Keira Stain.

She had been looking forward to this trip for weeks.

The travel club's first outing! And not just anywhere—it was the Bloomlight Festival, the kind of place that practically begged for a picnic under the lanterns and flower displays.

From the moment she learned about the destination, Keira had thrown herself into training at the cooking club. She wanted to be ready. No—she needed to be ready.

Now, as she spread out a picnic blanket beneath the shade of a flowering tree, she carefully set out the lunchboxes she had worked so hard to prepare.

Inside were colorful rice balls arranged neatly in rows, Vienna sausages cut into cute little shapes, a fresh salad bursting with bright fruits and vegetables, and, of course, the star of the spread—crispy fried food that still smelled warm and savory.

Even she had to admit…it looked pretty impressive.

'Yeah,' she thought, eyes shining with determination. 'With this, capturing Rin's stomach should be a piece of cake.'

Last time she had tried cooking for him, it hadn't gone so well—the taste had been… let's just say "experimental." But this time was different. This time, she had dragged Nora into taste-testing everything until even the picky pink-haired girl had grudgingly admitted it wasn't bad.

It was perfect.

'When everyone else is buying greasy festival food, I'll be the only one who brought a homemade lunch. They'll have to notice. They'll have to say something.'

She could already picture it—Rin taking a bite, raising his brows in surprise, maybe even muttering something like "Huh… this is actually good."

That would be enough. That single line would make all the effort worth it.

'Then maybe they'll see me in a new light…'

Her fingers tightened on the edge of the blanket, a small smile tugging at her lips.

'And maybe Rin will too.'

'…I also want us to feed each other and take pictures to upload.'

That thought popped into Keira's head with more determination than she'd admit out loud.

Normally, it'd be way too risky to suggest something like that. Too forward, too obvious. But this was a club trip—people were taking photos left and right.

Even if she got a little too excited and did things she normally wouldn't, no one would notice. And if she ended up with a suspicious number of pictures that just happened to have Rin in them… well, who would think twice? This was a golden opportunity.

She was just about to speak when—

"Los—!"

"Hey! Rin, look over there! A giant rose infused with mana!" Leon suddenly shouted, dragging attention away. "They say if you make a wish under it, it'll come true."

"Oh, wow… that's huge."

Before Keira could blink, Leon had already cut in line with the ease of someone who didn't know the meaning of shame.

The rose towered over the festival grounds, glowing faintly with pulsing veins of light. It was big enough to make people look like ants in comparison, and couples were already gathering to pose underneath it, hands clasped, eyes sparkling with all that nauseating sincerity.

'Of course, we ended up there too—snapping pictures in front of the building-sized flower.'

Which, honestly, would've been fine. Totally fine. Just a group photo. Just harmless fun.

Except… Leon somehow kept steering it so that Rin ended up closest to him every time.

Click. Another picture.

Click. Another one.

From the outside, it was the kind of thing people could easily brush off as simple affection between same-sex friends. Just boys being friendly, right?

It's not like Leon was a girl or anything.

At least, that's what Keira kept telling herself while glaring daggers at Leon's smug little smile.

Rin, for his part, looked like he was just trying to survive the romantic warzone.

"Man," he muttered, glancing up at the glowing rose. "All this for a flower? If this thing explodes, I'm suing."

Keira nearly laughed, but her focus was locked on the pictures. She wasn't giving up her shot.

Not when this chance only came once.

The line inched forward at a snail's pace, couples whispering into each other's ears like this glowing weed was the gateway to eternal love. Rin stood there with his arms crossed, his expression somewhere between bored and mildly offended.

"Great," he muttered, loud enough for Keira and Leona to hear. "I always wanted to spend my Saturday watching strangers promise each other forever in front of a radioactive flower."

Keira stifled a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. Leon elbowed him lightly, scolding, "Come on, Rin, don't ruin the mood."

He shot him a flat look. "Mood? You mean the mass hallucination going on here? Yeah, forgive me for not being swept away by the magic of overpriced botany."

When they finally reached the front, the festival worker cheerfully handed them little slips of paper shaped like petals.

"Write your wish and pin it to the rose! The mana will carry it into the skies!" she chirped.

Rin blinked at the paper, then at the glowing flower, then back at the worker. "…So basically, littering. Got it."

The worker's smile wavered.

Keira quickly tugged him aside before he could kill the atmosphere any further. She scribbled something earnest onto her slip, cheeks pink, while Leon dramatically pressed hers to her chest like she was in a romance novel.

Rin, meanwhile, doodled something that looked suspiciously like a middle finger before sticking it onto the rose.

