Spring means flower-viewing. Now that cherry blossom trees are blooming everywhere, people start to have parties near those trees and have fun. Aki-san, on the other hand, wishes to use this opportunity to gather some donations in order to rebuild Koikana Shrine.

   What she has in mind is having a love and food fair where people can find their other half and enjoy some good food at the same time. There’s a huge plot of empty space right next to the shrine, and she’s planning to host the fair right there. I promised to help out if asked, so I joined in the meeting for it as well. We need all the help we can get, so even Kazuki, Masato, Takeuchi, Murata, Kanae, Miiko, Amano, Motozawa, his girlfriend Matsuda-san, Niita and Takaki are invited as well. After everyone is here, short and quick introductions were made. Then we get down to business.

   ‘If you want to make this work, we’re going to need a sponsor to cover most of the costs.’ I tell Aki-san.

   ‘I guess you’re right.’

   Even though she’s agreeing with me, she looks kind of reluctant. I remember hearing Nagano said that Aki-san is quite stubborn and prefers to solve problems herself.

   ‘Please understand. This is a huge project. There’s no way we can carry it out without the help from outsiders.’ I tell her.

   She nods, confirming to me that she understands what I’m trying to say. ‘Yes, I understand.’

   ‘I’ll ask Itoh-senpai whether her family is willing to become one of the sponsors.’ Takaki tells us.

   ‘And I’ll ask Umeda.’ I say.

   There’s one more person I could ask, but no way I’m calling her. It’ll be too awkward.

   ‘Who’s going to be in charge of the food?’ Takeda asks.

   ‘I can ask my boss at work.’ I tell her. ‘I also happen to know a baker. Hopefully, all of them can help out.’

   ‘My parents are happy to cook some of their proud seafood curry as well.’ Motozawa adds.

   ‘I’ve talked to some stalls at the shopping district. A lot of them also agreed to make something to sell at the fair.’ Aki-san says.

   ‘I can’t cook at all, so I’ll be doing hard labors like carrying things around.’ Masato says.

   ‘As will I.’ Kazuki agrees.

   ‘Should we help out at the food stalls too, Sayuri-chan?’ Takeuchi asks Murata.

   ‘Yes. Let’s.’

   ‘Maya-chan and I will help out too!’ Miiko says while putting her hands on Amano’s shoulders.

   Amano just sighs and keeps quiet. I guess she figured out that there’s no talking to Miiko once she decided on something.

   ‘Are you really fine with it, Amano?’ I ask her anyway.

   ‘Don’t worry, Bandou-senpai. This is charity work, so I’m more than happy to do it.’ she assures me.

   ‘We’re going to have so much fun!’ Miiko says happily.

   Instead of saying anything, Amano just rolls her eyes.

   ‘I’ll go around and give people love advise should they need it.’ Kanae says enthusiastically.

   ‘Thank you, Kanae-san.’ Nagano tells her.

   ‘Hold on. What’s Suzu’s job?’ I ask.

   The person in question looks at me, then averts her eyes.

   ‘With this many people I’m sure that my help won’t be needed~.’

   ‘You’re not getting away from having responsibility, Suzu. You’ll be running the consultation stall with Kanae-san and I.’ Nagano says to her.

   ‘Aww~.’

   Takaki raises up her hand.

   ‘What shall we do about the security?’ she asks. ‘You know, just in case there might be troublemakers.’

   ‘Bandou and I will take care of that.’ Takeda tells her. ‘And the huge guy too if you think you’re up to the task. Motozawa, was it?’

   ‘Yes, Takeda-senpai. Well, I have learned a bit of judo, so I think I can help out.’ Motozawa says modestly.

   ‘And for everyone else, they will be equipped with a whistle just in case.’ I add.

   We then talk about lots of stuff: whether to charge an entrance fee, how much to charge for the love consultation, etc. While we’re discussing, I couldn’t help but notice that Aki-san has a worried look on her face.

   ‘Is something wrong, Aki-san?’ I ask her.

   ‘Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that, well, I’m worried that no one will come to the fair.’

   ‘No need to worry, Aki-san. Worse comes to worst,I’ll appear as a special guest to rake in tons of visitors! ’ Nitta assures her.

   ‘And if you do that, the fair will turn into a concert instead.’ I tell the idol.

   ‘No it won’t. I’ll just perform one song and disappear. I’ll even try to invite Chigusa-san too. Despite how she acts, she actually loves going to festivals and stuff.’

   ‘I guess performing a song or two won’t hurt.’

   She puffs up her cheeks.

   ‘Is it me, or are you more excited to see her perform?’ she demands.

   ‘You’re just imagining it.’

