After that wild ride of a competition, and the heart stopping volleyball competition, things were finally starting to settle down for everyone.

Well, as calm as things can be when finals for the second semester is approaching. Next week would be something the students look forward too- the three day school festival, but first, they have to pass by the hell called final exams on the first two days.

As usual, all the third years gathered at Washio's house. For all of them, this exams held so much weight. They're graduating in less than a year, so failing isn't really an option lest they want to repeat. For the volleyball players, failing is also not an option if they want to play in the spring high nationals. They always go to Washio's house since both of his parents work abroad, and his older brother decided to stay over with his friends to give them space, so they have the house to themselves.

It was probably not a good idea to leave a bunch teenagers with barely 2 the braincells together combined and the penchant to do something chaotic, idiotic or both at the same time but they did.

They invited the rest of Aesir since they decided that they like the others ever since their concert, which they accepted. They also reasoned that they needed more help in studying since they desperately needed it (Not really knowing that the rest of Aesir are also barely passing everything). Chuuyou was just glad that her two separate friend groups were getting along and starting to become friends with one another.

The other second years were invited too, but they refused and held their own group study. It was probably better for them since they knew how chaotic the third years can get, so they decided to hold their own group study in Kenma's house since he has the biggest one. It wasn't a sleepover like theirs, but Kuroo was just so happy that Kenma was being more outgoing than usual that he almost wept tears of joy.

In reality, Kenma was just pressured by Tora and the others till he had no choice but to agree, and he tried telling Kuroo that but he chose to ignore that part and stuck into his daydreams of Kenma finally socializing.

Shirofuku and Suzumeda were the last ones to arrive this time. Washio greeted them with a serious face before rushing back to where he was sitting before. Yukie glanced around the room to take a look at the activities that's currently going on.

Eri, Konoha, Sarukui, and Komi was playing a game of... Actually, she isn't sure what's happening. They seemed to be using poker chips...? as their game currency. She just watched Konoha place a pokemon card under a yugioh one, which Komi countered with a card against humanity.

"HA!" Eri fist pumped and placed the 4 uno card. The other three groaned as they watched her drag the poker chips set in the middle to her already growing pile while mischievously snickering.

"Damn it!" Komi cursed as he threw his pile of different decks to the middle, before they cleared the rest of the cards in the pile and reshuffled them. He tossed a new set of poker chips in the middle as the others followed suit.

Yukie shook her head and looked at another group of people. She doesn't know whatever the fuck is going on there, and she has no desire to know.

Yaku, Tsukiko and Washio were piled on the two big couches in the living room. They were downing one pitcher of iced tea like it was shots and they seemed to be talking about something serious based on their miserable expressions. Yaku looks like he's gonna murder someone, Washio looks as serios as ever, and Tsukiko was near tears. Papers and open books were littered into the table they were using and some even fell off on the ground, along with some highlighters and pens.

Takara was also asleep on the other smaller couch and seemingly uncaring at what's happening around her.

'I wonder how she felt comfortable falling asleep on that small couch...' Yukie uncomfortably thought before looking at the furthest corner.

This group consists of Kuroo, Bokuto and Chuuyou. Kuroo must've dragged a chair from the kitchen so he could sit. Bokuto was sitting on the ground next to Kuroo's chair in a cross leg position. Chuuyou was also on the ground and was using Bokuto's lap as a pillow.

Yukie tensed at the... romantic position and discreetly glanced at Kaori, who didn't even react as she dropped her bag on the corner where their bags were piled and marched into Eri, Konoha, Komi and Sarukui's direction. She sighed as she contemplated on what to do, since it seemed like a hopeless situation for her. They cheered and decided to show Kaori how they're playing the game and now they have a 5th player on their confusing game. When Yukie was sure that Kaori would be fine, she also placed her bag on the corner and walked to where Yaku, Washio, and Tsukiko were.

"Hi." Tsukiko greeted and moved so Yukie could sit down. She poured ice tea on a new plastic cup and gave it to Yukie, which she gratefully accepted.

Yukie sighed in relief when she noticed that Kaori was laughing with Eri. So far, she doesn't seem to have a problem with the rest of Chuuyou's friends.

"So... What's happening right now?" She asked before taking a sip on her drink.

"To be honest... We have no idea." Washio admitted dryly before rolling his eyes. "The three of us were just comparing notes. Fukurodani and Nekoma used the same questions in the math exam last week but yeah. You know? Question number 32? Only a few students got it right. I mean, a few. I heard in class 7 only 3 of them got the correct answer." 'Damn teachers placing a hard problem in a test they don't even teach properly...'

"Yeah. There's also a few students in Nekoma who solved that correctly. You can guess who's one of them." Yaku hesitantly paused before continuing. "I think Konoha and the others were playing poker until it evolved into whatever they're doing now." Yaku muttered. He gave the paper where he attempted to solve the problem to Tsukiko, who sighed before comparing it to the one she's holding.

"The other three are talking about something, I'm just not sure what but they keep on escalating their arguments and Bokuto is the one mediating between them." Tsukiko said and crumpled the papers before unfurling it and giving it to Yukie. "This is fucking bullshit. It doesn't make any sense. Look at it!" She groaned before tossing her head on the back of the couch. She groaned again when her action hurt her but otherwise, didn't do anything else.

