Chapter Twenty Eight - Reunited

All of the beds were empty, except for one. All of the patients in the medical facility have made a full recovery. Some parts of their body were still tender and bandaged up, but a few weeks of rest and they would be completely restored. He, however, was still sleeping, motionless, save for the rise and falling from his chest. The nurses and doctors found it astounding how Keitaro Urashima suffered no broken bones nor did he obtain any serious injuries. His body was scattered with bruises large and small, but they will disappear over a shortage of time. Right now, his fatigue was the doctor's main concern. Fortunately, her concern was finally answered.

He fluttered his eyelids before properly opening them. The lighting, the scent, the atmosphere… yes, he remembered this place before, though that time was under different circumstances. He could still feel a bell ringing inside his head, but that died down the moment his mind came into focus.

"Sensei." He said, remembering the doctor from before.

"Welcome to the land of the living." The doctor introduced, a short smirk appearing from her lips.

"How… how long have I been sleeping?" Keitaro asked.

Her eyes glanced sideways.

"One hour?"

Her eyes glanced the other way.

"Two hours?"

She knew her answer was going to shock him.

"Four hours?"

The doctor took a deep breath and took one step back.

"Thirty four hours." She answered at last.

Now Keitaro's eyes were wide like saucers.

"OVER A DAY?!" He panicked. "But… what about the others?! Are they still waiting?! No! Course they're not waiting! They're probably home by now! Waagh! I didn't mean to sleep for this long…!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow as Keitaro continued to apologise to non-existing people. "Is this guy always prone to panic attacks?" She thought.

-0-0-

Outside the facility stood a crowd of people, all dressed in a variety of smart and casual clothing. Most of them were in their teenage years but a few were in their early twenties. The sun slowly made its presence through a flurry of white clouds, but the delightful weather failed to lift their spirits. Despite this crowd of people, no sound was heard from any of them… well, perhaps with the exception of a slurped straw, tasting the bittersweet flavour of lemon and parsnip soup. The carton was interestingly titled 'Lemsnip', and it could have been mistaken for a juice that soothes throats. There was a loud suckling sound as the girl reached the bottom of her drink.

"Um, you know that sound is pretty annoying." Haruna told Yue, breaking the thick air of silence.

"Is it?" Yue asked.

"Yeah, kinda."

After hearing her words, Yue purposely made the noise even louder.

A gentle patter of footsteps alerted everyone's attention. Once the girl finished jogging, she lowered herself slightly and took deep breaths. She wore a pink dress and black leather boots, and now her cheeks were rosy due to her little workout.

"Chiu-san!" Yuna said, surprised to see someone so famous near her. "You're here to see him too?"

"Mm." Chiu nodded. "Oh call me Chiu by the way. I don't need an honorific."

"Um… Ch-Chiu… thanks for letting us all use the main campus last night." Ako softly thanked.

"No big!" Chiu replied, waving it off as no huge deal. "Better than having us all stay in a hotel right?"

"Yeah!" Makie agreed. "Chiu sure is nice, unlike grumpy old Hasegawa."

Chiu felt a presence, a very dark and eerie presence. Her eyes moved to the side and soon afterwards she turned to another direction. From a mere three inches away stood Haitani, and he was drooling like a hound who had swiftly caught scent of a juicy steak. Shirai also had a twisted and delighted look on his face, but nowhere near as twisted and delighted as his taller, lankier friend.

"Chiu!" Haitani blared out. "I just want to say I'm your biggest fan! AndIloveyou! AndIwanttomarryyou! AndIwanttohaveallyourbabies! AndI-"

CRUNCH.

Feeling an agony worse than death, Haitani clutched the crown jewels and fell over like a tree.

Konoka covered her mouth in surprise. "Gosh, that's some right foot."

Mana adjusted her silver sunglasses until they were slightly below the bridge of her nose. "A mercifully swift punishment if you ask me. If I would have to listen to Haitani any longer, then I would have rendered him limbless."

"Sc-scary." Nodoka whispered to herself.

Taishi remained silent, loathing these prolonged durations of suspense. His hands in his pockets were going to detonate along with the rest of him anytime soon.

The giant doors of the medical facility swung wide open. The atmosphere that was hanging above everyone changed drastically. After opening the door, the brunette haired doctor looked at everyone with a neutral expression.

"The Urashima fan club I presume?" She asked casually.

Makie had her hands in a prayer when she spoke. "Is he okay?"

Everyone looked at the doctor expectantly. Everyone had the same question on their mind. The doctor smiled broadly and stepped to one side.

"See for yourself."

-0-0-

Hope you get well soon Keitaro-san. - Ako

Please get better Senpai! We all really miss you! xxx - Makie

Shame I didn't see you in action! I heard you kicked so much ass! - Yuna

Get well soon - Yue

Thanks to you I'm 3000 yen richer! But seriously, get better pal, 'kay? - Haitani

Get better mate, and how the hell did you do those ghostie white moves? - Shirai

You owe me a rematch 'Legendary Pervert', here's to a swift recovery. - Mana

HI KEITARO! You haven't heard of us but we're friends of Yue so naturally that makes you our friend too! You seriously ruled in the tournament! Get better soon! - Haruna, Konoka and Nodoka - The library gang!

Hi Kei-kun! Here's to a speedy recovery! xxxx - Chiu

KEITARO YOU CANT DIE! YOU ARE THE IMMORTAL LEGENDARY PERVERT I LOVE YOU MAN YOU KICK ASS! DON'T DI-

Smiling, Keitaro carefully placed the card on top of a small circular table. The card was coloured silver and had balloons and stars placed around the edges. The words 'GET WELL SOON' were stuck in the centre with a colourful, jazzy styled font. The card was also very big, which was just as well since there was enough room for everyone to write their message. Next to the card was a silver medal with a star carved inside the metal… living proof that his participation in the tournament was no illusion. He figured Taishi or someone else he knew must have left it there.

Although extremely pleased with the medal, Keitaro was nearly overwhelmed from all the mixed messages inside the card. He had known his residents and friends for some time, but had no idea they could be so caring. Even Chiu wrote a message in his card! How his heart felt ablaze when he realised her words were among the others. He figured the message in bold ink belonged to Taishi. Who else would write with a red permanent marker? From the looks of things Taishi had to be dragged away, or else the whole card would have been recklessly scribbled in red.

"Senpai?"

Keitaro jumped when he heard that voice. That sweet, playful innocence breathing out of her mouth.

"Makie-chan…" Keitaro said.

Keitaro sat up and properly looked at the other end of the facility. Now it was occupied with all of the Hinata-Sou residents, as well as Keitaro's old pals, Makie's friends… even some unknown faces joined the ecstatic group of people. Makie tried her best to look angry and upset at the same time. She only succeeded with the second emotion.

"Senpai… why didn't you tell me? I cannot begin to describe how worried I was every time I saw you fighting! I'm… really cross you know!" Makie explained and pouted.

Keitaro immediately transformed into apologise mode, a mode which, by now, was becoming second nature to him. "Sorry, um I just kinda… forgot?"

"How can you 'just forget' something like that?!" Makie bawled out, arms flaying all over the place.

Before Keitaro could apologise twice, it was far too late, he already found himself being engulfed by pink hair and a faint fragrance of perfume. Makie tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, and Keitaro instinctively traced a hand through her hair. Keitaro always wondered how Makie kept her hair so soft and bouncy. Witnessing the moment, Ako and Yuna looked at each other with a friendly eyesmile. Reluctantly, Makie pulled herself away, wiping away a single tear as she did so.

After Makie's separation, Keitaro then tilted his head upwards, noticing Mana standing beside him. The moment he glanced at those beautiful blue orbs, he shyly turned away. He assumed Mana was probably disappointed with his late defeat against Kenichi. In all honesty, Keitaro felt disappointed with himself.

"Tatsumiya-san… I'm s-"

Mana immediately interrupted him. She placed a hand on his right cheek... and gently pressed her lips against the other. Keitaro felt a chilling sensation enter his mind, which was soon followed with a flourished heat wave across his face.

"Welcome back Keitaro." She greeted after releasing her kiss.

Keitaro scratched his back, feeling an invisible presence clutch his throat. "Did Tatsumiya-san just…?"

Mana also felt a presence, though it was clearly the opposite of invisible. Turning around she noticed Haruna and Konoka holding their giggles with two hands. Ako and Nodoka looked somewhat embarrassed, whilst Makie and Yuna were quite… surprised.

"What?" Mana asked.

"Oh it's nothing really!" Haruna laughed. "I take back what I said about you and uh, Yue being together!"

"Mm-hm! Mm-hm!" Konoka nodded in agreement. "Now we know it's you and Keitaro-senpai that are lovers!"

Mana closed her eyes and sighed. "You lot are so immature."

"Psst!" Yuna whispered to Makie. "Some competition perhaps?"

"Oh shut up!" Makie protested.

To add calamity to the commotion, Haitani and Shirai ran and skidded onto their knees, forming an ever so dramatic double prayer. Tears were streaming from their wishful eyes.

"Please Keitaro!" They both begged. "Teach us to fight as great as you! Teach us to stand up for ourselves and never give up!"

Though their minds had other intentions.

"Maybe Makie-chan will like me if I become a kickass ninja!" Thought Shirai.

"Maybe Mana will kiss me if I become some rock solid warrior!" Thought Haitani.

"Um…" Keitaro began to say. "…well it was Tatsumiya-san who taught me so… maybe she can teach you two as well!"

The two bumble heads rose to their feet and stared intently towards Mana. Their combined puppy pouts was enough to make anyone throw up. Mana crossed her arms and, as she spoke, tried her best not to miss a beat.

"Well," She said. "The first requirement you need to have is discipline. Once you attain that, you will need to exercise the body and use mediation to relax the soul…"

Haitani and Shirai looked at her with a gormless gaze.

"Discipline?" Haitani repeated. "You mean… like washing your hands and brushing your teeth?"

"Will I be able to snack whilst meditating?" Shirai asked.

Mana made a light groaning sound. "Perhaps an easier answer would be 'no'."

Suddenly, from nowhere sparked a chain reaction of fireworks, as Taishi swan dived into Keitaro's bed… and no, that wasn't a metaphor. Taishi had literally scattered fireworks all over the place before manically setting all of them off at once. Keitaro's cheek were puffed out as his stomach was well and truly squashed flat.

"Comrade (sob) I'm (sob) so happy (sob) to see you! Wa-WAAAAGGGH!"

With amazing speed, the doctor somehow forced a straight jacket over the blubbering lunatic and was now dragging him outside by the scruff of his collar. Everyone laughed, or at the very least, smiled at Taishi's sudden misfortune.

"Out you go!" The doctor commanded. "Masayoshi-san has warned me about you!"

After he finished laughing, Keitaro let out one big happy sigh. Everything was, more or less, back to normal.

-0-0-

Time passed by, three hours to be precise. Keitaro squinted his eyes as he stared into the afternoon sun. Images and sounds of yesterday entered his mind; the tension, the trauma and the overwhelming feeling he received after defeating his opponents. He still wondered if it was just a dream, but it was as real as the warm wind brushing against his hair. It felt so welcoming to be outside, and additionally refreshing to be back in his normal clothes once again.

The library gang and the other girls split up and wandered around the festival, finding any suitable attractions they missed from the previous days. Keitaro however, decided to tag along with Haitani and Shirai, just for the sake of old times. Makie felt reluctant to leave Senpai at first, but in the end she decided to go with the residents, as well as Yuna and Ako. As for Taishi, he was still paying damages due to the disturbance he caused in the medical facility.

Chiu, on the other hand, stated she had some business to attend to, so, much to the other's disappointment, had to leave rather quickly. The net idol waved whilst jogging to her destination, and had to stop a few times to sign autographs from many excited fans. Keitaro wondered if he would ever meet and talk with her again. His eyes were lost somewhere in the clouds.

"Hey Keitaro, check this place out!" Haitani called out.

Keitaro blinked and focused back to reality. He smiled when he looked at the building Haitani pointed towards. Keitaro vaguely remembered this place when he was a Toudai student. On normal days it belonged to the computer club, where the members would study programming and information technology. Now it was decorated with neon light bulbs and other shimmering objects. The main focus was the sign. It read, in large yellow font, 'ARCADE RETRO', and the 'C' resembled the worldly famous computer character, Pacman.

"Heh, trust Haitani to find such a place." Keitaro chuckled to himself.

Inside Arcade Retro was a room that could likely resemble an Internet Café. The floor was layered with black and blue squares, sort of resembling a giant chess board. The room was divided into three sections; one third was filled with a variety of eighties styled arcade machines, the centre had people sitting around small round tables, some who which were served tea by a charming waitress in her early thirties, and the section at the end had a selection of wired together laptops, all with access to the Internet. There was also an eighties rock theme thumping in the background, an interesting mix of electric guitars, bass, drums and vocals.

Keitaro, and especially Haitani and Shirai, have developed a liking for retro games ever since they were young. Keitaro remembered one time when he and Shirai were invited over to Haitani's house when the trio were only thirteen. They would play all sorts of computer games, even table top or pen and paper games like Dungeons and Dragons. Heck, sometimes they wouldn't even bother with pens and paper. Haitani, as the games master, would just make up stuff along the way, but it made the game more entertaining, if anything else.

Keitaro felt ignorant for almost discarding that little memory. "Haitani's parents were still together back then."

He looked up and his friends had vanished! Already there were playing a game specifically designed for two players, and his friends were often very competitive with each other. He then found an unoccupied arcade machine, colourful and appealing to the eye. Above the main screen was an interesting display of rainbows and monsters.

"Hey I know this one!" Keitaro remembered. "This is Rainbow Islands! I used to played this on Shirai's Atari ST!"

He felt a tinge of nervousness at first, but then decided to walk boldly towards the machine. He found a few yen coins tucked away in his pocket and inserted them into the coin slot below. A merry ditty was played on screen, indicating the game was all set and ready to go. Keitaro looked at the controls; a joystick on the left and two red buttons on the right. He smiled as he pressed one of the buttons to begin, a mixed feeling of joy and nostalgia.

-0-0-

He sat on the bench, both hands placed on each knee. He failed to acknowledge the sights and sounds around him… probably because he didn't want to acknowledge them. He felt so out of place, so distant from everyone else.

A small child, completely overwhelmed with happiness, ran around freely, a big bright yellow balloon bobbing up and down in his right hand. The child was only four years old. Not looking where he was going, the boy's head gently bounced off a leg that was as broad as a tree trunk. Confused, the boy looked up and pointed.

"Wow mister, you're really big." The boy said, picking his nose with his free hand.

At once, the boy's mother stepped in and whisked the boy away. "Kozu-chan! What did I say about strangers?"

"Um… that I can play with them?" The boy answered.

"No! You must never talk to strangers!"

"Even if they have candy?"

"Especially if they have candy!"

As she took the boy by the hand, the woman was clearly worried with the man's stature.

"Bye mister giant person!" The boy waved goodbye.

"Uh… see ya." He replied.

Diamonji inhaled a deep breath before sighing. He decided… maybe it was time to leave. He was about to push himself off the bench when a cute, slender Chinese girl approached him. She wore a traditional garment, with fiery colours of red and yellow. Her black hair was tied up in the chignon style.

Chao Lingshen bowed herself to meet his level. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" She said with a smile.

"Ah… you have?" Diamonji asked. Two people greeted him today, two more than every other day.

"Mm-hm!" She nodded. "You are herby invited to the main campus, where we will be holding a buffet to honour everyone who participated in the tournament!"

Through conversation, Chao handed him a small invitation. It was paper made and shaped like a heart.

"You can bring a friend or two, if you like!"

With one finger Diamonji scratched his hair. "Ah… uh… I'll think about it."

She titled her head and gave him a cheery eyesmile. Five seconds passed, and already Chao jogged to another location.

Diamonji could only frown.

-0-0-

"4100, 4200, 4300..." The doctor counted, as Taishi placed yen notes on top of her desk…"

-0-0-

"I can't believe I died on insect world." Keitaro groaned. 'GAME OVER' was flashing on the screen, as if to rub in his dismal defeat. He enjoyed playing computer games, but that didn't mean he was good at any of them, or even remotely adequate.

Shrugging, Keitaro decided to leave the arcade section, moving on to log on one of the many vacant laptops instead. He blinked in surprise at how swiftly he could access the Internet. Instinctively, he logged onto his email and messenger. It has been a while since he checked his account, so he thought 'you never know, I might get one or two messages'.

He received seventy nine.

His breathing stopped, but his hand glided over the touch pad… slowly pressing the 'read mail' button. Once upon a time he received four messages, and Keitaro regarded that as mythical, twisted and alien. Now that alien was wearing star shaped sunglasses, a false moustache, and a tattoo of 'WTF' stamped on its forehead.

"Haitani… Shirai…" Keitaro called out carefully.

By coincidence, his two friends have recently finished their gaming spree. "What's up?" Asked Haitani, the two of them joining him.

"Why do I have seventy nine messages?"

"Dunno…"

Keitaro thought of something. "When I was competing, were you two, by chance, giving away my email address?"

"Uh… maybe." They both replied, looking at the ceiling and scratching their faces.

"GEEZ YOU TWO! THIS IS MY PRIVATE ACCOUNT, NOT SOME FAN BASED CLUB!" Keitaro shouted, clearly in distress.

Shirai ignored Keitaro's ranting, his eyes more focused on the messages Keitaro received. He adjusted his glasses and proceeded to read some of them.

"Dear Keitaro…" He read slowly. "…you were awesome! I want all your babies…!"

"WOAH! SWEET!" Haitani exclaimed. "THAT'S LIKE CYBER SEX!"

Keitaro said nothing. Already Shirai was on the next message. "Hey Keitaro, how about you and me get together, so I can find out how perverted you really are?!"

"WOAH! DOUBLE SWEET!" Haitani cheered. "You should get a website and call it 'Kei'! It'll be like Chiu except it's for fan girls instead!"

"Wow! Even as I'm reading, Keitaro's getting more messages!" Gasped Shirai.

Keitaro still remained silent, but his eyes were bulging out of its sockets.

"Keitaro…" Shirai said, reading the third. "…I want to touch your throbbing hot-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Keitaro wailed, closing the laptop with strong authority.

Wicked whispers caused the three of them to stop whatever they were doing. The air was still. Keitaro slowly looked at Shirai before slowly looking at Haitani. In unison, the three of them looked straight ahead. A group of ten girls, aged between sixteen and eighteen, all gazed at the silent Urashima. All of them were dressed in dazzling dresses and other clothing, some daring to show more cleavage than others.

"Is your name Keitaro?" One of them innocently asked.

"Y-yeah…" Keitaro replied.

The combined sounds of high-pitched squealing were enough to set a pack of wolves howling. Arcade Retro… was now a scene of wailing death. Keitaro flew outside like a dart. Haitani and Shirai were not so lucky. They lied in a trampled heap, footprints shown all their clothes and face.

Breathing rapidly, Keitaro ran into the grassy fields, his body twisting and turning as he dodged various people and stalls. Fortunately, Domiko and two other bodyguards rushed to his aid, forming themselves into a defensive wall. Unfortunately, when a group of fan girls spotted someone they deemed famous, their strength and speed were amplified by six hundred percent. Trampling the guards half to death, the girls continued their conquest for capturing the Urashima.

"I really, really hate this job!" Groaned Domiko, seeing stars around his head.

Luckily, after much running, Keitaro found a small cluster of trees to take cover. He hugged behind them, and dared not to make one sound.

"Hope they don't find me here…" He thought worryingly.

"Aha! I finds the legendary pervert!"

Keitaro jumped with fright, but his fright turned into concern. It wasn't an ordinary fan girl (though fan girls are far from ordinary anyway), but Ku Fei instead, dressed in an ocean blue kimono. Keitaro couldn't remember her name, only her dress that he unceremoniously removed.

Of course, Keitaro being Keitaro, apologised in his usual way. "Listen, I'm really sorry about your dress, but do we have to have a rematch right now?!"

Ku Fei laughed superiorly. "Ha ha ha! Silly pervert! I here not to fight! I here to present you invitation for tonight!"

Keitaro looked at the invitation given to him, a paper shaped heart with all the details. "The main campus? Sounds like a pretty important event. That's where the talent contest took place."

"I give invitation to you, but you invite whoever you like… even your fan girls!" Ku Fei suggested.

"Huh?" Keitaro replied… and then he gulped. Fan girls at three o'clock.

"There he is!" One of them called out.

"Come on Kei-kun! Sign my breasts!"

"Hey! Kei-kun! My dress is made of nylon! Please tear it off and render me topless!"

"AAAH! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

Ku Fei chortled to herself as Keitaro ran like the wind, thinking whether using this much leg strength was deemed a crime. All the colours, the sights and sounds were but a blur to him. He could hear their cheering slowly fading away. Now all he had to do was find a suitable location to hide from the herd of female wildebeest. Keitaro scouted around the vicinity. Some trees, a clown handing out balloons, a game stall… and a colourful looking attraction resembling a photo booth.

"Hey! A purikura photo machine!" Keitaro said to himself.

Taking his plan to chance, Keitaro went for it. With a few strides he opened and closed its door… and waited nervously for his fans to pass by. He snuck in just before the girls could catch his scent.

"Where did he go?" One asked as she surveyed the scene.

"Not sure." Replied another.

One girl pointed at a certain photo booth. "You think he went in here?"

Keitaro covered his ears and closed his eyes. "No Keitaro is not in here! Keitaro Urashima is definitely not in here!"

Thankfully, the 'leader' of the pack shook her head. "Don't be silly! Only a loser would take photos of himself!"

"Yeah… you're right." One sighed. "C'mon let's spread out! He couldn't have gotten too far!"

"Yeah! Let's go already!"

Once the energetic voices died down, Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief, and a much needed one at that. Heaven knows what would of happened if he got caught. Keitaro looked at all the buttons he expected to see inside the booth. He could have a photograph done with a small, medium or large size, and even have a glossy finish, if he so desired.

"It's been ages since I've taken a picture of myself."

This was indeed true. Every month, Keitaro used to take a picture of himself, to successfully fulfil his lousy and lifeless hobby. The photos he took then were more or less exactly the same, except on one occasion where he developed a serious case of acne. Why he kept that photo no one knows. He popped a coin into the slot and selected a small photo with glossy finish. He adjusted the seat so his eyes were level with the small screen. There was a buzzing sound as the infra red circle blinked twice…

…and then… 'fwoosh' there was a quiet flash of light.

Keitaro remained smiling even as the photo was being processed. Behind the smile however, Keitaro was unsatisfied. He had enjoyed taking photos of himself for as long as he could remember. Now there was a feeling of emptiness.

"Wow… I feel pretty depressed." He said to himself. "Wonder why?"

"I think… I know why…"

His eyes widened, and suddenly looked to the right. Sayo appeared and stood floating by his side. She stretched her arms and yawned.

"Sayo-san!" Keitaro said with surprise. "You're awake!"

Sayo smiled and listened to the machine produce a single photograph. Keitaro plucked it out of the receiving end and stared at the finished picture.

"It feels strange…" Keitaro said open-mindedly. "I used to take pictures of myself all the time, but now the feeling is… somewhat empty."

"Kei-kun…" Sayo began to say. "…I think… I think you got it the wrong way round…"

"What do you mean?"

The spirit sighed. When they were young, Sayo remembered he was a tad on the clueless side. At least that part of him hadn't changed.

"What I'm trying to say is, you never were happy to begin with. You only assumed you were happy to make yourself feel better… but nobody feels happy when they are alone, especially for such a long time."

"And… now I have lots of friends. Friends who care about me." Keitaro realised. "So this photo I took… just serves as a reminder of how miserable my life truly was."

Sayo didn't answer, but Keitaro took her prolonged silence as an agreement to his theory.

"But taking these photos isn't a bad thing." Sayo suddenly said.

Keitaro turned to face her. "It isn't?" He asked.

"Nope! As long as you have someone else to share the moment!"

Keitaro thought for a few seconds, then snapped his fingers. He fished out another coin and eagerly placed it into the slot.

"What are you doing?" Sayo asked.

"Shhh!" Keitaro whispered. "Look at the screen and smile! I hope this works!"

(fwooosh)

He waited patiently for the photo to come out. When it did, Keitaro blew and waved it a few times before very slowly looking at the finished product. They gasped in unison. Her face and features were very faint, but still visible. More importantly, they were both smiling, and this time round, Keitaro's smile was natural, not forced.

"Omigosh!" Sayo gasped. "How did you know that would work?!"

"I didn't!" Keitaro replied, still amazed his idea was successful. "I just… wow! I mean… this rocks!"

"I really need to straighten out my hair!"

"Ha ha! You're a ghost! You don't need to worry about stuff like that!"

"Spirits have priorities too you know!"

"Ha ha!"

-0-0-

The residents and library group explored the many wonders the festival had on show. Some attractions were familiar, others they had not seen before. Souvenirs were purchased, luxurious edibles were eaten and laughter was shared. Now, after some time, all eight girls were reunited once again.

Well… actually, there was still one area they hadn't visited.

"Wonder what is inside there?" Konoka questioned, pointing at a certain cubical of machinery.

Yuna shrugged. "Meh, it's just a purikura photo machine. Nothing special."

"It is special!" Nodoka protested (very politely mind you). "The photos could serve as great memories!"

"Hey you're right Nodoka-chan!" Makie agreed with glee. "Um, anyone got any spare change? I spent my last note on a Gundam doll…"

"I've got a few coins spare…"

"I've got a couple."

"Well, let's go already!"

"Alright!"

Makie swung the door open. Sayo knew her visage wouldn't be detected by normal eyes, but to be extra safe, she disappeared into Keitaro. Keitaro quickly concealed a handful of photos into his jean pocket. Makie flung back in surprise, and all the other girls, now knowing who was inside, were startled as well.

"Senpai?! What are you doing here?" Makie asked and gasped.

"Uhhh… hey everyone!" Keitaro laughed sheepishly. "Ahhh… I was just playing hide and seek!"

"From who?" Mana asked.

"Fans."

"Fans?" Most of them replied.

Keitaro sighed. He explained the situation where he was chased by a group of manic young teenagers, and had remained hiding in the photo booth ever since. Keitaro shrugged when asked by Makie the whereabouts of his pals, though if everyone would have turned the opposite direction, they would have seen Haitani and Shirai being carried off in a stretcher.

"Try to relax you two." A medical assistant suggested.

"Uuugh… five of them were Cs… I think the brunette was a D…" Haitani said hazily, raising a finger in the air.

Another assistant sighed. "Too many victims of 'fan girl stampedes' these days."

As Keitaro stepped outside the booth, he noticed the air had turned slightly cooler than what it once was, though it was still far from cold. He felt a little embarrassed knowing so many girls. Meeting four everyday in Hinata-Sou was hard enough to get used to. As he looked around the large group, Keitaro realised the three unfamiliar faces. One of them had an excited look on her face. She wore slender, rectangular glasses and her long black hair had two antennas poking out at the top of her head. The second girl had hair similar to the first, perhaps a little longer. Her smile was adorably cute. The last one looked very nervous, perhaps twice more so than Makie's friend, Ako. Her eyes were completely obscured with navy hair, and her hairstyle was considerably shorter than her pals.

