100 – Halloween Event (Part 1)
<span style="font-weight:400">Today was the day.
<span style="font-weight:400">The beginning of what was to be a very busy week for us students at Tsukiji High. Although we were holding the Trick or Treat event at school on a Friday— when the actual Halloween holiday was on Sunday— it didn''t stop students from going into max-energy mode.
<span style="font-weight:400">Decorations were put up outside and inside the school building. Fake spider webs were stuck to the school gates, ghosts hung from the windows of ssrooms on the second and third floors, and cardboard cutouts of monsters leaned against the wire fence on the rooftop.
<span style="font-weight:400">Inside the building, students were already ying pranks on each other as if it were April Fools. Some put jack-in-the-boxes in shoe lockers to spring out as soon as they were opened. The braver students went to spook faculty, only to have their tricks turned on them because adults were much smarter.
<span style="font-weight:400">Students walked around in masks or full body costumes. Our school as a whole was so decked out and gung-ho about the Halloween spirit, we could put American schools to shame.
<span style="font-weight:400">Although… some of us were a lot bolder than usual.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Mio… Hana… I really don''t think this was a good idea after all," I said, clutching my school bag tightly as we walked into the building under the gaze of <i><span style="font-weight:400">hundreds</i><span style="font-weight:400">.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You''re freaking out too much. No one has a single clue," Mio assured me.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ooohohohoho. Shexshy shubish!" Hana raced ahead and snapped pictures of using in.
<span style="font-weight:400">Boys clenched their legs as soon as they saw us. Girls gasped and squealed at our costumes. Some of the faculty at the gate wanted to have a word with us, but they were quick to get into an argument whether our costumes were allowed or not.
<span style="font-weight:400">Why?
<span style="font-weight:400">Because we were dressed in— you guessed it— our subus outfits.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio would <i><span style="font-weight:400">not</i><span style="font-weight:400"> take no for an answer. She walked right out of the house in her subus form without a care in the world. Apparently, she and Hana were nning this all along. I should have known, seeing as that damn trickster stayed overst night without notice.
<span style="font-weight:400">Of course, I protested as much as I could.
<span style="font-weight:400">The two of them, however, s-shamed me into going along with their whims, calling me out on my recent sexual escapades and using me of being a su-racist. Whatever that meant.
<span style="font-weight:400">And so, I dropped my human form before leaving the house. To make matters worse, Hatsumi even encouraged me to do it, too. Likely, so that Mio and Hana could get more pictures of me in my subus form for her.
<span style="font-weight:400">We three were essentially half-naked, dressed in what might as well be lingerie.
<span style="font-weight:400">We were also the center of attention at school now.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Saeko, Mio, Hana… is that really you?" a third-year girl, dressed in a much more normal costume of an angel, asked from behind. "It''s really… <i><span style="font-weight:400">ahem</i><span style="font-weight:400">, erotic."
<span style="font-weight:400">"You got that right." Mio shook her tail and pped her wings.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Stop that!" I punched her arm.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Wow! They look so real!" the female student said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hana stuck her nose in the air. "That''s because they are—"
<span style="font-weight:400">I mped a hand over Hana''s mouth to shut her up. "An electronics system controls them through an app on our phones! Technology''s gotten really good. You know how it is!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ahh, I get it. I get it. Kinda like how cosyers take their costumes to the next level with all the tech?"
<span style="font-weight:400">Luckily, she and anyone else around us who heard me bought my lie.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Unfortunately</i><span style="font-weight:400">…
<span style="font-weight:400">"MIIIOOOOOOOOO! HAAANNAAAAA" An enraged voice echoed throughout the corridor, followed by heavy footfalls that shook the building.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hitomi stomped her way downstairs. The cape of her vampire costume fluttered behind. Rika struggled to catch up as the bandages from her mummy costumes kepting undone.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yo, Prez!" Mio threw up a peace sign which only served to further enrage the student council president.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Don''t ''yo, Prez'' me! Ya got twenty seconds t''exin why the fuck ya wearin'' those," Hitomi demanded. Normally, she would grab the cor of Mio''s uniform when confronting her. But none of us had enough clothing on to be grabbed anywhere, so she grabbed Mio''s horn instead.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Kyaaa~ Prez! If you wanted to y rough, you only needed to ask nicely!" she squealed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Think ya being funny, hahh? Exin yerselves!" the yakuza schoolgirl snarled.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hana tried to sneak away, but a quick hand caught her horn. Hitomi forced both of them onto their knees.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Guooh! The iron grip of thew hurts!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ow— Owowowow! Holy shit, why are you still this strong?! You''ll rip ''em off! I give! Uncle, uncle!" Mio cried.
