In the Name of Halloween (7)

"Nice job. Take more water," Yasushi said, tossing bottles into the hands of a few classmates, nodding toward the table across the room. "Snacks are over there."

They accepted the bottles gratefully, sweat lining their brows, and drifted to sit down while others, catching a breath, switched places with them. Those left on stage continued pushing through their roles for another half-hour, determined not to break the energy they'd built. The main actors — Xinyi, Jingliu, Furuya — still hadn't slowed down, but others would step in soon. Halloween night kept rolling forward.

Yasushi checked the time, eyes darting to his watch before he handed out another sandwich to a tired classmate, nudging them toward the exit. He made his way to his teacher standing near the door, tension easing from his shoulders as he spoke.

"How's it looking so far? The feedback?"

His teacher met him at the doorway, a satisfied grin pulling at her lips.

"Going well," she said. "Most love it. Some found it a bit too intense, but we're at about an eight-out-of-ten approval rate. Scared a good chunk of them, though."

"No one's gotten hurt, so we're good. Let's keep it going and finish this strong," Yasushi said, shrugging as Senbarisu gave a nod in agreement. Without waiting for more, Yasushi turned and made his way back to check on the rest of the classmates spread throughout the haunted house.

He moved through each section, stepping over scattered props and dim-lit corners where the air felt heavier, making sure everyone stuck to their roles. He saw them jumping out, scaring groups, while others sat down in the darker parts of the rooms, trying to catch their breath. If they were short on anything — water, snacks, whatever they needed — Yasushi refilled their supplies. Though most seemed to be handling things just fine, a few of them appreciated the extra attention.

Reaching the room where Xinyi, Jingliu, and Furuya were, he watched them pull off another quick reset after a crowd rushed out in panic, some still yelling down the hallway. Yasushi flashed a thumbs-up to keep their energy going.

Furuya, however, waved his hand in an exaggerated motion, clearly signaling for water. Without missing a beat, Yasushi tossed him and the others nearby a few bottles. They grabbed them in silence, their breath still heavy from the last group they terrified.

After restocking their supplies under the stage — water, extra batteries, and anything they might need later — Yasushi didn't linger, continuing on to check the next section.

+-+

"I'm dying... ugh..." Furuya mumbled, sprawled out on the floor with several others, their bodies limp like they'd been through some hellish trial. The exhaustion hung thick in the air, shared by everyone around. The first day of the Halloween event had pushed them all to their limits, leaving them collapsed wherever they could find space. Jingliu and Xinyi slumped on the stage, drained after hours of nonstop acting, forced into characters that had terrified guests throughout the day.

"Good work, everyone," Yasushi said, trying to rally them even though most of his classmates looked dead to the world. "Just a few more days to go." He moved around their tired bodies, leaving sandwiches and bottles of water by their heads. None of them had the strength to reach out for it right away. They lay there, unmoving, just staring at the ceiling as if the sky itself was pressing down on them.

Yasushi stopped in front of Jingliu and Xinyi, handing each a sandwich and a bottle. They glanced at him, barely lifting their hands to take the food, expressions heavy with fatigue.

"How'd we do?" Xinyi asked, voice hoarse, though she managed to accept the water, unscrewing the cap with trembling fingers.

"Better than last year. Hana said it's spreading like wildfire. Word of mouth, social media... it's everywhere. Tomorrow's probably going to be even worse," Yasushi replied. A collective groan rippled through the group, Xinyi's sigh merging with the chorus of complaints from the guys scattered across the floor.

Furuya rolled over, face pressed into the ground, muttering something about not surviving another day of it, while others echoed his sentiments.

"Haa... guess we've just gotta keep going," she muttered, her voice fading as her head dropped onto Jingliu's lap, too tired to finish.

"Hooooome!!" the guys shouted together, their voices loud, breaking the stillness. Yasushi chuckled at the sight of their exhaustion.

They lay scattered across the room, barely moving. A few weak attempts were made to eat the sandwiches and drink water, though most just sat or lay there, letting the silence sit in the air while they recovered. No one had the energy to speak more than necessary.

After what felt like forever, they finally finished their food, managing to get themselves up and out of the school, dragging their feet as they left for the night. Yasushi stayed behind with a few others, the cleanup waiting for them.

