The round, chubby snow meiniang looked almost too adorable to eat—plump and perfect like miniature mochi babies, each about the size of a girl's fist.
Neatly packed in a box of six, they sat in two rows of three. From top to bottom, left to right, their colors danced in a soft, pastel palette—white, green, white, purple, white, and beige. Nestled into the beige one was a pink cherry blossom, clearly the spring-limited sakura snow meiniang.
But honestly, Kasumigaoka Touji didn't like that one much. Way too flowery.
"Do you have any dietary restrictions?" he asked politely, pointing at each snow meiniang with the care of a seasoned host.
His calm tone matched his poised demeanor as he offered the treats.
In the end, Mayonaka Kokonoka picked the purple sweet potato starry sky flavor. Kato Megumi chose the matcha red bean, and Gotou Hitori shyly went for the mango.
"Kasumigaoka-san, aren't you eating?" Kato Megumi's voice was mild, but her eyes held quiet curiosity as she looked over at him.
"Hmm? Nah, I ate a whole box yesterday afternoon," Touji waved a hand lazily. "I'm good for a while."
Mayonaka Kokonoka, sitting directly across from him, blinked her big eyes and said in a gentle tone, "Tasting work isn't easy, is it~."
"Mm, not at all," Touji sighed, leaning back a little.
Sometimes, being the taste tester felt like sweet torture. One or two pieces were fine, sure, but overindulgence turned bliss into nausea. And still, he had to put on a bright smile, act like it was the best thing in the world, and heap praises onto the overly sugary treats.
The things one did for money.
Not that he was complaining. Compared to some of the part-time jobs people did, his was practically heaven-sent.
Touji smiled as he watched the three girls munch away contentedly.
Mayonaka Kokonoka was the most expressive, nibbling her snow meiniang in small bites with both hands like a fluffy little hamster. Her soft pink lips curled up into a radiant smile with the very first bite.
"So yummy~!" she chirped happily, her tone unmistakably cute.
Kato Megumi, on the other hand, had the poise of a refined young lady. Perhaps mellowed by the sweetness, the normally unreadable lines of her face seemed just a bit softer. With a quiet grace, she held the treat in one hand and ate slowly.
"It's very delicious~," she said, meeting Touji's gaze.
Touji gave her a small smile in return, then turned his attention to Gotou Hitori.
Ah. This girl…
She held the snow meiniang with both hands too, but her bites were timid, almost hesitant. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she wore a faint, bashful smile as if she couldn't believe she was allowed something so nice.
Yep, totally Gotou Hitori-style.
Even that awkward cuteness was part of her charm.
Seeing their reactions—the sparkle in Kokonoka's eyes, the serenity on Kato-san's face, and the soft glow around Gotou-san—somehow made Touji feel that his job wasn't so bad after all.
After a few quiet moments, he said, "You can share the remaining three, if you like."
"Mmm, arigato~!"
"Arigatou~."
"A-Ari…gatou…"
Three very different voices—one bubbly, one composed, and one bashful—echoed in his ears.
It felt like being gently swaddled in a bouquet of blooming flowers.
—
Once they finished eating, time had slipped by unnoticed. Kato Megumi excused herself and returned to her classroom. Gotou Hitori followed not long after.
Mayonaka Kokonoka turned her head slightly, but said nothing. Touji, now alone and with nothing pressing to do, casually glanced out at the school sports field.
The once-bustling training field had quieted down, leaving only a handful of lingering figures scattered across the area.
Touji withdrew his gaze and pulled out his phone. He exchanged a few light-hearted messages with Kani Nayuta before the shrill ring of the class bell echoed through the air.
Four classes in the morning, then lunch break as always.
Just like any other day, Touji met up with Kasumigaoka Utaha. He went ahead to heat up their bento boxes, then the two made their way to the rooftop for their usual quiet lunch together.
After finishing his meal, Kasumigaoka Touji stood up, stretched lazily with a yawn, when suddenly—
Ding!
A translucent light blue screen popped up before his eyes like something out of an RPG game—
[★★Dream—Form the Nap Club! (Completed!)]
[You gained 14 experience points and 800 dream points!]
[Dream Realization Level: Apprentice (0/100) → Apprentice (14/100);
Dream Points: 0 → 800!]
"...Eh?"
Touji blinked in confusion. The task... was already completed?
Did that mean the Nap Club was officially formed?
His eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
How exactly were the experience points calculated? 14 divided by 2 is 7. Was it a fixed multiple of 7? Or maybe it had something to do with the number of members?
"Tch... Not enough data to analyze yet," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
His eyes drifted toward the now-empty task slot.
Time to choose a new one?
Should he go with a known quest or branch into a fresh, uncharted challenge?
Just then, his phone buzzed again in his pocket.
Touji fished it out and saw a flurry of notifications in the group chat. Mayonaka Kokonoka had just @everyone with some exciting news.
[Nap is Great]: "Everyone!"
[Nap is Great]: "The club's officially approved, and we even have an activity room now! Wanna go check it out this afternoon? ╰(ﾟ▽ﾟ)╯"
[Ghost Girl]: "Sounds good~."
[Ghost Girl]: "Where's the room located?"
[Nap is Great]: "Second floor of the club building, Room 5210!"
[Ghost Girl]: "Got it~."
Touji hesitated for a second, then typed a reply.
[Touji.]: "@Nap is Great, gomen… I've got work this afternoon, so I'll have to head out right after school. Utaha has to help me too."
He didn't want to dampen the mood, but it couldn't be helped. He had a promo visit to a sweets shop lined up for that afternoon. It had been scheduled last week, and the timing was just... unfortunate.
[Ghost Girl]: "Then there's nothing to be done~." [Nap is Great]: "@Touji., Is it the same old tasting job?" [Touji.]: "More or less."
...
First floor of the school building, tucked away in the dim corner of the stairwell—
Gotou Hitori stared quietly at the group chat on her phone.
She'd seen the messages, of course. Part of her wanted to slip away, to vanish like a ghost—true to her nickname.
But another part… wasn't so sure anymore.
She'd been toying with the idea of being a ghost member from the start. But strangely, she found herself enjoying the company of Kato Megumi. The two of them clicked like long-lost family, and unlike others, Megumi-san didn't scare her at all.
They even had shared interests! For the first time in forever, she actually wanted to be part of something like this…
Even Touji-kun had treated her to a meal…
Her thoughts spiraled nervously until her phone buzzed again.
She peeked at the screen, and her heart skipped.
[Nap is Great]: "Gotou, you should come too~."
Kokonoka-san had tagged her directly!
Gotou hesitated for a full beat… then shyly typed a reply: "Okay."
It wasn't that she was suddenly brimming with courage—
Refusing outright was never her strong suit, anyway. Pretending she hadn't seen the message wouldn't work either, not when they were classmates sitting just a few seats apart. She still had afternoon classes to face.
But after sending that one word reply, it was like a huge weight had lifted from her chest. She let out a tiny sigh of relief…
…and then smiled.
Just a little, but it was genuine.
...