Classroom of the Elite: The 100 Elites Who Really, Really Love Him

by legalinmybooks

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has been cursed (blessed) by The God of Love who accidentally linked Ayanokouji and 100 different girls/women. They are to become soulmates bounded by love and fate. If their relationship with Ayanokouji fails, the girls are fated to die in an accident. It's a matter of life or death. Will Ayanokouji survive ANHS with 100 potential soulmates waiting for him? Wil

25. Chapter 24: Summer and Beyond

*Timeskip (3 days later)*

Ayanokouji is riding down the elevator, wearing his casual clothes. It's the day of the summer festival and a few hours prior, he was bombarded with invitations from his soulmates which he agreed to.

A few days prior, Ayanokouji noticed construction and preparation for the summer festival with tents, stalls, and booths being set up in parks, plazas, and along the main road. There were also lights being installed along the road and the constructed areas. Ayanokouji was curious about what the summer festival had in store for him.

The elevator opened up and Ayanokouji exited and made his way into the lobby. "Ayanokouji-kun! Over here!" called out Kushida.

Kushida was wearing a stunning bright red kimono with white flowers printed on it. Horikita, Mori, Mii-chan, and Azuma greeted Ayanokouji as they were with Kushida. All of the girls were wearing different multi-colored kimonos. Some had floral prints while others had animals or different designs. Horikita's kimono had a hakama skirt.

"You all look... stunning and beautiful." said Ayanokouji. His remarks instantly caused all of the girls to blush and avert their eyes from him.

"T-Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."

"S-Smooth!"

"I wouldn't mind if you said that to me."

"Yeah... Wait! Who said that?!"

"I only told the truth. Shall we go?" said Ayanokouji.

With that, the group left the dorm building and headed down the main road where some booths and stalls were set up. The multi-colored lights lit up the evening sky and there was already a crowd of people moving down the road and checking out the stalls. It was the summer festival mood.

"Whoa! The school really went all-out, didn't they?" said Azuma, looking around.

"Candy apple! Does anyone want one?" asked Kushida, noticing the stall.

"I'll take one." said Mii-chan. The others shook their heads and the two girls left and headed towards the stall. The others decided to wait for Mii-chan and Kushida to return.

"So... is there a sale on kimonos? Looks like everyone is wearing one." said Ayanokouji.

"Can't keep your eyes off me? Wow, Ayanokouji-kun! You're getting bolder every day." said Mori, in a teasing manner.

'Although, I wished that you were like that only to me. Pay attention to me. Not to Kushida-chan, Horikita-san, or anyone else.' thought Mori. She felt a cold stare coming from Horikita and saw that Azuma was rolling her eyes. As expected, Ayanokouji maintained the blank and stoic expression on his face.

"Well, there was a store that started renting kimonos out a few days ago before the festival. There was a huge rush since everybody wanted to get one for the festival." said Azuma.

"I know right! I spent like 2 hours waiting in line to get one and most of the popular kimono designs are all gone!" said Mori.

"It was simpler to order online than wait in a line." said Horikita.

"Yeah, I guess. But, I wanna see if the kimono that I got fits on my body."

"I suppose that's true."

"Kushida-chan and Mii-chan are back."

Kushida and Mii-chan arrived back with a candy apple on a stick and the group continued down the road and the number of passersby and boys looked over at Ayanokouji and his group. Of course, Ayanokouji wasn't surprised since Kushida is quite popular and cute, so that's why everyone is looking at her and Kushida is also in a kimono. As they walked, they made a detour into a nearby park where there were a bunch of stalls. Ayanokouji noticed that the stall has games and activities where patrons can win prizes.

"Hey! There's goldfish scooping." "Look at all those prizes!"

"Wanna try it out?"

Since this is the first summer festival Ayanokouji has been in, he allowed himself to be dragged along by the other girls. First, they stopped at a stall where there was a blue plastic tub filled with water with goldfish inside.

"Welcome! For 500 points, you'll get 5 tries to win yourself a goldfish." said the man.

Mori and Azuma paid the points, and the man handed them 5 paper scoops and a red bowl. Ayanokouji watched as Mori and Azuma tried to scoop up a goldfish, but either the goldfish evaded the scoop, or the scoop broke apart due to the water.

'Interesting. It requires good timing and quick reaction to scoop the goldfish from the water before the goldfish escapes or the scoop will break. Based on the material, the scoop is paper thin and will immediately break upon contact of water. You also need good hand coordination to scoop the fish quickly and catch it in the bowl. Of course, it will take some tries to successfully win and is ultimately the goal of this stall: more profit.' thought Ayanokouji.

"It's over..."

"I thought I had it."

"Good try, young ladies. Would you try again?" asked the man.

"I'll give it a try." said Ayanokouji, pulling out his phone and scanning it on the ID scanner. The man handed Ayanokouji 5 paper scoops and a red bowl before Ayanokouji crouched down to get a better look.

Ayanokouji scanned the fish and decided to use his first try to test the fish's reaction. He quickly dipped the paper scoop in the water and made an arcing motion to attempt to scoop the fish, but the paper disintegrated before it got to the fish. Next, Ayanokouji tried to pinpoint a fish and tried to catch it, but the goldfish weaved to the side and dodged the side. For his third try, Ayanokouji managed to catch the fish, but was too slow and the paper scoop broke before he could get it into the bowl. The fish sailed back into the safety of the water.

'Okay... I think I know what to do. These few trials were a trial run and to test the waters out. Now... I think I could get it.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji studied the fishes and after a few moments of analyzing their movements, he chose one and positioned his scoop ready at the water's surface. The girls, who were watching, held their breaths, and in a swift motion, Ayanokouji scooped it up and managed to place an orange goldfish into the red bowl. The fish flopped around, surprised by the sudden change of environment and getting captured.

"Congratulations, young man. You still have one more try. I'll put it in a plastic bag for you." said the man, taking the bowl and handing Ayanokouji another bowl.

The man began pouring some water and the goldfish into a plastic bag while Ayanokouji focused his attention back to the tub. He wanted another goldfish, but one with a different color. Then, he saw a white and orange spotted goldfish and got his scoop ready. Ayanokouji watched as the fish zipped around the tub and took a break every once in a while. After watching the fish's movement, he waited for it to stop and made his move. In a swift and calculated move, Ayanokouji barely managed to get the fish into a bowl before the paper scoop broke. Mori and Azuma cheered at Ayanokouji's victory and he gave the stall owner the bowl as he transferred the fish into a plastic bag filled with water.

"Congratulations, young man. Would you like to play again?" asked the man.

"No. I'm fine. Thanks." said Ayanokouji, picking up the two plastic bags with a fish inside.

"Not one time, but two times!" said Azuma, with a shocked expression. "I couldn't even get one!" said Mori, shaking her head.

"Wow! Ayanokouji-kun is really good at this!" said Kushida.

"Impressive as always." said Horikita.

"Here you go." said Ayanokouji, handing each bag to Azuma and Mori.

"Wait! You're giving it to us?!" asked Mori, in disbelief.

"You don't have to do this. You won fair and square." said Azuma.

"No, it's fine. I won it for you guys and I also don't have a tank for them." said Ayanokouji. Mori and Azuma both protested, but Ayanokouji insisted that it was a gift for them and refused to take the bags. Mori and Azuma begrudgingly accepted it, but they were secretly happy.

'Ayanokouji-kun is so sweet. Although, I wished that I was the one that got the gift.' thought Azuma.

'Ayanokouji-kun is really good with games! First with the arcade and now this! But... this makes me happy.' thought Mori.

Horikita, Mii-chan, and Kushida were giving Azuma and Mori a look of jealousy as they watched as the two girls clutched their gift tightly and held it closely.

"Let's try the next stand!" said Kushida, grabbing Ayanokouji by the hand and dragging him to the next stall. It was a shooting game where there was a toy rifle with some corks. On the back wall of the stall were a bunch of shelves with various prizes.

"Step right up. 500 points for 3 shots." said the man.

"Let's give it a shot." said Kushida.

"Literally!" said Mori.

Everyone paid the price and lined up in a line and aimed the toy rifle at the

shelves. Ayanokouji noticed that there were some decent prizes and most of them seemed to be toys, candies, and even some mystery bags. One prize caught Ayanokouji's attention and it was a massive stuffed teddy bear. The problem was that they were shooting a toy rifle which Ayanokouji predicted wouldn't have much power.

"Fire!" said Kushida. Everyone fired and aimed for different prizes. Horikita and Mii-chan missed their targets, but everybody else hit their targets, but none of the prizes fell down.

"This is harder than I imagined." said Horikita.

"Not even a budge." muttered Azuma.

"I'm going to aim for the bear." said Mii-chan. Everybody took their second shot, but this time, Azuma managed to knock down a prize and she won a toy.

Everyone else managed to shoot at a prize, but nothing fell down.

"One more shot!"

"Time to make it count."

Everybody fired again and Ayanokouji aimed for a prize that seemed smaller and easier to knock down. With a well-placed shot, Ayanokouji managed to knock it down. It was a small package of gummy bears.

'The bigger the prize, the easier it is to hit, but the problem is that it's harder to knock down and win the prize. The smaller the prize, the easier it is to knock down, but the problem is that it's harder to hit and will require a good shot.' thought Ayanokouji.

"That's too bad! Do you guys want to try again?" asked the man, who handed Ayanokouji and Azuma their prizes while the others placed their guns down.

