Kyou shot upright in bed in an instant, flipping over his phone on the table next to him to see 7:45AM on display.

"Ah, crap, I'm gonna be late!"

Kyou leapt out of bed, throwing on his uniform in a frenzy and quickly tying his hair back into his shabby little ponytail. Grabbing his school bag, he slung it over one shoulder and bolted out of his room, nearly tripping over a stray shoe on the way.

Downstairs, Kuniko and Kaori were already in the kitchen, fully dressed in their uniforms with their bags packed and ready. Kuniko was taking a sip from a glass of water while Kaori busied herself adjusting the ribbon on her uniform.

"You're finally up," Kuniko said without looking up, her tone dry. "Thought we'd have to leave you behind."

Kaori giggled. "It's impressive, honestly. You're like clockwork- always late but just barely making it."

"Yeah, yeah, good morning to you too," Kyou muttered, grabbing a piece of already made toast from the counter and stuffing it in his mouth. He slung his other arm into his bag strap and made for the door.

Kuniko arched an eyebrow. "No breakfast again?"

"This is breakfast!" Kyou said around the toast, his voice muffled.

Kaori smiled, grabbing her own bag. "Don't burn out before the festival even starts, okay?"

Kyou waved them off as he slipped on his shoes and dashed out the door.

--

Arriving at school, the air buzzed with the excitement of the school culture festival, students shouts and conversations filling the hallways as everyone began to setup their stalls. The purple-haired boy strode through the halls, ducking under moving banners and weaving through large crowds of people. He reached the Class 1-C room, where chaos reigned supreme. His classmates were scrambling to put the final touches on their pancake stall. A colorful sign proclaiming, "Class 1-3's Dutch Pancake Store!" hung askew above their booth outside the door, swaying precariously.

"Adachi-kun, finally!" Someone called out, "I need you!"

Kyou looked over in the direction of the voice. Walking towards him was Class 1-3's Class Representative, Atsuko Miyoshi, her bright blue hairclips accentuated by her charcoal black hair.

"I need you to go over and help those guys with putting up that promo sign, please" Atsuko told him, a hint of urgency in her voice as she pointed towards the group of their classmates.

"Alright, yep, on it." Kyou nodded, quickly placing his bag down in the corner and rushing over to support the installation of the board.

Kyou joined the group of classmates struggling with the lopsided sign. One student was perched on a chair, another holding the base of a shaky ladder, while a third was attempting to guide the sign into place without much success.

"Hold it steady!" the ladder-holder yelled as the chair wobbled dangerously.

"I am holding it steady!" the ladder-holder shot back, sweat beading on his forehead.

Kyou jumped in, steadying the ladder with both hands. "Alright, don't kill yourselves over a sign... Let me take over."

The student on the ladder gratefully stepped down, handing Kyou the tacks. "Be my guest, Adachi-kun."

Climbing up with practiced ease, Kyou quickly aligned the sign and pushed the tacks into place. A few seconds later, the sign hung straight, swaying gently in the breeze but no longer threatening to fall.

"There," Kyou said, hopping down. "Crisis averted."

The group of classmates let out a collective sigh of relief, a few clapping him on the back. Atsuko approached, arms crossed but clearly pleased. "Good job, Adachi-kun. Now, could you—"

"Let me guess," Kyou interrupted. "You've got another 'urgent task' for me?"

Atsuko nodded. "Yes, actually. Go check on the pancake griddles. I don't trust that group of boys with them to not burn the classroom down..."

"On it," Kyou said, waving as he headed inside.

--

Around an hour later, the festival had started with a bang, the hallways filled with people exploring the stalls of the many different classes in the buildings. Kyou sat at the front of the stall, working at the register.

Kyou sat at the register, his sharp purple eyes scanning the small crowd of people milling about near the front of the stall. The sweet aroma of freshly cooked pancakes wafted through the air, luring in hungry students and visitors alike.

The line was steady, and Kyou moved with practiced ease, taking orders, giving change, and handing out plates stacked with syrup-drizzled pancakes. His classmates behind him worked tirelessly on the griddles, flipping pancakes as the minutes passed.

"Two pancakes with cream, please," a customer said, handing over some coins.

