Hayama knew when he accepted the scholarship to Rakuzan that it was a posh place. But he had no idea just how posh. Until now.
"Wow." Standing at the entrance to Rakuzan, Hayama peered at the long path lined solidly with multi-coloured booths spread out in front of him. He prided himself on his ability to comment on anything and everything, but even he had to fall silent at the sheer extravagance that was Rakuzan's school festival.
"Wow," Nebuya agreed, eyes already sparkling at the idea of hitting those booths. Even Mibuchi and Mayuzumi, who were the leaders and founders of the 'Nebuya is a disgusting pig and whatever you do don't group us with him' club – metaphorically, were looking at the display with a hint of excitement. By which Hayama meant that Mibuchi was gaping in excitement and Mayuzumi was looking on soullessly with slightly less antipathy for the world than usual. Only Akashi looked the way he always did, as if he's picking out your every inadequacy and getting ready to slowly dissect you until he's finished picking you apart and you don't even have the strength to beg for mercy. In this case, it's pretty literal.
"You all have your assignments," Akashi said calmly, his tone brooking no argument. "Are you ready?"
"Aye aye, sir!" Hayama, Nebuya, and Mibuchi all snapped out smartly. Mayuzumi gave a grunt, which was more of a response than Hayama had been expecting – that he had replied at all was more of a response than Hayama had been expecting.
"Hey," Nebuya said suddenly, stopping Akashi in his tracks, "what if we finish eating from the booths you'd assigned us to?"
Akashi stared at him with one of his patented 'you peasant' stares. "Did you even look at the file I gave you?"
"Not yet," Nebuya said carelessly, impervious to Akashi's stare. According to him, he already knew he was common as muck and Akashi's stares didn't change anything. Sometimes, even Hayama wondered whether all that exercise had rotted his brain.
"If you had," said Akashi acidly, "you would know that your particular assignment is to eat from all of the food booths. And I expect a full report for each one from you."
"Alright!" Nebuya beamed artlessly, starting towards the first booth with a spring in his step. Hayama and Mibuchi followed on his heels, both with their files open to the overly detailed map Akashi had drawn, trying to find their assigned booths.
Behind them, Hayama could hear Mayuzumi grumbling to Akashi. "So why do we need to do this again? I thought we had already done all we could to make the basketball club's booth the best."
"Know your enemy," Akashi said loftily. "I will make sure that the basketball club is the MVP for this festival; and to do that I need to know about my competitors and how best to forestall them."
"I just don't get you." Mayuzumi sighed. "It's just a school festival."
Hayama grinned smugly to himself, knowing that neither of them would be able to see. Akashi was pretty easy to understand really. It was never just a school festival.