"Good morning."
"Morning."
"Good morning~."
"Morning."
"..."
"Yamanoto."
"Hm? What is it?"
Upon stepping into the classroom and exchanging greetings with his two half-friends—yes, 0.5 each—Kasumigaoka Touji casually dropped his school bag onto the desk. Without missing a beat, he pulled out his bento, a dorayaki, and a gift-boxed snow meiniang from his bag.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the dorayaki toward Yamanoto Kuma-ji, who scrambled to catch it in a clumsy motion that made his glasses slip. After steadying himself, he peered down at the dorayaki with surprise, then up at Touji with a glint in his eyes. Pushing his glasses up dramatically, he spoke with confidence:
"Kasumigaoka-kun, do you need to consult me about something? Say no more! I basically know everything about this school. Even if I don't, give me a day and I'll sniff it out like a seasoned detective!"
"Are you secretly a private detective or something?" Touji asked, clearly unimpressed as he slung his bag onto the hook at the side of his desk.
"No consultation. This is just leftover stock from some taste-testing gig I did. I can't finish it all, so I figured I'd toss some your way."
The shelf life was only three days, and this was already day three. Waste not, want not.
"Taste-testing gig?" Yamanoto's curiosity was instantly piqued, eyes narrowing with interest.
"If you can guess, I'll tell you."
Touji replied, reaching out to poke Mayonaka Kokonoka's shoulder with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"If I could guess, would I still need you to tell me? Baka."
Yamanoto pouted, then clasped his hands like he was receiving an offering from the gods. "Anyway, thanks! I'll happily accept this sacred snack!"
He didn't push for more information, which Touji appreciated. Yamanoto's high emotional intelligence and ability to read the mood were rare qualities. It's part of why Touji tolerated—no, liked—being around him.
"Stare—!"
From the side, Mayonaka Kokonoka had turned in her seat and was now watching Touji with sparkling eyes filled with anticipation, her expression like a puppy waiting to be fed. Her innocent gaze practically screamed, "Is there something for me too?"
She was adorable.
Touji's inner voice teased, I'll take you away~~.
"Here."
Overwhelmed for a second by her cuteness, Touji slid the snow meiniang gift box across his desk toward her.
"Leftovers from a tasting gig. There's no way I can finish it all. You and the others in the club can share."
"Eh? Is it from a part-time job?"
Mayonaka Kokonoka examined the gift box, noting the luxurious packaging. It practically screamed "expensive."
"It looks super high-class!"
"Well, it's mostly just the packaging… though the taste's not bad either."
Touji shrugged, casually adding, "I recommend the Oreo and the Purple Sweet Potato Starry Sky ones the most."
Of course, since it was something he'd endorsed, he needed to save a bit of face—for both the seller and himself.
"Then we won't hold back~!"
Kokonoka smiled sweetly, taking the gift box and tucking it carefully into her drawer.
"I'll return the favor in a few days~."
"Huh? No need."
Touji, now scrolling through Twitter on his phone, waved a dismissive hand.
"I didn't spend a single yen on those; they were all sent by the company."
"It's not really a return gift."
Kokonoka gently clasped her hands in front of her and spoke in her usual dreamy tone:
"I was thinking yesterday, once the club is officially set up, I'll give each of you a small pillow. After all, it's thanks to everyone's efforts that the club was approved~."
A pillow…?
A token of appreciation? That was… oddly in character for her.
So like you, Kokonoka-san!
Wait a sec—
Could she be trying to brainwash us into embracing her 'Nap is Great' ideology with comfy club pillows?!
Touji narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of suspicion crossing his usually composed expression.
"What's wrong?"
Mayonaka Kokonoka, ever the natural airhead but far from oblivious, noticed the subtle change. She tilted her head cutely, a puzzled look on her face. "Eh? Did I say something weird?"
"Nothing." Touji quickly masked his thoughts with a gentle smile. "Oh, right—the snow meiniang are best enjoyed now. I only took them out of the fridge before leaving the house, so they still have that chilled texture. If we wait until noon, the flavor and texture won't be quite the same."
"Hmm, I see~ That makes sense!" Kokonoka nodded brightly, completely distracted from her earlier question.
She quickly pulled out her phone and began typing into the group chat with a sparkle in her eyes.
[Nap is Great]: "Is everyone at school yet?" [Nap is Great]: "Kasumigaoka-kun brought snow meiniang and said he wants to treat us~~!"
Not long after, Kato Megumi responded in her usual calm tone.
[Ghost Girl]: "I'm here, but... is it really okay?"
[Touji.]: "@Ghost Girl It's fine, just come over." [Touji.]: "Though I only have enough for a small taste…"
[Ghost Girl]: "That's more than enough. Then I'll head over, okay?"
[Touji.]: "Yes, come." [Touji.]: "We're at the second and third to last desks by the west-facing windows."
[Ghost Girl]: "Okay~."
Touji chuckled softly to himself. The way she added those little wave-like symbols at the end of her message—her mood must be good.
He leaned back slightly in his seat, glancing out the window for a moment. "Speaking of which... what is Kato Megumi's dream?"
Looking into other people's dreams felt like opening a blind box—one never knew what kind of surprise would pop out.
From what he could tell, increasing her presence was definitely on the list.
But was there something else? A second dream?
He couldn't help but speculate.
Just then, another message popped up in the chat group.
[Kasumi Utako]: "I can't eat anything cold these days. You all go ahead."
It was Utaha-senpai.
Most of the group were girls, and they quickly understood the reason without needing any explanation.
[Ghost Girl]: "That's a shame... pat head.jpg!" [Ghost Girl]: "@Hitori @My Youth is Over Where are Gotou-san and Kojima Kana-sensei?"
—In the teacher's office—
Kojima Kana blinked at her phone, momentarily surprised. In all her time teaching, it was the first time a student had openly invited her to share food.
Still… how could a teacher accept snacks from her students so casually?
Especially when one of them, Gotou Hitori, would likely combust from embarrassment just standing next to her.
With a polite but firm air, she responded:
[My Youth is Over]: "You all eat."
Even online, she maintained her dignified, aloof presence. A necessary posture to keep order among the chaos of teenage emotions and unpredictable behavior.
Meanwhile, Gotou Hitori stared nervously at her screen. Only after seeing that Kojima-sensei had replied did she dare to type a response.
To Hitori, Kojima-sensei was practically a demon lord. Even standing within a few meters of her could make breathing difficult.
[Hitori]: "I'm almost there, I just left the station…"
Her fingers trembled with excitement. This was… amazing!
She was being included! She could actually eat food shared by her classmates!
Even if she was just a passing thought, that didn't matter. Just being thought of at all was enough to fill her heart with joy.
She clutched her phone tightly, cheeks pink. "I-It's okay to be this happy… right?"
Come to think of it, what kind of person was Kato Megumi in real life?
Would she be as approachable in person as she was online?
Hitori felt her nervousness start to spike, but it came with an odd sort of thrill.
"I think we got along okay yesterday…" she whispered under her breath.
And with a small bounce in her step, she quickened her pace toward the school gates.
…