Yasushi sat on the bench, his meal in hand, taking slow bites, savoring the quiet moment. Beside him, Yunxue sipped from her boba tea, the small stand nearby offering a welcome distraction. It had popped up at the edge of the school grounds, manned by students who weren't too interested in hunting for eggs. Snacks and boba were a perfect excuse for a break, and Yasushi and Yunxue took full advantage of it.
They weren't heavily invested in the Easter event. They weren't like the others who darted back and forth across the grounds with wild energy. Only an hour had passed, but the air buzzed with activity.
Yasushi had spotted groups of students moving from the school grounds to the outer edges, their voices trailing behind them. He and Yunxue had managed to snag twelve eggs between them, but they weren't rushing around, desperate for more. The competition was more for fun — at least, for them.
Yunxue swirled her drink, tapping her straw against the cup before looking over at him. "How many eggs do you think they've gathered by now?" she asked, her tone casual, though she kept her eyes on the other students.
Yasushi shrugged, thinking about it for a moment. "Furuya? He's probably stacked up a lot by now. The guy came decked out in tactical gear. I mean, camo, seriously? He's treating this like a military op." He paused, glancing at a group of students huddled near the edge of the field. "But Reina's no slouch either. She's got Xinyi and Jingliu helping her out. They're covering more ground than most people."
He took another bite, watching as more students moved through the grounds. "And that's not even counting the rest of the school jumping in," he added, a smirk pulling at his lips.
Yunxue gave a small nod and rested her head on Yasushi's shoulder, her weight leaning into him. "So, what's next? Keep looking? You did say we'd hand everything over to Furuya when we were done."
Yasushi glanced ahead, thinking it over. "Yeah, might as well. You still haven't explored the whole school yet, right? We could poke around random classrooms. We might stumble on more eggs while we're at it."
Yunxue didn't hesitate, nodding immediately. "Oh! Can we stop by the pool too? We never really had many classes there. I love swimming, especially since Lady Jingliu's place in China had that huge pool."
Yasushi gave a shrug of agreement. "I think it's open. But they probably drained the pool for the day, so don't get any ideas about jumping in."
"Roger that!" Yunxue replied, saluting with mock seriousness that made Yasushi let out a short laugh.
After a moment, they cleaned up their mess, tossing their empty cups and wrappers before heading for the school building. Stepping through the entrance, they were met with a crowd of students scouring every inch of the place. No spot was being left unchecked — students tearing through every classroom, hallway, and locker in search of eggs. It was a mess of movement, and the noise of shuffling feet filled the space.
"Looking for that golden egg, huh?" Yunxue asked, a quiet laugh slipping out as she watched the scene around them.
Yasushi shook his head. "I did it during my first year, yeah, but it was a shitshow. Didn't bother joining in last time either, and it got canned anyway. But this year? Everyone's going all in. Way more chaotic than before."
They weaved through clusters of students who were practically tearing the place apart, eyes scanning for eggs. As they climbed the stairs to the second-year floor, they spotted Hana, their classmate, standing near the window. She was the one who usually handled their costumes for Halloween, always coming up with something different.
"Yunxue, Yasushi — are you two in on this egg hunt?" Hana asked, leaning casually against the wall.
Yasushi slowed as they approached. "Sort of," he replied. "We're more or less just wandering around. If we spot any eggs, we'll grab them, but we're not taking it too seriously. Our friends, though? They're losing their minds over this. What about you?"
He and Yunxue stood before her now, waiting for her response as the noise from the frantic students echoed through the halls.
Hana let out a low laugh and gave a nod. "Yeah, me and some others are trying, but we didn't realize how crazy people would get over the prizes. I swear, it's like a warzone out here." She rubbed the back of her neck, clearly amused by the whole thing. "Pretty sure I saw Furuya decked out in tactical gear too."
Yasushi and Yunxue both nodded, having seen it themselves. "Yep, he's dead set on that prize," Yasushi replied, shaking his head with a small grin.
"Well, good luck to him. He's gonna need it," Hana said before her group called her over from across the hall. She waved, then left them to continue their wandering.
Yasushi and Yunxue drifted through the corridors, weaving around other students in search of eggs. Every now and then, Yasushi would stop to point out random quirks about their classmates, things that never seemed important until now.
Yunxue had always been drawn to the science labs, so when they reached those rooms, Yasushi gave her an impromptu tour. She'd been in those classes before but hadn't gotten a real look at the more obscure stuff scattered around.
After checking a few more classrooms, they eventually ended up at the rooftop. What caught them off guard wasn't just the view, but the fact that the school had opened it up to students. Usually, it stayed locked. They stepped out into the open air, taking in the unexpected freedom of it.
"Our sanctuary, overrun!" Yunxue said, mocking shock as her voice cut through the noise of students bustling around them.
