Bai Ying barely had time to breathe after finishing his shift before a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Makoto!" Nendou's booming voice rang through the café. "Yer done, right? C'mon, let's check out the festival!"
Bai Ying turned his head slightly, meeting the overly enthusiastic grin of his self-proclaimed best friend. He could already tell there was no escaping this.
"Already made plans for me, huh?" Bai Ying said, sighing. "What if I had something else to do?"
Nendou scratched his head, confused. "Huh? But ya don't."
Before Bai Ying could protest, Kaidou appeared, looking suspicious as ever. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you sure we should be wandering around the festival? This could be a trap set by Dark Reunion to lure us into an illusionary battlefield."
Bai Ying gave him a blank stare. "You think the school festival is an illusionary battlefield?"
Kaidou crossed his arms, nodding sagely. "It's exactly what they want you to think."
Aren stepped in before Bai Ying could start questioning his life choices again. "Just come with us, Makoto. It'll be fun. Besides, you've been working all day, haven't you?"
Bai Ying sighed. He had been supervising the café's baking station for hours, making sure no one set anything on fire (which, with this class, was a real concern). He hadn't had much time to enjoy the festival himself. On one hand, he could make up an excuse and go look for Saiki now. On the other, Nendou would probably just hunt him down anyway.
Besides, it wasn't like he didn't enjoy their company.
"Alright, alright. Let's go," Bai Ying relented.
Nendou threw an arm around his shoulder. "That's the spirit!"
Bai Ying made a weak attempt to escape but quickly gave up as Nendou practically hauled him toward the door. Kaidou followed behind, still mumbling about traps, while Aren walked beside them, looking amused.
As they stepped into the bustling festival grounds, Bai Ying took a moment to look around. Stalls lined the walkways, each manned by eager students calling out to potential customers. The smell of fried food, sweets, and other festival treats filled the air. Lights twinkled from various attractions, and laughter echoed from all directions.
"So, what's first?" Bai Ying asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his maid dress. He was still in it, much to his dismay, but at this point, he had accepted his fate.
Nendou scratched his chin in thought. "Oh! Let's hit the haunted house!"
Kaidou immediately recoiled. "W-Wait! Are you sure about that? I mean, what if it's haunted by actual vengeful spirits?"
Bai Ying smirked. "What, you scared?"
"N-No! Of course not!" Kaidou said, puffing out his chest. "As the Jet-Black Wings, I fear nothing!"
Aren chuckled. "Then let's go."
And just like that, Bai Ying found himself being dragged into another chaotic situation.
Bai Ying regretted his life choices the moment they stepped into the haunted house.
It wasn't the horror elements that bothered him—he had faced far scarier things than some cheap festival attraction—but the sheer chaos of his group was another story.
"ACK! IT TOUCHED ME!" Kaidou shrieked, practically climbing onto Aren's back.
"That was just a curtain," Aren said, prying Kaidou off him with a sigh.
"No, no, you don't get it," Kaidou gasped. "That's how they get you. One minute, it's a harmless brush against your arm—next thing you know, you're possessed!"
Bai Ying gave him a deadpan look. "So you are scared."
"I—I never said that!"
Nendou, completely unaffected, stomped forward. "Pfft, this ain't scary at all! Oi, ghost dudes, ya gotta try harder than this!"
As if in response, a costumed student in ghost makeup jumped out from the shadows. "BOO!"
Kaidou screamed.
Bai Ying burst out laughing as Kaidou instinctively threw a punch—only for Aren to grab his wrist just in time.
"Dude, don't attack the actors," Aren said, exasperated.
"I—It was a reflex!" Kaidou stammered.
The actor looked mildly traumatized but quickly reset into character. "Uh… WoooOOoo—"
"Boring," Nendou interrupted, waving him off and marching forward like he owned the place.
Bai Ying wiped away tears of laughter as he followed. Maybe getting dragged along hadn't been such a bad idea after all.
They stumbled their way through the rest of the haunted house, Kaidou alternating between dramatic shrieks and acting like he wasn't scared at all. Nendou, in contrast, continued to ruin the experience for everyone by pointing out all the special effects loudly.
