The Cherryton Cooking Club

by Mr.Dr.Sadperson

Taking place one year before the events of the show, this story is a simple look at the (relatively) normal lives of average students attending Cherryton Highschool.

30. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Masks We Wear

Yasui had to admit, the Cooking Club was really starting to come together. It was the third week of October and they were having their first real club event. They had set up a table during lunch in front of the main building and as soon as classes were over, they had begun selling various baked goods to help raise funds. Yasui and Chaussette managed the actual transactions while Yufine got the attention of passers by (a position she had insisted on). As such, Yasui was making change for a llama who had bought a cupcake as Yufine gleefully called out,

"Bake sale! Come get some delicious snacks! All fresh and yummy! Guaranteed the cutest cupcakes and cookies on school grounds!"

Yasui snickered at that. Yufine had gotten Chaussette on board, and both had decided that they needed to decorate the cupcakes with massive amounts of edible glitter and the cookies with frosting in the shape of chibi animal faces. Yasui thought it was a bit… grim for a carnivore to eat the head of a rabbit on a cookie, but what did he know. Maybe that was normal around here. Shiro and his roommates sure seemed to get a kick out of it.

"Dude! This cookie is your face! Watch!"

Shiro noisily bit part of the ear off and one of his roommates, a German Shepherd, gasped.

"Oh yeah! Well how about this!"

He took his dog shaped cookie and bit its mouth off. He scoffed at Shiro.

"Good luck eating the rest of me with no mouth."

Meanwhile Shiro's Jack Russell Terrier roommate had a tiger shaped cookie he was slowly licking the frosting off of while he stared at Yufine's back. Yasui frowned at the weird sight. Business was very good as everyone left classes, but slowly tapered off after a while. This was fine, as they were close to selling out at this point. Yasui watched at Chaussette and Yufine chatted excitedly about how good the cupcakes looked until he noticed a female kangaroo looking at the table. Yasui jolted a bit.

(Jeez! When did she get here?!)

The kangaroo pursed her lips. She looked young, probably middle school age. She looked at the sign and squinted.

"So… what club are you guys? The Cooking Club?"

Yasui nodded. The kangaroo had a high, nasally voice that made her sound dorky. Yasui ignored that and replied.

"Yup."

"…Is it just the three of you?"

"Yup."

"…And you just make food? And sell it?"

Chaussette chimed in.

"Well, ussssually we jusssst make food for fun. But we need money for ingredientssss."

The kangaroo's eyes widened.

"Holy crap! How do you cook with no arms!?"

Chaussette shrunk down a little bit. Yasui winced, he was aware of how sore of a subject Chaussette's lack of limbs was with her. Fortunately for the both of them, Yufine had grown tired of waiting for people to walk by and flounced over to the kangaroo.

"Hello! Welcome to the cutest bake sale ever! Run by the cutest club president!"

The kangaroo tilted her head.

"Is that you?"

Yufine giggled.

"Nope! That would be our very own Yasui! Isn't he adorable."

Yasui just gave Yufine a blank stare as she pinched his cheek. The kangaroo frowned.

"He's the president? But he's tiny."

Yasui felt a blood vessel bulge in his forehead. Had this middle schooler just called him… tiny!? Yufine once again saved the day by replying before anything else could be said.

"He's just fun sized! Now, what can we get for you?"

The kangaroo shook her head.

"Nothing for me. Not a huge frosting fan. But I was wondering if I could join your club. See my parents are forcing me to. They say that I'm 'poorly adjusted' to the other students, and 'need to learn how to be less awkward.' I figure this can't be too hard. I mean, one of you doesn't even have limbs!"

Yufine's smile grew a bit forced.

"Oh… uh… well. We'll… have to see. Maybe, uh, maybe we should all introduce ourselves! I'm Yufine! She's Chaussette, and that's Yasui!"

The kangaroo grew a mischievous smile and rubbed her right arm before extending it towards Yasui. As Yasui took her bizarrely cold hand, she grinned.

"I'm Maihime!"

As Yasui shook her hand, he watched as said hand was ripped off. He stared in shock at the hand and forearm he was holding as the kangaroo yelled,

"Bwaaaaaarg! My arm! Aaaaaaaagh!"

Yasui was frozen for what felt like minutes before he heard a blood curdling scream from somewhere. And then he saw the sky for some reason. And then it was all black.

[Honey! I'm home!

Yasui opened the door to his house and jauntily strode into the kitchen. He set his business briefcase down and kissed his wife on the cheek. Miss Diana smiled and asked,

"So, how was work at Big Fancy American Business?"

"Ah, you know, same as always. I drove my huge car to the office building where every room is the size of a house and worked selling soda and burgers. They paid me a huge pile of cash and threw in a gun as a bonus!"

She crossed her arms with a wry smile.

"That's the twentieth gun this week! Somebody must be up for a promotion."

Yasui straightened his brightly colored tie and wiggled his eyebrows.

"That's just the American dream! How about we buy a fourth house!"

The door opened and Shinrai came trudging in. He was dressed all in black like usual, and was listening to a rock and roll CD. Diana smiled at him.

"Hello, son! How was school?"

Shinrai huffed.

"Whatever. Nobody understands me!"

Yasui unbuttoned his collar and pointed at Shinrai.

"Now listen here, sport! You better treat your mother with more respect!"

Shinrai rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Nobody understands me! I'm going to drive around in my car to go play some football."

Yasui shook his head.

"Back in my day we only had two cars when we were teenagers! Not the four you have!"

Shinrai rolled his eyes again.

"Ugh! Nobody understands me!"

Yasui sat down in his huge recliner and turned on the football game to watch his favorite team play for the America Bowl. Diana sat on the arm of the chair and took off his cowboy hat as she combed her fingers through his fur. Yasui sighed and stroked his oversized mustache.

"Where did we go wrong with that kid?"]

"….sui!"

"Ya…."

"yasui."

Yasui squeezed his eyes shut tighter as sound returned to the world.

"Yasui!"

He felt something slapping his cheek rapidly. His eyes fluttered open to see Chaussette and Yufine looking down at him with concern. The slapping turned out to be Yufine smacking his face. Yasui squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.

"What happened?"

Chaussette slithered over to where his face was and stared intently at him with her shiny eyes.

"You, uh, ssssort of… fainted."

"I… huh?"

Yasui began to raise himself up off the ground. Immediately Yufine placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Um, maybe slow down a bit? We don't know if you're okay."

Yasui looked at her in a daze.

"How long was I out?"

She bit her lip.

"Maybe… five minutes? Little longer?"

Slowly, Yasui remembered what happened. His eyes widened.

"That kangaroo girl! Is she okay!?"

They both pointed to his right. Yasui turned his head to see the kangaroo breathing heavily and rocking back and forth. She gasped,

"Sorry sorry sorry sorry! I *huff* I'm sorry! I *huff huff* thought that *huff huff* it would be funny! Sorry sorry sorry!"

Yasui was just confused. He weakly pointed at her right arm.

"But… your arm… I ripped it off."

She held it up to reveal that it was fine. Yasui felt like he was going to faint again. He croaked,

"But I saw…."

The kangaroo choked,

"It's a prosthetic! I'm missing an arm! Birth defect! *huff huff* I was just being stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!"

She began to slap herself before Yufine hurriedly stopped her.

"Hey! Stop that! Don't hit yourself! He's fine!"

Yasui was still staring at her right arm. As she moved, Yasui noticed how it barely bent or shifted at all, and the fingers were stationary.

(It really is fake.)

Yasui breathed a sigh of relief and laid back down on the grass. Chaussette hovered over him worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

Yasui nodded.

"Yeah. I'm just… relieved I didn't hurt anyone."

Maihime the kangaroo looked dejected.

"I'm sorry! I'll go! I didn't mean to! Please don't be mad!"

Yasui looked at how panicked and uncomfortable she looked. With how nervous she was acting, and the joke that had been in very poor taste, Yasui got the sense that she was very much like how he used to be as a little kid. Weird, awkward, and a general misfit. He felt a certain sympathy for this very weird kangaroo. Or maybe he had just hit his head when he had fainted.

As she stood, Yasui shakily waved his hand at her.

"No… hang on."

The three females looked at him in surprise. Yasui gulped.

