In the Name of Halloween (1)

The months slipped by without anything standing out, Halloween now creeping closer. During that stretch of time, nothing of major note came up for Yasushi and his group. They just started refining the idea Yasushi had pitched. The concept grew and settled into something more concrete, each part slowly locking into place.

They knew that once the school made the announcement for the Halloween event, they'd bring it forward as a group, solidifying the plan. Four days remained before that announcement, and the gears would finally start turning. At this moment, Yasushi's group was gathered at his house, Jingliu sitting nearby, while they spent time fine-tuning the plan and relaxing.

Laura fidgeted in her seat, fingers winding through her hair. "Snow woman… w-will I really pull it off?" Her hesitation hung in the air, eyes darting between the others.

Yasushi didn't waste time answering. "You'll be fine, Laura. The snow woman appears in plenty of stories from both Chinese and Japanese folklore. The costume won't come across as out of place at all. There's a lot of room for interpretation," he said, offering a calm reassurance.

Laura nodded, processing Yasushi's words. "Yeah… you're right."

Furuya, who'd been watching her closely, chimed in without missing a beat. "Plus," he said, turning toward her, "you and three others are gonna be snow women. We still need three more after we make the announcement, so hopefully we'll get volunteers. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

His grin spread as he added, "I'm gonna be the general for the ice spirits, the Bingfeng. I'll stand out more than anyone! No way I'm missing my chance to be the flashiest this time."

Jingliu, always looking at the bigger picture, spoke up. "We'll need to make sure the rest of the class gets roles that feel important too. We can't have them thinking we're just keeping the best ones for our group."

Bhaqui leaned back, shrugging a little. "I'm good with stepping back. Same goes for Alicia. We're all about making sure everything goes smoothly. Blending into the background's kind of our thing, anyway."

The group's discussion about the event plans continued, voices overlapping and bouncing off each other. Yasushi sat off to the side, focused on his laptop screen. He scrolled through websites, delving into the depths of both Chinese and Japanese mythology. There were stories, legends, and details he hadn't encountered in his previous life. He took it all in, feeling like he had stumbled upon a trove of fresh material, sparking a sense of excitement as he gathered more ideas to use.

Next to him, Xinyi leaned over, scanning the documents Yasushi had typed out. "How about adding some Ice fairies into this?" she asked. "We could say they hang around Tengliu, the goddess I'm going to cosplay. I bet some of the girls in class would be into that, especially if we make a few of them the fairy leaders or something." Her eyes flicked across the screen, clearly envisioning how it would all come together.

Yasushi didn't say anything immediately, but he gave a nod, recognizing the potential of her idea. He quickly jotted it down into his notes, the text on the screen growing with each new suggestion. After saving the idea, he clicked over to a few image boards, pulling up different visuals they could use for inspiration. The images flooded the screen — mythical beings, spirits, and deities — all intricately crafted.

"These?" he asked, clicking through a series of images that showed various designs, passing the decision on to the girls. They'd be the ones to choose what felt right.

"Mhm. Save those and drop them in the drive. I'll show them to the girls once we have the rest picked in a few days," Xinyi said, not pausing as she continued to eat.

The door opened, and Yunxue, Layena, and Yinhaie walked in with more food and drinks. Yunxue and Layena, both still students in Yasushi's class, joined the ongoing discussion without hesitation, each opinion carrying weight.

Yinhaie, older and separate from the group's academic world, didn't hold the same influence over decisions but seemed interested in watching them work through the plans together. Her eyes darted between conversations and Yasushi's screen, catching onto the ideas in motion.

After listening and watching the planning unfold, Yinhaie finally spoke up. "Why don't we help out? We've got some stuff back at Lady Jingliu's home that could work for this, and if not, we can always order what we need. We could even get things shipped from China if it comes to that."

Yasushi glanced up from his screen, considering her offer. "We don't want to go too overboard with costs. Nothing expensive," he said, a quick response given as he recalled earlier talks with the group. "But we're open to the idea. We've mentioned it before, so if we can keep things affordable, especially for students, we can work something out."

Yinhaie stood quietly, nodding now and then as the conversation went on, occasionally adding a comment here and there. She couldn't stop a faint smile from creeping in as she watched them all work through the plans together, though she noticed the way Yasushi's gaze landed on her every so often. Each time, she brushed it off, remembering that night a few months back when things between them shifted, but there was no need to dwell on it now.

By the time the clock struck eight, the group had eaten dinner and begun packing up to leave. One by one, they filtered out of Yasushi and Jingliu's home, the warmth of the evening beginning to fade with their departure. Yinhaie lingered a little longer than the others, sharing a brief goodbye with the young couple before they bid her good night.

As Yasushi and Jingliu headed toward their room, the weight of the day settled over them. They knew the night was winding down, leaving them to finally relax in the quiet of their home, a much-needed reprieve before sleep took over.

+-+

"Alright, you lot, let's get this started," Senbarisu said, stepping into the classroom and facing her students. The usual noise of homeroom died down as she took her place at the front. "I know a lot of you have been throwing around ideas for the Halloween event, so now's the time to lay them out."

The day had arrived, the official start for classes to begin preparing for the upcoming event. From this moment on, every group had free rein to get their plans together and bring them to life. Ideas started coming in immediately, some being tossed around without much thought, others gaining traction as real contenders.

Two groups stood out: one had a mix of clowns, snow, and Halloween — a strange combination, but it sparked interest — and the other proposed a snowy beach Halloween party. The second idea didn't last long, though, with every girl in the room quickly shooting it down.

