March 30th, Tuesday, School, 7:30 a.m. - School Festival, Day 2

There was a buzz early in the morning at school. Everyone was talking about the chants and team performances. The results had been revealed and were posted on a mural in the covered schoolyard. Minami saw the chart and ran off to tell the girls.

“Have you seen the results from yesterday? The Blue Team won first place with their opening and chant!” Minami said, astonished.

“HOW? WE HAD A POEM AND THE THEATER!” Aino exclaimed, outraged.

“I told you so…” Yukino said from the back, in a pragmatic manner.

Oceanics took first place, Glaciers second, and Firefighters third. But that wasn’t the only category from the previous day.

The first-year students had also performed well in a music contest. Akiko, who had participated in the artistic music performance, had taken first place.

“It seems we were good at the musical part,” said Miyu.

“Yuhu! I’ll try to score more points for us in the sports events!” Akiko replied excitedly.

On the second day of the festival, the main focus was court sports. The first event was female handball, with first-year student Akiko as the goalkeeper. The matches were intense. Akiko showed her excellent skills in defending the goal area, and her team was united. The team leaders were shouting orders, and everyone was giving their all to follow the commands.

Match 1 ended with the score FIREFIGHTERS 8 X 3 OCEANICS. The third-year team couldn’t match the excitement and unity of the first-year students.

Match 2 was just as intense. Both the Firefighters and Glaciers were serious about the game. Akiko had to showcase her goalkeeping skills, while the forwards struggled to score points. The referee blew the whistle to end the game, FIREFIGHTERS 9 X 5 GLACIERS. The team led by the first years was ecstatic, celebrating their well-deserved victory.

The next game was basketball. On the Oceanic team, Naoko was a forward and nothing could beat her. Her leaps made her untouchable by the other players. She was the one who scored all the points during the matches. However, the Oceanics’ defense wasn’t as strong, so the game was fiercely contested.

Match 1 ended with the score OCEANICS 15 X 21 FIREFIGHTERS, and the game ended with OCEANICS 12 X 11 GLACIERS.

“The only one who can beat me is me,” Naoko said after claiming victory. The whole team cheered at her words.

The male games in the same categories were happening that day. Once again, there were no classes, but attendance was still taken as usual. All the teams were excited and confident about continuing in the competition.

The day’s final event was everyone’s favorite sport, soccer. First, the female teams played, and once their round was over, it was time for the male teams.

Glaciers, led by the second-year students, had Adonis, the school's favorite, who stood out in physical education classes. He was the scorer in the first match, making goals the opposing goalkeeper couldn’t even see.

Match 1 ended with GLACIERS 4 X 0 FIREFIGHTERS. The whole team celebrated, with everyone chanting Adonis' name, the one who secured the victory.

However, against the Oceanics, the match was not so easy. The third-year team was skilled, and even Adonis' abilities weren’t enough to control the ball. Glaciers’ defense had become too accustomed to the game, and Adonis was slow to realize he needed to take action. At a critical moment, Adonis lost the ball, angering a teammate who grabbed him by the shirt and started arguing:

“F**K, ADONIS! YOU LOST THE BALL! THINKING ABOUT YOUR GIRLFRIEND, HUH?” Blake shouted, teasing Adonis about the rumors circulating.

“ARE YOU CRAZY, MAN?” Adonis shouted back, grabbing Blake’s arm.

“FOUL!” the referee shouted, raising the red card. “ADONIS AND BLAKE! GO TO THE BENCH!”

Both players left the field and sat on the bench, watching the rest of the game. The match ended in a disappointing loss for Glaciers, OCEANICS 7 X 1 GLACIERS, with the only goal from Glaciers coming from Adonis.

Meanwhile, in the schoolyard, the art teacher began overseeing the plastic arts category. A representative from each team was chosen to create a work of art. Yukino, who had artistic abilities, was selected to represent the Firefighters team.

“Here are the panels. You all have three days to finish them. The theme is 'Environment,' and it must align with each team’s identity,” the art teacher said.

The panels were large, measuring 150 cm x 150 cm, and the available materials included water-based wall ink. Yukino listened to the instructions and looked at the panels.

In short… to draw firefighters, she thought, feeling a bit annoyed.

March 31st, Wednesday, School - Festival, Day 3

On the third day, the sports competitions continued. Now it was time for volleyball. The school had a tradition with female volleyball, and the teams were accustomed to winning state championships. The greatest scorers were primarily on the Glaciers team.