<span style="font-weight:400">Because they were both too incapacitated by pain, I answered in their stead. "Mio and Hana wanted us to dress up as subi for Halloween… We''ll go get changed in the restroom!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Huh? I don''t want you guys to change out of that," Hitomi replied, her voice returning to normal.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Eh?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"The four of you make for perfect eye candy, swinging those assets around. It''s not often I get to see this," she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Isn''t this being too contradictory?!" I retorted
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ahaha… What Hiichan''s trying to say is, walking around is bound to cause trouble with the school. It should be fine if you at least wrap a skirt around your waist," Rika exined, trying to keep herughter in check and eyes from wandering too much.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hitomi nodded. "As it stands right now, your plump asses are hanging out a little <i><span style="font-weight:400">too</i><span style="font-weight:400"> much. You might as well be wearing g-strings. If you don''t want me to sic the disciplinarymittee on you, then cover up your lower body."
<span style="font-weight:400">"We''ll go ask Yuriha for something we can use," I said, a satisfactory enough answer that she released Mio and Hana from her vise. "Also, so said four? Who''s the fourth?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yumi." She sighed. "Dressed in her nurse''s uniform with all the features of a subus."
<span style="font-weight:400">We went to the tailoring club where Yuriha was overseeing her members working overtime. Culture Festival was in a few days after all; the deadline was fast approaching. Too bad the moment we entered the room, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at us.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I don''t even need to turn around to know who came in, but if you lot keep staring behind me and not focusing on your work, there will be hell to pay with sewing needles going under your fingernails," the club president threatened, and it was all it took for the club to face their heads down and return to work.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yes, ma''am!" they eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"This club is starting to look a lot like a sweatshop." Mio cackled.
<span style="font-weight:400">"It feels like I''m seeing you three a lottely. If you''re here for thest two costumes, they aren''t done yet. As you can see, we might have to stay the night to finish it all," Yuriha said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"But my parents are making curry tonight!" one member said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Then you better ask them to deliver it to school with a sleeping bag."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yep. This is definitely looking like a sweatshop," I added. "It''s fine if you''re not done yet. We just came by because we, uh… need something to cover our lower half."
<span style="font-weight:400">Yuriha turned to face us atst. Her eyes went wide. She buzzed around us, inspecting the outfit we wore. Even going as far as tugging on the straps that mighte loose if she pulled any further.
<span style="font-weight:400">"The make of your costume is impressive. It doesn''t look like a store-bought outfit. Custom-made? Foreign? Where did you get something like this?" she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Her club members were having a hard time focusing on work <i><span style="font-weight:400">because</i><span style="font-weight:400"> of what she was doing to our outfits, throwing nces our way and wincing as they were pricked by sewing needles.
<span style="font-weight:400">"It''s… Y-Yes, it''s foreign! But forget about our costume for a moment," I said, trying to cover myself with my schoolbag.
<span style="font-weight:400">We exined to her what we needed after the encounter with the student council at the shoe lockers. Fortunately, Yuriha did have something we could use. She produced three ck sarongs, not much unlike the one I wore during the Okinawa trip, for us to wear.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lightweight and breathable, the fabric wrapped around my waist and covered me down to my knees. Even though staring at it long enough, one could easily tell it didn''t belong with the rest of the outfit, I didn''t mind as long as it wouldn''t incur Hitomi''s wrath upon us a second time.
<span style="font-weight:400">After thanking Yuriha, Mio and I split ways from Hana to head to ss. If we hadn''t caused enough of an uproar already, entering our ss ignited a wildfire of cheers from our fellow ssmates.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Saeko and Mio in subus costumes? I can die happy!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"They look so cute! I wish I was brave enough to dress like them!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hey, hey! Let''s take some pictures together!"
<span style="font-weight:400">While they crowded around us, I was searching Kana, who was nowhere to be seen. Was he skipping today?
<span style="font-weight:400">"Okay, everyone! Please, settle down! We have to prepare for our Halloween event since we''re tricking." Rika pped her hands to get everyone''s attention.
<span style="font-weight:400">The door slid open. Kana stood there, red up to his ears, dressed in a pink nurse costume with a hat and everything. Everyone oh''d at how cute he was being embarrassed by his own costume. He hurried to his seat and covered his face.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I''m surprised you actually dressed up," I leaned over to him to say.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I didn''t want to… then I ran into Yumi who said she had the perfect outfit for me…" he groaned, then raised his eyes to see what I was wearing. "Y-You''re… what?!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Aha… It was Mio''s idea," I whispered and put a finger to my lips.
<span style="font-weight:400">The ss rep read off a list of names of the people who were on the first shift to handle our ss'' tricking event. Among them, Mio and I were called. Rika didn''t mind managing both shifts.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Any questions?" she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Can we make ast minute addition to our trick event to make it more interesting?" Kameshiro raised his hand to ask.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Like what?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"How about we set up a photoshoot booth. People who win at the apple bobbing game get to take a picture with the ss mascot?" he suggested.
