There was still more than a month until Vietnamese Women’s Day on October 20, but the male students of Class 11D at Harmony High School had already started a discussion to plan a special event to honor their female classmates.

At lunchtime today, the entire group of boys occupied several tables in the school cafeteria to hold their “meeting.”

“Let me go over the key tasks we need to prepare for the 20/10 event.”

Class president Lucas Vu glanced at a list and read aloud:

“Classroom decorations, buying flowers, writing cards, placing flowers in the girls’ desks…”

He frowned, scanning the list more carefully before continuing:

“The class fund will cover some of these costs, but if we want to get better-quality flowers, each of us should chip in a little. The minimum contribution is 100,000 VND.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lucas sent a bank QR code into the private Telegram group chat for the boys of Class 11D. The guys immediately pulled out their phones and started transferring money in a frenzy.

“Wait… This is my bank account, Lucas. Did you make a mistake?”

Royce raised an eyebrow, completely bewildered, as his banking app flooded with incoming transfer notifications.

“Nope. I’m officially assigning you as the treasurer and financial manager for this fund.”

Seeing Royce hesitate, Lucas decided to butter him up.

“I guarantee you, there’s no one in this school better at managing money than you. Hell, by the time we actually need to spend it, the fund might have even grown under your care! Don’t they call you the ‘Numerology Guru’?”

“Yeah, or the fund could just as easily be wiped out after one unlucky bet on the lottery. Think about that.”

Royce grinned, half-joking, half-threatening Lucas about the risks of entrusting him with Class 11D’s Women’s Day event fund. But Lucas had absolute faith in Royce and swiftly moved on to the next agenda item.

“Ethan, you’re in charge of decorations, right? Got any ideas yet?”

“Yeah, I’ll send you a draft by September 20.”

“Okay, I’ll put your name and deadline in this Excel sheet… As for the other tasks, like writing cards, those should be easy enough. Here, you guys can pick names from Sheet 2 of the Excel file—just choose which girl you want to write a card for. If any girls are left unclaimed, Simon Tran, our class secretary, and I will handle those.”

After waiting for the boys to browse the list and make their selections, Lucas suddenly broke into an unusually mischievous grin—a stark contrast to his usual serious class-leader demeanor.

“Haha. And now, the highlight of this year’s 20/10 event. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius.”

He pulled out a pink cardboard box, decorated with ribbons, hearts, and glittering fake gemstones, looking unbearably tacky. The decorations were already peeling off and scratched up, evidence that the box had endured quite a rough journey through many reckless hands.

“Each of you, draw three slips of paper. I’ll explain the rules afterward.”

Lucas took three slips himself and waited for the other boys in Class 11D to finish drawing before continuing.

“Since we’re the last class to pick, we’re at a bit of a disadvantage. This game is being played across the entire school, mixing students from grades 10, 11, and 12 together. The three names you drew? Those are your assigned ‘princesses.’ Your mission? Take care of them from now until the end of October 20.”

The cafeteria erupted into chaos, with the boys chattering like a pack of wild monkeys.

“Take note that on each slip, besides the name and class, there’s also a specific date indicating when you must start taking care of your assigned girl. You have to follow the assigned date; otherwise, we’ll have multiple guys fighting over the same girl at the same time. You can either focus on just one of the three girls you picked or rotate weekly according to the schedule.”

“Or I could just not take care of anyone. That’s my decision!”

Royce grumbled in protest.

(Knew it.)

Ethan had expected this exact reaction. After all, Royce was only into manga, anime, and game girls, not real ones.

“But you have to do something for the girls, Royce.”

“I’d rather pole dance.”

“Alright, deal. I’ll sign you up for a pole dancing performance during the school-wide music show on 20/10.”

“WHAT?!”

“You said you’d rather pole dance, didn’t you? So, what’s it gonna be? Taking care of the girls or pole dancing?”

“But… but…”

Lucas smirked, satisfied that he had successfully cornered Royce. He continued explaining the rules.

“… You guys will have to line up and buy breakfast and lunch for your girl at the cafeteria every day. Also, send her an occasional text to check in. Once in a while, get her a small gift or a milk tea. Then on 20/10, give her a proper present depending on your budget…”

“Wait! I have a question. What if she doesn’t like me and doesn’t want me to take care of her?”

A boy with below-average looks, clearly lacking confidence, hesitantly asked.

“That’s why each of us drew three names. It increases the odds of someone accepting. But if a girl really doesn’t want us to take care of her, then we have to respect her decision.”

Lucas answered in an understanding tone.

The boys of Class 11D started buzzing with excitement, chatting loudly about the names they had drawn.

“Did anyone pick their crush?”

“Damn, I hit the jackpot—I got three seniors from grade 12!”

“I can’t play this game; my girlfriend will kill me.”

“Why only three names? Why not five? There are still five weeks until 20/10.”

“If you draw three slips, and all three have the same name, does that mean it’s destiny?”

“What happens after the event? What if she and I actually become a couple?”

“Yeah, keep dreaming.”

Looking around, most of the guys seemed satisfied and excited with the names they picked. Only a few were unhappy, including Royce, whose face had remained long and gloomy throughout the discussion.

“Who did you get, Ethan?”

Lucas  turned to ask, noticing Ethan’s confused expression.

“I got… Ruby Nguyen, Anya Nguyen, and Yara Nguyen. Wait, aren’t Anya  and Yara  twins?”

None of the names Ethan drew were from his own class; they were completely unfamiliar to him.

According to the slips, all three girls were from Class 11A. Since Ethan hadn’t even memorized the faces of the girls in his own class, it was no surprise that he had no idea who these three were.

“Damn, Ethan hit the jackpot!”

“Bro, trade me one of them, please!”

The Class 11D boys erupted in congratulations, envious of Ethan’s luck.

After all, Ruby, Anya, and Yara  had consistently been voted the prettiest girls at Harmony High for the past two years.

Only Royce remained silent, looking at Ethan with pity—as if Ethan were about to be sentenced to the eighteen levels of hell…