"Coming right up," Kyou replied, placing their change on the counter and grabbed a plate from the tray that sat next to him. He gave it to the customer, watching them walk off in joy.

"Do y'know where Kita-san went off to?" Kyou heard one of his classmates behind him speak up to another.

"Went off to see her friends I think, she said she'd makeup for missing out on the morning by helping out extra in the afternoon." The other replied.

Ikuyo Kita was probably the most popular girl in the entire first year. The energetic red-headed girl was in his class and had only interacted with him once, during a random lunchtime about two months prior when Takumi was speaking to Kyou outside his class.

"So y'know that band I was talking about the other day? Octopace?" Takumi had asked him, "So the drummer, Ryo-"

"Ryo!?" a passing Kita had exclaimed, rushing over to the two boys in a hurry, "What's this about?"

"The drummer for the band Octopac-"

"Oh. Okay!" she gave the two boys a strange smile, "See you in class Adachi-kun!"

The two boys had given her the strangest look.

Kyou sighed as he refocused on the task at hand, serving customers.

"Except... there's none right now... so-" Kyou started mumbling to himself but was cut off by the sight of someone walking towards him. Actually, walking would be an overstatement, it was more akin to waddling. 

A girl with long pink hair, dressed in a maid outfit was slowly creeping towards him. Her whole body was visibly vibrating as she made her way towards the counter.

"Is she from Class 1-2...? They're doing the maid cafe aren't they?" Kyou asked himself as the girl finally stood before him, her waddling abruptly finished and her eyes practically digging deep into his soul. "Uhh... please don't... hurt me...?"

The girl flinched at his words, her wide eyes darting away as if caught doing something wrong. She stammered, barely audible over the bustling festival noise.

"N-no, I just... I wanted..." Her trembling hands clutched a crumpled bill tightly, as though she were preparing for some kind of test. "F-four pancakes... please..."

Kyou blinked, unsure whether to laugh or feel concerned. "Right. Two pancakes. Got it." He turned to grab a plate, still being able to feel the nervous energy radiating from the girl

As he set the plate down in front of her, he offered a reassuring smile. "Here you go. That'll be 450 yen."

The girl fumbled with her pouch of coins, her trembling hands only making her more frantic. She managed to extract a note and a few coins, but in her haste, they slipped from her fingers, falling across the counter and onto the floor. Her eyes went wide with horror as she dropped to her knees in a flash, scrambling to pick them up.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Hey, it's fine!" Kyou said, kneeling to help. He quickly picked up the yen near his feet, holding them out to her. "Here. No harm done."

The girl froze, staring at his outstretched hand as if it were some godsent gift. "T-thank you," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper as she reached out to grab her money. In her rush to stand up, she bumped into the counter, sending one of the plates, her plate of pancakes tipping dangerously close to the edge.

Kyou instinctively reached out, catching the plate just in time. "Careful!" he said, setting it back down. "Wouldn't want your pancakes to meet the ground."

The girl's face flushed a deep crimson. "I'm sorry! I-I'll just-"

Before she could finish, she spun around and darted away in an instant, leaving the pancakes and about 2,000 yen behind.

"Wait!" Kyou called after her, holding up the plate and some of the money she'd left behind. "You forgot-"

"Mmm... these are good pancakes..."said a voice from his side.

Kyou looked back to the front of the counter to see a tall girl with short, dark blue hair digging into the pink maid girl's pancakes. Kyou leapt back in shock.

"Who are you!?" he exclaimed, "Those aren't yours!"

"They are now. Heh." she smirked. 

Kyou froze in disbelief as the blue-haired girl finished the last bite of the pancakes right in front of him. She wiped her hands on a napkin from the counter, smirking all the while.

"Thanks for the free snack," she said with a nonchalant wave, turning on her heel.

"Did you really just finish four pancakes that fast...?" Kyou looked at her shocked.

"Are you calling a beautiful lady like myself fat?" the blue hair girl covered her mouth with her hands, pretending to be sad.

Kyou blinked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Wha- no! That's not what I meant at all!" he stammered, waving his hands defensively. "I'm just saying, that's... impressive?"

The girl's faux sadness melted into a mischievous grin. "Impressive, huh? Guess you're just not used to seeing a girl with a healthy appetite."