They moved through the rooms, picking up the props left scattered about, resetting what needed to be done for tomorrow, making sure everything was in place before they too left.

+-+

"Is something wrong?" Yasushi asked, looking at Jingliu who was looking stressed as she stared at her phone.

Without looking up, she replied, "Our parents are going to be here by tomorrow, so expect them to be going to our haunted house attraction."

Yasushi froze for a second before chuckle. "They did say they were coming. How long are they staying?" he asked, going behind her and giving her a massage.

Jingliu groaned before saying, "Just for the day and night, then early morning they'll fly back to their jobs."

"Not too long then. Let's make it fun for them, I made sure everything is up to shape for tomorrow, but I'll go over it with a few others just to make sure," he replied, kissing the back of her head.

Jingliu closed her eyes, put her phone down and leaned against Yasushi, enjoying his touch and massage of her shoulders. "Yeah…it's not too bad…"

+-+

Yasushi arrived at the school before anyone else had shown up. His message to Yinhaie earlier about getting there early had been quick, and Yunxue had decided to tag along, offering to help with the cleanup of their props and stage setups. They had worked through the space methodically, making sure everything had been put where it belonged after the previous night's chaos.

"Everything's in place, more or less," Yasushi muttered, stepping back to scan over each section of the haunted house. The rooms stretched before him in a series of set pieces, dim lighting and decorations ready for the next round of screams.

Yunxue stood beside him, tapping her fingers against her thigh as she nodded. "Mmm, mmm! Took about an hour and a half, but we've got everything prepped. Should be good enough for all three sets of parents coming to check it out!" She pulled out her phone, flicking through her messages before adding, "Looks like they just landed, but they won't get here until later in the afternoon since they have business to take care of first, so we've got some time to breathe. No need to freak out just yet!"

Yasushi let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "That's a bit of relief, I guess. Honestly, though, Xinyi's the only one on edge about it. Jingliu and I…we're more embarrassed at the thought of them seeing it. It's not like we've never done anything like this before, but it's our last shot at Halloween in this school, so it feels different."

Yunxue nodded as if in quiet agreement before reaching out and grabbing Yasushi's wrist, pulling him towards the staff's area tucked within the room. Once they were there, she pushed him down into a seat, not letting go until she was sure he had sat down. After that, she pulled out a container from her bag, setting it down in front of him.

"You didn't eat breakfast, right?" she asked, though it didn't sound like much of a question. "Yinhaie and I threw this together before we left. It's not a good idea to skip breakfast, especially on days like this. You would've passed out if you kept going like that, even if you're just handling the setup. That stuff takes a toll too." Her words hit with a no-nonsense bluntness as she shoved the container closer.

Yasushi blinked at it, trying to remember the last time anyone made him something like this without warning. After a moment, he let out a breath and picked up the chopsticks. "Thanks. I wasn't skipping it on purpose, you know," he said, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off a weight. "Figured I'd grab something at the store once we were done here, but…I appreciate it. Really."

He ate a few bites, chewing with no rush. It tasted like it usually did whenever Yunxue or Yinhaie cooked, nothing extravagant, but familiar in a way that stuck with you. "It's good," he muttered between bites, taking in more of the food. But then he paused, chopsticks hovering over the box. After a second, he glanced at Yunxue, a small thought crossing his mind. "You want some?" he asked, holding the chopsticks toward her.

Yunxue chuckled, then accepted the food from him, taking a bite. "Just as I expected, it's good," she stated, a laugh escaping her as she chewed.

Yasushi joined in her laughter, their banter flowing easily between them. They shared light comments, enjoying the moment of calm before the events of the day unfolded when everyone else arrived for the haunted house attraction.

+-+

"They're here. Over," Yasushi spoke into the tiny headpiece he had handed out to his group, his voice low as he watched their parents — Jingliu's, Xinyi's, and his own — enter the haunted house attraction through the main entrance.

To his surprise, right behind them were Furuya's, Hana's, and Laura's parents as well. He quickly let the others know, which led to some brief freak-outs before everyone managed to pull themselves together again. Yasushi moved quietly, trailing after them as they wandered through the haunted house, some of the parents laughing and getting startled by his classmates' performances.

"Aaah~ look! It's Laura, one of Xinyi's friends! Hi, sweetie~!" Xinyi's stepmother squealed, waving at Laura.

