The dunk tank looked innocent from a distance.
Up close, it was a loud little stage.
A metal seat perched above a pool of cold water, a target board bolted to the side, and a growing crowd that liked the idea of watching someone fall. Volunteers in embassy vests kept the energy light, clapping and joking and guiding people through rules like humiliation was a healthy community activity.
JP stared at the seat like it had personally challenged him.
"This is my kind of sport," JP said.
TZ looked at the water and frowned. "That water looks cold."
JP nodded. "That's why it builds character."
Cherry scanned the booth like she was checking for rigging. "It's literally designed for you to fall."
JP grinned. "Exactly. It's honest."
NC stepped forward with the map, calm and focused. "We need the last stamp. We do that first."
The volunteer smiled. "Treasure hunt."
NC nodded. "Treasure hunt."
The volunteer pointed to a small stand near the target board where a stamp pad sat under a clear plastic cover. "You can stamp after someone successfully triggers the drop, or if you complete the mini challenge."
Cherry's eyes narrowed. "Mini challenge."
The volunteer lifted a laminated card. "Answer a question about the embassy, or solve a quick clue."
JP clapped once. "We solve clues. We do not get wet."
TZ said, "Speak for yourself."
Jihye was already filming, voice low and excited. "This is the final stamp."
Kitty stood slightly behind NC with XH, her hands tucked in her sleeves. The wind had picked up. Flags snapped softly overhead. The sky was thicker now, clouded in a way that made the light feel muted.
XH glanced up once, then back to Kitty. He didn't say anything about the weather. He didn't want to summon it.
Kitty's eyes were already on the dunk tank target.
She looked like she was calculating more than she was playing.
NC read the mini challenge card. "Okay. Quick question. What is the name of the current embassy chancellor."
JP whispered, "Luis Enrique."
Cherry said, "Easy."
NC looked at the volunteer. "Luis Enrique."
The volunteer smiled. "Correct."
She lifted the plastic cover and slid the stamp pad toward NC. "Stamp your maps."
NC stamped first with careful precision. Anna stamped next, neat and quiet. Jihye stamped with a dramatic flourish. Cherry stamped and inspected the ink like it might be fake.
Kitty stepped forward to stamp, her face calm. She pressed the stamp down slowly. Then she stepped aside so XH could stamp.
XH stamped his map and handed it back to Kitty. Their fingers brushed lightly again.
Accidental.
But it had happened enough times today that it was starting to feel like its own language.
JP noticed. He always noticed.
He made a soft choking sound like he was being attacked by romance again.
Kitty turned her head slightly. "JP."
JP raised both hands. "I am silent. I am a monk."
TZ muttered, "You would get kicked out of a monastery in ten minutes."
JP grinned. "True."
NC folded the map and tucked it away. "Treasure hunt complete."
Jihye clapped. "We did it."
Cherry muttered, "For a keychain."
JP pointed at her. "For pride."
The volunteer waved them toward a prize redemption tent across the lawn. "Bring your stamped maps there later."
JP nodded. "We will return for our trophy."
Now that the stamp was secured, the dunk tank stopped being a mission and became a temptation.
The volunteer called out cheerfully, "Who wants to take a shot."
JP stepped forward immediately. "Me."
TZ grabbed his sleeve lightly. "Don't."
JP looked back. "Why."
TZ nodded toward the seat above the water. "Because you will volunteer yourself to sit up there."
JP's eyes widened. "I would never."
Cherry smirked. "You would absolutely."
JP hesitated, then grinned. "Okay. Maybe."
The booth crowd shifted as other students stepped up. Someone threw a ball, missed. Someone else threw and hit the edge, and the seated person flinched dramatically. Laughter rolled through the air.
Kitty watched quietly, but her gaze kept drifting to XH's face.
She looked like she was checking whether he was relaxed or holding tension in his jaw.
XH's posture was looser than it had been in weeks. The embassy day was doing something to him. It was letting him remember he was young.
Kitty liked seeing that.
She also didn't like how much she liked seeing that.
JP grabbed a ball and took his stance.
He threw.
He missed badly.
The crowd laughed. JP laughed too, pretending it was on purpose.
"That was a warning shot," JP announced.
TZ shook his head. "That was a tragedy."
JP threw again.
He hit the target board, but not the center.
The seated person stayed dry.
JP stared like he had been betrayed again.
Cherry laughed, sharp. "You can't aim."
JP pointed at her. "Try."
Cherry refused. "No."
Jihye lifted her phone. "I will do it."
NC blinked. "Jihye."
Jihye smiled brightly. "For content."
She threw.
She missed.
She threw again.
She hit the target lightly, and the seat above the water wobbled but didn't drop.
The crowd cheered anyway, because cheering was easy here.
Kitty watched the booth and the crowd, and then she felt the energy shift.
Not from the dunk tank.
From the side.
A pair of familiar voices drifted in from the game zone entrance, confident and loud in a way that announced they wanted to be noticed.
SRM arrived first, dressed polished, hair perfect, smile sharp like she had practiced it.
Thoon arrived beside her, and the air around the booth changed slightly.
Thoon didn't just walk in. She entered.
She wore confidence the way some people wore perfume. You could smell it before she even spoke.
JP froze mid-laugh.
TZ went still.
Cherry's eyes narrowed immediately. Not because she felt threatened, but because Cherry had always been allergic to people who enjoyed attention too much.
Jihye whispered, "Oh."
Anna quietly looked away, like she didn't want to be involved.
NC's face stayed neutral. She knew this was going to become something.
Thoon spotted the Health Track group quickly and smiled like she had just found a toy.
"Well," Thoon said smoothly, stepping closer. "Look who's here."
SRM laughed softly. "I told you they'd be here."
JP blinked. "How are you here."
Thoon lifted her chin slightly. "Invitation."
Cherry scoffed. "From who."
SRM smiled. "From people who matter."
JP pressed his hand to his chest dramatically. "That's rude."
Thoon's gaze flicked over JP's outfit, then to TZ's, then to XH, then to Kitty.
When her eyes landed on Kitty, her smile didn't change, but something sharp flickered behind it. Like she was measuring Kitty's place in the room.
Kitty didn't flinch. She held Thoon's gaze calmly, queen energy without needing a crown.
SRM turned toward the dunk tank, clapping once. "Oh, this is cute. Are we humiliating people."
JP grinned. "Yes. Join us."
Thoon stepped closer to the ball rack and picked up a ball without asking.
She turned toward JP first, smile sweet. "You go sit."
JP blinked. "Me."
Thoon nodded, voice smooth. "Yes. You."
JP looked at TZ like he wanted backup.
TZ didn't give it. TZ looked like he was trying not to laugh.
JP's cheeks warmed slightly. "Why."
Thoon smiled like she was innocent. "Because you talk a lot. I want to see if you can be quiet underwater."
The crowd laughed.
JP laughed too, but it was strained. "Okay. That's savage."
Thoon's eyes glittered with enjoyment. "Go."
JP hesitated, then climbed the ladder to the dunk seat like he had no pride left to protect.
The crowd clapped. Someone shouted, "Drop him."
JP sat on the seat above the water and held the bar, trying to look brave.
"Do not drop me," JP announced. "I am fragile."
Thoon turned toward TZ next, ball in hand. "You throw."
TZ blinked. "Why me."
Thoon smiled. "Because I want to see if you're actually good at something."
TZ's jaw tightened slightly. "That's rude."
Thoon's smile widened. "Prove me wrong."
TZ took the ball, calm face, but XH saw the tension. TZ wasn't used to being singled out by girls like this. TZ was used to being liked quietly, not tested openly.
SRM stepped closer to Cherry and whispered loudly on purpose, "She's playing with them."
Cherry replied, equally loud, "She always plays."
Kitty heard it. Kitty didn't react outwardly, but her eyes sharpened. She wasn't threatened by Thoon's presence. She was irritated by Thoon's behavior.
Because Thoon wasn't flirting gently. She was toying.
TZ threw the ball.
It hit the target.
The seat snapped, and JP dropped into the water with a loud splash.
The crowd erupted.
JP surfaced immediately, sputtering, hair flattened, eyes wide. "I hate all of you."
Thoon clapped politely like she had accomplished something important. "Good job."
TZ stared at the target board like it had betrayed JP too quickly.
JP clung to the dunk tank edge and shouted, "TZ is dead to me."
TZ shrugged calmly. "You told me to be good at something."
JP coughed water. "I didn't mean it."
Thoon leaned on the booth rail and looked down at JP with fake sympathy. "Are you okay."
JP glared. "No."
Thoon smiled sweetly. "Great."
SRM laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth.
The booth energy intensified.
People recognized a social moment when it happened. People loved watching drama even when it was harmless.
Kitty's eyes drifted to XH briefly.
XH was watching too, but his expression was controlled. He didn't like Thoon's energy. Not because she was pretty. Because she was disruptive.
Kitty liked that about him.
