Today is the Halloween Event of our school. Every year, I attend it only as a compulsory event but this year is different. I met two friends this year so I’m now really excited to attend it.

“Mom? Is it really okay to just wear this prince costume?” I asked with a worried face as I look at my outfit while in the living room of our house. I’m wearing a blue tunic, white leggings and brown boots. “This is not scary at all, you know.

“You already dressed up as a scary vampire last year, you know,” Mom said happily as she takes pictures of me with a camera. “So a cool look this year should be the right choice. After all, you look really handsome right now.”

“But I think it’s better to wear something scary though,” I commented. “Wait. I think I still have ‘that’.”

“Wait, you’re planning to change my concept?” Mom asked, surprised.

“I’m gonna go get it,” I said and hurried towards my room.

“Jeez,” Mom sighed and smiled afterwards. Then, she followed me.

After that, I opened the storage box of my toys and searched for the ‘thing’ that I’m looking for.

“Here it is,” I reacted with a smile after finding the rubber mask of a beast that I wore last, last year. I then placed it on my head and stood up in front of the mirror.

“Is that perhaps a nod to the ‘Beauty and the Beast’?” Mom asked curiously with a smile while watching me as she leans on the doorway of my room. “It surprisingly fits your clothes though.”

“I’ll go with this,” I said with a smile.

After that, I grabbed my pumpkin bag and said, “I’m going.”

“Are you really sure you’re fine on your own?” Mom asked curiously.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Take care,” she followed and I went straight to the school.

The program will start at 10 am in the gymnasium so we three decided to meet up near the gate fifteen minutes before the starting time.

“Huh? They’re still not here?” I muttered with a slight surprised face after arriving on time at the school’s gate. I then looked around and saw different students wearing costumes, some with their parents and some with their classmates.

Suddenly, I felt someone poking my back and when I turned around, I saw Neko wearing her usual mask but this time, with the full red spandex clothing of Neko Red and even wearing the signature cape of the character. She’s also holding her pumpkin bag.

“I’m surprised you recognized me even though I’m wearing this mask,” I commented with a smile. “Anyway, your costume looks really cool.”

She then nodded and looked around.

“Rosa’s still not here,” I followed and noticed someone approaching us. As that girl continues to walk, lots of students started staring at her in admiration.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, Neko followed their gazes and got surprised.

The one approaching us was Rosa wearing full yellow gown like a princess from a fairy tale book. She’s also in side ponytail now with her hair slightly curled. The new image of her left me speechless to the point that she’s now the only one I could see. After she stopped before me and Neko, she gave me a feminine smile and said, “Sorry, I’m late.”

“N-no, it’s...fine,” I replied nervously after averting my gaze.

Huh? Why can’t I look into her eyes so suddenly? And my heart is beating fast too. What’s happening to me?

“I see,” she followed with a smile, very different to her usual smirk.

Then, Neko poked Rosa and pointed at her pumpkin bag.

“My candy bag? I forgot to bring it,” Rosa replied with a somewhat forced smile.

“H-huh? Then, how can you get the candies later?” I asked with a slight worried face. “Should we get another one from the teachers?”

“It’s fine. I’m not really fond of candies anyway,” Rosa followed with a light smile. “I will just watch over you two later when you’re getting candies.”

“I...see,” I said shyly one again, with my eyes roaming around not knowing where to fix my gaze.

As for Neko, she just looked at mine and Rosa’s expression back and forth.

“Let’s go? The program will soon start,” Rosa said. Neko and I both nodded as our reply and we followed her towards the gymnasium where the event’s program will be held.

The program consists of introduction, speeches, a Halloween play, singers singing and many more. Also, there’s a provided lunch for each of us later. But instead of watching and listening, the three of us just played Uekimon as we sit next to each other while the program is running.

“You still have a long way to go, Neko,” Rosa said with a cheerful smile after beating Neko in a 6v6 uekimon battle.

“Rosa, I’m next! I’ve trained my uekimon so much that my Weedolizard is now at max level,” I said excitedly.

“Sure,” Rosa responded and battled me.

Usually, Rosa has a habit of making evil smiles and laugh like an antagonist when competing in a game with someone but for some reason, today, she just smiled cheerfully as our battle continues.

“I can’t get distracted right now! I have to win this” I thought to myself as I concentrate in our uekimon battle.

“So that is your last uekimon, your starter,” Rosa commented after I revealed my ace uekimon, Weedolizard.

