"President, are you still short of people in your group?"
A bob of shoulder-length brown hair tied into a sphere (a dango), a stylishly modified school uniform, and a physique that was no less "hot" than Itsuki's, all radiated feminine charm. However, the girl seemed completely oblivious to it. She scratched the back of her head innocently, walked up to Izuru, and asked somewhat hesitantly.
{A dango?}
Seeing that distinctive hairstyle, Izuru's gaze sharpened, but outwardly he asked with a tone of surprise.
"Young lady, who are you?"
Hearing the question, the girl with the dango hair opened her eyes wide in shock. It was as if she only just realized she hadn't introduced herself and that Izuru didn't know her yet. Embarrassed, she again scratched the back of her head and said:
"My name is Yuigahama Yui. You can call me Yui or Yuigahama. My friend group is already full, and besides, I can't cook. So, would it be alright if I joined the President's cooking team? I'd simultaneously like to learn some cooking skills from you all. Of course, I'll also help out as an assistant."
After speaking, Yui seemed afraid Izuru wouldn't believe her. She pointed with her index finger toward the overcrowded cooking station not far away to show that she wasn't lying.
Seeing Yui's gesture, which almost looked like she was trying to seduce him with her cuteness, Izuru felt amused. He said nothing and followed the direction of her finger, staring at the kitchen facility surrounded by a mob of people.
Though it was hard to tell because of the crowd, Hayama Hayato, standing at the center of the throng—like a warm little sun—was very easy to spot. Most importantly, the crowd was almost entirely female, causing many male students and Miura Yumiko to glare with eyes practically spitting fire from jealousy.
However, Hayato's other friends seemed unbothered. They stood beside him and refused to make way for the girls, as if declaring "even if I die here, don't expect to get any benefits from Hayato"—well, except for this "traitor," Yui.
{I see, so that's how it is?}
Izuru nodded as if understanding something, though feeling a bit strange, then said with a tone of pity:
"It's fine by me; how about Hirano and Itsuki? But that friend of yours is truly popular; I probably won't reach that level in my entire life."
{If you just kept your mouth tightly shut, that level would be nothing for you.}
The three girls present simultaneously thought the same thing.
But outwardly...
"Welcome to the group, Yuigahama-san. But both the President and I are equally unable to cook, let alone make cookies. You need to prepare yourself mentally!"
Itsuki said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, making her words feel insincere. This caused Izuru to glance at her strangely a few times.
In contrast, Yukino's reaction was far more normal. She simply nodded expressionlessly and said with a flat tone:
"No problem. Since there are already two cooking idiots here, adding one more who can't cook doesn't matter. But in my opinion, Yuigahama-san has a talent for cooking. Although she can't now, in the future, she will surely achieve extraordinary feats in the culinary arts, perhaps even rivaling me."
Except, this sentence seemed to hide a deeper meaning. But Yui didn't notice it. She placed her index finger to her cheek innocently, then said cheerfully:
"Thank you for the compliment, Yukinon! With support from you, I will definitely work hard!"
{A talent for cooking? This Yui? Um, you probably don't know what food poisoning is. But, it's true that the future Yui managed to make rapid progress in cooking after persistent effort, worth looking forward to.}
Izuru thought a bit mischievously, but he immediately asked curiously:
"By the way, Dango, do you already know Hirano and me? Earlier, you called me President and addressed Hirano as Yukinon."
"Of course. Both the President and Yukinon, and even Itsuki-san who just transferred, you are all popular figures at this school. There's almost no one at school who doesn't know you, so of course I know the three of you. Even though this is the first time I've met you directly. The name Yukinon is a affectionate nickname I usually use!"
Yui didn't mind the "Dango" nickname from Izuru at all. It was as if she was already used to it or even liked the nickname. She answered his question happily instead.
But hearing their conversation, Yukino said with displeasure: "Yukinon? Though it sounds much better than the idiotic nickname from Kamukura-kun, could you please address me by my name? Why must you use a nickname?"
"It's not a nickname! It's an affectionate name! Proof of a close friendship! But, does Yukinon not like this name? Or, compared to 'Yukinon', do you prefer the 'Hirano' nickname from the President?"
Whether intentional or not, Yui slightly puffed out her chest as she spoke. Her physical advantage, which was equal to Itsuki's and far surpassed Yukino's, truly captured attention.
"If so, I will also be forced to call you tha—"
CRASH!
Before Yui could finish her sentence, the kitchen knife held by Yukino suddenly slammed violently onto the cutting board in front of her. The knife snapped in two and the cutting board cracked, creating a loud noise that drew the attention of the entire class. While throwing the broken blade into the trash as if nothing had happened, she smiled coldly with a black aura seemingly emanating from her back.
"My hand slipped a little. Without wasting any more time, we should probably start making the cookies immediately, otherwise there won't be enough time later."
"Gulp!"
Izuru, Itsuki, and Yui simultaneously swallowed hard. Yui even wiped cold sweat from her forehead while laughing awkwardly. "Right, let's hurry and make the cookies before the time is up. I'll help Yukinon as an assistant."
Itsuki laughed bitterly and wisely chose to remain silent, not daring to bring up the previous topic again. While Izuru, his entire body suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
{By the way, how many times have I mentioned 'Hirano' in front of Yukino? Do I need to start preparing my will from now?}
🎇Keep reading and support this story on Ko-fi:
📎Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/lovefanfiction or bit.ly/4sbFiOM
✅More early access chapters from WebNovel
✅5 translated fanfic chapters & 1-2 new original fanfic chapters every day (Monday-Saturday), exclusive on Ko-fi.
Thank you so much for your incredible support!