It was time to get to business. The whole school was busy preparing for the festival. Students were painting on boards, making haunted houses, making sure the food supplies came for the food booth, and game supplies came too. Everyone was busy, Chisaki and her friends decided to do a cafe. They were busy with the coffee, teas, cakes, and other drinks and supplies. Some girls were in the sewing room making masks for their booth.

 

---

 In the chairman's office was him and Izumi. He called him in for something that will be happening next month. The chairman was on the phone speaking while Izumi was sitting in one of the chairs.

"So, she'll be coming next month. Yeah, I'll ask Izumi to be her guide once she's use to the school. The school's kind of big so she'll need awhile to know where everything is. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine coming to this school. Yes, well then goodbye." He hangs up the phone.

"Izumi."

"Yes, father?"

"One of my friend's daughter will be coming here next month and I need you to be her guide till she gets used to the school grounds."

"But-"

"No objections, you will do as I say besides it's just until her father comes back for her when she graduates so she'll be staying here for awhile. It should only take a few days to know the school. Oh and you have to participate in one of the festival booths to get points. Remember our promise if you don't want to go back living with your mother."

"Yes."

 Izumi walks out with a disappointed look and goes outside were everyone is busy. He doesn't want to join any booths especially with Misaki and them since they're doing water dunking, that thing when you throw a ball to the target and the person sitting falls into a pool of water once the target is hit. The only place left he could think of was at Chisaki's booth, the cafe shop. He knocks on the classroom and the door slides open.

"Izumi?" It was Chisaki who answered the door and was quiet surprised seeing him. "What can I help you with?"

He scratches head gentally, "Can...can I join you're guys' booth too? My father says that I need to join the festival too."

She gives off a bright smile, "Hm, of course you can. We needed one more person anyways." Trying to hide her feelings she acts normal as usual. Sakeo was sorting out a list of things they needed and one of them was there uniforms.

"Hey Chisaki weren't are uniforms supposed to come early?"

"Uh....yes they came they're in the room were all the other costumes are."

"Oh ok," she looks over to Izumi, "Izumi, can you please go get our uniforms?"

"Yeah."

He walks off to go get the uniforms in the other classroom. He then carries it back to the cafe classroom and puts it down on the counter. Saito opens the box and the uniforms were the style of maids and butlers. Everyone grabbed theirs and went to go try it on to see if it fits. Everyone looked great in their uniforms and Izumi looked more mature in a butler suit because it matches him since he's tall.  

 

A 3 weeks later all the supplies that everyone needed for their booth came, they were all stacked in a storage room. The students had to go and sort their things out by themselves which was a lot of work. The cafe team's stuff was way at the back of the others so they decided to go last until everyone else had their supplies.

It was about 6pm when everybody had their things out of the way for the cafe shop to get their's. They were all in the classroom talking about their plans for the festival, Sakeo then announced that Chisaki and Izumi go and get the supplies. Off they went, Chisaki ignored her feelings as they walked side by side quietly. It seemed to annoy her that everytime they were together it was always quiet. She also wanted Izumi to start off a conversation instead of it being her all th time, which she doubt that Izumi would ever start a conversation. They walk into the storage room and grabes a few boxes at a time back to the classroom and back to the storage room. Once they were almost done a stray cat ran across and hit the door shut closed. Izumi walked over to the door but it wouldn't budge open.

"Damn it, these door are the kind that open from the outside. What kinda storage room is this?" He says

"Are we locked in?"

"Yeah. Do you have a phone with you?"

"No, my bag is in the classroom."

He gives off a deep sigh and bears with it and eventually someone will come and realize that they're in the storage room.

It's been 1 hour and no one comes. It's almost 8 o'clock pm and Sakeo and them didn't seem to know that Chisaki and Izumi were still missing. Since it's fall the nights were a bit cold. Izumi goes over and sits next to Chisaki, "You look like you're cold."

"Shut up, I'm cold." She says scooting away from him into the corner.