Yasushi glanced around. "I didn't think they'd bother clearing the snow from the rooftop just for this event," he said. "But look, it's already coming back, even if just a bit." He watched as students combed through what little snow remained, each person digging around as if they'd find treasure buried underneath.
They wandered for a while before stumbling upon a couple of eggs tucked away in spots Yasushi doubted anyone else would've thought to check. Not long after, Yunxue found three more hidden beneath some pipes and by the outdoor air vents, the cold metal slick with frost.
"Guess it helps that we're up here more than most," Yunxue said, dropping the eggs into her bag.
"Yeah. They look lost up here. But I bet they found a few already," Yasushi replied, pausing to watch a group of students digging aimlessly.
They kept searching, managing to grab two more eggs before the crowd swelled. The cold was starting to bite, and neither of them had dressed for the rooftop, so they decided it was time to head down.
+-+
The Easter event wasn't without its problems. As soon as Yasushi and Yunxue made it to the second floor, they ran into a scene unfolding.
"I found it first!" one boy yelled.
"No, you didn't, dumbass! I grabbed it before you even saw it!" the other boy shot back.
They stood there, practically ready to throw punches, with a fake egg sitting between them like it was some kind of prize. Both of them squared off, fists clenched, not backing down. Before things could get ugly, the gym teacher and the science teacher stepped in, cutting through the tension.
"Alright, that's enough," the science teacher said, pulling their focus away from each other. "We can figure this out easily."
The two boys looked ready to argue again, but the teacher wasn't done.
"This year, we managed to get some extra funding thanks to an anonymous donor and a couple of local businesses, so we've got way more security cameras around the school than last year. If you really want to know who found it first, we can check the footage."
Both boys seemed to take that challenge, barking out, "Fine!" at the same time before following the teachers toward the office, each of them still grumbling as they went.
"It's really that intense?" Yunxue asked, eyes flicking toward where the argument had just fizzled out.
Yasushi shrugged, hands shoved into his pockets as they moved down the hallway. "Yeah, it happens when the event is held. Back in my first year, there were at least eight fights. Most of them started by second-years, but there were some by first-years and third-years too. And if you think that's the worst of it, you're wrong."
She glanced at him, eyebrows pulled together. "What do you mean?"
Yasushi let out a dry laugh. "Some fights get stopped before they start, like this one. But more often than not, they'll meet up after everything's done. When the teachers aren't looking, they settle it with fists. Whoever walks away from it — well, they win. Simple as that."
"Over some damn eggs?" Yunxue shook her head as they turned toward the staircase.
"These eggs come with prizes. Decent ones. I mentioned that before, didn't I? For some of these idiots, it's like a life-or-death competition." Yasushi's voice trailed off as they headed outside, walking past the school building and toward the swimming pool.
"Speaking of chaos," Yasushi muttered, the sound of chanting catching their attention as they spotted students bolting toward the building, teachers trailing behind them.
Without a second thought, they followed. The doors swung open in front of them, and what they walked into could only be called a war zone. A full-on fistfight had broken out. The kind Yasushi had warned about.
Two boys in the middle of it, their faces smeared with blood, their knuckles cracked and split, throwing punches like they were possessed. They didn't stop, not even when their fists connected with bone over and over. Blood spattered the floor, mixing with fake eggs that had been scattered across the tiles like discarded debris, even a few rolling into the drained swimming pool.
The scene wasn't isolated. Around the building, you could see more pockets of trouble. Heated shouts from every corner, arguments bubbling into smaller scuffles. Some less bloody but still vicious. Shoving matches had broken out, shouts erupting between groups, fists swinging as tensions peaked.
Before Yasushi could make a comment, more staff surged into the room, security guards in tow. The two boys in the center were finally tackled by teachers and guards, ripped apart from each other as they were dragged away, kicking and snarling, blood staining their uniforms.
More staff poured into the chaos, moving through the crowd to break up the fights happening around them. It wasn't quick. It took time — pushing and shoving, holding back students who didn't want to let go of their anger.
Slowly though, the scene shifted, the violence winding down until they had no choice but to stop. Finally, the students were forced out of the building. A few, trying to be clever, scrambled to snatch up as many of the dropped eggs as they could, not ready to give up on the event just yet.
Yasushi and Yunxue slipped away, the whole thing cutting their time short. Yunxue had been looking forward to checking out the pool area, but that was no longer happening. She stood outside with her arms crossed, clearly frustrated. "I wanted to see it... damn it," she muttered.
"We'll get another shot... eventually. But for now, we should make the most of it. There's still more to explore, especially around the school," Yasushi said, trying to lighten the mood. He started walking ahead, expecting her to follow. Yunxue, still not thrilled with how things had gone, sighed but eventually fell in step, though her mood hadn't really improved.