"That's not-" Kyou sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, can you at least pay for them?"

"Hmm..." The girl tapped her chin thoughtfully before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a single coin. She placed it on the counter with a triumphant air. "There. Consider it a tip for good service. It's my life savings."

Kyou stared at the lone coin, unamused. "That's not even enough for one pancake."

"Ah, details." She waved him off dismissively, turning to leave. "Anyway, keep up the good work, pancake boy."

Kyou groaned, slumping onto the counter. "Lord help me..."

--

Hitori Gotoh crouched in the darkest corner she could find, wedged between a vending machine and a stack of unused chairs. Her maid outfit crinkled awkwardly as she hugged her knees, rocking back and forth like a malfunctioning robot. Her pink hair spilled over her face, but it couldn't hide the sheer crimson panic radiating from her entire being.

"I'm such a FAILURE!" she hissed in a whisper-shout, gripping her head. Her voice echoed slightly off the metal vending machine, amplifying her despair.

Why did I drop the money? Why did I RUN AWAY? she screamed internally, her mind replaying the moment on a torturous loop. And then he tried to help me, and I just- LEFT! Who does that!?

"And those pancakes!" she groaned out loud, her head knocking lightly against the vending machine. "I abandoned them! They were my only mission, and I failed them. What kind of person forgets their pancakes?!"

She clenched her fists dramatically. "I'm going to have to transfer schools. No- countries! I'll move to the mountains and live as a hermit. No one will ever find me. I'll become a legend of failure!"

Her muttering grew more frantic. "Why did I waddle like that? Why couldn't I just walk like a normal person? Why did I stare into his soul like some kind of haunted doll!??"

Her train of thought spiraled deeper into absurdity until her phone buzzed in her pocket. She jumped like she'd been electrocuted, fumbling to check the screen. It was a message from her bandmates:

Kita: Wru??? We're at your classroom

"They're at my class..." she muttered, her voice trembling. "My classmates... my entire class... they'll know I'm not there. They'll figure out I'm hiding!"

Her breath quickened as the weight of responsibility crushed her. I can't just sit here. If I don't show up, they'll think I bailed on them. Then they'll hate me. And then Kita will hate me. And then my band will kick me out!

She clutched her phone like it was a lifeline. "I have to go back," she whispered to herself, eyes wide. "I have to go back and face them. No matter what. Even if they all laugh at me..."

--

"Gotoh-san! You're back!" one of her classmates chirped, beaming at her as Bocchi stood stiffly in the doorway of Class 1-2's maid café. The room bustled with activity: classmates in maid outfits whisked trays of drinks and omurice around while customers filled the tables, laughing and chatting.

"Finally!" another classmate waved her over. "Your friends have been looking for you Gotoh-san!"

"Huh?" Bocchi croaked, still frozen in place.

At the counter, Ikuyo Kita, shining in a maid outfit, turned and waved enthusiastically. "Gotoh-san! Over here!"

Next to her, Nijika Ijichi giggled, holding a plate with an omurice sat on top of it. "Took you long enough, Bocchi-chan."

Ryo Yamada sat nearby at an empty table, her maid outfit slightly askew as she leaned back, snacking on an omurice. "Oh, good, you're here. They were starting to consider putting me to work."

Nijika glared at Ryo, "We literally volunteered to help this class, stop being lazy, you idiot!"

Ryo lazily waved a hand in Nijika's direction, her other hand occupied with an omurice. "Volunteered is a strong word," she said, taking a spoonful. "You dragged me here under the pretense of free food."

"And you're eating it!" Nijika shot back, balancing the omurice as she stomped over. "So maybe contribute for once instead of lounging around like some kind of... omurice gremlin!"

"Omurice gremlin?" Ryo raised an eyebrow. "That's a new one. I kinda like it."

Kita laughed nervously, stepping between them. "Now, now, let's not fight! This is supposed to be fun, remember?" She turned to Hitori, who looked like her mind was processing things at 0.25x speed. "Don't you think so, Gotoh-san?"

Bocchi blinked rapidly, her mind trying to process the chaotic scene in front of her. "Uh... yes? Fun... is good?"

