Training Camp, Day Two
Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, waking the Supplementary Lessons Club.
"…"
"This smell…" Azusa said.
"Sweet cream…" