𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

"That was so scary...how did they do that? It really felt like she was right behind me! I'm surprised your class managed to think of that!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, apparently it's called 'Binaural Audio'." Ishigami-kun explained. Ohhhh, I've heard of those before.

Ishigami-kun looks kind of down at the moment. Did he not enjoy spending time with me?!

"Ishigami-kun! Over there is Koyasu-senpai's class. Let's go check it out." I suggested. Maybe he's just not into horror stuff?

If he wasn't into it then why would he suggest it in the first place? It might just be me...

No! Think positively, Y/n! Maybe it's because Iino-chan told us to separate by gender.

"Oh, of course! That sounds fine to me!" Ishigami-kun decided to go along with my suggestion.

The two of us entered the classroom. I'm guessing their theme is somewhat like those game booths you'd see in a New Year's Festival.

"Whoa..." I gawked at the huge teddy bear that was like half of my size. I wonder where they even got those.

"Oh, we were messing around and decided to make a huge teddy bear. So we thought we'd use it as a prize." the student explained.

Whoever gets it will be one lucky girl...or boy, I don't judge.

"Ishigami-kun, have you been to any other festivals, aside from this one, yet?" I turned to him.

He had scored a 100 points while playing a target practice booth. The students in the room cheered.

"That's impressive!" I exclaimed.

"I'm pretty surprised myself. Looks like I managed to protect my reputation as the second son of a toy company CEO." he chuckled.

"That's true." I agreed with his statement. He seems to be enjoying things. I'm glad...

"Which prize would you like?" the female student asked.

"I'll take that big teddy bear over there." Ishigami-kun pointed to the teddy bear that I was just staring at.

"I didn't think you were into teddy bears, Ishigami-kun. But, I'm not one to judge." I shrugged.

"Actually...this is for you, L/n." Ishigami states.

𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅

The Legend of the Devoted Heart.

To convey your love to someone by giving them a heart-shaped gift.

This legend of the Shuchiin Culture Festival has been passed down over many generations.

Any normal student with friends would know of the tale. It is, in fact, widely considered to be common knowledge.

Let me explain the story to you.

Once upon a time, there was a princess, sick, and on the verge of death.

A messenger descended from heaven in response to the prayers of her father, a feudal lord.

The messenger decreed that a young man's heart must be thrown into the flames and that she must drink the ashes mixed in Daikon soup.

News of this spread, and eventually a young man who loved the princess deeply offered up his heart.

And thus, the princess was saved. The story dates back to the Nara period.

And apparently, that all happened on the very spot where Shuchiin Academy is now located which is where the name 'Devoted Heart Festival' comes from.

It's quite an unrealistic story. The tale was likely fabricated to make people respect the authority of rulers.

Don't you find it convenient? That drinking ashes cured her disease. But that's not the only reason why they use heart-shaped gifts.

The heart shape represents a human heart. If you give someone a heart-shaped gift during the Devoted Hearts Festival, it's said that you will be granted eternal love.

Giving a heart-shaped gift to a person is basically another form of confessing. It's like offering your heart to that special someone.

For 90% of the student body, giving someone a heart-shaped gift during the Culture Festival has an obvious implication.

However, the remaining 10% are absolutely clueless!

'It looked like she wanted it, so I'm glad I could get it for her.' Ishigami thought in his head with a smile.

Ishigami Yu has a few friends. Of those few, most of them aren't in the same year as him, so he tends to be a little out of the loop.

The teddy bear that he won for her was a token of his appreciation to L/n Y/n for always being there for him from the very start.

To Ishigami Yu, this was a perfectly natural thing to do.

"A teddy bear with a heart!"

"Seriously?"

"Is that first-year for real?"

"Maybe he doesn't know?" for once, you are correct.

"No way..."

"Huh? You won this, you should keep it. What do you mean you're giving it to me?" Y/n nervously chuckled.

"There's nothing else this could mean. This is a token of my feelings for you." Ishigami stated.

This is definitely a public confession! At least, that's what the others saw.

"Oh, thanks. I appreciate it a lot." Y/n finally accepted the gift that Ishigami had won for her.

I am sorry to tell you this, but it just so happens that L/n Y/n is also part of the 10% who are absolutely clueless!

The two of them walked out of the room like it was nothing, shocking the audience they have gathered.

The sun sets on the first day of the Culture Festival, amid a tangled web of motives.

Shirogane Miyuki, executing operation: Make Shinomiya Kaguya confess.

Shinomiya Kaguya, considering confessing.

Iino Miko, preparing the bonfire.

Ishigami Yu, planning on taking Y/n out on another date.

L/n Y/n, overthinking about the teddy bear with the heart.

Fujiwara Chika, nothing.

We arrive at the final day of the Culture Festival.