"Um, sorry, but I don't think we ever met." Keitaro said honestly to Haruna. "Though she did write inside the card. Maybe she's a friend of Yue-chan?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Haruna replied cheerfully. "C'mon Yue-chan! Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"No." Said Yue.

Keitaro slumped a little. "Maybe not."

Haruna sagged her shoulders and sighed. "Alright, fine I'll introduce us! I'm Haruna! Manga extraordinaire and generator of original writings and art!"

"Even if you cover her mouth, she still doesn't stop talking." Yue added, grumbling as she did so.

Haruna outstretched her hand in greeting. Keitaro matched her hand with his, though he did wonder why Haruna used a western style greeting, especially since she was clearly of a Japanese origin. Keitaro decided her personality was a little… offbeat.

"I'm Konoka! Pleased to meet you!" Konoka chirped, keeping her introduction short and sweet. She waved in a cheery manner, to which Keitaro waved back.

"She's kinda sweet." He thought.

"If you put a pin against her head, she would go 'pop'." Remarked Yue.

Keitaro then looked at Nodoka. She stood like a frightened rabbit, not knowing how to react or introduce herself.

"Um… I-I'm N-Nodoka…" The timid girl said at last.

"Pleased to meet you!" Replied Keitaro.

Keitaro cautiously stared at her. It looked like she was going to bow, a traditional greeting Keitaro was used to. After all, that was he how he introduced all of his guests who set foot in Hinata-Sou. Keitaro decided to mimic her greeting, and they both bowed at the same time. Unfortunately, because the two of them were so close together, they abruptly bumped heads, sounding like two clonking coconuts.

"Ow…" They both said, rubbing their temples.

This silly moment caused everyone to laugh, including Keitaro and Nodoka, but excluding Yue.

"You know if you actually give her a can of coke and wait for a few seconds, the can would explode." Yue said, though she kind of knew nobody was listening to her.

"Well what are we waiting for?! Let's make some memories!" Haruna cheered.

"Hear, hear!" Added Yuna.

The library club (except Yue) were the first to squeeze into the photo booth. They struck many silly poses except Nodoka who only sat in between them looking very embarrassed. After taking eight shots, Makie and her friends decided to enter inside. Some shots they looked normal, other shots they were pulling daft faces.

"Come on Keitaro-san! It's your turn now!" Said Haruna.

Keitaro had no time to decline, as his arms were being dragged by Haruna and Yuna. He found himself inside once again. Haruna grabbed a pocketful of change and, one by one, placed them all into the coin slot. Haruna and Yuna them disappeared, giggling to themselves as they did so. Keitaro felt nervous. What were they planning?

Suddenly, Nodoka found herself being pushed in, sitting unceremoniously next to Keitaro. They had barely enough time to prepare themselves as the screen flashed in front of them. The photo was priceless. Both of them stared at the screen as though they were watching a horror movie. Then, an arm grabbed hold of Nodoka as she was whisked away. Konoka was the next girl to join adjacently with Keitaro. She beamed a cheery eyesmile, whilst Keitaro tried to make his smile as natural as possible… but failed miserably. The screen flashed for a second time. When Konoka vanished away, Haruna practically jumped from nowhere, not caring in the least how close she was to Keitaro. She stuck her tongue out and winked, whilst Keitaro had a look that suggested someone shot him in the groin.

"Okay who is up next?" Haruna asked, still radiating with excitement.

Ako twiddled her thumbs. At this stage, the lavender haired girl was in two minds going through with this. Yuna and Makie, however, gave her a 'helping hand.'

"Waaaagh! Stop carrying me!" Ako wailed.

"Don't be a sour trout Ako-chan!" Yuna said. "It was Keitaro's 'magic touch' that saved you! You owe him one!"

"M-magic touch?" Ako thought, wondering what on earth her friend was on about.

Her thoughts were cut short when she was literally hurled into Keitaro's lap, in which Keitaro instinctively caught her in mid-flight. The flash went off just in time. Of course, given the situation, both of them had extremely bewildered faces. Yuna was next, classically posing with a cool victory sign and a wink, and when it was Makie's turn, she happily bounced next to Keitaro, making a big bright girly smile when she did so. Although Keitaro's face was staring at the screen, his eyes couldn't help but shift towards Makie's direction. He secretly admitted he enjoyed Makie's company.

Mana was the next to join Keitaro's side. It was kind of awkward for them to be in this situation, considering everything they have been through. Despite this, Mana showed relaxed eyes and a smile as the machine flashed for the umpteenth time. As Mana walked out, Keitaro noticed a paper shaped heart resting snugly inside her pocket. Obviously someone must had approached her the same way they approached Keitaro.

Yue was last, who batted Haruna's hand away before it could grab and hurl her into the booth. She walked in without the aid of the librarian morons.

"Hey Keitaro-san." Yue said.

"Hey Yue-chan." Keitaro replied.

At first sight, Keitaro thought Yue wasn't going to bother smiling. Just before the flash however, her lips curved… just slightly.

(fwoosh…)

-0-0-

"I guess the rumours are true. Girls really do make you wait longer than intended." Haitani remarked, hands in pockets. Thankfully, he and Shirai have finally recovered, with only a few minor fan girl injuries intact.

Shirai glanced at his wrist watch, showing the time had just gone eight o'clock. "Oh, sorry." He said, realising he was blocking the way of a few people passing by. He figured they were more guests here for the buffet held in the main campus.

Keitaro wasn't really paying attention to Haitani's complaint. His eyes were more focused on all the purikura photographs he held happily with both hands. Comical tears were streaming down his cheeks. "I've never been so happy in all my life!" He cried.

"Hey, boys! We didn't keep you waiting did we?"

After hearing Haruna's voice, Keitaro, Haitani and Shirai all looked straight ahead. Never had they seen a view so colourful and attractive. All of the girls had replaced their casual wear in favour for beautifully, hand-crafted kimonos, each one a different colour from the last. Makie's, Yue's and Mana's kimonos stood out the most, or so Keitaro thought anyway. Makie's kimono was a lush shade of indigo, with a floral design, containing a lighter shade of the main colour. Mana had chosen an elegant white number, filled with many designs of black Chinese dragons, their long, slender bodies intertwining into ornate patterns. Considering her sense of fashion was normally somewhat... bland, Yue wore a rather surprising diamond patterned kimono, each diamond a different shade of blue. Even their hairstyles had changed! Makie attempted a chignon style, Mana tied up her hair in a complicated, yet graceful fashion, tying it all back with a small silver comb, and Yue had two big loops of hair, one on each side… although she did look kind of embarrassed with the new makeover. Perhaps she had a little help from one or two of the other girls. Needless to say, the residents of Hinata-Sou have undergone a dramatic makeover, one that Keitaro would never forget for a long time.

Though Keitaro and his friends looked nowhere near as stunning, they did make an effort at being presentable, thanks to a nearby clothes stall. Keitaro wore a bright red shirt with silver buttons, and faded blue jeans. Haitani wore a dark grey number that looked like it had been scattered all over with multicoloured confetti, as well as maroon coloured jeans. Shirai wore a short sleeved white shirt and navy jeans, with thankfully enough baggage to maintain his waistline.

