Chapter 299

"Um?"

"This is so delicious!"

Holding the remaining half of the Bread Cream Mixture, Uehara Himari exclaimed with reverence, "This is the most delicious cake I've ever eaten!"

Is it really that delicious?

Aoba Mocha tilted her head.

"Mmm!!! The II-year-old 13-year-old neighbor's 8-year-old is so delicious!!!"

Hiyori Mari nodded vigorously.

"Then~ me too~"

"Wait! Moca! It might be a delayed-acting toxin! Wait another five minutes!"

Udagawa Ban raised her hand to stop her.

"Even if I wanted to get you infected, I wouldn't use this method."

Ogura Asahi rolled her eyes, opened the box, took out a Donut, and started eating.

Speaking of Donut, I haven't visited Ms. Donut this week. I'll try to go see her when I have some free time in a couple of days.

"By the way, can't you really give me your contact information?"

He continued to try.

"Of course, we still don't know your identity. What if you spread it around later?"

Mizutake Ran also opened a small jar containing pudding and tasted it with the included plastic spoon.

"... Oh no, this is really delicious!"

"Hmm... that's true, it's right to be aware of potential crises."

Ogura Asahi nodded, acknowledging her caution.

After a moment's thought, he had a new idea. "That's it! How about you guys think of me as a band scout?"

"A band scout?"

Seeing that they were all eating, Udagawa Ban felt it wouldn't be right for her not to, so she followed suit, "What is this?! Five Ants (delicious)!"

Her pupils widened as she stared at the exquisitely colored little object in her hand; it was a flavor she could never replicate in her entire life...

His gaze swept back and forth between the two desserts in his hands, one open and one unopened, a struggle on his face. The drummer's fair, firm, and steady Hands trembled slightly, and finally, he sighed weakly, "I'll keep one for Ako to try..."

"It really is delicious... Did you make this yourself, Ogura-kun?"

Hazawa Tsugumi's brown eyes flashed as she looked at Ogura Asahi with surprise.

"How is it? It tastes pretty good, right?"

He chuckled, a hint of pride in his skill.

"Mmm! The proportions of cream, eggs, flour, matcha powder, sugar, honey... are perfectly harmonious! It's sweet and refreshing without being cloying, and each flavor is distinct, giving the feeling of a multitude of ingredients being presented neatly all at once!"

After analyzing the situation point by point, Hazawa Tsugumi shared her thoughts.

"Well~ I don't feel the same way as Tsugu ~ but~ this~ seems even tastier than the bread from Yamabuki Bakery ~"

"For Moca, this is the highest praise imaginable."

Mizutake Ran happily and peacefully took another bite of the pudding.

"By the way, what's this about the band talent scout you mentioned earlier?"

"It means exactly what it says. You can think of me as an Elf who is passionate about finding raw gems and helping talented people realize their wishes."

His mouth was a little dry from eating sweets and talking, so he took out the water he carried in his bag and took a sip.

Ya Lei, Ya Lei, I think I've recently come to like my uncle's philosophy of action.

Finding raw gems, developing them, and allowing their talents to blossom and shine is indeed an interesting endeavor.

If this process also benefits one's own goals, then all the better.

"I really admire the members of Afterglow and I love your music."

"If you'd like, I can also introduce you to a record company. Since it's just starting out, the terms and conditions for signing now will be incredibly generous, unlike anything you'd find elsewhere! The profit-sharing ratio will definitely entice you!"

"Ah, although it's just starting out, because the boss has a lot of influence and connections, he won't lack most of the resources and facilities, so you can rest assured!"

After saying that, he thought of something else: if Afterglow really signed with his entertainment company—wouldn't Shiina Rikki be begging him to take her in after that?

Just thinking about it is so exciting!

After listening to his persuasion, the five people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Should they sign a contract and go pro? Although they had thought about this topic a long time ago, they haven't made any progress so far because they have always adhered to the belief and lifestyle of "always keeping to themselves (as usual)".

Originally, the band Afterglow was founded to prevent Ran Mitake, the only Mizutake Ran who was assigned to another class, from feeling lonely.

However, as things progressed and they experienced many things, they all came to love the band and live music.

Furthermore, in their junior and senior years of high school, all five of them became classmates again—did they bribe the teacher to cheat?

