The chapter opens with a description of a scratch on the back of a boy's shirt. It's a scratch caused by the fact that he's competing against other boys in his class for the title of "culture fest" , a school-wide competition for students to display their best costumes and make the best obstacle course in the gym. The boy is bummed that he has to wear a costume that he borrowed from the school's costume department. He's also bummed that his friend, Meiko, isn't in the competition, because she's from another class. He asks Meiko if she'd like to meet him, and she tells him that no one from her class is at the festival, so he should just go ahead and wear his costume instead of her. He also asks if he can climb the obstacle course with the costume on, but Meiko won't let him do it, because it'll get her into a lot of trouble if she finds out about it.