Author's note: welcome to chapter 7. I didn't expect this story to be able to reach this point... but really, thank you very much for the support in the form of reviews, favorites, and follows. I hope I am able to continue entertaining you all with this story!

Also, I realize there might be a form of inconsistency in this story regarding how I refer to the characters. I still have no idea how to fix it, but for now it will be like this: the canon characters who shares last name (for example Nakiri Alice, Nakiri Erina, Nakiri Senzaemon, and all the other Nakiris) will be referred with their full name. The Aldinis will use the format of 'first name-last name' instead of 'last name-first name' and referred with full name because of the shared last name. However, since all other Isshikis in this fic are OCs, they will all be referred with their full name. In case of a scene where Isshiki Satoshi (the only canon Isshiki) is faced with other Isshikis, the only one referred simply as 'Isshiki' is Isshiki Satoshi. The other Isshiki (for example Isshiki Ayumi, Isshiki Tatsuya, and Isshiki Yurika) will be referred with their full name.

I know that is confusing (I confused myself trying to explain). If there is any question, feel free to ask me via review or PM, I will do my best to answer. Suggestions are very welcomed too. Thank you very much for your attention.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT: I mentioned characters from other fandoms here, so here goes...

Kinou Nani Tabeta (c) Yoshinaga Fumi

Princess Tutu (c) Itoh Ikuko

Super Dangan Ronpa 2 (c) Spike Chunsoft

Corpse Party (c) Team GrisGris

Fullmetal Alchemist (c) Arakawa Hiromu

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (c) 07th Expansion

I am not that sure about this part, please tell me if I got the copyrights wrong.

*

Satou and Aoki sat together during the festival. Their blood boils as they fight the urges to punch each other. Curse Marui, they thought. When they returned to the dorm after releasing Fuyuhisa and other club members, they found out that the groups for May End Ghost Festival are already decided. They rushed to Hanami's room for enlightenment regarding what cosplay should they do, but until the day of the festival they cannot decide if that was the correct thing to do. They took Hanami's suggestion, which is a slice of life cooking manga called Kinou Nani Tabeta. It revolves around a lawyer and a hairdresser who live together and share meals. The manga got lots of food in it and the cosplay is easy, so there is nothing to complain, right?

... except that it is a BL manga.

While both of them admit that this BL manga is very tame, especially compared to some R18 doujin on the internet which Hanami kindly shown to them to explain that Kinou Nani Tabeta is indeed very tame, they are very conflicted. They are thankful that it was not that doujin where two basketball players went to eat burger and drink vanilla shake and suddenly do the do in the restaurant with people magically not seeing them (the regulation of this event is so hazy that you can probably cosplay a doujinshi), or that one BL movie where the ice cream drips on a young boy and the older male licked it (the regulation of this event is so hazy that you probably can cover a naked dude in whipped cream and it still counts as food), but BL is still BL. And the fact that some female students are fujoshi and they knew about the manga doesn't help at all.

"Are you two okay?"

Sakaki was the one who asked that. The group of Yoshino-Sakaki-Marui-Ibusaki decided to cosplay the anime Princess Tutu. Yoshino as Ahiru, Sakaki as Rue, Ibusaki as Mytho the prince, and Ibusaki as Fakir the knight. At first Yoshino said Ibusaki has more 'prince quality' compared to Marui, but then accepted Hanami's suggestion when the senpai argued that "Even though I can see Ibusaki as an elegant prince, I can't really see Marui as a sadistic knight with anger management issue and post trauma stress disorder" to which Ibusaki responded with "Do I look like a sadistic knight with anger management issue and post trauma stress disorder?". The answer was "Kinda", and thus Ibusaki got the role as the knight while he tries so hard not to show that he is somewhat pissed off.

"I guess. So far no bloodshed yet," said Satou. "Just some fujoshi shipping us over there," said Aoki as he points at a crowd of girls. Yoshino bursted into a laughing fit. "You two are really cute!" said the girl.

