The morning of Harukaze Festival was clear, just like last year. In the hallway outside Class 3-A. A black curtain hung at the entrance to the haunted house, with a handmade sign pasted on it. The text "You'll regret going in" was written in Itadori's handwriting. Probably something he came up with himself. That Itadori was now standing in front of the entrance with both arms spread wide, barking at customers. A white cloth draped over his golden, fluffy head—a ghost costume. His fangs peeked through the gaps in the fabric. "[excited]Come on, come on! I'm the scariest guy around! I'll definitely make you cry!" The spectators in the hallway laughed. "[sarcastic]A ghost saying he's scary is way too not scary." "[laughing]Nah! This is all part of the show! It's a gap strategy to scare people!" "What kind of strategy is that," someone quipped, and laughter erupted again. Fushiguro Megumi was in charge of sound and lighting. She sat in front of a small control panel in the corner of the classroom, adjusting the knobs with just her fingers while keeping a book on her lap. The lights flickered. Sound effects played. Visitors screamed. Even hearing that, Fushiguro just turned the page. Gojou Satoru was neither of those things. He stood near the entrance. He was watching the visitors' faces. One by one, as if confirming something. A girl with short hair. A tall boy. A elementary schooler with grandparents. Not her. Not her. Not her. "[cold]Gojou." A voice. He turned around, and Fushiguro was looking at him. The book was closed. "[cold]Do your job." "[sarcastic]I am." "[cold]Is watching the entrance your job?" He had nothing to say back. Itadori glanced at Gojou sideways while guiding a customer. He didn't say anything. He just turned back to the next visitor right away. That silent consideration felt strangely heavy. --- Past noon. The haunted house in the hallway was packed, the line never breaking. Thanks to Itadori's all-out customer recruitment, half the visitors came in laughing. Thanks to Fushiguro's lighting and sound effects, everyone who came out had a pale face. Kugisaki didn't come. Gojou went up to the roof alone during the lunch break when fewer people were around. He gripped the fence and looked toward the school gate. This place. He'd been coming here alone since the day he transferred. Back then, he just didn't want anyone to see his loneliness. Now it was different. He was waiting for someone. The wind blew. An autumn wind. A little cold, carrying the smell of the school festival. Yakisoba and cotton candy and the voices of classmates mixed together—the air of Harukaze Festival. (What if she doesn't come) A thought started moving in his head. He tried to stop it. But it wouldn't stop. Less than two hours until the stage performance. "[serious]You're alone up here again. It's the cultural festival." He turned around. Itadori was standing at the roof door. He had a steamed bun in his hand. The 130-yen kind from Every Mart. So winter limited edition had already started. "[sarcastic]You're here too." "[laughing]I came because you're here, man!" As he said it, Itadori's face turned a little red and he looked away. Gojou said nothing. Itadori came to stand beside him, and they looked out beyond the fence together. The two of them standing side by side, gazing toward Minami Harukaze Station. Neither said anything. That was fine. Then the two of them went back to the haunted house. --- Afternoon preparation time. That's when Gojou was heading toward the stage wings. Itadori came running from down the hallway. "[excited]She came! Kugisaki came! She's at the entrance!" His feet froze for a moment. (She came) Something pounded in his chest. He didn't know if it was joy or fear. Probably both. "[serious]……Got it." Gojou started walking. Toward the stage. His feet weren't shaking. His hands were, a little. --- Spotlights shone on the gymnasium stage. About 800 spectators sat watching. Voices overlapped in a buzz, the entire venue swaying like a single living thing. The third-year slot. The finale of Harukaze Festival every year. Those in the student body who knew the Harukaze Jinx—the urban legend that couples who confessed on the cultural festival stage never broke up after graduation—looked at the stage a little differently. He gripped the microphone. He could feel his hands shaking. He tried to put on his usual face. Confident, cool, the kind that wouldn't hurt anyone. If he played the character of "me," it would work. That's what he thought. ——Say it properly. Don't dress it up. Don't try to look cool. Fushiguro's voice echoed in his head. Gojou dropped the smile. He brought the microphone close to his mouth. "[serious]……Kugisaki Nobuko." The venue went a little quiet. "[serious]I have to apologize to you." His voice was shaking a little. Someone said "ooh." "[serious]On the day I transferred, you said I was the worst. Honestly, that shocked me. It was the first time anyone ever said that to me." The audience fell silent. "[serious]But——I was happy. Because you were the first person to get genuinely angry with me." Silence. "[serious]I've always been running away from what matters. Trying to look cool, taking the long way around, talking first before I could get hurt. And I destroyed everything." Gojou looked at the audience. 