Chapter Eighteen: Come With Me

The following Monday at school, the atmosphere between a certain group of friends had become rather… strange, to say the least. Hinami, sitting in the middle of the classroom, looked around before the first bell rang. She stared at each grouping she knew personally, and wondered just what had happened.

The first two were of course the two standing right in front of her. Haruna and Kanako were talking about something, but Hinami wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation. Rather, she was observing the mood between them and the seemingly changed aura around each of them. It was something she had noticed a few days ago, but now it seemed even more prevalent when put next to the other happenings in the room.

To put it simply, Hinami felt like Haruna and Kanako felt much more mature than they had been before. The way they spoke to each other seemed more fluid and calm, similar to a long-term couple. Perhaps that made sense, considering they had known each other for quite some time before dating, but in terms of being an actual couple, not much time had passed. It left Hinami wondering what had happened to cause such a change.

The next were Chiyo and Michi. The gal was sitting on top of Michi's desk, talking happily with her. As for Michi, she had a look of annoyance on her face, though Hinami felt like she didn't actually seem all that bothered. She already knew the two of them were close, but she began to guess at just what was the nature of their relationship now.

Then there was the most vague of them all. Jasmine and Itsuki were gathered around Mayu's desk, and the two standing appeared to be saying something to Mayu. With Mayu being Mayu, she didn't express much that would give away the nature of the conversation, but it did seem like she kept getting caught off-guard when Jasmine would say certain things to her. When it came to those three girls, Hinami wasn't really sure what to think.

Lastly, there was one girl who was alone. She was the social pariah of the class, and without any prior knowledge, one might feel bad for her when seeing her sit all by her lonesome. However, this was not a girl to be pitied. This was a girl who continuously wreaked havoc in pursuit of what she desired, and she cared little for others who had nothing to do with that pursuit. Honestly, the girl scared Hinami.

That girl was Katsumi, a girl who, surprisingly, had been relatively quiet all morning. In fact, that seemed to be happening more often recently. Instead of going to bother Kanako and causing a scene, she simply waited silently at her desk, only approaching Kanako now and then. Hinami hoped this meant that she was going to eventually drop her pursuit of a taken girl, but when she recalled her slip-up, she shivered in fear for the consequences.

Hinami had made the crucial mistake of informing Katsumi of Haruna's injury. While Hinami wasn't sure if Katsumi would go so far as to physically hurt someone, just knowing that Katsumi had that information was enough to make her worry. And worse yet, there was something coming up that would really show just how desperate Katsumi had become.

*****

At lunch, a group of seven girls gathered around, sitting in a circle on the roof. It was a rare sight to see all seven of them together like this, but it was necessary, as Jasmine and Itsuki had a rather important announcement to make.

"So, uh," Jasmine began. "I kinda… moved." "Huh? Moved?" Chiyo said. Jasmine nodded. "Yeah. I'm uh… gonna like, be living at Itsuki-chan's place for a bit." Hearing that, the four of the five girls remaining went wide-eyed.

"Y-You're… living with Itsuki-chan?" Kanako asked. "That's right!" Itsuki said enthusiastically. "I got a nee-chan!" "Don't call me that," Jasmine said sternly, roughly poking Itsuki in the cheek with her chopsticks. "Why're you living with her?" Haruna asked, voicing the most obvious question.

She didn't give all of the details, but Jasmine told the story. To some, it was quite a shock. To others, they simply nodded along, having known the whole story already. By the time she finished, it seemed the group was split on how to react. A few of them gave her well wishes, while the others wanted to keep asking questions. Ultimately though, it was Mayu who said the final word.

"I think it's good that Jasmine-chan is living in a better place now," she said. "Now she'll be able to happier, and that's all that matters." Everybody agreed on that point, and they all went back to eating for a moment before Michi suddenly spoke up.

"You better be careful, Itsuki-chan," she said. "Careful? About what?" Itsuki asked innocently. "You're living with a gyaru now," Michi explained. "They can be pretty needy and aggressive creatures. You have to always make sure they're fed and kept at an arms-length."

"Hm? Mi-chan, the way you're talkin', it makes it sound like we live together, y'know?" Chiyo pointed out. "Or is that what ya really want? C'mon, don't be shy, you can tell me." "I-I only phrased it that way because you're at my place so much it feels that way!" Michi exclaimed. "Though in your case, it's more like having a pest I can't get rid of." "Ya gonna call pest control on me?" Chiyo teased. "Just eat," Michi said flatly, shoving some rice into the gal's mouth with her chopsticks.

"Um, Mi-chan," Itsuki said unsteadily. "You say all that, but… Aren't ya sitting pretty close together? You're keeping her fed, but not keeping your distance. I don't get it." Of course, that was a question on everybody's mind, but nobody had really wanted to say it. Immediately, Michi's face went beet red, and even Chiyo's gained some color. "I-I just already lost to this creature, that's all," Michi sputtered. "Would ya stop callin' me a creature? It's not very nice, y'know?" Chiyo mumbled.

"Well, it's not like ya have to like, worry about me pouncin' on ya or anythin'," Jasmine said to Itsuki. "Although I'd appreciate it if ya kept me fed." "Sure thing, nee-chan!" Itsuki said with a thumbs-up, getting an "ugh" out of Jasmine and a barely discernible pout from Mayu.