She liked that he didn't get easily pulled by flashy things.
Thoon's gaze shifted toward TZ again. "Again."
TZ shook his head. "No."
Thoon leaned closer slightly, voice softer. "Scared."
TZ's jaw tightened. "Not scared."
Thoon smiled. "Then do it."
Cherry muttered under her breath, "She's exhausting."
NC stepped forward slightly, voice calm. "We're here for fun. Not humiliation."
Thoon smiled at NC like she was amused. "This is fun."
NC didn't smile back. "For you."
Thoon's eyes glittered. "Yes."
Kitty's fingers curled in her sleeves.
XH noticed the movement. He leaned slightly closer, voice quiet. "Ignore her."
Kitty's eyes flicked to him. "I am."
But Kitty wasn't only irritated for herself.
She was irritated because Thoon's presence reminded her of something she didn't like to say out loud.
Other girls could enter a room and treat boys like toys.
Kitty didn't do that.
Kitty didn't want to do that.
Kitty wanted to be chosen without playing games.
And that desire, that soft desire, made her feel vulnerable.
Thoon grabbed another ball and tossed it lightly to SRM. "You try."
SRM grinned and threw.
She missed.
The crowd laughed.
SRM threw again, hit the edge, still no drop.
SRM pouted dramatically. "Rigged."
JP shouted from the water, "Life is rigged."
The volunteer laughed politely. "It's not rigged."
Cherry muttered, "Everything is rigged."
Thoon's gaze slid toward XH now.
It wasn't a soft gaze.
It was a measuring gaze.
Like she was deciding whether XH was worth touching the board for.
Thoon smiled. "You throw."
XH blinked once. "No."
Thoon's smile faltered for half a second, then returned brighter. "Why not."
XH's voice stayed calm. "Because I don't want to."
The crowd quieted slightly, not fully, but enough to notice the refusal.
Thoon tilted her head. "You're serious."
XH nodded. "Yes."
Thoon's eyes narrowed slightly, amused and irritated at the same time. "That's boring."
XH's voice stayed even. "Okay."
JP shouted from the tank, "XH is boring. Confirmed."
Kitty glanced at JP, then back at XH. Her cheeks warmed slightly again. She liked that he refused without being rude. She liked that he didn't care about looking cool for someone like Thoon.
Thoon's gaze slid from XH to Kitty.
Her smile sharpened.
"Oh," Thoon said softly, like she had just connected something. "I see."
Kitty's stomach tightened.
SRM leaned toward Thoon and whispered, loud enough for the group to hear, "He's protected."
Cherry scoffed. "Protected."
NC's eyes narrowed slightly. "Enough."
Thoon lifted her hands slightly, innocent. "What. I'm just observing."
JP climbed out of the tank dripping wet, hair plastered, shirt soaked.
He pointed at Thoon. "You are evil."
Thoon smiled sweetly. "Thank you."
JP turned toward TZ with betrayal in his eyes. "You too."
TZ sighed. "You survived."
JP muttered, "Barely."
Kitty watched the dunk tank chaos and felt her pulse settle. The tension Thoon created was annoying, but it also did something else.
It made Kitty's own feelings sharper.
Because when a girl like Thoon entered and tried to toy with boys, Kitty realized she wanted something different.
She wanted quiet loyalty.
She wanted a boy who refused the noise.
And XH had just refused the noise.
Kitty's gaze drifted to XH again.
XH was watching her now.
Their eyes met.
Not a long stare.
Just a quiet connection.
Kitty's cheeks warmed.
XH's throat tightened slightly, visible in the swallow he tried to hide.
JP noticed and made a soft gagging sound again.
Kitty snapped, "JP."
JP raised his hands, dripping. "I didn't say anything."
Kitty replied, "Your face."
The wind picked up again.
The flags snapped harder.
A low rumble of thunder rolled far away, deeper this time, like the sky was clearing its throat.
Jihye looked up and whispered, "It's going to rain."
Cherry muttered, "Of course."
NC checked her phone quickly. "Forecast said nothing."
TZ shrugged. "That's how storms work."
Kitty felt a small shiver run through her.
Not from cold.
From memory.
Rain without forecast had become a symbol in their life. It was never just weather. It was always a sign that something was shifting under them.
Thoon looked up at the sky and smiled like she liked chaos too. "Cute."
SRM laughed. "Rain makes everything dramatic."
JP pointed at them both. "You two are villains."
Thoon smiled. "Say it louder."
Cherry rolled her eyes so hard it almost looked painful.