"See? Bocchi gets it!" Kita said, clapping her hands. "Now let's all work together to make this maid café the best one at the festival!"

Ryo leaned back further in her chair. "I guess I'll contribute... After all, I'm the star attraction here."

"Star attraction my butt!" Nijika huffed, pointing a finger at her. "Get up and start helping before I make you wear cat ears!"

"I wouldn't hate that," Ryo replied with a sly grin, causing Nijika to let out a frustrated growl.

"I wouldn't either..." Kita remarked, a massive smile plastered on her face.

"Thank you, God, for saving me..." Hitori thought to herself, her expression suddenly shifting to a happy one. 

--

Later that night, Kessoku Band had wrapped up an exhausting but productive practice session, preparing for the next day. Hitori packed her guitar away, her movements mechanical as her mind drifted. She hadn't been able to focus properly all evening, the coming performance was extremely daunting

"Let's do our best tomorrow, Gotoh-chan!" Kita's voice snapped her back to reality as they stepped outside Starry, the club owned by Nijika's older sister, and also the place where the girls found both work and gigs to play.

"Y-yeah," Hitori stammered, clutching her guitar case like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Kita had been as radiant as ever during practice, her cheerful encouragement keeping the band energized. Nijika had spent the whole time teasing Bocchi about her "soulless stare" earlier at the maid café, while Ryo seemed more interested in talking about food from the festival than practicing her basslines.

Hitori, for her part, just wanted to sink into the floor and vanish forever so she wouldn't have to play this festival. She trudged through the nighttime, making her way home so she could fall asleep and hopefully sleep through the next day. That was until she noticed a figure walking on the opposite side of the street from her.

Illuminated by the streetlights, they seemed to be carrying an instrument case on their back, with purple hair tied back into a ponytail. 

"He looks... a bit familiar...?" she thought to herself, squinting her eyes and staring at the person across the street.

And then he turned his head towards her.

"WAIT NOW I LOOK LIKE A PERVERTED CREEP STARING-"

"Hey, you!" the person called out, "You dropped your money at the festival today! I have it!"

"NOT PANCAKE GUY NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO."

And with that, Hitori ran off.

--

Kyou zipped up his bass case and leaned it against the wall of Emi's bedroom. Practice had been long and a little chaotic, but productive. Emi, as always, had been relentless in making them go over every transition until they nailed it.

"We're sounding tight," Kyou said, grabbing a sweatshirt from the back of a chair. "If we don't crush tomorrow's festival, I'm quitting music forever."

"You say that every time," Emi replied, raising an eyebrow as she carefully coiled a cable.

Takumi snorted from the couch, where he was lazily tuning his guitar. "Yeah, and we're all still waiting for you to follow through."

"Real funny, Takumi," Kyou shot back, rolling his eyes.

Emi clapped her hands together, drawing their attention. "Alright, practice is done. Make sure you don't oversleep tomorrow, and please don't forget anything. Especially you, Takumi."

Takumi feigned offense, clutching his chest. "I'm not gonna!"

"Good," Emi said flatly, then smirked.

"Why especially me though..."

Kyou grabbed his case, slinging it over his back. "I'm heading out. You two don't stay up too late gossiping about me," he said, heading for the door.

"Yeah, yeah. Night, Kyou," Emi called, her focus already shifting back to untangling another cable.

Stepping out into the cool night air, Kyou zipped up his hoodie and started the walk home. The streets were quiet, bathed in the soft glow of streetlights. His mind wandered to the festival preparations. Tomorrow was going to be exhausting, but if everything went well, it'd be worth it.

He adjusted the guitar case on his back and stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets, glancing absently around the empty street. That's when he noticed it, a figure on the opposite side of the road, illuminated by the streetlights.

It was hard to miss her. The pink hair and guitar case on her back made her stand out. She wasn't moving, just standing there, staring directly at him.

"Is she... watching me?" Kyou thought, his steps slowing as a chill crept up his spine. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, practically boring holes into his soul.

"Okay, that's creepy," he muttered to himself, but then something clicked. He recognized her- that girl that had dropped her money during the pancake stall.

"Hey, you!" he called out, stepping closer. "You dropped your money at the festival today! I have it!"

Her face twisted into what could only be described as pure, unfiltered