"No. Thank you anyways." said Kushida. Everyone began walking around the plaza and stopped in front of a stall. It was a tub filled with water and with various colorful yoyo balls with various patterns which caught their attention.

"Yoyo fishing!" said Mii-chan.

She immediately pulled out her phone and paid for it. It was 200 points per try.

Mii-chan began to try to fish for her yoyo and was struggling. Ayanokouji watched as Mii-chan struggled to get the metal hook to the yoyo before the paper string which kept attached the stick and the metal hook together from disintegrating. After a bit, Mii-chan managed to hook onto a pink yoyo with polka dots.

"I got it!" said Mii-chan.

"Congratulations." said the elderly woman, taking the miniature fishing rod and the metal hook. Mii-chan picked up her new yoyo and wrapped it around her finger and began to bounce it around. The water inside of the rubber helped the yoyo bounce around and there was a little bit of air, so it's not filled with water and is like a water balloon.

"There's one more thing I would like to try." said Horikita.

"Oh? Horikita-san wants to try something?" asked Azuma, raising her eyebrows.

"That rarely happens." said Mii-chan. Ayanokouji was also a little surprised and it seemed Horikita seemed to be enjoying the summer festival even though she would probably deny it if you asked her.

Horikita led them to a stall where there were a bunch of prizes hanging from ropes and the ropes were all bundled up together and it was impossible to tell which rope was connected to which prize.

"A senbonbiki?" said Kushida.

"I didn't know that you're into luck-based games like this." said Azuma.

"I'm just curious. After all, you are guaranteed to win something, but it doesn't take skills like the others." said Horikita, studying the rope.

"May the god be ever in our favor." said Mori, clasping her hands in prayer.

'Well... in my case, it's not.' thought Ayanokouji.

"400 points for one pull. Once you pull the rope, that's your prize. No redos." said the man at the stall. Ayanokouji studied the prizes and there were various things such as snacks, toys, envelopes, and various household items. Horikita paid the price along with Mori and the two girls studied the ropes before choosing one.

"1, 2, 3... Pull!" said Mori. Both of the girls pulled at the same time and their prizes jerked upwards after being pulled. Horikita won a coupon from a local supermarket from an envelope and Mori won a water pistol.

"I'm getting kind of hungry. Let's stop for some food." said Mori.

"Yeah. Me too." said Azuma.

"You can't do anything with an empty stomach." said Ayanokouji.

"I saw a bunch of stalls nearby. Let's try it out." said Kushida. The group agreed and they made their way out of the plaza and began exploring the nearby stalls. The smell of various food cooking spread throughout the crowd and down the road, drawing the attention of hungry passersby.

The group checked out some of the stalls and bought some food. There were yakisoba, okonomiyaki, grilled squid, and other various common summer festival foods. Ayanokouji bought a plate of yakisoba, some skewers of grilled squid, and some cotton candy. The group found a nearby bench and began eating. This is the first time that Ayanokouji had some of these festival foods and it wasn't a bad experience.

After about 15 minutes of eating, everyone seemed to be finished with their food and they threw their trash in a nearby trash can.

"Hey. I think I saw a few dessert stands nearby earlier. Do you guys still have some room for dessert?" asked Kushida. There was a mixed response as some of the group was too full and didn't seem interested in getting dessert, but Ayanokouji was down for it. As the group were checking around the stalls, they bumped into a familiar group that Ayanokouji instantly knew.

"Ayanokouji-kun?" said Yamashita.

"Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun." said Nanami.

"H-Hi, Ayanokouji-kun." said Morofuji.

"Ayanokouji." said Manabe.

"Hello, everyone." said Ayanokouji. Morofuji was wearing a pink yukata with some pink and white blooming sakura design and a red obi. Nanami was wearing a dark green yukata and had a cat mask hanging on the right side of her head.

Yamashita was wearing an anime related T-shirt and shorts. Manabe was wearing a white summer blouse and shorts.

Ayanokouji's group turned towards Manabe and her group as if they were meeting for the first time which it is for some of them.

"Manabe-san, Yamashita-san, Yabu-san, Morofuji-san! It's good to see you again." said Kushida, smiling at their newcomers.

"Kushida-chan and Horikita-san, was it?" said Nanami, after remembering their brief encounter that they had last time.

"Hello." said Horikita, nodding at them.

"Ayanokouji-kun? Who are they?" asked Mii-chan.

"Nanami Yabu, Morofuji Rika, Yamashita Rika, Manabe Shiho from Class C." said Ayanokouji, introducing the group to his group. Then, he introduced everyone else in his group to the Class C group. As everyone greeted each other, Ayanokouji could sense a bit of tension between the two groups and couldn't understand and pinpoint the actual cause of it.

'It's been a while since I saw Yabu-san and Yamashita-san, but why do I feel like something is off? That longing gaze from Yabu-san and the nervous, but on- guard look from Manabe-san... How did these 4 meet Ayanokouji-kun and what happened? I wasn't aware that Ayanokouji-kun is connected to Class C.' thought Horikita.

'What the fuck?! What's with all those fucking stares?! Don't tell me these fucking bitches are in love with Ayanokouji-kun! What the fuck happened in the past few months from the last time I saw them.' thought Kushida.

'Yikes! When a hydrogen bomb meets an atomic bomb! What an intense meeting! How did Ayanokouji-kun know all of these girls?!' thought Mori, scratching her head puzzled as she noticed the two groups staring at each other.

'The fuck?! I didn't know that Ayanokouji-kun knew that many chicks. Wait... don't me that fucking idiot is a playboy?! Ahh... it's not like I care about it or him at all! He can screw around with them.' thought Manabe.

'Wait... Horikita-san and Kushida-san were with Ayanokouji-kun before. Why are there so many girls? I thought he was dating Horikita-san because I saw them on the beach during the island exam. Ayanokouji-kun is like Hirata-kun, isn't he?' thought Nanami.

'A storm is brewing! Maybe I can help break the tension.' thought Yamashita.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun... I kinda need you. Can you come over to my room tomorrow?" asked Yamashita, clearing her throat and breaking the silence. Yamashita's question left everyone flabbergasted and everyone glanced over at Ayanokouji and Yamashita with a mixed expression of shock, surprise, and disbelief.

'Yamashita... you're not helping. You're making it worse.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Sure. I think we need to work on some bugs and finish up the last remaining routes." said Ayanokouji, without changing his expression.

"Yeah. Suzuki is pulling multiple all-nighters to get the art done in time. Any word of Tsube-san?" asked Yamashita.

"No... I think she's struggling a little bit. I'll check in on her tomorrow."

"Good. Nishimura-san is fixing all the bugs you told her. She wanted you to test it out tomorrow as well."

"Sounds good to me."

Everyone's eyes drifted back to Yamashita and Ayanokouji as they had their conversation without the care in the world and one thing that they caught is that Ayanokouji and Yamashita are working on something together and it seemed that it involves more girls. Ayanokouji could feel almost everyone staring at him.

"Ayanokouji-kun, what are you talking about?" asked Horikita.

"Yeah! What's going on?" asked Manabe

"A-Are you two working on something?" asked Morofuji.

"Me and Yamashita are working on a project together with a few other people." replied Ayanokouji.

"Saki... Don't tell me that you're making a game?" asked Nanami, remembering vaguely what Yamashita was saying about her dreams of making a game.

"Yeah! Ayanokouji-kun is giving me a hand." said Yamashita.

"So... why is Ayanokouji-kun meeting in your room?" asked Azuma.

"Well, it's a convenient spot and it would be a bother if we sat in public like in a cafe for hours out of time to work on something. Besides, doing it in private is better." said Yamashita.

"I suppose it might sound suspicious that a guy is frequently meeting in a girl's room even though they are not in a romantic relationship, but it's merely professional." said Ayanokouji, cutting Yamashita off.

Ayanokouji didn't want Yamashita to say that he does frequently visit her room and that he sometimes spends the night there. He also didn't want Yamashita to accidentally blurt out that they technically and accidentally slept together because he definitely didn't want to be pestered by questions and questionable looks. It seemed that Ayanokouji's explanation seemed to have avoided some suspicions, especially those saucy questions, but it doesn't change the fact that Ayanokouji is visiting another girl's room. Ayanokouji knew that the more soulmates he has, the harder it is to hide his activities and interactions between other soulmates and any female individuals.

"Morofuji-san... is that a choco banana?" asked Mii-chan, pointing at a chocolate covered banana on a stick.

"Yeah. There's a stand over there." said Morofuji, pointing at a nearby stand. Ayanokouji could see chocolate-covered and strawberry-covered bananas on a stick.

"I'll be right back." said Mii-chan, heading towards the direction to where

Morofuji pointed at. It seemed that Mii-chan wanted a chocolate-covered banana and everyone seemed to be looking around for deserts.

"What are you looking for?"

"We ate dinner a few minutes ago and were looking for desserts."

"Oh! Any recommendations?"

"The yakisboa and grilled squid are good." "Yuck I hate squid. I'll pass."

"Wait. Is that shaved ice?"

"Damn. Maybe we should eat dinner before eating desserts."

As the group were chatting, Ayanokouji decided to try out shaved ice and headed there himself. He didn't want to interfere with their mingling and didn't want a huge group of people to follow him to a stall. As Ayanokouji was studying at the menu and trying to decide which flavor of shaved ice to choose, Morofuji came right to his side.

"If you wanted a flavor, I would try the melon flavor. It's my favorite." said Morofuji.

"Thanks. I'll give it a try." said Ayanokouji.