"Wow," he said, stepping back. "Can you feel it? The mana's already rejecting my hopes and dreams."

Keira giggled despite herself. Leon sighed, though Rin swore he caught the corner of her mouth twitching.

As more petals floated upward, glowing faintly before dissolving into sparks, the couples around them clasped hands and whispered their wishes to each other.

Rin shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yep. Totally normal. Nothing says love like synchronized litter."

Crap! I forgot about my real goal.

Keira snapped back to reality, cheeks puffing slightly as frustration settled in. Her actual plan wasn't to trail along behind Nora and Ryen or waste time in front of giant flowers.

No—her real mission was to make Rin eat the food she had prepared for today.

But luck, as always, wasn't on her side.

"Los—!"

"Rin~!" Ryen's voice cut her off as he waved from a short distance away. "Nora said she wants to go for a walk!"

Rin gave him a look. "Ryen. I don't think she meant all of us when she said that."

"Huh? No, no, she clearly said she wanted to go for a walk together."

Leona, who was nearby, sighed heavily. "Well, I can't tell you why, but you should really learn to treat Nora better."

"Hey!" Ryen puffed out his chest. "There aren't many friends who treat Nora as well as I do."

"…Yeah. You're amazing," Rin deadpanned, tone so flat it could iron shirts.

The four of them ended up walking together anyway, the path lined with glowing flowers and stalls selling festival goods. Couples whispered to each other, giggling softly as though the festival air itself was laced with sugar.

Keira clenched her jaw, trying to find the right moment. Every second that passed was one step further from her mission.

And then, as if mocking her, Ryen leaned forward. "Haha, the kids are really excited. Look over there—"

Before Keira could finally speak up and call Rin, another voice barged in.

"Rose cotton candy! Rose cotton candy! It's really sweet!"

Leona appeared out of nowhere, triumphantly holding up a stick of pink fluff larger than her head.

Keira's hand twitched. Really?

The candy looked ridiculous, almost glowing under the festival lights, like someone had taken a rose bush and exploded it into spun sugar. Leona's grin said it all—she wasn't going to give up her chance to steal Rin's attention either.

Rin, for his part, squinted at the cotton candy like it had personally offended him.

"…Is it supposed to look like insulation from a broken wall?"

Leona pouted. "You're impossible."

Keira, meanwhile, took a quiet breath, forcing herself to calm down. The festival wasn't over yet. She still had time.

I don't care if the whole world gets in my way… Rin's going to eat my food before this day ends.

Leona shoved the oversized cotton candy under Rin's nose, clearly fishing for a reaction.

"C'mon, just try a bite. It's rose-flavored! It's a festival specialty!"

Rin leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing at the fluffy mass. "Rose-flavored cotton candy? Great, so I can get cavities and feel like I'm eating a garden at the same time. How festive."

Leona puffed out her cheeks, indignant. "It's good! Look, I'll prove it." She tore off a tuft and stuffed it into her mouth, eyes sparkling with forced enthusiasm. "See? Sweet, fragrant, totally worth it!"

Rin watched her chew, unimpressed. "Yeah, nothing says 'culinary genius' like eating perfume on a stick."

Keira bit her tongue so hard it hurt.

Why is he wasting his sarcasm on Leon cotton candy when he should be tasting mine?!

Meanwhile, Nora, who had been quietly tagging along, tugged at Ryen's sleeve. "Ryen… I want one too."

Ryen immediately perked up. "Of course! I'll buy you one right now!" He dashed off toward the stall, practically tripping over himself in his hurry to please her.

Rin exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face. "And there he goes. The noble knight on his sacred quest for spun sugar. Truly inspiring."

Leona laughed, waving her cotton candy like a banner. "Don't be so grumpy. Festivals are supposed to be fun!"

"Fun?" Rin muttered. "Watching people throw away money on overpriced flowers and sugar clouds while couples whisper about eternal love? Yeah, I'm having the time of my life."

Keira's hands tightened around the small box in her bag. Inside was the food she had made—her trump card, her pride. Every second was torture, watching chance after chance slip away.

But she wasn't giving up. Not when she'd come this far.

She glanced up at Rin, who was now reluctantly holding Leona's cotton candy as she skipped off to greet someone she knew. He looked like he was holding a live animal that might explode.

"…Sticky, fragile, and attracts bugs," Rin muttered, staring at it. "Just like relationships."

Keira almost choked on her own breath trying not to laugh.

Her chance was coming.

It was battleground for her and she was going to win it.