"This festival is very different from what I thought," said Yukihira. "I thought this is going to be us cosplaying while selling food, but it turned out that we only need to serve a dish for the judges and the middle schoolers took over our stand after that..." he added. "That is how it is. This festival is aimed to let high schoolers relax a bit while the middle schoolers learn to follow recipes and keep a stand," said Tadokoro. Yoshino swooned when she saw Tadokoro and Yukihira cosplaying as Nanami Chiaki and Hinata Hajime from the game Super Dangan Ronpa 2. Truth to be told, at first Hanami suggested them doing an Alice in Wonderland cosplay. But after they saw the detailed clothes designs, they decided to do something else. Isshiki suggested SDR2 and they agreed. Mainly because Hanami once cosplayed Nanami Chiaki and she still got the costume which is about Tadokoro's size. Yukihira himsef at first couldn't really decide if he wants to cosplay Komaeda Nagito or Hinata Hajime, but after Isshiki explained Komaeda's character, he decided to go as Hinata.

"By the way, where are Isshiki-senpai and Hanami-senpai?" Marui asked. They left the dorm earlier because the senpais told them to go ahead since their preparation is not done yet. That was an hour ago, though. Tadokoro and Yukihira left the dorm thirty minutes ago and even they already got their dish and cosplay judged. "When we left, they are still preparing..." said Tadokoro. "Ah there they a--hiiii?!?!"

Everyone turned to the direction Tadokoro pointed at and they turned pale. Even though this event is called Ghost Festival, almost no one cosplayed something scary. Even the ghoul cosplayers look handsome. But then again, Isshiki and Hanami aren't that normal.

Let's talk about their height. Hanami is surprisingly tiny compared to Isshiki. Despite the fact that the female doubles as a bodyguard, she looks really small and frail. And unless required to input height in centimeters, Hanami will declare her height in comparation to Isshiki's body part. For example, when she was four years old her height reached Isshiki's ear, but now at seventeen years old she is as tall as Isshiki's 4th intercostal space (which is the very polite way of saying that her height reached Isshiki's nipple since she couldn't bring herself to say "I am as tall as Satoshi-kun's nipple" in public). Isshiki himself is well built, so he could carry Hanami around easily. Which is why when people saw Isshiki cosplaying in a school uniform with the blazer slung on his shoulder while carrying Hanami who is wearing a blue dress, they are not surprised.

What surprised them is how realistic their cosplay is.

The blood that stained Isshiki's and Hanami's costume and skin looks real. The injury on Hanami's right eye looks very real. And most of all, the intestines pooled on Hanami's stomach looks disturbingly real. People turned pale. Some even felt the urge to throw up.

"Hello!" Isshiki greeted the Polar Star members who are totally shocked. The first one to recover was Ibusaki who said "You two are going to get the Director involved again this year..." to which Hanami laughed at. "This is nothing, Ibusaki-kun. My first suggestion of costume was even more disturbing than this. But Satoshi-kun refused the idea, so I changed it into this instead," said Hanami. "Who wouldn't refuse the idea of tentacle rape on a male? We should spare the innocence of the students," Isshiki said. "What are you two cosplaying as, anyway?" Sakaki asked.

"Mochida Yuka and Kizami Yuuya from Corpse Party," said Hanami. Isshiki sat down on a chair while still holding Hanami. "That's pretty bloody, but if it is just blood then it is not as fucked up as last year..." said Marui. Everyone glared at Marui as Isshiki said "Well then, I think we should just show the fucked up part since the director is going to come here anyway."