What do you all think?

Udagawa Ban looked at her teammates.

"How suspicious."

Evaluation of the Mizutake Ran.

"That's really suspicious."

"Suspicious~"

"Delicious~ but also suspicious~"

"..."

Ogura Asahi was speechless for a moment, but it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

Well, unlike eating, things in real life don't always go straight to the "stomach".

He ate the last bit of the Donut, clapped his hands, and shook off the crumbs.

"Well, I'm not forcing everyone to reply right away, but—in order to get to know each other better in the future, shouldn't we at least exchange contact information?"

"Have we come full circle again?"

Mizutake Ran sighed helplessly, "Why are you so fixated on this?"

"Because it's very important to me..."

He gazed at the sky above them, then snapped his fingers in a frivolous manner:

"How about we play a game?"

"Games~?"

"Okay! Everyone, write your online account information on a piece of paper, then throw it downstairs. Whoever gets it first wins, how about that?"

Mizutake Ran hesitated for a moment, then glanced at him. "You want to run away?"

"With you all blocking my way, how can I possibly escape?"

"What to do?"

She sought her companion's opinion.

"If she wants to play, I'll play with her for a bit, as a way of repaying the kindness of the snacks."

Udagawa Ban looked back.

"Right, right! Anyway, she can't escape, so we'll definitely win!"

"My intuition tells me she might have another way, but I'm curious to see what it is, so I agree."

"Anything is fine with me?"

"Understood,"

Mizutake Ran nodded. "Does anyone have paper and a pen?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Since they all rushed out in a hurry, they naturally wouldn't bring those kinds of things.

"Don't look at me, I don't have any either."

Ogura Asahi gave an awkward laugh and touched his forehead.

"Hey! You clearly brought your backpack! Why don't you have paper and pens?!"

"Exactly! What's inside?!"

"Isn't it a snack?"

Uehara Himari looked at her teammate with a puzzled expression.

"..."

X N.

Mizutake Ran sadly covered her face. "I never expected that Hiyori Mari would remind me of this. What a failure in my life!"

"Hey! Lan! What do you mean?!"

"Ha ha..."

Hazawa Tsugumi gave a dry laugh and raised her wrist. "Um, I just brought a pen and Sticky Note."

"Oh! As expected of Tsugu! Our trustworthy Student Council President!"

"Yes! But why carry this with you all the time?"

"No, because I'm often asked to do things by various clubs and teachers anytime, anywhere, so to avoid forgetting, I..."

"Since that's the case..."

"..."

Two minutes later, the five people wrote their contact information on Sticky Note, tore them off, and handed them to Mizutake Ran.

Mizutake Ran folded it twice, walked to the fence, and, in front of Ogura Asahi who was packing up her instruments, threw it off the rooftop.

"Although we don't know what you're planning to do, it's destined to fail. We just need to leave four people here to keep an eye on you, and one person go down to retrieve the Sticky Note, and we'll win."

"So, what are you planning to do?"

Ogura Asahi revealed a slight smile of triumph, but instead of answering directly, he asked, "Hey everyone, what do you think is the fastest way to get downstairs?"

Mizutake Ran was taken aback, not expecting him to ask such a question. She frowned slightly and did not answer hastily.

"Hmm... no matter how you look at it, you have to take the stairs, right?"

Hazawa Tsugumi tapped her lips with her finger, giving a normal human answer.

"Wasn't it supposed to be jumping off a building?"

"That's what Aoba Mocha said casually."

"Idiot! There's no point in dying just to go downstairs!"

"Then, how about building a slide, or using a wingsuit?"

Uehara Himari speculated.

"Unfortunately, there are neither slides nor flying wings here."

Mizutake Ran crossed her arms over her chest, neither confirming nor denying.

Ogura Asahi silently slung the instrument case over his shoulder, with the instrument on one shoulder and Backpack on the other.

"Can we start now? Seriously, carrying something that heavy, you probably can't win even in a normal match, right?"

The Mizutake Ran is puzzled.

He shook his head and fingers in disagreement, and just to be on the safe side, confirmed one last thing. "Oh, and let's make this clear beforehand, if I get the Sticky Note first, you can't refuse to add me as a friend!"