A/N: Not mine.

Kinnosuke's back-to-school moping only lasted a few days. Once he espied the announcement flyer for the Fall Sports Festival his canny brain began to plot. Yeah, I just have to get on our class's planning committee and I'll be in like Flynn. A little bit of spying on Class A and rewriting a few clues…

He was further abetted in his efforts by the fortuitous circumstance of Kotoko's distraction during the event assignments. He had already penned himself in direct conflict with Naoki and was looking forward to 'humbling that genius turd'. He flashed a toothy smile towards Kotoko and never noticed that she didn't see it.

"It's very pretty." Satomi held up a chain of jewels. "But a bit too big for a bracelet and a little small for a necklace."

"Yeah," Jinko added, "and where's the clasp?"

"No clasp; Mrs. Irie once more has forgotten that I am not Cathoic," her friend informed her, rolling her eyes.

"Huh?"

"It's a rosary."

"Oh." Satomi blinked. "Well, at least it's in your birthstone."

"That's what Obasama said," Kotoko replied glumly. Her mood didn't improve when she realized that her least favorite classmate was hollering her name. "What?" she snapped.

"Hey, babe, I was tellin' ya about what I've signed you up for in the festival."

"I'm not your 'babe'," she argued before she looked at the board behind the boy. "Relay race, fine. But what in the world is a scavenger race? Won't the audience be bored when people scatter all over the campus and neighborhood to find a lot of items?"

"Nah, it's not that com-plee-cated," he managed to pronounce the long word. "Ya just have one thing to find."

"Satomi, Jinko," she turned to her friends, "is this seriously an event?"

"Well, I really haven't seen it used since middle school," Satomi answered slowly, "but it might still be on the list for the committee to choose from."

"Sounds kind of lame, though," Jinko commented.

"Indeed. Mr. Ikezawa," Kotoko addressed Kinnosuke, "please remove my name from that event."

"Nuh-uh, no can do." He shook his head. "The charts are full, and I ain't gonna mess with 'em now."

Her eyebrows drew together. "And the participants are given no choice in the matter?"

"It's the job of the class committee chair," he grinned, "and that would be me."

"Saints preserve us," she muttered. "The inmates are in charge of the asylum. Very well," she raised her voice, "I shall participate."

"But you won't be happy about it," Satomi murmured, and the three girls giggled.

Kinnosuke's grin widened in anticipation. I just love it when a plan comes together.

"And he did not give anyone a choice of events?" Naoki's tone was one of disbelief. "That sounds counterproductive to good results."

"Oh," Kotoko shrugged, "Satomi and Jinko said that he picked people according to their strengths, but then most of the class has been together for two and a half years. How would he be able to gauge my abilities?"

"This is Stalker-kun we're talking about, isn't it?" Yuuki had latched onto the nickname given by Satomi. "I'm sure he has an ulterior motive." He took another large spoonful of ice cream; the trio were enjoying the late afternoon sun on the balcony, and he had used that as an excuse for a treat.

"Ikezawa couldn't even pronounce 'ulterior'," Kotoko sniffed, "much less know what it means."

"I'm not so certain about that," Naoki said slowly. "He has proved himself to be wily. Now, I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but I am entered in the same relay for my class. It almost looks as if he is pitting himself in direct competition to me."

"Yeah," Yuuki laughed, "he thinks if he wins a penny-ante race that he'll make Kotoko switch from you to him."

"Yuuki-kun!" Kotoko's blush rivaled the setting sun in front of them. "It's not like that!"

"It is to him," the younger boy pointed out.

"But what I don't understand," Naoki continued, ignoring the byplay, "is why he entered you in the same race. Granted, you run different legs, but wouldn't he be more able to show off if you were in the audience instead of a participant?"

Kotoko chuckled, "I can answer that. He thought to finagle me into 'private coaching' with him. I told him thank you very much–"

"Not that politely, I bet!" Yuuki snorted.

"–but that I regularly took long hikes in Hokkaido, and that Obasama would be more than happy for me to use her treadmill to get me up to speed."

"Well played," Naoki smiled at her, "and from that exchange, I believe he does understand the meaning of 'ulterior', if not the actual word."

