The next morning, right on the agreed time, I stepped into the café called "Crêpe Café."
Last night, the caffeine had hit harder than expected, and I ended up staying awake later than planned. Since I had only set an alarm at the very last possible moment, it wasn't surprising that I overslept.
To make matters worse, the bus was delayed. I had already sent Airi an apology in advance, explaining that I might be late, but in the end, I managed to make it just in time.
"Sensei! Over here, over here!"
Airi, already seated, leaned halfway out of her chair and waved at me energetically.
I walked quickly over and sat across from her, taking a moment to look her over. With her fresh, makeup-free face and plain school uniform even on her day off, she looked pure and adorably youthful.
"Good morning, Airi. It's been a while."
After greeting her, I asked, "Come to think of it, I still don't know what the new item this café introduced actually is."
"Hehehe~"
Airi gave a playful wink and pressed her hands together against her cheek. "In that case, please look forward to it, Sensei! I already ordered before you arrived, so you can just pick a drink you like. Oh! But please don't peek at the bottom of the menu!"
Realizing something, she quickly covered the bottom section of the menu with her hand.
What a charming girl.
Smiling, I nodded and didn't try to sneak a look. "Alright, I'll wait and see then. Waiter, I'll have this… juice."
I hadn't eaten breakfast, so my stomach was empty. Even desserts that would usually taste too sweet for me felt like something I could handle plenty of today.
Before long, all of our orders were served, and I finally learned what the new dessert was...
Cupcakes, in a variety of shapes and flavors.
"How is it? Looks delicious, right?"
Airi's eyes sparkled as she spoke with enthusiasm. "Since I was going to eat with you, I ordered lots of different kinds! This one's raspberry flavor! I tried a bite earlier, and it's really, really good! You don't find such a perfect mix of sweet and tart raspberry flavor just anywhere!"
Whenever the topic turned to sweets, Airi's usual shy and quiet personality vanished, replaced by a bright and passionate energy.
"And this one's banana flavor! I didn't get to taste it yet, but I picked it because the color looked really pretty!"
She kept chatting happily.
"And this one… is chocolate mint! Actually, this one isn't new, it's been on the menu for a while. But I love it so much! I couldn't resist ordering it again! The sweet chocolate and refreshing mint together, it's heavenly!"
That one I knew well, it was Airi's favorite flavor. It was even written in her Momotalk status.
She closed her eyes with a dreamy expression, as though she'd drifted off into another world.
That was what made Airi's kind of cuteness unique.
I tried a few myself, and they really were as tasty as she said. Though a bit too sweet for my taste, it was still well within my comfort zone.
We enjoyed our desserts together, chatting casually about this and that, fully immersed in a peaceful and pleasant moment.
Then, my phone rang again.
I paused our conversation with Airi and checked to see who it was.
Yoshimi: Sensei, are you free? You are free, right?
Yoshimi: It's not a big deal or anything, but I need a little help.
Yoshimi: If you're busy, it's fine. It's not that important anyway.
I glanced at Airi across the table, who was happily savoring her dessert, and sighed inwardly. Another member of the After-School Sweets Club? Were they all using "exam season" as an excuse now?
Me: I'm a bit busy at the moment… Is this about going out to eat?
Yoshimi: Why would eating be your first assumption?
Yoshimi: I'm not a pig, you know! I don't only think about food!
Me: Sorry, I was just joking.
Yoshimi: Every time I start to think I should respect you more, you do this!
Yoshimi: I'll never forgive you again…
Me: My bad, I surrender. Please forgive me. I really am busy right now, can we meet this afternoon instead?
Yoshimi: Here we go again…
Yoshimi: …Fine. Thanks, then. Let's meet at Crêpe Café later.
I stared at the location and couldn't help but make a face. Ibaragi Yoshimi, you just said this wasn't about eating sweets!
"Sensei, is something wrong?"
Noticing my expression, Airi looked at me with concern.
I shook my head. "Nothing serious. Just work-related stuff. It's fine, let's keep eating."
After finishing the desserts with Airi and chatting a bit more about school and daily life, I noticed the time and decided it was about right to leave. After paying the bill, I said goodbye to Airi outside the café.
I stood there and watched until she disappeared into the crowd, then turned around and went right back inside. Returning to the same seat, I called a waiter over to clear the table, then ordered exactly the same items Airi had ordered earlier.
And waited for Natsu.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with her message. Soon after, a small figure appeared in the hallway.
Pink side ponytail, bright red eyes, a lovely face, and an otherwise modest figure, it was none other than Yutori Natsu, the self-proclaimed romanticist.
"Good morning, Sensei. How have you been?"
After greeting me and hearing that I had already ordered, Natsu nodded in approval, looking pleasantly surprised.
"Not bad, Sensei. That's quite the cream puff move. I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
Haha, sure. If you say so. Just be careful you don't end up proving me right someday.
Though I had no idea what she meant by that, I assumed it was her way of complimenting me for being mature on the outside but softhearted inside. I was starting to understand "Yutori dialect."
When the cupcakes arrived, I recalled what Airi had said earlier and began describing the appeal of each flavor to Natsu.
She didn't offer her own opinions, just listened attentively to everything I said. It almost felt like our roles had reversed compared to my earlier chat with Airi.
When I finally ran out of things to say, Natsu withdrew her gentle gaze and spoke in her usual, roundabout way.
"Hehehe~ It's only been a few days, but Sensei, have you started to develop a taste for sweets? The way you talk about them, your emotions are as light and fluffy as cotton candy∼"
Cotton candy, huh… light and empty?
Clearly, she could tell my descriptions weren't genuine, but she seemed to interpret that fact differently.
"Well, you did your homework beforehand, didn't you? Hmm, rather than cotton candy, maybe you're more like a cupcake. Small in size, but rich in flavor and quality~"
Natsu sighed softly. "So romantic."
She picked up a cupcake, carefully peeled away the paper wrapper, and took a small, delicate bite.
After swallowing, she licked the bit of cream off the corner of her lips and smiled.
"Thanks for the treat."