"Where are you going? Let me sit next to you, I'm cold too you know." He says as he scoots next to her again. She blushes and covers making it seem as if she's using her arms to cover her face from the cold. Izumi suddenly takes a breath as if he were hesitating on doing someting, he takes off his school uniform jacket and puts it over Chisaki's shoulders and she blushes even more. Her heart was beating so much that it was like the coldness was already gone.

"Don't say anything. You're cold right?"

She stays silent with no words to say. The wind howls through the night into the storage room making it colder. As the night falls in deeper Chisaki eventually goes to sleep on Izumi's shoulder. He takes a look at her sleeping face as the moon shines through the openings inside the storage room. Sakeo was to tired to even realize that Chisaki is gone and Izumi doesn't even have a roommate. Izumi stares at her face with tired eyes and moves her bangs to the side. He then suddenly puts his arm around her and cuddled her to get some warmth too and together they sat there in the corner of the storage room and eventually fell asleep in the cold night.

 

  The sun shines on their faces and woke them up. They woke up at the sametime and was shocked that Izumi was holding Chisaki and she was cuddled in his warmth. She quickly moves away by gentally pushing him. "I'm sorry..." She says embarrassed.

"No, I'm the one who held you. You looked really cold so I held you in my arms." He says not looking at her way but the other way.

The doors opened that morning by some students who still had some bixes to pick up. They eventually see Izumi and Chisaki in the corner awkwardly sitting next to each other.

"Goodmorning?....." Both the students say at the sametime. Izumi doesn't reply back but grabes the last of the boxes for the cafe booth and leaves. A little while later Chisaki leaves and heads back to the cafe booth to help out. Whatever happened that night was never said to Sakeo or the others but, they both kept it a secret and the festival came by quick.

 

The school was packed with family members, friends from other schools, and also the school students as well. The cafe booth was packed with people especially guys who were there only for the maid costumes and girls were there to only Izumi in his butler outfit. They eventually left once Sakeo yelled at them to stop making googly eyes at the workers and leave if they weren't buying anything. The cafe booth was mainly then filled with parents and teachers and the students who were on break from their booth. A few hours had then passed and it was finally time for their break taht they've been waiting for.

 

They walked out to the school yard and sees all kinds of booths. Games, food, souvenirs, and more. Everyone of them had separated leaving Izumi and Chisaki behind. She avoids his eyes and tries to escape but he had grabbed ahold of her arm and looks at her in the eyes. "Keep me company."

"Why?" She asks.

"My friends are busy doing a stupid booth. Please just this once as friends...." He looks away with a slight blush. 

  They walk side by side awardly and visions of last night came to Chisaki's head. "What's wrong?" Izumi asks.

"No, nothing. By the way are you going to tonight's masquerade?"

"No, so don't come looking for me."

"Why- "

I already said I'm not coming ok, well bye." He says parting ways with her.

 As he walks away Chisaki thinks to herself (Every time I'm always seeing him walk away with his back turned towards me. When will there be a time when he comes walking towards me rather than away?)

---

   It's finally 9 o'clock and everyone's booth were closed and where was everyone else? All students were in the ball room dressed up and waiting for the chairman's annoucement. The chairman comes walking down the stairs and lift up a glass up wine for him and the staff not the students.

"Now, everyone. My students have made a very successful festival and I will congulate you guys with this masquerade ball once again and the next two months. Enjoy the night1" He annonces with exitement to the staff and students. Meanwhile, Chisaki stands nearby the stairs looking like she was waiting for someone. She was waiting for the silver mask that she danced with two months ago.  Izumi walked in with his sliver mask on and walked through the crowd. His expression seemed different than usually, more cheerful and smiling rather than having a plan face. Chisaki spots him walking towards her.

"Don't tell you were waitng for me?" He asks with a smile. She nods her head and he offers her his hand. They didn't know it was themselves talking and dancing on the same dance floor because of the way the spome to each other and they way they acted.  Chisaki thought about all kinds of things since all students must attend the ball, she kept thinking about Izumi even though he was right in front of her but just as a different person. 

 

 

---