"Bad luck for you, since I also didn't get this problem right." Yuki commented as she grimaced once she saw that paper. "I literally got a 43/100 last midterms in math. I'm just happy that I passed, even if it's barely"

"We probably have to ask Ishi or Kuroo. As much as I hate to admit it, those two are the most knowledgeable when it comes to this." Yaku muttered before looking in their direction. His expression hardened when he saw that Chuuyou was throwing random things to Kuroo, who was laughing maniacally at something, and Bokuto, who was trying to mediate the situation.

'You know shit is weird when Bokuto is acting as the mature one.' Washio deadpanned as he watched them uncomfortably.

After so many items were thrown to Kuroo, Chuuyou ran out of something to throw again. She hastily stood up and snatched a pillow from the couch where Takara was sleeping and threw it again to Kuroo. He was so busy laughing that he got nailed straight to the face with the pillow and his chair almost tipped back had Bokuto hadn't caught him.

Takara suddenly jolted because of the sudden removal of the pillow. She blearily looked around and snorted before laying down and trying to sleep again. Without the pillow this time.

'Her neck's gonna be stiff when she wakes up.' Washio internally winced when he imagined it. He knows how annoying and painful it is to wake up with a stiff neck, courtesy of passing out one too many times on the couch when he's too lazy to go to his bedroom.

"Nevermind." Yaku deadpanned before turning his attention back to the papers. Seeing the multiple attempts of solving the said math problem pissed him off even more, so he crumpled them even more and threw them on the ground.

"I can't believe the two smartest people we currently have are them." Washio remorsefully said while glancing at them. He ignored what Yaku did with his papers and focused on the one he's holding.

"Group study, they said. What kinda group study is this if not even half of us is studying." Tsukiko rolled her eyes before deciding to try to solve the math problem again.

"Unfortunately, that's just how they are. They use 'Group study' as an excuse to mess around." Washio sighed before pouring himself ice tea.

"We probably should focus on another subject and just ask Kuroo and Ishi later when they're not... busy."

"Just give up, Asano-san." Yaku said before also pouring himself an ice tea when Washio was done. He decided that he's had enough with math and will just focus on japanese literature.

Yukie sweatdropped at the gloomy atmosphere that was surrounding the 4 of them. It was a big contrast to the 5's super loud cheers from their weird game and the other three who's fighting about something. She decided that this 3 is the sanest out of all of them so she'll just stay with them. She stood up and got japanese literature from her bag and returned to her seat. The rest of the time she spent actually studying with Yaku, Washio, and Tsukiko.

· · ·

On the other side, Chuuyou and Kuroo were finally done with whatever they're arguing with before. Kuroo decided to forgo the chair because he was a little afraid that he'll almost fall down again. Not that he'll admit that out loud. He used the pillow that was previously thrown at him and laid down on the ground.

Chuuyou huffed before returning to her previous position. She laid down too and used Bokuto's lap as her pillow again. He wasn't complaining, nor said anything about it so she ain't leaving.

They had a nice conversation about some teachers they dislike and the reasons why before it devolved into a slight disagreement about which is better between powder donuts or glazed donuts, a small debate about a science theory that they have different opinions of, a pretty heated squabble on what's better, spring or fall, and further spiralled down to an entirely pointless argument on who's better protagonist between Midoriya and Asta.

"Are you shitting me right now? You say that Asta's a better character? He's fucking loud. And obnoxious. And annoying. It's like he doesn't do anything other than screech."

"Better than crybaby deku. He's boring to watch. He has basic characteristics and his dreams and ideologies are a joke. 5 seasons of him and his character development is abysmal."

Chuuyou stood up from her position and glared at Kuroo. Kuroo also stood up and smirked too. They were about to have round two of their impromptu pillow fight but Bokuto interrupted them.

"Guys, please." He said while waving his arms around. Chuuyou gave Kuroo a glare before huffing and turning his attention away from him.

"Let's just settle this to a round of monopoly. Kou, you'll be the banker." She challenged with a smirk.

"Sure. Get ready to lose though. I don't want you crying when you notice that I keep on winning."

'Wow that rhymed.' Kuroo smirked and mentally patted his back at that.

They both stood up and went to where the others were playing to borrow the cards.

'Is this what Akaashi feels like when I'm the one messing around.' Bokuto sweatdropped but didn't do anything to stop them.

· · ·

Aside from the 4 who were already previously studying, most of them were either playing around, conversing with another person, or both. Five more hours of wasting their time and Yaku finally got fed up with them. He dragged Chuuyou and Kuroo to show them "how to solve the damn math problem", and Bokuto followed right after them.

Unsurprisingly, both of them got the same answer and explained it to them (to their relief). The two of them took way less time in attempting to solve it compared to the four of them before because they were frequently checking with each other while solving it. It shows just how well Kuroo and Chuuyou can get things done when they're actually working together.

When the other five collectively decided that they were done with their game, they piled around to where Yaku and the others were sitting. Since the couch isn't big enough for them, some are standing around.

"Well, let's look at our papers." Kuroo sighed before taking his out. The questions between Fukurodani and Nekoma might be different, but the topics are still the same so it wasn't that much of a problem.

There wasn't a huge difference from their current scores compared to before. Sure, some had slight improvements, got a score tad lower, or perfected everything.

The only exception to that is Bokuto, who went from failing everything horribly to barely passing everything.

"Chuuyou helped me." He boasted to Konoha who was gaping at his scores. It was a real improvement from his failed exams from before. His homeroom teacher even praised him for improving! The two of them celebrated by going to a cute cat cafe in minato-ku.

