Without A Hitch, The Festival Proceeds (End)

Up to 20 advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven

===

[Yamauchi Sakura's POV]

I want to watch you perform!

Sure, you can come before 10. Our play is scheduled for 10 a.m.

See you tomorrow!

See you.

I reread through my recent messages with Hachiman-kun. I was giddy as I was waiting for Kyoko-chan, my best friend. I wanted to go alone, but when she heard that I was going to Sobu High's cultural festival, she wanted to go with me. As such, we promised to meet somewhere, so we could go there together. I wondered what took her so long. It would be my first meeting with Hachiman-kun after one month, so I didn't want to be late for his play.

"Sakura, sorry for making you wait!"

"Ah, Kyoko…"

I was about to call Kyoko in excitement when I noticed someone was following closely behind her. She looked apologetic, so I could instantly tell the person was coming of his own volition.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan."

"Ah…morning, Takahiro-kun."

A sigh involuntarily escaped my mouth. I was displeased but didn't show it on my face. I couldn't let Kyoko-chan feel more guilty than she already did. Remembering that I would meet Hachiman-kun, I excitedly told them it was time to go. We walked together and rode the train in silence. Takahiro-kun more than one time tried to approach me, but I always kept Kyoko-chan close to me. I felt slightly bad that I was using her, but she didn't seem to mind.

Takahiro-kun and I had broken up for three months now, but he still couldn't let me go. I was aware that I was attractive, but there were more attractive girls at our school. He was not bad-looking and quite popular. It shouldn't be hard for him to look for another girl. The announcement of our station pulled me out of my thoughts. I immediately got down from the train, keeping Kyoko-chan close to me.

Realizing that we still had some time, I decided to excuse ourselves to the toilet. Takahiro-kun said with a smile that he would wait for us and then sat on a nearby bench. Dragging Kyoko-chan to the toilet, I asked her how he could join us. With a sheepish look, she said that he had overheard my talk with her about going to Sobu High's cultural festival. She didn't blame me, but I could tell that she was telling me I should have been quieter.

After getting what I wanted to know, we got out of the toilet. We thought about ditching Takahiro-kun but immediately discarded it since we were not that cold. We met up with him and then went to Sobu. Upon arriving there, we were greeted by the bustling activities happening at the festival. As expected of a renowned school, many people came to its festival.

I messaged Hachiman-kun and told him I had arrived. He replied by telling me to wait near the closest Okonomiyaki stand to the gate as he would come to meet me. I immediately told Kyoko-chan and Tomohiro-kun to let loose as I would meet with a friend. Kyoko-chan said all right, but Takahiro-kun said he would be fine waiting with me. Kyoko-chan looked at me and Takahiro-kun alternatingly in hesitation but calmed down when I nodded my head.

As soon as Kyoko-chan disappeared into the crowd, Takahiro-kun invaded my personal space. He was not a bad person but was too pushy. He was smart enough to read between the lines but always forgot it when it came to my words. Sometimes, I wondered if he was secretly a closeted pervert. But maybe he was just obsessed with me. Still, that was creepy.

"Sakura-chan. Why didn't you tell me you wanted to go here? Some of our friends also invited me to go here. We could have gone together, you know."

"Then, why didn't you just go with them?" my answer came out harsher than I intended. Wow, I must be frustrated.

"Of course, it's because I prefer going with you more," Takahiro-kun responded with a smile, ignoring my rudeness.

"Takahiro-kun. You realize that our relationship has ended, right? You don't have to feel obligated to cater to me anymore."

"I still have feelings for you. Is it wrong to just do that?"

I looked up and met Takahiro-kun's calm look with my blank stare. "It is all in the past, Takahiro-kun. Let go."

"Sakura-chan, I have realized my mistake. Please, give me one more chance," he begged with a pained look. "I won't repeat the same mistake twice."

"You are saying that, but look at you now, Takahiro-kun. Still as pushy as ever."

A frown marred my face and my mood turned sour. I turned around and walked away, but I bumped into someone's firm chest. I staggered slightly and rubbed my nose. I noted how good the person smelled, but that didn't matter. I immediately looked up as I had to apologize. The person was tall, so I had to take another step to properly meet his eyes.

"Ah…"

"Yo. It's been a while."