"Umm… well… it really sucks to get rejected from a club. I got rejected from a few for various reasons. But… if both Chaussette and Yufine are fine with it, I still think you should join… on a trial basis. Like, probation or something. I think, well, maybe the Cooking Club should be open to everyone. Any species, any size, as normal or as weird as they come. I mean, the president is a fox who's a… a…."

Yasui hesitated. He hated admitting what he was. As often as he was told he was a late bloomer, he had no delusions that was the case. Yasui sighed.

"A runt. And we have a snake and a tiger… a very cute tiger… as the other members. What I'm trying to say is, I don't care that you're weird and don't know how to talk to people. I'm weird too. I'm going to shut up now."

Maihime stared at him in bewilderment, as did both Chaussette and Yufine. Chaussette tilted her head.

"That… wasss very good. I like the idea of that. A club for everyone. Not jussssst the athletic or sssssmart animalssss."

Yufine nodded.

"Yeah! No judgment! Anyone can cook!"

Maihime seemed to calm down a bit and frowned at them.

"Oh, you're all weird."

The three members looked at her intently. She nodded.

"Good. That makes this much easier. I don't even need to pretend not to be a freak. By the way, I prefer to eat food that is white. Only white. So mainly rice, tofu, white radishes, milk, things like that. I also hate the sound of coins jangling. And I'm allergic to peppermint."

Yasui nodded. He immediately regretted this action. As he winced and rubbed the bump on the back of his head, he gave her a thumbs up.

"Welcome to the Cooking Club, Maihime."

The kangaroo smiled and bounced up and down on her heels.

"Wow, this was a lot easier than I thought. Mom and Dad will be pleased. And so will the guidance counselor. So, what's my first club task? Help with this bake sale?"

Yasui hissed as the lump on his head throbbed.

"You can get me some ice for my head."

And so the Cooking Club got its fourth member. Unlike with Yufine, Maihime did not immediately fit in with the group. She was definitely… unique. She tended to just say whatever popped into her head, no matter what it was. Yufine came in wearing a large white flower behind her ear and Maihime told her it looked like she had a cauliflower on her head. Or when she asked Chaussette how exactly snakes use the toilets without limbs. Or when she remarked that Yasui was so short he probably could still wear kids clothes. But,it was clear she wasn't trying to be mean. Obviously she was just painfully awkward and unaware of how to hold a normal conversation. As such, Yasui tended to feel more sorry for her than upset when she made a verbal blunder.

All in all, Yasui was feeling pretty good about how things were going. He was really enjoying Advanced Literature Studies, and he clearly had become Mr. Nishinoya's favorite because he would actually talk during class. The other dogs were still cold towards him, preferring to spend their time with each other instead of him. But Yasui didn't mind. He already had more friends now than he ever had back home. Everything was shaping up to be a beautiful autumn, until the week before the Mask Festival.

On Wednesday morning, as Yasui was walking towards the main doors to the dorm, he noticed that a small crowd had gathered in front of the tv in the common room. Curious, he went over to investigate and saw that it was a news report. The stern-faced male zebra spoke as a video of police at a crime scene played behind him.

"-the perpetrator of this heinous crime was none other than a male tiger. He is currently in police custody, and awaits trial for the predation of the forty year old male rabbit Taka. Let's go now to our ground team at the scene."

Yasui watched as an older tiger student swore and crossed his arms. Some students gave him looks of pity, others of apprehension. Yasui gulped.

(Another predation. The last one was so awful I don't even want to think about it. At least it wasn't a fox this time.)

As had happened before, the entire student body was tense throughout the whole day. Herbivores moved in groups and cast wary looks at any carnivores they passed by. Yasui even saw some tigers getting the same awful treatment that he had before. People would "accidentally" step on their tails or knock their things off of desks and chairs. As he ate lunch with Shinrai, the squirrel clicked his tongue and looked out over the cafeteria with displeasure.

"Geez, it's always so bad when there's an incident. Freaking. Sucks."

Yasui sighed.

"They happened much more frequently here than back home. I can only remember one happening, and it was in the next town over."

Shinrai huffed.

"Sounds nice. Here, we're lucky to not have a predation each month. Heck, sometimes in the summer you'll have multiple! And the whole tension between species thing is so much more intense in high school than it ever was in middle school."

"Yeah, I saw some tigers getting bullied. It's awful."

Shinrai leaned out of his seat and waved frantically to someone. He then pointed to the chair beside him. Yasui turned to see a familiar fennec fox walking towards them. Hikaru took the offered seat and jerked her chin towards them.

"'Sup."

Shinrai shrugged.

"Meh, not much. Whole school has gone crazy is all."

She laughed humorlessly.

"Isn't that the truth. Surprised you're not too scared to sit with two suuuuuuper scaaaaaary carnivores."

Shinrai unenthusiastically gripped his heart.

"I am just… terrified."

Hikaru nodded at Yausi.

"Hey, glad to see you and your boyfriend made up. Or did you… take my advice and… make out?"

She sneered and pantomimed a sloppy kiss as Shinrai laughed and pushed her shoulder.

"Gross! I'm trying to eat!"

"Mmm, I'll bet. Bow chicka bow wow!"

Shinrai rolled his eyes.

"All that manga and video games is rotting your brain, Hikaru. You're a grade A perv."

She gave him a heavy-lidded stare and pursed her lips.

"Oh you know you like it."

Shinrai pretended to turn shyly away and cried out,

"Ah! You, b-baka!"

Yasui was just staring at them blankly throughout this whole conversation. He finally shook his head.

"Wow, I don't think I've understood a thing you two have said this whole time."

Shinrai chuckled and patted Yasui's arm.

"It's for the best, you innocent little gumdrop."

Hikaru pointed her fork at Yasui.

"I'm calling it now, he's either the most vanilla guy alive, or a closeted degenerate. Like, it's fifty-fifty if he either thinks holding hands is illicit, or has a mommy kink and wants to get spanked by a dominatrix."

Yasui frowned.

"Somehow, despite not understanding most of that, I feel dirty all the same."

The mischievous fennec snickered.

"Relax dude. I'm just messing with you. I'm not actually that horny. Just the regular amount."

Shinrai shook his head.

"You are pretty shameless when it comes to ogling male video game characters though."

She laughed.

"What can I say, I like me a scantily clad brooding hottie."

After that bizarre conversation during lunch, Yasui spent the rest of the day feeling just as uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere of the school. He was relieved when classes finally ended and he could go to his club. He was sure everyone else was fed up with the uncomfortable day that all carnivores would have had, and they could finally unwind as they made some sweet potatoes. However, Yasui realized something as he walked to the room.

(Wait… we technically have an herbivore in the club now. I wonder what sort of bizarre comments Maihime will have about this. Or she might not even show.)

Yasui found the club room dark and empty when he arrived. He quickly began to put it in order, getting it ready to roast sweet potatoes like they had agreed earlier. As he worked, the door opened and Chaussette slithered in. He looked over at her and waved.

"Hey, Chaussette. How's it going?"

"Oh, fine all thingssss conssssidered."

"Rough day?"

"Ssssame assss mossst daysss after an incident."

Yasui headed towards the pantry to fetch the sweet potatoes that he had gotten earlier for them and spoke as he walked.

"Yeah. Seen Yufine or Maihime around?"

"No. I am worried about Yufine though. Sssshe isss a tiger."

"Yeah. But it's Yufine. She's always doing well."

He opened the pantry and almost ran into the hunched up form of Yufine who was sitting in the dark cupboard all by herself. Yasui stared at her in confusion.

"Yufine?"

She sighed.

"Hi."

"…Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just left my last class a little early. I wanted to get away from everyone else for a while."

"Oh. I hope nobody did anything mean to you."

She shrugged.

"Just the typical treatment. Rude comments and stares galore. It'll die down in a few days."

Chaussette joined them. She immediately coiled herself up next to Chausstte and rested her head on the tiger's arm.

"I'm ssssorry, Yufine. People can be very cruel."

Chaussette smiled.

"That's okay. At least I know you guys will be nice to me."

Just then the door opened. Yasui felt a bit nervous as Maihime entered the room and closed the door behind her. She grumbled.

"Geez, it's nuts out there. One devouring happens and everyone loses their minds."