"Wait, this is unfair." Konoha whined while staring at Bokuto's papers from Kuroo's shoulder before getting impatient and grabbing them from his hold. His current lowest score was trigonometry, where he got a 40 (the bar line for passing score), which was previously 12 out of 100. And with Akaashi and Chuuyou's guidance in literature, it went from 41 to 76, his current highest.

He almost cried tears of joy when he saw his papers because he really wasn't expecting that. Akaashi even broke out of his usual apathetic expression when he showed it to him!

"Well well well, would you look at that. You were teasing Bo' a lot before for scoring below you and now he's passed everything." Kuroo whistled when he looked at the scores from Konoha's shoulder. He was really impressed and proud of his friend (although he won't show it. He'd rather eat sand than admit that out loud) at his huge improvement. He decided to tease Konoha about this.

Konoha felt tick marks appear in his forehead as he was slowly losing his temper at Kuroo's constant ribbing. Right now, he wanted to stuff the papers in Kuroo's mouth to shut him up.

That aside, Konoha was also proud of Bokuto. It really shows how much effort he put in studying. Not that he'll say that out loud. He knows Bokuto would just get an ego inflation if he hears that.

"Mmm yeah. So how are we gonna do this?" Chuuyou asked tentatively. In their first group study... Well, the first one she attended with them, they had a solid plan because the number of who failed, who passed, and in between was even. Now there's more of them and the balance in their scores was tipped because of Bokuto.

"Hmm... We should probably divide it into our best and worst subjects? For example, Yaku here currently holds the best score in literature, so those who have a hard time in that subject would work with him first. History flunkers goes to Washio. The language related subjects, both English and Kanji, goes to Chuuyou, and mine's science... We could tackle trigonometry later since that's the subject most of you have trouble with..." Kuroo pondered before shaking his head and looking at them. "But yeah, I think that would be the best for our situation."

Chuuyou nodded at Kuroo's solution. While Kuroo can be annoying most of the time and is extremely good at getting under people's skin, he is a natural leader and knows how to work his way out of problems.

-

"Oh yeah. It was quite the surprise when I learned that Keiji has the same taste in literature as me. We often exchange books since he also has the same habit of writing our thoughts and analysis about what happened in between the pages." She paused for a bit before continuing. "But yeah, because of that, I introduced him to fanfictions."

The two of them were sitting side by side as they slightly took a little break from English vocabulary mini quizzes, their current topic switching to something more lighthearted.

"Wait. You really introduced Akaashi-san to fanfictions?" Eri asked in horror and amazement.

"Yeah." She replied proudly, her arms crossed in her chest.

"You cruel, cruel child." Eri dramatically monologued while wiping a nonexistent tear from her cheek. "There's no escape once you get a taste of fanfictions"

"True though. Like ever since I started reading fanfictions, I told myself that I shouldn't be wasting my time reading that much, yeah? Now look at me, 22 open tabs in my browser and it's still increasing..." Chuuyou trailed before shaking her head and picking up from where she stopped speaking. "But yeah. It's not like I showed him in one go. I'll introduce him to the world of fanfictions slowly. Right now, it's only quotev and fanfiction net, since it's more chill in there. The next ones would be Ao3 and Tumblr, since the... rouchy ones are there. I might even tell him about the other ones such as spacebattles and wattpad.

"You should have shown him first on Ao3 since I think it contains a wider library of fics compared to the others..."

"True, but have you seen some of the fics on ao3? They make icha icha look like it was written by a saint. And that's saying something since icha icha is one of the most graphic books about those things published. Keiji needs to be introduced to these things slowly so he won't be shocked." Chuuyou said gleefully while rubbing her palms together.

Kuroo, who was passing by behind them, never meant to eavesdrop on their conversation. But once he got a whiff of what they were talking about, he decided to butt in.

"Your inner closet pervert is showing, Ishi. And please don't corrupt Akaashi. Fukurodani is gonna weep if they lose their only sane person around." Chuuyou's previous gleeful expression was replaced with annoyance. She turned around and glared at Kuroo, her left eye twitching in annoyance.

"That's it. Starting from now, your name rights have been revoked. I am now calling you rooster."

-

"That's not how it works-" "You keep getting the solving wrong!" Kuroo said exasperatedly at the same time as Chuuyou once they watched Konoha's another failed attempt of solving a science problem. They had been at it for 20 minutes, the earlier plan of division of works completely forgotten as Kuroo dragged Chuuyou to help him explain the stoichiometry formula to Konoha. The three of them were growing irritated. Well, the two were, since Konoha just looks so frustrated.

"But where did you get the 160?" Konoha asked tearfully as he stared at the slightly crumpled paper. "And how did it become a 15.80 in the first place?"

'I DON'T GET WHAT'S HAPPENING ANYMORE'

"It's the molar mass! You have to add the total of Fe2 and O3 together! That's where the 160 is from!" Kuroo said exasperatedly.

"And if you multiplied this shit correctly-" she said as she scribbled the numbers. "-you would get the 15.80.Try doing it again." She ripped the used paper and wrote the problem before giving it to Konoha.

"So, I have to first do this..." Konoha trailed as he attempted to solve it again under their watchful eyes.

"Yes, go on."

"And... And then I have to do... this?"

"Yes." They watched Konoha in bated breath as he continued trying to solve the problem, occasionally telling him when he's going the wrong way.