NC stepped closer to the group, voice firm. "We move away from this booth. Treasure hunt done. Games are optional. We should take a breather."
JP protested, "I want revenge."
TZ said, "Later."
Kitty stayed still for a beat, looking at the dunk tank water, at JP dripping, at Thoon smiling like a cat with a toy mouse.
Then Kitty's gaze returned to XH.
XH was still calm.
Still quiet.
Still himself.
Kitty felt something pull in her chest, a soft, dangerous tenderness.
She said quietly, almost without thinking, "Let's walk."
XH blinked. "Where."
Kitty's voice stayed gentle. "Anywhere not here."
XH nodded. "Okay."
They didn't move alone. Not yet. NC kept the group together, guiding them toward a quieter path near the garden side.
But the intent was there now.
Kitty had chosen XH's company for air.
XH had agreed without hesitation.
JP saw it and whispered to TZ, "It's happening."
TZ whispered back, "Stop."
JP grinned, water dripping from his chin. "I'm not even trying."
Thoon watched them walk away and smiled, eyes narrowed like she had just decided she wanted to disrupt them more later.
SRM leaned toward Thoon, whispering. "You like him."
Thoon's smile didn't change. "I like shaking things."
SRM laughed softly. "Same."
Cherry overheard and muttered, "Gross."
The group reached a quieter path lined with trees and small lights. The embassy grounds felt huge here, less crowded, more calm. You could hear distant laughter from the game booths, but it sounded far away.
Kitty breathed in slowly.
XH walked beside her.
The wind touched Kitty's hair, lifting a strand. Kitty reached to tuck it back, then stopped herself when she realized her hand was shaking slightly.
XH noticed.
He didn't say anything.
He just walked closer by half a step, close enough to make her feel sheltered without touching.
Kitty's chest tightened.
Her voice came out quiet. "You don't like girls like that."
XH blinked. "Like what."
Kitty glanced toward the game zone, then back. "Like Thoon."
XH's jaw tightened slightly. "No."
Kitty swallowed. "Why."
XH's answer came simple. "Because she enjoys hurting people."
Kitty stared at him for a beat.
That was it.
That was the line.
Kitty felt something inside her soften.
XH didn't admire charm. He admired kindness. He respected gentleness. He didn't want to be used as a toy.
Kitty's voice was almost a whisper. "Good."
XH looked at her, surprised by the softness in the word.
Kitty looked away quickly, cheeks warm. "I mean… she's annoying."
XH's mouth twitched slightly. A small smile. "Yeah."
The thunder rumbled again, closer.
The first tiny drops of rain hit the leaves above them.
Not a pour yet.
Just a warning.
Kitty looked up automatically.
XH looked up too.
Neither of them said the obvious.
Neither of them wanted to name the symbol.
Behind them, NC called the group back together near a covered area.
"We're going to the redemption tent," NC announced. "Get your prize before it rains."
JP groaned. "I want to stay outside and suffer."
Cherry snapped, "Stop talking."
Jihye laughed and ran toward the covered tent first.
The group moved together again, but the atmosphere had changed.
Thoon and SRM had entered the day like a sharp spice, changing the taste of everything.
JP had been toyed with. TZ had been tested. Kitty had been reminded what she wanted. XH had been reminded what he refused.
And rain had started without forecast, soft at first, like it was waiting for the right moment to become real.
As they reached the redemption tent, volunteers smiled and handed them small gift bags for completing the treasure hunt.
Nothing grand.
A notebook, a pen, a small souvenir.
But it felt earned.
Kitty held her gift bag quietly, eyes drifting to XH again.
XH looked back for a second, then looked away like he didn't trust his own gaze.
JP shook water from his sleeve and muttered, "This day is cursed."
NC said calmly, "This day is memorable."
Cherry replied, "Memorable is not always good."
TZ looked toward the rain and said quietly, "It's not done yet."
XH didn't know why those words felt like a warning.
He only knew that somewhere far away, June was not here. NS was not here. Cherry had chosen to come, but the story still carried the weight of who was absent.
And the embassy day, which started as a harmless festival, was already planting sparks.
A spark between JP and Thoon that would become messy.
A spark between TZ and Thoon that would become complicated.
And the most dangerous spark of all, growing quietly, steadily, between Kitty and XH.
Because it wasn't loud.
It wasn't playful.
It was the kind that built under the skin.
The kind that didn't burn fast.
The kind that waited.
And the rain, still light, still gentle, began to fall harder as if the sky had finally decided to stop pretending.