Eternal Flames (Hibari Kyoya Love Story)

Chapter 19: Festival Fun

"Ne, we're all going to the summer festival, right?" Kazuo asked, peeking his head into Yuuki's room.

"If that's what you want," Yuuki sat by the vanity, brushing her long hair with a comb. "I know that I'm going because I have to help out with the event."

Kazuo took this moment to scan Yuuki and what he saw made him frown. "Why aren't you in a kimono or a yukata?"

Instead of wearing festival-appropriate clothing, Yuuki was wearing her school uniform. The guys knew that Yuuki had an appreciation for formal or traditional clothing like kimonos, cheongsam, or other similar types. She doesn't wear them that often, but whenever she gets the opportunity to wear one, she usually doesn't miss it. So why was she not wearing one now?

"Unfortunately, as much I would love to wear one, I am joining the Disciplinary Committee with their patrol around the festival and so, I need to be my male self to do that. I could pretend to cross-dress as a woman, but that would be too troublesome to do. It will only hinder my job if I was to constantly be stopped by others – whether it was to inquire about my appearance or getting flirted by a complete stranger."

Yuuki was not trying to sound narcissistic or anything, but it tended to happen whenever she was in her feminine appearance – blame her parents and their genes. Either way; people would not recognize her and thus hinder her job or people do recognize her but will ask questions about her appearance which will become such a hassle to explain.

Moreover, aside from people not recognizing her, her job at the festival required her to have an imposing presence, and wearing a kimono, especially the female version, will give the opposite effect. Yuuki placed down her brush and rose to start heading out to the festival.

"Why would the committee even be patrolling the festival?" Kazuo asked, following Yuuki as they headed down the hall. "It's not like the festival is on school property and I can't imagine them doing anything like maintaining a stand."

"Protection money," Yuuki stated as though the two words explained everything.

"Protection money?" It took Kazuo a few seconds to understand what Yuuki was implying. "Do you mean that petty scam where gangsters would force owners to pay money for 'protection' and if they don't, they would destroy the store?"

"Yup," Yuuki chirped as she entered the living room.

"WHAT?!" Kazuo's jaw dropped in disbelief as he froze by the doorway.

"What got him all riled up?" Ken looked over his shoulder from where he sat on the living room couch. He was watching some sort of TV drama while munching on some bagged chips when he heard Kazuo's startled shout.

"Hibari-kun would actually do something as petty as the protection money scam?" Kazuo questioned as he snapped out of his stupor and caught up to Yuuki. The two entered the kitchen where they found the twins raiding the cupboards for some snacks.

"Wait, Hibari-kun is doing the protection money scam?" Arata blinked, having only heard the last portion of the conversation.

"It's apparently a Namimori tradition for stall owners in festivals to pay the guys who control the festival area," Shoshi provided, taking out the carton of juice from the fridge.

"The festival is being held on Hibari's territory, of course," Yuuki confirmed, holding out a glass cup towards Shoshi. Effortlessly, Shoshi poured the juice into her cup before pouring some for himself.

"Well," Arata shrugged, "at least it's easy money for him. It also seemed to fit with the aesthetics of the Disciplinary Committee."

Kazuo scratched his head. "I just thought it was beneath him to stoop to such pettiness."