"It's... is it 15.77…"

"YES! IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH. YOU JUST HAVE TO ROUND IT." Kuroo loudly cheered while throwing his hands up in relief. "FINALLY!"

"See, you can do it!" She laughed while aggressively hitting his back repeatedly. At the confirmation, Konoha released a sigh of relief.

'I finally understand it! Well, partly.' He inwardly cried.

"Now, let's attempt to do another one!" Kuroo said cheerfully before tearing off another piece of paper and writing another chemical equation.

'NO MORE... PLEASE!'

Chuuyou decided that Kuroo can help him without her help anymore, so she bid them a quick goodbye before standing up and getting outside in Washio's front porch to unwind for a bit. Studying with friends is fun, but it could get frustrating especially if there are moments like that.

She was replying to Dowoon's message- she was still a little mad at him for leaving without saying anything- so she didn't know that there was also another person outside there. When she looked up from her phone, she came face to face with Suzumeda, who was sitting on the ground and was looking at her contemplatively. She immediately frowned and was about to head inside again but she stopped when she heard her call out to her.

"Wait! Uh- can we- can we talk for a few minutes, Ishinomori-san?"

She inwardly pondered whether this was worth her time before nodding and walking to sit next to her, a few inches far away from her that they're almost touching. The atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable between them, as they waited for one of them to break the silence for a few minutes.

She sighed before pocketing her phone. "If you don't have anything to say, then I'm heading ba-"

"I'm sorry." Kaori blurted as she looked at the person in front of her, her eyes conveying her sincerity. At that, Chuuyou's expression softened.

Immediately realizing what she was apologizing for, her initial wariness waned and was replaced with slight guilt. She knows that she was not completely blameless at the animosity between them.

Kaori sighed before continuing. "I'm- I don't really know how to say this... I'm sorry for being so mean to you because of him when-" She was interrupted when Chuuyou gently placed a hand on her back.

"Don't be. If anything, I'm sorry too. I've been treating you like shit because I considered you as an opponent- with him as the prize."

"But I was the one who initially started things with you! You weren't doing anything but I kept being mean to you!" She said, voice slightly raising in distress.

"And I escalated the situation, since I felt threatened by you." She argued back with a shrug. "You know, someone who kept the fire burning is as bad as the person who started it. You wouldn't have pushed harder if I didn't push you at all, right?" She asked as she recalled that time when she taunted her in the hallway.

"Besides." She sighed, pausing a little as she thought of what to say. "You know I dislike you for feeling entitled over him because you knew him longer when I was unironically doing the same thing. I felt entitled over him too just because..." 'I dunno actually…'

Silence once again filled their conversation, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as earlier. It was more mellow- more of melancholy as they contemplated what to say again.

"Regardless..." At her pointed look, Kaori sighed. "I... I guess I just- I don't want to fight with you anymore..."

"Then let's don't."

"Is it that easy?" 'To forget everything that happened?' Kaori wondered as she stared at their surroundings. The streets gave a desolate feeling, since it was already dark and quiet, like it's reflecting the mood between them.

Except for the thin dog eating something from the trash can.

"I mean, you don't want to argue anymore. I don't want to argue anymore. We both don't want to argue anymore. So yeah?" She stood up and stretched her hand out to her to help her stand. Kaori looked at her with slight hesitance, before accepting her hand and standing up. "Let's start over, Suzumeda-san."

"Okay." She smiled at her, albeit it was a little wobbly and tried to initiate an awkward hug between the two of them, which she returned.

"Let's go back inside. I bet the others are already a little confused why we took so long." Chuuyou said with a small smile before slightly leading her to the door.

"There you two are! We're starting to get worried!" Konoha greeted in happiness, glad that their timing was so great so he could get away from Kuroo and the chemistry problems. He learned a lot from Kuroo, true. But he was getting tired from solving problems. He feels like if he sees another element and arrow for the next 30 minutes, he's gonna explode.

Yukie's eyes lit up once she noticed them- Kaori was slightly holding on her arm as she waved to them in greeting-, before jumping from where she was sitting in happiness. "Oh! you two- come one, sit here for a bit!" She laughed before rushing there and dragging the both of them.

"Slow down, Yukie." Chuuyou laughed back as she let her chatter. In her peripheral vision, she saw Komi who gave her a thumbs up and a small smile. She smiled back at him before listening to whatever Yukie was telling again.

They spent the rest of the night studying as much as they could and hoped that in the next day, they had studied enough to actually pass the exams.

· · ·

"-ats what she said." Kuroo heard Chuuyou's muffled giggling as he entered Washio's kitchen drowsily. He rubbed his eyes before yawning and walking to grab a mug which was beside her. He wanted and needed a coffee to function.

"Of course you're the type to enjoy those shitty jokes." He muttered once he's sure he's in her range.

"Literally shut up rooster. It's too early in the morning." Chuuyou groaned without actual heat in her words. "And you know what? Why did you even understand them in the first place? It just shows that you're looking at something you shouldn't be looking at, Kuroo-chan."

"...I walked into that one, didn't I?" He asked despondently as he poured hot water in his mug.

"Yes you did."

· · ·

"I can hear Kuroo's voice admonishing me while I was answering that damn science test." Konoha remorsefully said as he slammed his bag onto the table to where they were sitting and took out a wrapped food before taking the seat next to Sarukui.