800 faces were turned toward him. "[serious]……I love you." Just one sentence. No decoration, no additions, nothing. The gymnasium fell completely silent. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. From the back of the audience——a figure moved. Purple-tinted red bob cut. Sharp red eyes. Bangs cut at an angle. Kugisaki Nobuko had both hands pressed to her mouth. Tears were streaming from her eyes. Then——she screamed. "[angry]You're really……really the worst!!" She ran straight toward the stage. The audience parted. Left and right, they opened a path for her. From the back of the gymnasium to the front, a straight line through 800 people. She climbed onto the stage. Crying, she grabbed Gojou's uniform chest with both hands. "[crying]The worst……you're the worst……but……" The words wouldn't come. Gojou quietly placed his hand on her shoulder. In that instant——the gymnasium exploded. Cheers and applause and whistles overlapped into a sound that reached the ceiling. Someone stood up. Caught up in it, someone else stood up. In the stage wings, Teacher Onitsuka Takeshi stood with his arms crossed, looking up at the ceiling. "[serious]……Well. The reflection essay paid off." Next to him, Teacher Asahina Yukiko trembled while pressing a handkerchief to her eyes. "[crying]Teacher! Is that all you have to say!!" "[serious]That's all." Teacher Asahina collapsed into tears again. --- In the audience, Itadori was standing. He'd been watching Nobuko's running back the whole time. On his face——for just a moment. Really just a moment, something flickered. His brows drew together, his lips pressed tight. His large green eyes narrowed. But it didn't last even a second. The next moment, Itadori stood up before anyone else in the audience and shouted with a voice that echoed through the gymnasium. "[excited]You did it, Gojou!!" The spectators around him laughed. The laughter mixed with applause and grew louder. In the stage wings, Fushiguro closed her book. The corner of her mouth rose slightly. --- The two of them came down from the stage and emerged into a hallway corner where the crowd had thinned. Cheers could still be heard from the gymnasium. "[serious]You came." Nobuko looked away. Tear marks still lingered on her face. "[cold]……Grandma said I should go. She said your shouting was a neighborhood nuisance." Gojou burst out laughing. "[laughing]……Is that so." "[crying]Don't laugh." Nobuko laughed too, her face a mess. It was a laugh through tears. Her bangs were disheveled, her sharp red eyes glistening. Teacher Asahina hurried past them. Handkerchief pressed to her eyes, looking straight ahead. "[crying]I'm j-just genuinely moved! Nobody's listening!" She muttered and disappeared. Gojou and Nobuko looked at each other. They laughed together again. --- Evening. After cleanup was done, Gojou returned to Class 3-A. No one was there. The evening sun streamed through the window, dyeing the blackboard and lockers gold. He looked at the back locker. The cactus on top. The same one that had been there since the day he transferred. The soil was wet. Like someone had watered it recently. Today, someone had. Gojou looked at Fushiguro's seat. In the corner of her desk, there was a small folded memo. He unfolded it. Short characters lined the paper. "Watered it. It was about to die." That was all. Gojou stared at the memo. The words Nobuko had said on the day she transferred echoed in his head. ——If you don't water it, it'll die. The words Fushiguro had said on the roof also echoed. ——Say it properly. Don't dress it up. The cactus was him. It always had been. Fushiguro knew that. That's why she came to the roof and said that one thing. That's why she kept watering the cactus. Without saying anything, just doing that. Gojou closed his eyes. For just a second. Then he headed to the roof. --- Four people were on the roof at dusk. The town of Kasumigaoka was dyed gold by the evening sun. The platform of Minami Harukaze Station was visible. Rows of residential rooftops continued. Beyond that, the street where Kugisaki's house was. Itadori leaned against the fence, looking up at the sky. "[laughing]So you two are dating? Well, it'll work out somehow!" Fushiguro opened her book. "[cold]Shut up." Gojou stood beside Nobuko. The two of them gripped the fence together, gazing out at the town. After a while, Gojou awkwardly moved his hand. Away from the fence, toward Nobuko. Nobuko saw it. Her face turned red. She hesitated for a second——then lightly swatted his hand. A soft pat sounded. But she didn't pull away. Their fingers intertwined. Gojou kept facing forward, saying nothing. Nobuko kept facing forward, saying nothing. The autumn wind blew. It passed through the school motto plaque mounted on the school building——"Faster than the wind"——and swept across the backs of the four of them. Itadori, still looking up at the sky, whispered to himself. "[whispers]……Well, it'll work out somehow." No one heard. That was fine. The evening sun sank into the town. Gold gradually turned orange, then red. The four of them stood in silence, watching it. In the classroom, the cactus stood in the evening light. A small memo remained on the desk. Because someone had watered it, it was still there today.