The moment the teacher announced the words "school festival,"Class 2-B exploded like fireworks going off in a cramped room.
"Haunted house! Haunted house!" one boy in the back yelled, already pounding his desk as if sheer enthusiasm would secure the vote.
"No way, haunted houses are boring. Let's do a café—maid costumes!" a girl countered, grinning mischievously.
The suggestion only fueled the chaos.
"Not just a maid café! Let's go all out.
Cross-dressing café!"
The entire room roared with laughter. Students leaned out of their chairs, voices overlapping as more and more ideas flew across the room like stray fireworks.
Eli, sitting near the window, slouched in his chair with his cheek resting on his hand. He watched the storm of chaos with half-lidded eyes, trying not to get dragged into it. His friends were already jumping out of their seats, scribbling nonsense suggestions on the board.
"Host club!" someone shouted.
"No, a play! A play will get more attention!"
"Karaoke booth!"
That last suggestion spiraled out of control almost instantly. A group of boys stood up, pretending to hold microphones, and began to sing terribly on purpose. The rest of the class groaned and laughed, covering their ears.
"Settle down, settle down!" their exasperated class rep finally yelled, smacking her hand against the blackboard. "We'll get nowhere if we keep shouting like this!"
The noise dipped into a lower hum, though whispers and chuckles still buzzed through the air. And then, from the middle of the class, came a calm, steady voice that cut through the mess with ease.
"A play could work."
Eli blinked and turned. Kai, of all people, had spoken. He wasn't the type to dive into noisy debates. His voice wasn't loud, but the calm certainty in his tone made the whole class stop to listen.
"What kind of play?" someone asked, curious.
Kai shrugged lightly. "Doesn't matter. A play gives everyone something to do—acting, props, costumes. It's fair."
For a second, the class was quiet. Then murmurs of agreement started spreading, like ripples across water.
"Actually… that's true."
"Yeah, we'd all get to join in."
"I'd totally help with costumes."
Eli stared, more surprised than anyone. Kai had spoken so casually, but somehow, his words had steered the entire room. He hadn't realized Kai had that kind of quiet influence.
"Hey, Eli," one of his friends leaned over, poking him in the side. "What do you think? You're good at writing, right? You should help with the script."
Eli nearly fell out of his chair. "What? Me? No, no, no—I'm not—"
But it was too late. The spark had caught. More classmates chimed in.
"Yeah, Eli can handle it!"
"He's perfect for the script!"
"Come on, you always tell stories anyway."
His protests were drowned out by cheers, claps, and even a few teasing whistles. Eli covered his face with his hands, his ears burning.
"Looks like we have our decision, then," their teacher said with a clap of her hands. "Class 2-B will perform a play for the festival!"
The classroom erupted again, this time with excited chatter about possible genres, roles, and costumes.
Eli sank lower in his seat, defeated. "I'm doomed," he muttered into the desk.
Beside him, Kai's lips curved into the faintest smile.
Eli lifted his head just enough to glare weakly. "Don't smile like that. You started this."
Kai tilted his head, his expression perfectly calm, almost innocent. "Did I?"
Eli groaned louder and buried his face back into his arms. He already knew—no matter what script he came up with, Kai was going to make this festival ten times more complicated.
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