Dance and Unexpected Hidden Identity

The rest of the third day of school came with something unexpected. I was walking towards class like usual and saw Kanjiro running towards me full speed.

"Juni!"

When he got to me, he was out of breath? What did he want to show me that got him this excited?

"What happened Kanjiro?"

"Look!"

He held out a piece of paper towards my face.

SCHOOL FESTIVAL DANCE.

BOY CANDIDATES: Isseiyama Kanjiro, Tachi Kenji, Ayano Maru, Yuuki Kazumi.

A school festival dance? I never heard of this before.

"Look! I was one of the candidates selected!"

Is this dance really that important?

"Uhh, congrats?"

"Just a 'congrats?' Juni, do you have any idea how amazing this is!"

"Sorry Kanjiro, I never heard of this school dance before. Is it something very important?"

Kanjiro got up in my face with excitement.

"Of course it is! You never heard of this rumor that's been going on for years in this school?"

"A rumor?"

"Yes! A boy and girl candidate is chosen to be the dancer for the dance. However, both identities are unknown to each other until the day of the dance. During the dance, both dancers have to wear a mask to cover their identity and when the dance is over, the two reveal to each other their identities and kiss!"

"Well that certainly sounds great, but what if after revealing their identities they didn't like each other?"

"The kiss is optional by both dancers. It's not like the dancers become a couple or anything, but they usually become very close friends with each other. There are cases where the two become boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Well if that's the case, why are you so excited? Don't you already have enough girls who have a crush on you?"

"Well yea, but just imagining dancing with someone who could potentially be your girlfriend sounds amazing! I love surprises!"

"Well that's amazing news to hear then. I hope you get picked."

"Yea me too. I should know by Friday. In addition, only the three male candidates know that they are candidates and only the three female candidates know they are candidates. No one else in the school knows about which male and female are candidates. When the candidates are picked, only the candidates will know which one amongst them are the chosen one. This means basically the whole school is in for a surprise who will be the dancers!"

"Wow, so you basically ruined the tradition by immediately telling me."

"I was too excited and didn't think about that. Not that it matters since I know you are good at keeping secrets. I'll also tell you who gets picked on Friday!"

We ended our conversation and headed towards the class together. The next two days were just each class preparing for next week's actual festival. Our classroom was finally set up so that there are 10 tables each with 4 chairs. The menu was set up by Kanjiro and the other cooks and they went out to buy enough ingredients to last a week.

During Friday, the last day of the preparation week, our class finished decorating the room and setting up the menu. The bakers are practicing how to make their menus and me and a couple of other people are sent to put flyers around to school to advertise our class shop. We were later revealed that since every class is doing something that relates to selling a type of service, the school decided to do a competition to see which class can gain the most money and that class gets a pizza party and extra credit on the next test. Although the school says it's a small competition, every class was fired up. They all wanted that pizza party and students who score lower than average on tests are hooked up by the extra credit.

After handing out flyers around the school, I returned to class to see a table filled with chocolate cupcakes.

"Wanna try one?"

Kanjiro walked up to me and offered me a cupcake.

"Why did you make so many? Aren't we gonna run out of ingredients?"

"Relax, the majority of our money went towards ingredients so there is no way we are going to run out. The bakers got a little too hyped up for next week and didn't realize they made so many pastries until I saw a mountain of cupcakes myself."

"Weren't you in the kitchen with them? How did you not notice?"

"I was busy myself trying to make our most complicated dessert. Haven't you looked at the menu at all?"

I looked at the board which includes the menu. Majority of the pastries are different varieties of cupcake and bread until at the bottom with big bold letters that say "Creme Caramel".

"What's that?"

"It's a caramel pudding covered in caramel sauce. However, the hardest part of the dessert is the hardened caramel web that sits on top of the pudding like a hat."

"I got confused just listening to it."

"I'll make you one later."

"Alright, thank you."

Kanjiro was tired from all the cooking in the morning. We went to the cafeteria to get some lunch. Kanjiro went for a beef curry with rice and a side of miso soup. I wasn't hungry so I grabbed a bottle of coffee in the vending machine.

"Haven't you looked at Kinai's instagram?"

I heard someone mention Tochaki-san's name. I was curious but didn't want to ask.

"Yea, who is this guy?"

I was looking around and many people had their phones out. Apparently they were checking Instagram, specifically Tochaki-san's profile."

"Kanjiro, what's going on? Why are all these people on Instagram?"

