We talked about what Fujisaki's festival was like compared to ours and stopped in a few of the classrooms that had games or contests. One thing I'd quickly learned about Rion was that she had a competitive streak. It was fun to go up against her, and even more fun to tease her afterwords.

"Were you actually trying to hit the balloon, or did you just decide to spear that poor guy for fun?" I ribbed her as we moved through a crowded hallway. Students were calling loudly for participants to come in and check out their offerings.

She whacked my arm. "Shut up," she complained. "At least, I wasn't afraid to put my hand in the mystery box like someone I could mention."

"Hey, I heard last year they put a tarantula in one."

"Awww," she crooned.

I looked at her. "Do you…like tarantulas?"

She smiled. "I had one for a pet when I was little."

"Ugh!" I recoiled in horror.

"Stop it!" She admonished playfully. "He was really sweet, and his fuzzy little legs were so cute…" She cooed happily.

I continued to stare at her until she met my gaze. "You are a strange woman," I told her.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, look!" she cried. "It's Chihaya-chan!"

I followed her gaze and nearly choked. Sure enough, it was Chihaya beckoning visitors into her class's café, but she was wearing a maid costume, and wearing it quite nicely. Nice marketing ploy…

"Oh, good grief. Pick your tongue up off the floor," Rion jibed.

"Are you this sassy with everyone? I don't think you…"

Chihaya cut off my retort. "Taichi! Yama-chan!" She waved enthusiastically.

We joined her. "Come inside and eat," she urged us.

Through the doorway I saw tables with patrons seated. "You look pretty busy already," I commented.

"How was your performance?" she asked me.

I was surprised. I never could predict when she was actually paying attention to my life.

"It went pretty well. There were a few mess-ups, but everyone seemed to like it."

She nodded vigorously. "Mm, I've heard some people talking about it. They said you were incredible. Oh!" Her gaze was on a spot several feet behind us. "Mai-chi!" She waved.

Aaand we've lost her…

I caught Rion's eye. "Want to stop for a bite?"

"Sure." As I followed her through the maze of tables, I noticed a number of girls had their eyes on the two of us. It had been happening earlier, too, but Rion made no comment.

She picked out an empty table, which was really two desks pushed together and covered with a tablecloth, and we took a seat. A short cup with several flowers in it shared the table with a hand-scribed, single-page menu. Rion angled it so we could both read it if we leaned forward.

Rion looked up just as a familiar tenor voice sounded next to us. "Welcome to Class 3-5's Butler and Maid Café. My name is Komano Tsutomu and I will be taking care of you today."

I looked up in surprise. Sure, enough, it was Komano-kun, decked out in a black-and-white tux with tails.

I smiled widely just as Rion cried. "Desktomu! You look like a real butler!"

She'd nailed it. His manner was more stiff than usual, and somehow the glasses were perfect for effect.

Then he dropped the austere act and broke into a relieved smile. "Yeah, a lot of people have said that. I wasn't too sure about the idea when the class decided on it, but it's been pretty fun." I saw his eyes flit to follow one of the "maids" as she passed by.

I chuckled. He is a guy, after all.

"So what's good?" Rion asked him. She gave him a mock serious look. "Be honest, now. Teammates before classmates."

He made a few suggestions, and when he took our orders I noticed he didn't write them down on anything. Very good, getting in your memorization practice!

Fortified by our snacks and our banter with Komano, we set off down a hall that housed mostly third-year classes. I was glad I'd asked Rion along. She was an easy companion and we got along well. We'd bypassed several more food stalls and empty classrooms when I spotted the haunted house several rooms away.

"Is that one your class?" I asked her.

"Yes." She sighed. "I should probably get back and let someone else have a break."

I was surprised to find myself reluctant to let her go. It was on the tip of my tongue to protest that we hadn't even been outside yet. But I squashed that impulse quickly.

I realized my disappointment had shown somehow when Rion said, "Well, we could probably go through it first, if you want."

I backpedaled. "Oh, that's okay. You go ahead."

A wry grin pulled up the corner of her mouth. "Oh, I see. Scared, huh? Don't like haunted houses, eh?"

My manhood was affronted. "Tch! Don't be ridiculous."

I allowed her to present me to the zombie manning the entrance. "Got a fresh victim," she told him.

He mutely gestured toward the door, which had been draped with more of those black curtain panels.

I looked at it nervously, and Rion laughed. "Too scared?"

I gave her a sarcastic look and plunged through the fabric. I stopped just inside to allow my eyes to adjust to the faint green and purple lights dotted along a corridor created by hanging black curtains. I felt Rion stop beside me.

She chuckled. "Cool, I haven't seen this part."

When I could see better, we began slowly walking forward. We passed a couple large tombstone cutouts, and I was almost expecting it when a "ghost" jumped up behind them, howling eerily.

