It was finally the day of the Year-End Festival and between catering to Akane, prepping for the festival, and continuing her class lessons, Hajime was happy to finally have a day to enjoy herself, even if she had to wear that uncomfortable maid outfit.
Not wanting to leave her room out of embarrassment, Hajime was thankful Akane wasn't here this weekend. It was Akane's father's birthday, and she wasn't expected back until the following week. Looking at herself in the mirror, Hajime couldn't help but admire the details of the uniform. The base of the dress was all black, falling just below her knees. The dress had long sleeves with white cuffs and buttons that cut off at her waist. The apron that adorned the dress was a skirt. It tied into a bow around her waist and was attached by frills that ran up and around her shoulders, highlighting the black dress and buttons on her chest. They also gave her a black bow to tie into her hair as opposed to a white one like her classmates were wearing (they thought her white hair would have blended in too much) and matching black pumps. Putting her hair into a ponytail, she secured the large back bow and gave a sigh. I can't believe I'm wearing something like this… Slowly opening the door to make sure no one would see her; Hajime quickly made her way to the Academy before the Festival officially began.
The students worked incredibly hard the past two weeks to transform their classroom into a beautiful café. There were multiple tables, chairs, a host station, and even a small "kitchen" area. Kisume, with his good looks and charm, was the host, and since some of Hajime's classmates were quite skilled in cooking and baking, they were able to secure their roles in the kitchen. In a separate section of the classroom, Tomiko and a few other classmates oversaw the mystery raffles. After Hajime told Tomiko that Byakuya agreed to offer a date as a prize, Tomiko made sure to let it slip so that guests would be convinced to buy more tickets since no one knew which number he was going to be. Tomiko secured six prizes and the only person who knew which prizes corresponded with which number was Professor Yuno.
"I told you you'd look cute in that uniform," Kisume winked as he saw Hajime entering the room.
Hajime scoffed at him, "Just get to your station," she said with a playful smile, "The festival is starting soon!"
There was already a bustling crowd outside the gates of the Academy, and it was time for the Festival to begin. There were many stalls lining the courtyard of the Academy, with various foods, games, and trinkets. It was going to be a fun day!
The maid café was a bigger hit than expected. Most of the tables were full within the first hour. With one last table for Hajime to wait on, Byakuya and Renji finally made their appearance, with Rukia in tow. All the girls were immediately star-struck by the two gentlemen and, as Kisume showed them to their table, Hajime didn't want to show her face. With Kisume pushing her out of the kitchen, she couldn't help but hide her face as she walked over to the table to greet them.
"Hajime!" Rukia and Renji greeted, only further driving her into embarrassment. She tried to completely avoid Byakuya's gaze.
"W-W-Welcome to our café!" Hajime exclaimed, flustered. "I'll be taking care of you today. Can I get you something to drink?"
Rukia and Renji couldn't hold in their stifling laughter any longer. Turning as red as a strawberry, Hajime yelled back, "H-Hey! W-What's so funny?! I didn't ask for this, you know!"
"Nothing, nothing!" Rukia and Renji spoke in unison, still laughing.
"I'll have a green tea, Kisumoto-San," Byakuya spoke as he placed down his menu. "Thank you."
"Strawberry milkshake for me," Rukia ordered.
"And a root beer float for me," Renji spoke with a smile.
As Hajime gathered their drinks and served them to the table, she put in their orders to the kitchen and began serving her other tables as well. Byakuya noticed how hands-on some of the Shinigami were being and how uncomfortable it was for Hajime to keep a smile on her face.
Finally, the food was ready to be served to Byakuya's table, Rukia, and Renji (mostly Rukia) was in charge of ordering for the table and she mostly ordered sweets such as dangos, taiyaki, manju, and ichigo diafuku.
"Whaa, everything looks great!" Rukia exclaimed as she was practically drooling.
Hajime giggled, "Enjoy your treats everyone!"
