CH. 58 - Baking Some Cookies

Another day, the group makes their way to Alice’s home. It is an average sized home with no particular defining features but homey all the same. Alice then swings the door open excitedly for her new friends.

“Hello friends! Welcome to my stronghold! Please, come in!” She shouts excitedly. The large group comes in and sits around the living room, some on the couches and some on the ground as Alice follows.

“Your house is really nice, Alice.” Suiyoubi says.

“Thanks! I live here!” Alice says happily before pausing for a moment. She suddenly turns around and slams her fist into her head, upset. “So stupid! Of course I live here!”

“So, what kind of games do you have?” Kitaro asks with a smile as he starts going through her entertainment center.

“Oooh, do you have Pummel Fiesta? That game's so fun. You can play with like eight people!” Haru shouts.

"Boys! Games can wait!" Chizuru says with a cute scolding look.

“Yeah. I’m kinda hungry. We should start with food first.” Lucy says.

“I can cook something for you guys.” Ryuji offers.

“Oh, that would be so sweet of you.” Lucy says as she bumps her forehead into his face softly. He blushes and looks away a bit. Alice turns sharply towards them with a neutral look.

“Oh, don’t worry about that! I ordered pizza! I hope I got enough…” She turns, revealing multiple large pizza boxes on the counter. Lucy and Hikigaya get excited over the food and rush to get some. Alice watches happily as Hikigaya looks at her and smiles a bit.

“You know, for someone who hasn’t had friends over in many years, you’re doing really well.” He says.

“What?? How did you know??” She jumps back in shock at his statement. Hikigaya smiles and looks at Shiori.

“I guessed. I have some experience in telling if someone has had a rough time making friends.” He says softly. Shiori sticks her tongue out at his playful words. Alice smiles and nods embarrassedly.

“Yeah, it’s… been a while. Especially with so many.” Alice admits softly.

“Well, welcome to the club.” Lucy says casually with a mouthful of pizza as she pats Alice on the shoulder before heading back to the couch next to Ryuji, holding a plate of pizza. Alice smiles warmly in response to her new friends’ kind words.

Tsuki then takes a seat next to Shiori on the ground. He watches as Kitaro and Haru prepare the video game. Shiori looks at him for a moment before speaking.

“Hey Tsuki. That was pretty cool of you, offering not to come and all, just for us.” Shiori says quietly. He looks at her confused for a moment but then understands.

“It was nothing. As long as you have a good time, that’s all I care about.” He says with a smile while rubbing the back of his head.

As he awkwardly smiles at her, she smiles back. Hikigaya turns around from the counter, being satisfied with the amount of food on his plate, and sees Shiori and Tsuki smiling at each other. He stares for a moment, his expression dropping slowly before he blinks and comes back to his spot on the couch, pushing the thoughts and feelings away.

"Okay! It's all ready to go, so who's first?" Haru asks excitedly to the group of friends.

"Alice, get over here. I wanna see what you can do." Kitaro says, lifting a controller her way without taking his eyes off the screen. Alice looks excited before taking a seat on the ground right next to him with a playfully determined look. "You're a nerd who plays games all the time, right?" Kitaro asks plainly, but Alice isn't offended cause she knows he's the same way.

"That's right! Wait until you see my skills, I'll blow you away!" Alice says happily.

"Come on, guys! There's more seats to fill!" Haru encourages them. Touma takes a seat next to them as Chizuru gets up enthusiastically and joins them as Shiori watches. She then looks at Tsuki and bumps his arm.

"Wanna play?" Shiori asks him. He blushes a little and looks surprised.

"Y-you're asking me?" Tsuki asks. Shiori sweats a little but smiles a bit anyway.

"Don't make it weird.. but yeah. We're friends, aren't we? We can play games together." Shiori says as Tsuki looks very excited.

"Yeah!" Tsuki says as they make their way to the console. Hikigaya watches them as they laugh and join the others as his eyes narrow with a subtly upset look. The group then continues to hangout late into the night, playing games, watching movies and enjoying the new company with laughter and love.