Everyone who watched froze as Isshiki's expression changed. He propped Hanami to sit on his lap while the girl turned pale and trembled, her breath hitched. It is as if she is in great pain. Isshiki smiled at the Polar Star members. "Everyone, this is my little sister," said Isshiki. "Come on, my precious little sister. Say something to them," Isshiki said. Tears pooled in Hanami's eyes. "It... hurts..." Hanami said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "I don't... want... to die..." she said again. Isshiki laughed. "This is what you get for disobeying your big brother. Now, will you apologize?" the male asked. Tears fell from Hanami's eyes as she whispered "You're... not my brother..."

Suddenly Isshiki cackled loudly. He grabbed the fake intestines, and Hanami screamed. The timing between Isshiki's grab and Hanami's scream was perfect--too perfect, actually. It sends shivers down the spines. "If only you'd be a good girl and listen to me... if only you didn't run away like a rabbit..." said Isshiki. "I don't need to do this, you know?" Isshiki added before licking a splatter of blood on Hanami's cheek. The girl convulsed a bit while gritting her teeth before finally went limp in Isshiki's arm. Isshiki patted her cheek. "Are you asleep now?" he asked, but Hanami didn't respond. The male smiled. "It's okay. Sleep well, my cute little sister... rest assured that no one will separate us ever again..." said Isshiki before he starts laughing maniacally.

"How was it?" Isshiki asked, his expression turned normal again. Hanami too has opened her eyes and stopped trembling. "That was fucked up," said Yukihira without hesistation. "E-even more fucked up than last year..." said Yoshino who already cried from fear. "I wish you two will spare me next year," said Nakiri Senzaemon who watched the acting since the beginning. Hanami laughed. "We cannot promise, Senzaemon-dono. Acting creepy is too much fun," said Hanami, causing the director to sigh. "I think no one is as creepy as you two this year," said Nakiri Senzaemon. Isshiki blinked. "Not even Nakiri-kun?" he asked.

The Food's Demon King sighed again. "I should have known that it was you two who suggested that to her. But no, she is not even close to your creepiness. Even though her dish was quite surprising," he said. Under Isshiki's suggestion, Nakiri Erina and Arato Hisako cosplayed characters from Umineko No Naku Koro Ni. Nakiri as Beatrice the Golden Witch and Arato as the genderbent version of Ronove (genderbend is allowed in this event). As of the dish they presented to the judge... Nakiri Senzaemon expected something normal when his granddaughter said that her dish was oven baked apple.

He didn't expect the very realistic head of a little girl in the middle of the plate, surrounded by the apple slices.

"I feel sorry for Senzaemon-dono," said Aoki. Satou agreed for once. "Are the students still being judged, sir?" Hanami asked. "You two are the last," said Nakiri Senzaemon, pointing at the judges who stood among the crowds while taking notes. "Really, I think my lifespan will shorten if I see another cosplay like you two today," he added, staring at Isshiki and Hanami. The 7th seat and his assistant laughed. "With no disrespect to you, we are going to create something even more fucked up next year," said Isshiki. "I am curious but at the same time I don't want to see it," said the elder before he left with the judges.

"YUKIHIRAAAA!!"

"Is that Takumi-san?" Hanami asked. Isshiki nodded. The older Aldini stomped towards Yukihira. "It took me so long to find you!" Takumi Aldini shouted. Apparently he and his little brother cosplayed Elric brothers from Fullmetal Alchemist, and they did a good job with it. "Hello, Takumi-san and Isami-san," said Hanami. "Ah, hello sen--"

"Wanna touch my guts?" Hanami teased the pale Takumi Aldini. Isami Aldini looked genuinely interested as he stared at the unsettlingly realistic intestines. "Is that real, senpai?" he asked. "Of course not. That is made of silicone," said Isshiki. The older Aldini sighed with relief. "You two really did well with the costume... where did you two get the armor?" Isshiki asked. And everyone understand why he asked. The armor is very well made and looks really accurate to the reference. The Aldinis kindly explain where they custom ordered their cosplay while Isshiki and Hanami told them where they ordered their costumes and properties (including the edible fake blood and fake intestines).