As Hajime was about to return to the kitchen, one of the Shinigami, who was getting a little out of hand, was about to lunge at Hajime, eyes full of lust. Closing her eyes, Hajime braced herself for impact, using her serving tray as a shield. Quickly, Byakuya grabbed onto the back of Hajime's dress and pulled her close to him, falling into his lap, and causing the Shinigami to fall flat on the floor. The other Shinigami sitting with the man immediately helped him up, apologized to everyone, and left.
Opening her eyes, she was face-to-face with Byakuya. "Are you all right?" he asked her. It was at this moment that it felt like time stopped and they were the only two in the room. He looked at her with such gentle eyes, her feelings all came rushing back and made her even more flustered. Hajime quickly jumped up and ran to the kitchen to catch her breath.
As Byakuya's table finished with their meal, the three of them went to go buy raffle tickets with Tomiko. The raffle was a huge success, with many participants buying multiple tickets to get a fair chance at every item. Though, Tomiko warned Byakuya that he wasn't allowed to participate since there would be a chance that he could win the prize with himself. Buying the tickets anyway, he made his way over to Hajime, who was on break. Handing six tickets to her, she looked at him, confused.
"I understand your paychecks go toward your tuition so you haven't had an opportunity to spoil yourself," Byakuya explained as he placed the tickets in her hand, "While it may not be much, I hope you can win something nice for yourself." With Kisume calling out to Hajime that her break was over, Hajime quickly thanked Byakuya and placed the tickets in her pocket.
The Year-End Festival was a two-day event and runs until about midnight each day. The café was bustling for hours on end, slowing down around three in the afternoon. The raffle bowls were full beyond compare and even though Tomiko had plans to call for the winner that night, they sold out of raffle tickets quickly and decided to do the drawing early. Rushing over with her tickets before the final call, Hajime placed all her tickets in the bowl with the least amount of entries. It was for prize #4. Closing the café down for an hour, Professor Yuno made the announcement over the intercom that the raffle drawing was going to begin soon, and all participants should gather at the café and get their last raffle tickets entered.
Returning to the café with loads of snacks and stuffed animals in their hands, Rukia and Renji came by to see who would win the date with Byakuya, who was in the back room waiting to be called out.
"We would like to give a big thank you to all who participated in our raffle," Yuno announced, "Your generosity goes back to our students here at the Academy and we couldn't be more grateful!" The crowd erupted in large applause. "Now who's ready to win some prizes?!"
Starting with prize #1, Tomiko was able to secure two tickets to the theater and there were over 300 tickets in the bowl. The winner was a man from the 5th district of Rukongai who couldn't wait to bring his wife to see the show.
Prize #2 was a set of lavishly decorated kimonos. There would be two winners for this prize and there were just as many tickets in the bowl as prize #1. Shino's family graciously donated both kimonos for today's festival. The winner of the female-style kimono was a Year 2 Academy student, and the winner of the male-style kimono was an officer of Squad 9.
The third prize was an all-expense paid trip to the Soul Society Spa for two. It was a luxury spa open to everyone in Soul Society. Pulling the winning ticket from the bowl, it was Kira Izuru who won. Not an enjoyer of spas, Kira handed over his tickets to Matsumoto, who he knew would enjoy the experience more.
For the next prize, Byakuya walked out to step onto the platform next to Yuno. "For prize #4, we wish to give a big thank you to Kuchiki Taichou for his time and generosity. One lucky winner will get the opportunity to go on a nice date with the Captain here!" Pulling out the bowl of tickets, while still exponentially full, it was noticeably less full than the others. As Tomiko expected, she saw some guests still holding on to their tickets, trying to place them all in the bowl.
"Tough luck!" Tomiko called out, blocking the bowl. "If you haven't placed your tickets in, it's your loss!"
Disappointed, a large handful of students who were holding on to their tickets grew angry and left.
Oh no, Hajime thought to herself, I'm an idiot!
"Now let's see who the lucky winner is!" Yuno announced as she swirled her hand in the overflowing bowl.
The minute felt like an hour, Hajime's mind racing. There's no way, I only put six tickets. What are the odds…?
"Kisumoto Hajime!" Yuno announced, to the surprise of everyone. Everyone who knew of her, specifically her classmates, all looked at Hajime, who was frozen and wide-eyed.