He ordered a melon flavored shaved ice and paid for it. He watched as the employee began cranking the shaved ice machine and watched as small pieces of finely crushed ice fall into a plastic cup. After a bit of cranking, there was a nice and glistening pile of ice and the employee poured some melon flavoring on top of the ice before sticking a spoon into the pile of ice and handing it to Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji scooped a spoonful of shaved ice and made sure that it included a sufficient amount of melon flavoring before trying it. The cold and refreshing texture of ice made it enjoyable on a hot summer evening and the melon flavoring added some sweetness to the ice.

"Cold " said Ayanokouji.

"Your tongue is a little green." said Morofuji, giggling.

"I like it. Thanks for the recommendation."

"No problem." "Here."

"Eh?!"

Ayanokouji scooped a spoonful of shaved ice and held it up to Morofuji.

"You said it was your favorite. Do you want some?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Eh?! N-No! It-'s okay. You should enjoy it yourself." said Morofuji, her face becoming extremely red as she stared at the spoon that Ayanokouji just used.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah. Please enjoy!"

"Okay. Your loss."

Ayanokouji continued eating his shaved ice and noticed that Morofuji's face was still red and she averted her eyes from him. He wondered if Morofuji wanted the shaved ice and was actually secretly embarrassed. After a few moments of silence, Ayanokouji spoke up.

"Morofuji... I know it's a bit too late for it, but how are you doing?" said Ayanokouji.

"What do you mean? I'm doing fine." asked Morofuji.

"I mean about the whole Karuizawa thing. I haven't checked up on you ever since my pep talk at the cruise ship."

Morofuji's pulse quickened at Ayanokouji's words as she remembered Ayanokouji's words and when her whole perspective on him changed completely.

'So, that's what he meant. I feel so stupid for what I said. I can't forget his words and how he cared for me. He's even asking me if I'm okay afterwards! I mean it's a little too late, but it's the thought that matters. I still... not sure about this. For some reason, I'm not afraid of Ayanokouji-kun. I used to be, but... something is different. I don't know when, but before summer vacation, I got used to him. And then... something changed again. Ahh! Why is everything changing?!' thought Morofuji.

"I'm doing okay... I won't let Karuizawa and what happened affect me. As long as I have my friends, I'll manage." said Morofuji.

"That's good. I was worried about you. I'm glad that my advice and words are helpful." said Ayanokouji.

"They are. T-Thank you again, Ayanokouji-kun."

"It's no problem. I'm your friend, right? I just hope you'll do the same if I'm ever in trouble."

"Definitely!"

Morofuji shot Ayanokouji with a shy, but grateful smile. Ayanokouji studied Morofuji before having a realization.

'Morofuji is quite cute. If you compare it to Kusha or Ichinose, it's no contest. But it wasn't fair to compare girls to Kushida and Ichinose. She was reminded of Sakura, who is shy and more reserved. The only difference is that Morofuji is more sociable than Sakura. Although, it's rare for both Sakura and Morofuji to smile, when it happens, it's quite cute and suits them.' thought Ayanokouji.

"That's a very nice yukata, Morofuji. It suits you and is very cute." said Ayanokouji.

"E-Eh?! Thank you! Nanami chose it for me. I-I thought it looks alright." said Morofuji.

"She did? It would look good on Nanami..." "Y-Yeah..."

Morofuji's voice turned meek as Ayanokouji turned his attention on Nanami instead of her, complimenting someone else rather than herself. Morofuji may not have understood her feelings yet, but she felt like her stomach had dropped.

"But it looks better on you." said Ayanokouji, completing his sentence and thoughts.

"E-Eh?!" yelped Morofuji, not expecting a smooth line coming from Ayanokouji.

"It's true that it would look good on Nanami, but it looks better on you. Quite cute to be honest."

Ayanokouji's relentless and brutal honesty pushed Morofuji in a corner and she had no idea how to react, but the words of Ayanokouji replayed in her head as her face reddened.

"T-Thank you." muttered Morofuji, shyly as she averted her eyes from Ayanokouji and scratched her nervously. Before Ayanokouji or Morofuji could say anything else, a group of upperclassmen walked and pushed Ayanokouji slightly out of the way which separated Morofuji and Ayanokouji.

"Sorry about that!" said one of the upperclassmen. Before Ayanokouji could get back to Morofuji, a stream of people got in the way and Ayanokouji heard Morofuji's voice.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Morofuji.

"Morofuji. Are you all right?" asked Ayanokouji. "Y-yeah. Where are you?! Wait!"

Morofuji's voice became smaller as the crowd of people became bigger and seemed to be heading towards the opposite direction of Ayanokouji. He assumed that Morofuji was being carried away from him and he hoped that Nanami, Yamashita, or Manabe were nearby to find her. Ayanokouji tried to push through the crowd, but it was impossible to navigate through the crowd and going against the traffic was quite difficult. While Ayanokouji was trying to get through the crowd, he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

"Ayanokouji-kun!" said Nishikawa.

"Nishikawa?" said Ayanokouji, looking at her and he saw Tamiya, Nishi, and Tsukaji with her. They were all wearing multi-colored yukatas and Ayanokouji already noticed that most of the girls in the crowd were wearing yukatas or kimonos.

"Bit of a crowd! Let's go somewhere quieter!"

Ayanokouji nodded and the group got off the main road and into a little rest area off the main road where the school set up benches and tables for people to eat their food from the stalls. Tsukaji was eating cotton candy while Tamiya had new sunglasses with multi-colored lights on the frames which lit up in the evening sky.

"Hello, everyone. Enjoying the festival?" said Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. Quite a big crowd, huh?" said Nishikawa.

"By the way, do you know why there's such a crowd? They really came out of nowhere."

"I don't know."

"I've heard there's an event going on right now. I think it's a beauty pageant event." said Tsukaji.

"That may explain a lot." said Ayanokouji.

"Were you heading to the beauty pageant?" asked Tamiya.

"No. I got separated from my group because of the crowd."

"Ah! I see..."

"We almost got separated too, but luckily we ran into you."

"Do you mind if I stay with you guys before I meet up with my group?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Sure!" said Nishikawa.

"I'm fine with it." said Nishi.

"Let's get some food. Eating cotton candy is not exactly filling." said Tsukaji.

"Did you already eat, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Tamiya.

"I already ate, but it doesn't hurt for me to see what kind of things they have on sale." said Ayanokouji. With that, the group headed back into the main road, but found a side road where there were still stalls, but less traffic.

As they moved from stall to stall, they found some more food such as crepes, taiyaki, karaage, grilled corn, and watermelon. Since Ayanokouji ate a decent amount, he decided to get a slice of watermelon as a refresher. The others got some karrage, crepes, yakisoba, and grilled corn. The group chatted about trivial things as they ate and checked out the other stalls. Most of the stalls seemed to be mostly food and there weren't many benches on this side road. As they walked, they stopped at a crossroad and found a sign that caught everyone's attention.

"Hey look! There's an event by the river in the park." said Nishi, looking at the sign.

"Wanna check it out?" asked Tamiya. Everybody looked at each and Ayanokouji and Tsukaji both simultaneously shrugged at the question.

"You're really alike" said Nishikawa.

"I'm fine with it if you guys are." said Ayanokouji and Tsukaji at the same time.

"Even said the same thing at the same time." said Tamiya, whistling.

"And away we go!" said Nishi. The group headed down the right path of the crossroad and towards the park.

After a few minutes of walking, they found the park to be brightly lit up with a tent set up by the river. There seems to be fewer stalls in the park and the event is the main attraction to the park. The group made their way to the tent where they found a staff member, manning the table.

"Hello. Are you all signing up for tonight's Toro Nagashi?" asked the staff member.

"Oh... that's what it is." said Nishi.

"That sounds kind of cool." said Tamiya.

"When is the event?" asked Ayanokouji.

"The event will begin in 20 minutes. We are holding out for any more people we will begin." said the staff member. Everyone looked at each other and Ayanokouji didn't have anything better to do, but waited until he could meet up with his group.

"Sure. I don't have any problem with it." said Ayanokouji.

"You know, since we're already here, we might as well do it." said Tsukaji.

"Yeah, I guess." said Nishikawa.

"Hmm... what should I wish for?" muttered Tamiya.

"Excellent. Please scan your student ID and you'll be able to register." said the staff member, pushing the ID scanner closer to the group. Everybody scanned their IDs and the staff member handed them each a paper boat with a paper lantern on top.

"Where's the candle?" asked Nishikawa, opening the paper lantern and noticing that there's nothing inside.

"Once the event starts, there will be a station where you can light a candle and place it inside of the lantern before releasing it in the river. For now, before the event starts, you can write your wishes. There will be an announcement for when the event starts." said the staff member.

"Oh. Thank you very much."

The group left with their paper boats and lanterns. As they walked around the park, Ayanokouji noticed that there were many tables set up where people were writing their wishes on the paper lanterns.

"Let's write our wishes down." said Nishi, pointing at an empty table.

The group quickly made their way to the empty table and grabbed some pen that was left on the table. The paper lanterns were folded, so you can easily unfolded them and placed them face down so you can write on them more easily. They spent a few minutes writing down their wishes and Ayanokouji didn't know what to write. He didn't believe that his wishes would come true because of this, but since he's already agreed to it, he might as well write something.

'Freedom.' thought Ayanokouji.

That was the one word that Ayanokouji wrote before folding his paper lantern back to its original shape and placing it back on top of the paper boat. Everyone else spent a little longer before they put their pens down and placed the paper lantern back onto their boats.

