Nameless

As soon as they entered the cake shop, the sweet aroma enveloped them. Morishita Ran's eyes lit up immediately, and she headed straight for the display case with Kamuro Masumi: "I want that chocolate lava cake!" Kamuro Masumi didn't hesitate either, pointing at the matcha roll to place her order; the two of them acted as if they were regulars.

Yamamura Miki followed behind, clutching the straps of her school bag and shuffling slowly in front of the glass counter. Cheese tarts, fruit mille-feuille, caramel pudding... everything looked delicious, but she felt that since it was her first time out with everyone, ordering something too expensive would be bad, while choosing something too simple might make her seem too reserved. She hesitated for a long time without making a decision, her earlobes turning nearly red.

"If you're having trouble deciding, Yamamura-san," Uesugi Hara said as he walked over, pointing to a strawberry cake in the case topped with three fresh, bright red strawberries that looked quite refreshing, "you could try this. The cream isn't cloying, the strawberries are fresh, and it goes perfectly with a hot drink."

Yamamura Miki looked up at him, then quickly lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's: "Th-then, I'll listen to Uesugi-san."

She turned to the clerk, took a deep breath to steady her voice, and said, "Please give me a strawberry cake and a hot milk, thank you." After she finished, she let out a quiet sigh of relief, as if she had just accomplished a major task.

Uesugi Hara gave her a "thumbs up" from the side, and she couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips, the tension in her heart dissipating for the most part.

As soon as the cakes were served, the shop filled with the sound of light chatter. However, calling it a casual chat among four people would be more accurate to describe it as a "battlefield" between Uesugi Hara and Kamuro Masumi—the moment Uesugi Hara said, "This matcha roll looks average," Kamuro Masumi immediately looked up: "Better than someone who only knows how to recommend strawberry cake." The two traded barbs, but there was no real heat to it; it was more like playful bickering.

Yamamura Miki dug into her strawberry cake with small bites, not even noticing the cream on the corner of her mouth. She didn't interject much, listening quietly instead. When she heard something funny, she would lower her head, her shoulders shaking slightly as she revealed a shy smile hidden behind her hair.

Morishita Ran was the most invested. The chocolate lava cake in front of her had already hit the bottom of the plate, and she was using a small spoon to tackle a second mango mousse, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel hoarding food. Seeing her eat so earnestly, Uesugi Hara couldn't help but tease her: "With your combat power, if you keep eating like this, my points will be empty."

"No way!" Morishita Ran poked her spoon onto the plate and looked up with a serious expression, "The first one was you treating the study group, that counts as public funds; this one is you compensating me, that counts as private funds. They're two different things!" After saying that, she buried her head back in to take a large scoop, not caring about the mango sauce on her mouth, her eyes fixed only on the cake.

Kamuro Masumi glanced at her, her lips curling, but she quietly pushed her own barely touched matcha roll toward her. Yamamura Miki saw this and couldn't help but purse her lips to hide a smile.

Watching the scene before him, Uesugi Hara took a sip of his milk tea, feeling that this first study group gathering was much more interesting than he had imagined.

The sweet scent of the cakes gradually faded, leaving only scattered traces of cream on the plates. Uesugi Hara set down his spoon and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table: "It's time to talk about the study group."

He looked at Kamuro Masumi first, his tone much more serious than during their bickering: "Kamuro, based on my observations, you occasionally zone out in class, and your questions show that your foundation is a bit weak—I'll put together a list of basic knowledge points later and spend half an hour each day helping you catch up. If you don't understand something, just ask."

Kamuro Masumi was scraping the matcha powder off the edge of her plate with a small spoon; she paused at his words. She looked up and met Uesugi Hara's gaze for two seconds, and seeing that his eyes held no trace of mockery, she let out an "oh" through her nose, accepting the offer—it was rare that she didn't retort like she had just done.

Uesugi Hara then turned to Morishita Ran, who was stirring her leftover milk tea with a straw: "As for you, Morishita-san." He intentionally drew out his tone, "If you spent less energy on 'how to eat enough compensation cakes' and more on your textbooks, your grades wouldn't be hovering in the middle of the pack."

"Who says!" Morishita Ran sat up straight immediately, "I listen very carefully in class." Although her words were firm, she quietly took the straw out of her mouth.

Finally, he looked at Yamamura Miki, who had been sitting quietly. The girl didn't seem to expect to be called upon and instinctively tightened her grip on her hem. Uesugi Hara softened his tone: "Yamamura-san's grades are in the middle range; none of your subjects are bad, but you don't have any particular advantages either. We can start with Japanese, which you are relatively good at, to stabilize your lead, and then slowly work on your weaker subjects. How does that sound?"

Yamamura Miki was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously, her voice thin but clear: "Y-yes! Thank you, Uesugi-san." As she lowered her head, her earlobes were flushed, but she was no longer as reserved as when she had first arrived.

Watching Uesugi Hara's organized approach, Kamuro Masumi suddenly nudged him with her elbow: "I didn't expect you to be so capable as a group leader."

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise, what did you think I relied on to become the leader?"

Time slipped away amidst the group's idle chatter.

The scent of the black tea Hoshinomiya Chie had just brewed still lingered in the office. Seeing Mashima Tomoya flipping through the roster with a rhythmic, gentle tap of his fingers—unlike his usual business-like manner—she rested her chin on her hand and leaned in: "Little Tomoya, you're in a good mood today—did something good happen?"

Mashima Tomoya's tone remained flat: "It's nothing much, really. Just discovered that two factions in my class that were at each other's throats yesterday have unified today." Despite his words, he couldn't hide the uncontrollable upward curve of his lips, and even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes softened.

"Eh—" Hoshinomiya Chie drew out the syllable, twirling a strand of her hair, "Is it Kosaka Yanagi and Katsuragi? They actually formed a united front? I thought they would fight until one of them won."

"But our class's Honami is also very capable, you know~" Hoshinomiya Chie tapped her cheek with her fingertip, her voice trailing off softly, "Speaking of which, she came to talk to me quietly yesterday, and she managed to bring the class to a consensus without much effort."

She turned to look at Chabashira Sae, who had just finished grading papers, and suddenly blinked: "By the way, Little Sae, I heard your Class D is a bit chaotic lately? It seems your class points have dropped to zero. What exactly is going on?"

Chabashira Sae was putting her red pen into her pencil case; she paused at the question. She glanced at Hoshinomiya Chie, her tone filled with obvious impatience: "Our class's business is none of your concern." She tapped her pen tip against the desk with a sharp click, "The students can handle it themselves."

Hoshinomiya Chie wasn't angry; instead, her eyes curved into crescents: "Don't be so cold~ Maybe I could help? After all—"

"No need." Chabashira Sae interrupted her directly, picked up her lesson plan, and stood up. "I have things to do, I'm leaving." With that, she turned and walked out of the office without even a glance back.

Watching her retreating figure, Hoshinomiya Chie spread her hands toward Mashima Tomoya: "Oh my, Little Sae is still so unfriendly."

Mashima Tomoya gave a dry laugh at Hoshinomiya Chie.