The three of them looked at themselves, the ground and even the cloudless dark sky in order to find anything half decent to say. In actuality, it was the lack of words that made the girls realise how beautiful they really were.

Yuna placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "Well check out the speechless crew!"

Mana nodded and smiled. "Haitani and Shirai's silence may take some getting used to."

"Well… ah… um… let's get going shall we?" Keitaro said at last, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so.

The queue was long, but was quickly descending thanks to Domiko's experience, especially when it came to dealing with 'hagglers', so to speak. When he was in front, Keitaro nervously handed him the paper heart, to which Domiko simply nodded and allowed him access inside. As Haitani and Shirai followed suit as Keitaro's guests, Mana was next in line to show Domiko her invitation. Again Domiko nodded in acceptance, but frowned when he realised when Mana brought along her guests… namely, the rest of the girls.

-0-0-

Keitaro was greeted with a wave of light, warm air. It didn't seem long ago since he watched the Talent Contest, but with all the rows of seats removed, the main campus looked so huge! The room was filled with people, including Kenichi, Hayato, Masayoshi, Taishi, a few unknown guys dressed in cosplay outfits and even some Internet idols, all of them wearing a spectacular array of clothes and colour. Takane and Mei were also present, both wearing long gowns suitable for a night such as this one. They exchanged brief glances with Keitaro, to which Takane frowned angrily and to which Mei made a shy wave at the 'legendary pervert'. Many known and unknown faces surrounded Keitaro, making him feel nervous and excited at the same time. Lots of conversation, both casual and formal, echoed the air rather delicately. The overall ambience was somewhat charming, with a couple of hearty laughs thrown in for good measure.

Keitaro quickly focused on the familiar four man group. Kenichi wore jeans and an impressive short sleeved shirt, which was coloured black on the right side and white on the left. Hayato and Masayoshi wore traditional black and white tuxedoes, though how they found a size to fit Hayato was nothing short of amazing. Taishi wore a vertically striped silver and gold suit, which sparkled as much as his sunglasses and teeth combined. All of them were holding a fancy glass filled with red wine. Keitaro flinched when Taishi spotted him through the crowds. He raised his glass and shouted his name… well, nickname.

"LEGENDARY PERVERT! WELCOME BACK!" Taishi called out.

"Keitaro-san! Over here!" Kenichi added.

Masayoshi simply smiled whilst Hayato boomed with laughter, acknowledging Keitaro's presence in a respectable manner.

-0-0-

Behind a closed door was the kitchen. It was small in size but filled with an array of ingredients and food. Four girls rushed professionally around the room. One girl was dicing vegetables in rapid speed, another was tossing pancakes beneath the hob, a third girl was whisking egg yolk and butter inside a clear bowl, and the forth girl was delicately placing the final touches on one of her favoured dishes. All of them were wearing black and yellow kimonos.

As she finished hurling a pancake, Chao glanced over her shoulder and sighed. "Ku Fei, I know you are eager to help, but can you not use your hands for chopping the veg?"

The coloured Chinese lady protested in her usual broken language. "But my hands are clean and fresh!"

"Just use the kitchen knife."

"Okay, okay!"

The other two girls preparing the food were good friends with Chao and Ku Fei, and the four have known each other for quite some time. Their names were Satomi Hakase and Satsuki Yotsuba. Satomi's appearance was mostly concealed with her circular shaped glasses. She had amber eyes and her black hair was tied up carefully into two braided ponytails. Another noticeable feature about Satomi was her forehead, to which, save four a few tufts of hair, was clearly visible. Satsuki's face was slightly chubby, giving her a sort of childish cuteness. She had short brown hair tied with a yellow ribbon and brown eyes. When it came to cooking and food preparation, Satsuki seemed to be the most dedicated and hard working of the four. Both Satomi and Satsuki were seventeen years of age.

"So Satomi-chan, or should I say… Sai-chan, how did your net-idol career go?" Satsuki asked as she made some additional touches.

Satomi slumped as she heard her words. "Sucked." She replied, matter of speaking. "I waited for ages and only one person was interested in seeing me."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"Yeah… well, mind you, the guy who met me did seem kinda nice."

"Ooooh?" Interrupted Chao. "What did he look like?"

Satomi placed a finger on her lips and she tried to memorise what the man looked like. "Well, he wasn't really very tall. About 5'7 or 5'8?"

Chao pressed on for further details. "Anything else?"

"Oh yeah! He had really scruffy black hair!"

Chao frowned.

"Oh and he wore big, rectangular glasses!"

Chao frowned deeper. Suspicions were raised to a higher degree.

"Ah , and he accidentally looked at my panties."

"AHA!" Ku Fei shouted, spinning around and causing many carrots to scatter all over the place. "That him! The legendary pervert!"

"Legendary pervert?" Satomi repeated in confusion.

Satsuki meanwhile had got back to her usual food procedure. This conversation had grown much too weird for her.

"Did you not know?" Said Ku Fei. "He come second in tournament!"

"Yeah…" Chao half groaned. "…and rendered us semi-naked to get there."

"Well, to me he did seem like an honest, caring person." said Satomi.

Chao rolled her eyes. "Last time I checked, honest, caring people do not render other people semi-naked."

-0-0-

A slight, distorted screech alerted everyone's attention as Masayoshi tampered with his microphone.

"May I have your attention please, I would just like to say a few words. I must thank each and every one of you for attending this wonderful evening. I'm sure most of you have already found the bar, as well as our range of… alcoholic beverages."

There was a pleasant moment of laughter before the principal continued.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank two people who have helped made the festival a truly memorable occasion. Taishi Kuhonbutsu, heh, who is cheering already I see. Two days ago, Taishi played a fantastic lead role in the Cosplay Cavern, earning over 350,000 yen in profit which will be donated to the Tokyo Hospital Centre. He also took part as one of the announcers in the Tuftee Tournament. So please, ladies and gentlemen, let's all give a hearty round of applause to the man who is quite simply one of a kind, Taishi Kuhonbutsu!"

Naturally, Taishi basked himself in the moment as he bowed gracefully from all angles. Everyone did not hesitate to applaud loudly in his direction.

"Way to go Taishi." Keitaro thought as he clapped. Despite his in-your-face attitude, it was impossible for Keitaro to dislike the guy. Taishi had done so much to raise a smile or two, not to mention give Keitaro that much needed kick start for the tournament. Taishi richly deserved all the praise he received.

"So Taishi did all this for charity?" Yue thought, with a petit smile. "I thought he was doing all this for profit. That's pretty impressive."

"Another that deserves utmost recognition, is the world famous Internet Idol, Chiu. Unfortunately, Chiu cannot be with us tonight, but nonetheless, let me take this time to tell you what a wonder and honour it is to have such a magnificent young lady helping us. Chiu has helped us on many occasions, including auditioning the talent contest, and literally in the last minute becoming our second announcer for the tournament. Her presence alone has truly delighted many fans old and young. Chiu we cannot thank you enough."