"What did you wish for?" asked Tamiya.

"I don't know. A happy romantic relationship with a hot and cool boyfriend or something like that." said Nishikawa.

"Always romance in your brain. Honestly..." said Tsukaji, sighing.

"What did you wish for?"

"My success. I don't want to be expelled from school."

"That's a fair point, but you gotta live life a little. I wished for a lifetime supply of gummy bears!" said Nishi.

"Hmph... maybe you're right about that, but you'll get too many cavities if you get all of those gummy bears." said Tsukaji.

"Let a girl dream, okay?!"

"What did you wish for, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Tamiya.

"Nothing much. Just a good time at this school." replied Ayanokouji. "Boring!"

"Hey, that's rude!"

"Aren't you having a good time with us? Always being surrounded by beautiful girls all day?~"

"Wait... that's actually true though. Ayanokouji-kun always seems to be with a girl or multiple girls every day."

"You guys always have a weird obsession with things like this. You won't shut up with Hirata-kun and Satonaka-kun."

"Zip it, Tsukaji. We're just being girls."

"That's not what I meant by good time at this school. It's just the little moments like this. You know, enjoy life a little more." said Ayanokouji.

"Told you. You should take a lesson from Ayanokouji-kun, Tsukaji." said Nishi. Tsukaji sighed and rolled her eyes as the other girls giggled.

"And also, I happen to be in the area and it's quite a huge coincidence that all of the people I'm with are girls." added Ayanokouji.

"Yeah, right!"

"Coincidences can be freaky..."

"Too good to be true."

The girls giggled at Ayanokouji's lackluster explanation on why every time they see him, it's always with a bunch of girls, but the conversation kept flowing as the group moved onto a new topic.

*Timeskip (25 minutes later)*

"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the 1st ever Toro Nagashi. Please make your way to the lighter stations by the river. The event will begin in 10 minutes once everyone has their candles lit. Please do not release your boats until next instructions are given out," said the loudspeaker which was set up temporarily for this event.

Everyone began making their way to the lighter stations to lit their candles and Ayanokouji's group were waiting in line for their turn. As they waited,

Ayanokouji saw the candle lights increase as time passed, and more and more people lit their candles. Soon, the riverside was filled with candle lights and Ayanokouji's candle joined the masses. The group found a spot on the river and waited for the announcement. After about 5 more minutes, the loudspeaker blared to life.

"Thank you for your patience, everyone. A few rules must be clarified before we proceed to this event. Please make sure your candle is properly inside of your paper lanterns, so it doesn't fall out of the boat or set your paper lantern or boar on fire. We also have a strict rule about littering and polluting the river and environment. Please be considerate of the environment and don't litter on the river and park. If you were caught, you will be fined with private points. Keep the park clean. With further ado, release your boats!" said the loudspeaker.

With that, everyone began releasing their boats into the river. Ayanokouji released his boats and watched as the boats slowly drifted down the river, being carried by the gentle summer breeze and current of the river. There were some audible gasps and whispers during the river as people were watching in awe as the numerous lights were slowly drifting down the rivers and away from them. Some people took out their phones and began taking pictures.

Ayanokouji watched as his boat drifted away from him and he wondered if it's symbolism. Maybe it's a sign that his dreams are leaving him and will disappear. Perhaps that's why they are called dreams, separated from reality.

'I assume that the school has some net or something to catch the paper boats and lanterns. There must be a way to dispose of the boats. I imagine the school is against polluting their own river.' thought Ayanokouji.

After a bit, all of the boats and their lights disappeared from their view and it began a quiet and dark river, devoid of light and boats.

"That concludes our very first Toro Nagashi. Thank you all for attending this event. Please enjoy the rest of the summer festival. We'll see you again next year, everyone." said the loudspeaker. With that, the event has ended. Some people left immediately while others stayed a little longer by the river.

"Let's go." suggested Nishikawa. The others agreed with her and they left the park.

*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*

"So... why are we here again?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Well, we accidentally ended up here, so might as well check it out." said Tamiya.

"Also, it looks like it's gonna end soon." said Nishi.

Ayanokouji and his group ended up in the crowd in front of a stage where the beauty pageant is. They somehow ended up close by and out of curiosity, Nishikawa and Tamiya went in to get a closer look which eventually brought the others with them. It seemed like they were introducing the finalists of the beauty pageant. Apparently, there are two contestants left and most of the participants already got eliminated based on the cheering of the crowd.

"Seems like the finale." said Ayanokouji.

"I wonder who the finalists are." said Tskuaji.

"Oh? Now you're curious. I thought you didn't like these kinds of things." said Nishi.

"Someone told me to pay more attention to my life and I'm taking their advice very seriously."

"Don't twist my words!"

"And... to our final round of our 1st beauty pageant. To those who just arrived, we are down to our two final contestants, and they will be introduced to the audience again and will be asked questions. They can skip the question, but they are given 3 minutes of stage time before the stage is given to the next contestant. And then afterwards, you, the audience, will decide the winner of this year's beauty pageant queen." said a staff member with a microphone. He was sitting with 2 more people at the front table, facing the stage and seemed to be the host and judges. Everyone cheered and it seemed that most of the audience already knew who the last 2 contestants were.

"Damn! It's gonna be hard to choose who's the winner!"

"I know right!"

"They are both so perfect."

"There can only be one!"

"With further ado, our first contestant is Asahina Nazuna from Class 2-A." said the judge.

Some people began cheering and clapping as a female upperclassman walked onto the stage. She had long chocolate-brown hair with a sunflower hair pin on the right side of her head. She also has two purple hair pins on her right bangs with sparkling and bright purple eyes. She was wearing a dark red kimono which has red and white roses with a maroon-colored hakama skirt and long sleeves.

Ayanokouji hasn't had that much interaction with his upperclassmen and was surprised to find another beauty. When Ayanokouji studied her more closely, he could understand why she made it to the finale. Asahina had this kind of mature, but childish charm and her warm, but happy smile was quite the treasure.

"Now.. Asahina-san, I'll be asking you a few questions. Feel free to not answer them if you feel uncomfortable." said one of the judges. Asahina nodded and gripped the microphone, moving it closer to her mouth.

"First question: how are you feeling about making this far in the competition? Were you expecting this outcome?" asked the judge.

"To be honest, not really. I didn't know I'll get that far." said Asahina, blushing a little and shifting nervously. That action seemed to have riled some members in the audience.

"Okay, I'm sure it's not lucky that you've made it this far. Second question: what's your favorite part of school? It can be anywhere in the school."

"Well... I really like the Pallet Cafe. It's a nice calm cafe where you can get some good coffee and food and chill with your friends. I probably spend a lot of time there anyways."

"You mentioned that you were part of the school's music club. How was it? Did you win any competitions?"

"It was fine. I'm a flute player and our club won a competition a few months ago."

"If you don't mind, can you play for us?"

"Play? I don't have my flute on me."

"Don't worry. We are prepared and got a flute for you."

One of the staff members entered the stage and gave Asahina a flute. Asahina studied the flute and began tiddling with it, adjusting it and preparing to play it. After a few moments, she placed the microphone back on the stand and placed the flute close to her mouth before she started playing.

Asahina started playing a gentle melody through the flute and it reflected a calm, but gentle summer evening. It was the type of melody to describe an ordinary high school life and the gentle summer vacation. After a few minutes of playing, Asahina ended the melody, and everyone began clapping and a few started throwing encores and whistling.

"Amazing! I can see that you're a talented player!" said one of the other judges.

"Is there anything else you want to tell us before your time is up?" asked another judge.

"If anyone wants to join the music club, please come see us in the music room. Our doors will be open to you. Oh! Also don't forget to vote for me." said Asahina. She bowed and as she left the stage, people began clapping and cheering.

"Alright... our last contestant is someone that has taken the competition by storm and won every round by a huge margin. Please welcome, Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B!" said one of the judges.

Ichinose walked onto the stage and immediately there was a clear difference between Ichinose and Asahina. Ichinose's entrance piqued more people's attention, and the clapping and cheering was even louder than Asahina's entrance. Ichinose was wearing a light pink kimono with red roses and white roses with a dark blue-colored hakama skirt and long sleeves.

The kimono that Ichinose wore showed off Ichinose's incredible figure and the light pink blended well with her strawberry pink hair. Her radiant and friendly smile kept everyone's attention on her. Ayanokouji noticed that some of the boys in the audience kept their gaze upon Ichinose's figure and the bouncing off her breasts as she climbed the stage stairs.

"Wow! It's Ichinose!"

"Damn! It's hard to choose between these two!"

"Look at those big bazonkers!"

"Ichinose-san for the win!"

It seemed that the reception of the audience seemed to be leaning more towards Ichinose rather than Asahina.

'Asahina has a likeable personality and is well-liked by the audience, but Ichinose Honami is on a whole nother level. Ichinose has the body and personality that puts Asahina to shame. A well-established popular figure like Ichinose would definitely win since this competition is basically a popularity contest. Asahina fought well, but Ichinose will win.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Whoa! Look at that chick!"

"God damn... She's hot and... Oh my god... Look at those breasts!"

"They might be bigger than Ichinose's!"

"You might be right." "Those thighs though..."