   ‘I most certainly am not!’

   ‘Now now.’ Aki-san intervenes. ‘Thank you for your offer, Nitta-san. I would love to take you up on it.’

   ‘No problem. I’ll tell you tomorrow if Chigusa-san will agree to perform with me.’

   ‘Forget about her first. Are you sure Mino-san will agree to you performing on a live stage?’ I ask Nitta.

   ‘Sure she will. I’ve already talked to her about it, after all.’

   ‘Seriously? Just like that?’

   ‘The agency had plans to make me do a live performance anyway. Since this is a good chance, they gave the green light.’

   ‘Just so you know, don’t expect us to provide body guards for the two of you. We’re busy enough as it is.’

   ‘I know I know. The agency will take care of that.’

   By the time we were done discussing, it’s already nighttime. In other words, it’s time to call it a day.

   Aki-san gets up from her seat and bows at us.

   ‘Thank you all for coming today. With all your help, the fair will surely be a success.’ she tells us.

   And with that, we’re dismissed.

   The next few days went by in a flash. We managed to get multiple sponsors to fund the costs, most notably the Itoh family, the Umeda family and the Shinohara family. I was also told that the Miyagawa family and the Katsuragis are also donating lots of money. That means Miyagawa-san and my grandparents might show up on that day. Great. Just great. Heaven knows how they found out about this event. Also, Nitta reported that Manaka-san has agreed to perform on that day. Lastly, quite a number of people have agreed to set up food stalls.

   We also got some equipments to be used on that day. Staffs are to wear a white T-shirt designed by Nagano, and all of us are to carry a whistle at all times.

   The empty plot of land next to the shrine was slowly being converted to a place suitable to be used as a fair: lots of stalls, two entryways, and a stage for the performing idols. Everything minus the stage has to be assembled by ourselves since we need to save costs as much as possible. I’m just glad that the stall keepers are coming to help out as well.

   On the day of the fair, we had to go to the shrine early in the morning for the preparations. I said preparations, but it’s more like a last-minute check just in case something needs to be corrected or altered. After all, the hard labors were already done.

   The first thing I do is approach the stall manned by the couple from Yamamoto Canteen. I take a quick look at their menu. They’ll be serving the staple found at most Japanese restaurants like oyakodon, kastudon and a few varieties of udon. Nothing too complicated.

   ‘Is everything alright here?’ I ask Uekawa-san.

   ‘So far so good.’ he replies. ‘Except for the fact that Miyako is insisting on helping out.’

   ‘Speaking of which, are you sure it’s okay for you to work, Miyako-san?’ I ask Miyako-san next. ‘You’re pregnant, after all.’

   ‘Seriously, the two of you worry too much. I’ll be just fine, okay?’ she assures us. ‘I’m just a few weeks pregnant, so I can do this much.’

   She said that, but her relaxed attitude isn’t shared by everyone working at the restaurant, not even the customers. All of us are making sure that nothing would happen to her at all times. It’s honestly mentally draining.

   ‘To be honest, it kind of helps for married couples like the two of you to be around. This is partly a fair for people to meet and fall in love, after all. If you’re willing to share your love story, I’m sure that people would be more enthusiastic.’ I tell her.

   She beams at me. ‘Now’s that’s a good way to put it. Finally, I could tell someone the story of how Kenji-san and I fell in love.’

   Uekawa-san looks at her like it’s the end of the world. ‘Do you really have to?’

   ‘Come on, Kenji-san. Those single folks need all the encouragement they can get.’ his wife chides him.

   ‘But it’s embarrassing!’ he complains.

   ‘Nonsense. If anything, your confession still made my heart flutter to this day. Between the two of us, you did it way better than my previous husband.’

   ‘...Seriously?’

   ‘Cross my heart.’

   ‘I’ll leave the two of you to your flirting. As for me, I’m heading off the other stalls to check on them.’ I tell them.

   Miyako-san chuckles. ‘Good luck with your patrols, Bandou-kun.’

   ‘Thank you.’

   I was having a tough choice of visiting the stall managed by Motozawa’s parents or just pass it by for now. The reason being the entire family is there: the parents, the son and the future daughter-in law. However, I happened to meet eyes with Motozawa, and his eyes are signaling for an SOS. Sighing, I slowly approach the stall.

   As Motozawa has promised, his parents are cooking up seafood curry. They’re also serving up some grilled squids and seafood okonomiyaki.

   I’ve met his parents a few times when I bought seafood from their shop at the shopping district, so no introductions were needed. They’re extremely grateful on the fact that I was the reason their son got a girlfriend, so they gave me lots of freebies every time I went there or even when I was just passing by. It got to the point where I felt so guilty I tried my best not to go there anymore, or at least wait until Motozawa is in charge of looking after the shop.