"We've got something," Xinyi called out, standing with her hand raised, a grin cutting across her face.

Senbarisu nodded, eyes narrowing a bit as she waved them up. "Alright, let's hear it. If you're coming up, do it like the others. The floor's yours."

They stepped up to the front, carrying their idea with the confidence of those who had worked through every detail. They didn't just present it either; they pulled out a PowerPoint, the sudden move catching everyone off guard. It was clear they had spent time on this, making the visuals sharp while stripping away any unnecessary fluff to keep everything focused.

Once they wrapped up, Laura spoke, her voice cutting through the lingering silence, "If anyone's got questions, ask now. We've got a week of prep ahead, and we can fine-tune whatever needs fixing."

The silence lasted for a heartbeat. Then hands shot up all at once. The questions started pouring in, some cutting straight to the heart of the idea, others meandering a bit. But despite the occasional off-topic query, the overall mood in the class leaned toward approval. Heads nodded, murmurs of agreement rippling through the room.

"So Jingliu and Xinyi are taking the goddess roles?" someone asked from the back, catching their breath before continuing, "What about the other spots? Any major roles left open?"

"You can apply," Yasushi replied, his voice calm. "We'll consider everyone. Just know there might be competition. We'll judge based on performance, and we'll decide from there. Sound fair?" His eyes scanned the room, and heads nodded in response.

Senbarisu leaned back, arms crossed as she studied the group in front. "You all really put effort into this," she said, her tone even. "Not that I blame you. Last Halloween of high school, you'd want it to stand out."

"Yeah, that's the gist of what we're thinking for the event. We're open to other ideas too," Yasushi began, but a voice from the crowd cut him off.

"They don't stand a chance next to this, man. I think everyone's on board with your group's idea. There's enough room in it for everyone to take a role," one of the students chimed in, with a chorus of nods and murmurs following.

Senbarisu, watching it unfold, glanced around, taking a moment before she spoke. "Any objections?" she asked, the words almost challenging someone to voice disagreement. Silence filled the room as no one stepped up to counter the plan.

"Alright, then we're moving forward with this! Let's dive deeper into it, hash out the details!" She turned toward Yasushi's group, gesturing for them to stay put. "Stay up there. You'll need to jot down any suggestions, and we'll fine-tune the whole thing right here."

Hands shot up almost immediately. The class buzzed with opinions, critiques, and ideas. Their discussion kept up for the remainder of the morning, each person throwing in thoughts and adjustments, shaping the plan further. It wasn't until the lunch bell rang that the conversation finally broke, leaving them to continue after they grabbed food.

+-+

When lunch arrived, Yasushi's group gathered on the school's rooftop, where the snow had been cleared away. The cold air hung around them, but none of them seemed to mind as they ate.

"What did your class come up with?" Xinyi asked, glancing toward Alicia as she took a bite of her meal.

"A concert. A snow fairy spirit one, with ghosts flying around. It's not bad, but no one else had any ideas, so we're stuck with it for now," Alicia replied, sounding less than impressed by the lack of creativity from her classmates. "If someone thinks of something better by tomorrow, we'll switch."

Xinyi shrugged. "Not everyone's that into the event anyway. As long as they participate, they'll get some kind of recognition, so they'll just coast through it." She paused, looking at Alicia with a curious expression. "But… why did you help us with our ideas? You're not even in our class."

Alicia glanced over, her expression neutral. "I serve the Yang family before anything else. My role as a student at Nosenki High School comes second. Helping her and Yasushi plan the event is part of my duty."

Xinyi let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "I should've figured. My family's not much different from hers. Well, good luck. I hope everything goes smoothly."

The conversation shifted as everyone began throwing around more details about the event, discussing their plans. Meanwhile, Yasushi's focus drifted. He sat staring at his phone, the screen lighting up with a few messages from Yinhaie. His fingers scrolled through the updates, his expression unreadable.

Jingliu noticed the shift. "Is something going on?" she asked, her gaze lingering on him.

Yasushi handed her the phone without a word. Jingliu's brow furrowed as she read through the text, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Wait... they're really coming?" Her lips tightened, the words feeling heavy between them.

"Yeah," Yasushi replied. "It looks like they've decided to come for this one. They've only got two chances left, either now or during the Easter trip, but they can't make that one. So, they're showing up for this one instead. We need to be ready." He paused for a moment, his expression shifting slightly before calling out to Xinyi. "Oh, right — Xinyi! You need to see this."

Xinyi turned toward him as Yasushi passed the phone over. Her eyes scanned the messages, her face unreadable as the words sank in.

After reading the message, Xinyi groaned, rubbing her temples. "This is gonna be humiliating. I don't think I'll survive after they see me doing those ridiculous moves we've got planned for the event…"

Laura glanced over, catching a glimpse of the messages, and grinned. "You're overthinking it. It won't be that awful," she said, but her words didn't seem to land. Reina leaned in as well, taking a look at the screen, before giving a small shrug.

"It's just...parents watching their kids, right?" Reina started, then hesitated, her words stumbling. "I mean, sure, dancing around in fake snow in a haunted forest sounds…uh... normal enough."

Xinyi rolled her eyes, lowering her head into her hands. "You're really not helping, you know that?"

They tried to pull her out of her mood, tossing around half-hearted reassurances, but nothing seemed to work. Yasushi grabbed his phone again, skimming through the message one more time. A heavy breath escaped him as he read the details.

He wasn't thrilled either. The thought of their parents watching everything was almost unbearable, but there was nothing he could do. They were coming, whether he liked it or not. He had to deal with it, even if the whole thing made him want to crawl under a rock.