Ayanokouji heard a few whispers around him and looked around. He noticed that Hasebe was nearby, and she was getting quite the attention from the boys around her. Hasbe shifted uncomfortably as she was getting perverted gazes directed at her and especially her breasts. She was wearing a T-shirt and shorts which revealed her enormous breasts and thighs. Hasebe noticed that Ayanokouji was looking at her and shot him in a pleading look, asking for some help since Ayanokouji helped her out before. Ayanokouji noticed that more and more attention was being directed to Hasebe after hearing the whispers from some of the boys. She shifted uncomfortably and hugged her arms, in an attempt to hide her breasts. Ayanokouji sighed and realized that he should be probably do something otherwise the sexual harassment will continue and escalate.

"Hasebe... Sorry for losing you." said Ayanokouji, speaking up and approaching her.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun..." said Hasebe.

"Come with me. Let's get you out of here." "Y-Yeah. Thanks again."

Ayanokouji took Hasebe back to his group, making sure to place Hasebe closer to the other girls. He hoped that they could provide a decent shield for Hasebe to ensure that the hype and whispers about Hasebe's erotic body will slowly die down.

"Everyone... This is Hasebe Haruka, my classmate." said Ayanokouji.

"Sup!"

"Hi!"

"Another girl, Ayanokouji-kun?"

The Class A girls introduced themselves to Hasebe and with all of the greetings, everyone began whispering to each other and got to know each other better. That was going on as Ichinose's time on stage was unfolding in front of them.

*Timeskip (5 minutes later)*

"Ladies and gentlemen! Our winner for this year's beauty pageant is Ichinose Honami!" called out one of the judges. They have made their decision by the amount of cheering and number of night sticks that the audience members waved around for each contestant. It was overwhelmingly in Ichinose's favor, but Asahina managed to pull some votes. The power of Ichinose was entirely something else and could easily swap the hearts of men.

Ichinose smiled and bowed as she received a trophy from the judges, and everyone cheered and clapped for Ichinose. Ayanokouji's group decided that it's time to leave and get ahead of the crowd. The last thing that Ayanokouji wants is to be separated by the crowd again. As they navigate through the crowd, Ayanokouji felt someone running up to him and placing their hand on his shoulders.

"Ayanokouji-kun! Thank goodness I caught up to you!" said Ichihashi, who seemed a little out of breath.

"Ichihashi? Are you lost too?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. I lost track of my friends because we were at the beauty pageant. You were there too?"

"Yeah. I was with some other people."

"Ayanokouji-kun? Who's that?" asked Nishikawa.

"Wait... Ichihashi-san." said Hasebe.

"Another one!" said Nishi.

"At this rate, I'm not even surprised..." said Tsukaji.

"Eh?! Do you know all these people, Ayanokouji-kun? Wait... isn't that Hasebe- san from our class?" said Ishihashi, clearly surprised and taken aback by the sheer number of girls that Ayanokouji knew. She wasn't expecting Ayanokouji to know more girls from different classes and thought it was just the ones from her class.

'Eh?! Wait... wait a moment! There are even more now?! Honestly, I haven't seen Ayanokouji-kun with these girls and especially Hasebe-san before. Was I missing something?!' thought Ichihashi.

"Yeah. I'll introduce you to everyone." said Ayanokouji. He proceeded to introduce Ichihashi to everyone and everyone started chatting. Hasebe looked uncomfortable in this social situation and looked like she wanted to leave.

"I'll be leaving. Thanks for the help. Ayanokouji-kun." said Hasebe.

"No problem. Stay out of trouble." said Ayanokouji.

"Hee hee~ Thanks again."

With that, Hasebe left and seemed to be heading towards the direction of the dorm.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun... Let's check out some of those stalls there." said Nishikawa, pointing off towards the right. It seemed that the rest of the group seemed to have agreed with Nishikawa, but before Ayanokouji could respond, Ichihashi spoke up.

"Sorry, girls. Me and Ayanokouji-kun have to meet up with our friends." said Ichihashi.

"Ahh... so you found the lost Ayanokouji-kun."

"Bye, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Later."

"It was fun."

"Can you please stop making me look like a lost puppy?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Sorry sorry! I didn't mean it like that." said Tamiya, giggling.

"Goodbye, everyone. It was nice spending time with you guys." said Ayanokouji, waving goodbye. The group said their last goodbyes to the duo, waved, and headed off towards the direction of the stall.

"Ichihashi, is there a reason why you wanted me alone?" asked Ayanokouji. He was certain that Ichihashi wanted him alone with her since she lied about them meeting up with their friends.

"U-Uhh… I wanted to spend some time with you. That's all." said Ichihashi, shyly.

"I see. Shall we go?" "Y-Yes!"

Ichihashi and Ayanokouji walked down the main road and Ichihashi suggested that they head towards the Keyaki Mall which happens to be the end of line for the stalls. The Keyaki Mall is already closed and Ayanokouji could see the last of the stalls and booths which was near the entrance of the Keyaki Mall.

"Have you eaten, Ichihashi?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah... I kinda of got separated from my friends and ended up in the beauty pageant." said Ichihashi.

"So did I. I guess we're lost together." "Yeah."

The duo fell into silence and Ayanokouji's eyes wandered around the stalls and his gaze rested upon a stall which caused him to stop walking.

"Ayanokouji-kun?" said Ichihashi, puzzled by him stopping.

"Wait... that's Tachibana-senpai?" said Ayanokouji, nodding at a booth that was made out of wood with tatami mat floors and made out of paper. It was quite a traditional looking building and it was a tea house.

"Wait... you're right."

Ayanokouji and Ichihashi made their way to the booth and Tachibana was sitting down on the floor and seemed to be preparing the tea leaves and boiling some water. She was so fixated on making tea that she didn't notice that Ayanokouji and Ichihashi were kneeling down on both knees across from her. After a bit, Tachibana looked up and nearly dropped her bowl of leaves.

Tachibana was wearing a purple and white kimono with the purple focused on the neck area and sleeves of the kimono. Tachibana's hair has some hair pins which are used to stop her long hair from interfering with the tea-making process.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun?!" yelped Tachibana.

"Hello, Tachibana-senpai. It's been a while." said Ayanokouji.

"Y-Yeah. And this is Ichihashi-san?"

"Hello, Tachibana-senpai. Are you making tea?" said Ichihashi, bowing her head to Tachibana.

"Yes. I'm part of the tea ceremony club and I volunteered to help the booth for a bit." said Tachibana.

"I didn't know clubs could run booths." said Ichihashi.

"Some of the clubs did, but you'll have to pay for a permit, booth, and everything you knew to run it."

"If you would've told me about it, I would have come and paid a visit sooner than later." said Ayanokouji.

"Y-You would? In that case, how about I treat you to some tea?" said Tachibana.

"You don't have to, Tachibana-senpai. I could pay for it myself."

"No! Think of it as a treat from your senpai. Please enjoy."

Tachibana placed down a small plate with a mochi in front of Ichihashi and Ayanokouji before Tachibana knelt down on the tatami mat. She began cleaning the utensils in front of them and there was an iron brazier and kettle being used for the hot water. Tachibana grabbed the tea powder and began using a whisk.

After carefully preparing the tea, Tachibana gently picked up the iron kettle and poured the hot water into the cup before placing the cups in front of Ayanokouji and Ichihashi.

"Please enjoy." said Tachibana.

Ayanokouji carefully picked up the tea cup and placed it on the palm of his hands and took a sip. It was Ayanokouji's first experience in a tea ceremony and he was pleasantly surprised. The tea was earthy and a bit bitter, but it wasn't too bad. Ayanokouji placed his cup down on the mat.

"Would you like more?" asked Tachibana.

"Yes, please." said Ayanokouji. Ichihashi also got a refill and the duo spent a bit drinking some tea and watching Tachibana prepare and perform the tea ceremony. Ayanokouji was impressed by Tachibana's tea making skills and how dedicated she was to the tea ceremony.

"That's our session. Someone scheduled an appointment at this time slot. I'm sorry that I can't extend our session." said Tachibana.

"It's okay. Honestly, I can't expect better from you, Tachibana-senpai. Plus we kind of went in uninvited." said Ayanokouji.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Everybody said their goodbyes and Ayanokouji and Ichihashi left the booth, heading back to the main road.

"Whoa! What's that? Another event?" said Ichihashi, noticing that there was a stage and a small crowd around it.

"Seems like a performance. Do you want to check it out?" asked Ayanokouji.

"U-Uh... sure."

The duo headed towards the direction of the crowd and stage where they found a group of men wearing traditional clothing performing. There were some people at the back of the stage beating on taiko drums while the performers were performing a traditional bon dance. Ayanokouji and Ichihashi watched on as the performers performed their dance and after a few minutes, the performers turned towards the audience and bowed. The audience clapped and cheered before one of the performers grabbed a microphone.

"Thank you, everyone! I will be taking a 10-minute break before performing again. If you're curious about the next performances, there's a schedule posted over there. We all hope to see you again." said the man.

Some of the people in the audience left while others stayed. Ayanokouji was internally debating on whether or not they should stay. Suddenly, Ichihashi grabbed Ayanokouji by the hands and began pulling him away. She seemed to be in a hurry which left Ayanokouji puzzled, but he let Ichihashi pull him along.

"What's wrong, Ichihashi? Is there a problem?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Y-Yes! I mean no! Well... kinda of. C'mon follow me." said Ichihashi.

Ayanokouji nodded and Ichihashi took him to a more isolated plaza where she tried to climb up some stairs, but due to her increased movement and Ichihashi wearing geta, she lost her footing and nearly fell down the stairs. Luckily, Ayanokouji caught her in his arms and he knelt with one knee pressed against the ground thus holding Ichihashi in a more steady position because he didn't want to fall down the stairs.