There's no way!
"Cheater!" a fellow student called out, "She must have cheated! Kuchiki Taichou is the one sponsoring her. Who's to say she didn't know which prize to enter just so she can have him for herself!" Her fellow students agreed and rallied behind her.
"Impossible." Yuno explained, "the only one who knew of the prizes was me. Even Tomiko-San wasn't privy to that information."
"It's true," Tomiko stated, "I was even watching her. Kisumoto only had six tickets, and she won fair and square."
"Kisumoto-San," Yuno stated, "You have the right to forfeit your prize if you wish." All eyes were on her.
I have to forfeit; I can't embarrass him any further! As she was about to open her mouth to reject her winnings, Rukia and Renji quickly covered her mouth. "She accepts!" They both yelled out.
"Come Kisumoto-San," Yuno spoke as she waved her hand for Hajime to come to her, "Please escort Kuchiki Taichou off the stage so we may draw the next prize."
Releasing Hajime from their grip, Rukia and Renji slowly pushed her forward. As she was making her way to the platform, she felt all eyes of hatred on her. How could I have been so dumb? She reprimanded herself as she couldn't bear to look Byakuya in his eyes.
Despite the whispering and commotion on the sidelines, Yuno continued to announce the last two prize winners. The fifth prize consisted of two tickets to a traditional tea-making class and a Year 1 Academy student was the lucky winner of that prize. The last prize was a food voucher, allowing any guest free food at the Festival for both days. The winner was a Rukongai woman who couldn't be happier to treat her family to some delicious food and treats.
As everyone cleared out of the classroom and the maids were setting up to reopen the café, Hajime and Byakuya were left together in silence. Finally turning around to face him, she blurted, "W-We don't have to go on a d-date!"
"I am not one to go against my word." He stated bluntly.
"We-Well, we can just pretend!" Hajime suggested.
"I fear that if your classmates see you not taking advantage of your 'prize', they will continue to taunt you even more." He was right. She was already forced to accept her prize. If her classmates found out they didn't even go on a date, the backlash she would receive would be intolerable. Seeing her uneasiness, Byakuya looked out the window and saw how much everyone was still enjoying themselves at the Festival, "You've been so busy, you haven't had a chance to enjoy the festival yet, correct? Why don't you join me?"
We're supposed to keep our distance…
Not being able to handle her silence any longer, Byakuya gently held her hand and guided her outside, "Takahashi Kisume," he spoke as he was leaving, "Kisumoto Hajime is finished with her duties for the day."
Kisume smirked and crossed Hajime off the list of staff, "Have fun on your date~!"
Walking through the various stalls in the courtyard, Byakuya could see Hajime fidgeting with her dress and picking her fingers, she was like a shy schoolgirl. Spotting a stall that sold hand-tailored kimonos, Byakuya bought a simple floral lavender one as Hajime continued to walk on by herself.
"Kisumoto-San," he spoke. She turned around as she finally noticed he wasn't beside her, "Why don't you try this one? I'm sure you'll be more comfortable."
"For me?"
Byakuya nodded and handed over the kimono to her. The stall owner was so captivated by Hajime's looks; she threw in matching sandals for free.
Finally getting out of that maid uniform, Hajime relaxed. However, she felt the glares of others on her and tensed up again.
"I seem to have caused trouble for you, haven't I?" Byakuya asked.
"Eh? N-no!" She exclaimed as she looked at him.
"How long has this been going on?"
She hesitated. "Since I started…" she lied.
"Do not let them get to you. What's important is that you know what is true. As do I."
It seems like he always knew what to say to make her feel better. They simply smiled at one another and continued along the courtyard. The sky was darkening, and Hajime's face lit up as all the lanterns from the stalls were being lit. It was beautiful. Byakuya couldn't help but admire her, she was beautiful. Catching his gaze, Hajime blushed and smiled.
The two walked past multiple handmade accessory stalls, and there was a charm that caught Hajime's eye. On the charm were cherry blossom petals made of glass, they sparkled as they reflected the light. Byakuya saw how enamored she was with it and asked the stall owner how much it was.