Unlike the others, Mayu had been told about Jasmine's new living arrangements last night over the phone. She had been surprised herself, but she also understood that it was definitely better for Jasmine, so she was all for the idea. Mayu also appreciated knowing that Jasmine would be closer to her house now, so it'd be easier to see her outside of school.

She was happy for Jasmine. She was, but… admittedly, she was just slightly bothered by it too. Mayu knew it was probably wrong of her to feel that way, especially when Itsuki obviously viewed Jasmine in a sisterly light, but she just couldn't help it. Knowing that Itsuki was going to get to spend so much more time with Jasmine than Mayu could was something that just… made her ever-so slightly unhappy. Not enough to cause problems, but enough to affect her mood just a tiny bit.

*****

When Friday came around, the whole school seemed to be stuck in anxious anticipation. An announcement was about to be made in each class, and in each one, students were already trying to plan accordingly. In the room with Haruna and company, things were no different, and once the teacher walked in, an odd hush fell over the room.

"Well, I'm sure you all know what I'm about to say," the teacher said in his usual lifeless tone. "But next week is the Sports Festival." At those words, an eruption of cheers broke out. This occurred for several reasons. For some, this meant a week of having to do hardly anything. For others, it meant one of their last big chances to make high school memories before they graduated. Of course, third-year participation was dependent on an individual's grades, future plans, and progress on those plans, but if they met all of the requirements, they were cleared to compete.

This announcement also meant that it was time to determine who would be in what event. There were plenty to go around, and really, the school wished for as many students from each class to participate as possible, so it was likely every person would get put in at least one event.

Through all of the commotion, Haruna found herself thinking back on last year's festival. It was a bittersweet memory now, but at the time, Haruna had been quite upset at the outcome of her race with Kanako. "Guess I don't have to worry about anything like that happening this year though," she thought. With her ankle being in the condition it was, Haruna was most likely going to have to be just a member of the crowd.

The teacher started going through the list of events, and as he read off each one, a student would either raise their hand or someone would be chosen at random. Eventually, the teacher got to some of the more fun events, which caused more students to volunteer. Things like a cosplay race, a relay that involved eating, and cavalry battles got filled up quickly.

When the three-legged race came up, there was one student who raised her hand that was unexpected. "Me! I wanna do it!" Chiyo declared. "Wakabayashi-san, huh?" the teacher said. "And who's going to race with you?" "I nominate Jas-chin!" Chiyo said, pointing to her fellow gal. "Jas-chin? Oh, Hiraoka-san," the teacher said, jotting down the names. "Right, then next-"

"Hang on!" Jasmine exclaimed. "I never agreed to that!" "Aw, c'mon Jas-chin, it'll be fun!" Chiyo said excitedly. "We'll be the gyaru duo!" "I don't care! I don't wanna run!" Jasmine protested. However, once Chiyo pointed it out, the idea seemed to gain steam. Over the course of the last year, many people's opinions on both of the gals of Iwanai High had changed for the better, and now, their fellow students were getting on board with the idea.

"Both the gyarus of our school on a three-legged race team…"

"Isn't that actually perfect?"

"I really want to see that."

"See? The people have spoken!" Chiyo said triumphantly. Jasmine still wanted nothing to do with it, but as the murmurs grew into making persuasive arguments directed toward Jasmine, she eventually conceded. "Alright, fine, whatever," she sighed. "I'll run in the dumb race. You better not make us fall, Chiyo." "It'll be a piece of cake!" Chiyo said confidently. "Great, now we're probably jinxed," Jasmine sighed again.

Continuing on, the teacher then reached an event full of opportunity. It was an event much like a scavenger hunt, but instead of looking for items, the thing competitors looked for were other people. This naturally meant that if someone competing got a favorable type to look for, i.e., "Find someone who you think is cute," then it was a chance to convey their feelings somewhat. Because of this, the event was quite popular among both girls and guys alike, so it was decided that a class could have up to three competing.

The first person chosen was a random boy in the class, who celebrated accordingly. The next however, made several people freeze. "I'd like to compete!" a voice announced from the back. All of the class turned to look, spotting Katsumi with her arm raised high. "Ikehara-san," the teacher said. "You're not in any events yet, so I guess that's fine." "Hooray!" she said, sounding pleased.

Naturally, Haruna was suspicious. "She has to be planning something," she thought. "Why else would she wait until this event to volunteer?" It definitely made her wary. Instinctively, she knew this was dangerous. "If Ikehara-san pulls a slip that says to go get your crush or something, she'll immediately go for Kanako…" Haruna wanted to keep Kanako away from Katsumi at all costs, but with an event like this, that made protecting someone difficult. "This sports festival just got a lot more complicated…"

For the last person chosen, there was some debate among the class, but eventually, it was Chiyo who got the last spot. As for the other known girls of the class, Itsuki was put into two of the sprinting events, Mayu was on a relay team, Kanako had to run the mile, Michi was going to be on top for a cavalry battle, and Hinami had somehow ended up in the cosplay race.