<span style="font-weight:400">A chill ran up my spine as he threw a nce my way. I knew then that he probably wanted to take advantage of that to get close to me again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Unfortunately for me, the rest of the ss expressed interest in it, too.
<span style="font-weight:400">"That sounds like a great idea!" Rika eximed. "We could set it up with spare materials in the room to make a private photo booth, too. Then how do we go about deciding who the mascot is?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Here! Right here!" Mio shouted, pointing directly AT ME.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What?!" I screamed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You ain''t doing it alone. We''ll take turns! It''ll be fun as hell." She winked, making it too obvious she had a n brewing in that subitch head of hers.
<span style="font-weight:400">"We won''t force you, Saeko. We can bring someone else instead, but it seems like a lot of people would like to take pictures with you," Rika said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I''ll… do it…"
<span style="font-weight:400">At the front corner of the room, Kameshiro silently pumped a fist into the air. He had another thinging if he was scheming something.
<span style="font-weight:400">With the entire ss'' help and generosity from the drama club, we managed to use some ck curtains and PVC pipes to raise an enclosed booth at the back corner of the room. A ssmate who was a member of the photography club got them to lend us a camera and stand to take pictures with.
<span style="font-weight:400">Everything wasing together nicely, and by the time ss began, those who were on the second shift left to begin exploring the other ss'' trick or treat events.
<span style="font-weight:400">We on the first shift prepared apples to dangle above students'' heads. Five students were led in at a time and randomized to choose from a row of five apples dangling above them. Four of the five had wasabi smeared underneath the caramelyer, and the one who picked the properly caramelized apple would win a picture with me or Mio.
<span style="font-weight:400">"We''re ready to open up!" Rika dered to us.
<span style="font-weight:400">The first five students were led in, and among them was Kameshiro. That bastard. He definitely has something up his sleeve. Only one student was in the Halloween spirit, but all she wore was a silicone monster mask.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Rika, is it really okay to let students from our ss y?" I asked, worried about how this might turn out.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Of course. It would be wrong not to," she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Our ss rep was too pure-hearted and innocent to suspect foul y could be going on with the trick event.
<span style="font-weight:400">From the corner of my peripherals, Kameshiro had a shit-eating grin as he spoke to some of his friends who were part of the first shift. Now I was beginning to see what he was up to. Those two boys he was talking to were in charge of managing the caramelized apples.
<span style="font-weight:400">We had them separated into two boxes— one smeared with wasabi and the ones that were not. That way, no one could confuse them, ensuring there would always be four losers and one winner.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio leaned against the window next to me biting into an apple. My nose wrinkled at the pungent and mustardy smell of wasabi.
<span style="font-weight:400">I pinched my nose shut. "Are you seriously eating that?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"It tastes good. Clears my sinuses, too." She ravenously crunched down to the core. "Want a bite?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"As if!"
<span style="font-weight:400">Kameshiro and the four students lined up in front of a shoddily-built scaffolding made from PVC pipe and clotheslines. They were blindfolded, and shuffled around by five of my ssmates. Like they nned, Kameshiro''s friend was the one moving him around and seemed to have put him in the right ce.
<span style="font-weight:400">I held my breath, hoping they made a mistake along the way. Five of them bit hard into the apples, but only four of them gagged while the fifth, Kameshiro, chewed happily into his untampered, caramelized fruit.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Cheater," I muttered.
<span style="font-weight:400">His prize was both a small bag of mixed candy and a picture with someone of his choice.
<span style="font-weight:400">And surprise, surprise… he chose me.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Rules are rules, Saeko. I want a nice picture so that I can frame it above my bed." He grinned, his words sending the disgusting kind of goosebumps creeping across my skin.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I''ll help take the picture!" Mio volunteered.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sighing, I went inside the private booth with Mio and Kameshiro. We positioned ourselves in front of the camera. He stood a lot closer than I''d like, so much that our shoulders were touching.
<span style="font-weight:400">His hand stroked the back of my ass. "Come on. At least pretend you like it."
<span style="font-weight:400">"I got a better idea," I began, tightening my aura around him. "After the picture, you''re going to ask your friends for five wasabi apples so that you can eat them all yourself."
<span style="font-weight:400">"I… I''m kind of craving some wasabi-smeared apples…" he said absentmindedly.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Kahaha! Doubt his ass won''t be happy about that when the charm wears off." Mio cackled.
<span style="font-weight:400">No other suspicious shenanigans urred after Kameshiro. Everyone yed our trick game fairly. After three hours, the second shift returned from enjoying the event to tag us out. Kameshiro dragged his feet back to ss, clutching his stomach in agony.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ugh…My stomach feels like shit..." he groaned.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Well, my day can only get better from here." I nodded to myself.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio grabbed my hand and pulled me out of ss. "I heard Hana''s ss is doing something cool. Let''s check it out!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"I don''t like that sound of that!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"It''s either that or a fucking spree. The choice is yours," she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Those aren''t choices at all!" I retorted.