Mash arrived at Schale, carrying seven unconscious girls like a hero returning from battle. Schale's office, a sleek building in the heart of Kivotos, glowed with morning light streaming through its tall windows. Mash carefully set the girls on the office's plush sofas, placing the prized cream puff on a nearby table. His expression softened as they began to stir, groaning and rubbing their necks.
"Ugh… my neck hurts…" Mobumi, the blonde delinquent, grumbled, wincing.
"That was your light hit?" Mobuko, the sniper, muttered, glaring at Mash.
"Let's eat!" Mash said, slicing the cream puff into eight even pieces.
"Eat!?" the group chorused, their eyes lighting up.
Mash and the cream puff robbers, after their chaotic clash, decided to share the limited-edition treat. They gathered around the table, each holding a piece of the massive cream puff, its crispy shell and creamy filling sparking gasps of delight.
"So good! It's so good!" Mobumi raved, cream smeared on her face.
"Glad you like it, Leader! It's amazing!" Mobuko added, munching happily.
"Crispy outside, creamy inside… perfection," Mobumi, the ponytail girl, sighed, her eyes half-closed in bliss.
The delinquents tossed aside their masks, diving into the treat alongside the Gehenna and Trinity girls. "Told you robbing him was the right call!" Mobumi said, grinning.
"Only because it worked out!" Torimi, the Trinity girl, retorted, rubbing her neck. "Ow, that hurts…"
"Sorry, I tried to go easy," Mash said, scratching his head.
"That was easy!?" Toriko, the Justice Task Force girl, groaned.
"Could've given us better intel, Arona!" Gehemi, the Pandemonium girl, complained.
"Makoto-sama just said he's 'kinda strong'! It's not my fault!" Arona protested through the device's hologram.
"She's dodging blame," Mobuko muttered.
"Want more cream puffs? I've got plenty in the fridge," Mash offered, pointing to the kitchen.
"Yes!" the group shouted in unison.
"I'll grab them," Mash said, heading off.
As they ate and chatted, Mash asked, "So, what's your deal? What's this group?"
"Good question, Sensei," Mobue said, wiping cream from her chin. "We're the After-School Cream Puff Club!"
"After-School Cream Puff Club?" Mash echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup! We make and eat every kind of cream puff after school!" Mobumi explained, her eyes sparkling.
"We all love cream puffs. After classes, we eat them almost daily," Torimi said, smiling softly.
"This time, we all wanted that jumbo cream puff, so we went to the shop," Toriko added.
"But Sensei got there first, which was a problem," Mobuko said, shrugging.
"We tried to buy it after you, but it was sold out," Mobumi grumbled.
"So we had no choice—no choice—but to try and take it," Mobue admitted, looking sheepish.
"You can't just steal because you want something," Mash said, his tone firm but not unkind.
"Yeah, sorry…" the group mumbled, heads bowed.
After finishing the cream puffs, they introduced themselves. "I'll start. Gehemi, Gehenna Academy, second year," the Pandemonium girl said.
"Geheko, Gehenna Academy, Pandemonium Society, second year," the Gehenna girl added.
"Torimi, Trinity General School, first year. Sorry about earlier," the Trinity girl said quietly.
"Toriko, Trinity General School, Justice Task Force, first year!" the Justice Task Force girl declared.
"Sounds like made-up names," Mash said bluntly.
"We know, don't rub it in!" the four groaned.
The delinquents went next. "We're delinquents, no school. I'm Mobumi, the blonde," Mobumi said.
"I'm Mobuko," the sniper said.
"And I'm Mobue, the leader," the ponytail girl said. "We're all 16. Sorry about before. Can you forgive us?"
"No big deal, you're forgiven," Mash said.
"Too easy!" the group exclaimed, nearly falling off their seats.
Mash introduced himself. "Mash Burnedead, Schale's Sensei. Also 16."
"Same age!?" the delinquents gasped.
"One year apart!?" the others added.
"We're cream puff comrades. Let's get along," Mash said, munching on a cream puff.
The After-School Cream Puff Club and Mash's first meeting was sealed with cream puffs, but their story was far from over. The night before, Mash had camped out for the cream puff, only to be ambushed by the club. After knocking them out and bringing them to Schale, he forgave them, and they shared the treat. But the club faced a problem.
"No money?" Mash asked.
"Yeah… our 'club' sounds fancy, but it's not officially recognized. Just a group of us, so we're always short on cash for cream puffs," Mobumi explained.
"I was working a part-time job, but…" Mobumi trailed off.
"You got fired?" Mash asked.
"…Got in a fight with a customer and went all 'Take that!'" Mobumi admitted, mimicking a punch.
"Yikes," Mash said.
"Me and the others tried to find jobs, but…" Mobumi started.
"No one would hire us," Mobuko finished.
"Toriko and Geheko are busy with committee work, and there aren't many places we can work after that," Mobue said.
"And me… I'm not good at customer service or cooking. Never done it," Torimi mumbled.
"Classic rich girl," Geheko teased.
"Ugh!" Torimi winced.
The delinquents' rough appearance scared off employers, Toriko and Geheko's committee duties left little time, and Torimi's sheltered upbringing made her unsuited for work. The After-School Cream Puff Club was broke, unable to afford their beloved cream puffs.
"This time, we scraped together what we had," Mobumi said.
"Hey, Sensei… I'm not asking for a loan, but can you help us find a place to work? Somewhere us school-less delinquents can fit in?" Mobumi asked.
"Sure. I can't ignore my cream puff comrades," Mash said.
(So quick! And comrades?) the group thought.
"But where…" Mash pondered.
After some thought, Mash had an idea. "What if you worked somewhere you could make what you love?"
"Huh?" the group said.
Mash decided to help the Cream Puff Club find a job.
At Cream Puff Heaven, Mash led the group to the robotic shopkeeper. "Here's the deal… please hire them!" Mash said, bowing.
"Please!" the Cream Puff Club echoed, bowing deeply.
"I appreciate you wanting to work here, but… this desperate?" the shopkeeper asked, its sensors blinking.
"Yes!" the club shouted.
"That's some serious energy," the shopkeeper muttered.
The club stood before the shop, pleading for jobs. "Didn't expect the guy I just met to be Schale's Sensei," the shopkeeper said. "And you're the After-School Cream Puff Club, right? Regulars here."
"Thanks for the awesome cream puffs!" Mobumi said.
"We know it's bold, but please hire us!" Mobumi added.
"We've been short-staffed lately… Alright, I'll take you all on!" the shopkeeper said.
"Seriously!?" the club cheered.
"Congrats, everyone," Mash said. "I'll—'Wait, Sensei!'"
The shopkeeper leaned in, studying Mash. "How about you help out too, Sensei?"
"Help out?" Mash said.
"Yeah, just for the first day. Stick around for the kids," the shopkeeper said.
"Got it. I'm in," Mash said.
"Sweet! Let's start with the basics!" the shopkeeper said, its mechanical body buzzing with enthusiasm.
But as the Cream Puff Club began their new journey, a sinister plot was brewing, threatening to disrupt their newfound joy and test their bond with Mash.