BAM!

The entire class looked up at Hikari, who was standing at the teacher's desk, and had just slammed her hands in the table. She was smiling widely, and Saiki-sensei stood in the corner.

"Okay, everyone!" she called. "Welcome to the time of the year when I can finally sit back and relax a little!"

Everybody exchanged looks, confused. What was she talking about? Hikari smiled at the puzzled look on Takiyo's face.

"The cultural festival is coming around, and we need to decide the cultural festival reps." Hikari explained happily. "So, who wants to run?"

Everyone looked around nervously, unsure as to whether or not they should run. Hikari's smile was slowly fading. Arisu turned and looked back at Ren, and they nodded. Takiyo felt relief that they were taking up the challenge. Until they both raised their hands.

"I nominate Takiyo!" Ren declared.

"I nominate Yu-ch – I mean, Yuko!" Arisu said loudly.

Hikari smiled widely, and Takiyo and Yuko's eyes went wide.

"WHAT?!"

Ren and Arisu looked pleased with themselves. Takiyo and Yuko did some fast thinking.

"But...but I nominate Michi!" Takiyo said quickly, pointing at the said person.

"A-and I nominate Ren!" Yuko said, pointing at him. Ren visibly sighed.

Hikari slumped over the table.

"If she is so against being class rep, why did she become one in the first place?" Takiyo asked Arisu.

"Saiki-sensei chose her randomly, apparently." Arisu replied in a low voice.

Suddenly, Hikari had an idea. She stood up straight. "Hamasaki-kun, Muranaka-kun, Nishikawa-san and Iseri-san. Please come up here."

"She's not planning on making all of us reps, is she?" Takiyo asked, standing up.

"Don't worry, Sakura isn't that stupid." Ren told him reassuringly.

"Okay, since you guys are nominated," Hikari began, ignoring Yuko's intense shaking and Takiyo's bored look. "We'll decide the reps in a simple way. Hamasaki-kun and Muranaka-kun, and Nishikawa-san and Iseri-san. Play janken."

(Note: Janken is Japanese rock, paper scissors.)

Everybody stared at her incredulously. It was an extremely rash way if deciding, but Hikari seemed to be sticking with it. Saiki-sensei hadn't protested either. Without another word, Takiyo and Ren, and Yuko and Michi turned to face each other.

"Jan, Ken, Pon."

Hikari inspected their hands. Michi beat Yuko, and Yuko breathed a sigh of relief, and retreated back to her seat, hiding her head in her hands. Syo patted her back.

Now Hikari turned to Ren and Takiyo. Ren was grinning and Takiyo was staring in horror. He beat Ren.

"Sakura-chan...can we have a redo?" Takiyo asked Hikari shakily.

"Nope! All decisions are final." Hikari said cheerfully, with an angel-like smile.

"What decision-making was there in this?!" Takiyo yelled.

"All decisions are final." Hikari repeated, unchanging face. Takiyo saw Ren slapping her hand proudly as he left.

Michi eyed him. Hikari turned back to address the class, happy that it had gotten over with. "So, standing in front of you are your two cultural festival reps! These two are in-charge, so don't ask me anything."

"Wait, can I nominate?" Yoichi suddenly asked, standing up.

Hikari slammed her hand down in the table, but maintained her smile. "All decisions are final." she said forcefully, but the smile gave it a scary effect. Yoichi sunk back down in his chair, looking somewhat bitter, but kind of freaked out.

"Anyway," Hikari continued, scribbling in a form. "I just need to submit this to the school office, then I'm on break for three weeks!" She looked at Saiki-sensei for confirmation. "No problems, right Sensei?"

Saiki-sensei nodded, smiling. "It's fine!"

"Woohoo!" Hikari cheered, running out of the classroom. Everyone stared after their class representative.

"She's more eccentric than I remember." Takiyo commented.

"I think Hikari-chan cracked." Michi said.

Takiyo looked back at her, and remembered his position. Saiki-sensei came to the front, and clapped her hands together.

"Now that we have our cultural festival reps, let us wish them the very best, and let us have a fulfilling school festival!" she said.

Takiyo looked at Michi again, and she smiled again. "Let's work hard together, okay, Takiyo-kun?"

Takiyo barely smiled back. But on the inside, he wasn't very pleased. He didn't want to. Not this event of all events. And not with this person of all people.

***

"What did you think of my little stunt?" Ren asked, grinning.

"It was the meanest, most brutal betrayal I was ever faced with." Takiyo said, biting into his sandwich.

That was a lie.

Ren laughed. Yuko wasn't happy either.

"That was not cool, Ren. Arisu-chan." she said shakily.

"It's okay, we just wanted to give it a try." Arisu said cheerily.

"It's okay though." Syo said quickly, patting Yuko on the back. "All's well that end well, right?"

"What is 'well'?" Takiyo asked menacingly.

"Um... Sakura-san gets to relax." Syo suggested.

"That is only well for her."

"... Yuko didn't get picked?"

"That is only well for her."

"Come on, Takin!" Arisu said cheerfully, putting an arm around his shoulders. "At least you get to do it with Michi-chan."

"Yeah, that's great." Takiyo said, every word dripping with sarcasm.

"Come on, seriously, Takiyo-kun." Yuko said, joining in. "You get to spend loads of quality time with Michi-chan, and there isn't anything Ishida-san can do about it."

"Yes, I'm extremely lucky." Takiyo said, with equal sarcasm as before.

Ren looked at him weirdly. "You seriously aren't happy, are you? What's the problem?"

"Nothing." Takiyo said, taking another bite of his sandwich. "I just really don't want to."

"But our goal was to make you less antisocial." Arisu said. "And when you're a rep, you have unavoidable contact with the entire class."

"I thank you for your thoughtfulness." Takiyo said, clapping his hands together.

"Takin is being very sarcastic..." Arisu sighed. "Is there really nothing?"

"Nothing." Takiyo repeated, taking an extra big bite so that he won't have to reply.

What did they know? They didn't need to know anything. He didn't want to tell them. He was just very, very bitter. He didn't want to bring back those memories that he and worked so hard to block out. It was useless. They already were back.

Takiyo was a master of facial expressions. Then only thing different now was that he could fake more than one.