Putting down her clothes, Ueno jerked. The floor under her squeaked, but she would swear somebody moved behind her. Was he stealing glances of her? He was a boy, after all. Who wouldn't want to see her nude?
'Would he?' She still needed to doubt it. Tiptoeing to the door, she found the hall empty. Not a single sound reached her. However, she was positive somebody was near her.
'Must be my imagination. I'm tired.' She closed the door, putting a small vase in front of it to alert her of opening.
Returning to putting on the costume, she found minor details all around her. Notes from students to give it their all and to not give up to lines from the plays engraved into the wooden walls and around the mirrors.
Under one table, she glimpsed a dusty ribbon and one shoe with cobwebs all over it. Who lost it there? How long it was there? Was anybody missing the shoe?
The puzzling questions swirled inside her mind. But those weren't the ones that resonated the most—Why should she care? What those people were for her? What use she had for them? What could they give to her?
Shadows in the room deepened. Their icy claws dug closer inch by inch to wrap around her entire body. Her breath turned into a vapor as she hugged her body. The world darkened.
"Ueno-san?"
The knock on the door erased everything.
"W-What?" she yelped.
"Are you alright? I don't know how long girls change clothes, but you are inside almost half an hour. Do you need help?"
Ueno looked around herself. How come she took so long? Did anything distract her?
"N-No, I'm fine."
"Can I enter?"
Almost stammering yes, her eyes glanced around the small vase by the door. "A second!" She lifted it, put it back, and creaked the door.
Kagetsu still took small steps inside. His eyes trailed her body, but she didn't shudder. There was no lust or greed, just happiness.
"You look great."
Realizing that she completed the change, she turned around. Whether that one mirror was in a better condition eluded her, but it reflected her figure in radiant colors. Always wearing her uniform or revealing clothes, she had never tried anything like this.
Her hands traced her hips, going through the steam flowers. Even her legs remained hidden under the half-transparent skirt. She turned around, pivoting, and the skirt followed, waving like a field of grass in the wind. A light smile appeared on her face.
Adjusting the clip with the big lotus, she perfected the visage. "Perhaps a bit of make-up could do good," she pondered aloud.
"Well, not sure about that. But if you say so." He gave her a wide smile. "I think there is still something here..." His voice trailed off as he dived into the wardrobe and opened the drawers under the mirrors.
Ueno helped him to search, finding to her distress a few alive spiders. However, no shadow tried to chew on her.
\\_(''>_<'')_//
Later, the evening had come, and the time for the big announcement arrived. Nobu Mori was finishing his thank you speech for the visitors and students alike. He thanked them for their hard work and time, sending smiles into the camera.
For this opportunity, he picked that white suit with a red rose on his breast pocket. It charmed many girls alongside his famous smile.
An enormous crowd gathered inside the U in front of the podium, eager to listen. The Garden Parade was known outside of the school, and the local and national newspapers covered this event.
Mori had noticed a few reporters taking shots and filming the festival for the evening news. His live stream was on, with thousands of people watching and chatting.
This Summer Fest helped not only students to get bonus points for their tests, but to make themselves visible to media agents. Mori himself played in a short TV spot once, thanks to his performance last year. This time he had the last chance to shine like this, so he prepared his best smile, masking the poison in his eyes.
He bowed, finishing his speech for the moment, and the crowd clapped.
'Perfect! They love me!' He bowed once more, faking his modest nature. "And now without any further ado, the event you've all waited! The results for Garden Parade!"
Whistling and shouts resonated around him. Family members, students who could leave their stalls in care of others, and random visitors all shouted for more. The rest listened to this through the live stream.
Mori was about to continue, faking distress and blaming Ueno for it, when a cloaked figure stepped into his limelight. Surpassing a growl and frowning, he stepped back. The crowd silenced in a few seconds, curious who this was.
The figure turned toward the crowd and threw the cloak away. "Konnichiwa!" Ueno shouted, spreading her arms.
Whistles greeted her as the people liked her outfit. Mori couldn't hide his surprise. She waved to the people, taking the microphone from him.
"Welcome! Welcome! I'm so happy, so many of you stopped by!" She did an elegant bow, mimicking the style of European noblewomen centuries ago. "Allow me, the Spirit of the Garden, announce the results for Garden Parade!"
Another wave of applause rained around her.
"Please, give me a second to prepare everything."
She placed the microphone into Mori's hand and took a place in front of a laptop connected to the projector, sending down the white wall. The projector started up, showing Garden Parade in fancy font and flowers around it.
Ueno took over once more, and Mori could only watch. He couldn't allow himself to make a single mistake now.
"I know you have waited long enough for this moment, but there is something I have to say first." She took a deep breath. "It wasn't easy. We've got so many brilliant suggestions full of fantastic imagination, elegance, or laughter.
"Picking just one of them was impossible. I couldn't bear to see so many amazing ideas being forgotten. That's why I present you the Top Ten!"
The crowd once more roared, some people stomping to channel their excitement.
"You may not have made it this time, but never stop pursuing your dream! It's when you stop walking, that's the end of the journey. Tripping, getting lost, returning to the last crossroad... that all part of our life journey.
"Walking an unknown path can be scary, but without this, we can never learn our possibilities." Ueno let the words sink before she continued, "And so, let's check out the Top Ten in no particular order!"
With the clapping in the background, she moved her presentation one slide forward. A picture appeared, and she commented on what she liked about it and called the creator's name. Some of them came to watch, so they jumped among the crowd, almost bursting with happiness.
Each picture in Top Ten received loud applaud and a few positive sentences before Ueno reached the end.
"Are you ready for the blast?" the girl shouted, and the hyped crowd whistled and yelled in return.
They were excited for the grand winner. Who didn't shout or stomped, discussed their personal favorites, wishing everybody the last bit of luck.
"Here it is in three..."
"Two!" the crowd shouted.
"One!"
The slide moved, showing the ultimate chill space for tea, book, learning, and relaxing. The flowers hung down, the bird feeder provided a safe place for small birds to hang out and get extra seeds, and the prolonged roof gave enough shade to hide from the harsh sun. Those were the most notable features among smaller details that completed the image.
Ueno couldn't hear her voice over the crowd, and confetti rained down. The girl needed her lungs to work on maximum to send her last message before she could get down from the podium.
She radiated with pride and smiles that she didn't notice the dark flames around Nobu Mori. Ueno completely won the audience. Vengeful thoughts danced inside of his brain, promising her thousand years of pain.
How daring of her stealing his show! This was his time to shine! His time to enchant the unsuspecting girls, luring them into his web of schemes. He assumed his place, pushing his frustration back. Pretending perfection was in his nature and his best skill.
Proceeding with the next program, he noticed over half of the people left. Not many of them were interested in school history or what they planned for the future. Regardless, this was the last show he had to moderate before he would remind visitors of the upcoming firework.
Before he finished his lukewarm accepted presentation, he had a plan of revenge firmly set in his mind.