She saw them all in the pantry and stared at them with a slightly bemused expression.

"Why are you in there?"

Yasui gulped.

"I needed to get the sweet potatoes."

She scratched her chin with her one biological arm.

"And the other two?"

Yufine sighed.

"I was hiding in here. I wanted some peace and quiet."

Maihime immediately frowned.

"That's a bit dumb. There are way better hiding places than that. Have you considered the school roof? Or one of the storage sheds somewhere?"

Yufine didn't respond. It was always a bit difficult knowing how to reply to some of the things that came out of Maihime's mouth. Yasui decided to intervene, as he had just had a great idea.

"Actually, I've changed my mind. How about we make pancakes today instead!"

Maihime tilted her head.

"I thought we were making sweet potatoes?"

Yasui nodded.

"We were, but I changed my mind."

"Why?"

Yasui was floored. This kangaroo really just didn't get it. Did she even realize that Yufine was really upset? Yasui furrowed his brow.

"Well, because I think that some pancakes would do everyone some good."

Maihime frowned.

"But I was ready for some sweet potatoes."

"Yes, but now we're doing pancakes."

"But that's not what we agreed on."

Yasui was losing his patience. Yufine was still sitting miserably in the pantry and Chaussette was doing her best to comfort her. Yasui rubbed his eyes.

"I just think pancakes are a better idea."

"Why?"

"For crying out loud! I'm doing this to cheer up Yufine! She loves making pancakes! I just didn't want to make it weird!"

Maihime looked confused.

"What's wrong with Yufine?"

Yasui and Chaussette just stared at her with looks of disbelief. She maintained her confusion before seeming to realize something.

"Oh. Is it because she's a tiger? Were people being mean to her today?"

Yufine sniffled and nodded miserably. Maihime continued in her usual way.

"I've never understood why everyone gets so worked up over devourings. Just because one tiger ate somebody doesn't mean they all will. That would be like if a fox stole something and then everyone just assumed all foxes are thieves."

Yasui glowered at her.

"They do…. It's a pretty common and unpleasant stereotype."

"Oh. Well then it would be like people saying that… snakes are creepy because they don't have eyelids and can't blink."

Chaussette shifted uncomfortably.

"Um… that'ssss a pretty common one. We hear it a lot."

Maihime looked down at her feet and pursed her lips.

"I'm doing it again, aren't I. I tend to make things worse. I just have trouble understanding what makes people upset."

To Yasui's surprise, Yufine spoke.

"It's okay. I understand you were trying to make me feel better."

Maihime nodded.

"Good. Besides, pancakes are fine. They're white on the inside, which is better than sweet potatoes."

With that settled, Yasui got the flour, eggs, oil, and other ingredients ready while Yufine and the others prepared the pan and got toppings out. Soon Yufine was in much higher spirits, especially as she and the girls sliced strawberries and made whipped cream. Once the pancakes were cooked, they all sat down to enjoy their feast. While they ate and talked, Yufine gave Yasui a meaningful look.

"You know, there is something you could do to make me feel better."

"Oh?"

She grew a mischievous smile and held out her arms. Yasui sighed.

"How did I not guess?"

Maihime whispered to Chaussette.

"What's going on?"

"Yufine lovessss cute, fluffy thingsss. The sssmaller the better. Sssshe alwayssss wantssss to ssssqueeze Yassssui."

"Well he is kind of cartoony looking. Like a character from a kids show."

Yasui huffed and gave her a look of resignation.

"Fine. Just make it quick."

Yufine squealed in delight before pulling Yasui into a hug and rubbing her cheek against his. Yasui grunted.

"Yufine! Too tight!"

"Oopsie! Sorry! You're just so cute I can't help it!"

Yasui frowned.

"Yeah, I sure do love feeling like a stuffed toy. It's how all guys like to see themselves."

The rest of the week was miserable, but Yasui had something to look forward to. That Saturday Yasui had been invited to spend the afternoon at Shinrai's place so they could try out a new game he was going to get. And so Yasui hurried from school all the way to the apartment where Shinrai's family lived and knocked on the door. Shinrai's mother opened the door and let him in.

"Hello, Yasui. How are you today?"

Yasui took his shoes off and smiled at her.

"I'm doing well. Thank you for letting me come over."

"Oh please, you're Shinny's best friend. It's no trouble."

"Is he here yet?"

"Not yet. But he should be back soon… I think."

As Yasui followed after her, Shinrai's father walked from the master bedroom carrying a book. He kissed his wife on the cheek as she passed and sat down on the couch. Yasui looked around awkwardly before taking a seat a respectable distance from the male squirrel. He looked at the book that Shinrai's father was reading and asked,

"What are you reading?"

"The Dragon's Fang."

"Oh, what's it about?"

"It's historical fiction about samurai."

Yasui smiled.

"My brother and I used to pretend to be samurai when we were little. Dad would read us stories about them before bed."

"Hm, which ones?"

"Usually just the ones that are more myth than fact. Like the ones where they fought demons and monsters."

"Ah. Ever hear the story of the seven samurai?"

"Of course! That was my favorite one!"

"Ever seen the movie?"

"They made a movie about it!?"

Shinrai's father set his book down and looked over at Yasui. He thought for a moment before walking over to the television and getting something. He slid a disk into the dvd player and started the movie.

"Here, I can show you a bit while you wait for Shinrai. It's very good. Great cast."

Forty minutes later, Shinrai opened the door and huffed.

"Some idiot didn't put his cigarette out properly and it caused a small fire in the subway station. I had to walk to the next station to get my train!"

He glanced into the living room and saw his father and Yasui engrossed in a movie. His father pointed at the screen.

"They actually used real swords for the fight scenes. Said it made it more authentic."

"Were the swords made in the san mai method or cut from a solid bar?"

"San mai. I saw a documentary where the artists who made their weapons talked about historical weapon recreation."

Shinrai looked over to where his mother was sitting reading a magazine. He pointed at the two.

"What's going on?"

She smirked.

"Turns out they have some common ground. They're both history nerds."

Shinrai shrugged.

"Well Yasui is generally a nerd, so it's not surprising."

Meanwhile, as the movie played, Shinrai's father was talking to Yasui.

"You know, there are a lot of parallels between the samurai of old and the American gunslinger of the Wild West."

"Really?"

"Mhm, especially towards the end. Both valued skill with their chosen weapon, had a code of honor, and by the close of their respective eras were viewed as unnecessary and out of date. And they actually ended around the same time."

"I didn't know that. But it actually makes sense. I mean, samurai were all about duals of honorable combat, and gunslingers had all those showdowns where they met on equal terms and fought to the death."

"Mhm, truly the samurai and the gunslinger are brothers separated by distance only."

"Did you make that up or is it from something."

"It's from a book."

Shinrai walked in and stared at Yasui. He held up a bag.

"I got the game."

"Nice."

"…So are we going to play it?"

Yasui frowned.

"Well… can we finish this movie first? It's probably almost half done."

"What movie?"

"The Seven Samurai."

Shinrai sucked in a breath and crossed his arms.

"…Fine. But only because it is a really cool movie. But afterwards we need to play this game."

"Awesome!"

Shinrai pointed at both his father and Yasui.

"And don't freaking talk the whole time, you massive dorks! It's really annoying!"

Yasui really enjoyed the movie. It was fun to see one of his favorite stories acted out with costumes and everything. He was enthralled through the entire ending sequence, where the seven samurai defended the village against the bandit invaders. He now understood why Shinrai liked movies so much. Seeing somebody make a heroic final stand against overwhelming odds had a different feeling entirely than just reading that it happened. As the credits rolled, Yasui looked at the two squirrels.

"That was a really good movie!"

Shinrai's father nodded.

"Yup, one of the greats. There's a Western adaptation of it that's good too. We'll have to watch it sometime."

"Definitely. And you'll have to show me that replica peacemaker you have."

"Hm, I'll look for it. It's stored somewhere around here."

Shinrai grew a sour look.

"Dang it, Yasui is supposed to be my friend! Go find your own!"

Shinrai's father huffed.

"Not my fault. All the rest of you think that history is boring. It's nice to talk to someone who appreciates it."

Yasui smiled.

"You and my dad would probably get along well. He loves traditional stories and histories of our village."

Shinrai laughed.

