Cake Party

Inside Palette Restaurant, warm light spilled softly over a chessboard made of macarons, like a miniature battlefield—exquisite and lifelike.

Sakura Airi raised her fork high but hesitated to dig in. Her eyes were full of uncertainty as cream dripped from the "castle" cream puff, drop by drop, until it landed on the Study Group Agreement Horikita had just signed. She immediately panicked and hurriedly apologized:

"Sorry, s-sorry!"

Horikita remained calm, unhurriedly removing the documents from the table. The pastry chef, Sakamoto, appeared just in time and steadily placed the cream-covered "king" before Horikita, wearing a perfectly measured smile as though everything were under control.

"What a coincidence." Sakayanagi Silver Spoon tapped the rim of her cup, producing a crisp sound. Her gaze swept over everyone, and a faint smile curved her lips.

"We all happened to run into each other today. Even everyone from Class D is here enjoying the fruits of victory."

"Fruits of victory?"

Sakamoto Junichi smiled faintly and gently pushed the caramel-drenched "queen" macaron toward Sakayanagi, his movements elegant.

"Would you like to try it? I made this one with great care. The sweetness of the caramel blends perfectly with the crispness of the macaron. It melts in your mouth, with a lingering aftertaste."

The reflection from his wristwatch swept across Ayanokoji's profile, lighting up the untouched mousse cake on his plate.

"You Class D people really know how to stir things up~" Kamuro Masumi, her face slightly flushed, swirled her champagne glass. Her gaze passed over the neighboring table, her tone teasing.

Hirata Yosuke had been secretly handed a "rook" chocolate by Karuizawa Kei.

Horikita, meanwhile, frowned slightly as she looked at the dessert menu and said:

"That exceeds my calorie limit."

As someone accustomed to being alone, she was probably the most uncomfortable person at this gathering. She quietly nudged Ayanokoji with her elbow, wanting him to explain why there were suddenly so many "unrelated people" here.

Ayanokoji quietly cut into his blueberry mousse and replied flatly, "We just happened to run into each other."

"'Just happened' to the point that both Class A and Class D are here?"

Sakayanagi chuckled. She scooped up a spoonful of raspberry sorbet, tasted it lightly, then pointed the jam-stained silver spoon at Ayanokoji.

"Ayanokoji-kun's 'coincidences' are truly exquisite. But—desserts are all about the lingering aftertaste, aren't they? Like this raspberry sorbet: sweet and sour intertwined, leaving an endless aftertaste."

When the wind chime rang again, Horikita grabbed her bag and prepared to stride away. The arc of her swinging ponytail seemed to say, This boring socializing ends here.

Ayanokoji silently began tasting the cake on his plate. Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly delicate, the wind chime at the entrance rang once more.

Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, and Yamauchi Haruki arrived late. Sweat still hung on Sudo's forehead, making it obvious that he had just rushed over from the basketball court.

"Sorry, sorry! Practice ran a little long today!" Sudo casually pulled out a chair and dropped into the seat beside the rising Horikita, completely failing to notice her slight frown.

"The desserts here are seriously great. There's always a new surprise every time I come."

"Of course," Sakamoto said with a faint smile, pushing a caramel-covered "queen" macaron toward Sudo.

"You arrived at just the right time. Class C's 'souvenir' has just been delivered."

"Souvenir?" Sudo took a bite of the macaron with a blank look on his face. He did not even notice the cream at the corner of his mouth as he asked indistinctly,

"What does that mean?"

"Ryuen has been making quite a few moves lately." Sakamoto slowly stirred his black tea, his gaze meaningful.

"I heard he has been asking about Class D's movements, especially Horikita and Ayanokoji."

Kamuro looked confused. "What is Class C trying to pull now?"

"Who knows?" Sakamoto shrugged and glanced at Ayanokoji.

"But Ryuen is not the sort to let prey go easily. By the way, Sudo, what do you think of the texture of this 'queen' macaron? I specifically adjusted the sweetness, hoping it would better suit everyone's tastes."

"Hm? Oh, it's pretty good. Sweet and crispy." Sudo answered casually, then grabbed another one and stuffed it into his mouth.

Horikita set down her bag. "Class D can handle its own problems."

"Well said!" Sudo slapped the table, nearly knocking over Horikita's black tea.

"Who cares if it's Ryuen or Snake Garden? If he dares mess with Class D, I'll let him taste my fists!"

"Sudo-kun."

Horikita shot him a cold glance. "Violence cannot solve problems."

"Exactly, exactly," Ike chimed in with a grin. "Though sometimes, we do need a few 'forceful measures' to protect the class."

Yamauchi Haruki took out his phone and frantically snapped pictures of the desserts on the table. "These are Palette's limited editions!"

Sakamoto's gaze swept over a certain inconspicuous person who had remained silent.

"Looks like Class D's little unity game is about to level up."

"Level up?" Sakayanagi Arisu scooped up a spoonful of raspberry sorbet, an unreadable smile curling at her lips.

"Rather than an upgrade, I would call it a reset of the board. Today's gathering was wonderful. We got to witness so many interesting things." Sakamoto nodded slightly. "Watching everyone enjoy the desserts I made also makes me very happy."

Unlike the cryptic exchange between the two from Class A, the three late arrivals from Class D said nothing and simply kept devouring cake.

The atmosphere gradually grew quiet, until Yamauchi announced that all the cake was gone.

After waiting in that dull atmosphere for so long, Horikita was the first to pick up her bag and leave.

"Looks like our celebration banquet is ending early."

Sakamoto stood and pushed the last macaron toward Sakura. "Airi-chan, I'll treat you to desserts again next time. I hope you liked today's treats."

Sakura's face instantly turned bright red. She said softly, "Th-thank you, Sakamoto-kun... The desserts today were all really delicious. I-I'll remember them."

The celebration under the warm lights slowly came to an end. In the distance, Sakamoto took Sakura back to the locker holding her camera. As they passed Class C, he saw Tokito standing blankly by the window—

Unlike Class D, which had survived its crisis, Class C's students were burdened by the gloom of being at the bottom and the pressure of violence within the class. Most of them were dissatisfied with Ryuen, but they dared not speak out because of his rule.

Tokito Yuya stood by the window of Class C's classroom, staring blankly out at the field.

The afternoon sunlight fell across the track, but it could not penetrate the gloom in his heart. Ever since Ryuen Kakeru had imposed violent rule over Class C, the atmosphere in the class had become oppressive and frightening.

Ishizaki Daichi, Komiya Yogo, and the others had become Ryuen's lackeys. Anyone who dared resist would be "taught a lesson" by them. Though Tokito despised such violence, he knew he lacked the power to change the situation.

Until that day, when Sakamoto Junichi stopped him in a corner of the library.

"Tokito, I know you are deeply dissatisfied with Ryuen's methods." Sakamoto's voice was gentle, yet it carried an irresistible allure.

"You are an upright person. You should not be suppressed by an environment like that."

Tokito looked at Sakamoto warily. "What are you trying to say?"

Sakamoto adjusted his glasses and smiled. "I heard Ishizaki and the others have recently been provoking Sudo at the basketball court. That is not the right thing to do. If you seize the opportunity, perhaps you can use it to bring down Ryuen. After all, violence is expressly forbidden by the school, isn't it?"

Sakamoto looked at Tokito, whose face was full of vigilance, but said no more.

"It is almost dinner time. I should be going."

Tokito, standing in place, felt his heartbeat quicken. He had indeed thought about resisting Ryuen, but he had never considered doing it this way. Sakamoto's words were like a seed, taking root and sprouting in his heart.