It’s now a 1v1 between her lv. 100 Bloomusaur and my lv. 100 Weedolizard after the rest of our uekimon got defeated. Even though her Bloomusaur is still at full HP and my Weedolizard is now at only 70% HP after using it two times to defeat her other uekimon earlier, I still have a chance to win because originally, my starter has a type advantage against her’s.

“I’m gonna take this win, Rosa,” I said with a smile.

“We’ll see about that,” she replied with a gentle smile.

And after an intense battle, my ace uekimon finally won against her strongest uekimon, making me win against Rosa in a uekimon battle for the first time.

“I did it!” I said happily and jumped around, forgetting the program is still ongoing. Everyone looked at me because of what I did.

Suddenly, Neko poked me and looked around to show me everyone’s surprised reaction.

“S-sorry!” I apologized shyly and sat down once again in a very red face.

“Congratulations, Prince,” Rosa said and chuckled.

Seeing that, I once again blushed and averted my gaze.

I finally won but what is this feeling? I can’t explain it.

“And now, we will announce the winner of best costume for this event!” the MC suddenly announced energetically.

I then looked at Rosa now watching the program with a smile.

“I think Rosa will win this,” I unconsciously whispered.

Hearing that, Neko gave me a nod to show her agreement.

Wait...did I say that out loud? Rosa will tease me!

“Hoh~ So you find me that beautiful today,” Rosa said in my imagination and laughed afterwards.

I then shook my head to forget that imagination and looked at Rosa anxiously.

“I see. Thank you,” she just said in a gorgeous smile, making me blushed once again.

“And the winner is...Yuki from class 6-A!” the MC announced and a girl with platinum blonde hair ascended the stage. She’s also wearing a full gown but instead of a yellow one like Rosa’s, the concept is frilly and the color is split between white and icy blue.

“I guess she’s more beautiful than me after all,” Rosa suddenly commented with a smile as she looked at the winner on stage receiving a trophy.

“Th-that’s not true at all!” I interjected seriously. Because of that, she looked at me with a surprised expression and after a couple of seconds, she blushed and looked at me with a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Prince,” Rosa said.

H-huh? Why did I suddenly say that? How embarrassing!

“You’re...welcome,” I followed shyly and looked away, red to my ears.

After the MC told us to visit the booth before the final program starts, we decided to roam around the said booths just outside the gymnasium.

“The trick or treat will start at 4:30 pm, right?” Rosa asked as we walk forward with each of us eating a hotdog stick that we just bought earlier.

“Yeah,” I said and took a bite on my hotdog. “So we’ve got more than an hour to visit different booths.”

“Then, let’s check out everything,” Rosa responded with a smile and Neko nodded.

Then, Rosa saw lots of garbage lying around the floor. This is bad.

“Neko, cover Rosa’s eyes!” I instructed but it was already too late.

“Jeez, these grade schoolers. How can’t they throw their trash into the proper place?” Rosa asked with furrowed eyebrows and started picking up garbage around the area.

There it is...Rosa’s perfectionist habit. She can’t handle misplaced things no matter what it is so she always put them back to the place where it should really be to make the surroundings orderly.

“Guess we’ll have to assist her again,” I said to Neko with a resigned smile and she agreed with a nod.

After checking out different booths while picking garbage along the way, we found ourselves in front of a fortune-telling booth. There’s just a female student there, probably a 6th grader, wearing a witch outfit while sitting before a crystal ball on top of a table covered with black tablecloth.

“Want to know your future, kids?” she asked with a creepy smile.

Kids? We’re just around the same age as you, you know.

Then, Neko suddenly stepped forward and gave the fortune-telling girl a nod.

“You’re interested, Neko?” I reacted, slightly surprised.

She then looked at me and gave me a nod.

“Let’s see...” the witch girl said and started petting her crystal ball. Then, she got surprised and looked at Neko. “In the future, you’ll become Sleeping Beauty!”

This fortune-telling is definitely a fraud! Where did that even come from?

Hearing that, Neko then looked at us and tilted her head slightly, probably confused on the fortune-telling.

“Well, just don’t mind it,” I said to her.

“I can also do percentage compatibility on couples. Would you like to try it, you two,” the witch girl asked to me and Rosa.

“Sure,” Rosa said cheerfully.

‘Wait, we’re gonna do this too?” I reacted, surprised.

“Let’s see...” the witch once again said after repeating her ritual from earlier. Then, she got surprised and looked at us happily. “You two are 100 percent compatible! Why don’t you two just marry already?”

“100 percent?” I repeated with sudden blushed face.

“I wonder if they’re going for Barnum Effect here,” Rosa followed and chuckled.

Barnum what? Isn’t that the purple dinosaur or something?