   ‘Remember to drop by later. I’ll be sure to give you a huge serving of our delicious curry!’ his father tells me.

   ‘I don’t mind eating it, but please make sure to charge me the extra cost as well. After all, this is for charity.’ I remind him.

   ‘...Oops. Guess you have to get the extra portions when you come to our shop.’

   ‘Sir, I’m not trying to lecture you on how to run your business, but you really ought to control yourself from giving out free stuff like this.’

   ‘Nonsense! You were a great help to Keizo. We can never thank you enough for what you did.’

   ‘Exactly. We can afford giving out free things to a certain extent, so there’s no need to be shy.’ the mother continues.

   ‘Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that our huge bloke of a son would get himself a girlfriend. And the moment he did, he found a really sweet girl.’ the father says while beaming at Matsuda-san.

   ‘Please, sir. You’re exaggerating.’ Matsuda-san says shyly.

   ‘Oh, there you go again. We’ve been keep on telling you to call us father and mother, remember?’ the mother reminds her.

   Matsuda-san twirls her index fingers shyly. ‘But Keizo-kun and I aren’t married yet…’

   The father guffaws loudly. ‘“Yet”, she says! Guess you’ll be together with her for the rest of your life, Keizo!’

   ‘I’m sorry to interrupt your family time, but we still have some work left to do, so you’ll have to excuse us.’ I tell the parents.

   ‘Oh. Of course. Sorry about this. Don’t cause too much trouble for them, Keizo.’

   ‘Don’t worry, pa. I’ll do my best to be careful.’

   ‘See you later, Matsuda-san.’

   ‘Yes. See you both later.’

   ‘Thank you for the save, senpai. Who knows how long we have to be there if you didn’t drop by.’ Motozawa tells me when we’re out of his parents’ earshot.

   ‘Don’t worry about it.’

   ‘We were supposed to check on some other stalls, so we’ll be excusing ourselves.’ Matsuda-san tells me.

   ‘Sure. See you later.’

   I see Gouda-san the baker and Iseri-senpai at the stall ahead, so I decide to pay them a visit too.

   ‘Good morning.’ I greet them. ‘How are the two of you faring so far?’

   ‘Morning, Bandou. I’m doing fine so far. The same can’t be said for Gouda-san, though.’ Iseri-senpai tells me.

   I look at him closely. His face is kind of pale, and his whole body is slightly trembling.

   ‘Are you okay, Gouda-san? Are you perhaps sick?’ I couldn’t help but ask.

   ‘No, I’m perfectly healthy. It’s just that, well, I’m nervous.’ he says.

   ‘He’s worried that his bread won’t sell.’ Iseri-senpai tells me in his stead.

   Unlike cooked food, they need ovens and stuff to make fresh bread, so they had to bake the breads at the bakery first before coming here. In other words, they’re done the moment the products are sold out. It also means that whatever that didn’t sell had to be given out for free instead of being stored away.

   I look at all the breads and pastries available for sale. Their appearance are much better than the ones I saw back when I first stumbled into the bakery. They also smell very good.

   ‘Is it okay if I become your first customer?’ I ask.

   ‘Oh, of course you can. Although you can just take one. Most of them won’t sell anyway.’

   ‘Oh, Gouda-san. There you go with your pessimism again! You really should stop that!’ Iseri-senpai chides.

   I pay for a chocolate cornet and bite into it. Compared to the one I had before, this one is much more delicious.

   ‘You skill has improved, Gouda-san.’ I tell him. ‘You had been practising hard.’

   ‘See? I told you that all your hard work paid off.’ Iseri-senpai tells him next.

   ‘Well, let’s just hope the customers would love them.’

   ‘Didn’t you make anything, Iseri-senpai?’ I ask.

   ‘Who, me? Well, I made those tarts.’ she points at some fruit tarts.

   I pay for one of them and eat it next.

   ‘So? How does it taste?’ she asks a bit nervously.

   ‘It’s good.’ I assure her. ‘At least, it tastes better than the chocolate you gave me.’

   ‘Well, sorry for giving you a bad time on Valentine’s Day, of all day.’ she says grumpily.

   ‘Please don’t misunderstand. I’m saying that you’re indeed improving.’

   ‘Yeah. I know. Thanks for your opinion.’

   ‘Well, I’m leaving for now. Please don’t hesitate to call on any of us should you encounter any problems.’ I tell the two of them.

   ‘We will. Thank you so much.’