Back at school, another day has come to an end, and the group is all gathered together like they normally are. They chat with each other before they all go their separate ways when a tall girl with short brown hair and loud makeup walks past the hallway. She stops and turns when she sees the group and focuses on Hikigaya. Her face lights up as she rushes in his direction. Shiori looks over and sees the girl running their way with a big smile on her face.

“Who is that?” Shiori asks. The others look at her confused too before Lucy speaks.

“Is that..?” she asks.

“Oh, this’ll be good.” Haru smirks.

Hikigaya then slowly turns to see the girl coming his way. Before he can really react, she pushes Shiori to the side and jumps on him, landing a kiss on his lips. Shiori falls back as everything slows down around her with a shocked look on her face, the others being just as shocked. Hikigaya’s eyes are wide with surprise as she pulls back a little, leaving her arms around his neck. 

“Hikigaya! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” the girl says happily. Hikigaya is too stunned to respond as she gets a playful look. “Oh, I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot, me taking your first kiss and all…” She says with a blush, trying to act innocently cute. Hikigaya shakes his head a bit before pulling her arms off of him.

“Don’t worry about it…” he says with an uncomfortable look. “You didn’t.” Hikigaya says plainly. The girl pouts, completely dropping the innocent look, as Hikigaya steps away from her.

“Aw, no fair! Who did then?” She asks.

“What are you doing here, Milo?” Lucy asks, revealing the girl’s name.

“Hello to you too, Lucy. I was just so excited to see Hiki again, I couldn’t help myself!” Milo says back before smiling at Hikigaya. Sugawara leans over to Haru and whispers.

“Who’s that?..” he asks.

“That’s Milo. She’s a girl from our old middle school who had a huge crush on Hikigaya and asked him out constantly. He always turned her down though because he was obsessed with cloud girl, especially back then…” Haru whispers back, not removing his gaze from the situation, amused by it.

“That’s right. And I’ve been looking for you ever since! You refused to tell me what high school you were going to.” Milo pouts.

“I wonder why…” Hikigaya says with a frustrated look.

“But when I saw you at the Sports Festival, I knew I had to get into Iris High no matter what! It took some time, but I was finally able to make it!” Milo shouts excitedly.

“But isn’t that a first year uniform..?” Sugawara points out.

“Yes sir! I’m only a year below Hiki and friends! Speaking of which, I’ve never seen you before… Who are you?” Milo asks Sugawara, looking at him with an interested look. Before Sugawara can say anything, Hikigaya adjusts himself and turns to walk off.

“Look, I’d love to stay and chat, but we gotta get home.” He says.

“Oh, that’s great! I’ll walk you home!” Milo says happily. She reaches for Hikigaya’s hand, which Shiori notices, making her eyes widen. Before Milo can grab his hand, Shiori jumps in the way.

“No! No, thank you. That’s my job.” Shiori says aggressively. Milo looks down at her with an offended look.

“And who are you, shorty?”

They glare at each other before Hikigaya grabs Shiori’s hand and pulls her along with Alice following them. Milo is shocked and calls to him.

“Oh, okay, Hiki! I’ll just meet you at home! You still live in the apartments, right?” She shouts to no response as they walk off in a rush. The others all laugh amongst themselves as they part ways like normal, leaving Milo there with a softly saddened look. With a smirk, Tsuki steps next to her, watching them leave too.

"First time?" he asks, looking at her with a cool look. Milo looks at him with a soft blush on her cheeks before Tsuki looks ahead with an exhale as he tosses his bag over his shoulder. "They can be a bit abrasive to us first years. You'll get used to it." Tsuki says with a smile before walking off. Milo watches before stomping softly in frustration and looking around, annoyed.

As the three of them walk home, Shiori asks Hikigaya about Milo with a slight, but more visually upset look.

“So, what was all that about?” Shiori asks. Hikigaya droops a bit and sweats, not looking at her.

“I’d really rather not talk about it..” Hikigaya responds with an upset sigh. Alice giggles at the silly interaction as they walk off together.

At school during another day, Ms. Samuel calls for the attention of all the students. 

“Okay class, today, I have an announcement. I have been informed that our class has been assigned the annual school play!” Samuel says with an enthusiastic smile. The class hardly reacts at all, seeming more confused than anything, and starts whispering amongst themselves. Samuel sweats a bit at the response. 