By the time they made it outside, Bai Ying's stomach hurt from laughing too much.
"That was… something," Aren said, shaking his head.
Kaidou, looking shaken but trying to play it cool, cleared his throat. "As expected of Dark Reunion's mind games. They nearly had me, but I saw through it in the end."
"Sure you did," Bai Ying said, smirking.
Nendou stretched his arms. "Alright, what's next?"
Before anyone could answer, a loud pop echoed nearby. They turned to see a shooting game stall, where students were cheering and collecting prizes.
"Oooh, a gun game!" Nendou grinned. "C'mon, Makoto, let's win some prizes!"
Bai Ying raised an eyebrow. "You any good at this?"
"Nope!" Nendou said proudly.
Bai Ying sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
And with that, their festival adventures continued.
After the haunted house fiasco, Bai Ying let himself be dragged along to a shooting game stall.
Nendou grabbed a toy rifle and squinted at the target. "Watch this!" He pulled the trigger with full confidence—only for the cork bullet to fly wildly off course and hit a nearby sign.
The stall owner winced. "Uh, try aiming next time?"
"This thing's rigged!" Nendou scowled, shaking the gun like it personally betrayed him.
Aren sighed. "No, you just suck at aiming."
Kaidou crossed his arms. "A true warrior hones his precision through years of training. Observe."
With an exaggerated flourish, Kaidou took his stance and fired. The cork bullet missed completely, bouncing harmlessly off the side of the booth.
Bai Ying snorted. "Impressive."
Kaidou ignored him. "That was just a warning shot."
Aren grabbed a rifle next, his brow furrowed in concentration. He aimed, fired, and hit the edge of the target, making it wobble but not fall.
"Not bad," Bai Ying admitted. "Alright, my turn."
He picked up the rifle, testing its weight. With a smirk, he adjusted his grip and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit dead center, knocking the target over in one smooth motion.
The stall owner blinked. "Whoa. Nice shot."
"Hah! Of course Makoto's good at this," Aren laughed.
Kaidou nodded sagely. "He must've trained in the art of sharpshooting under a legendary master."
Bai Ying rolled his eyes. "Sure, let's go with that."
"Oi, Makoto, win me that big stuffed bear!" Nendou said, pointing at the largest prize.
Bai Ying scoffed. "Win your own prize."
Nendou pouted. "C'mon, man. You're my best bud!"
Bai Ying was about to retort when he heard a commotion from the direction of the food stalls.
People were whispering, and he caught snippets of conversation—something about fortune-telling? A psychic?
Curious, he turned toward the noise. "I'll be right back," he said, waving off his friends.
"You better not ditch us!" Aren called after him.
Bai Ying ignored Nendou's calls as he weaved through the crowd, curiosity pulling him forward. The festival was still bustling with energy—students chatting, games being played, food stalls giving off enticing aromas—but his attention was locked onto the faint traces of something… off.
He followed the buzz of murmurs, turning a corner near the quieter side of the festival. A booth draped in colorful fabrics stood before him, candles flickering against the dim evening light.
A fortune-telling booth.
And standing just outside of it—
Saiki.
Bai Ying blinked. Huh.
Saiki wasn't alone.
Beside him stood two people Bai Ying immediately recognized—Toritsuka Reita, the perverted spirit medium, and Aiura Mikako, the fortune teller.
Toritsuka looked as slimy as ever, grinning while talking animatedly. Aiura, on the other hand, had a relaxed posture, arms folded loosely as she listened—until her gaze lifted and landed on Bai Ying.
Her expression flickered. Her eyes widened ever so slightly.
Bai Ying raised a brow. Well, that was interesting.
Before he could dwell on it, Toritsuka turned in his direction. His gaze trailed up and down Bai Ying's form, taking in the maid dress, before suddenly lighting up in realization.
"Oh, wow—who's this cutie?"
Saiki's eye twitched.
Bai Ying's brow twitched. Oh, for fuck's sake. He had a feeling this was about to get annoying.
Saiki let out a deep sigh, adjusting his maid apron like he was already exhausted.
