruna thought.

Mostly, her regret had more to do with herself than Kanako. After what she had been doing, Haruna assumed anyone wouldn't want to keep chasing after someone like that. She began wondering if maybe, while Kanako still wanted to give an answer, her original answer had changed.

As Haruna sank deeper into her regret, the past rose up inside her. She started thinking about all of the horrible things she had said to Kanako and even some of the things she had done. All of that came into direct conflict with her conclusion. If Kanako did actually like her in the same way, then what were her feelings on the past? Could she really just forgive and move on? After everything Haruna had said and done, she didn't think she'd be able to do that if she were Kanako. "So then what's the truth?" she wondered.

Did Kanako love her? If so, what were her feelings about the past? Was this all just an elaborate ruse to trick Haruna in order to break her heart? "...No, that'd be a bit much to expect from Kanako," she thought. Regardless, even if Kanako wasn't that conniving, the question required an answer. It felt like so long ago now, but perhaps this was something that Haruna should've thought to address back then instead of now.

Unfortunately, no matter what the answer was, Haruna's heart had already arrived at its own decision. "I was so terrible to her in the past… and now I've just kept hurting her by avoiding her… Honestly, I don't deserve to be with her… not when all I can feel right now is regret…"

Even if Kanako's feelings toward Haruna were the same as hers, Haruna believed she couldn't accept them. Not because she didn't want to or wasn't able to, but because she believed herself unworthy to be able to.

And yet, even with those feelings, Haruna still wanted to make it up to Kanako. Being as precious as she was to Haruna, the girl knew she needed to start closing that gap between them that she had created. "Maybe if I start trying to fix things, one day… I'll have a chance." That was why she had approached Kanako that morning. Little by little, she hoped to repair the damage she had done. For now though, that fear that had become so rooted in Haruna had only merely changed into regret. It still held a tight grip on her heart, one that she wondered if it would ever let go.

*****

A day later, the entire school was beginning to get excited. From third-years down to the first-years, everyone couldn't wait to get the ball rolling on the biggest event of the year: the cultural festival. The time of year to discuss plans and make decisions had finally come, and everyone was ready to throw out their suggestions.

"Takoyaki!"

"A haunted house!"

"That's too cliché!"

Every student was shouting over each other, and Haruna's class was no exception. "Haa… this is so dumb. Just pick one and do it," she muttered under her breath. "C'mon Haru-chi, get into the festival spirit!" Chiyo cheered. "Yeah, no thanks. Last year was a big enough pain," Haruna replied, sounding annoyed. In her first year, she had been roped into helping the Girl's Snowboarding and Skiing Club with their sno-cone booth. Naturally, it had been a terrible idea to try to sell sno-cones while it was still so cold out (despite it being March), but Izumi Komatsu had insisted. On top of that, they had only managed to get a few flavors, so the small number of customers they did manage to get didn't walk away very satisfied.

Haruna was in no rush to repeat that disaster, so she just wanted to get the cultural festival over with as fast as possible. While listening to the suggestions though, Haruna noticed something. Or rather, someone. "Oh no…" she groaned.

Standing up slowly and properly, a girl with curled hair started to take the stage. In Haruna's eyes and many others', she was notorious for acting like she was better than everyone else. "Alright, alright, that's enough out of all of you," she said commandingly. "Now, I would appreciate it if you'd listen to my suggestion. Besides, I'm sure it's better than all of yours anyways."

"Oh good, the princess is speaking."

"What does she want this time?"

"She's only been talking for five seconds, and I'm already annoyed."

"How rude!" the girl cried. "It'll be thanks to me that you'll stop all of this stupid shouting, so you should show some gratitude!" As she defended herself, the teacher at the front of the class sighed. "Honestly, I agree with her," she said. "If she thinks she's got something that'll make you all shut up, then I'm all ears." Hearing that, the princess-like girl continued.

"Hmph! Well, whatever. Now, as I was saying, I have my own suggestion," she said, her tone as pompous as her hair. "We should do a play." "A play?" one student remarked. "That's hardly any better than what anyone else has suggested!" "Ah, but this one is different," the girl responded with a smirk. "Because this play is written by yours truly!"

Crickets. No one had a thing to say to that. Someone were just surprised that there was a student who had even written a play, but others were more stunned by how she had said it. "...Is it any good?" one student mistakenly wondered aloud. "Of course it is! Why, I'm the one who wrote it. So of course-"

"Akitsuki-san, could you please not drag this out?" the teacher groaned. "Just tell us what this play of yours is about." "Ahem. Certainly," Akitsuki said, clearing her throat. "Now, this is a grand tale, full of love and passion, traversing-" "One sentence," the teacher said, cutting the girl off yet again. "Please, just a one sentence description. Any more and I'm sure this headache will turn into a migraine."