‘Okay… Not the reaction I thought I’d get…’ She thinks before clearing her throat. “That means we will be in charge of deciding the play, practicing, building and performing the play to a public audience, you all understand that, right?” Samuel asks. The class stares at her blankly for a moment before suddenly, everyone begins to perk up and get loud.

“What?? No way!” Danny shouts.

“You mean we have to act?!” Sugawara shouts in shock.

“This doesn’t sound like a good idea…” Hikigaya says with a droop. The group and others begin to get worried and upset with the decision. Samuel covers her ears due to the class's sudden loud expression of thoughts.

‘There it is…’ Samuel thinks with a sweat. “I know, I know. It’s a big task to carry out, but you should be excited! You get to create something amazing and show it off to a whole crowd of people!” Samuel says encouragingly. The class still isn’t convinced as they stare at her in silence. After a moment, Samuel rolls her eyes. “Or… you get a month off of schoolwork if you do it.”

In an instant, the class erupts in enthusiastic cheers.

"Alright! No schoolwork!" A student, Daiki, cheers.

“That sounds like a fair deal to me.” Haru says with a nod, crossing his arms.

“As long as I don’t have to study, I’m down.” Lucy says, throwing her arms behind her head. Samuel sighs in disappointment that the class is so happy about not doing schoolwork. 

“Yes, while we prepare and perform the play, you will not be required to do any normal schoolwork. However, that doesn’t mean this will be easy. We will be meeting with a play director who I’m sure will be hard on you just like I will be. This still counts as credits to your grade. Here is the packet of information about the event.” Ms. Samuel says as she begins walking around and handing out packets to the students. Some of them seem excited, while others seem to dread it. 

“With proper parent permission, you may be excused from the play with a minimum passing grade. Those with already low scores in the class, I don’t recommend you skip this.” She warns as she heads back to the front of the class behind her podium desk. “We are scheduled for a Spring release, so starting soon, we will be spending most of our days in the theater or here prepping. Any questions?” The class begins discussing as outside of the class, Tsuki spies through the door. 

‘A play, huh..? But what if…?’ He thinks about the play for a moment and imagines Hikigaya as a knight with a sword and Shiori as a damsel in distress as he leans in to kiss her on stage. The image in Tsuki’s head poofs away as Tsuki looks distraught. ‘No way! I have to get in that play!’

Later that day, the group walks out of the class and down the hall as the day comes to an end. 

“Jeez, I can’t believe it’s already almost Valentine’s again!” Chizuru says with a big stretch and happy smile.

“Time sure flies by, doesn’t it?” Hikigaya says too.

“So, Ryuji, you gonna make me some more of those killer sweets like always?” Lucy asks while throwing her arm around his neck and pulling him in close. He blushes a bit.

“Maybe…” Ryuji says softly.

“Oh, come on! You always make me some! Let’s not stop this tradition!” Lucy says as she jumps on his back a bit. Sugawara then looks at Haru and blushes a bit as they hold hands. Chizuru then turns and looks at Shiori.

“What should we do this year? Last year we made chocolates and stuff, maybe we should do it again!” Chizuru asks. Lucy suddenly looks surprised.

“Oh yeah, I forgot y'all did that. Who did you end up giving yours to, Shiori?” Lucy asks. Shiori looks surprised and thinks back to when she gave Hikigaya chocolate and him eating them. She begins to get red and covers her face.

“Shiori?” Lucy asks with a confused look.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I don’t remember, sorry.” Shiori quickly deflects. Hikigaya then speaks up with an innocent look.

“I do. Didn’t you give them to-” Hikigaya starts to speak before Shiori interrupts him.

“Shut up, you dumbass!” She covers his mouth as he flails about while she blushes. Lucy watches them for a moment before she smirks mischievously.

"Ohhh, I get it. You totally ate them, huh Hiki?" Lucy asks as he looks at her casually. He goes to answer, but Shiori just tackles him to the ground.

"Don't answer!" She shouts. Alice mopes just a bit watching them.

"I wish she'd tackle me like that…" Alice mumbles as Suiyoubi slowly turns her head to look at Alice with a concerned look. Chizuru watches as Shiori beats up Hikigaya in front of her before suddenly lighting up as she gets an idea.