Before he even finished, everyone had already applauded and cheered in honour for Chiu. The ambience was record breaking.

Though he joined in the applause, Keitaro still felt slightly disappointed from not seeing the idol again in person. "It would have been nice to see her again." He thought with a solemn expression.

Taishi jogged towards Masayoshi and whispered a few words in his ears.

"Oh! I almost forgot! During the afternoon we held a special awards ceremony for our four Tuftee finalists, but unfortunately… Keitaro Urashima could not attend the ceremony due to his injuries… so let me take this opportunity to congratulate Keitaro on a well earned second place! Congratulations!"

Keitaro was too stunned to say anything. The applause was overwhelming for him. "Th-thanks." He decided to say.

"Perhaps him leaving Toudai as a student was for the best. Just look at him now." Thought Masayoshi as he joined in the applause. "Okay everyone, I know we are all more than a little hungry, so without further ado, let me present to you our food for this evening!"

The timing was absolutely spot on. The moment Masayoshi finished his speech was the moment Chao, Satsuki, Satomi and Ku Fei all appeared from the kitchen. Each girl, presentable and charming in their own way, were each pushing a hostess trolley, filled with an assortment of succulent cooked food.

Ku Fei's tray contained plates of generously sized fried shrimp burgers, ideal for those who wanted to try something with a western edge. Satomi's tray contained a variety of curry dishes, ranging from chicken, beef and pork, and with sauces varying from mild to spicy. Satsuki's tray was perhaps the more traditional of the four, containing savoury pancakes, filled with various meat, vegetables and different sauces, also known as 'okonomiyaki'. For the vegetarians, Chao's tray contained just that, a selection of vegetable dishes and other foods free of meat.

There was an accumulated joy as people rushed in to help themselves to whatever food they desired. As Keitaro helped himself to a bowl of chicken curry, a massive hand slapped him on the back, giving Keitaro an unwanted stinging effect. He turned around to see Harima, who already was clearly drunk beyond belief.

"HA HA! What did I tell ya Glasses? I told you Keitaro prefers curry! You owe me a thousand yen!"

Hanai, who was behind Harima at the time, crossed his arms sternly. "I never made a bet with you! You just said 'I bet Keitaro prefers curry' and left it as that!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

As Hanai and Harima engaged in yet another argument, Keitaro was immediately greeted by a small girl with piglet tails.

"Hey! You're that pervert person aren't ya?" Tenma asked in a chirping way. Keitaro wasn't sure if she was drunk or had always acted this way against people. "I always wondered how you did that white magic thing! You know! That thing that goes SWOOSH! WOOOAH… and then KAPOW!"

Yakumo found an ideal place to hide herself away from her embarrassing older sister.

"Uh, yeah, nice sound effects Tenma-chan!" Mikoto sniggered. "Sorry about this, she always acts this way!"

Keitaro laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Ha ha! It's no problem really!"

Tenma pouted and her pigtails wilted. "Mikoto-chan is so mean!"

Meanwhile Makie was sitting on a round table opposite the wrestling machine Ukita. Ukita showed Makie a photo collection of his beloved pet Yagumi the kitten.

"Omigosh! He's sooo cute!" Makie squealed.

"Isn't he just?!" Ukita squealed also, which bare in mind he was a muscular guy, and muscular guys squealing was… just plain wrong. "Don't you love that little white spot on his tummy?"

"I sure do!" Makie replied, still squealing. "It makes him look so adorable!"

Takeda was chilling against a wall, whilst Yuna stared at him with a sort of heroic worship. Yue and Oji found themselves talking continuously about life and finance… and the correct theory as of why pig tails were always so curly. Ako and Mei were also chatting on a few subjects, though the way Mei described all her bloody battles to date nearly caused Ako to collapse again. Mana remained satisfied in solitude. Enjoying the sights, sounds and food was more than enough for her. After hearing they were old friends of Keitaro, Taishi, Haitani and Shirai were all laughing in a group, drinking countless glasses of wine and other alcohol. To put it in technical terms, all three of them were utterly shit-faced.

Suddenly, attention was drawn upon Hayato and his prize student Kenichi, probably because Hayato was dragging his student by the legs. Kenichi's nails dug deep into the floor, even as he was being pulled away.

"Waaaiiigh! Sensei! Can't we just stay a little longer?! I haven't even tried one of those pancakes yet!" Kenichi pleaded.

Hayato laughed merrily, as if these sorts of occurrences happen every day. "OH HO HO! We can't have you slacking off now can we? Also, nearly coming second in a tournament is unacceptable by my standards, so that means extra training from now on!"

"Sensei! Have mercy! Please!"

Takeda shrugged. "Guess we better shoot off too."

"Wait!" Makie interrupted, as Ukita was about to leave. "Here's my mobile number! Please send me more photos of your precious kitten!"

"You got it Makie-chan!" Ukita grinned with a thumbs up.

"Wait! Here's my number as well!" Yuna said, though she was talking to Takeda. "Here's my mobile number! Be sure to send me pictures of… ah you! Preferably in poses!"

"Ah… sure…" Takeda replied.

The room was a little quieter when the four fighters left the vicinity. However, five or so minutes later, Diamonji slowly opened the door with a creaking noise. Nearly everyone stopped and looked at him with silence. Other than his hair, Diamonji didn't really smarten himself up for such an occasion… probably since he didn't know how to. Fortunately, a loud, thunderous voice greeted him.

"HEY MAN! COME HERE AND PULL UP A SEAT!"

Diamonji glanced up and looked at Hyozanryu. The massive sumo wrestler was sitting by himself in the bar, and it was apparent he needed a drinking buddy. Hyozanryu was knocking back drinks like no tomorrow. Cautiously, Diamonji approached him by sitting on his right. Though they were two rock hard heavyweights, it was obvious they couldn't hold their own in a drinking contest. It took a while for Diamonji to loosen up, but when he did, he looked just as happy as everyone else.

Lastly, Takane looked at everyone whilst drinking a glass of banana flavoured milkshake, complete with a silly red and white straw.

"What a bunch of weirdoes." She said to herself.

-0-0-

Twice she lied; once as Chisame, once as Chiu. She hated lying, but it was the only way she could escape out of a perilous predicament. It was all to avoid confusion more than anything else, but that didn't mean she felt satisfied inside. When the residents and Keitaro would finally arrive at Hinata-Sou, how would they react if they couldn't find or locate the fiery redhead? No, she had to get there before they did. It was the only way. Her plan was simple; get a cab, find a restaurant near Hinata-Sou, relax a little and finally make her way up those mountainous stairs. Hopefully by that time she would 'accidentally' bump into her associates.