"That charm there is 4,500 Yen (about $30 USD); it was handmade by my daughter." The stall owner explained.
Saddened that she couldn't afford it, she admired the beauty of the charm and put it back.
"We'll take it," Byakuya spoke as he gave the Yen to the stall owner.
"Ah, thank you so much Kuchiki-Sama! We appreciate your kindness!" The stall owner and his family bowed in gratitude.
Continuing along their stroll, Hajime looked at Byakuya with a complex expression.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You didn't have to buy me this… You already got me so much." She felt guilty. Even though she has a job, she never actually gets to use any of her money. And Hajime has never needed materialistic things, after all, her father never let her.
"You work hard for your pay," he spoke, "an item here or there is no issue."
Stopping her walk, Byakuya looked at her confused. She gave a smile and knelt to tie the charm onto the hilt of his Zanpakuto, "The reason why I loved this charm so much," she said while smiling, "Was because it reminded me of you."
His heart stirred at her words and he felt himself falling deeper in love with her.
The two continued to enjoy the festival and on their walk, they saw beautiful paper lanterns floating in the sky.
"Whaa, how beautiful…" Hajime admired.
"Those are wishing lanterns," Byakuya explained, "You write a wish and put it inside the lantern, releasing it. It's said that if you release a lantern during this Festival, it will come true." He looked over at her and asked, "Shall we try?"
Hajime looked at him with her sparkling eyes and nodded enthusiastically.
The two found the wishing stand and were given their wishing paper and lanterns. As the two wrote their wishes down and securely placed them in their lanterns, they lit their lanterns together. Releasing it into the air, Hajime continued to watch them fly away in awe. She's always dreamed of going to a festival like this and was happy she could enjoy it for the first time.
Continuing to explore the other stalls, Hajime saw a child admiring a small stuffed penguin prize at one of the game stalls, "Hey little one," she spoke gently as she kneeled to meet his gaze, "Would you like that toy?" The little boy gave a large grin and nodded, the parents explained that they had already tried and lost. Turning back to face the boy, Hajime winked at him and grinned, "Don't worry, I'll do my best to win that for you!" But the problem was, she didn't have any tickets! To play the games at the festival, guests need to pay for tickets and since she didn't have any money, how was she supposed to keep her promise? Already ahead of her, Byakuya handed the tickets he had to the stall owner; he had leftovers when he bought them for his squad, and he didn't have a reason to use them anyway.
The stall was hosting a game of ring toss; there were various bottles scattered on the floor and if you land a ring over the bottle, you win a prize. It was more difficult than it sounded as the rings would bounce off every time they touch the bottle. It also didn't help that multiple people could play at once and knock each other's rings mid-air. On her first try, Hajime was given five rings, and… she missed all of them. Nervously laughing at the little boy, she looked over to Byakuya who gave her another ticket to try.
Continuing to miss, Hajime was now on her last ring. As she was about to throw it, Byakuya stepped in behind her, "You need to position your body better," softly, he moved her arm lower, "And you're putting too much force into your toss." He slid his hand over hers and showed her how to throw it. Their bodies were against one another and as she turned to face him, he was centimeters away. Gazing into each other's eyes he said, "You need to gently flick your wrist." With his hand guiding hers, they released the ring… and it landed!
"Winner, winner!" The stall owner called out as the two of them continued to gaze at one another, "What prize would you like, miss?"
Getting back to her senses, Hajime quickly released herself from Byakuya and got the penguin toy for the little boy. "Whaa, thank you Onee-Chan!" He was so happy; it made her flashback to her time with Hiyoshi. She gently smiled at him and ruffled his hair, "As much as I'd like to take the credit," she whispered, "It was all thanks to him." She winked as she pointed to Byakuya behind her.
The little boy looked at Byakuya in awe, "Who-who is he?" he asked.
"That," she said looking into the boy's sparkling green eyes, "is Kuchiki Byakuya, a Captain of the Gotei 13."
"Are you a Captain too?" The boy asked, wide-eyed.
Hajime giggled, "No. But…" She looked over at Byakuya, eyes full of admiration, "I hope to be as strong as him one day."