"Oh, haven't you heard? Kinai-chan made a story yesterday posting about going to the aquarium. That wasn't weird though, the story has a picture of her and her wrapping her arms around a guy."

Oh now. I immediately knew what happened. Tochaki-san must have posted the time me and her went to the aquarium. If people find out it was me, then I am so screwed.

"Oh, who is the guy?"

"Its you isn't it?"

"W-w-what? N-n-no no! It wasn't me?"

"You can fool the whole school but not your best bud. All you did was make yourself look sociable by doing your hair so it swung to the right, took off your glasses, and wore something nice."

Kanjiro took out his phone and showed me Tochaki-san's story. It was the picture we took with the coral reef and fish. I tapped his phone and she didn't just post about the aquarium. I didn't even notice but apparently she's been taking pictures that whole day. From when we went to the ramen shop, to the public park, and the shopping mall. Heck she even took a picture of the orchid flower I got her.

"You're not gonna tell anyone right?"

"Nah, I want you to be actually be alive when we graduate."

I can hear his sarcasm through his teeth as he launched but I knew he meant it.

"It's still a surprise though."

"What is?"

"You really do look unrecognizable in those pictures. Heck if I didn't know you personally that well, I would have been fooled as well. You look like a completely different person in those pictures."

"Then how did you tell?"

"Brother instinct."

My ass.

"How did you REALLY tell it was me?"

"Look at the caption on the bottom."

I took Kanjiro's phone again and read the captions. "It's a late post but this was the first day of Break. Having so much fun!"

"Remember how I offered you to watch a movie with me after school ended last semester? You said you had plans already but didn't tell me. I immediately got suspicious and knew you probably had some plans with Kinai-chan. Also, this was her first story/post in a while so it had to have been something important."

"Wow, you're really giving me some stalker vibes right now."

"I'll take that as a compliment. You don't have to worry, not a single person in this school will know it's you unless you openly say you are. And even if Kinai-chan says you are, do you really think anyone is going to believe that? You look like a different person in those photos."

"Yea, but given the kissing situation a few weeks ago, it makes sense that I would be suspicious."

"That was not way more than a 'few weeks' ago my dude. It was more like 2 months ago. No one remembers it anymore. Do you even see anyone looking at you right now?"

It was true. No one was looking at me or even slightly suspicious of me.

"Don't worry, unless you decide you want to say you are that guy, no one would bother you."

"Alright, I'm making you buy me lunch if this gets found out."

"Deal, and speak of our idol-sama…"

Tochaki-san came to the cafeteria I guess for some food as well. There are stares immediately attracted to her but she doesn't seem to notice. One of the girls got up and went up to her.

"Hey Kinai-san, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes of course."

"So I saw your instagram post, who is this person?"

"Oh, he–"

Before she was able to finish her sentence, more people surrounded her and I couldn't see her anymore.

"Yea who is he!"

"Are you two dating?"

"What's your relationship with him?"

"Is he a childhood friend?"

Questions after questions are thrown out to Tochaki-san as she tries to answer it all, in the end when I was able to hear something from her:

"We aren't dating. We are not in a relationship. Is he my friend? Yes he is, he is always so kind to me and we rely on each other a lot. He is very important to me."

There was a large roar in the cafeteria and both me and Kanjiro decided to escape before our ears died from loudness.

We got back to our classroom and sat down in our seats.

"Damn, I guess that's the school idol for ya. Always popular and have patience."

"Yea."

"But damn, I didn't know you were this important to her. Like I get you saved her ones from a pervert but still… Is there another side of me you only show her!!!?"

Kanjiro was being sarcastic obviously but was also genuinely curious.

"Well, I don't really know. I've always acted towards her with kindness. I never really made her cry or sad before unless you count the times she pouted at me…

"She pouted at you!? She must be so cute when she is pouting! Just thinking about it gets my heart racing."

"Yea whatever, I believe I show this much kindness to you as well?"

"Nah you act more chill around me than when you're talking with someone else."

Do I really? Sure, the only person I talk to on a daily basis is Kanjiro and Tochaki-san but do I really act differently with everyone else?

"Well however you're acting in front of her, it must've stolen her heart!"

"Yea stop joking. She said we aren't dating and probably have no intentions of dating a loser like me."

"You never know until you try."

Yea try my ass. I ignored Kanjiro's sarcasm and looked outside. "He is always so kind to me and we rely on each other a lot. He is very important to me." Those words were stuck in my head for the rest of lunch.

Lunch ended and I was given another stack of flyers to post around the school and Kanjiro went back to perfecting the creme caramel.