Suddenly a voice can be heard from the speakers placed all over the event area. "Good evening, everyone!" said Kawashima Urara. "I hope you all enjoy the party! Urara-chan here to announce the new contest category: Audience's Favorite Cosplay! Vote for your favorite cosplay through your phone by logging into the school app!" Kawashima added. Yukihira tilted his head. "Our school has its own official app...?"

"You really enrolled here without knowing anything..." Sakaki sighed. "Lend me your phone, Souma-kun. I will install it for you," said Isshiki. Yukihira handed his phone over to his senior, and after some minutes the phone is back in his hand. "Log in with your name, student number, and birthday. You can access a lot of things with the app, for example shokugeki schedules, your score in the classes, your shokugeki record, and many more," said Isami Aldini. Yukihira nodded. "It's pretty cool!" he said. "It is. It also has your schedule in it, and you can buy school magazines online," said Sakaki.

"Or you can use that money to buy Satoshi-kun's photobook instead," said Hanami which caused Isshiki to froze. "If it is Souma-kun, though, don't you think Nakiri-kun's photobook will be the better choice?" the 7th seat said after he collected himself. Yukihira was going to ask, but Tadokoro already said "The Elite Ten did photoshoots last February, each seat got one book."

"And Satoshi-kun's photobook was so popular that even I had trouble getting the printed version," Hanami sighed. "Senpai, you already got five copies for yourself," said Ibusaki. "Five printed edition and one e-book to be exact, but I planned on getting ten copies," said Hanami. "That is excessive, Kirara-chan. Afterall, don't you think that it's useless considering that you can see me in high definition everyday?" Isshiki asked. Hanami laughed. She was going to tease Isshiki by saying that he was so cute when wearing casual clothes and chef clothes, but Nakiri Erina passed by and took everyone's attention with her. Even Yukihira stopped to admire her.

"... good job, Satoshi-kun," Hanami said instead, referring to how Isshiki talked Nakiri Erina into doing cosplay. "... good job too, Kirara-chan," said Isshiki, referring to how Hanami suggested really good places to get the costume and hairdo done. Nakiri Erina's elegance is overflowing. Her hair is styled to mimic the character she is cosplaying as, and she doesn't look troubled by her heavy and intricate dress. "My vote goes for her," said Satou.

"Hanami-senpai!" Yoshino called, causing Hanami to jolt. "Let's go around and grab foods from the stalls!" Yoshino added. Hanami smiled. "Thanks for the offer, Yoshino-chan. But I cannot really leave Satoshi-kun alone..." said the assistant. Yoshino was about to protest and pout when Isshiki patted Hanami's head. "I don't mind. Go ahead and have some fun," said Isshiki. Hanami stared at him for a bit before finally saying "Promise me to stay safe."

Isshiki nodded and Hanami goes with the Polar Star girls to the stalls area. He watched at his assistant so intently that he doesn't realize that Ibusaki already sat down next to him.

"It is rare to see the cunning senpai making that kind of expression."

Isshiki chuckled upon hearing Ibusaki's remark. "I am not heartless," he said. "I want Kirara-chan to be happy," Isshiki added. Ibusaki nodded and for a while, there was just silence between them. Until Ibusaki broke it.

"I think she is happy being her usual self."

Isshiki turned to look at Ibusaki who remains expressionless as usual. A small smile formed on Isshiki's lips as he turned his gaze to the stalls area. Ibusaki got up and joined the other boys, leaving Isshiki alone on his chair. The 7th seat reminisced about the first time he found Hanami outside his house, about her pink eyes staring deep into his soul. And he sighed. He wished for her happiness, even if he has to sacrifice himself for her.

*

Hanami stood there near the toilet building. She leaned to a big tree while chewing on an oven baked apple. Tadokoro, Yoshino, and Sakaki told her they need to use the toilet, so Hanami waited for the girls outside.

Crack.

