The chanting started before XH's brain could catch up.

  "COU PLE! COU PLE! COU PLE!"

  It rolled across the field like a wave, loud enough to shake even the people pretending they didn't care.

  XH stood frozen near the noodle stall, still holding his paper cup, the steam fading as if it, too, had lost confidence. The music from the speakers kept playing, cheerful and loud, like it didn't understand the danger it had just invited.

  Kitty was on his left.

  June was on his right.

  And the space between them felt smaller than the towel would be.

  Up on the stage, JP was glowing with the kind of pride only an idiot could carry so comfortably. He held the microphone like a trophy.

  "Listen," JP shouted, "it's Water Festival. It's tradition now."

  "It is not tradition," TZ yelled from somewhere behind the crowd.

  JP ignored him. "You all wanted romance. You all wanted drama. Don't act shy now."

  "JP!" XH called out, voice sharper than intended.

  JP leaned forward, smiling innocently. "Yes, captain?"

  XH clenched his jaw. "You're dead."

  JP only laughed. "Sign ups start now! First ten pairs only! Hurry!"

  The crowd surged toward the sign up table.

  A girl from business major grabbed a towel and immediately dragged a boy forward, shrieking with laughter. A computing major couple followed, practically running. People didn't hesitate because the game wasn't really about winning.

  It was about being seen.

  XH's stomach tightened. He could feel eyes already sliding toward him, curious, hungry, amused.

  The campus loved stories.

  And today, the campus had already decided he was one.

  Kitty's fingers hovered near her braid, adjusting nothing, doing something with her hands because silence had become too loud.

  June's posture was straight. Calm. Controlled. Like she was waiting for XH to say something that would either save her pride or destroy it.

  Cherry lingered a few steps away, arms crossed, smiling like she'd bought tickets for a show.

  NC stood behind Kitty, expression gentle but alert. Jihye was already bouncing, whispering excitedly to Anna.

  NS stood with the boys, face unreadable. But his gaze kept flicking toward Kitty and then away, like he was trying to convince himself he didn't care.

  XH swallowed.

  His cup was cold now.

  Kitty spoke first, voice light but careful. "JP really wants you dead."

  June's voice followed, equally light, but edged. "He wants you exposed."

  XH glanced between them. "It's just a game."

  Kitty's eyes softened slightly. "Games still make people choose."

  June didn't look away. "Especially in public."

  The chanting grew louder.

  Someone shouted, "HEALTH TRACK! HEALTH TRACK! GET IN!"

  JP cupped a hand around his mouth and yelled from the stage, "XH! You owe the people!"

  TZ groaned again. "You owe us silence, not this!"

  XH took a slow breath. He could feel heat rising in his neck. Not from embarrassment alone.

  From the fact that he knew, deep down, that whichever direction he leaned would mean something. Even if he insisted it didn't.

  He turned slightly toward Kitty.

  Kitty met his eyes. She didn't smile. She didn't plead. She didn't tease.

  She simply held his gaze like a quiet prayer.

  Then he turned slightly toward June.

  June's expression didn't change. But something in her eyes sharpened, like she was refusing to blink first.

  Both of them were waiting.

  Not for a towel.

  For an answer neither of them had asked directly.

  Behind them, JP shouted again, "LAST TWO SLOTS!"

  The crowd roared.

  XH's brain finally moved.

  He stepped back.

  Not away from them. Just away from the pressure of standing between them like a rope in a tug of war.

  He raised his hands slightly, as if surrendering.

  "We're health track," he said, voice carrying enough to reach the group, not the whole crowd. "We send two pairs."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  JP froze on stage. "Two pairs?"

  XH nodded. "Two pairs. That's fair."

  Kitty blinked. June blinked.

  Cherry's eyebrows rose, impressed despite herself.

  JP's mouth opened, then closed, as his brain tried to catch up. "We can do that?"

  TZ shouted, "Yes! Do that! Save us all!"

  JP hesitated. Then grinned like it had been his idea all along. "YES! HEALTH TRACK DOMINANCE! TWO PAIRS! LET'S GO!"