"...Is that a good thing?" Sarukui asked tentatively.

"Yes'nt." Konoha whimpered with a rueful nod.

"Huh?"

"Yes, because I can confidently say I actually wrote the correct answers. Kuroo was a great chemistry teacher. No because I was hearing Kuroo's voice giving instructions on what to do WHILE I was answering the damn test." Konoha shivered as he recalled what was going on in his mind earlier. Kuroo's voic still ringing in his ear. He did spend the most time with him in their study group, since he had the most trouble in science.

He already lost hope with the trigonometry one, but he'll ignore that. Though he's pretty sure he also failed that one…

"That sounds like a fair price to pay for me. That chem test was hard." Komi shrugged.

"I mean, it is Kuroo so it's hard to calculate the advantages over the disadvantages..." Chuuyou chimed from behind Konoha. He quickly turned around and was a little startled at the sudden voice, almost dropping the food he was unwrapping.

"Oh, Chuuyou!" Komi greeted with a small wave. "You were right about the literature exam having more questions on the timeline than usual... Good thing I memorized the dates."

"See, what did I tell you?" She smugly said with a hair flip.

"How did you even know that?" Konoha asked curiously as he took a large bite of his food.

"I have my ways." She dramatically said as she pulled a chair and sat on it. "Anyways, where's Kou?"

"Wow." Komi deadpanned. "Did you just came here to look for him?"

"No of course not." She said, which they didn't believe. "I came here for all of you." She said while smiling widely at them and batting her eyes. "You don't believe me? But i really love you guys. Plantonicallly of course. I wouldn't be- Hey Kou! How was your test?" Komi and Konoha deadpanned at her as she turned to Koutarou who just arrived, her earlier statement remaining unfinished and forgotten.

"IT WENT WELL! I think I'll get decent scores again." Koutarou laughed, also throwing his bag on the table and plopping on an empty seat next to her. "All thanks to you." He smiled as he propped his arms on the table and focused on her. "Oh. And Akaashi too of course..."

"Aw. That's good! I knew yoy could do it!" She said with a small clap, the other three from the table decided to collectively ignore the two as they waited for the others to arrive, with Konoha continuing to rant about Kuroo and the test. Washio chose this time finally arrive along with Eri.

"Oh?" Konoha said in a teasing tone while giving them the look. "Aren't you such a playboy, Washio. First, Asano-san and now Miura-san?" Washio was about to reply but Eri's voice interrupted him.

"Boy." Eri said unimpressed. "I'm literally lesbian." Eri instantly regretted admitting that as Konoha stumbled upon the admission, not really knowing what to say at that. "What? Do you have a problem with that?" Eri asked defensively, her voice slightly raising, prompting the other conversations within the table to still and watch them in silence. Chuuyou was about to interfere but she held herself back once she heard Konoha continue.

"No no. I don't!" Konoha immediately answered back while waving his arms to calm her. "I- i was just surprised since you just suddenly outed yourself like that... But it's fine! Really." At Konoha's reassurance, all of them calmed down and returned to whatever they were doing before.

"Sorry. It's... It's not like I'm trying to hide that fact. People just react so weirdly when they hear that. Maybe make some unnecessary comments too." She mumbled as she pulled a chair next to him.

"Yeah… it is my first time encountering a… a lesbian?" Konoha slightly cringed. "In public. Yeah… So I- I don't really know what to do…" he decided to shut up before further incriminating himself.

"Jeez. You make it sound like we're some kinda rare Pokemon." She slightly chuckled. "And it's no problem as long as you aren't being rude about it."

"Huh..." Konoha commented curiously as he trailed in his words to think of what to say. "So, did you already have a girlfriend? I mean, if you're fine to be asked that of course." Konoha hastily added.

"I don't do relationships." Eri shrugged. "But I had a few flings here and there."

"Do you think you can teach me?" Konoha seriously said, which made Eri blink in confusion. "You know? How to ask someone out. You're a girl too so you must know how! Or since you're experienced with those things, how did you do it? I'm almost 18 and I never had a girlfriend. I want to be loved too." Konoha whined, his earlier ire about Kuroo being completely forgotten as he continued pestering Eri for questions about that topic. "And these guys are useless. None of them had also been in a relationship." Konoha gestured to the offended Washio, Komi, and Sarukui with his thumb.

'Well, if things go well for Bo, he might be the first of us to be in one. It's just so damn frustrating when it seems like they're progressing and then regress 3 steps behind again. Scratch that. It's more like they're staying on a particular step and not moving at all. I am this close to locking them up in the clubroom and leave them there till they fucking talk abo-'

"Sorry. The teacher held me back." Tsukiko apologized once she arrived, panting a little as she dropped her bag on an empty seat. "Anyways, I think I'm failing that trigo test. Not that I care. The moment I looked at the first question, I immediately gave up!" She finished cheerfully before sitting on the said chair and taking out a paper bag from her bag.

"Mood. That damn trigonometry exam was so hard Ueno started chanting a latin prayer right after he saw the paper." Chuuyou said with a laugh as she remembered the person sitting behind her muttering while looking at the exam. She might have also heard several whimpers from some students.

"Anyways, aren't you part of the one who would set up the booth today?" Tsukiko asked curiously as she gestured to Chuuyou, lunch half finished in her hand.

'Wow. She eats really fast. I swear that was bigger than before...' Chuuyou noted.