Hanami turned upon hearing the sound of branch snapping. Her face turned pale upon seeing the person who caused the noise. A male, taller than her. Dark blue eyes. Dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. He smiles at Hanami and said "Long time no see, Kirara."

Hanami gritted her teeth. "Is there something you need here? I thought you already got the heir status?" the girl asked and the male chuckled. "I did. But I still need to take you away from him..." he said. "Afterall, I intended to take everything from Satoshi."

Hanami forced a smile even though her knees felt weak. She knew she most likely won't win a fight against this man. "I told you, sir. I belong to Satoshi-kun and I promised him my loyalty," said Hanami. "I will never succumb to you," she added. The male laughed. "That's nice of you, Hanami Kirara. Well, I am here just to say hello," he said. Hanami maintained her smile. "I kindly remind you not to show yourself to Satoshi-kun, though. You know how scary girls are when they got angry, and you don't want to enrage me," said the assistant. She was bluffing, but it seems the male in front of her doesn't think of her as a threat. "I won't go see him. It's not the time for that yet," he said. "See you soon, Kirara."

"I don't think we shall meet again, Isshiki Masumi!" Hanami shouted as the male, the current heir of Isshiki clan, walked away. Seconds later, the girls got out from the toilet. "Phew, it was crowded inside! Let's go, senpai! We need to get the apple pies from Takumicchi's stall!" Yoshino said before grabbing Hanami's wrist and dragged her. Hanami smiled, but her mind wandered somewhere else. Mainly due to the fact that Isshiki Masumi, Isshiki Satoshi's cousin who is the current heir of the clan, is here in Tootsuki. And nothing good would come from that.

Especially for Isshiki Satoshi, the previous heir of Isshiki Clan.

*

Omake

"You have no right to comment about Hanami-senpai's ownership of multiple copies of your photobooks..." said Ibusaki as he stared at Isshiki who is reading one of ten copies he owned of 'Tootsuki School Magazine: Assistants Special!' which released last year and contained articles about assistants of some students in Tootsuki.

"Just keep quiet about it, Ibusaki-kun," said Isshiki as he returned to reading the article about Hanami.

*

Bonus Content

Not official student of Tootsuki, but this cutie is the personal assistant of Isshiki Satoshi! Her pink eyes and black hair captivated the heart of people, and her loyalty is on another level altogether!

Name: Hanami Kirara

Age: 16

Birthday: October 13th (actual birthday is unknown, this date is the date when she was taken into Isshiki household)

Height: Isshiki Satoshi's 4th intercostal space

Weight: 67% of Isshiki Satoshi's weight

3 Sizes: We didn't managed to get this information, sorry!

Blood type: A

Favorite color: Salmon pink

Hobby: Reading books and cooking

Cuisine Style: Cookings where most of the effort needed was to throw everything into a pot/oven, set a timer, and forget about the food until the timer rang.

Hanami Kirara's comment about Isshiki Satoshi: "Don't get deceived by his appearance, Satoshi-kun is a huge dork. A very cute one, though. And I will stay by his side forever. Because while he is a capable person, he is still a huge dork who won't survive without me. Okay, he can survive, but you know what I mean, right?"

Isshiki Satoshi's coment about Hanami Kirara: "A perfect assistant, albeit a bit rude and rough. I think of her as a best friend, though. And I don't plan on replacing her ever. Unless she wished for it. I still wish she would let loose a bit and have more fun on her own, though."

*

"Captivated people's heart? This article is shit," Hanami sighed when she read the article. Isshiki laughed and hugged his assistant. "But you captivated me. My heart, my body, everything," said Isshiki. Hanami untangled herself from Isshiki's hold and walked away while saying "Don't say that kind of thing easily, Satoshi-kun. People will misunderstand."

But really, she feels honored and loved. Her heart is filled with so much happiness that she is afraid that it will burst.

Damn you and your kindness, Isshiki Satoshi.