  The crowd cheered again, delighted by any escalation.

  XH turned to Kitty, then to June. "You both wanted to play, right?"

  Kitty's lips curved slightly, relief hidden inside the smile. "I didn't say I wanted to play."

  XH lifted an eyebrow. "You said you wanted me present."

  Kitty's cheeks warmed. "That was different."

  June crossed her arms. "I'll play."

  Kitty glanced at June. June glanced back.

  A silent flash of rivalry.

  Then Kitty said, calmly, "Fine. I'll play too."

  JP slid off the stage and ran toward them like a host drunk on chaos. "Okay! Who's pairing with who?"

  XH opened his mouth.

  Before he could answer, June spoke quickly. "I'm with XH."

  It wasn't shouted.

  But it landed like a claim.

  XH's chest tightened.

  Kitty's expression didn't change much, but her eyes flickered.

  NC's gaze sharpened. Cherry smirked wider. Jihye's mouth fell open like she was watching a show she could not believe was real.

  JP looked thrilled. "Ohhh. Okay. Okay."

  Kitty's voice was light, too light. "Then I'm with NS."

  NS flinched like someone had thrown ice water down his spine.

  He stared at Kitty. "What?"

  Kitty shrugged, pretending it was obvious. "We need another pair. Unless you want JP."

  JP immediately waved both hands. "Not me! I'm the organizer. I'm the referee. I'm the legend behind the scenes."

  TZ muttered, "Coward."

  Kitty looked at NS again, softer now. "Unless you don't want to."

  NS's throat moved as he swallowed.

  He looked at Kitty's face, then away, then back again. His expression was controlled, but his ears were red.

  "I'll do it," NS said quietly.

  Kitty nodded once, as if that settled everything.

  But it didn't.

  Not inside XH.

  Not inside June.

  Not inside the crowd.

  The sign up table handed them towels.

  Big towels. Bright colors. Like flags.

  XH's towel was dark blue.

  NS and Kitty got a pale one, almost white.

  JP held the microphone and announced, "Health track pairs, step into the spray zone!"

  The spray zone was a long corridor formed by two lines of volunteers holding hoses, ready to blast water at anyone who dared run through. The finish line was a strip of tape near the stage.

  Rules were simple.

  Two people share one towel over their heads.

  No hands holding the towel.

  No separating.

  You run close. You stay close.

  If the towel drops, you restart.

  XH stood at the starting line with June.

  The towel in his hands felt heavier than a towel should.

  June stood beside him, expression unreadable.

  Her hair was damp from earlier, strands sticking to her neck. Her cheeks were still flushed from the festival. She looked beautiful in the way people looked when they didn't realize they were being watched.

  XH lifted the towel slowly, then hesitated.

  June leaned in slightly. "What are you waiting for?"

  XH swallowed. "Nothing."

  June's voice dropped, quieter. "Don't make this weird."

  XH's eyes flicked to hers. "I'm not trying to."

  June's mouth tightened. "Then stop looking like you're about to run away."

  The words hit closer than the game.

  XH exhaled. "Okay."

  He lifted the towel and draped it over both of their heads.

  Instantly, the world narrowed.

  The towel blocked out most of the noise. The edges framed June's face close to his, closer than normal, close enough for him to see the small droplets clinging to her eyelashes.

  June's eyes widened slightly, then steadied.

  Her voice was soft now, hidden under fabric. "See? Not scary."

  XH tried to laugh, but it came out as a breath. "You're too confident."

  June tilted her head slightly. "Someone has to be."

  Outside the towel, JP's voice boomed. "ON YOUR MARK!"

  NS and Kitty stood a few feet away, towel over them too.

  Kitty's face was partially hidden, but XH could still see her through the gap, eyes focused, calm. NS looked stiff, like he didn't know where to put his breathing.

  Kitty whispered something to NS. NS nodded once, jaw tight.

  Then the whistle blew.

  They ran.

  At first, it was awkward.

  June and XH bumped shoulders immediately. Their steps were out of sync. The towel slipped slightly and June grabbed XH's sleeve by instinct.