*****

When the end of the school day came around, as per usual, Haruna and Kanako got ready to leave together. As they did, Kanako began talking about the sports festival. "I'm not really sure how I feel about this year's festival," she said. "I'm happy I get to participate as a third-year, but at the same time, I really don't want to run the mile." "Yeah, that's pretty bad luck that you got picked for that," Haruna said with a small laugh. "I'm not really that fast either," Kanako added. "I don't think I'm slow, but there's no way I'm going to win."

The girl let out a small sigh as she picked up her bag. "Ready to go?" she asked Haruna, who gave a nod. Taking her hand, the two walked together to the front doors. All the way, just about everybody they passed was talking about what events they had either signed up for or been forced into. In some ways, this moment was one of the real highlights of the sports festival.

Although, as amusing as the displays could be, Haruna didn't really feel like laughing all that much. She didn't think that she'd be all that bothered by not being able to participate, but it seemed that her competitive nature, which had made her into a decent snowboarder in the past, hadn't died so easily. On top of that, there was the feeling of just being left out. And of course there was the worry about Katsumi too…

"H-Haruna?" Kanako said as they went along the side of the road. Haruna had started squeezing Kanako's hand a little too tight. Upon hearing her name, her grip loosened slightly, but apparently the many emotions on her face didn't disappear. "Is something wrong?" Kanako asked.

Haruna was silent for a moment as she tried to decide how best to respond. "I guess… I don't really like the fact that I have to be a cheerleader on the sidelines instead of actually getting to participate," she finally said. "Oh…" Kanako said. "Right… You can't really do any of the events. Ah, but speaking of cheerleading, you should do that!" "Huh?" Haruna let out, confused. "What do you mean?" "Be a cheerleader!" Kanako said, suddenly sounding a lot more excited. "A few of the other girls in our class are doing it too, and I think they said they need one more person!" "Ehhhhh?"

Haruna thought about it for a moment. It was true, being a cheerleader would certainly allow her to be involved in the festival. But… "I-I don't think I'm really suited for stuff like that…" Haruna said shyly. However, Kanako strongly disagreed. "Of course you're suited for it!" she declared like it was a fact. "My girlfriend is cute and would make a great cheerleader!" "O-Okay, okay, you don't need to let the whole neighborhood hear you!" Haruna said in a panic.

"Well, I guess if I could wear one of those all-black uniforms or something. And if I had the top open, I could wear wrappings around my chest. Not that there's much to hide, but still… Hm, maybe that could work…" But as Haruna mused aloud and more to herself, Kanako stuck a finger right in front of her face.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I want to see you in a real cheerleader outfit! The skirt, the pom-poms, everything!" Suddenly, it seemed very clear to Haruna why Kanako was so adamant about this. "You just want to see me dress up as a cheerleader, don't you?" she accused. Kanako, finally realizing her behavior had given her away, averted her eyes and whistled. "I-I don't know what you mean…" she said weakly.

Then Haruna smirked. She leaned down, placing her mouth right at Kanako's ear. "Y'know," she said in a low tone. "If you really wanna see me wear something like that that bad, we could always get one and save it for 'special occasions.'" Kanako, understanding Haruna's meaning, began to blush furiously. "I-I didn't really mean it that way!" she cried, causing Haruna to laugh.

After they both settled down some, Kanako continued. "It may be true that I really want to see you in a cute outfit like that, but that's not the only reason." "It isn't?" Haruna said. Kanako shook her head. "It's also a way for you to participate. I know you won't really be able to win any awards or compete against others directly, but I think being able to cheer on your class is a good way to be a part of the festival too. I mean, isn't it easier to compete when you hear people pulling for you and telling you you can do it? If you think of it that way, cheerleading is pretty important."

Letting Kanako's words sink in, Haruna gave it some thought. A few good points had definitely been made, but Haruna still wasn't sure if it was something she could really do with confidence. "And even if I could, there's no guarantee those other girls will let me join them," she thought. It was true that Haruna's reputation had improved ever since she and Kanako had stopped fighting all the time, but there were still those that seemed intimidated by her. Whether that was because of Haruna's past behavior or some other reason, she had no idea.

"...I'll think about it," Haruna said quietly. "Good," Kanako said, sounding pleased. It seemed she really, really wanted Haruna to go through with it. "Does she have a thing for cheerleading outfits?" Haruna wondered as they continued walking home.

*****

That night, Haruna ended up giving serious thought to Kanako's suggestion. Admittedly, there was a part of her that wanted to do it, if for no other reason than to see Kanako's reaction to her in a cheerleading outfit. "But if that's my only reason, then that's something we could just do in private…" Haruna thought. Though, the more she tried to imagine herself wearing such a thing, the more self-conscious Haruna got. "There's no way something like that would look good on me…"

Putting that aside, Haruna was left with the other reason that Kanako had pointed out. "She wants me to participate… because it's one of our last chances to make high school memories…" Looking at it that way, it was hard for Haruna to say no. She had wasted an entire year of high school just being mad at Kanako, then spent the next year making up and chasing after her. While that second year did have plenty of memories, there were also a lot of painful experiences in that time too.

Lately, it felt like the two of them had been having mostly good times, even despite Katsumi's interferences. Haruna wanted to be able to continue that, and the sports festival certainly seemed like a good opportunity. "If I could fill this year with nothing but good memories, that at least would make up for my first year," Haruna thought. She didn't still feel the weight of her mistakes on her relationship with Kanako, but there was still a part of her that wanted to overwrite those bad times as much as possible.