The match was fierce: Akiko defended the court skillfully. The Firefighters team was united, with Minami in the attack position, serving perfectly. However, nothing could overcome Glaciers’ defense, which blocked every attack and returned them with mastery.

Game 1 ended FIREFIGHTERS 2 X 9 GLACIERS, showing the overwhelming power of the team led by the second-year students.

The second game was just as intense. This time, Glaciers faced the Oceanics. Naoko was on full power in both attack and counterattack. The match had more points than the previous one, as the teams were more skilled at spotting their opponents’ weaknesses. Despite all the effort from the third-year team, there was no beating the state champions.

The game ended GLACIERS 15 X 7 OCEANICS.

Glaciers had already secured the gold medal, but the silver and bronze were still up for grabs. It was time for the Firefighters and Oceanics to face off — on one side, Akiko, Minami, and their team; on the other, Naoko and her team. Would their friendship be set aside for second place?

“Second place is ours!” Akiko declared, facing Naoko.

“That's right!” Minami shared the same sentiment and wasn’t going to let it go easily.

“Hmph…” Naoko just snorted, looking at them with disdain.

WHISTLE

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the match. The battle had begun, and neither team was making it easy. The attacks were precise, the counterattacks fierce. The match continued at a frantic pace, and sweat dripped from the players' faces. Akiko, Minami, and Naoko were the standout players. Their friendship seemed to fuel the competition.

Game 3 ended FIREFIGHTERS 13 X 13 OCEANICS.

The whistle should have signaled the end of the match, but the teams were tied.

“THIS IS IT, EVERYONE! THIS FIGHT WILL GO INTO OVERTIME!” the physical education teacher exclaimed, making the crowd cheer.

Naoko’s blood was boiling. She wasn’t about to let this go. She used every second of the overtime and launched a superior attack. The game ended quickly, with the score: FIREFIGHTERS 13 X 18 OCEANICS.

Naoko scored all the points, leading her team to the second-place medal, leaving the Firefighters devastated.

April 1st, Thursday - Festival, Day 4, Adonis and Koa’s House

The Festival’s competition had drained everyone’s energy. While fun, it was also demanding. Adonis had spent the whole day at school, and by the time he got home, he was exhausted. He took a shower and collapsed onto the couch.

“AHHH… Man… This Festival…” Adonis complained on the couch. Koa, dressed in his usual black outfit, stood next to the couch and noticed Adonis slumped over.

“Tired from school activities?” Koa asked calmly.

“Ah… The Festival rules, just the annoying guys who make up some bore…” Adonis muttered with a teenager's vocabulary.

Rules, guys, bore? What kind of language is that?

Koa, not only not understanding Adonis' words but also finding it absurd that the young man developed such strange language, decided to ignore it.

“Okay. Take this,” Koa said, handing Adonis a box.

“Hm? What’s this?” Adonis asked, puzzled.

He opened the box and found a pair of black high-top sneakers made of durable leather, with a rubber sole and a textured white toe cap. The double stitching and overlock sewing on the tongue were high-quality details. The sneakers had a circular emblem with a well-known brand, associated with rebellious youth culture.

“DAMN! THESE ARE AWESOME! THANKS A BUNCH, KOA!” Adonis exclaimed excitedly, clearly recognizing the brand.

Koa didn’t show much reaction to Adonis' excitement. He wasn’t cold, just not good at expressing affection.

“Don’t kick balls with these. They’re for going out,” Koa warned, so Adonis wouldn’t ruin the shoes.

“Cool! I’m pumped! You can count on me!” Adonis responded happily.

“Sure, I’m heading to work now. Pay attention to the intercom,” Koa said, putting on a cap. His outfit was all black, indicating his work required some discretion.

“Intercom?” Adonis asked.

“Itzel and Maureen will come over to celebrate your birthday,” Koa replied, saying goodbye and leaving.

Some time later, Maureen and Itzel arrived at the apartment with a box in hand.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADONIS!” Maureen said excitedly.

“This is from Maureen and me!” Itzel said, handing over the box along with Maureen.

“Wow! Thanks!” Adonis responded excitedly, unwrapping the box.

“Aah, we arrived late. Koa’s not here,” Maureen said, looking around the apartment for Koa.

“Wow! A Discman! Now I can listen to music without annoying Koa!” Adonis said, turning on the device, excited to listen to his favorite songs.

The evening continued in a celebratory mood. Since everyone would work or study the next day, they couldn’t stay out too late, but they drank a lot of soda, had cake, and enjoyed savory pastries. Adonis went to bed feeling incredibly happy after his 16th birthday party.