I stiffened, my heart involuntarily beating faster. Rion burst into laughter. Cheerfully, she mumbled a name I didn't recognize. We followed the draped route as it snaked around past macabre scenery and several more antagonists who tried to scare us. A wolfman actually chased down Rion and held her in a bear hug.

"Death roll!" a male voice declared, twirling the two of them in a circle before me. For some reason it irritated me, watching some mystery guy flirting with her right in front of me.

"That's a crocodile, you idiot." Rion's muffled voice was still tainted with giggles. "Natsuki-kun, let me go."

He obliged and disappeared through a flap in the curtain wall.

I stepped a little closer to her and we turned the corner into an open space where a strobe light flashed through billows of smoke. I coughed a little at the acrid scent of the dry ice.

"Hey, this is pretty cool," I said, moving my arms around in front of me and watching the strange staccato effect under the strobe light.

Rion did the same. "Wait, watch, watch!" she cried. It looked like one second she was facing me and the next she had magically teleported one hundred and eighty degrees so that her back was to me.

I laughed. "That's good!"

Suddenly the light switched off and we were plunged into pitch black. Nearby I heard the hum of the dry ice machine, and elsewhere in the classroom were the shouts of other patrons.

"Taichi?" Rion sounded cowed.

"I'm here."

"Where?"

"Here." In the dark, our voices seemed disembodied.

"Keep talking." She sounded nervous.

"Uh, ah…" A poem came to mind. I broke into a chant. "If I should live long, then perhaps the present days may be dear to me…" I jumped when a hand touched my chest.

"Oh, there you are." She sounded relieved. Her hand traveled up my chest and found my shoulder. She slid her hand down my arm to clutch my bicep. "They aren't supposed to do this," she grumbled quietly.

"Scared?" I returned her teasing from earlier.

"Hmph." I noticed it wasn't a denial.

A protective urge rose up in me. I slid my arm behind her, finding the hollow of her back and resting my hand on her small waist. "Hey, it's okay," I said gently. "They'll have to turn it on sooner or later for the next person who's coming."

An exaggerated growl sounded from the direction we'd come. "See," I said, gathering her against my chest. "Sounds like your wolfy friend just sent someone this way."

It was strangely quiet in our little circle. I wondered what her classmates were up to, or whether the strobe light just went on strike and no one had noticed.

As my mind sifted through possibilities, the rest of my senses were becoming more aware of the girl I held in my arms. I felt the warmth of her body heat, and the moisture of her breath against my neck. I felt her softness, and my mind replayed our kiss from last year.

Crap. She can probably feel my heart pounding now. Or in her case, she can hear it.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything to distract myself, but my mind was blank like the darkness around us.

It was a good memory-not just the kiss, but the whole evening with her. I'd enjoyed her company. I liked her spirit, her intensity, even her introspective side. I knew now that it hadn't been a fluke, or a circumstantial thing. Already since she'd come to us, there'd been many times, like today, when I found myself really enjoying her company.

I remembered the harsh words we'd exchanged when she showed up at club out of the blue that day. If I'd been more welcoming, where might we be now?

Do I even want to go there?

Rion's voice startled me. "You are scared," she said soberly. "I can hear your heart beating."

Crap! I knew it!

"Tch! I'm just passing the time imagining myself in the Master match."

"Oh, you are, are you?" I could hear the smile in her voice.

With no warning, the room was flashing again, the strobe light miraculously back in action. Both Rion and I let out sighs of relief. She stepped out of my arms and turned toward the exit. As I followed her, I wondered again: Do I want to go there?

-0-0-0-0-

CHIHAYA

WHIRRR. My phone vibrated, alerting me to an incoming message. I finished the homework problem I'd been solving before sliding the phone across my desk and flipping it open.

"From Arata!" I cried with delight.

Pressing the button, I read: Happy Birthday, Chihaya!

I gasped. He remembered!

I found his contact info and called him immediately.

"Chihaya?" he answered.

"Arata! You remembered. Thank you!"

"Ah. Happy Birthday." His husky voice filled me with warmth.

"Can I open your present now?" I asked excitedly. I'd discovered the fist-sized box on my desk after he'd vacated my room. It was tied up in a red ribbon and had been left on a note bearing his careful penmanship: "For your birthday." I'd looked at it with affection for the past ten days.

"You haven't opened it yet? Oh, sure, go ahead. But it's no big deal." It might be my imagination, but I thought he sounded a little embarrassed.

I held the box between my knees and pulled at the bow with one hand. When it fell away I removed the lid and pulled out a sturdy-looking chrome whistle hung on a … "Ohh! A Daddy Bear lanyard! I love it! I don't have one, and look, it's so cute!"

His throaty chuckle sounded in my ear.

I gave the whistle a test. THWEEET!

"Whoa! That was louder than I expected," I said. I went back to admiring the lanyard.

"Every P.E. teacher needs a good whistle," Arata said.

I froze. Tears sprang to my eyes.

"Arata," I squeezed out. He believes in me.

Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes and trailed down my cheeks. "Thank you," I whispered.