"Nah. We already prepared that last Sunday. I headed to school right after our group study. Only a few clean ups will be done today and I'm not part of that." She nodded while stealing some of Komi's chips right after he opened it. "I have no more else to do after that. How 'bout you?" She gestured to Washio.

"No. All of us are excused for those things so no. But Miura-san over here was supposed to be helping in our booth."

"Damn volleyball players and their privileges. I just stopped by for a bit here to greet you guys and rest before returning to our classroom." Tsukiko muttered before turning to Eri. "And I'm telling on your classmates." Crumpling the empty paper bag and shoving it in her bag, before carrying it in her shoulder, Tsukiko walked away.

"Wait. Please don't. I swear I'm helping!" Eri pleaded before also grabbing her bag and running after her. They watched them disappear back into the classrooms before returning to their conversation.

"Well, we just have to wait for 'Kaashi, right?" Koutarou blinked.

"Yes."

· · ·

'Today was the first day of the school festival!' Koutarou excitedly thought as he made sure his winter uniform was without creases one last time in the bathroom before looking at himself appreciatively and running out to the house. Shouting goodbyes to his mother and sisters, he walked briskly out instead of running. It's already starting to snow, so the ground might be slippery.

He arrived at the park where they usually meet up and immediately saw her there standing awkwardly- also in her winter uniform. He hurried his steps while making sure to be quiet to surprise her. It seems like she hadn't noticed him at all.

"Hey." He leaned into her ear and whispered. She immediately turned around and attempted to punch him, hitting him in his chest.

"Fucking hell. Please don't do that again, Kou." She embarrassedly said while blushing brightly.

"Aw. Are you embarrassed for hitting me? Don't worry, it didn't hurt." He grinned as they started walking to where the train station was. They would have walked like usual, but both were feeling extremely lazy for the cold day. Koutarou took the blush as embarrassment from hitting him, which is slightly off to what she was actually thinking.

'That was one hard chest alright… I hope I can one day s- no.'

"You know what? Let's go with that, yeah?"

-

"Are you sure this is fine?" Koutarou asked, slightly whimpering as he stared at the line at the haunted building of Akaashi's class that's slowly getting shorter.

"Of course. It probably won't be that scary." Chuuyou waved her hand dismissively but Koutarou still didn't look convinced. "Tell you what, if you get scared, you can hold my hand." She joked.

"I might take on that offer." He replied without a beat, almost making her trip onto her steps.

'WAIT NO HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EMBARRASSED AT THAT AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO TEASE HIM-'

"Well…" she coughed to hide her flustered expression. "So you shouldn't worry about it anymore. I'll protect you from the bad ghosts or something."

"Really? Then, I don't have to worry about anything anymore, since you'll be there." Koutarou said, eyes slightly crinkling as he looked at her.

"I-"

"Um… as sweet as you two sounds, there are a lot of people on the line…" The person behind them interrupted.

Akaashi glared at the person who spoke, making the person shrink under his glare. He knows he has a mean glare and he's not afraid to use it. He was manning the entrance along with Saito (who was blushing as she watched them), and he knew that she was about to confess had that idiot held his tongue for a few more moments. He let them in, hoping that they'll have the time to talk inside.

"Ticket?" Akaashi asked the guy coldly before pushing him inside once a few minutes had passed with Koutarou and Chuuyou. Once he was in, he pulled his phone and dialed his classmate, slightly excusing himself for a bit.

"Hey Mitsura-san. Can you do me a favor and follow this guy after Bokuto-san? I just need you to scare him a little. I promise I'll pay you back for this."

-

Koutarou jumped for the umpteenth time that day as he almost stepped into a well placed decoration, almost stumbling to keep his balance. Chuuyou laughed at him before looking approvingly at the room. It was well done for something highschoolers made. They didn't focus on too many scary and gory decorations, instead, they tried to make the whole place feel creepy with well placed things and music that unnerved people. The constant heartbeat sound is actually great for the mood. You barely hear it since it's a little silent, blending on the sound of their actual heartbeats, but it's definitely there.

She had watched enough horror movies to be slightly desensitized at gore. And she thought gory horrors are slightly predictable and in turn, are less scary. Something less predictable- that makes you feel you're there in the horror movie itself was far scarier. The unnerving, barely there heartbeat sound was one example- something that she's sure it's the same speed of a nervous heartbeat. It makes you think that it was your own heart that was beating, as if you're the one feeling nervous.

She quickly turned around as she thought she saw something in the corner of her eye. She was sure someone passed there but it was like it was only the two of them in there. As if someone was lurking and watching them. It's slightly making her paranoid. Another plus point in class 2-6's booth.

There wasn't even a jumpscare that happened the whole duration they were there.

She then heard the sound of footsteps, unconsciously slowly increasing as the minutes passed by. The speed of their walking also sped up as they tried to make a huge gap within that person. It seems like it was ineffective though, as the footsteps seemed to get louder. The feeling of someone stalking them just got stronger.

Koutarou immediately laced his hands on her the deeper they got into the building. He can't believe this was the same place he goes to class with! She was surprised at the action that she stilled from walking and looked at him confusedly. She knows she offered earlier, but she wasn't expecting he'd actually do it!

"W-what? You said it was fine!" He asked defensively. She only smiled at him and squeezed his hand, thankful for the dark place that he couldn't see her blushing face.

'Maybe I could get away with purposely making us lost… yeah… I'm doing that. Sorry Kou.'