The person happened to be the one that I had been wanting to meet for the past month. Dressed in an Air Force uniform with his jacket tied around his waist, Hachiman-kun's masculine figure was properly showcased. He had been healthily lean when I first met him, so seeing him properly filled with prominent muscles stunned me slightly. He became more handsome than he had any right to be.

"Sakura-chan…"

Of course, Takahiro-kun had to ruin my mood. I smiled wryly at Hachiman-kun and he merely quirked an eyebrow. I gave him an I'll-take-care-of-this gesture and then turned around. As expected, Takahiro-kun had a guarded look against Hachiman-kun. I hoped he didn't do something stupid. Hachiman-kun would easily fold him up.

"I am okay, now. You should explore the festival or wait for our friends to arrive. I am going to watch Hachiman-kun perform."

"We could go—"

Takahiro-kun extended his hand toward me but was stopped by Hachiman-kun before his hand reached me. "You are making her uncomfortable. You are a man, so you should know when to back off when a girl says no."

"Let go of my hand," Takahiro-kun said ominously.

Some people got their attention on us at this point and I was getting worried. It wouldn't end beautifully for Takahiro-kun if he decided to fight Hachiman-kun here. Hachiman-kun was taller and more muscular than him. He would only end up in hospital if he ate one of Hachiman-kun's punches.

"You don't want to play this game with me, boy."

Fortunately, the situation didn't have to escalate further. A cold warning from Hachiman-kun and a light squeeze on Takahiro-kun's wrist were enough to terrify him. Hachiman-kun let go of his wrist right after and he immediately scurried away. I wondered what he would do when we met in class the next day. Hopefully, he would take that as a cue to give up on me.

I looked up at Hachiman-kun and said, "Thanks. I didn't have any reason to hate him before but I do now."

"Is that a sarcasm?" Hachiman-kun quirked an eyebrow.

"No. I have been wanting to shoo him off, so I am genuinely thankful."

"Don't be a nice girl. When he can't read between the lines, say what you truly think," Hachiman-kun said sagely. "When he doesn't listen, I will beat him up for you." He shrugged, causing me to giggle.

He took me to his class afterward. On the way, many people greeted him. I found out that he was the vice chairman of the committee from his conversation. Eyes followed us wherever we went. Some whisperings also followed, which mostly came from the girls. From their glittering eyes, I could tell they were talking about him. I could understand them; he looked masculinely attractive in his costume, after all.

When we arrived at his class, we were greeted by an extremely beautiful girl that reminded me of Laura-san. The striking similarity was so uncanny that she might be Laura-san.

"Shinobu, this is Sakura. The one that I and Laura met when we were camping."

"Nice to meet you, Sakura. I am Oshino Shinobu." The beautiful girl extended her hand.

Grasping her hand, I responded in kind. "Nice to meet you too, Shinobu-san."

We entered the class and the play soon began. The story started innocent yet got somber as it proceeded. I found myself hooked on the story as the others did. The only reason why I couldn't get into it as much as the others did was the dynamic between Hachiman-kun and Shinobu-san. I felt inferior. I felt like I was back at the camp where I could only watch as they interacted with each other. My chest tightened and I felt embarrassed.

Wake up, Sakura! It's just a one-sided crush. You have only been texting him for a month and that girl has spent hours on his side. Even if he is not interested in that girl, your chance is very slim.

The ending of the play was sobering yet still felt sweet somehow. The lengths the pilot was willing to go to for the little princess' happiness almost brought tears to my eyes. Many of the younger audience were upset that the little princess never looked back, but the older audience approved of the ending. It struck the point across: love was about how much you were willing to sacrifice and not how much you wanted to possess.

"Sakura. Shinobu and I will explore the cultural festival. The others might join us too, but do you want to join us?"

Seeing how close Shinobu-san was standing to Hachiman-kun, my mind replayed the ending of the play. The realization washed me with a bittersweet feeling.

With a small smile, I replied, "Of course. Let's go together!"

===

Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Bowzer

Venerable Immortal Drowz

Venerable Immortal Funéral

Venerable Immortal Orion

Venerable Immortal P. Felipe

Venerable Immortal W. M. Jones

Venerable Immortal x_iLaggedOut_x