She relaxed heavily on the passenger seat, wearing her regular clothing at long last. The ambience of merry people in the dark were muffled from the closed windows. They were people who had recently left the festival, though their high spirits remained intact. In her rucksack was filled with an assortment of costumes she brought with her to the festival, various clothing that would burst open should the zipper be moved a millimetre. The festival lasted three days and three nights. Nearly all of that time, Chiu was in the spotlight, entertaining people left, right and centre… and she enjoyed every second of it.

But her feet were killing her. Chisame figured she would have to rest a few weeks before trying on high heels again…

-0-0-

A large bonfire, gathered together with bundles of old wood and other discarded belongings, burned and crackled brightly in the fields of Toudai. An old, proud man in a suit was playing the violin in a sad but mesmerising harmony. The song itself felt as though it portrayed the end of the festival, the end of a truly wonderful experience. Many people stood around the bonfire in a large circle. Some of them were clapping to the melodic rhythm, some took pictures with their cameras, others… were just satisfied the way they were.

Keitaro, reunited with friends and residents, all walked until they reached this final destination. Of course by this late hour, all stalls and attractions were closed. Most of the stall owners had already taken their belongings before leaving the vicinity. With all the stalls gone, the fields of Toudai appeared even larger than before. The group stared in fascination. Yue, smiling, took a few pictures of the blazing fire and all the people enjoying themselves.

Keitaro felt bold. Perhaps he became confident after his taking part in the tournament. Perhaps it was just a spur of the moment. Whatever his reason was for feeling this way, Keitaro did not alter his one track mind. He walked up to Mana and offered an outstretched hand. This naturally caused a few heads to turn in their direction.

"Um… Tatsumiya-san? Would you care to dance?" He asked.

With a broad smile, Mana reached out and touched his hand with her own. Everyone watched as master and student took their first steps. At one stage, Mana accidentally trodden his foot, apologising straight away afterwards. Then Keitaro made a fumble, tripping his partner and nearly causing both of them to fall over. Thankfully that wasn't the case, but Keitaro, of course, apologised for his clumsiness. Their dancing skills were best described as amateurish, but after a few minutes, they had steadily begun to improve.

"Son of a bitch!" Haitani exclaimed. "How the hell did he get so confident?"

Makie suddenly felt jealous, and hated herself for feeling this way. To neglect the jealousy, Makie, without warning, rushed over to the nearest guy she could find, and whisked him away to the centre of attention. That guy just so happened to be Shirai.

"Makie-chan! Wait! My stomach is still full!" But Shirai's protest was in vain.

"Come on Shirai-senpai! Let's roll!" Makie said seriously.

"Heh…" Grinned Yue. She took a few extra photos of Mana and Keitaro, followed by a few of Makie and Shirai. She continued smiling as more people entered the circle. Thanks to Keitaro's confidence, other people took a deep breath and asked their boyfriends and girlfriends if they would dance with them.

"Yoo-hoo! Yue-chan!" Haruna called out. It was hard for Yue to ignore Haruna because her face was right in her camera shot. In fact, Haruna's face was pressed against the camera itself.

Yue sighed, she shoved the camera in Haruna's big wide mouth and quickly forced Haitani to dance with her. She would do anything just to get away from that weirdo. Konoka and Nodoka watched the scene with sweat drops.

"They sure are getting along aren't they? Konoka chirped. Nodoka didn't know whether her friend was being sarcastic or just a little ditzy.

After much time the violin player finished his piece and bowed, receiving a heavy applause from all the spectators. Everyone looked up as an array of multicoloured fireworks shot off into the sky, all of them exploding spectacularly. As they still held hands, Keitaro and Mana watched the dazzling display with fascination.

"Wonderful… aren't they?" Mana said softly.

Keitaro nodded slowly. "They sure are."

A gigantic firework signalled the end of Toudai Festival, filling the night with a blinding whiteness.

-0-0-

She walked alone at night, away from the heart of the city, away from anyplace that held even the slightest of sounds. Her snow white hair flowed with the wind. She had no expression on her face. She wore a green sweater, army jeans and black boots.

It was an alleyway unfitting for a woman with such grace, but she walked onwards nonetheless. Two trashcans were placed in a corner. One of them had tipped over, revealing all its discarded waste inside. A black and white kitten meowed sorrowfully. He scrounged the contents for anything edible, but looked saddened after having no such luck. The woman approached the kitten and knelt down to meet his level. She acquired a handful of food from her pocket and offered it to him. He was reluctant to begin with, but the sincerity in her eyes told the kitten it was okay. He ate and licked off her hand and purred afterwards. The woman smiled and petted his head before returning to her path.

She walked onwards, removing her clothes with every step she took. Sparks of electricity were flying out of her body. Her skin and body structure changed dramatically. A battle suit of futuristic origin appeared where her clothes once belonged. Her hair was surrounded by static energy. Once the static disappeared, a vivid green replaced the snow white. To complete the transformation, two triangular ears appeared atop her head.

She reached a dead end, where a shadowy figure was waiting for her. The one waiting wore a black gothic dress and her lush blonde hair reached all the way down to her ankles. She was but a girl… a small girl with a personality darker than black.

The android handed her a selection of photographs, to which the girl accepted immediately. Her grin was most sinister. At once, the vampire concealed herself with her black cloak… and flew straight into the sky. The android followed her destination, flying with rocket boosters which appeared beneath her feet.

-0-0-

Bidding goodbye to friends old and new, Keitaro and the residents at last left the festival. After Mana made a phone call, a cab arrived fifteen minutes later, to which they all managed to squeeze into. The driver grunted, not expecting so many people in one vehicle, but even so he took them to their requested destination.

Chisame, meanwhile, had already reached there before the others. She was exhausted but forced herself to work her way up those monstrous steps.

"That's one small step for Chisame… and one large step towards passing out." She yawned as she reached the top. She never expected them to be this late, but then again, her skill of judgement had never been accurate to begin with. Trying to ignore the coldness from the ground, Chisame sat by the main door and waited. She briefly wondered why nobody tried to ring her up. As she looked at her mobile phone however, she realised the batteries were used up, for quite a while it would seem.

Makie shuffled her way upstairs like a zombie. Her eyes were half closed and the mind was about to subside to dreamland. Yue was snoring and had to be escorted via piggyback from Mana. Of course Keitaro showed great fatigue as well. When they reached the top, Keitaro was the first to spot Chisame. She was already asleep, curled beside the main door like a cat.

"Hasegawa-san!" Keitaro called out. He found newly acquired strength as he doubled his speed towards her. Mana and Makie quickly joined them.

Fortunately Keitaro's voice was enough to stir Chisame awake. She removed her glasses and looked at Keitaro with tired eyes.

"Phew! You're alright! Thank goodness!" Keitaro sighed with relief.

"Manager-san… hey. How… how did the festival go?" Chisame asked with a sleepy voice.

"Really well!" Keitaro answered. "Quite a few things happened! Lots of things in fact!"

Chisame smiled, as if she knew something Keitaro did not.

"Heh, I bet."

Author: Hope you enjoyed Toudai Festival!! See you next time!