And so, coming to a decision, the following day, Haruna did one of the most difficult things she had had to do yet. There was a group of about four girls huddled together off to the side in the classroom.

"I can't wait to start practicing our routine!"

"Me either, but I wish we had one more person."

"Yeah, some of the formations might be hard with only four."

"Should we ask someone else?"

Tentatively approaching the group, Haruna spoke. "E-Excuse me?" she said. The four girls turned around in surprise. "E-Endo-san?" one of them said. "Did you need something?" Having had a poor reputation for so long, there were still those that were wary of Haruna. It was because of that that it was difficult for Haruna to approach random other students. "This is so awkward…" she groaned internally, but she still did her best to get her question out.

"I uh, I heard you need another person for the, um… c-cheerleading. If you're fine with it, I could… help…" Hearing her offer, the four girls stared in shock. None of them knew how to react, as Haruna was the last person they had ever expected to say such a thing. The four exchanged looks with each other, trying to figure out how to respond, until finally, one of them spoke.

"You want to be on our team?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Yeah, that's right," Haruna said, doing her best to speak with confidence. "I can't participate in any of the events really because of my ankle, so I thought this might be a good fit."

Again, they all looked at each other. Feeling a weird pressure to explain herself further, Haruna found herself perhaps saying more than necessary. "K-Kanako also seems to really want to see me do this too…" While that was true, Haruna immediately wished she hadn't said it. She opened her mouth to tell the girls to ignore what she said, but instead of getting weird looks, all four of them seemed oddly giddy now.

"Nakatomi-san wants to see Endo-san dressed up like a cheerleader?"

"I guess that makes sense. Who doesn't want to see their partner dressed up in something cute?"

"I can understand the gap between Endo-san and the cheerleading outfit too!"

"This is actually sounding like a pretty good idea, especially considering she can be our fifth!"

Turning in weird unison, they all gave a thumbs up. "You're in!" they said together, causing Haruna to take half a step back from the force of their answer. "T-Thanks, I guess," she said, but even as she was speaking, the other girls went to work, breaking out a couple of tape measures and peppering her with questions. By the time they were finished, Haruna was exhausted and unfortunately still had a whole school day to go.

*****

By the time the next week came around, preparations for both student and school alike were in full swing. While the sports festival certainly wasn't as big as the cultural festival, it did still warrant its own certain amount of attention as it also served as an event for the public. This meant that decorations had to go up, the grounds had to be cleaned, and various vendors had to be booked, among other tasks.

On top of that, those that were going to be in competition but lack the necessary stamina or skill were also busy training as hard as they could to make sure they didn't make fools of themselves on the day of the sports festival. All across the school campus both during lunch and after school there were students practicing sprints, hand-offs for relays and of course, the three-legged race.

Using a portion of the grass to the side of the main school building, two gals stood with one left leg tied to one right. They were both breathing heavy, and to show evidence of their hard work, they were both covered in dirt and grass stains. One gal still seemed to have energy, but the other looked completely exhausted.

"Okay… one more time!" Chiyo announced. "I swear Chiyo, if ya make us fall again…" Jasmine muttered. "We won't fall this time!" Chiyo said with confidence. "That's what ya said the last like, ten times," Jasmine retorted. "We only keep fallin' because ya keep steppin' at the wrong time…" Chiyo mumbled as she tried to avert blame. "We keep fallin' because ya keep steppin' with the wrong leg!" Jasmine exclaimed.

What made matters worse (in a manner of speaking) was that the two gals had an audience. Haruna, Kanako, Michi, Itsuki and Mayu were all sitting and watching the entire debacle. Chiyo and Jasmine hadn't been practicing every day, but the times that they did, the others made sure not to miss it, because it was a show every time.

"I'm starting to think we're not going to win the three-legged race," Itsuki said. "Win?" Haruna said. "They'll be lucky to make it halfway around the track at this rate." "I-I wish I could say something nice right now, but… it's really not looking good," Kanako said. "I'm beginning to feel bad for Hiraoka-san getting dragged into this," Michi added. "Perhaps they'll be able to put together a last-minute, good performance," Mayu offered hopefully.

"Alright. Three, two, one, go! One, two, one, two, on- gah!"

"Damn it, Chiyo!"

Yet another failure was met by a dismayed cry from Jasmine. At first, the group laughed whenever it happened, but now, they were all starting to pity them. However, none of them could afford to give much pity, as they were all struggling in their own events as well. Other than Itsuki, none of the girls were all that athletic. Now, that's not to say they were all terrible, but it was hard to rank any of the non-sports types higher than a rank of "average."

"Well, at least they don't have to dance," Haruna said. "Is your practice not going well?" Kanako asked. "It's not bad, but it can be pretty tiring," Haruna said. "Plus all of the other girls are so energetic…" "You're starting to sound like an old lady," Kanako said with a giggle. "It makes it hard to believe we're all the same age," Haruna said. "Just be sure to do your best," Kanako said back.

