He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

One more person missing.

"Hey, should we ask Miike and Mom for help?" Sakura suggested.

"I'm sorry, student, we have a rule that only students from Sakura High School can participate in the competition."

Parents and people from outside the school are welcome to attend the school festival. If there were no restrictions on the number of attendees, the festival would be more than a day long.

"Then what should we do? Should we find a random classmate to help?" Sakura suggested again.

The girls' expressions clearly indicated that they felt it was inappropriate; it was not suitable for adults to participate in a competition between students.

Shirakawa stepped forward: "Excuse me, could you make an exception? It'll be three against two for us."

“No, that won’t work,” the host said with a troubled expression. “There must be three people in a team, otherwise it’s not fair to the people who are going on stage now.”

If two people are allowed to participate, setting a precedent, students might see that the personnel requirements are not so strict, and there might be situations where one person forms their own team or four people form a team. Those who have finished the competition may also have objections.

"Hey, you!" Nikaido stepped forward. "Stop with all this nonsense. We're on one team with Shirakawa, and the three of you are on another. We'll use this space to settle this score!"

She spent the day with Shirakawa at the school festival; she didn't want to waste any more time there, and besides, she didn't want to see Shirakawa begging for favors.

"Hey, hey, don't rush me! Nikaido." Jackie took out her phone, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she sent a message, "You just need students from Sakura High School, right? I have a friend who happens to be free and can come over!"

"Friend, is that Hoshimiya Shio?" Shirakawa asked. "Don't call her..."

"Sigh, don't worry, it's not Xing Gongxi. I doubt she'd be interested in this kind of competition anyway, so I called someone else."

"Who is it?"

"Here it comes," Jackie said, pointing behind Shirakawa.

A beautiful girl with short blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a school uniform, squeezed through the crowd.

Ayako first saw Jackie and greeted her with a smile, then she saw Shirakawa.

His eyes seemed to brighten a bit.

"Ah! Shirakawa!" Ako rushed over and hugged Shirakawa tightly.

The girls watched this scene with great confusion.

Especially Jackie, she couldn't understand how Yako and Shiro had become so close.

In her opinion, the only connection between Ayako and Shiro was the Hypnosis Big Event, and she didn't see any interaction between Ayako and Shiro before or after the event.

Even when she and Shiro went to the club activity room last time, Ayako was still sleeping.

He's always been the one playing games with Ayako, and she's never mentioned Shiro.

Why did they suddenly become so affectionate, hugging and kissing?

"Ayako~~" Shirakawa whispered as he pushed Ayako away.

"Hehe~~Are you worried that Sakura and Maki will be jealous?" Ako asked with a smile in a low voice.

Shirakawa nodded slightly.

"Okay, okay, I know, but you have to make it up to me when we're alone!" Ako poked Shirakawa's little belly.

Shirakawa had no choice but to agree, but at the same time, he was completely baffled.

After leaving the world of memories, what exactly happened to Ako's memories?

Before he could think any further, Shirakawa felt a chill and the women beside him cast sharp glances at him.

"Ah, everyone, Shirakawa and I are just ordinary friends. We haven't seen each other in a long time, so I'm a little excited. Please don't mind me," Ako explained to everyone.

Apart from Jackie, the other three girls didn't take it too seriously.

"Jackie," Yako came over to Jackie with a giggle, "When does the quiz start? I can't wait!"

"Soon, just wait until we register."

Only Jackie still felt strange, sensing a huge change in the aura surrounding Yako.

I used to be a rather dull, game-obsessed shut-in, but now I'm much more sunny and cheerful.

It feels like I've been possessed...

Could it be that Xiaobai used the power of that god to do something to Ayako, making her fall in love with Xiaobai?

If Ayako genuinely liked Shirakawa, she could accept it, but using the power of the gods to manipulate her best friend's feelings, even changing her personality, was something Jackie found hard to accept.

