When Arashi, Ayane, and Mizuki reached school, they headed toward their classroom together.
As soon as they entered, they saw Takumi standing near the classroom door.
He wasn't alone.
Hina, Miyu, and Satoru were there with him, gathered casually as if they had been waiting for something.
The moment Takumi noticed them, his face lit up.
"Oh, you guys finally came," he said.
"We were waiting just for you."
Arashi frowned slightly.
"Waiting for us?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
Before Takumi could answer, Satoru let out a small sigh.
"This idiot has been stopping us here for a while now," Satoru said.
"He keeps saying that he made a quote last night before going to sleep, and that he won't say it until everyone comes."
Mizuki blinked, clearly curious.
"A quote?" she asked.
"What kind of quote?"
Takumi straightened up proudly, placing a hand on his chest.
"Listen carefully," he said seriously.
"Open your ears properly."
Hina crossed her arms.
Miyu leaned forward slightly.
"Alright, just say it already," one of them urged.
Takumi cleared his throat dramatically.
Then he spoke.
"Success is like a fart," he said with complete seriousness.
"You can tolerate your own… but you can't tolerate someone else's."
For a brief moment—
The classroom entrance went completely silent.
For a second—
No one reacted.
Then—
"…What?"
Arashi blinked, genuinely unsure if he had heard that correctly.
Ayane froze completely.
Her expression went blank, lips slightly parted, as if her brain had stopped processing language altogether.
Mizuki stared at Takumi.
Once.
Twice.
Then she slowly turned her face away and covered her mouth with her hand.
"…Pfft—"
A quiet laugh escaped before she could stop it.
Hina's eyebrows twitched.
"…You kept us waiting for that?" she asked flatly, her voice carrying pure disbelief.
Miyu tilted her head, thinking seriously for a moment.
"…It's disgusting," she said honestly.
"But… annoyingly accurate."
Satoru buried his face in his hands.
"I knew it," he muttered.
"I knew it was going to be something stupid."
Takumi, however, stood there proudly.
"What?" he said.
"It's deep, isn't it?"
Arashi finally sighed.
"…You stopped everyone at the door," he said slowly,
"just to say a fart quote?"
Takumi nodded confidently.
"Yup."
Ayane looked away, embarrassed on his behalf.
Mizuki, still trying not to laugh, wiped the corner of her eye.
"I hate that it makes sense," she said.
"But please… never say that again in public."
Just then—
The classroom door slid open fully.
The teacher's voice echoed down the hallway.
"Why are all of you standing outside like idiots?"
Everyone froze.
Takumi's confidence vanished instantly.
"…We were just coming in," he said quickly.
One by one, they hurried into the classroom—
Leaving behind Takumi's quote floating awkwardly in the air.
And somehow—
The morning had officially begun.
Arashi walked to his seat and sat down quietly.
With a tired expression, he muttered under his breath,
"I seriously don't know why only quotes like that come to his mind," he thought.
"Can we even call that a quote?"
He leaned back slightly in his chair, letting out a small sigh.
Just then, the teacher clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright, everyone," she said.
"I have an announcement."
Arashi's eyebrows knit together.
"An announcement?" he thought.
"There was one yesterday too… and now another today?"
The teacher continued,
"Two weeks before the exams, our school will be holding a festival."
The classroom immediately filled with quiet murmurs.
"So be prepared," she added.
"Everyone will need to get ready for it."
Then her gaze shifted.
She looked straight at Arashi.
"And Arashi," she said firmly.
"Especially you."
Arashi stiffened slightly.
"You never participate in anything," the teacher continued,
"but this time, you will."
She crossed her arms.
"And no, I will not allow you to take a day off on the festival day," she said sharply.
"Absolutely not."
She paused for emphasis.
"Even if you're dying."
A few students glanced at Arashi.
But he didn't react.
He didn't argue.
Didn't complain.
He simply nodded once.
"…Alright," his silence seemed to say.
The teacher turned back to the class.
"You have one week for preparation," she announced.
"So think carefully about what you want to participate in."
"That's all," she said.
"Now let's begin the lesson."
With that, she turned toward the board and started teaching.
Arashi stared ahead, but his mind drifted away almost immediately.
"A festival… again," he thought.
His expression dulled.
"It's always so boring," he continued silently.
"I don't get any enjoyment out of it."
He rested his chin lightly against his hand.
"I seriously don't understand," he thought,
"how people enjoy events like these."
The teacher's voice continued in the background—
But Arashi was already lost in his own thoughts.
After a while, the teacher spoke again.
"One more thing," she said.
"Everyone needs to write down the game or activity they'll participate in and submit the form to me after school."
With that, she turned back to the board and continued the lesson.
Time passed.
Eventually, the bell rang—
Break time.
The moment it did, the classroom atmosphere shifted.
Students began talking excitedly, gathering in small groups, discussing what games they would choose for the festival.
Laughter, debates, and confident voices filled the room.
Arashi, however, stayed seated.
He stared at the form in front of him.
Deciding was harder than he had expected.
"I'm not really good at anything," he thought quietly.
"What am I even supposed to choose?"
His eyes moved down the list.
"Basketball?" he thought.
"No… I'm terrible at that."
"Tennis?"
"I can play a little… but not enough."
He exhaled slowly.
"What else can I even do?"
His gaze drifted toward the classroom.
"Maybe I should do something inside the class," he thought.
"Something simple…"
Then—
An idea surfaced.
"…Chess."
He paused.
"I can play chess," he thought.
"I'm not amazing, but I know how to play."
That alone felt enough.
"Yeah," he decided.
"I'll go with chess."
He picked up his pen and filled out the form carefully.
Chess.
Once done, he submitted the form.
On the way back, he talked briefly with Mizuki and the others, casually asking who was good at chess.
If he was going to participate—
He wanted to be prepared.
With that, Arashi's decision was finally made.
And just like that, he had officially entered the festival.