"But I still cannot fathom the entertainment value of a scavenger race."

She found herself repeating that statement the day of the festival.

"Honestly," her voice almost achieved a whine, "this is the most illogical and random event. According to my 'team captain'," she made finger quotation marks, "each clue is different. That means one contestant might collect a clue which is totally simple, while the one for another would be the equivalent of determining the thrust required to escape the earth's gravitational pull."

"There is no way any will be as difficult as that," Naoki tried to assure her.

"And even so," Yuuki patted her shoulder, "you'd be able to answer it anyway."

"Ah, Kotoko-chan," Mrs. Irie wrapped arms around her, "this is not something to stress over. A simple entertainment to break the monotony of school."

She wrinkled her nose. "I suppose I am making too much of this." She took another bite of her pork bun and chewed slowly. "But something tells me that the class idiot is plotting again."

"Really?" Naoki straightened. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Because it was only this morning that he pulled a fortune at the temple which encouraged him to 'take the left path'."

"And why would that concern you?" Mrs. Irie questioned, confused.

"Oh, he was making his usual delusional speech about how he and I were soulmates, my yen to his yang."

"Did he really confuse 'yen' for 'yin'?" Yuuki asked; when she replied in the affirmative, he pantomimed barfing.

Meanwhile, his mother shot a deadly glare in Kinnosuke's direction. "I would like to tell that young man a few hard truths!"

"Now, Mama," Mr. Irie, leaving the video camera to Kotoko's father, took his wife's hand and stroked it, "you know the headmaster told you to keep your distance after the incident last summer."

"I never laid a hand on that rude and uncultured boy! He spouted untruths, and after crashing my dear Kotoko-chan's and Onii-chan's party at the water park!"

"Besides," Mr. Aihara proved that he had been paying attention to the conversation, "my daughter can take care of herself."

"Okay, hold on," Naoki spoke up, "back to his little hints. Does Ikezawa want you to take that left path–I suppose the left side of the field–or, since you are yin-yang opposites, would you be expected to go right?"

"Who knows what that cretin has in mind?" She grumbled and took a deep breath. "I wish I could back out. Can't I hide behind the cooler and folding chairs?" She indicated the sidelines space which Mrs. Irie had claimed, decorated, and furnished.

"Hey, Onee-chan, c'mere." Yuuki waved her over. "I don't think it'll be that hard to outwit the nitwit."

"What?"

"I've been watching them set up the field. You see that envelope that's almost propped up on its corner?"

She nodded.

"Stalker-kun spent way too much time getting that one 'just so' after practically tossing the rest of his share on the ground."

"It's on the left side of the field," Naoki spoke with no inflection.

Kotoko replied in the same manner. "Which means he has no idea what yin-yang really means."

"And," Mrs. Irie shoved herself between them, "he is not quite as unobtrusive as he thinks, taking up a position near it. Ah, Onii-chan," she smacked her older son's bicep, "why couldn't you have left that worm in the dust and totally humiliated him? I know you can run faster than he!"

"In my defense," he countered, "I didn't find out he was also in the hundred-meter until we lined up."

"Sorry," Kotoko shrugged, "I was so aggravated with the whole idea of him being in charge that I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the roster."

"Never mind," Naoki shook his head, "I made him work for his first place finish. And considering that I run conditioning drills year-round, he is probably more fatigued than me. But the second race is later. Right now we have to figure out strategy for this event."

"Don't worry, Onii-chan," Yuuki and Kotoko bumped fists, "we've got a sure-fire plan."

Kotoko nodded in agreement, eyes brimming with laughter. "And one that will certainly put a dent in his ego."

The start gun made both participants and audience jump, but recovery was quick and soon all were running or cheering, depending upon their role.

While there were friends and family to cheer all entrants, one in particular garnered comments from different groups.

"Go, Kotoko!" Satomi and Jinko had returned from the lunch tent in time for the race.

"Yeah, Kotoko-Babe, come towards me, your true love!" A gangly student waved arms wildly as he jumped up and down on the left side of the field.