Bai Ying wasn't surprised by Toritsuka's reaction—if anything, he had been expecting it the moment he saw the guy. But that didn't make it any less annoying.
"Who's the new girl?" Toritsuka asked, leaning in with an obnoxious grin. "Did Aiura hire another assistant? If so, I think we should—"
"I'm a guy." Bai Ying deadpanned.
Toritsuka froze mid-step. "...Huh?"
Saiki shot Bai Ying a look. Why did you tell him? You could've let him suffer longer.
Bai Ying gave him a slight shrug. Too easy.
For a few seconds, Toritsuka simply stood there, blinking at him. Then his mouth slowly fell open, eyes darting back down to the maid dress. "Wait. But. That doesn't make sense. You—you're lying, right?"
Aiura snorted. "He ain't lyin', dude."
Toritsuka looked like his brain had short-circuited. "But—but you're so cute! How—how is that fair?!?"
Bai Ying rolled his eyes, deciding not to dignify that with a response.
Meanwhile, Aiura still hadn't taken her eyes off him. Her sharp green gaze was studying him with an intensity that set off alarm bells in Bai Ying's head. He didn't trust fortune tellers. Not in this world, anyway.
And sure enough—
"Yo, blue guy," Aiura finally spoke, pointing a finger at him. "Your soul's kinda nuts."
Bai Ying paused. "Excuse me?"
Saiki also turned to her, looking slightly more interested than before.
Aiura hummed, rocking on her heels. "Powerful. That's what I'm sayin'. It's like, way different from other peeps'. Has this… weird layered vibe to it, y'know?"
Bai Ying tensed, but he kept his expression blank.
He could feel the system whirring in the back of his mind, an odd static filling his thoughts for a brief moment before it quieted again.
Aiura tilted her head, watching him closely. "You got some sorta hidden ability or somethin'?"
Bai Ying forced a casual laugh. "Oh, totally. My ability is looking fabulous in anything I wear."
Toritsuka, still recovering from his shock, threw his hands in the air. "That has to be a supernatural power, because there's no way this is normal!"
Saiki sighed again, rubbing his temples.
Aiura, however, didn't look convinced. If anything, her curiosity deepened. "Nah, I'm serious. You got a real strong energy, dude. Like, if I had to describe it… It's almost like there's something watchin' over you. Like, a guardian spirit or some kinda entity."
Bai Ying stiffened.
Toritsuka suddenly perked up. "Wait, what?"
Then his eyes widened.
And before Bai Ying could react, Toritsuka gasped.
"OH MY GOD—THERE'S A FREAKIN' FLOATING ORB BEHIND YOU!"
Bai Ying froze.
Shit.
Saiki's head snapped toward Toritsuka, his eye twitching in immediate frustration.
Toritsuka, meanwhile, was freaking out. He pointed a shaking finger at Bai Ying, mouth gaping like a fish. "DUDE! THERE'S A GHOST! OR—OR AN ENTITY! IT'S JUST FLOATING BEHIND YOU!"
Aiura perked up. "For real?" She stepped closer, squinting at Bai Ying like she was trying to see what Toritsuka was seeing.
Bai Ying resisted the urge to groan. The last thing he needed was a bunch of actual psychics poking at his system.
[Warning: Presence detected.]
No shit, Bai Ying thought, resisting the urge to rub his temples. What do I do now?
Saiki, at least, looked just as annoyed as Bai Ying felt. He turned to Toritsuka with an expression of pure exhaustion. "It's probably nothing."
"NOTHING?!" Toritsuka practically shrieked. "BRO, IT'S FLOATING RIGHT BEHIND HIM—LIKE SOME KIND OF SUPREME SPIRITUAL OVERLORD OR SOMETHING! IT'S JUST HOVERING THERE LIKE—"
Bai Ying stepped forward, clamping a hand over Toritsuka's mouth. "Breathe," he said, forcing a friendly smile. "In. Out. Calm down."
Toritsuka let out a muffled, panicked noise, his eyes still locked on whatever he was seeing.
Aiura, however, was getting more and more intrigued. She hummed, tilting her head. "Huh. If it's that strong, I kinda wanna take a look…"
[Warning: Presence detected.]
