Chapter Two

"W-What!"

Mizuki trembled in the morning air but that was the least of her worries as she stared at a paper in her hands, the pervert Nanba standing beside her with a smile that clearly meant he was the one that had given her the paper. Sano, who was just behind Mizuki, stopped in his tracks from continuing to walk and instead turned back around, peering back with mild curiosity. The shock in the poser's face was enough to tell him what was happening...

Returning to her side, Sano looked over Mizuki's shoulder, arching an eyebrow as he noticed a rather cheesy Chritmas theme to the paper and there was a photo of Mizuki in her Alice in Wonderland costume above something typed out in red font, filling out the rest of the paper. It took Sano a moment to take his eyes off of the Brilliantly crimson colored "Merry Christmas" above the picture then the picture of Mizuki. He finally began to read what had Mizuki so worked up.

Students all over Osaka campus are thrilled to recieve information of the Combination Festival coming in three weeks. The Combination Festival only occurs once every three years when school all across the city are invited to one area where a Christmas party will be held, allowing students to meet other students from other schools. Naturally there will be cometitions at this gathering and Osaka was chosen to provide one of the competitions and a prize for the competition. Chosen for this event is exchange student Mizuki Ashiya--

Sano swiped the flyer out of Mizuki's trembling hands and she looked up at the high-jumper, watching him scan over the words then approach the dormitory head, holding the paper up and pointing at it.

"And whose brilliant idea was this?" he asked.

Nanba held up his hands, "Don't be angry at me, Izumi. I didn't do it, the majority of the school has spoken, even Nakatsu voted for it."

"Wh-When did we vote for this?" Mizuki exclaimed, panicking more then angry.

"Actually we did it outside of class." Nanba shrugged, "No one told me where it was posted, but I would've been guilty of signing you up as well." he smirked. "You're pretty cute as a girl after all."

"Y-You mean I have to dress up like a girl?" Mizuki's jaw could have fallen to the sidewalk. Please no...this time they're bound to find out! Why do I always have to be dressed up as a girl? Why!

"Do you know whose passing out these flyers?"

"That would be everyone. The journalism staff made them but guys are grabbing them by the stack because they're so psyced about the Combination Shin-dig." Nanba smiled.

"Still...I-I can't believe you too Minami..." Mizuki whimpered, hanging her head.

Sano crumpled the flyer up in his hands, tossing it tothe dorm rep. "You should gather the other dorms heads and change your plans." he said coldly.

Mizuki yelped as Sano took hold of her arm, hauling her after him rather roughly towards the school.

"S-Sano!"

"Your shivering is getting on my nerves, get inside before you catch a cold." he said pulling her inside of the building.

Nanba looked at the crumpled flyer in his hand then up after the two that disappeared into the building. He smiled slightly, tucking the paper into his pocket.

"Jealous, Izumi?" he murmured, "Or are you just getting a bit too protective of your roommate?" Shrugging he headed for the entrance as well, class was going to start soon anyway and he couldn't afford another tardy with his position in the school. "Either way...doesn't matter much to me..."

"You mean they entered you in as a prize for the Combination Festival?" Noe asked as Mizuki slumped onto the table, Sano pulling her tray out of the way before she could submerge her face in steaming hot rice.

"Yes." she groaned, "And I don't even know what this festival is!"

Nakatsu appeared, he looked a bit guilty but he smiled at the others as he sat down sine the other two were just as guilty as he was in voting Mizuki into the festival's prive presenters. He didn't know that Mizuki would actuallybea prize.

"The Combination Festival is when all the local schools go to that large shrine that's only a few miles from here and have a celebrations, almost like the Community Festival but much more exciting since the schools have a lock in one of the nights, but you don't have to stay. On that night, that's when Osaka's competition is taking place." Noe explained, "But I don't know what the game will be..."

"I heard it has something to do with an athletic marathon." Kyogo said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But I'm not really sure...it only makes sense that an acadamy well-known for its athletics and scholars would have something to do with an athletic competition. Could be anything from track, basketball, baseball, high-jump, soc--"

"High-jump!" Mizuki asked, lifting her head in a spur of excitement.

Sano covered his eyes, shaking his head a little.

"I don't know, not everyone in the schools can jump like Sano after all..." Kyogo said, glancing from Sano to Mizuki as she slumped back onto the table, disappointed and tired.

Nakatsu shoveled some noodles into his mouth. "Well..." he swallowed, "...I think they should do a soccer competition." I know I could win that easily...and then, if the prize really is Mizuki...

The others leaned away from the evil gleam in Nakatsu's eyes.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it right now." his room mate said flatly before having some of his rice.

"Yujiro...sorry I keep taking you on this same rout every time I walk you." Mizuki apologized to the dog as she walked with it down the sidewalk past the field. Through the chain-linked fence she caught a glimpse of Sano...it was so cold out yet he was in his muscle shirt and shorts! Was he crazy? After all that on saying she would get a cold this morning or when she wouldn't dry her hair immediately?

Yujiro whimpered softly as Mizuki tied him up, she apologized to him several times but left the dog to wait for her as she hurried inside of the gates but froze, hiding herself behind a pillar.

Wait! What am I doing? Sano doesn't like people watching him practice unless he asked them to come out and watch! But...But he'll catch a cold dressed like that...when did he get to careless?

Peering out from behind the pillar, she watched him run towards the pole, she swallowed, watching him gain on it, his legs tearing across the ground even though he wasn't the fasted runner like she or Nakatsu...but he looked beautiful when he leapt up into the air...beautiful...

The frozen mat exhaled under his weight, the plastic material crackling as it was compressed by his warm body and Mizuki felt flushed, watching him lay there panting. Watching his chest heave and a small smile appear on his lips. He must have been trying to accomplish that jump for some time now...

A soft whimper at her legs made Mizuki freeze and she peered down at Yujiro, he had come untied...

"Whose there?"

Mizuki winced, he'd found her out. Thanks a lot, Yujiro...

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the pillar, seeing Sano sitting up on the mat, what looked to be a sweater clutched in one of his hands that must have been lying on the mat. The high-jumper's eyes widened a little.

"Mizuki?"

"H-Hi." she smiled, rubbing the back of her neck, "Y-You look pretty cold dressed like that...shouldn't you wear some sweats?"

"It's harder to move in them." he said, looking up at the pole, "I was about to go home anyway...so if you wait a minute I'll walk with you and Yujiro."

She nodded, relieved he wasn't mad. "I'll see you in a minute then."

When Sano joined Yujiro and Mizuki, he was dressed much warmer but still looked rather cold with his nose pink and ears read from the chill. Mizuki pulled off her stocking cap, handng it over to him.

Sano took it, puzzled. "What's this for?"

"Your ears are probably frozen." she smiled, her cheeks were nowhere near frozen because of how deeply she was blushing. "Wear it to warm them up, you might catch a cold because of your carelessness."

She laughed a little. Sano...being careless...that was something she never expected to see, but it was also something she didn't mind all that much...

Sano smiled slightly, looking at the hat in his hands.

"Thanks..."