After a bit more back and forth between Akitsuki and the teacher, everyone finally learned what the play was about. In short, it was a love story set in 1950s America about a journalist falling in love with a source of his, leading to scandal, drama, and ultimately, heartbreak. Overall, the concept sounded well-thought out, and once the class had heard it, they began to seriously consider the idea.

"A play huh? How long has it been since anyone actually did one?"

"And it's original too, so the audience probably won't get bored."

"This might really be a good idea…"

Slowly but surely, the class came around to the idea (despite its source). "Alright, let's do it!" one student declared. "Well have to start rehearsing right away too, so we should choose parts now." However, while many were now on board with doing a play, few wanted to volunteer. "No surprise there," Haruna thought. "Most people don't like being on stage."

But then, something completely unexpected happened.

"I wanna play the main girl!" a voice shouted from the middle of the room. Silence fell over the room yet again. "I promise I'll do a killer job at it! I'll nail the character, promise!"

"...I don't know… Her?"

"...It's Wakabayashi… is she really good for anything not under the sheets?"

"There's no way someone like her can be a good heroine."

Looking at Chiyo, Haruna expected to see her falter, but she stood strong. "I can do it," she said confidently. "Especially if I have Haru-chi as my co-star!" "...Huh?" Haruna let out as a finger came swinging down to point at her. "Me and Haru-chi as the two main roles! It'll be great!" "W-Wait! Huh?! C-Chiyo?! I don't wanna be on stage!" Haruna cried, but surprisingly, the public opinion was beginning to shift in the gal's favor.

"Now that I think about it, that might actually work well…"

"Endo-san and Wakabayashi-san are always together. Some people have even tried to say they're a couple."

"Yeah, considering how close they are, they'd probably have good chemistry on stage."

"What the hell is happening?" Haruna muttered, aghast at the development. "Hear that Haru-chi? Sounds like they want us," Chiyo said with a wry grin. Then surprising Haruna even more, Hinami jumped in. "I-I think it's a g-great idea! Especially E-Endo-san being the lead!" she declared, catching the people near her off-guard as they weren't used to hearing her speak up like that. "This isn't the time I need my fan to support me!" Haruna cried inside.

"Well, looks like it's decided," the teacher announced. "We'll do an original play by Akitsuki-san, and Endo-san and Wakabayashi-san will be the leads." "Seriously, what the hell…" Haruna groaned as she buried her face in her hands. "I have enough to deal with as it is. I don't need a play too…"

*****

"I can't believe we're doing a maid cafe…" Michi complained. "W-Well, at least we only have to participate for a little bit because of our own club activities," Kanako said. "Like that matters. It doesn't change the fact that I'll have to wear some stupid, frilly maid outfit!" Michi yelled. "I-I don't think it'll be that bad…" Kanako offered up as comfort, but she soon found out what the root of the problem was.

"Mi-chan!" Chiyo called, running up to the two of them as they stood in line at the cafeteria. "Oh, and Kana-chan's here too. Perfect!" "Why?" Michi asked, feeling suspicious of the gal. "Did'ja hear the news?" Chiyo said excitedly. "Me and Haru-chi are gonna be stars!" "What, is your class putting on a play or something?" Michi asked. "Yep, yep!" Chiyo said. "What compelled them to give you a part?" Michi asked. "I guess they just saw my natural talent," Chiyo said, pretending to brag. "How about you guys? What's your class doin'?" "We're doing a maid-mmph!" Kanako began to say, but Michi clapped her hand over the girl's mouth. Unfortunately, she was too late.

"A maid…? Oh, a maid cafe?! Oooooh, I can't wait to see you in a maid outfit Mi-chan!" Chiyo teased. "Ugh! This is exactly why I was so against the idea!" Michi shouted. "I'll totes come see ya," Chiyo said. "No way! Banned! You're banned from coming to see me!" Michi shouted even louder. "Nuh-uh. No way am I missin' that sight," Chiyo said with a malicious grin.

"So that's why…" Kanako thought while she was still being muted. She wanted to give it further thought, but before she could, Jasmine, Mayu and Itsuki showed up. "Oh, hey guys! What're you doin' for the cultural festival?" Chiyo immediately asked. "A breakfast salon," Jasmine answered plainly. "A… what?" Chiyo said, fully confused. "Like, what even is that?" "You'll just have to wait and see," Jasmine answered coolly.

And so with that, preparations for the Iwanai Municipal High School cultural festival were officially underway.

End of Chapter Seven.