“Oh, I know! Let’s make cookies this time! Everyone always makes chocolates or candies, but no one ever makes cookies!” Chizuru says excitedly.

“Well yeah. That kinda misses the point of giving candy..” Lucy points out.

“D-do you like cookies, Chizuru..?” Touma asks shyly. They’re all surprised by him speaking, so he blushes and looks away as Chizuru smiles.

“Of course I do! Everyone loves some yummy sweets.” Chizuru says back with a warm smile.

“I know I do!” Hisana says while licking her lips. “Maybe this time I’ll give some to Kitaro.” Hisana says while rubbing her shoulder against his in a playfully seductive way.

“Don’t bother, you’ll probably just forget and give it to the first cute boy you see.” Kitaro says plainly.

“Aw, you’re so mean to me! I’m not that dumb!” Hisana shouts back as she playfully hits him. As they talk, Haru and Sugawara talk too.

“We should make a cake together for Valentine’s!” Haru offers.

“That sounds fun! Can we… make it in the shape of a heart?” Sugawara asks timidly. Haru smiles and lifts him up in a hug.

“You’re so cute!” Haru shouts lovingly. Sugawara blushes and steams as Haru hugs him tightly. Shiori blushes and pouts a little watching them, finally shifting her attention away from Hikigaya.

“That’s not fair. You guys are dating this time.” She says to them, playfully pouting.

“Well, if you want this, then maybe hurry up and find a partner.” Haru says with a smirk. Shiori pouts as she finally lets go of Hikigaya, who catches his breath.

“You know,- you don’t have to kill me to ask me to stop talking.” Hikigaya says between breaths. Shiori huffs at him as she walks ahead of him. Touma talks to Chizuru about cookies as they walk while Suiyoubi talks to Alice.

“Are you going to make cookies for anyone this year?” Suiyoubi asks.

“Ha ha ha! As if a hero like me would even need to make anything! I’m sure I’ll receive lots of sweet treats come Valentine’s Day!” Alice says confidently. Suiyoubi sweats a bit as Mormo pops out of her bag and looks at you, reader.

“Man, and I thought my confidence was bad.” He says casually.

“Well, I guess it’s settled. We’re gonna make cookies this year!” Lucy says with a smirk, letting go of Ryuji as she lifts her fist into the air. The group gets excited as they cheer and do the same, walking off together as they leave school for the day.

With Valentine’s Day approaching soon, the group gets together for a baking day. Shiori, Hisana, Chizuru, Touma, Ryuji, Tsuki and Lucy all meet up at Chizuru’s house. They are in the kitchen with an array of cookie ingredients and utensils all laying around them. 

“Okay! I hope everyone knows who they’re making cookies for because we’re gonna jump right in!” Chizuru shouts excitedly.

“Don’t mind me, I’ll be the certified cookie tester.” Lucy says as she takes a seat in the living room attached to the kitchen. Chizuru looks at her playfully upset.

“Oh, come on, you’re not gonna make any cookies with us?” She asks.

“Nope. I don’t have anyone to give them to.” Lucy responds casually. Chizuru looks a little surprised and worried about Lucy's words as she looks over at Ryuji. He just shrugs a little as he looks down at the stuff in front of him. Chizuru then sighs and moves on. 

“Forget her. Let’s just have fun!” She says happily as the others nod excitedly.

As the group makes their cookies, Lucy comes around and observes. She first makes her way to Touma, who gets nervous once he notices her watching him.

“What kind of cookies are you making, big guy?” Lucy asks as Touma stirs a bowl of ingredients.

“S-sugar cookies…” he says softly.

“The dough looks kinda pink.” Lucy points out, confused, with a head tilt.

“Yeah, I a-added dye to it…” he admits with a timid smile.

“Ohho! Let me guess, they’re for Chizuru?” she asks with a smile. He panics and blushes a little but doesn’t answer. “Say no more! I’ll leave you to it.” Lucy says, patting him on the back. Shifting her attention, she steps next to Hisana.

“Who are you making cookies for?” Lucy asks.

“I’m thinking of giving them to Kitaro!” Hisana answers happily while not removing her gaze from the bowl she's stirring in front of herself. Lucy smiles softly.