Surprisingly enough, it was true that Haruna's practices hadn't been too difficult in terms of learning how to do cheers and such, but it was certainly reminding her how much stamina she had lost. On top of that, one of the girls in the group was making the uniforms, and she seemed oddly excited about how they were turning out. Considering how the girl was, that made Haruna a little nervous. "I really hope it's nothing that'll get us in trouble with the school," she thought. Ultimately, it was how the cheer squads performed as a whole that got them points for their respective classes, but if a uniform was risque enough, it could potentially cause problems.

"Oof!" Chiyo let out as she hit the ground again.

"Ugh… I'm done… I'm so done with this…" Jasmine grumbled as she laid on the ground. "You can do it, nee-chan!" Itsuki cheered, eliciting an even louder groan from Jasmine, who no longer had the energy to protest. "I just wanna sleep…"

*****

The rest of the week leading up to Friday, the day of the festival, was filled with many more practices and making any last-minute changes that needed to be made. By the time the sports festival arrived, everything was miraculously in place, and participating students had done all they could in preparation for the day. Now, they all stood gathered outside of the back of the school as the student council addressed them.

"Thanks to your hard work, yet another festival has come together. Today…" As the student council president went on, Haruna looked around. There were some paying attention, but most had their gazes turned elsewhere. There were those who were looking at their families in attendance, others looking at the people around them, and a few staring at the food stalls that had been set up. No doubt there were many looking forward to lunch break.

However, as for Haruna, she found her eyes drifting toward one individual in particular. Surprisingly, she was one of the handful of students actually listening to the speech being given. With her flaming red hair tied up in a ponytail as per usual, her features were striking as she stood in the typical gym outfit of a white t-shirt and navy blue shorts. Though Haruna was at a distance, it appeared that the girl wasn't wearing any makeup. That made sense considering what they were all about to do, but the fact that she still looked quite pretty really irked Haruna.

The girl of course was Katsumi, and the reason she had Haruna's attention at the moment was because she had been oddly silent for the past week or two. Haruna had already had her suspicions the day the class decided who would compete in what, but the fact that Katsumi had done nothing the entire time leading up to now made her incredibly on edge. "I just know she's gonna try something," Haruna thought. "But I really don't know what. If she's planning on doing something during her event, a lot of her plan would hinge on luck of the draw, wouldn't it? Then again, maybe she made advanced arrangements…"

She continued to glare at Katsumi, and it was only when the announcement was made for the festival to be open that Haruna stopped. "Guess I should go find a good spot to watch from," she thought, but just as she began to walk away, a hand grabbed her arm.

"Endo-san, c'mon!" a girl exclaimed, dragging her along. "We gotta get ready!" Recognizing the voice as belonging to one of the cheerleading groups, Haruna looked at her. "I thought we didn't have to do our thing until later?" "We don't, but we should still cheer on our class!" another girl said. "W-We can do that in our gym clothes, can't we?" Haruna offered weakly, but she was met with a resounding: "No way!"

While Haruna was whisked away, others began to get ready for their events. The first up was the longest event, the marathon. Though it wasn't literally marathon length, it was definitely long enough to bore people. In fact, the main reason it was at the beginning of the festival was to make sure the competitors actually had an audience. So, at the fire of a starter pistol, the runners took off, and so began the festival in earnest.

"Glad we don't have to run in that," Chiyo said as she stood off to the side and watched. "Agreed," Michi said with a big nod. "But are you sure you and Hiraoka-san will be alright? You never did have a clean run." "We'll be fiiiine," Chiyo insisted. "Just you watch! Jas-chin and I are gonna like, fly through the field! Don't blink or you'll miss us!" "Right…" Michi said, unconvinced. "Actually, where is Hiraoka-san? I haven't seen her all day." "She said she wanted to avoid me until the race," Chiyo said. "Why?" Michi asked with an eyebrow raised. "She said, and I quote, 'If I have to spend one more minute with ya before this damn race, I'm gonna punch ya.'" "I understand her feelings," Michi said, nodding sagely. "Whaddya mean ya understand her feelings?!" Chiyo cried, getting a small laugh out of Michi.

"U-Um, have either of you seen Haruna?" Kanako asked as she walked up to them. "I thought Haru-chi was with you," Chiyo said. "She was, but when I turned around, she was gone. I-It looked like someone took her somewhere," Kanako explained. Chiyo began glancing around, but it didn't take long before a smirk crossed her lips. "Founddd herrrr~," Chiyo sang. Then she pointed into the distance, her index finger landing on a girl standing rather awkwardly by herself.

Kanako immediately made her way over to Haruna, and before she knew it, she was taking Haruna by the wrist and pulling her along. "Hey, Kana- uh, Kanako?" Haruna said when she saw her girlfriend. "Why do I keep getting kidnapped?" she wondered as Kanako took her back inside. Once through the door, they stopped, and Kanako let go.

"A-Are you mad about something?" Haruna asked nervously. "I'm… not mad…" Kanako said, her face showing a bit of a pout. "It's just… w-well…" "What?" Haruna said. "...I just didn't want anybody else to see you, that's all…" Kanako mumbled.

Hearing that, Haruna's jaw dropped. At the moment, she was wearing a top that only wrapped around her chest, done in navy blue and white. The top of the wrap and the bottom had a navy blue line on it, and in the middle of the remaining white was the word IWANAI written out in romanji. The bottom was a skirt of the same color blue, though it was much, much shorter than their usual school uniform one. In Haruna's hands, she held blue and white pom-poms. To top it off, she had her hair up in a traditional ponytail, which was a rare sight these days considering Haruna didn't need to participate in gym class anymore.