"Are you okay, Ichihashi?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Y-Yes. God... I'm such a klutz..." muttered Ichihashi.

"Your geta. The strap is broken."

"Oh no! I'm really a klutz and... Ow!"

"Your leg... You might have sprained it. Hang on. Let's get you the medical tent."

"No! It's fine... Really..."

"You don't look okay. Don't worry... I'll get to the medical tent."

Ichihashi was protesting and insisted that she could walk, but Ayanokouji didn't pay any attention and lifted her up and ended up carrying her in a piggyback. He began walking down the stairs and headed towards the main road, where he spotted a medical tent. As Ayanokouji walked, he broke the silence.

"Ichihashi... why were you in such a hurry?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I-It's nothing..." said Ichihashi, in a quiet voice.

"It doesn't sound like anything. I wouldn't pressure you to tell me, but just know... that I'm here for you."

"T-thanks, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ichihashi fell into silence and before Ayanokouji could step into the main road. Ichihashi spoke up and buried the side of her face into Ayanokouji's back.

"Ayanokouji-kun... please stop." said Ichihashi. Ayanokouji obeyed and remained standing as Ichihashi spoke, her voice becoming smaller.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun... I just wanted to tell you that... I'm thankful that I met you. Ever since I met you, I feel... to be honest, I don't know, but happy and thankful. For being a friend, someone that is always here for me. I-I... Ayanokouji-kun... I-I think I'm in love with you!" said Ichihashi, who's struggling to express herself as she stuttered a little bit and her voice continued to get smaller with every sentence, but at the last part, she said it very loudly.

Luckily, it was an isolated part of the festival and nobody was present otherwise it would've been embarrassing for Ichihashi and Ayanokouji alike. Ayanokouji didn't say anything because as Ichihashi said those words, there was a loud booming noise coming from far away. It was the sound of fireworks and the sky erupted into a shower of colorful sparks that lit up the night summer sky for a moment before disappearing. The sound of fireworks echoed through the silent night as more fireworks were launched into the sky, exploding creating an explosion and mesh pot of beautiful multi-colored sparks which lit up the night sky. Ayanokouji and Ichihashi stared in awe at the fireworks in silence which gave Ayanokouji more time to think about Ichihashi's confession.

'So, this is why Ichihashi was in such a hurry. She wanted to get into the perfect position for the fireworks show. The perfect time for a confession. Now... What do I do about Ichihashi's confession? To be honest, this is the first direct confession I have received from a girl. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to confess your love to someone. It's basically a leap of faith, hoping that your feelings can reach the person. I'm sure Ichihashi was in agony prior to this day, thinking and fantasizing about the confession. What should I do about Ichihashi's feelings? In any scenario, I would reject her confession, but in my situation, I cannot. In doing so, I might endanger or accidently kill Ichihashi. This soulmate situation makes navigating through confessions almost impossible. I know what I must do…' thought Ayanokouji.

As Ayanokouji was thinking, the colorful sparks and lights from the fireworks slowly dissipated into the night sky and the fireworks show ended, leaving the duo in darkness with only a nearby lamp post providing them with minimal light.

"I'm sorry, Ichihashi. I couldn't hear you because of the fireworks. Oh boy... it was loud. What was it that you said again?" asked Ayanokouji, making his move.

"E-Eh?! So... you didn't hear... I-I... it's nothing, Ayanokouji-kun." said Ichihashi.

"It doesn't sound like anything. Are you sure? I'll hear you out."

"N-No! I-It's nothing. I'm just happy that we got to see the fireworks together."

"Me too. Let's get you back to the medical tent quickly."

"Y-Yeah."

'Ayanokouji-kun, you idiot! Big idiot! I poured my heart out and confessed to you and you didn't even hear it! It could be just really bad timing, but c'mon! He can't be this deaf, right?! I mean I'm literally on top of him and he couldn't hear me! Ughh! What a waste of a perfect moment! I was lucky to find Ayanokouji- kun from that crowd and separate him from the others...' thought Ichihashi. Her face was a blushing mess as the gravity of her actions hit her and she couldn't believe that she openly confessed to Ayanokouji.

'Maybe it's just the summer heat... or was it summer love?' thought Ichihashi. She buried her face deeper into Ayanokouji's back as she wanted to forget that this ever happened. It was quite anticlimactic and Ichihashi knew in the back of her mind that a confession is inevitable.

Ayanokouji began making his way back towards the main road and as he walked, Ayanokouji began thinking about his actions.

'The best I can do is delay. Delaying the inevitable... The more time I spend with my soulmates, the more affection they will have towards me. Ichihashi and I already spend some time together which may explain the confession. I wonder who's next. Horikita, Kushida, Mii-chan? They might be my oldest soulmates, but it seems time is not a factor and determines which soulmate is going to confess to me. Some people may think that I'm just leading all of these girls on, but what am I supposed to do? Choose one and let them all die? No... not yet. The decision to choose one will be coming in future, but I intend to see what will happen before that choice is presented and there's no other choice, but to accept it and make a choice. For now, let's see what the future has in store for me.' thought Ayanokouji.

*Timeskip (10 minutes later)*

"It looks like you're fine. Just some bruising but be careful next time. I bandaged your foot, but took it slowly and carefully. If you want, you can use some ice." said the doctor.

"Thank you, doctor." said Ichihashi. The doctor left the duo and Ichihashi was laying on a stretcher and she started wiggling her toes and winced a little bit when she tried to stand up, but Ayanokouji caught her arms before putting her in a resting position.

"Don't try to stand. Don't worry, I called for some help." said Ayanokouji.

"What do you mean?"

"They should be coming any moment now." "Ichihashi-san!"

"Are you okay?!"

"We lost you for a moment and now you're hurt!"

Ichihashi's friends, Ishikura, Kyousuke, and Minami, arrived at the medical tent and made their way to Ichihashi's stretcher.

"Hey, everyone. Sorry for worrying you. Luckily, Ayanokouji-kun got me here." said Ichihashi, giving them a smile. That seemed to help relieve the others and Ishikura set down a pair of shoes on the ground.

"What are these for?" asked Ichihashi.

"Ayanokouji-kun called me and asked us to come over to the medical tent with a spare pair of shoes. So, that's why he wanted me to get some extra shoes." said Ishikura.

"What did you expect when I asked for you to bring a pair of shoes?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I don't know. Maybe you have a foot fetish." said Minami, laughing. The other girls laughed as well.

"You don't, right?"

"I don't. You think you can walk, Ichihashi?"

"I think I can. At least I have shoes to wear and walk on." said Ichihashi.

"Ichihashi, we can walk you back to your room." said Kyousuke. Minami and Ishikura both nodded in agreement and Ichihashi thanked them. She stood up and winced as she took a few steps before Minami lent her shoulders for Ichihashi. With that, Ichihashi can walk a lot better with Minami's support.

"You don't need to walk with me, Ayanokouji-kun. I'll hate to ruin your festival because of me. My friends got me. Thank you for bringing me here." said Ichihashi, shooting Ayanokouji with a smile. When their eyes met, Ichihashi averted her eyes and blushed a little bit as she remembered her confession.

'It will give me time to think about it... I can't look at Ayanokouji-kun right now. Every time I do, I get reminded of what happened.' thought Ichihashi. Minami and Kyousuke looked at each other when they studied Ichihashi's blushing face before giving a wicked smile to each other.

"Okay. I'll check up on you tomorrow. Get well, Ichihashi." said Ayanokouji.

"Bye, Ayanokouji-kun! Thanks for helping out Ichihashi." said Minami.

"We'll take care of her. Very well..." said Kyousuke. Ayanokouji nodded and waved as the girls left the tent. Ayanokouji saw Ichihashi's eyes widened as she saw Minami and Kyousuke leaning on it and whispering something to her.

"Y-You guys! Stop it!" yelped Ichihashi. Then, Ayanokouji heard some laughter coming from their girls before the conversation that they had slowly disappeared as the girls got out of hearing distance.

'Time to go. I wonder what happened to my original group.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji stepped out of the medical tent and took a few steps before he heard someone call his name.

"Ayanokouji-kun?"

"We finally found him!"

"Where have you been?"

"Honestly, that was a big crowd."

It was Horikita, Kushida, Mii-chan, Azuma, and Mori which was the original group. Ayanokouji didn't see Morofuji, Nanami, Yamashita, or Manabe with them and he assumed that they must have left at some point.

"Hello everyone. It's been a while, huh?" said Ayanokouji.

*Timeskip (a few days later)*

"There's a lot of people waiting." said Ayanokouji.

"It's nothing compared to last year's Comiket!" said Yamashita, shuddering a little as if she remembered a traumatic experience.

"That's the charm!" said Nishimura.

"Shut it, Nishimura. We were a little late because a certain someone was sleeping in." said Suzuki.

"Uhh... The lord of darkness has sent his nightmare minions to attack me in my dreams. Such cowardice and it's futile against me!"

"Again with that. I told you to sleep early, so we can get here early!" "At least, we finished..." said Tsube.

"Yeah. It was last minute, but we made it."

Ayanokouji, Tsube, Yamashita, Nishimura, and Suzuki were inside of a huge event center where they set up a plastic table and placed their product on the table. They were all getting ready for the opening of ANHS Comicket, one of the largest anime and doujinshi events. According to Yamashita, she managed to get a spot, but it was near the back and there wouldn't be much foot traffic for them.

"Hang on. The poster is a little off. Move it more to the left. Yeah... I think you got it." said Tsube, who was standing a few feet away from the table and was looking at the poster that was hanging above the table.