   I went to check on the love consultation booth ran by Nagano, Kanae and Suzu. For some reason, there’s a crystal ball right in front of Kanae.

   ‘What’s with the crystal ball?’ I ask Kanae.

‘   Well, some people believe in fortune-telling, right? Might as well incorporate this service while we’re at it.’

   I look at Nagano. ‘You’re actually fine with it?’

   She shrugs. ‘I don’t see any problem with it.’

   Well, if she’s fine with it, it’s not my problem either.

   ‘Do you think you can stop yourself from falling asleep, Suzu?’ I ask the sleepy-looking girl.

   ‘I think so~.’ she answers while yawning.

   ‘Just do your best, okay? Bandou-kun will be too busy to help us out today, so we definitely need your intellect.’ Nagano tells her.

   ‘Okay~.’

   ‘I’ll bring you food, so try to stay awake, okay?’ I tell her.

   Her drowsiness is gone at once.

   ‘I shall be awake until this fair is over~.’ she declares.

   After I visit some more stalls, a man in suit and sunglasses approaches me.

   ‘Excuse me, sir. Are you Bandou Takuya-sama?’ he asks me politely.

   ‘Yes I am.’

   ‘Would you be so kind as to follow me to where my clients are?’

   ‘Your clients? Ah. Sure, lead the way.’

   ‘Right this way, then.’

   He brings me to a black van with tinted windows. Its back door on the left side opens. As expected, Nitta and Manaka Chigusa are sitting inside. Nitta’s manager Mino-san and Manaka-san’s manager are sitting at the back.

   The two idols are wearing matching idol outfits, with Nitta wearing a pink-and-white one and Manaka-san wearing a black one.

   ‘Morning, Bandou-kun. Are you excited to see our performance later?’ Nitta asks me.

   ‘Manaka-san’s, absolutely. Don’t really care about yours.’

   Nitta growls loudly. ‘Oh, there you go again!’

   ‘Well it’s the truth.’

   ‘You could have at least lied to make me happy!’

   Manaka-san chuckles while covering her mouth with her lace-glove-wearing right hand. ‘The two of you sure get along.’

   ‘Is that how it looks like? He’s been getting on my nerves for quite a while now.’

   ‘It sure doesn’t seem that way.’

   Manaka-san then looks at me and inclines her head.

   ‘My apologies for being late in my self-introduction. I’m Manaka Chigusa. Pleased to make your acquaintance. ’

   I incline my head at her as well. ‘My name is Bandou Takuya. It’s nice to meet you. I’m a big fan of yours.’

   ‘Thank you. Would you like an autograph?’

   My eyes light up at once. ‘Can I?’

   ‘Of course. In fact, I’ve already brought one.’

   She hands me a square piece of white cardboard with her signature on it.

   ‘Yuki-san told me that you’re a fan of mine, so I got this prepared in advance.’ she tells me.

   ‘Wow, she actually told you that? Thanks, Nitta.’

   ‘Yeah, yeah.’ Nitta says to me grumpily.

   ‘Say, can I have your autograph too?’

   She widens her eyes in astonishment. ‘You actually want it?’

   ‘Well, yeah. I’m your fan, remember?’

   Her expression immediately turn smug.

   ‘See, I knew it! Even with all your insults, you’re still worshiping me!’ she says in a condescending tone.

   I sigh and look at Manaka-san. ‘See how difficult she is? You give her a micro-inch and she takes a bazillion miles.’

   ‘Oh, just tolerate her. She’s cute this way, no?’

   ‘I wish she’s at least more elegant and matured like you are.’

   ‘Hey, you just stared at her chests!’ Nitta accuses me all of a sudden.

   ‘I most certainly did not.’

   ‘You definitely did!’

   ‘How would you know? It’s not like you’ll ever be stared at.’

   She gasps angrily.

   ‘That’s it! YOU’RE GOING DOWN!’ she screeches like a crazed banshee.

   ‘That’s enough, Yuki.’ Mino-san who had been quiet all this time tells the idol under her care.

   ‘But-’

   ‘Is this how a top idol of Japan should act?’

   That calmed her down in an instant.

   ‘I’m sorry for her outburst, Bandou-kun.’ Mino-san tells me.

   She’s also smiling at me apologetically even though it’s mostly my fault.

   ‘Don’t you have other things to attend to, Bandou-kun?’ Nitta asks me.

   Even though her tone is calm, her expression is anything but that. Suddenly, I think she can become an excellent actress. I take out my phone and check the time. The fair is starting in ten minutes.

   ‘Oh, you’re right. I’ll be seeing the two of you later.’

   ‘And don’t bother to talk to me until you got me something nice to eat!’