Around thirty minutes later, Chii's group was the first to disperse and the girl walked over to us.
“Kii, we made a list of items we'd need for the scene props.”
“Heh. Of course not. Only the basic ones first, like plywood, curtains and partitions. We’ll need more specifics once the plot’s in place.” Chii handed me the list to check. She looked like she truly enjoyed heading their group and discussing decorations. After all, it was her idea that gave birth to our Haunted Mystery Room theme.
Mio took the list from me and skimmed through it, nodding here and there. “Un. Good work, Chizuru. We’ll need to coordinate with Shimura’s group for the layout and puzzles. Don’t want any spoilers before the actual festival day, right?”
We all glanced at Shimura's group, who were still in the middle of their brainstorming.
Aya was among them and she's contributing properly. She'd come a long way to not be held back by her shyness.
Meanwhile, Nami's group was also about to finish up. With most of my girls among them, it was easy for them to agree with each other.
On the other hand, Ogawa's group was quite disorganized.
Seeing that they're not going anywhere with their discussion, I decided to step in.
But before that, I turned to Chii and whispered. "I'll come with you when you're going to shop for those props."
"Really, Kii? Is it going to be a date?" Her eyes shone with delight at the prospect of a shopping trip. Googlᴇ search novel~fire~net
"Well, I wouldn't say so, after all. It's for our class's booth. However, I naturally won't say no to some quality time with you," I said that with a wink that made Chii blush.
She nodded eagerly and we agreed to go when the list was finalized. She then added, "Kii, what about the sleepover? Can we do it that day?"
That's actually a good idea. Rather than pick another day where it might conflict with other events, going from shopping to a sleepover sounds like a plan.
"Sure, Chii. We'll make it a productive and fun night. But will it be fine for your parents? It'll be in your room, right?"
"We're still debating over that... An-rin said her apartment is free. She's living alone. But..."
Ah. That's quite convenient. But I know what's holding her back from agreeing right away.
It'll be our first night together. Although it will be a sleepover with her gyaru friends, she probably wants it to be a chance for us to deepen our relationship.
"Anywhere is fine with me, but you see, I'm also looking forward to seeing your room. There must have been a lot that can remind me of our past, right?"
"Pfft. What? Do you think I kept your old letters telling me where to meet you every break?"
"That's quite specific, Chii. Do you have them?" I teasingly whispered.
Her cheeks grew redder and she swung her hand, trying to hit me playfully but I dodged it easily. She was so adorable when she was flustered.
And given her reaction, it must be a yes. She kept those notes I often slipped into her bag before the situation reversed and she started calling or waiting for me instead.
"Let me see them if our sleepover happens at your place," I continued before letting her hand hit me lightly on my cheek.
With a pout, the fake gyaru replied, "Bad guy, Kii."
I chuckled before sneaking in a kiss while no one was paying attention to us.
Once again her gyaru act melted away as she savored it.
After that, I leave her and Mio to discuss it more before moving to the boys' side.
Somehow, every boy from our class was here. No one joined the props and puzzles groups. They were too sloppy. Or maybe... they just didn't know how to deal with the girls. Especially my girls. They're spread out evenly, after all.
Apart from Aya, Hina and Saki were also at the brainstorming group. On the other hand, Chii pulled Hana and Satsuki into the props group.
None of the boys were brave enough to face them, not even Sakuma or Fukuda.
But that's good too. The girls were the majority in our class anyway. The boys just needed to contribute by playing their roles as ghosts and for any physical labor when it's time to transform our classroom to our Cultural Festival Booth.
As I walked over to them, most of the boys immediately put their guard up as if I was about to trample on them.
There's Fukuda who immediately scowled and Miyoshi who, despite being a coward, expressed dissatisfaction with my presence.
Well, that guy was still unable to move on from Mio. On top of that, the equipment storage room that they were using to meet up secretly had been taken over by me.
"Hmm? Having problems deciding on your costume choice?" I opened up with that question, ignoring the negative sentiment from Fukuda and Miyoshi.
Ogawa, who was turning over a new leaf, replied, "Yeah. We're deciding on how scary it should be. But... we can't agree on anything."
I looked at him and then at the other boys. Sakuma, Tadano and the bastard silent idiot Miyoshi all looked clueless. The only enthusiastic ones were Hino, the loud mouth Yamada, and the otaku Matsuda.
"Why don't we do it this way? You guys pick out the costumes and the scary factor. I'll be the judge and decide if it's good enough. Deal?"
"You? Who do you think you are?" As expected, someone immediately raised an objection. It was Fukuda, his voice thick with hostility. "What makes you think you can decide on something like that?"
"Because you're unreliable. While the girls are already making progress, you guys are just... sitting here." I shot a look at Fukuda, not bothering to deflect his hostility back to him. "Look, the girls are handling the props and the plot. You only have to decide what role to play. Put in some effort, yeah?"
At that, Sakuma, who was quite silent compared to his usual self, spoke up. "Come on, Fukuda. Let's just do as Onoda says. It's not like we're getting anywhere with our ideas anyway."
Then, the other boys started agreeing too.
But like the other instances, Fukuda couldn't take conceding to me. He clicked his tongue and stood up, stomping out of the classroom. Mushitani and Miyoshi followed suit, leaving us shaking our heads in disappointment. Those pathetic idiots.
I looked at Hino, checking if he's also going to do the same, but ever since the camping trip, he stopped just being a mindless sheep to Fukuda. Besides, the guy now idolizes me for being so popular to the girls.
Sensing my gaze on him, he wryly smiled before saying, "I apologize for their behavior, Onoda. We can continue with just us. I'll inform them of our decisions."
"Alright. But I'm not the one you should be talking to. Ogawa, go on."
Upon saying that, I lightly tapped his shoulder and then gestured to Sakuma and Tadano to assist him before I switched my focus to check on Nami and Shimura's group.
Just , the 7th period gradually passed.