"I know it's a bit much," Haruna said. "Honestly, I have no idea how they got an outfit like this approved, but they did, so here I am. Um, if it bothers you that much, I can just tell them I can't wear this or someth-" "That's not it!" Kanako suddenly exclaimed, cutting Haruna off. "I-It's, um… mmm…" "Come on, Kanako, spit it out," Haruna said. "I gotta get out there."

"Mmngh… Y-You…

"Me?"

"You look too good in that outfit, and I didn't want other people seeing you like that!"

First, Haruna was stunned. Then, "Pfft… ahahahaha! Oh my God, seriously? You're jealous!" Kanako said nothing, only pouting in response. "This was your idea, y'know?" Haruna pointed out. "You have no one but yourself to blame." "I know, I know!" Kanako cried. "Ugh, I didn't think it'd turn out like this…"

Haruna kept laughing, but as it died out, she bent down so she could speak in Kanako's ear. "I appreciate you getting jealous for me," she whispered. "But don't worry, okay?" Then, she leaned in closer, pecking Kanako's cheek with her lips. "After all, this cheerleader only wants you looking at her, 'kay?" In response, all Kanako could do was blush madly.

Standing up straight, Haruna gave a teasing grin. "Aren't you lucky?" she said. "You've got a cheerleader who wants to kiss you." "S-Stop teasing me and go!' Kanako cried, beginning to push Haruna on the back. "Ahaha! Go, go Kanako! Go, go Kanako!" Haruna laughed and cheered as she got pushed along, getting an "Ugh!" out of the target of the cheer.

*****

The festival continued on, and soon enough, the event some were both looking forward to and dreading came up. "Students running in the three-legged race, please report to the starting line. I repeat, students running in the three-legged race, please report to the starting line."

Meeting where they were supposed to, Chiyo and Jasmine stood next to each other. Then, someone came by and handed Chiyo a white strip of fabric, which she then bent down and tied around her and Jasmine's closest legs. Once done, she stood back up and beamed. "Ready, Jas-chin?" she asked, sounding confident. "Let's just get this over with," Jasmine sighed. "Geez, even on game day you lack enthusiasm!" Chiyo whined. Nonetheless, the two made their way to line up with their rivals.

The distance was short (only 100m) but that could feel like an eternity to people who had to be conscious of their partner. "On your mark!" the person next to the line announced. All pairs got into their starting positions. "Get set…"

"Go!"

At the call, the runners took off. Or, at least, as fast as one could take off when tied to another. As expected, there were those who had better chemistry than others, and they soon took over the race, speeding down the track toward the finish line. Among the leaders were various first, second and third years, all running hard and trying to win. Not among the leaders however…

"Chiyo."

"Y-Yeah, Jas-chin?"

"I'm gonna kill you."

"I'm sorryyyy…"

Yes, the gal duo had failed to not only be competitive, but to make it beyond even 10 meters. It was rumored that after the race, Jasmine dragged Chiyo off somewhere into a room, and behind closed doors, bizarre sounds could be heard all the way down the hall. What exactly happened to Chiyo in that room, only Jasmine and a very regretful Chiyo know.

*****

Kanako had wanted to maybe save Chiyo from a bit of Jasmine's fury, but she wasn't given the time, as her event, the mile, came up next. She wasn't really keen on running for that long, but she had at least done her best to practice some. A week and a half's worth of practice probably wasn't going to change much considering she was up against actual track team members, but Kanako still planned on doing her best.

With the announcement of "Go!", she began running. It didn't take long for her to quickly fall behind, but she wasn't in the back either, so she figured that was okay. Although, as each lap went by, she naturally got more and more tired, and by the last lap, she found herself very near to the back. Only three other people were behind her.

She was beginning to approach the third turn of the track when she caught wind of a familiar chant. "Go, go Kanako! Go, go Kanako!" a group of girls cheered in unison. Hearing that, she turned to find the source of the cheer. It was five girls, all in a line, wearing outfits that match the tallest among them. Kanako's eyes met Haruna's, and the girl gave her a big smile as she continued to cheer.

Now, one cheer wasn't going to miraculously propel Kanako to victory. In fact, the winner had already been decided. Still though, hearing her girlfriend cheer her on so adamantly warmed Kanako's heart and did make her run a little faster. Not because she wanted to increase her finishing position, but because she wanted to get back to Haruna as fast as possible.

Even when Kanako crossed the line, she didn't stop running. She made a beeline for Haruna, and as soon as she reached her, Kanako leapt into her arms and planted a big kiss right on her lips. Naturally, it shocked all of the people nearby, students, parents and teachers alike. Once one teacher regained her composure, she blew the whistle hanging around her neck. "Nakatomi-san! Endo-san!" she shouted, getting both girls' attention. Then the teacher put up a big X with her arms and yelled, "NO!"

Kanako and Haruna both sheepishly grinned and said, "Sorry!" back.

