After the festival ended, Arashi headed to his classroom to collect his belongings. Ayane was also in the classroom, so he walked toward it quietly.
When he reached the door, he paused, placing his hand on it, and thought to himself, I wonder how my classmates will react now…
After a moment, he whispered to himself, Just go in, pick up your things, and leave.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door—and found everyone busy with their tasks. Slowly, he pushed it open further. Immediately, all eyes in the classroom turned to him.
As he stepped inside, the boys started moving toward him. Before Arashi could even react, Takumi and Satoru came from behind and lifted him off the ground. Takumi shouted loudly:
"Guys! We won this festival, and the biggest credit goes to Arashi!"
The other boys joined in, shouting loudly, "Yeah!!!"
Arashi was stunned and didn't know what to say. More classmates rushed toward him, holding him up and tossing him gently in the air. Everyone cheered together:
"Hip hip hooray!"
"Hip hip hooray!"
After that, the boys lifted Satoru and Takumi as well, so now Arashi, Satoru, and Takumi were all being tossed up and down repeatedly.
The girls in the class watched from all sides, smiling and laughing at the scene.
After a while, they gently set all three of them down. Then everyone shouted together:
"WE WONNNNNNNN!!!!!!"
After the cheering, the boys and girls started talking excitedly among themselves. Some asked Satoru questions, others spoke to Takumi, and several came to Arashi.
One student asked, "Arashi, how did you manage that? Ichinose just ran off—it was totally unexpected. But honestly, I had full faith in you."
Just as all this was happening, the teacher entered the classroom. She clapped her hands to get everyone's attention and said, "Settle down, settle down!"
When the class quieted a little, she smiled and said, "Well done, class. Today you all performed exceptionally well at the festival. The Principal even called to praise your efforts—congratulations! But now, while the festival is behind us, there's still the upcoming exams. I expect the same dedication there as well."
Hearing the word "exams," everyone's expressions immediately fell.
Finally, the teacher said, "Alright, now collect your things and go." With that, she left the room.
After that, Arashi felt a hand on his shoulder from behind.
He turned around and saw Mizuki wearing cat paws on her hands and cat ears on her head. She smiled and said playfully:
"Arashi… meow!"
Arashi immediately blushed. Mizuki looked so cute and adorable that he couldn't help but smile.
"Arashi, congratulations… meow!" she said again.
Arashi smiled and replied, "Thanks! Congratulations to you too—your business did well!"
Hearing the mention of the business, Mizuki suddenly remembered something. She said, "Arashi, come with me." Arashi followed her as she walked ahead. She pointed to a box and said, "Bring this for me, please."
"Alright," Arashi said. He lifted the box and realized it was quite heavy. "What's inside?" he asked.
"Sandwiches and cupcakes that were left over," Mizuki replied.
"Oh… so what should we do with them?" Arashi asked.
"Yes, we'll share them with the class," Mizuki said with a smile.
They carried the box into the classroom. Mizuki called out, "Everyone, come here! One by one—these are the leftover treats. Take what you like!"
After distributing all the snacks, Arashi noticed that nothing was left for Mizuki. Without hesitation, he offered half of his share to her.
Mizuki shook her head and said, "No, I won't eat it like this. You have to feed me, Arashi."
Arashi blinked, surprised. "What…?" he asked.
She smiled mischievously. "Yes. If you feed me with your own hands, then I'll eat."
Arashi's cheeks turned bright red. "But… everyone is watching…" he stammered.
Mizuki smiled and replied, "Yes, right in front of everyone."
Arashi sighed, "Alright… fine." He took a small bite, and carefully fed it to Mizuki with his hands. The entire class watched quietly.
Then, in unison, everyone shouted:
"Awwww… so cute!"
Hearing this, Arashi's face turned even redder. When he glanced at Mizuki, she was smiling at him, her eyes sparkling.
"Are you… enjoying this?" Arashi asked nervously.
"Yes," Mizuki replied, teasingly. "Now that you like me, you'll have to endure all of this."
Arashi chuckled, "Well… that's fair enough."
Mizuki turned around and said, "Now, let's split the rest of the sandwich half and half. For now, I'll eat on my own, and next time, you'll feed me."
"Alright, then you eat now," Arashi said, smiling softly.
Just then, Arashi received a notification from Ren. He opened it and read:
"Arashi, please bring Mizuki over to the stairs, okay?"
Arashi showed the message to Mizuki. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is Ren doing here?"
Arashi shook his head and said, "I'll tell you later. Let's go after this."
After finishing up, Arashi and Mizuki went over to the stairs.
Ren met them there and explained the entire plan in detail. Mizuki and Arashi listened carefully, nodded, and said, "Okay, leave it to us."
Once everything was clear, Ren left, and the two of them remained there, ready for what was coming next.