· · ·

The second day was the same as the first day, if Konoha would say so himself. He already visited most of the places, now on the way to class 3-6's casino. Some students were speaking quite highly of that place so he thought he'd visit it too!

There was a long line, but if anything, Konoha was patient. Komi was with him, chattering excitedly as they waited.

Finally getting inside, he was greeted with the sight of Chuuyou raging with Koutarou and Akaashi trying to calm her, as another student celebrated and flaunted their winnings.

"Uh-" he said as he watched

"She's been like that since yesterday." Eri suddenly said from behind them, shrugging a little as she pointed to her. "She's already lost more than 100 yen, and she's still going at it. Honestly, she was doing great at the blackjack table. I don't know why she's on the roulette where she lost for 7 straight turns."

"Isn't 7 supposed to be a lucky number?"

Nevertheless, Konoha and Komi watched her in fascination as she seemed to lose again.

"Well, that's the 8th loss!" Eri said cheerfully before leading them to the counter. "Anyways, You can exchange money for chips here and use that to bet since using 'real money' to bet isn't allowed. You can exchange that later for money again, or prizes if you prefer that.'

-

"Stop staring at her like a goddamn creep and talk to her!" Eri annoyedly said as she pushed Konoha lightly.

"Are you insane? What if she thinks I'm creepy for doing that!"

"Dude, Konoha." Eri sighed. "You won't find a girlfriend if you keep fumbling like that! You have nothing to lose if she did say no anyways."

"Point." Konoha sighed and rubbed his palms together awkwardly. "Okay, I'm talking to her."

"Goodluck! And remember what I told you, okay?" Eri said and pushed him even more to the direction of the girl.

· · ·

The first and second days of the Fukurodani school festival went without a hitch if Akaashi might say so himself. He had fun trying the different food the student made (Though he won't be speaking on the current state of his wallet that's now empty) and the different games and activities that made the school look like it was a mishmash of a carnival something out of a fever dream.

Seriously, how and why was some of that shit allowed?

Class 3-5's casino was a massive hit in the students, and Akaashi still didn't know how it happened. They apparently passed it off as a 'casino theme' and there's no gambling happening necessarily, and they were able to pass by the specific school rule 'No gambling with real money' by selling some kinda chips and betting those. In a way, they aren't betting with real money and they used chips which they technically sold. Once a teacher checked it up and realized their mistake, it was too late to stop it. More students already lost money from that place, with Chuuyou being one of them. She might be decent at cards but Akaashi can't believe how shitty her luck is on the roulette as he watched her lose 10 straight times and waste more than 500 yen on that thing for two straight days before Koutarou pulled her away.

Akaashi can feel the school board having a headache from regretting the decision of letting the students be more in control of the school festival and sitting back instead of their usual controlled set up. In contrast, the students were more happy and wild compared to the previous school festivals.

Aside from that, the weird ass musical or play or whatever the hell that was of class 7 also went well from the students. In the beginning, they were just watching dumbfoundedly as they tried making sense of what's happening, but after getting past that, it was received with applause.

Akaashi was also still not sure of what the hell happened in the plot of that shit, but he's not complaining since it did have some good, weird music. It was good in a way he can't quite put into words.

The only problem he had right now was the current person he's with. Bokuto.

"Why are you delaying, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi asked annoyedly as he watched him try to hide on the crowd of students, which really isn't effective since he's tall and big. They were currently watching as some of the students perform in the show your talent thing, which is the last attraction for the school festival.

"I'M NOT DELAYING, 'KAASHI! JUST CAN'T CATCH HER ALONE!"

"Really?" Akaashi deadpanned as he stared at Koutarou, who was squirming under his stare. "Cause I remember that's not the case yesterday. You two literally went alone inside our class' haunted building."

"I might have been a little scared to say anything that moment..." Koutarou admitted. At that admission, Akaashi sighed exasperatedly as he stopped the urge to bury his face on his hands disappointedly.

"Bokuto-san, you can't keep delaying!" He chastised. "The school festival is ending. Don't waste your chance!" 'Not to mention, I implied to her in one of our texts that he's confessing at that time, which I'm pretty sure she got based on how excited she was on the next day. I'd hate to make her be hopeful and excited for nothing.'

"Fine. Just right after they perform. I'm just- I'm really nervous about it Akaashi! What if all of you guys were wrong and she just see me as a friend and no more than that?"

"How can we be wrong when she's literally giving you the heart eyes from there?" Akaashi asked patiently as he pointed to the side of the stage where she was peeking from the curtains, which he looked at. Upon noticing that the two of them we're looking back at her, she waved enthusiastically before hiding inside.

"Point..." Koutarou sighed. "Fine. After their performance."

Akaashi gave him a look that says 'You sure?'

"I promise. It's like, three more person right before them right? Since they're going last?" Akaashi nodded. He remembered her saying that they're gonna be the last for the reason that 'the best performance is always saved for the last' apparently. So she shuffled the names and made sure they were performing last, which he's pretty sure is not something you should be doing when you're part of the organizers of an event, but whatever. He isn't a snitch. "Then after that, I'll tell her." Koutarou rubbed his hands together as if to calm himself, feeling both nervous and excited at the same time.

'I hope everything goes well later...'

-

"You guys ready?" Eri asked as she fiddled with her guitar nervously.