"There, go become dad friends with Yasui's father and stop trying to poach my friend."

Shinrai's father smirked as he stood, grunting as he did.

"Alright, alright. I'll get out of your fur. You staying for dinner, Yasui?"

Yasui shrugged.

"I wasn't planning on it, but if you invite me I'm happy to join."

Shinrai's mother looked up from her tablet.

"I don't see why not. I'm not going to throw my son's friend out on the street."

Yasui inclined his head.

"I appreciate your hospitality. Let me know if you want me to help with anything."

She waved him away.

"Go play those silly games you and Shinrai like so much. I've got things handled here."

Yasui joined Shinrai in front of the tv and Shinrai handed him a controller. The game in question was named Ultra Bash Bros and had lots of characters Yasui didn't recognize. Shinrai explained.

"So, like, you remember the fighting game from before?"

"Yeah."

"So this is like that but waaaaay more accessible to casual players. It's like the king of party games."

"Huh. So… which character should I play?"

"Normally I'd say pick your favorite one from a different game you've played, but you haven't. So just pick whoever seems cool."

Yasui looked at the roster and eventually settled on one.

"I'll be… this little box looking dude."

"That's Kurbo. His main gimmick is that if you hold down the special move button, he can suck people into his mouth and copy their abilities."

"I think he's goofy and cute looking."

"Of course Kurbo is cute. He's Kurbo. Also, his ultra bash move is that he calls down the power of God to smite his enemies. Pretty cool."

"Oh… that's pretty intense for a little cube with feet and a smiley face."

"Meh, I'm not the one who made him."

Yasui had to admit, this was much easier to understand than the other fighting game. The combos were simple and it was much sillier with them slapping each other with fans or throwing cacti that would appear around the stage. He had the most fun when he played as a character named Princess Plum who had an ability where she would pull a carrot out of the ground and then throw it at people. Yasui was laughing as he rained vegetable doom down on Shinrai and the computer controlled characters. Shinrai raised an eyebrow.

"You having fun there?"

"Yes! Fear me! The unworthy robot cowers in the face of the humble, industrious farmer!"

"Oooookay. I take it you like plants."

"You dare challenge the son of a farmer!? Perish, scum!"

Shinrai's mother walked in.

"Finish that up. It's time for dinner."

Shinrai nodded.

"Yeah, we're almost done. Yasui has discovered his love of vegetable based weaponry."

Yasui snickered.

"I wonder if you can pull out a radish? Those have some heft to them."

Shinrai's mother rolled her eyes.

"Just don't take too long, or your food will be cold."

As she left, Shinrai shook his head. He gave Yasui a meaningful look.

"I never thought I'd see the day my parents would warm up to a carnivore. But they really seem to be okay with you now. Or at least can act like it."

Yasui sighed.

"Honestly, I was a bit worried because of the incident earlier this week. But they don't seem to mind. They're very hospitable."

"Yeah, and Mom cooks the good stuff when you're here. So come over more often."

"I'd hate to intrude. It doesn't do to overstay my welcome and become a nuisance."

"Yo, side note. I have my costume ready for the Mask Festival. I'm assuming we're still on for that? I have a bet to win."

Yasui scratched his head.

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about your bet with Miss Diana. Uh, I'll call her later and see what the plan is."

"Sweet. I'm looking forward to it."

Dinner was a simple affair of steamed bean sprouts with a light miso broth and rice. Yasui thoroughly enjoyed it, and made his appreciation known to Shinrai's mother.

"Ma'am, this is delicious. Thank you very much."

She smiled.

"You're very welcome."

"How do you get the sprouts to stay so flavorful?"

"Well, I season them before I cook them. That way they really infuse with the herbs and spices."

"Huh, I'll have to keep that in mind."

Once dinner was over, Yasui said his farewells and headed back to school. As he rode the train back to Cherryton, Yasui texted Miss Diana.

Y: Hello, Miss Diana. This upcoming week is the Mask Festival. I just wanted to check in to see what the plan is.

There was a delay of a few minutes before his phone buzzed.

D: It is almost time, isn't it. It feels weird that the festival is this Friday. Time sure flies

There was another pause.

D: I'll pick you and your friend up at the bottom of the hill around six if that works for you both

D: And be sure to wear comfortable shoes

Y: When do I change into my costume?

D: Up to you.

D: I guess I'll have to drop it off earlier in the week.

Y: Or mail it. I'll keep my eyes open.

D: Good. You boys are in for a treat. I really outdid myself this time

Y: I'm looking forward to it.

Yasui had noticed something during his time at Cherryton. It seemed like time got slower whenever he was looking forward to something. He guessed he had never noticed it before because back home he had never had much to look forward to. The only big changes or events that happened in his sleepy village were a few festivals and the like, none of which he ever particularly enjoyed. He had always been a social outcast back home, so he hadn't exactly enjoyed communal celebrations. But here, he found himself looking forward to many different things. And this week, it was the Mask Festival.

The days just dragged by. His classes felt laboriously slow, his shifts at work felt like an eternity. He found it hard to sleep as he tried to imagine what Miss Diana had planned. It felt like Friday night would never get here. But finally, the day had arrived.

There was a general buzz of excitement around Cherryton as Friday dawned. Everyone was discussing their plans, ranging from sitting in their rooms watching scary movies, to going out to some of the various festivities that would be happening across the city. The teachers desperately tried to keep the attention of their students, but to very limited success. Nobody wanted to sit around learning how to calculate problems using the quadratic formula, they only cared about getting out of class. As such, there was practically a stampede once the final bell of the day had rung. Yasui was carried along by the crowd as he made his way to the club room.

Yasui got the room ready as Chaussette and Yufin entered the room. Yufine grinned.

"Ooooooooh! Whoooooo's ready to make some extra spoooooooky treats?"

Chaussette hissed with laughter.

"I'm certain that our cookiesssss will be absolutely terrifying."

"Wooooo! Don't forget the caramel clusters, oooooooooh!"

Yasui held up a few bags.

"We have peanuts, almonds, coconut flakes, or chocolate chips. Everyone can make their own favorite flavor."

Yufine wiggled her fingers.

"Maybe we can add some extra scary sprinkles! Ooooh!"

"Yeah! Or some, uh, blood! Or eyeballs!"

They all turned to see that Maihime had entered behind them. She gulped and looked down.

"Or something…."

Yasui nodded.

"I'm sure we'll find some way to decorate everything. Alright, I'll work on the caramel while you guys do the cookies."

The three girls began to mix up some dough while Yasui melted butter and sugar in a saucepan. He added in some salt and vanilla before letting it get to the right consistency. Once he was satisfied, he called over his shoulder.

"Alright, get the sheet ready. This caramel is all set."

Yufine excitedly placed a large baking sheet down on the counter and covered it with wax paper. Soon everyone was setting out little piles of their chosen filling. Once everyone had gotten ready, Yasui took the caramel off the heat and handed it to Yufine. She carefully began to pour the sticky mixture over the nuts and chocolate making little mounds of sugary goo. Once the last drop of caramel had been poured, she set the pan down and grinned excitedly.

"This is going to be so good! I can't wait!"

Yasui held up a hand.

"They still have to cool a bit. We can cut out the cookies and bake them while we wait. Uh… Maihime, can you give me a hand?"

Immediately, Maihime reached up and removed her prosthetic limb. She handed it to Yasui before returning to where she was. Yasui stared at the false appendage before cracking up. Soon he was laughing, and everyone else joined in. He lifted the arm.

"Okay, that was actually pretty funny!"

Maihime sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad. I still don't get what you people find funny."

Yufine snickered.

"If it doesn't make people uncomfortable and isn't super offensive to certain species, it's a step in the right direction."

Maihime shrugged.

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

As Yasui looked at the massive amount of treats that they were making, he scrunched his face up.

"You know… we probably should have halved the recipe."

Chaussette flicked her tongue.

"We can give ssssome to our friendsss and roommatesss."

"I guess. Are any of you doing something special for the festival?"

Yufine nodded.

"I'm going to a party with my roommates!"

Chaussette yawned.

"Probably jusssst going to watch a movie."

Maihime shook her head.

"No."

Yasui rubbed his eyes.

"Cool. I'm going to go do something with friends. In fact, I should probably get ready soon."

