"Love is in the air. So is jealousy. And glitter."
– Anonymous festival organizer (probably Nanami)
🏫 The Unexpected Announcement
It started, as these things often do, with a school-wide emergency assembly.
The intercom crackled to life during morning homeroom:
"ATTENTION STUDENTS! Due to rising demand (and suspicious petitioning from unknown sources), we are proud to announce…"
"THE FIRST ANNUAL LOVE FESTIVAL!"
I blinked.
Haruka cheered so loudly behind me that the chalkboard cracked.
Lucina gasped, "A festival of affection? Finally, a place to duel for your heart!"
Nanami already had the webpage open. "Booths. Activities. Kissing tickets. Approved and posted. This is real."
Sakura had vanished. Presumably to sabotage any booth that wasn't hers.
And Liora?
She stepped into class holding a scroll that read:
DECLARATION OF FESTIVAL DOMINANCE
I swallowed. "This can't be legal."
Cue the door slamming open.
"IT'S NOT."
Enter: Miyu Tensai, scowling with two folders labeled:
'Reasons This Should Be Cancelled'
'Backup Bat Permits'
Too late.
The student body had already started building booths on the courtyard grass.
🎪 Welcome to the Love Festival
By noon, the school grounds looked like a bizarre dating-themed amusement park.
Booths stretched across the quad like a glittering battlefield. Each girl had claimed her territory. Loudspeakers blared cutesy j-pop remixes. Confetti cannons went off at random.
Event Map:
💘 Love Festival Booths
1. Booth A-1: "Dark Kiss Cafe"
Owner: Lucina
Theme: Coffins, roses, gothic elegance.
Details: Serve black forest cake, blood orange tea, romantic "bite-sized" tokens of affection.
2. Booth B-3: "Flirt or Fight!"
Owner: Haruka
Theme: Combat + Cuddles.
Details: Win a spar = get a hug. Lose = still get a hug. Slight chance of bruises and broken pride.
3. Booth C-4: "Debugged Love Algorithms"
Owner: Nanami
Theme: Love meets code.
Details: Take a custom-coded quiz. Every answer mysteriously results in "Kazuma-compatible."
4. Booth D-7: "Imperial Courting Ceremony"
Owner: Liora
Theme: Royal romance.
Details: Experience noble dating rituals, recite oaths, dance, and receive a ceremonial Noble Kiss™.
5. Booth F-0: "Catch Me If You Can"
Owner: Sakura
Theme: Ninja-style dating.
Details: Navigate stealth challenges. If you catch her, you get a prize. If not… well, you never even see her.
And dead center?
A suspiciously official-looking banner:
"DATE AUCTION AT 4PM – GRAND PRIZE: HIRO KAZUMA"
"What."
I stared at the board, mouth open.
Lucina appeared at my side, smug. "I lobbied for it."
Haruka grinned. "I trained for it."
Nanami handed me a water bottle. "I coded it."
Sakura appeared behind me. "I sabotaged the other contestants."
Liora handed me a royal contract. "You are now state property for three hours."
Miyu stormed toward me, clipboard smoking. "What is happening."
🧊 Miyu vs The Festival
"This is illegal, undignified, and unconstitutional," Miyu muttered, ripping down a heart-shaped lantern with aggressive precision.
"I filed for festival exemption," Nanami said sweetly.
"You filed it under a fake organization called 'Love For World Peace.'"
"We got 500 signatures."
"From hamsters!"
Nanami blinked. "They count. Legally."
Miyu grabbed my sleeve. "Kazuma. We're leaving."
Lucina pulled my other arm. "No. He's scheduled for my Gothic Picnic at 1:00."
Haruka slung me over her shoulder. "Too slow. My wrestling match is now."
Miyu's eye twitched.
Then she sighed. "Fine. One hour. I supervise. If anything remotely unholy happens, I'm canceling the entire school year."
I gave her a thumbs up. Upside-down. From Haruka's shoulder.
🎯 Festival Highlights (a.k.a. Hiro's Hour of Romantic Hell)
🧛 Lucina's Gothic Picnic
Held under a black parasol surrounded by bats (possibly robotic). She tried to feed me black forest cake by hand.
Lucina: "Let me bite you. Romantically."
Me: "Pass."
Lucina: "Coward."
🥋 Haruka's Combat Cuddles
Haruka challenged three upperclassmen to spar. Won all of them. Used me as the victory prize.
Haruka: "C'mere. You're my trophy."
Me: "I'm fragile."
Haruka: "So is love."
🧠 Nanami's Compatibility Quiz
Each answer I gave caused fireworks to go off behind us.
Nanami: "We're 117% compatible."
Me: "That's not—"
Nanami: "Science never lies."
Miyu (in distance): "Science is crying."
🥷 Sakura's Ninja Chase
I never caught her. I never even saw her. But somehow I ended up with a bento box labeled "Nice Try 💕."
👑 Liora's Royal Rituals
I kneeled. I recited poetry. I danced a slow waltz.
Liora: "Now seal it with a kiss—"
Miyu: slams gavel through cake table
Miyu: "Absolutely not."
🕓 4:00 PM — The Date Auction Begins
Crowd: screaming
Stage: sparkling
Kazuma: internally dying
MC: "And now… the main event! A romantic evening with our very own Hiro Kazuma!"
I stood there, dazed. On a literal pedestal.
MC: "Let the bidding begin!"
Lucina raised a fan. "1,000 yen and my eternal devotion!"
Haruka held up her whole wallet. "10,000 and a lifetime of back massages!"
Nanami clicked buttons. "20,000 and… 7 NFTs of your face."
Sakura simply dropped smoke bombs and whispered, "You'll be mine either way."
Liora raised a royal scepter. "I bid the eastern wing of my palace."
The crowd gasped.
Miyu slowly walked on stage.
"Bidding… closed."
😱 Plot Twist: Miyu's Counterplay
She pulled out a megaphone.
"This auction violates at least sixteen laws, three treaties, and the emotional stability of this school."
She looked at me. And then…
"…So I hereby claim him under Article 13: Protective Custody Clause."
Everyone blinked.
"You're… what now?" I asked.
"I'm taking you on a supervised date."
Gasps. Screams. An entire ice cream booth collapsed.
💘 Surprise Ending: The First Real Date
The sun was setting. Somehow, Miyu and I ended up under a quiet sakura tree with a boxed lunch she'd somehow packed.
Miyu handed me chopsticks. Avoided eye contact. Looked… not mad.
"You didn't have to do this," I said.
"Yes I did," she muttered. "Someone had to protect you."
"From what?"
"From… them. And maybe even from me."
I blinked.
Then she looked at me. Honest. Blushing.
"You're… seriously infuriating," she whispered. "But I guess… I don't mind seeing your stupid face every day."
She turned away.
"Just once."
I smiled. "I think that was a confession."
She threw a rice ball at me.
📲 SYSTEM UPDATE
✅ New Relationship Milestone Reached:
Miyu's Heart Level Increased!
🎉 Event Completed: The Love Festival
💥 Chaos Score: 98/100
🏆 Achievement Unlocked: "Grand Prize of Love"