"Another challenge?"

"Yes! I know I'll beat you this time."

"And what do I get if I win, Miss Rank Two?"

"Don't call me 'Miss Rank Two!' What do you want if you win?"

"Hm… a date."

"A date?"

"Yes, if I win you have to go on a date with me this Sunday."

"Fine! And if I win you can never call me 'Miss Rank Two' again!"

"Deal."

This was it, the opportunity that Hikari had been waiting for. There was no way she could lose this time. Her outgoing personality and friendly demeanor would surely guarantee her victory. Takashima was too quiet and intimidating to pull this off. Sure he was charming, but this was a little kid event and his charms wouldn't work on them.

Every year the school held a fair for the elementary kids. It was held at the high school, but the middle school kids had no choice but to help out. The student council from the high school would plan it and the student council from the middle school would assign other kids certain duties to help set it up. High school students were allowed to help set up and run the fair, but it was not required. This is what gave Hikari her idea for their next challenge.

"The fair is Friday night, so we need to go sign up for a position."

"Are we going to work the same stand?"

"Yes, it wouldn't be fair if we didn't. Some stands are more popular than others, so the possibility of getting the same number of customers is slim to nothing."

"Fair enough. What stand will we be working?"

"I don't know yet, we have to go see what's available."

Hikari and Takashima stood up and gathered their things. They needed to go out to the announcement board to find out what was available. And as soon as they were gone, the rest of the S.A. began placing their bets.

"I bet that Kei wins this challenge too, just like he always does."

"Tadashi, how can you say such a thing! My little angel Hikari will win this for sure!"

"I don't know, Akira, I have a feeling that Kei will find a way to win. He wants that date with her."

"There is no way I'm letting that creep go on a date with my darling Hikari!"

'But if he wins, you won't have a choice, Akira.'

"He won't win, Megumi, because we're going to help Hikari."

"We are?"

"Of course!"

"But if Hikari finds out, she won't be happy. You know she likes to win these things fairly and with her own ability. If she finds out we helped her, then she'll go on that date."

"Well then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't find out."

Ryuu, Jun, Megumi, and Tadashi all looked down in defeat. There was no reasoning with Akira when it came to Hikari and Kei. And unfortunately for them, they had no way out. None of them had plans for Friday and none of them could come up with a good excuse. They were stuck.

"Now, who wants some tea?"

Out by the announcement board, Hikari and Takashima were looking over their options. There weren't a lot of openings for two people at one stand. It wasn't because other high school students rushed in and took all the two-person positions, it was just because that's where the middle school kids got assigned.

"So do you see any good positions to work, Takashima?"

"Well considering our options are numbered, I say that we should work the face painting stand."

"Face painting? Why that one?"

"Because it's the only decent looking, popular, two-person stand I see on this list. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all! I was just curious. Face painting it is!"

Hikari took a pen from her backpack and wrote her name on the list. She handed it to Takashima and he signed his name as well.

"Alright then, it's set! I'll see you Friday at four o'clock. Oh, and just so you know, we're each responsible for keeping count of how many customers we get. I trust you'll be honest."

"When have I ever lied, especially to you, Hikari?"

"I'm not saying you have. I just want it to be perfectly clear that if you lose, you have to be honest and accept it with grace."

"I can assure you that if I lose, I won't have a problem admitting it."

Hikari nodded her head and turned to walk away. Takashima followed behind her. They were both heading back to greenhouse when Hikari's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hikari! So what position did you guys sign up for?"

"Akira, we're on our way back to the greenhouse. I'll let you know when we get there, O.K.?"

"Alright, see you soon!"

When they arrived back at the greenhouse, Hikari was immediately tackled by Akira. She gave her best friend a bear hug and then dragged her back over to the table, forced her into a chair, and put a cup of tea and piece of cake down in front of her.

"So tell me, what did you guys sign up for?"

"Face painting."

"Face painting? Why that? Neither one of you are exactly artists."

"We don't have to be. They're little kids; they don't care if we're great artists. As long as what we paint is recognizable, they'll be happy. Besides, it was the only good two-person stand available."

"Hikari, you know I don't like it when you challenge Kei for stakes. I don't want you going on a date with that creeper!"

"Relax, Akira, I won't lose! I've thought this whole thing through."

"I'm sure you'll do great, Hikari."

"Thanks, Ryuu! It's good to know that you guys support me."

She had a big smile on her face and she then proceeded to drink the tea Akira gave her. Takashima had taken his seat next to her awhile ago. He took out a book and began to read where he left off. However, he was secretly planning out the details to his date with Hikari. He knew he wouldn't lose - the stakes were too high.

"A/N: Alright, this is my first S.A. fan fiction. This is going to be a multi-chapter story, so this is only the beginning. I would like to point out that I purposely switched between writing "Takashima" to "Kei." I did that because Hikari only refers to him as Takashima, while the rest of the S.A. refers to him as Kei. So I made the transition. I hope that wasn't too confusing for you guys. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story so far, and I'll be sure to update soon. Please review!"