Transition And Restart 163 Chapter Three, 2016, School Festival, Madness And Glory: 2

"Please don't be angry with me," he begged her. Belatedly he realised that might not have been the best way to start a conversation.

She looked at him with something akin to worry in her eyes.

'I'm an idiot. Better stay an honest idiot then.' "Kyoko, I'm afraid the student council president has a crush on me."

That got her attention. She looked at him again. Then she placed her hand on his forehead. "No fever. He's just delusional."

"Huh?" 'She's not angry?'

Kyoko switched off her radio, then she hugged him. Or maybe not. He felt her fingers by his belt, and then a snap told him she had switched his off as well.

"This is also our festival. I haven't had a moment for myself," she said and pulled back.

Listening to her words Yukio suddenly felt how tired and hungry he was. Still, he wanted to get through to her. "Listen, I wasn't joking," he began.

She put her fingers to his lips. "I know. I saw you through the windows." With her hand still on his chin she buried her face in his chest. "I don't care. You chose me over Kuri-chan from the beginning. The student council president doesn't even count as compet.i.tion."

'You trust me that much? I love you. You're the best.' He didn't voice his thoughts, but he did wrap his arms around her.

Behind him the sounds of good natured chaos reached him from the barbecue stalls together with alluring whiffs of meat grilling. They had to eat soon or they'd never make the evening.

Right now he could stay hungry for a while. With Kyoko in his arms, a cool wind in his hair and both radios blissfully silent, he revelled in the feeling of standing alone with her. It didn't matter that it was an illusion, that the sound of voices came from mere metres away or that he had to turn his radio back on before someone got frantic.

They hugged some more to the amused smiles of all pa.s.sers-by, queued for an eternity and ate grilled slabs of meat too large and stringy for his taste. He enjoyed every moment from when her body first came close to his, to when they wiped their hands clean after eating and he switched on his radio and they left the plaza.

From Jirou-sempai's walkie talkie he heard Urufu ask Noriko to schedule breaks for everyone. Jirou-sempai winked at them once and waited to report their free time until they had finished eating.

When Yukio called in over the radio he received an email on his phone instead. It was Noriko suggesting that the view from the rooftop was especially fine right now.

Kyoko blushed more than a little when he showed it to her.

With the help of her key they spent over half an hour watching the crowds on the ground while holding hands.

"Time to go back?" she asked.

He nodded back. "I'll switch with Jirou-sempai. Think you could switch with someone on the plaza as well?"

"Mm, yeah," she said and opened the door.

Before it closed behind them he heard the gym hall come alive with the sound of an electric guitar. Then the door clicked shut and they were alone in the dimness of the stairwell.

A flight down they entered the freshman floor. Kyoko had an errand in her cla.s.sroom, and he followed her there before they returned to the plaza.

'Thank you, Noriko,' he thought before they joined the bedlam again.

Two hours rushed by before they had the rest of the day to themselves.

They spent it watching something strange made by the film club, and after that he bought her some sweets from a stall close to the gates. They ate them in silence, watching the crowd thinning out as the first day of the festival came to a close.