"Of course." Tsukiko said as she sighed and looked determinedly at the crowd through the curtains. The people before them are about to be done, and they're going to perform right after them without intermission. Fiesta by plus was their song choice because in their own opinion, it was the best fairy tail opening. It was a toss up between that or dancing queen by ABBA but in the end, they picked Fiesta.

The vibes of the song was also a perfect way to end the night after an exhausting 3 day celebration.

Multiple thoughts were swirling in Chuuyou's mind as she waited for the other group to finish. About how happy she was that the school festival was well received (and maybe the school would allow more freedom for the students again next year?). About how excited she was at their performance. (Maybe even what Koutarou would tell her. Akaashi implied he was planning about it for days now and she can't wait!).

"WHAT A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE FROM OUR DEAR FIRST YEARS!" The mc's loud voice boomed, snapping her out of her train of thoughts. She immediately stood up and hoisted the strap of her guitar on her shoulder excitely. "I SWEAR, THIS SCHOOL IS FULL OF TALENTS! BUT THERE'S ALSO ONE LAST PERFORMANCE FOR TONIGHT!"

"Okay. It's our turn now." Tsukiko muttered, with the others wordlessly nodding their heads in agreement.

"YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD ABOUT THEM IF YOU'RE ON YOUTUBE THESE PAST FEW DAYS-"

"Why the fuck is he taking so long?" Eri asked as she impatiently tapped her foot on the ground.

"-AESIR THEMSELVES! TAKE THE STAGE!" The students loud cheers synched with them getting out as the mc carefully stepped down. It's quite amazing how they stayed out to watch even if it's already starting to get dark.

Without much of a greeting for the audience, Eri started the count for the drums, prompting them to get ready.

-

Nanatsu no umi wo koete tsudoi sawagou tokonatsu no shima wo mezashite

"OF COURSE THEY CHOSE THIS SONG." Washio loudly said.

"I KNOW! THIS IS KINDA FITTING TO END THE DAY THOUGH!" Konoha shouted back.

They sang and danced along the song with the other students, their cheers getting louder once they recognized the tune of the instruments in the begining, remaining unwaivering till the near end of the song.

-

Taiyou wa shizumi kurikaesu

Ashita hare nante hoshou wa nai kedo

"Be ready." Akaashi said as he slightly pushed Koutarou, who blushed in embarrassment.

"I KNOW!" He said, which earned him some curious look. He sighed and looked at the stage, preparing himself as he watched Aesir bow in gratitude. They looked flushed at the reaction of the students, as they were expecting some cheers but not something this loud!

He squeeze his way to the front, yelling apologies to the students he might have pushed with Akaashi comfortably following right behind him. He watched as they took flight on the small steps of stairs in the stage while lightly laughing and pushing each other.

And that's when everything turned to shit.

-

She heard the worried gasps and panicked yells of the students as a teacher desperately shouted for a nurse. She felt this said teacher gently cradle her- whispering words of assurance that she's gonna be fine and should hold on. She's fully conscious of everything that's happening around her, but strangely, she can't respond to them.

She felt something warm trickle from her forehead, and from that, she realized everything.

'Oh.'

'I must have hit my head harder than I thought if it's bleeding...'

Her head slightly lolled into her side, making her see everything and everyone. Everything is both clear and blurry for her. She can see the students horrified looks as they try to lean in to see more. There was the principal who was herding some of the students away. There was a teacher saying something about calling an ambulance and the nurse- why was she taking a long time to arrive?-. There was Eri, who was crying in guilt as she desperately shouted apologies to her, with Tsukiko and Takara trying to console her but they also have tears streaking down their faces.

'Not your fault, Eri. Please don't cry'

In her mind, here were multiple factors that affected the gravity of tripping on some wires and falling, despite it not being that high of a fall. It could be because she didn't notice it, since it was already dark. Perhaps it was when Eri slightly pushed her in excitement for the successful performance. Maybe it was coming down from the high of andrenaline after a wild performance. it could also be from the relief of succeeding after weeks worth of planning, practicing, and studying at the same time. Maybe she was simply exhausted physically and mentally. Or it could just be simply bad luck on her part. It seems like she angered a deity to have luck as shitty as hers.

She was starting to believe she was actually cursed, but not to the way they think.

Multiple thoughts circled her mind as she tried to fight the urge to pass out, head pounding painfully. She feels dizzy and wants nothing more but for the pain to end, but the desire to try to see him is stronger than her desire to give in the pain, so she held on, desperately trying to look for him amongst the crowd.

'The audience are so gonna be traumatized after this lmao.'

'Who the hell is the moronic idiot who put wires next to the fucking stairs? Of course somebody's bound to trip there and fall...'

'Fuck. I really do have bad luck, do I? It's not even funny anymore...'

'Welp, I guess it's another 10 days at the hospital...'

.

.

.

'I never even got to tell Kou that I like him.'

'I swear, it's like a divine intervention at this point... If I meet the deity responsible for this in the afterlife, I'm so gonna murder them... Even if I go to hell for that, consequences be damned.'

She wanted to glance at the night sky she so loved to make her feel better, cause right now, she really feels awful. The day that she fantasized that would end magically, like something out of the fairy tales love to read for days, now burned into ashes. She wanted nothing more than to laugh bitterly at what happened, but she can't even do that.

'I'm sorry, Koutarou.' She thought sadly at his panicked face as he tried to break away from Akaashi's hold. Darkness slowly replaced her sight as she finally gave in to the haze and passed out.