Ayanokouji was standing on top of a chair and adjusting the poster which contains the game's name and one of the heroines. Everybody else was finishing setting up and doing last minute preparations.

For the past few days, Ayanokouji spent most of his time in Yamashita's room, testing out the entire game. Due to everyone's speed, they got everything finished and Ayanokouji managed to test out the entire game and made sure there's no bugs or issues with the game. It took until the last day for the game to properly finish and just a few hours ago, Ayanokouji rushed over to a store at the Keyaki Mall right before closing hours and got a bunch of CDs created for the game.

Yamashita wasn't expecting that many people to buy the game, so not many copies were created. The group decided that the game should cost 1100 points per copy and according to Yamashita, it was lower than the average cost of a dating sim and they didn't want to charge higher since it was their first game and may not be the best quality.

"How many CDs did you actually get, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Suzuki, who was asleep when Ayanokouji got the CDs.

"Yamashita said to get 40 copies and it costs 22,690 points." said Ayanokouji. The group agreed to split the cost since they're all in this together and it's a group project.

"Do you when it's going to open?"

"I don't know. I think in about 20 minutes."

"Gah! I'm nervous and excited at the same time."

"Suzuki, let's plan on where we are going later! I wanna check out the doujinshi section later!"

"Hee hee! The lord of darkness himself might attack this event. I have seen an angelic warrior outside standing guard."

"You just wanna take a picture with the cosplayer, do you?"

While Suzuki, Yamashita, and Nishimura were chatting excitedly about Comicket and their plans for it, Tsube gestured to Ayanokouji to follow her and the duo headed further away for the group for a private conversation. Once the group was out of earshot, Tsube stopped and faced Ayanokouji.

"Thanks for your help, Ayanokouji-kun. I wouldn't have done it without you." said Tsube.

"I only gave you some advice and inspiration. It was your hard work that made your music into a reality." said Ayanokouji.

"Don't downplay it!"

* Flashback (a few days ago)*

"Help, Ayanokouji-kun! I'm stuck!" said Tsube, tapping on her guitar nervously.

"What are you stuck on?" asked Ayanokouji. Tsube had called Ayanokouji for help, but she didn't want to meet in Yamashita's room and showed that she made almost no progress so she asked Ayanokouji to come to her room.

"Well, I'm not getting the flow and what Yamashita wants. She wants something gentle and nostalgic, but it's too hard. I can't think of a good tune or something that matches it."

"Hmm..."

"It's hopeless, isn't it?"

"Perhaps. I may have some ideas, Tsube. First... you should not care what Yamashita wants."

"Eh?!"

Tsube 's eyes widened and her mouth dropped at Ayanokouji's suggestion and she clearly wasn't expecting this from Ayanokouji.

"W-What do you mean?" asked Tsube.

"Tsube, there's no use in forcing yourself to play music to fit a certain criteria. Music is something that comes from within yourself. Your past experiences, emotions, feelings. It's something that you can relate to and understand. Isn't that what makes music appealing to people?"

"..."

"Let's forget about what Yamashita wants for a minute. The game is about high school and a school life, right? Draw from your experience at ANHS or junior high. It's something that you can relate to, right? Think about it and you'll get some ideas and inspirations on what to do."

"..."

'Also I can't play the guitar, so I can't give her tips on how to improve. It's up to Tsube.' thought Ayanokouji.

Tsube maintained her silence as she was thinking about Ayanokouji's words. His words weren't giving Tsube the answer to her problem, but it got her thinking in a different angle and it might be a different and possible way to get Tsube out of her slump. Ayanokouji watched as Tsube hesitantly grabbed her guitar and closed her eyes before slowly playing. The tone started out slow as Tsube was trying to figure out what to play and eventually, she began to increase her speed and as Ayanokouji listened, he could see that Tsube was putting more effort into it. It sounded better than the sample that Tsube sent Ayanokouji earlier.

Ayanokouji waited until Tsube finished before speaking up.

"That's better than before, but it's up to you to keep trying until you get it." said Ayanokouji.

"O-Okay! And... Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun! You're always helping me." said Tsube.

"Don't worry about it. We're friends, right?" "Yeah."

"And friends help each other."

"I guess you're right. Do you mind if I send you another sample later? I think I got an idea."

"Okay. I'm not that qualified since I'm not a guitar player, but I'll try to give you my objective opinion."

"Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun. We should probably go to Yamashita-san's room. Don't wanna be late."

"Yeah."

"Don't worry about it. Your music has improved since that day." said Ayanokouji.

"I would like to thank you again. How about I buy you dinner?" said Tsube.

"You don't have to."

'I mean free food…' thought Ayanokouji.

"You're right. I want to." said Tsube.

"If you insist, then I don't have a right to stop you." replied Ayanokouji.

"And Tsube... it was your determination to not give up and you continue to fight even if the odds are against you. Don't forget about it." said Ayanokouji. Tsube nodded and before she could speak, they heard someone calling for them.

"Hey Tsube-san, Ayanokouji-kun! Where are you? They said that they are gonna open in 5 minutes!" said Suzuki.

"Time to go and thank you again..." said Tsube. With that, the duo headed back to their tables and got their position ready.

*Timeskip (3 hours later)*

"Man... business is really slow." said Tsube, looking at the pile of CDs that they

have. They have managed to sell 21 copies, but business has slowed down more as less people are even coming this way.

"At this rate, we'll be lucky to sell even 30 copies." said Suzuki. She hummed to herself, and she seemed to be drawing on a piece of paper to entrain herself.

Ayanokouji watched as the small number of people nearby just walked past their table without batting an eye. Most of the people are mostly staff members, who just go into the employee area since they are located at the back of the event space.

"We need more people to come this way." said Yamashita.

"How about we advertise? maybe make a sign?" said Ayanokouji.

"Hey! That's actually a pretty good idea!"

"You're a genius, Ayanokouji-kun!" "Working on the sign at the moment!"

Suzuki began scribbling on a blank sheet of poster paper while the others were discussing a plan.

"How about we split up and have 3 people go out and walk around the convention center while the other 2 stay behind? That way we can check out the event while helping us with business." said Ayanokouji.

"That's a good idea!" "I'll go first!"

"Just finished the sign. Here you go."

Now with a plan, the group has one more chance to get as many customers as they possibly can.

*Timeskip (3 hours later)*

Ayanokouji and Suzuki returned from their exploration, and they have spent about a hour, walking around the convention center and checking out what

Comicket has to offer. The convention center was divided into an anime, game, and doujinshi section. There were various anime related merchandise on sale such as T-shirts, manga, posters, figures, and other merchandise from various anime.

Ayanokouji recognized some of the anime and he was glad that Eiichiro showed him some, otherwise he would have no idea what's going on.

Yamashita, Nishimura, and Tsube ended up going first and spent longer exploring the convention center than Ayanokouji and Suzuki. They have bought more merchandise and items than Ayanokouji and Suzuki. Ayanokouji only bought a poster and a figure from 2 anime that he watched. Suzuki had an artist's eye and recommended which ones to buy. On the other hand, Suzuki got quite the haul, but it was less than Yamashita, who bought the most.

"I feel like we got all we can. Do you guys want to pack up and leave?" asked Yamashita.

"Yeah... it's been about 6 hours. I really need some sleep." said Tsube, yawning. The group had woken up early to get to the convention center to set up and now after 6 hours of constantly moving, they were feeling a little tired because of their lack of sleep.

"I'm fine with it. I got a good haul." said Nishimura.

"Hmm... the selection is not as big as Comicket outside of ANHS, but I guess the school restricted some stuff for their students and the convention center is not as big." said Suzuki.

Suzuki looked disappointed because she couldn't feel that much R-18 materials in the doujinshi section. Ayanokouji was glad because they were getting some stares when they were in that section of the convention center and he didn't any more stares if they were browsing through the R-18 merchandise.

The group had decided to leave the convention center and began packing up their belongings. They took down the poster and Ayanokouji checked that they have 9 CDs left and they have almost sold out. It seemed that lowering the price of their game might have drawn some extra buyers, but it was ultimately a victory because they made their points back.

"How are we going to carry all of this back with us?!" asked Suzuki, looking at the amount of stuff that they bought.

"Maybe we should've thought about that before we went crazy with it." said Yamashita.

"The lord of darkness has ensnared us with his trap! We must fight back!" said Nishimura.

"Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Could you help us out?"

Ayanokouji sighed and he ended up carrying two full tote bags of items as the group made their way towards the exit. They informed the staff that they are leaving and have a free space for them to use and already packed up all of their belongings. The group headed back towards the dorms and it was already afternoon.

"Let's get some lunch after we drop off our things. Let's celebrate." said Yamashita, who was the leader of this little group. She was the one that recruited almost everyone and everyone agreed since they haven't had lunch yet.

"Good idea." "I'm starving."

"Ayanokouji-kun, could you help me carry my bags to my room?"

"Fine." said Ayanokouji.

"Thanks!" "Thank you!"

"You're a life-saver!"

After Ayanokouji helped drop off their belongings for the girls, he stopped at his room first to drop off his belongings and he kept a CD for himself. It was a memento of the first game that he was involved in. With that, the group enjoyed a nice and celebratory lunch that marked the end of their adventure and experience of creating their first game together.

*Timeskip (a few weeks later)*

It was the end of summer vacation and it's the first day back to school. During his summer break, Ayanokouji spent his time with his soulmates in various encounters. Yamashita also was talking about their game and if they were interested in making a new one. The group was thinking about it and Yamashita was still working on the writing to see if there's potential for a new game.

