The school's anniversary had arrived, and Karin had been busy with the event since yesterday. Luckily, this time she was only on the refreshments committee.
"Rin, are the bread and drinks for the judges ready?" Bila, a fellow committee member, asked while Karin arranged food boxes for the other committee members.
"Yep, they're on the table by the door," Karin replied, pointing to the table in question.
"Okay." Bila gave her a thumbs-up.
Karin's school anniversary celebration had been going on since the previous week, beginning with a fun walk and several competitions involving different classes. Today was the main event, featuring an arts performance with a guest appearance by one of the bands currently on the rise.
The morning began with the final competition: a fashion show featuring materials recycled from each class.
"All right, everyone, the fashion show is about to begin. Audience members, please move back a little so the participants can show off their costumes," the emcee announced.
The fashion show went smoothly, showcasing each class's creativity and a wide variety of costumes.
"Rin, are there any drinks?" Jidan asked as they watched the fashion show together.
"There are some in the student council room, in the one marked 'COMMITTEE,'" Karin answered without turning around, her eyes fixed on the show.
"Okay, I'll grab one," Jidan said as he walked away.
"Okay."
Not long after Jidan left, one of Karin's classmates approached her.
"Rin, the arts performance starts right after this, right?" Lena asked.
"Yeah, that's right. Why?" Karin asked in return.
"Awesome, that's all. I can't wait," Lena replied with a smile.
"Oh, you're a fan?" Karin guessed.
"Yeah, haha." They laughed together.
"Oh, and apparently there'll be a group photo with Ana later," Lena said.
"Yeah, I'll be free after this too," Karin replied.
After that, Lena left Karin.
"Here," Jidan said, handing her a bottle of water and a few snacks from the cafeteria.
"Huh? You got these from the cafeteria?" Karin asked as she took the snacks.
"Yeah. When I went to get water earlier, I ran into Dio, and he invited me to the cafeteria. So I went along," Jidan explained.
Karin merely nodded and began eating the snacks.
Thirty minutes passed. The fashion show was nearly over, and the judges were now discussing which classes would win.
"All right, we've reached the end of the fashion show, and I already have the names of the winning classes in my hand. Hmm, are you curious?" the emcee asked, riling up the tense audience, who were all hoping their class would win.
"Yesss!" they answered in unison.
"Okay, let's start with the honorable mentions. Third honorable mention, for the weirdest costume category, goes toooo... drumroll, please!" the emcee shouted, followed by booming music.
"Class X Chemical Engineering!" he shouted after taking a breath.
"Yaaay!" cheers erupted from the audience.
The winners' names continued to be announced, but Karin never heard her class called. She was pretty disappointed because she thought her class's costume had been really good, though she also doubted they would take first place.
"Okayyy, this is the one you've all been waiting for, right? First place!" the emcee said.
"If you have good taste like our judges, then your answer will be the same as theirs. The first-place winner of this year's fashion show is..." the emcee cried, prompting the audience to cheer.
"CLASS XI OFFICE ADMINISTRATION! YAAAAY!" he shouted once more.
Karin was stunned that her class had won first place, and she joined in the applause.
"Whoa, your class won, Rin. Ana, right?" Jidan asked.
"Yeah!" Karin replied excitedly.
"Ana really is pretty," Jidan remarked.
"Right? Looking at her face just makes you happy. I didn't expect her to win, haha," Karin replied.
The fashion show competition finally ended, and Karin rejoined her classmates during the break before the main event. They took photos with Ana. They also laughed together and enjoyed their prizes—food, drinks, and some cash—which they eventually put into the class fund.