The Ball's the Thing

It had only been a week since he was forced to follow the command of Erina, but to Arata, it might as well have been an eternity. He wanted this to end quickly, unfortunately, this was looking like a journey of a thousand miles.

"Ah, hello Arata."

"Oh boy, the last person I was hoping to run into." He sarcastically greeted the girl making his life hell.

"Aww, come on now. Is that the way to say hello to a friend?" She was enjoying this teasing. She liked seeing his anger at her.

"We're hardly acquaintances as is, in fact, when this is all over. I'm considering you an enemy, just to let you know." She laughed at him, not caring about a word he said.

"Ah well, it's just words anyway. So tell me, what's next?" She asked.

"Next for what?'

"Oh don't play dumb, you know, with Yogi." She nudged him, as if this was some inside joke the two shared.

"You can really expect me to do everything. If you've got any bright ideas, I'll do them, well not everything you come up with."

"Oh that's no good, what am I even blackmailing you for?" He was really upset at her aloof nature. It was one thing to make him do things he really rather not. But to make him do all the work was even worse. Not to mention how nonchalant she was about the blackmail business. This was his life on the line here.

"Oh come on, you can't honestly expect me to believe you don't have anything?"

"Oh I've just tried so many things to get him to notice me. Like making him lunch, leaving love letters in his locker. Oh I remember one time, I sneaked in his room to wish him a happy birthday the moment he woke up." He really would've wished he didn't hear that last one. How she was still friends with Yogi after that, he really didn't know. Yogi must be a really forgiving person.

"I see you're really dedicated to this."

"Of course I am, oh I just love him so much." Once again, she had her heads in the clouds, clasping her hands to her hearts as she always did when talking about him.

"You know, you're pretty similar to Kirua."

"Who?"

"I can say this to you because you know my secret, but I'm referring a manga character."

"Oh that loser stuff you read." He wanted to argue, but it wasn't like he didn't see his hobby like that. Otherwise, he would try so hard to hide it. "Also, how dare you compare me to something that people like you get off to."

"Okay first off, I've never done anything like that. And secondly, that was a compliment."

"C-compliment?"

"Well, yeah. That figurine you saw me buy, that was of her." She wasn't sure how to take this from him. "Look, don't take this to deeply, but I like her devotion to her love in the story. So what I'm saying is that I respect how you feel is all."

"You do?" Her generally upbeat personality was replaced with a much more meek one. Was something he said wrong, or did she take it negatively, he wondered.

"Yeah..." He was feeling pretty awkward saying this. He just wanted to be nice for once, and the similarities between the two were to clear for him to not point out.

"Oh, well it's just..." She started her hands tightly grasping her arms in her nervous state. "I've never heard anyone say that before. Only Yogi's ever respected my feelings." This was an unexpected turn in their conversation. There was more to this girl than what he could've ever imagined before meeting her.

"Look… I'll come up with something then. Just meet me after school and I'll see what I can think of."

"Really?" She perked right back up at those words. "Oh thanks so much." She grabbed his hands in excitement.

All right, just calm down. And let go of my hands." He ripped them from her grip. "Just because I'm thinking of stuff doesn't mean I'll have any good ones by then so don't get your hopes up." He stormed off, so they wouldn't have to keep talking. Doing this tired himself out more than running a mile.

Though he promised her, he was unsure if there really was anything he could force. Usually in those manga novels, things came naturally, even if a bit convoluted to say the least. He enjoyed how silly some moments were, but it wasn't life real life could work out like that.

He was lost in thought, until he saw Misao in the hallway. It looked like she was handing out some papers to passing students. Curious, he approached her.

"Hello Shitara, how are you?" He greeted her, trying to appear as normal as he could in public.

"Hello, what do you want?" She asked in a much meaner tone than he thought would happen in public.

"Uh, what?"

"Let's not pretend like we're not rivals in all this. I know you're supporting Erina, and it's not like we're friends in the first place."

"I just thought that we'd at least be nicer in public."

"Do you see anyone around right now?" Looking around, they were safe from others. Even the students that were near them were preoccupied with their own lives to care. "I'm not obligated to anything in private conversation."

"Okay then, well I'll still be polite regardless." He understood that she wasn't a big fan of him. Even if he didn't intend to make enemies with her, his position did put them on opposing sides. Unlike with Erina though, he wasn't just going to be a jerk to her without a reason.

"Do what you wish." She spoke plainly. Though he wanted to be nice, it seemed that his plan to act as such, irritated her more.

"So what are you doing?" The reason he was even talking to her in the first place. He had almost forgotten.

"I'm passing out fliers for the May Dance." She answered, handing him one. It was a page that described the event. Decorated with budding flowers, it was clear they got a student with artistic talent to do the artwork.

"What's the May Dance?" He asked, he never kept up with the school events that happened his first year. Usually preferring to go home and indulge in other things.

"It's an event for second year students. It's supposed to be a celebration of the first month for the first years here." She explained.

"What does that have to do with us second years then?"

"We're performing for them, as a way of showing our growth as we were only first years just some months ago."

"Sounds interesting, but I've got others thing to take care of to worry about some ball."

"Well maybe you might be more interested if you hear me finish." She smiled a mischievous smile at him.

"Why?"

"Well, when it's done. The first years attending vote the best boy and best girl during the dance. Then those two engage in one final dance." She was right, that did grab his attention. He was already planning the next step to this new plan. "In fact, legend has it, that those two will go on to become married."

"Really?"

"Well it is just a legend. Though the rate of that happening since the school first started doing the ball is about 50-50." Well, using legends was probably a bad idea anyway. Arata much rather preferred the old fashioned methods of falling in love. "But don't think that you can just waltz in and take this from Misei." It felt like she was reading his mind.

"Oh really, and why's that?"

"Because being one of the dancers isn't that easy. First, you need to be nominated by a fellow second year. Then you need to hope that from that list, the first years choose you."

"Sounds like it's near impossible to game that system." he responded, disappointed at this revelation.

"True, of course the school president is all but a shoe-in already." She bragged, certain that she'd already won.

"Don't trip up at the finish line, I'm won't give up on this." He wasn't confident at their chances, but he wasn't going to just let Misao get the upper hand so easily. "Plus, there's no guarantee that Yogi would be in this dance either."

"That may be the case, but if Misei votes him in, and I vote in her, then we have the advantage." She walked away from their conversation. Filled with confidence, but he planned on taking that away.

He didn't know how he was going to get Erina into the dance, let alone Yogi, but he was going to find a way. There was also the problem of having those two be the winners in all this. There were so many variables, that no matter what plan he could come up with. There was no hope of it going the way he wanted it to.

Well, at least he had something he could tell Erina about.