Ayanokouji sold some leftover CDs to Sotomura, Okitani, and Ijuin, who were both curious on what kind of game they made.

As the bell rang, Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom and the classroom fell into silence. Even the classmates that were complaining that summer vacation was over fell into silence. Chabashira-sensei entered the room with several rolled-up pieces of paper. Some of Ayanokouji's classmates recognized what Chabashira-sensei was holding and knew that the inevitable was coming: a special exam.

"Welcome back, Class D. I have already explained the concept of a mini special exam. We will now commence our first mini special exam." said Chabashira- sensei. Everyone looked nervous and waited on the edge of their seat as Chabashira-sensei unrolled a piece of paper and taped it on the blackboard.

Mixed Dorm Mate Mini Special Exam

Each student will be paired with the opposite gender from their own class to live with for the month.

Students will be living in a temporary apartment in one of the new buildings. There will be separate rooms and a living room connected to a kitchen.

To ensure the safety of our students, the room have locks and a camera installed in the living room. Additionally, there's a panic button in every room.

Students are required to download an app on their phone which is a digital panic button.

If anyone violates the rules of the exam, the student is expelled immediately.

Everyone fell into silence as they registered for their first mini special exam. It was something out of the ordinary and clearly, no one expected this.

"Sensei! What's all this?!" called out Shinohara.

"I can't believe it! One month living with a boy?!" said Karuizawa. "They can't be trusted!"

Most of the girls looked uncomfortable with the idea and it was understandable, considering the perverted nature of some of the boys. Ike and Yamauchi glanced at each other.

"Sensei. Can we switch partners?" asked Horikita, raising her hand.

"There will be no switching. No exceptions." said Chabashira-sensei, which seemed to have dampened the girls' mood.

"At least there's a lock..."

"Hirata-kun and Ayanokouji-kun are probably the only ones trusted."

"Please don't get Ike or Yamauchi... Please!"

Meanwhile, the other boys were glancing at each other and some of them looked excited by this mini special exam.

There were also basic house rules such as inappropriate behaviors and other rules. It was obvious, but the school had to state it and Ayanokouji knew that breaking these rules is automatic expulsion.

"Please turn your attention to the rewards on the bottom. This will be very important on the exam." said Chabashira-sensei.

If the student successfully passes the exam, the individual will receive 30,000 private points.

If the pair successfully pass the exam, both students will receive a bonus of 20,000 private points. The bonus will not be received if one of the students from the pair is expelled.

'So, it seems that school is only giving out private points as a reward. They might be testing out the waters for the mini special exam.' thought Ayanokouji.

"I will now reveal the partners for this mini special exam. Remember, no switching." said Chabashira-sensei unrolled the second piece of paper and taped it to the backboard, next to the exam rules. Ayanokouji's eyes began to scan the piece of paper for his name. Eventually, he found his name.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Satou Maya (Plaza 1, Room 203)

Ayanokouji looked over at Satou, who just smiled and nodded at him. He had encountered Satou a few times, but they haven't been that close. Their relationship could be described as just classmates and nothing else. Ayanokouji looked at the list one more time and was curious on who his soulmates were paired up with.

Horikita Suzune and Sotomura Hideo (Plaza 1, Room 304)

Kushida Kikyou and Ike Kanji (Plaza 1, Room 110)

Mei-Yu Wang and Hirata Yosuke (Plaza 1, Room 212)

Ayanokouji looked around the classroom and noticed that his soulmates looked disappointed that they aren't partnered up with Ayanokouji. A few jealous glances were thrown in Satou's direction.

'Interesting. This is going to be an interesting month.' thought Ayanokouji.

*Timeskip (after school)*

Ayanokouji began walking towards the new building and as he walked, he heard someone calling his name.

"Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Satou.

"Hey, Satou." said Ayanokouji, greeting her.

"Hey! Are you moving in right now?"

"Yeah. I was planning to check out our apartment before moving some of my stuff in."

"Me too! Let's check it out together." "Okay."

The duo entered the new apartment building after following the map that was attached to the email that the school had sent to his inbox. The building was a big new modern building and looked different from the first-year dorms. The clean white walls and perfect stainless windows showed how new this building was. As Ayanokouji was looking around the lobby, the duo made their way to the front desk where there was a young woman.

"Hello. Are you checking into your new dorm?" asked the young woman.

"Yes. The name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka." said Ayanokouji, showing his ID.

Satou followed suit and the young woman grabbed a scanner and scanned their digital IDs and began typing on the computer. After a few moments, she stopped, and Ayanokouji heard the printer nearby turning on and printing something. She grabbed two freshly printed papers, pulled out a pen, and flipped to the last page.

"Please sign here. This is just a waiver and basically agreeing to the dorm's rules and policies while you're staying here during the mini special exam." said the young woman, circling the signature and placing the pen on the desk.

Ayanokouji quickly glanced over the agreement and realized that it's basically going over the dorm's rules and policies, most of it was explained by Chabashira-sensei. The duo quickly signed it and the woman handed them both a keycard.

"Your room number will be on the keycard and the elevator will be on your far right. If you need a luggage cart for your belongings, you should be able to find them around the corner and by the elevator, please return them when you have finished using them." said the woman, gesturing towards the general direction of the elevator.

Ayanokouji thanked her and made his way to the elevator and found that his room will be on the 2nd floor. Ayanokouji called for the elevator and after a few moments, the elevator opened up and a few students walked out. Ayanokouji could see that some of them were carrying some of their belongings and seemed to be in the process of moving. Ayanokouji entered the empty elevator and selected the 2nd floor.

After the elevator arrived on the 2nd floor, the duo made his way to his dorms and found their room: 203. Ayanokouji swiped the keycard, and they entered the room. The interior of the room was quite spacious and modern with a white sofa and a white armchair in the living room. There was also a coffee table, flat screen TV, and some small table stands by the couch. Ayanokouji could see the 4 person dining table and a bit of the kitchen that was in the far left corner. Then, he saw a hallway to the right that Ayanokouji assumed led to the bedrooms and bathroom.

"Whoa! It's a little bigger than our dorms." said Satou, walking towards the kitchen.

"Yeah... I think our room is here." said Ayanokouji, walking into the hallway and finding two doors that are right across from each other. He opened one of the doors and saw a standard Japanese bedroom with a bed in the right hand corner, a drawer, wardrobe, and a window.

"Which room do you want?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I'm fine with whichever. I guess I'll take the other room." said Satou. Ayanokouji nodded and closed the door before he went further down the hallway. He found a bathroom and laundry room in the back before he exited the hallway and found Satou, sitting on the couch and looking at her phone.

"I'm going to get some of my stuff. Are you coming?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. I may need your help with some stuff." replied Satou.

"I'll give you a hand."

"Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun!"

The duo exited the dorm room, entered the elevator, and prepared to head down into the lobby. As they waited, Ayanokouji spoke up.

"Satou, I have some things in my fridge that I can cook for dinner tonight. They might go bad if I forget about it. How about I cook dinner for us?" asked Ayanokouji.

"You can cook?! Wow! That's some major points. I'll take your offer on it." said Satou.

"Don't get your hopes too high. I'm not sure if it can suit your palate, but I'll try my best."

Satou nodded and the elevator opened up, bringing them to the lobby. Satou and Ayanokouji both grabbed a luggage cart and left the apartment building and headed back towards the first dorm building.

*Timeskip (40 minutes later)*

"Thanks for the help, Ayanokouji-kun. I couldn't have done it without you." said Satou. The duo were sitting down on the couch together and drinking some water. Ayanokouji was sweating slightly after all of the manual labor that he had performed.

"No problem. I'll get started on dinner in about an hour. Is that fine for you?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah! I'll be back by then. See you later."

"See you soon."

Satou waved and left the dorm room and Ayanokouji assumed that she's meeting her friends and he decided to check his phone to catch his breath and rest for a bit before he could begin cooking. Ayanokouji had a feeling that this month is going to be interesting and more chaotic because of this mini special exam.

Soulmates

1) Horikita Suzune

2) Kushida Kikyou

3) Mii-chan

4) Tachibana Akane

5) Azuma Sana

6) Shinohara Satsuki

7) Onodera Kayano

8) Mori Nene

9) Hoshinomiya Chie

10) Ichihashi Ruri

11) Andou Sayo

12) Shiranami Chihiro

13) Yabu Nanami

14) Sakura Airi

15) Inogashira Kokoro

16) Morofuji Rika

17) Manabe Shiho

Author's Note:

Hello, readers! I know it's been a while since there's been an update for this story and my other stories, but I was writing a chapter for every story that I have published and they should be published for my 1st year anniversary (by time you see this).

Also happy one year anniversary! It's been a year since I created my account and wrote my very first chapter. In a year, we reached about 700 followers and about 10k votes for my stories. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and reading my work. It means a lot to me. As a gift, I've written a chapter for all of my stories. Enjoy!

I haven't get a chance to use the mini special exam for this story because I was holding onto it until this moment. Be prepared for more in the future.

Now begins the Satou arc! I found it weird that Satou just fell in love with Ayanokouji because she saw him run, so I decided to change that. I'm going to try to build their relationship slowly and not have it be quick like what happened in the LN.

What other soulmates do you want to see more of? And which girls do you want to become Ayanokouji's soulmate? I have a few in mind and am waiting for the right moment.

Until next time, my dear readers.