“You really like him, don’t you?” she asks.

“Oh yeah, a lot!" Hisana says happily out loud. "I’ve been asking him out for years now, but he always turns me down. I’m not sure why?” Hisana says, looking at Lucy with a confused look.

“Well, here’s to better luck this year. What kind of cookies are you-” Lucy speaks with a smile, leaning over to peek in the bowl, but immediately stops when she sees a dark, not so pleasant smelling, dough in Hisana’s bowl.

“White chocolate macadamia nut cookies! They’re his favorite!” Hisana says with a big smile. Lucy gets a look of disgust before turning away.

“Right… Well, I hope they taste better than they look…” she says. She leaves and sees Ryuji already putting his cookie shapes on a tray and in the oven.

“You always finish first.” She says with a smirk and some blush. Not noticing her joke, Ryuji responds casually.

“I do cook and bake the most.” he says.

“That’s because you’re so talented!” Lucy says with a playful tone as she jumps on him, giving him a big hug as Ryuji blushes. On the other side of the counter, Shiori, Chizuru and Tsuki work. Tsuki follows instructions on his phone intently as he works.

“These have got to be perfect for my lovely Shiori!” he says under his breath as he makes heart shaped cookies on his tray with intense focus. Shiori rolls her eyes, hearing his words, as she rolls out little balls of dough. She then looks over at Chizuru, noticing her happily making her cookies.

“Do you have a special someone to give cookies to, Chizuru?” Shiori asks.

“Huh? Oh no, not really. I’m thinking about giving some to Alice, or maybe Touma.” Chizuru says with a smile. Shiori nods softly in response as she continues working. As they do, Chizuru pauses for a moment before suddenly getting a playfully mischievous smile. “Or maybe I’ll give them to Hikigaya.” Chizuru says ominously. Shiori snaps her head in her direction with a shocked look.

“What? Why?”

“Oh, you know, he’s just so nice and we’ve been friends for so long. I just can’t help myself around him sometimes. I think I might even have feelings for him!” Chizuru says as she blushes and acts innocently shy. Shiori blushes and gets upset before looking away.

“O-oh, well if that’s how you feel then go ahead. Not like I care at all..” Shiori grumbles. Chizuru pouts and jumps on Shiori.

“Oh, come on! You have to have feelings for him!” Chizuru says playfully.

“I don’t have to feel anything! Get off of me!” Shiori shouts back.

“Just admit it! You have a crush on Hiki!” Chizuru shouts playfully.

“No, I don’t!” Shiori shouts, annoyed.

“Then who are you making those cookies for?” Chizuru asks. Suddenly, Shiori stops, surprised by Chizuru’s question. Chizuru notices Shiori relaxing a bit and backs off of her for a moment. Shiori then looks down at her cookie dough and realizes.

‘Who am I making cookies for?.. Could I have been making them for him?.. No no no! Never!’ Shiori thinks, shaking the thought away. “I just… wanted to make some cookies with you guys! And if I happen to give them to him, then whatever! It’s not like they mean anything anyway!” Shiori says defiantly as she turns away from Chizuru. Tsuki snaps a wooden cooking spoon in anger after hearing them.

“Damn that Hikigaya..!” Tsuki growls.

“Hey, the spoon.” Touma says softly behind him. Chizuru sighs, realizing Shiori won’t admit anything. Lucy then gets a surprised look on her face while looking at her phone.

“Hey guys, I think we overlooked the fact that Valentine’s Day is on a weekend this year.” Lucy says to them. Chizuru and Tsuki look at her in shock and get upset, whining at the news. “Yep. Looks like no one is giving anyone anything at school this time.” Lucy says with a sigh and a smile. She shakes her head as Shiori gets an idea.

“What if we all meet up somewhere else instead?” Shiori offers. They all look at her for a moment before smiling.

“That’s a great idea!” Lucy says with a smile.

“That way, no one has to miss the holiday!” Chizuru says excitedly.

“But where will we go?” Hisana asks, putting her finger to her chin, thinking. Shiori thinks for a moment before getting a smile on her face and an idea in her head.

“How do you guys feel about amusement parks?” Shiori asks with a smirk. The entire group stares at her for a moment before getting hyped looks, all screaming in excitement.