"Karen! What on Earth happened?!"

"There's been an incident. The decorations..."

"It's the heart balloons! They were here this whole time, but now..."

"We can't find them anywhere!"

The wheels have begun turning.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

"Please go out with me!"

I stared at the student in front of me, I believe he's a first-year like me. He held an envelope with a heart, how classic.

"Beautiful lie or the harsh truth? Choose one." I offered. I'll let him decide for himself.

"The...harsh truth." the student finally answered.

"Look, I appreciate the fact that you mustered up the courage to confess, but I like someone else." I harshly told him.

"O-Oh, I see...how about visiting the haunted house together?" he suggested, rubbing his nape with a chuckle.

"Sorry, but she has some urgent work. She won't be able to take a break for the whole day." Ishigami-kun's voice surprised me.

"I-Ishigami-kun?! What are you doing here?" I asked, subconsciously playing with a few strands of my hair.

"So it's you...I wish you both the best of luck." the student left us both alone.

"Anyways, I wanted to ask you this earlier but that guy took you." he gestured to the student leaving.

"Oh yeah...anyways, what is it you wanted to ask me?" I asked.

"I wanted to ask you if you would like to walk around the festival together?" he asked.

We've hit our goal for donations, and there's still a lot of time left today, so I guess I could hang out with him.

"Sure, I don't mind." I finally made my decision.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Ishigami-kun! How about this place? It looks like they do fortune-telling here." I suggested.

"You believe in those kinds of stuff?" he raised a brow at me.

"No, I don't believe in them at all. The only thing I like about them is that they're quite amusing." I replied.

"Let's go then. If you find it amusing then it must be interesting." he remarked.

We entered the booth. Everything was so dark. The dark room was lit up by a single candle.

We took our sits which was in front of the fortune-teller who had a crystal ball on top of the table.

"Oh my, are you two in a secret relationship? How scandalous. Are you two using protection?" she teased.

Atenbo Yume. A third-year. She is the leader of the Occult Research Club.

"Oh, we're not dating." Ishigami-kun stated. His expression hasn't changed a bit.

"Trying to play it cool, are we? Y/n-chan, you must be careful. Men like this have a very powerful libido." she warned. Libido?!

"Well, I won't argue against you about that." Ishigami-kun replied. You're not even denying it?!

"Now then, what kind of fortune shall we try? Since the two of you are here together...I know! How about we check your romantic compability?" Atenbo-senpai suggested.

This is so embarrassing I can't even say anything. I'm sure Ishigami-kun must also be-

"Sure, why not? Like hypothetically, what would it be like if we got married and had kids?" Ishigami-kun asked.

Married?! Kids?! How can he say that with a straight face?!

"Oh ho, very well." she maliciously giggled, opening some kind of thin book.

"So Y/n-chan, you were born on August 24th, blood type (your blood type). And Ishigami-kun, you were born of March 3rd, blood type O." she said.

Why does she know these?! I don't remeber saying anything about those, Ishigami-kun didn't say something either. She's beyond creepy!

"Ah, I see. The two of you have a very high compability." she concluded, giving us a sweet smile.

"Ishigami-kun, although you have a negative attitude, you are a kind and a well-meaning student who suffers an inferiority complex. You are ultimately willing to sacrifice your own pride to help others in need. You're very awkward as well." she states.

"Your wife, Y/n-chan is also very awkward, so you two are a perfect match." she chuckled. I can't disagree with the fact that I'm awkward...

"Y/n-chan is like a cherry blossom, it takes a while for her to bloom, but when it's the right time, she will bloom in grace. She may not bloom at the right time due to her awkwardness, but a time will come." she stated.

"She's a naturally kind person, so she'll make a good wife and a wonderful mother for your children." she clasped her hands together.

"Ishigami-kun isn't a quick learner. So with a bit of teaching from Y/n-chan, the fortune predicts that you two will have a good time." she teased.

"I don't think those are all true. These are all based on statistical probability." I covered my face with both of my hands.

"And one more interesting thing...your fated day is December 21st. Which coincidentally is today, specifically tonight." Atenbo-senpai mentioned.

"You'll have to make an important decision that will affect your future. I wonder what sort of decision it will be." she mumbled.

Ishigami-kun and I left that room after we had our romantic compability predicted by the one and only Atenbo-senpai.

That was tremendously embarrassing. Ishigami-kun kept his calm the entire time, he didn't even flinch at her teasing.

Meanwhile, I ended up completely embarrassed. I got caught up in the flow of her teasing.

That wasn't even teasing anymore, that was just way too much! It was blatant sexual harassment.

"That was pretty embarrassing. Atenbo-senpai is really strange, huh? It took quite a lot to keep a straight face." Ishigami-kun's face flushed red.