No, I need to find some time to ask and find out.

"Jackie," Yako leaned in, interrupting Jackie's thoughts, "who am I on a team with?"

This is a problem. Captains Nikaido and Maki have confirmed it. How should the team members be assigned?

"I want Shirakawa!" Nikaido reached out and snatched Shirakawa away first. "Shirakawa wants to go to the school festival with me, so he definitely wants me to win. Therefore, it is only natural that we are on the same team, right, Shirakawa?"

Shirakawa nodded, avoiding Maki's gaze.

"Ah, Shirakawa, even though we've already... Hmph! Sakura, let's join forces as sisters and take down Shirakawa!" Maki pulled Sakura into her arms.

"Okay," Sakura replied softly, nodding.

She maintained a relatively neutral stance, neither helping nor offending anyone.

"Then, what about Jackie and Ayako?" Shirakawa asked.

“I’m on a team with Shiro!” Jackie suddenly raised her hand and walked over to Nikaido.

Nikaido was deeply moved: "I knew Jackie would help me. Don't worry, I will definitely win."

“Of course, we will definitely win,” Jackie said with a smile.

So, everyone formed a team.

Maki, Sakura, and Ako form one team; Shirakawa, Nikaido, and Jackie form another team.

Shirakawa negotiated with the staff again, agreeing to forgo the prize as a condition, and successfully obtained the competition qualification.

The prize for winning is a free admission ticket to the school festival. With this ticket, you can enjoy the school festival for free, including food from stalls, the haunted house organized by students in the classrooms, and the maid café.

Of course, the "merchants" wouldn't be allowed to lose out for nothing. Everything purchased with the free admission tickets was reimbursed by the student council president, Hoshimiya Shio. The items sold by the students were also very cheap, so this small amount of money was nothing to her.

Shirakawa and his group stood on either side of the large screen on the stage, waiting for the competition to begin.

While waiting, Shirakawa observed the stage.

First, the three members of each team sit on opposite sides of the stage. In front of each person is a device similar to a podium with a red button. Pressing the button allows them to answer questions, and all the questions are displayed on a large screen behind the host.

The questions are diverse and varied, including knowledge learned in school, general literary knowledge, and even some life tips.

In order to protect Nikaido, Shirakawa must win the match.

He glanced at their team's lineup: the not-so-bright older sister and the foreigner Jackie, while on the other side were the honor student Maki, the gal Sakura, and the gamer Ako.

We can forget about the eldest sister; it's just a matter of how well Jackie performs.

I can only rely on myself and Jackie...

Jackie sat to the side, a new idea forming in her mind.

She wanted to find time to talk to Shirakawa alone, but Nikaido and Maki, no matter who won, would be glued to Shirakawa all day, so it wasn't convenient for her to ask.

so...

Jackie opened her phone and secretly sent a message to Maki.

Jackie: I can help you, but I have one condition.

Ding Dong!

Maki's phone rang in her pocket.

He took out his phone, saw Jackie's message, and immediately pretended nothing was wrong, secretly sending a message.

Maki: What are the conditions?

Jackie: Can I borrow Shirakawa for a few minutes? There are some things I want to ask him.

Maki: Of course.

To win, to reclaim Shirakawa, Maki didn't care about anything else.

The two women put down their phones, exchanged a quick glance, and nodded slightly.

The transaction is established.

"Alright, the match is over. The red team has won! Please take your prizes." The host took three lottery tickets out of his pocket and distributed them to the winners.

"Now, please welcome the next two teams to the stage."

Two teams, one led by Nikaido and the other by Maki, took to the stage.

"Aren't they the people who act in stage plays?"

"Yes! It's the girls from Class 2-A!"

"Wow, this is great! I can see pretty ladies again!"

Cheers erupted from the boys in the audience.

"Alright, alright, everyone, please be quiet. What is your team's name?" The host said, putting the microphone to Nikaido's mouth.