Yufine grinned.

"I hope you fun, Yasui!"

"I'll try."

Yasui wasn't sure if he should put his costume on now, or wait for a bit. He decided to just put it in his backpack and carry it with him for the moment. For now he had a bit of time before he was supposed to meet Miss Diana, and he was torn. Should he go looking for Shinrai? Or maybe he should be responsible and get a head start on the homework for next week. He floundered back and forth for a while, before eventually deep guilt forced him to be a good little student and work on his homework. Yasui grimaced.

(Shinrai's right, I am boring. I'm getting ready to go to a festival, and I decide to do homework instead of being sociable. Honestly, typical.)

He looked down at the essay he was almost finished with and narrowed his eyes.

(You know what, I'm going to be fun for a change! I'll go and see what Jack and the 701 boys are doing!)

Yasui stood, and carefully put his school supplies away. Once he had stowed his homework, he headed out into the hallway towards room 701. The door was closed and he didn't hear anything coming from inside. Yasui frowned.

(Maybe they're not here?)

Hesitantly, he knocked on the door. There was a delay before Miguno's voice rang out.

"Uh, who is it?"

(He sounds nervous. I wonder why?)

"It's me, Yasui. I was just checking to see if Jack was here."

"Nope! Not here!"

"Oh. Do you know where he went?"

"He and Legoshi are going to Jack's place for the festival! They'll be back later! Much later!"

"Oh. Well… thanks."

"Yeah, bye!"

Yasui furrowed his brow and shook his head.

(That was… weird. Hopefully he's not up to something bad. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, but he definitely is acting weird.)

Yasui cocked his head as a few grunts came from the room. They sounded… familiar to some of the sounds his roommates made late at night. Yasui shuddered and walked away.

(Nope! Don't want to know! I'm leaving!)

By six, Yasui was in his costume and sitting by the front gates for Shinrai. He tapped his foot anxiously.

(He's late. Hopefully nothing happened.)

His phone buzzed and he looked down at a text message from Miss Diana.

D: The car is parked at the bottom of the hill whenever you two are ready

Y: Okay. Just waiting for Shinrai.

Yasui scanned the school grounds for any sign of the squirrel. After another eight minutes he saw Shinrai hurrying towards him. He stopped, breathing hard in front of Yasui.

"Sorry I'm late! I lost part of my costume!"

He was wearing some sort of light armor with a cloak and a hood with two plastic daggers at his waist. He motioned to his costume.

"What do you think? I'm a thief from Fantasy Quest!"

"Cool. I'm a mad scientist."

"Nice costume! Anyway, are we going now? I have a bet to win."

Yasui grinned.

"Don't be too sure. Miss Diana has something big planned, apparently."

Shinrai rolled his eyes.

"Oh please! Adults are all super boring! It's probably some lame picnic in the park or a boring play or something like that."

"Yeah, probably not. Miss Diana is actually pretty… adventurous."

Shinrai clapped Yasui on the back as they walked down the hill.

"This coming from the guy with a nine o'clock bedtime?"

"It's more like nine thirty."

"Still lame."

"Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise."

"Who was that? Confucious?"

"No, Franklin. The American founding father?"

"Eh, I don't like history."

"It's pretty common, even here in Japan, I think."

"Well, early to rise and early to bed makes you healthy but socially dead."

"Who said that?"

"I dunno. I saw it on the internet in a meme."

Yasui frowned.

"What's a… meme?"

"It's a funny picture with a caption. I'll show you some later. They're all the rage with us youngsters, grandpa."

"I'm just new to the internet! I never used it back home!"

Yasui looked around and noticed a familiar black car waiting for them. He pointed to it.

"Look, Shinrai."

"Wow, that's a sweet ride! Who owns it, I wonder?"

"Miss Diana. That's her."

Shinrai blinked and whistled.

"Wow, maybe this won't be super lame after all."

As they got closer, Miss Diana stepped out to greet them. She beamed at Yasui.

"Yasui! There you are! And you look so cute in your costume!"

Yasui looked at the leopard and felt his face warm up. She looked stunning in her mad scientist costume. Yasui returned her smile.

"Yours is great too!"

She turned to Shinrai and held out her hand.

"And you must be his best friend, Shinrai. Yasui says such wonderful things about you."

Shinrai shook her hand.

"Yeah, and he speaks very highly about you too. And quite frequently."

"That sounds like Yasui. He's a shameless little flatterer. I like your costume, very fantasy inspired."

"Thanks. I see you and Yasui are matching."

"Yes, we're mad scientists and Charles is our monster."

Shinrai frowned.

"Charles? Who's that?"

"My driver. Say hello, Charles!"

The hulking gorilla opened his car door and stepped out. He was wearing his usual suit but he had fake stitches across his face and hands, as well as screws on the sides of his head. He nodded to the squirrel. Shinrai gawked at him.

"Holy crap! You're freaking huge!"

"I work out."

Diana clasped her hands together.

"Now then! Shall we get going, now that the introductions are finished."

Yasui excitedly nodded.

"Absolutely! Let's go!"

Charles started the car, and they were on their way. Diana took one window seat, and Yasui let Shinrai have the other. However, Shinrai wasn't terribly interested in looking out over the cityscape. He had discovered the mini fridge.

"No way! You have a refrigerator in your car!?"

Diana nodded.

"I know, it's a bit pretentious. But it's provided by work so who cares. Please, help yourself."

Shinrai chuckled.

"You don't have to ask me twice!"

He grabbed a bottle of soda and popped the cap off before taking a drink. He then looked around expectantly.

"There's not a mini snack bar in this thing, is there? I'm starving!"

Yasui's stomach gurgled and he smiled in embarrassment.

"I, uh, haven't eaten dinner yet either. Will there be food at this festival? I assumed so, but I probably should have checked."

Diana smiled calmly.

"Don't you worry, you'll have plenty of food where we're going."

Shinrai looked out the window as best he could with his diminutive frame.

"Where are we going? You still haven't said."

"You'll see, just be patient."

They were in the car for a surprisingly long amount of time. It must have been at least half an hour before they headed towards a parking lot. A little bit away, numerous lights illuminated something Yasui had never seen before. Yasui tilted his head.

"What is that place?"

Shinrai gasped.

"No freaking way! Did… did you… did you somehow manage to get tickets to the Adventure World Mask Night Extravaganza!?"

Diana grinned.

"I pulled a few strings. My company is one of the sponsors for the event, and I have friends who are in charge of our tent. Needless to say the park owners reserve a few tickets for us since we're paying to be here. Oh, and of course they came with these."

She handed both Yasui and Shinrai a lanyard with a white tag attached to it. The tag read VIP in bright yellow letters. Shinrai was flabbergasted. He worked his jaw before squeaking.

"V-VIP?! We have… VIP."

"Indeed. So, what do you think? Am I still just some boring adult who doesn't know what fun is?"

Shinrai was in shock. He clasped his VIP pass to his chest like he was afraid somebody might take it.

"You… you win. I concede. I… I have always dreamed of coming to Adventure Land for the Mask Festival, ever since I came here for the first and only time during a class trip in elementary school. I heard that it is the most amazing festival in the city. Like, a totally nuts party on steroids. And we have VIP passes! This, this is amazing!"

Yasui smiled at his friend before grinning at Miss Diana.

"I bet this will be great! Thanks, Miss Diana!"

She patted him on the head.

"You're welcome, Yasui."

Shinrai seemed dazed still, but he mumbled.

"Thank… for the…."

He trailed off and looked back at his pass, as if trying to make sure it was still there. Diana laughed.

"You're welcome. Now then, shall we get going?"

Yasui followed her out of the car and trailed behind her as she approached the main entrance. The entrance had a huge arch that read "Adventure Land" in large letters that were backlit by golden lights. However, there was also a banner hung below it that read "Mask Night Extravaganza" in letters designed to look like they were painted in blood. Decorative spiderwebs and torches lined the path into the park, and spooky music was playing over the speakers. Yasui could see people walking around, laughing, and eating; as well as screams from people riding the various rides in the park.

They reached the ticket counter and a male horse greeted them.

"Welcome to Adventure Land! Tickets please!"

Diana handed him four pieces of paper. He scanned them before nodding.

"I see you're VIPs as well. Please follow me."

