1. The First Official Committee MeetingThe next morning, the School Festival Planning Committee gathered in the activity room.
Posters from previous festivals decorated the walls.
Around fifteen students sat nervously at the long table.
At the head of the table sat:
🧊 Kaito Aizawa — perfectly straight posture, notebook open, pen aligned.
🌪️ Hina Moriyama — spinning in her chair dramatically.
The air felt tense.
One student whispered, "This feels like a couple meeting their parents."
Another whispered back, "No, this feels like a divorce court."
• 2. Kaito's Logical StrategyKaito stood up calmly.
He had already prepared a 12-page structured proposal.
Budget breakdown.
Timeline schedule.
Risk analysis.
Task delegation chart.
He spoke in a steady tone.
"The festival must be efficient, organized, and academically respectable."
Students nodded nervously.
Hina slowly raised her hand.
"Question."
"Yes," Kaito replied.
"Where is the LOVE?"
The room went silent.
Kaito blinked once.
"This is a school festival, not a wedding ceremony."
Hina slammed her hands on the table.
"Festivals are about emotion! Excitement! Sparkles!"
"Sparkles are not a measurable category," Kaito replied.
The committee members watched like it was live television.
• 3. The Idea ExplosionHina jumped onto her chair dramatically.
"I have better ideas!"
She pulled out colorful sketches again:
A romantic stage for confession events.
A themed café called "Destiny Hearts."
Matching couple wristbands for visitors.
A fireworks display finale.
"Absolutely not," Kaito said instantly.
"Why are you allergic to happiness?!" she shouted.
"Fireworks inside school grounds are prohibited. Couple wristbands will increase crowd mismanagement. Emotional confession events could create psychological distress."
The committee members gasped.
"Did he just scientifically destroy love?" someone whispered.
Hina pointed at him.
"You are emotionally constipated!"
The room exploded in laughter.
For the first time—
Kaito's eyebrow twitched.
• 4. The Rumor Gets WorseSuddenly, the classroom door slid open.
A group of second-year students peeked inside.
"Ohhhh, is this your couple meeting?"
Hina's face turned bright red.
"We are NOT a couple!"
One student smirked.
"Denial stage. Classic."
Kaito stood up calmly.
"This rumor is factually incorrect."
"That's what every secret couple says," someone replied.
The door closed.
The committee room was silent.
Hina slowly turned toward Kaito.
"This is your fault."
"How is this statistically my fault?"
"You caught me yesterday!"
"To prevent injury."
"That was romantic!"
"It was efficient."
Two committee members whispered loudly:
"They argue like they've been married for ten years."
Hina screamed internally again.
• 5. The Accidental TeamworkThe argument continued until—
One quiet committee member raised their hand.
"Um… we need to submit a theme proposal by tomorrow."
Silence.
Kaito looked at Hina.
Hina looked at Kaito.
For the first time, neither spoke.
Finally, Kaito sighed.
"We need compromise."
Hina crossed her arms.
"Compromise means love included."
"Compromise means controlled emotional elements."
They stared at each other.
Tension.
Then—
Hina slowly sat down.
"Fine. One romantic stage."
Kaito paused.
"…With safety regulations."
She smirked.
"Deal."
The committee members looked shocked.
"They just negotiated."
"They're kind of cute when they cooperate."
Hina immediately shouted, "WE ARE NOT CUTE!"
Kaito quietly adjusted his glasses.
But inside…
Something felt strangely satisfying about working with her.
• 6. The Private MomentAfter the meeting ended, most students left.
Only Kaito and Hina remained.
The sun was setting through the classroom window.
For once, it was quiet.
Hina leaned back in her chair.
"Why do you hate romance so much?"
Kaito didn't answer immediately.
"I don't hate it. I simply don't see its value."
She tilted her head.
"Have you ever… been in love?"
He froze.
"…No."
"Then how do you know it's useless?"
Silence filled the room.
For a brief second—
Kaito had no logical response.
He hated that feeling.
Hina stood up, grabbing her bag.
"You can't calculate everything, Ice King."
She walked toward the door.
Then she paused.
"But I'm going to make this festival unforgettable."
She smiled confidently.
"And maybe… I'll prove you wrong."
She left.
Kaito remained seated.
For the first time in years—
His thoughts were not organized.
He didn't understand why her words bothered him.
Or why he kept replaying her smile in his mind.
• 7. Chapter Ending – The First Crack in the IceLater that night, the school's anonymous gossip page posted:
"Festival Leaders Spotted Arguing Again – Definitely Dating."
Comments flooded in:
"Enemies to lovers arc continues."
"They're already acting like a power couple."
"I ship it."
Kaito stared at the screen.
Annoyance.
Confusion.
And something else.
Meanwhile, in her room—
Hina stared at the same post.
She crossed her arms.
"Why does he look cool even when he's arguing?"
She immediately shook her head.
"No. Absolutely not."
But her cheeks were slightly red.
Back in his room—
Kaito muttered quietly:
"Love is inefficient."
Yet for some reason…
He didn't feel completely certain anymore.
And outside, the rumor only grew stronger.
The Planning War had begun.
But something deeper was quietly forming beneath the chaos.
✨ End of Chapter 2 ✨