"Kotoko-chan! What are you doing, child?" Mrs. Irie wailed. "Stay away from that cheater."

"C'mon, Kotoko–hey, who ya callin' cheater?!"

The Irie and Aihara fathers mutely continued their task of chronicling the event. Naoki and Yuuki were silent as well, only exchanging a grin when the girl swerved sharply away from the one creating a ruckus.

"That's it, Kotoko-chan!" Mrs. Irie attempted a Herkie jump and managed to land–barely–upright.

"Whaddya doin', Kotoko?" bellowed Kinnosuke. "I'm over here–over here! Ack!" Two members of the festival committee hauled him away, protesting, from the sidelines.

"Yes!" Kotoko smiled at her target envelope. Plucking it from the grass, she chuckled after reading it. "How easy is this one?" She raced back to the Irie-Aihara group, grabbed Naoki by the hand, and hustled him to the finish line where they took first place in record time.

"That was weird strategy," Satomi commented to Jinko.

Gintaro, standing next to them with Dozo, said,"Yeah, seems like Kin-chan struck out."

The girls turned to look at them. "What do you mean?" asked Jinko.

"Kin was steering her towards the clue for her to find her one true love."

The girls stared at each other, then clasped hands and began to jump up and down, squealing enough to make Dozo stick his little finger in his ear and jiggle it. "Warn me next time you do that," he grumbled as he and his friend wandered off to find–and console–Kinnosuke.

Once Kotoko was awarded the first place ribbon, she made a beeline back to the haven of the family gathering spot. "Well, it looks like I worried over nothing," she grinned, "especially thanks to Yuuki-kun." She gave him a big hug.

"You sure solved that clue in a hurry, Onee-chan." Yuuki smirked. "No gravitational thrust calculations then?"

"No," she laughed, "it was so easy. All I had to find was–oof!" She was almost flung to the ground when Satomi and Jinko ran up and embraced her before their momentum was spent.

"It's so exciting!" Satomi shrieked. "You're going to have to fill us in on all the details."

"Details?" she asked. "All I did was–"

"How long have you two been an item?" Jinko pressed. "Not fair, holding out on us!"

"What are you talking about?" she queried.

"Kin-chan's bookends said that the clue was for you to find your one true love."

"What?!" Mrs. Irie screeched, hands on her cheeks. "Oh my, oh my," she began fanning herself. "I had wished and hoped, but I never saw any hint that this was coming to pass. Oh, this is marvelous! Why, Papa and I had talked about expanding the second story just last year. Once we do that, it can be your and Onii-chan's love-nest."

Kotoko's eyes widened in shock. "Love nest?"

"Now, Kotoko," her father approached with a stern look on his face, "tell me that you and Naoki-kun have not acted inappropriately."

"Inapprop– What is this nonsense?" she cried.

Naoki placed a hand on one shoulder. "Perhaps if you reveal the clue, Kotoko, it will clear up this…misunderstanding."

Mutely she held forth the paper. There were several snatching hands, but Mrs. Irie's were the quickest. "Your most intelligent friend?"

"Aw," Jinko sighed, "just like those two boneheads to get it confused."

"Maybe not," Yuuki snickered. "I bet the 'one true love' clue was what the noisy one was trying to get her to pick up."

"So the one you got isn't the one that Kin-chan wanted you to?" Satomi asked, ungrammatically.

"I tried to stay far away from that one," Kotoko averred. "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

Naoki chuckled and tugged gently on one pigtail. "Which means, not at all."

She winked as she nodded her agreement.

Dozo scratched his head. "So Aihara didn't get your true love clue?"

"With the way you were jumping and pointing, maybe that means she really is dumb enough to be in our class," Gintaro proposed.

"Nah, she ain't dumb. She just couldn't understand my message," Kinnosuke averred. "But that won't matter!"

"It won't?"

"Look, I've shown my superiority to Irie once today–I'll do it again in the relay. That'll be my key to Kotoko's heart."

"I dunno, Kin. If you had the key to her heart, she would've let you help her train. If she's too slow in the third leg, you'll have a harder time beating Class A."

Kinnosuke waved away that argument. "You forget who you're talkin' to!"