He led them to a side room where some shelves had been outfitted with multiple beautifully made masks decorated in the traditional Japanese fashion. The horse gestured to the masks.

"Please select your mask."

The four of them spread out to the various masks in their size. Yasui scanned the different options and hummed as he thought his choice over.

(Let's see… that wolf mask is cool, but I also like that snake mask. Oh! And there's a neat crow mask! I don't know which to pick!)

One mask caught his eye as he scanned the shelves, he grinned.

(Okay, I have to pick that one!)

Mask in hand, he waited as his companions made their choices. Charles was the first to join him, holding a bear mask. He saw Yasui's and raised an eyebrow before smirking slightly. Shinrai came running up, giddy with excitement. He had apparently recovered from his shock by now and was full of energy again.

"What do you think, Yasui!? I saw it and just knew I had to choose this one!"

He had a fox mask clasped in his hands. He put it on and spread his arms.

"Tada! Now I'm practically your twin!"

"That's awesome! Good choice!"

"How about you? What did you pick?"

Yasui was about to show him when Diana came walking up wearing a deer mask. She gestured towards her face.

"I thought this one looked good with my costume. What do you think, Yasui?"

Yasui enthusiastically nodded.

"It's great! Really suits you!"

She looked at him expectantly.

"Well? What did you choose?"

Yasui grinned and donned his mask. Diana immediately burst out laughing. Yasui joined her as he moved to stand beside her.

"I figured this would help sell our cover story, 'Aunty.'"

Diana looked at the spotted leopard mask he was wearing and shook her head.

"The resemblance is uncanny."

Shinrai hopped from one foot to the other excitedly and squealed with glee.

"Come on! Let's get going! I want to do everything!"

Diana grabbed a map and looked it over.

"Where do we go first?"

Yasui grimaced and rubbed his stomach.

"Maybe food first. I'm pretty hungry."

Shinrai immediately rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"I agree completely! Let's pig out! Then we can do something calm like look at the decorations or the mirror maze or something while our food settles. But later, I want to ride the Colossus. I've heard it's better during this festival, because it's in the dark. Super scary."

Diana nodded.

"Food it is. Let's find a stand with something tasty."

As they walked, Yasui drew level with Shinrai.

"So, Shinrai. This Adventure Land special festival is pretty well known?"

"Oh yeah, tickets sell out months in advance. And it's pricey, super pricey. Mainly because it's all-inclusive. With your festival pass you can eat at all but a few of the park's restaurants and stands for free. You just walk up and order what you want. And the VIP passes are even more insane. You get access to the exclusive restaurants and some awesome areas that nobody else gets to use."

"Wow, sounds intense."

Shinrai wriggled excitedly.

"I say we hit one of the VIP restaurants first! Use our passes as much as possible."

Diana tapped the map.

"Well then, how about we hit Caesar's first. It's the most highly rated restaurant in the park."

Shinrai elbowed Yasui.

"Italian food! For your information, I'm licking my lips under this mask!"

Yasui was too distracted by the amazing decorations lining the paths around the park to pay much attention to what everyone was saying. There were lanterns and streamers hanging everywhere, as well as props of intricately designed monsters from various mythologies situated around the park. He almost didn't realize when they stopped in front of the restaurant.

It was a very interesting building, built to look like an ancient roman palace of some sort. The attendant at the front doors checked their passes and then escorted them inside. Shinrai was beside himself with glee.

"This is so cool! I've never been in such an awesome restaurant before!"

They sat down and menus were distributed. Yasui looked at his menu, and realized he really didn't know what he liked when it came to Italian food. This was only his second time having it, and he hadn't read much about it. He debated with himself back and forth until the waiter asked for their orders. Diana started.

"I'll have the eggplant parmigiana."

The waiter nodded.

"Very well. And for you, sir?"

Charles closed his menu.

"Cacio e pepe."

"A fine choice. And you?"

Shinrai grinned, having removed his mask when they sat down.

"Spaghetti for me, please!"

"Of course. And finally, what would you like?"

Yasui bit his lip.

"Uh… I'll have… what she's having."

"Another eggplant parmigiana. I'll go relay your orders to the kitchen and come back with some more drinks."

As the waiter left, Shinrai chuckled at Yasui.

"I never realized how indecisive you are, Yasui."

"Well I don't have much experience with Italian food. I've only had it once before."

"Not me. I love spaghetti. It's like ramen, but different."

Yasui nodded.

"Ah… enlightening."

Diana consulted her map before placing it flat on the table.

"So, where do we head after this?"

Shinrai craned his neck.

"Let's see. Hmm… I say we go to Buccaneer's Bay. Apparently there are lots of fun games you can play to win prizes, and then we can ride the tunnel ride."

Yasui tilted his head.

"Tunnel ride?"

"Yeah, usually it's this boat ride about treasure or pirates or something, but for this they decorate it to be all spooky and whatever. You know, typical Mask Festival stuff."

Diana rubbed her chin.

"That seems fine to me. Anyone have any other ideas?"

Both Yasui and Charles shook their heads. She nodded and reclaimed her park map.

"Very well. Wherever you two want to go is fine with Charles and myself. My only request is that I want to ride the ferris wheel at some point."

Yasui gave her a thumbs up while Charles raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds like fun! Count me in!"

As they waited they made smalltalk among themselves. Once the food arrived and everyone was eating, Yasui asked,

"So… what exactly is the deal with this festival? Is there a reason behind it?"

Diana laughed.

"Simple. The Japanese saw how much fun the Europeans and Americans were having with Halloween and decided to get in on the fun. But we decided to give it our own spin."

"Huh, so what's the spin?"

Shinrai gulped down his mouthful of spaghetti.

"So, Halloween is just people putting on costumes and going around their neighborhoods shaking people down for candy. We added masks of different species and moved it to a public space. And then there's some doofy story that somebody came up with for it."

Yasui tilted his head.

"What's the story?"

Diana shook her head.

"Don't ask me, Charles might know but I don't."

Charles gave her a deadpan look before sighing.

"Basically. It's a story where monsters came down to a village and told them that they would make a list of who they would eat. They went to each house and wrote down who was there. Three wolves, four zebras, etcetera. The people waited for them to leave before making masks of different species to wear to fool the monsters. They returned and couldn't find the correct animals for their lists, so they ate each other instead. The end."

Yasui snickered.

"Yeah, that sounds a bit made up. Still, fun idea for a holiday."

And so, with full bellies and a night of fun ahead, the four set out towards Buccaneer's Bay. This area was decorated with pirate ships and a fake port town, however green lanterns had been hung to grant it an otherworldly light. Skeletal pirates stood on the ships and sat on barrels, grinning at them as they walked by. Yasui saw booths of all sorts set up with games and snacks galore. This area was much more crowded than where they had been, and the screams of people having fun and winning prizes could be heard from a while away.

Shinrai pointed to a booth.

"I'm going to go play some ring toss!"

Charles muttered something about finding a good vantage point and told Yasui to look after Miss Diana. The fox and leopard found themselves at a stand where you could throw baseballs at stacks of bottles to try to win a prize. Yasui approached.

"How do you play this?"

The dog running the stand smiled.

"Just throw the ball at the bottles. You have three balls and three stacks. The more you knock down, the better your prize."

"How many times can I play it?"

"VIPs get unlimited games."

"Nice! I'll play!"

He handed Yasui three baseballs and stood back. Diana watched as Yasui wound up and threw the ball as hard as he could. It sailed clean over the bottles and hit the back. The dog grinned.

"Close! Try again!"

Yasui's second throw was short and hit the table they sat on. Yasui stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth and threw with all his might. With a clattering sound the bottles fell over. The dog clapped enthusiastically.

"Way to go, kid! Here's your prize!"

The dog reached over to the lowest prize shelf of the three that were at this booth and handed him a small plush skeleton pirate. Yasui cheerfully handed it to Miss Diana.

"Here you go, Miss Diana. As thanks for taking me here."

She gasped and held her hands over her heart.

"Daw, that's so sweet! Thank you, Yasui. Now, let me give it a try."

They swapped places and Miss Diana took her first ball in hand. She threw it up in the air a few times before nodding. She cocked her arm back, and whipped it forward. The ball flew out of her hand and slammed into the tower of bottles, knocking them over. She proceeded to knock each tower over in rapid succession with barely a moment's hesitation between. Yasui stared at her in awe. She patted her bicep.