Staying in character, Laura continued with her act but couldn't help the small wave she gave back, her face flushing red from embarrassment. As the group passed by, each parent greeted her, and Yasushi heard her mutter "Kill me" over the earpiece, clearly mortified.

Their parents moved slowly through each part of the haunted house, noticing their kids and giving them nods or waves that only added to their embarrassment. Even though they tried to stay in character, it was clear it got to them.

They reached Bhaqui's section next. Jingliu's father noticed him right away, dressed as one of the fish-men with a pumpkin head. After they passed, he placed a firm hand on Bhaqui's shoulder, giving it a pat. "Well done," he said before continuing.

The other parents followed suit, each offering some kind of acknowledgment, which only made Bhaqui bury his face in his hands. Despite swearing earlier that it wouldn't faze him, the attention clearly hit harder than he expected. His friends, all nearby, burst into laughter at the scene. Bhaqui forced himself to regain control, though, since another group was about to come through.

They finally reached the last room, where Xinyi, Furuya, and Jingliu were the main actors. The three did their part as best they could, trying to ignore their parents who were all smiles, the wives in the group squealing out loud. Xinyi's stepmother, in particular, couldn't help but call out, "Good job, Xinyi~" while waving at her.

Xinyi's face burned as her whole expression twisted in embarrassment, the redness spreading across her cheeks like a wildfire she couldn't stop.

Jingliu's mother stood near the back, phone raised, capturing every second of her daughter's performance along with the others. Her grin never left her face as she watched them move through their routine, clearly enjoying the whole thing. Yasushi caught sight of his own parents off to the side.

They seemed a little lost but waved anyway, their smiles still encouraging. He could tell they were trying to spot him in the crowd, unaware he wasn't part of the main acts this time. He had kept it quiet on purpose, figuring it would be a bit of fun to surprise them later.

As the final scene wrapped up, the parents made their way toward the exit, careful not to make a scene. Though eager to shower their kids with compliments, they held back for now, probably not wanting to interrupt the experience for the other guests who were waiting to enter. Instead, they would save their praise for later, when it was all over and everyone could relax.

+-+

When the day finally wrapped up, and their classmates had gone home to crash, Yasushi's parents, along with the others, made their way into the room where the group was gathered. They immediately started chatting, throwing compliments and praise around.

"Where were you? I didn't see you all day!" Yasushi's mother blurted as she pulled him into a tight hug, her hands grabbing his cheeks. "And hold on, have you gotten taller? You weren't this tall just a few months ago!"

Yasushi winced but managed a smile as he mumbled, "I was helping out in the back, so I didn't really get out there this time. Sorry."

His mom stepped back, crossing her arms and making a face like she was about to pout. "You didn't even tell us, Yasu."

Yuji, his father, let out a laugh and ruffled Yasushi's hair. "Come on, you can't be too mad at him. Last year, we got some great pictures from him, so it's not like we missed much."

"Yeah," Yasushi agreed, adjusting his hair back into place. "I was more involved last time, but hey, when I'm in college, they have smaller stuff like this too, so maybe I'll get to show you guys something then?"

They talked, words bouncing back and forth, catching up on whatever had happened recently. Yasushi felt good about it, enjoying the time with his parents after everything that had gone on during the day. Across the room, Jingliu was having her own conversation with her parents.

"It's great to hear from you, dear. We've been getting lots of updates from Yinhaie, Yunxue, Bhaqui, and Alicia. You're doing well, so keep at it," Yuhan Yang said, lightly pinching Jingliu's cheek in a way that made her squirm a bit.

"Yes, and I heard that Yasushi gave you a ring?" her father asked, causing Jingliu's face to go bright red.

"I-it's just a promise ring... nothing more... for now," she stammered, clearly flustered. Her eyes darted to Yunxue and Yinhaie, who quickly avoided her gaze, awkwardly pretending they hadn't heard a thing.

Meanwhile, across the room, Xinyi was getting pulled into a tight group hug by her parents. The same thing was happening with the others, each one in their own little moment. Furuya was getting swarmed with questions about how he landed his role, already bragging about it as if he had won a huge prize.

In the end, the second-to-last day of the Halloween event left Yasushi and his friends in high spirits, even if the whole thing had been a bit embarrassing for them at times.