Chapter Text
The bell had just rung, and the classroom was crowded with students hanging out leisurely before their teacher came in to start class. Plenty was talked about, but Nozaki’s ears twitched as he overheard his classmates rambling about a new abandoned place where someone was organizing a test of courage. He mentally jotted down the idea and wanted to ask his friends if they wanted to go to the place over the weekend so that he could draw a possible Halloween special for “Let’s Love! ✩” later at lunch. Listening in on the details, he decided that he would ask Hori, Wakamatsu and Kashima to see if they would come too, but later during class, he would dismiss the latter two because Wakamatsu might pass out of fright and Kashima would attract too many girls.
After the lunch bell had rung, Nozaki tidied up his desk and left his classroom to find Sakura and Mikoshiba. Spotting two familiar ribbons exiting a classroom, he walked over to the short girl, ready to bring up his plan for over the weekend.
“Good afternoon, Sakura-san. Are you free this weekend?” He waited patiently for her answer as she tended to take a while forming a coherent answer to questions like this as her face flashed through many emotions: shock, embarrassment, and then agony before finally looking back up at him, her face gloomy.
“Is there a deadline this weekend?” She had feared as much. There would be no other reason as to why Nozaki asked her if she was free this weekend. That being said, she was pleasantly surprised when he told her about the test of courage event happening over the weekend and had asked her if she wanted to come with him. Her mind raced with thoughts, starting with ‘Of course I want to go! What shall I do when I’m scared? Will Nozaki protect me? Wait! Will Nozaki be scared? Is that why he asked me to go with him?!’ Her thoughts ended up overcrowding her brain and she short-circuited, ending up giving him a simple nod. Nozaki nodded back at her, and started off to search for Mikoshiba, expecting him to be somewhere in the hallway, only to jump at the horrid voice of the devil herself.
“Yo, Sakura! My brother took some pastries home from the café and told me to share with you- Oh. Nozaki! Did you come to eat some pastries too? I bet Sakura told you about them because she saw them earlier.” Seo popped up behind the classroom door next to Sakura, her hand balancing a plate of cute and pretty pastries. The smaller girl jumped, causing Seo to smirk, and Sakura side-eyed her because she did, in fact, not know that she had pastries and was actually surprised that they weren’t crushed by Seo’s usual rowdiness. As much as Nozaki couldn’t stand to be near Seo, he got pulled in by the pastries and agreed to eat lunch with them.
“Oh! Coach! Do you have those pastries from yesterday? I’m gonna bring one to senpai!” Just as the trio had sat down, a new voice pierced the air from the classroom door. Kashima waved enthusiastically at them, a very large smile on her face with Mikoshiba next to her. He was carrying a box of milk and seemed to have just run into Kashima on the way back.
‘Ah, seems I didn’t have to find him myself,’ thought Nozaki. Kashima bounded over to their table and looked over the pastries, trying to decide which one she should give to her senpai. Mikoshiba strode over and pulled up a chair, and sat himself down, taking one of the pastries and looking at it, making Nozaki give a silent scream at him as he had his camera out to take pictures of the food.
“Hmm, which one do you think senpai would like?” She couldn’t seem to decide which out of the 5 there were to give to him. Sakura thought for a moment before pointing to a small strawberry shortcake, topped with vanilla icing and chocolate drizzle on it.
“Maybe this one? Does senpai like strawberry?” Kashima looked at the cake and nodded in satisfaction, hurriedly finding a napkin and carefully transferring the pastry onto it, then racing to find Hori before lunch ended. After her departure, the other four left behind looked at the remaining 3 pastries on the plate and the one in Mikoshiba’s hand before deciding to share them all.
“Ah, Mikoshiba-kun. I was wondering if you wanted to go to a courage test this weekend with me and Sakura.” Sakura choked on her cake, silently crying that it wasn’t only herself and Nozaki, but she should have expected as much. Seo patted her back to make sure she didn’t die and Mikoshiba thought for a second before shaking his head.
“I think I’d rather just stay home. I probably have a lot of homework-” He was cut off with a chime from his cellphone.
“HAH?! Mayumayu is going to a test of courage?! Nozaki, I’ll go with you.” He sounded so determined and Nozaki felt his face morph into an expression of pity from the fact that someone could change Mikoshiba’s mind so quickly. Mikoshiba yelled at Nozaki for his expression at him and decided he was definitely going to go to the courage test.
Seo, who had been listening quietly, suddenly said out loud in a monotoned voice, “What if Waka went and got so scared he passed out.” Her face lit up and she ran out of the class as fast as she could, leaving dust in her tracks as she went to find Wakamatsu. All three of their faces in horror, Sakura, Nozaki and Mikoshiba ran after Seo to protect Wakamatsu, leaving the pastries behind and chasing Seo until class started again.