"Still got it."

"That was amazing! You're incredible!"

She laughed.

"Oh please, I just used to enjoy going to those pitching training… whatever they're called… things in high school. Very good stress reliever."

The attendant handed her a massive plushy of a pirate parrot, which she accepted gratefully. Yasui pointed to another booth.

"Well now I have to find one I'm good at so I can get you a really good prize! C'mon!"

With Diana close behind, Yasui tried his hand at the ring toss, darts, waterstrider scooping [note: goldfish scooping game, but no fish for obvious reasons, a slingshot gallery, a game where you threw balls into holes for points, and several others he didn't quite understand. As such, after almost an hour, Diana was laden down with an additional bounty of ridiculous proportions. She now had: a purple felt top hat, a plush frog, a fake cutlass, a bag of caramel peanuts, two glowing necklaces, a caramel apple (which she and Yasui split), cotton candy, a large rubber banana, and a little backpack decorated with pink sequins (which was desperately trying to hold some of her loot.) Diana shook her head as Yasui handed her the latest item, the rubber banana.

"Yasui, I think I have enough. You can keep some of these for yourself."

"But that's no fun! Besides, where would I put them? My room at school isn't exactly huge. And my roommates are pretty… terrible."

Yasui didn't catch what she said next. He had seen something at one of the booths that immediately grabbed his attention. A booth that was being run by a large rhinoceros had a massive stuffed fox on the top prize shelf. Yasui immediately ran over and approached the rhino.

"Excuse me, sir! What game is this?"

He snorted.

"Arm wrestling. And I'm the strongest, meanest s-o-b around."

"Oh…. Uh… how do you win something from the top shelf?"

He grinned.

"Beat me in under a minute. But it has yet to happen."

Yasui sat down in the stool across from him, before standing on it because he was so short compared to the hulking behemoth. Diana had caught up by this time.

"Yasui, what on earth are you doing?"

Yasui gulped.

"I-I'm arm wrestling."

As he set his elbow on the table, the rhino did the same. His meaty hand completely encased Yasui's in a grip like iron. Yasui took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"O-okay. I'm r-ready."

The rhino raised an eyebrow.

"You sure sound like it."

The rhino hovered her other hand over a clock and counted down.

"Five… four… three… two… one. Start."

Yasui strained with all his might against the arm of the rhino. He felt his tendons popping as he pushed against the massive arm as hard as he could. Rhino wasn't even pushing back. He just held his arm there and gave Yasui an incredulous look.

"You almost done?"

Yasui grunted as he threw his back into it.

"No! I'm… not!"

"Alright. Don't hurt yourself."

Diana crossed her arms, but stayed silent. Once the clock reach three minutes the rhino slowly, leisurely pushed Yasui's arm to the table.

"There. Done. It's over."

Yasui was panting from exertion and his arm felt numb. He shook his head.

"Again! I, *huff, want to go again!"

"Kid, you're not going to win. And I'm not going to let you win. It defeats the purpose of the game."

Yasui rested his hands on his knees.

"I, *huff, have to win that prize!"

Diana asked,

"What prize are you so determined to get?"

Yasui pointed to the huge fox.

"I want to get that for you."

"Yasui, it is cute, but really I'm fine. No need."

"But I really want to! It's important to me!"

She sighed.

"Well, I might not understand, but I won't stop you. Do you want me to see if Charles—"

"No! I want to get it for you myself! That way it'll mean more!"

He got back on the stool and got ready.

"Okay, let's try again."

The rhino rolled his eyes and clasped Yasui's hand. This time he didn't even wait to destroy Yasui. He just carefully pushed his arm down onto the table. This repeated three more times before Shinrai trotted up laden down with candy and toys.

"Hey everyone. Uh… what's going on?"

Diana sighed.

"Yasui is determined to get a specific prize from this booth. But… it's not going well."

Shinrai looked at the rhinoceros.

"Well no crap. It's not exactly a fair fight. That guy's arm is almost thicker than Yasui's torso."

Yasui's arm hit the table once more. The rhino huffed.

"Kid, just give up. You're never going to win."

Yasui puffed.

"One more! One more!"

The rhino sighed and got ready. He set his arm on the table and looked off into space. That's when Yasui had an idea. A sneaky, foxlike idea. But he only had one shot. He adjusted the stool a bit until the angle was right and got ready. Shinrai cheered halfheartedly.

"Yay, Yasui. You'll totally do it this time."

The rhino closed his eyes and yawned. Like lightning, Yasui pounced… literally. He sprang off the stool and flung his whole body onto the rhino's unsuspecting arm. With a dull *clunk* the massive herbivore's arm hit the wooden surface with Yasui on top of it. The rhinoceros blinked at him in surprise before lifting his arm, with Yasui still attached up closer to his face.

"Nice try, kid. But this is arm wrestling."

Yasui clung tightly to the large appendage.

"Exactly! I wrestled your arm! Fair and square! And in less than a minute! Give me my prize!"

The rhino glared at him for a moment before slowly breaking out in a smile.

"Hehe… HAHAHA! I like your style, kid! You got some pepper! Here, take your fox and go. I am a rhino of my word."

Yasui happily accepted the plushy that was almost as large as he was and smiled.

"Thank you! It was fun!"

"Hehe, he… yeah don't come back though. I have an appearance to maintain."

Yasui walked over to Diana and presented the toy to her.

"Here you go, Miss Diana."

She shook her head before rubbing the top of his head.

"I'll be sure to treasure it always, you little goof."

Yasui was glad he was wearing a mask. Miss Diana couldn't see him blush with it on. He sighed wearily.

"Let's go do the ferris wheel now. I need to sit down."

Yasui, Diana, and Shinrai all walked over to the massive contraption. Diana slowed down a bit as they got closer, and Yasui followed suit. He looked at the operator getting various animals situated in the seats. He typically broke them up into groups of two for medium or larger animals, with some of the really big animals, like an elephant, being put by themself. Yasui crossed his arms.

"So how are we going to divide up?"

Diana immediately laughed in a forced sort of way.

"Well you and your friend should go together! I've been hogging you all night! I'll sit this out!"

Yasui looked over at her.

"Are you sure? But you said you really wanted to go on this."

"I'm fine! You two go on ahead! I'll watch with all the prizes!"

Yasui turned to Shinrai only to see him clutch at his stomach. The squirrel groaned.

"Too much candy! I'm going to the bathroom! Go without me! I'll get on it when I'm done!"

The squirrel immediately sprinted towards the bathroom. Yasui laughed.

"Shinrai and his huge appetite. Well, guess that solved that problem."

Diana laughed quietly.

"How fortunate…."

The line was short and moved steadily as they approached the loading area. It seemed that the wheel would slowly turn and pause every so often to load more people and let riders enjoy the view. Diana was pretty quiet as they were seated and the door was locked to ensure their safety. The passenger car was clean and had a nicely painted interior with walls that came up to about head height for Yasui. The part where they sat had a wall behind it and wrapped around to the top, leaving only the front and sides open to the air. Yasui looked around from his seat excitedly, waiting for it to start.

The a slight jolt, the wheel moved. Immediately, Miss Diana grabbed his hand and squeezed it like a vice. Yasui looked over to see her staring straight ahead with her lips drawn into a tight little line. She was breathing deeply and looked a bit pale. Yasui gave her a concerned look.

"Miss Diana, are you okay?"

She grit her teeth.

"I'm fine. I just… I can't watch!"

As they lifted up into the air, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and squeezed Yasui's hand even harder. He winced as her claws pierced the skin of his palm, causing hot blood to drip onto his fingers. She was breathing heavily by this point and was as rigid as a steel beam.

"Miss Diana! What's wrong!?"

"I-I…. I'm scared!"

"You're… scared?"

She nodded, still keeping her eyes closed.

"I'm terrified of heights! I always have been!"

"Then why did you want to go on this?"

"Because I never had, and I always wanted to try it! I-I thought I was brave enough now, but I'm not!"

Yasui ignored the pain in his hand and leaned against her, letting his head rest on her arm. She hesitated before adjusting to let him rest between her arm and side. Her deathgrip on his hand relaxed somewhat. Yasui used his free hand to pat her arm.