Bai Ying's eye twitched. Yes, system, I know.
He needed to fix this before it got out of hand.
Clearing his throat, he turned to Aiura. "Hey, why don't you read my fortune instead?" He flashed her a charming grin, tilting his head just so. "Isn't that what fortune tellers do?"
Aiura narrowed her eyes, lips curling into a smirk. "Ohhh, tryin' to distract me, huh?"
Bai Ying kept his smile in place. "Maybe."
Toritsuka finally managed to push Bai Ying's hand away. "HELLO?! ARE WE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THE GHOST?!"
Saiki exhaled sharply. He lifted a hand and, in the next second, Toritsuka collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Bai Ying blinked. "…Did you just—?"
Saiki adjusted his glasses. "He'll be fine."
Aiura whistled. "Damn. That's one way to handle it." She turned her attention back to Bai Ying, looking him up and down. "Alright, dark-haired dude. I'll let it slide—for now. But if I see somethin' freaky again, I am gonna ask questions."
Bai Ying exhaled in relief. "Duly noted."
Saiki's gaze lingered on Bai Ying for a moment too long.
It was subtle, but Bai Ying could feel it—the way Saiki's eyes swept over him, calculating, like he was piecing together a puzzle.
Bai Ying forced himself to stay relaxed.
Saiki knew something was off. He wasn't buying the distraction as easily as Aiura had.
Bai Ying barely had a second to relax before Aiura plopped down in her seat, patting the table. "Alright, sit down, dark-haired dude. Lemme read your fortune."
Bai Ying blinked. "Didn't you just say you were gonna let things slide?"
Aiura grinned. "Yeah, but that don't mean I ain't curious~"
Saiki, still standing beside them, sighed heavily, but Bai Ying could feel his gaze lingering, sharp and calculating.
Toritsuka, who was somehow already waking up from Saiki's knockout, groaned and muttered, "That ghost was freaky, man…" before slumping over again.
Bai Ying sighed. No getting out of this, huh?
He took a seat. "Alright, hit me with your best shot."
Aiura shuffled her tarot cards, eyes gleaming with interest. "Ooooh, I'm excited for this one. You've got a real unique vibe, y'know? Strong energy, kinda mysterious…" She spread the cards out in front of her. "Pick three."
Bai Ying hesitated before sliding three cards toward her. Aiura flipped them over.
And then she froze.
Bai Ying frowned. "...That bad?"
Aiura stared at the cards, her usual playful smirk completely gone.
"Whoa," she muttered under her breath. "This is… intense."
Saiki, who had been pretending not to care, glanced at the cards. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Bai Ying glanced between them. "Okay, now you guys are making me nervous."
Aiura leaned forward, studying him closely. "Dude. You've got some crazy fate stuff goin' on. Like, seriously big stuff."
Bai Ying kept his face neutral. "Define big."
Aiura tapped the first card. "Your past's all scrambled—like you ain't from here, or you've lived more than one life." She tapped the second. "Your present's kinda weird too, like you're being watched by somethin' powerful." She tapped the third, brows furrowing. "And your future? It's all foggy, like it keeps changin'. That usually only happens when someone's got a really unpredictable path."
Bai Ying forced a casual chuckle. "Wow. Sounds dramatic."
Aiura squinted at him. "Dude, I'm serious. I ain't never seen anything like this before."
[Warning: Risk of exposure detected.]
Bai Ying smiled, ignoring the system's message. "Guess I'm just special."
Aiura watched him for a moment longer, then leaned back with a hum. "Huh. Well, whatever's up with you, it's interesting." She grinned again, but there was curiosity behind it. "You might be even more mysterious than Saiki."
Saiki stiffened.
Bai Ying caught it. He shot Saiki a knowing look, which Saiki pointedly ignored.
"Well," Bai Ying said, standing up. "That was fun. Thanks for the reading, Aiura-chan."
Aiura tilted her head. "You're takin' this real well, huh?"
Bai Ying shrugged. "What can I say? I like keeping people guessing."
Saiki narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.
Bai Ying smirked.
Yeah. Saiki was definitely suspicious now.