  Then she remembered the rule.

  No hands.

  She released him quickly and leaned closer instead, forcing their bodies to move as one.

  The first blast of water hit them from the side, cold and shocking, soaking through the towel instantly. June gasped, then laughed.

  XH felt her laugh against his chest like a vibration.

  Under the towel, the world became breath and warmth and water.

  June's voice, close. "Don't slow down!"

  XH's voice, strained. "I'm trying!"

  They ran harder.

  The towel clung to their hair, wet and heavy, but it also trapped heat between them.

  June's shoulder pressed into his. Their steps found rhythm. Their heads dipped closer without thinking, the towel creating a small private room inside a public game.

  The crowd screamed. Names shouted. Someone laughed hysterically.

  XH didn't hear most of it.

  He heard June breathing.

  Fast. Alive. Determined.

  Then she stumbled slightly on the slick ground.

  XH reacted instantly, leaning into her, shifting his weight to keep her upright. Their faces brushed for a fraction of a second, cheek to cheek, so close it felt like an accident and a choice at the same time.

  June went still.

  Under the towel, her eyes flicked up to his.

  XH's heart kicked hard.

  For a moment, the running stopped in his mind.

  He saw only her.

  Then another blast of water hit them and reality snapped back.

  June cursed softly, then laughed again. "Move!"

  They ran.

  Behind them, Kitty and NS were running too.

  Kitty was surprisingly fast, pulling NS into rhythm. NS looked like he'd forgotten how to breathe properly, but he kept up.

  Kitty's expression under the towel was focused, but her eyes were bright.

  At one point, Kitty glanced sideways, catching sight of June and XH under their towel.

  Her smile faltered for half a second.

  Then she smiled again.

  Smaller.

  Tighter.

  Like she was holding something inside her.

  The finish line was close.

  June and XH reached it first by a small margin, stumbling across the tape and collapsing into laughter as the towel fell from their heads.

  The crowd erupted.

  JP screamed into the microphone, "HEALTH TRACK WINS! XH AND JUNE TAKE IT!"

  June stood up, soaked, hair messy, breathing hard, laughing with her whole face.

  Then she turned to XH.

  Her eyes held his.

  And in that gaze, the game ended and something else began.

  Not a confession.

  Not a promise.

  A tension that would not disappear just because the towel had fallen.

  Kitty and NS crossed the line seconds later.

  Kitty was laughing too, but her laughter was quieter.

  NS was breathless, staring at the ground like he couldn't believe he'd survived.

  Kitty stepped away from NS and looked toward XH.

  Their eyes met.

  For a second, neither smiled.

  The crowd was still cheering. JP was still shouting. People were still laughing.

  But inside that one second, the festival noise blurred.

  Kitty's gaze said something she didn't.

  June's gaze said something she wouldn't admit.

  XH stood between them again, soaked to the bone, pretending his heart wasn't doing something reckless inside his chest.

  JP ran over, holding out a prize like it was holy. "You guys are legends. LEGENDS."

  June snatched the prize without looking, still staring at XH. "We're not done."

  XH blinked. "Not done with what?"

  June leaned closer, voice low so only he could hear. "Don't act like you don't feel it."

  XH froze.

  Kitty watched from a few steps away, expression unreadable.

  NS stepped beside Kitty quietly, like he was trying to shield her from seeing too much.

  Then Kitty turned away first, wiping water from her face with her sleeve, laughing softly at something NC said, like she was fine.

  But XH saw her hand tremble for a fraction of a second.

  And he knew.

  The towel game had been a joke to everyone else.

  But for the three of them, it had been a public rehearsal of something much more serious.

  A future where closeness would always be witnessed.

  Where laughter would always come with consequences.

  Where water, once released, never stopped finding its way into the cracks.

  Above them, the stage lights flickered as the music restarted.

  Festival night continued.

  But the mood had shifted.

  The Water Festival was no longer just water.

  It was heat.

  It was pride.

  It was attention.

  And it was the beginning of the part where pretending stopped working.