"It's okay, I'm here. If there's some way I can make it better please tell me."

She took another deep breath in and slowly let it out.

"Tell me when we've stopped moving. I-I think I can look around at least, just not… down."

They slowly ascended before coming to a stop. Yasui squeezed her hand.

"We've stopped. You can open your eyes."

She refused to open her eyes for the first few minutes. However, slowly she cracked her eyes open, keeping her gaze at an upward angle. She glanced around.

"It's… not too bad. I-I think I can do this. Maybe I was—"

The carriages moved again and she hissed before squeezing him against her once more. Yasui didn't mind too much. It was nice to get to press up against her like this. They rose higher and higher, the amusement park and the city beyond it shrinking into small, glittering shapes. They stopped once more. Yasui nuzzled her arm.

"We've stopped."

She cracked her eyes open before gasping and looking adamantly at her feet.

"S-so high! I can't! I can't do this!"

"I-It's okay! Let's… let's talk about something else! Like… it's a little bit chilly up here. Kinda windy."

Diana nodded.

"Y-yes it is. But… you're nice and warm. So it's not too bad."

"I am a little space heater."

She smiled and brought her other hand up to his cheek. She rubbed her palm against his cheek before running her fingers through the fluffy fur around his neck.

"You know, fox fur is actually very soft. I don't think I'd realized that before I met you. It's very pleasant to touch."

"Thanks. I've been using shampoo and conditioner ever since we got that spa day thing."

She laughed in a slightly forced way.

"You know, you should be careful about taking a nap when you come over to my home again. You… you might wake up to see your tail missing. Heh… hehe."

Yasui giggled.

"I would just walk over like 'Miss Diana, have you seen my tail?' And you'd be like 'No, but have you seen this new scarf I have? It's very soft!'"

The wheel began moving again. Their next stop, the top. Diana slid her mask off to wipe the sweat off her brow, and Yasui followed suit. Once they had stopped again, Diana closed her eyes and looked straight ahead. Slowly, she opened them and took in the view for as long as she could. She quickly returned her gaze to her hands, noticing the little trickle of blood coming from Yasui's palm.

"Yasui! Your hand!"

"It's fine. Just a little scratch."

"We'll have to go to a first aid station once we're done. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, really! I just want you to feel better."

She smiled warmly at him. She stayed silent for a moment before sighing.

"I am so glad you're in my life. You're truly a very special boy."

Yasui returned the smile and hugged her with his free arm. He didn't mean to say it, but it sprang out unbidden anyway.

"I love you, Miss Diana."

She rubbed his cheek with her thumb.

"I love you too Yasui. You're the son I never had."

Those words thrilled Yasui, and yet they also stung a bit too. She saw him as a son. He had always known that, but to hear it out loud was different. His feelings for her were entirely different from her feelings towards him. However, she then kissed him on the forehead, and it was all better. Mostly.

The wheel turned once more, causing Diana to freeze up and close her eyes. Yasui heard her grumble.

"Never… again…."

"Miss Diana, if you're so scared of heights, how do you fly to places in planes?"

"I take a heavy duty sleeping pill twenty minutes before takeoff and wake up at my destination."

"Oh…."

"It's so bad I don't even get close to the railing on my stairs at home."

Yasui realized that he had in fact never seen her not hug the wall when going upstairs. He had also never seen her use a ladder or step stool to get something down from a high place. She'd just had Charles get it. Yasui laughed.

"You're almost as bad as I am! I don't even like stepping into a closet to get something."

"Ah yes, claustrophobia. I'd almost forgotten."

Yasui looked down at the park.

"So… want to ride the roller coaster after this?"

"I'd rather skin myself alive and go jump in the ocean."

As soon as the ride stopped and the door was unlocked, Diana sped out of the carriage and leaned against a wall. She was still breathing heavily and her legs were shaking. Yasui patted her arm.

"Stay here, I'll go get you some tea."

"Mhm."

As Yasui walked to the tea stand located in the northern section of the area, he passed by Charles who was watching Miss Diana from a short distance. He grunted.

"I didn't think she would actually do it."

"She was very brave."

"You're bleeding."

"…She was a little brave."

Once Diana had had some tea, and Yasui some medical attention, the four rendezvoused once more. Shinrai was a little pale as he sipped on some water.

"I regret my decision. I should have stopped at candy apple number three."

Yasui whistled.

"You ate three candied apples after that big dinner?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"I ate five. And also some chocolate covered marshmallows, candied pecans, cotton candy, and honey clusters."

"…Dude."

Diana wiped at her forehead, still looking worse for wear from her trip on the ferris wheel.

"So, where to next?"

Shinrai shrugged.

"I want to ride the roller coaster and do the boat ride."

Diana let out a hollow chuckle.

"I'll pass on the roller coaster. Somebody needs to hold everyone's stuff while you ride the… ride."

Yasui consulted the map.

"So… the boat ride is closest. Let's go there and then the roller coaster."

The group walked towards the wide building decorated to look like a pirate tavern and went through the doors. The inside was dark and foggy, with glowing spiders hanging from the ceiling. Yasui shivered a bit as an ominous moaning sound echoed from inside. Shinrai gulped.

"Sure is dark in here… hehe."

Yasui moved over to him.

"Want to hold my hand?"

"No! It's not that scary!"

Yasui shrugged.

"Suite yourself."

The queue led them to a dock where a robed figure wordlessly shuffled them into a two-rowed boat. It was Yasui and Diana in the front, and Shinrai and Charles in the back. Yasui assumed it was because Charles was so massive that anyone else would have been squashed. As it was, Shinrai seemed to not mind having a living boulder right next to him. With a lurch, the boat began to float down the faux river and towards a set of double doors. With a creak and a billowing cloud of fog, the doors opened into a pitch black room.

Low creaks could be heard from around them, followed by faint whispers. Yasui jumped as something darted past the right side of the boat. He frantically scrambled around for Diana's arm and clung to it as a ghostly, rasping noise came from above them. Suddenly a glowing green figure swooped from above and whisked around in front of them before vanishing into the gloom. Yasui whimpered.

"I don't like this."

Diana leaned in and whispered back.

"I'm too old for this crap, I'll have a heart attack."

Yasui's eyes went wide and he muffled a squeal of horror as he saw glowing eyes looking up at them from the water, before the ship jostled violently. They suddenly jolted downward, eliciting a few screams of relatively high pitch. They were now in a long dimly lit corridor lined with doors that took a sharp turn to the right. There was a figure slumped against the corner of this curve who remained motionless as they slowly drifted towards them. Once they were at said corner, the figure groaned before slowly and jerkily getting to their feet. They turned to reveal rotting flesh and blood all over them. As the zombie shambled towards them with arms outstretched, bangs and groans came from the doors as zombies pounded on the wood, forcing their way out before shuffling towards them with arms outstretched.

Yasui squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in the crook of Miss Diana's elbow.

(I want to get off I want to get off I want to get off!)

The rest of the ride passed in a relative blur as Yasui refused to open his eyes again until they stopped. With shaky feet and bristling fur, Yasui, Diana, and Shinrai fumbled their way off the boat. Charles calmly followed them. The gorilla yawned.

"That was enjoyable."

To recover, they dined on more sweets and treats before Shinrai and Yasui boarded the roller coaster, which was a bad idea because they both felt queasy once they got off. Apparently sweets and high speed thrill rides didn't mix well. They wandered the park until midnight. By this point they were tired, full, and had aching feet. As the three passengers piled into the back of Diana's car, Charles snorted.

"Lightweights."

Diana moaned.

"You're some sort of robot, Charles. You have wires in your arms and metal bones."

"Thank you."

Shinrai burped and grimaced before swallowing.

"Best… night… ever…."

Diana laughed.

"It was quite fun. What did you think, Yasui."

….

"Yasui?"

Shinrai snickered.

"He's asleep!"

Diana rolled her eyes as she looked over at the small fox slumped back in his seat, snoring softly.

"I don't know why I expect otherwise. I'm about to pass out myself."

Shinrai groaned.

"Sugar crash."

"Indeed, sugar crash."

Yasui didn't remember leaving the car or walking to his dorm. He slept dreamlessly until morning, and whatever it might have in store for him.