*****

"Geez, you really went and got us in trouble," Haruna said. "I-I couldn't help it," Kanako said. "Hearing you cheer me on made me want to kiss you." "I'm dating a troublemaking vixen," Haruna joked, getting a laugh out of Kanako. At the moment, they were both making their way to the food booths, as lunch break had finally arrived.

"It's too bad neither of our parents could make it," Kanako said. "Yeah, but they all had work, which isn't surprising," Haruna said. "And it's not like they really need to be here. We're third-years. This isn't all that special anymore to them." "Maybe not, but some people seem to still be enjoying themselves," Kanako said, motioning to a noisy group.

That group happened to be Chiyo, Jasmine, Michi and a Chitose who was bent over with laughter. "T-That was so hilarious!" she said, tears in her eyes. "They said go, and you two just, boom! Toppled over so fast! Oh God, my sides!" "I-It wasn't that funny Chitose!" Chiyo said in defense, but that only made Chitose laugh harder. "Mi-chan, you're on my side, right?" Chiyo said desperately, but all she saw when she looked at Michi was a girl doing her best to muffle her own giggles. "S-Sorry Chiyo, but… it really was funny…" Michi managed to say.

Leaving Chiyo to her despair and a glaring Jasmine, Kanako and Haruna got in line for a yakisoba booth. While they waited, Haruna looked around, and soon enough, she spotted who she was looking for. Katsumi was waiting in a different line, but she was only looking straight ahead. Like usual, no one was really around her, but she didn't seem bothered in the least.

Just like all of the other days, today had been no different. There hadn't even been a peep out of Katsumi when Kanako was running. Honestly, Haruna had expected her to maybe even try to slip into their cheer squad in order to get Kanako to look at her. And yet, nothing like that had happened at all. "Why is it that her doing nothing makes me more nervous than her doing something?" Haruna wondered.

"Kya!" Kanako suddenly shrieked, causing Haruna to shift her focus instantly, "W-What?! What's wrong?!" she said in a panic, but as soon as she looked, she spotted the cause. "I-It's nothing," Kanako said. "Sorry, Mori-san just startled me."

Standing behind Kanako with her hands on the girl's head was none other than Haruna's aunt. "Heya!" she said with a happy wave. "A-Auntie Sara?" Haruna said in surprise. "What're you doing here?" "What, I can't come and watch my niece and her adorable girlfriend compete?" Sara said with a fake pout. "The way you said that makes me wonder if you're here more for me or Kanako…" Haruna muttered. "Both, silly!" Sara said.

"How long have you been here?" Haruna asked. "The whole time," Sara said flatly. "The whole- wait, then that means-" Haruna sputtered as Sara smirked. "Mhm. I saw you two gettin' all steamy! It was like a scene out of a movie, except a kiss usually happens because the person runnin' won." "Ugh…" both Haruna and Kanako groaned.

"But hey, cute outfit ya got there Haruna-chan," Sara said as she took a good look. "I'm sure you like it too, huh Kana-chan?" "W-Well… y-yes, I do…" Kanako admitted, getting a laugh out of Sara. "So honest!" she said, sounding pleased. "Alright, I just wanted to say hi. I'll go back to minglin' with the locals." But, for a brief moment, it seemed like Sara was staring at someone. However, by the time Haruna and Kanako both turned to look in that direction, whoever the person was that had been over there had disappeared.

"We should've invited her to eat lunch with us," Kanako said after they got their yakisoba. "She's such a whirlwind, we never got the chance to ask," Haruna said. "She seemed happy enough with just talking for a bit though, so we'll just eat with her some other time." So the two of them found a good spot to sit and eat, deciding on a spot along the wall of the school building that had just enough shade to be cool. Though, with the current weather, it almost felt a little chilly sitting in the shade.

*****

Once lunch break was over, it was time for the next event, which was the 4x1 relay. This happened to be Mayu's event. Luckily, she had found out about the order of the events ahead of time, so she had decided to wait to eat until after her race was over. Although, seeing everybody else getting to enjoy their food while she had to wait did bother her a little.

Regardless, she was only a few minutes away from getting to dine herself, so Mayu did her best to put those feelings out of her mind and focus on the task at hand. For the relay team, she was the second of four runners, so not only did she have to worry about receiving a baton, she also had to worry about giving one. Mayu had practiced the handoff plenty with her teammates, but there was still a bit of natural anxiety.

At this point, the first runner was nearing Mayu. She stuck out her hand and began running. Just as she started coming up to speed, she felt a hard, metal rod hit her hand. Gripping it firmly, she took it and brought her hand back up to the front. Then, after about 100 meters, she reached the next person. Handing off the baton, she watched as the person ahead of her went. Fortunately, their last two runners were their fastest, so they were making up ground. By the time the race finished, Mayu's team had come in second.

She briefly celebrated with her teammates, then excused herself to go get her coveted food. However, she was stopped by Jasmine along the way. "Good work out there," she said. "Thank you," Mayu said. "Um, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so-" "Food, right?" Jasmine said. "Here." Pulling something from behind her back, Mayu saw a carton full of takoyaki. "Go ahead," the gal offered. "Ah, actually, wait." Grabbing one of the toothpicks sticking out of a steaming hot ball of fried dough, Jasmine lifted it to her mouth and gently blew on it a few times.