I see, so him too then...today's the last day of the festival and this is actually pretty fun, it'd be a waste not to enjoy it.

"I heard the music club was going to perform in the gym. Shall we head there?" Ishigami-kun suggested.

"I don't mind. Let's go." we walked side by side as we made our way to the gymnasium.

We spent the whole afternoon together, just visiting stalls and classrooms to check what they have in store for us.

Everything's going perfectly, so perfectly I could literally fly into the sky at any moment!

I hope...this day never ends...

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Sorry for dragging you out of the crowd. I can tell that you're nervous, so I thought you would want to go somewhere quiet." Ishigami-kun explained.

"No, I don't mind at all. In fact, I really am nervous. I'm so nervous I feel like I'm about to throw up my heart." I joked.

"Seriously?! Uhm...just swallow your heart back or something!" Ishigami-kun panicked.

(A/N: If you get the reference, I love you UwU ♥️)

The wind sounded its mighty roar, making everything that surrounded it shake in fear, even the leaves fled in terror.

"The wind is pretty strong, isn't it? We would've been warm inside if it weren't for my whining." I sighed.

"I thought it might be chilly, so I brought a poncho of your favorite color. Feel free to use it." he offered.

"You're terrifyingly thoughtful, thanks though, Ishigami-kun." I thanked him as I wrapped the poncho around me.

"Also, this place is nice and quiet." Ishigami-kun stated, looking around the area we were in.

"This is my secret hiding spot. I often come here when things get a little hectic or when I feel down." I mentioned.

"I love checking out the cherry blossom tree. When springtime comes, it's covered with very bright red blossoms." I said, leaning against the wall.

"This is a Taiwan cherry blossom tree." he informed. I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Cherry trees are in the same family as roses. So just like roses, there are red cherry blossoms and yellow cherry blossoms." he continues.

"In the language of flowers, these blossoms are associated with bewitching beauty, benevolence, and nobility. It's really..." he stared at the tree with sparkling eyes.

"You must really be into flowers. Well, I can understand why...after all, your mother is a florist." I shrugged.

"Ah uh, a little bit though...you must think it's weird. I'm a guy after all..." he sighed in dissapointment.

"Of course not. I think guys can like whatever the heck they want, just as long as they don't hurt anyone. I just find it surprising." I muttered the last part.

The whole photography club was against the fact that I hung out with Ishigami-kun just because of what he did in the past.

It's true, I have seen what he did, I was there after all. I was blended within the crowd of people saying mean things to Ishigami-kun.

I knew though...he wasn't like that. He didn't just beat that guy up because he liked the girl he was dating. That's not the Ishigami-kun I observed.

"I realized...that there are so much more to discover about you, Ishigami-kun. But I want to keep on learning." I encouraged myself.

"Huh? Okay, uhm...Taiwan Cherry Blossoms bloom from January to March. So they'll bloom during graduation season." he elaborated.

I wasn't referring to the learning about the Cherry Blossoms, but oh well. If it means spending time with you, then that's all that matters.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

𝙸𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚒'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

The legend of the Devoted Heart...I didn't know our school had a legend like that.

It's about a man who proves his love by offering his heart to her. I feel like I've seen this before somewhere.

Come to think of it, our school has a lot of events related to hearts. Could it have something to do with this legend?

Wait...don't...don't tell me?!

If this culture festival is modeled after the legend of the Devoted Heart...then does that mean giving someone a heart holds some special meaning?!

Oh no! I gave L/n a teddy bear with a huge heart that literally says 'I love you this much!'.

I didn't think of it that much! Heck, I didn't even read what was on the heart. L/n looked like she wanted it, so I got it for her!

Thinking about it in terms of the legend, giving a heart is the same as giving a token of love!

So I gave her a heart...which means...

I'm so embarrassed! I accidentally hinted that I like her out in the open! How embarrassing!

Well, it's not like giving soemone a heart is the same as confessing. That would be silly. So it's fine!

𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

The Legend of the Devoted Heart. To convey your love to someone by giving them a heart-shaped gift.

This legend of the Shuchiin Culture Festival has been passed down over many generations.

I heard my fellow classmates talking about it when they saw some girl confessing to a guy behind the school.

The heart shape represents a human heart. If you give someone a heart-shaped gift during the Devoted Hearts Festival, it's said that you will be granted eternal love.

Giving a heart-shaped gift to a person is basically another form of confessing. It's like offering your heart to that special someone.

Ishigami-kun gave me a teddy bear with a heart...that means...

I raised the camera, fixating the direction of the camera to Kaguya-san and the bonfire.

She shot the arrow, aiming at the bonfire. I quickly snapped a photo of it and just like that, that's how the culture festival ended.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·