“Then, please proceed to the next booth. It’s called marriage booth and with the same price, you can marry each other and even receive a commemorative ring after the ceremony,” the witch blatantly advertised to us with a creepy smile.

“No. We’re gonna pass on that,” I retorted in an emotionless look.

What a hoax.

After paying, we decided to go back to the gymnasium once again where the final event, the trick-or-treat, will start. After the MC appeared on the stage, he discussed us the rules of the last program. Basically, a teacher is waiting in different classrooms across the school and we need to visit each one to get different candies. With that, the three of us went around the school and after filling up both our bags, we decided to call it a day and go home.

The sun is now setting. After walking Neko home, I decided to remove my mask as Rosa and I walked together.

“I didn’t know how refreshing it is without a mask,” I said with a cooled expression after placing it on top of the candies in my pumpkin bag.

“That mask looks really hot after all,” Rosa commented with a smile.

After that, we became silent for a while, not talking about anything along the way.

Why am I getting bothered with the sudden lack of conversation? Before, I don’t even care about this sort of silence.

“That event...was really fun...” Rosa suddenly said with a somewhat sad smile.

I then looked at her and smiled afterwards. “Yeah. But it will even be more fun if you didn’t forget your pumpkin bag. Just look on how many Neko and I claimed earlier.”

“I won’t forget this day in my life, Prince. I’m happy that I met both you and Neko,” she suddenly said with a gentle smile after stopping from walking.

Seeing that, I stopped too and faced her.

“Well...me too but why are you saying something like that out of the blue?” I asked anxiously.

“We’re now in front of your house,” she suddenly informed me with a smile.

I then got surprised and when I looked at my left side, I really saw the gate of my house.

“We’re already here?” I reacted, baffled.

For some reason, I still don’t want to part ways here. What should I do?

“Do you want to…walk around a little bit before going home?” Rosa asked with a gentle smile.

Hearing that, I gave her a beam and nodded.

──◈─▣─♕─▣─◈──

We walked around the residential area. The sky became dark and the light post lighted one by one. When we reached the rice field part where people and vehicles couldn’t be seen anywhere, Rosa stopped and faced the field with a smile. I followed her gaze and saw the vast field with the dark mountains near the horizon. Then, the fresh air of the night gently passed us.

“Want to see something cool?” Rosa asked after she looked at me.

“Cool?” I repeated, puzzled.

She then looked back to the field and followed her gaze.

Suddenly, a swarm of fireflies appeared and lit the grassland. The scene was dazzling.

“How beautiful,” I commented in amazement as the insects before us faintly glow around.

“It’s really peaceful here,” Rosa whispered. Then, she looked at me and continued, “Lots of things happened since I met you, didn’t it?”

I became slightly surprised after hearing that but immediately gave her a smile and a nod.

“You changed my life, Rosa. And I’m really grateful for that. If I didn’t meet you, I’m sure I will still be the cowardly kid who can’t stand up for himself.”

Rosa shook her head with a smile and responded, “It’s you. You’re the one who had the courage to take a step. So don’t forget that as you grow older.”

For some reason, I suddenly felt uneasy though I couldn’t explain the reason why.

“Rosa…” I called anxiously.

“What is it?” she asked with a smile.

“It’s…nothing,” I said as I shook my head. “You’ll still play with us, right?”

Her eyes somewhat became surprised but immediately shifted back to normal like it was just my imagination.

“Of course,” she answered with a solemn-like smile.

“Then, it’s all good,” I replied with a smile of relief.

Suddenly, Rosa made a couple of steps towards me and stopped, with our faces close to each other.

Huh? This again. My heart is really beating fast.

“Trick or treat?” she suddenly asked with a smile.

“Trick...or...treat?” I repeated, confused.

“Well, I think I want some sweets after all,” she followed with a bashful smile.

So she really wants candies after all.

“Just three is enough,” she continued.

“S-sure,” I replied and grabbed three candies from my bag. Then, I gave it to her.

“Thank you,” she said and smiled happily. “Want a treat too in exchange for this?”

“But you didn’t get any sweets earlier, right?” I asked with a puzzled face.

Will she give a candy back to me just to do that?

Then, she suddenly drew closer to my face and kissed my cheek. That action made my whole body stunned. After that, she stepped backward and gave me a beautiful smile.

“That’s the only sweet thing I can give you right now,” she said and started jogging away. “See you tomorrow, Prince!”

Before I knew it, she disappeared from my sight as I stand there blankly.

“It’s too sweet...” I whispered, still with wide-opened eyes and hanging mouth.