"Okay, there we go," she said. Then she held it out to Mayu. "Ahhh," she said. Mayu blushed, but she was so hungry that she didn't even bother protesting, instead just opening her mouth with a matching "Ahhh," and eating the takoyaki from Jasmine. "It's seriously fun feeding you," Jasmine said. "Your mouth opens just like a rabbit's does." With a mouth full of takoyaki, Mayu could do nothing but frown at being compared to a small creature again.

She finished chewing and swallowed, then opened her mouth to give her retort. But, instead of getting words out, she got another piece put in. Jasmine had already cooled yet another takoyaki ball, strategically stuffing it into Mayu's mouth. "Good, right?" she said with a mischievous smile. Mayu wanted to say something back, but even if her mouth was empty, she didn't have much of a response. The food was good, and really, Mayu thought it might be tasting even better getting it the way she was.

*****

Finally, as the day began to wind down, the last few events were coming up. As expected, the biggest one everyone was looking forward to was the scavenger hunt race. There were several boys standing around in the designated waiting area on the track with nervous expressions. No doubt they were hoping to pull a lucky slip that allowed them to confess to the one they liked in one way or another.

Among the group too were Chiyo and Katsumi, standing some distance apart from one another. Like Haruna, Chiyo was also keeping an eye on Katsumi. "I'm sure she'll try to go for Kana-chan in any way she can," the gal thought. "Even if her slip has nothing to do with a crush or anything, she'll find a way to make it work."

While thinking that, a girl came up to the gathered group, holding a box. "Okay, attention please!" she called. Once everyone was looking at her, she went on. "The rules are simple. Find the person in the crowd that best matches the slip you draw at random out of this box. You will all pick one and won't look until the whistle is blown. Once the whistle is blown, you may pick whoever you think is a good fit for your 'item description.' You will then take them to the judges' table over there, and they'll determine if you're correct."

Off to the side was a panel of three people who worked for the school. Two of them were teachers, and the other was someone who looked like they belonged in administration. Chiyo stared at them for a moment, wondering if they'd be harsh judges or not. "This event is usually pretty care-free, but there could always be someone who wants to ruin the fun," Chiyo thought.

However, she wasn't given much time to think about that, as the group was called to line up and for each person to grab a slip of paper out of the box. With each hand that pulled one out, the anxiety rose in all of them. This competition was all about being able to achieve your own goals, after all. What was written on the slip of paper could determine your success on the spot.

Once everyone had their slips, a teacher raised a whistle to their lips. With a sharp "tweee!", all of the competitors flipped open their pieces of paper. Chiyo, like everyone else, quickly looked at what was written. As soon as she saw it, all of the attention she had been giving Katsumi vanished.

"Find someone small and cute."

Instantly, Chiyo's head swiveled around, looking everywhere for a blond head of hair with two long strands hanging off it. After about 20 seconds, she spotted the girl she was looking for. Really, Chiyo wanted to be paying attention to Katsumi. She wanted to make sure Katsumi didn't try anything during the event, but… this was just too golden of a chance. It wasn't as if Chiyo was going to confess right at the moment, but something like this would surely get her one step closer to her own goals.

"Mi-chan!" she called out, running over to the short girl who was mid-conversation with someone else. "W-What?" Michi sputtered, confused by the gal's sudden approach. "Come with me!" Chiyo demanded, grabbing Michi's hand and starting to pull her. "H-Hey! Chiyo, wait! I can't keep up!" Michi yelled, but Chiyo just kept hurrying along.

Shortly after, they arrived at the judges' table. "Here!" Chiyo said, handing them the slip of paper she had and presenting Michi. The three judges gathered around the paper, then looked at Michi.

"Good."

"Yeah, that works."

"Fits the bill perfectly."

"Awesome!" Chiyo exclaimed happily, putting up a big peace sign. Still standing next to her, Michi was very confused. "What the hell is going on?" she asked. "Did you use me for your scavenger hunt thing?" "Indeed!" Chiyo said, satisfied. "And what was it?" Michi asked. "What exactly did the paper say?" "You wanna know?" Chiyo asked in a teasing tone. "Ya realllly wanna know?" "Whatever. It's not that important," Michi huffed. Then Chiyo leaned down to whisper in Michi's ear.

"It said to find someone small and cute. Who better but you?"

Michi froze. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and her face turned red. The fact that not only had Chiyo called her cute, but the judges at the table had agreed as well, was a little much for her to handle. "S-Stupiddddd!" she cried as she ran off. "Ah, Mi-chan, wait!" Chiyo called, but it was too late. Michi was out of ear shot.

Chiyo shrugged. "Oh well. It's true whether she runs away or not. The cutest girl I know~." She smiled to herself, basking in her victory, when suddenly something caught her attention. Actually, because she had gotten swept up in the moment, it was something she had completely forgotten about. Turning, Chiyo's eyes went wide.

The scene she was witnessing was both what she had expected and not. Katsumi had indeed gone over to Kanako, but instead of grabbing the girl she proclaimed to love, she grabbed someone else entirely. "W-What's… going on?" Chiyo muttered in shock. The girls by Katsumi had similar reactions as she wrenched one away from the other.

"Eh?"

"What the hell?!"

"Come with me, Endo-san!"

End of Chapter Eighteen.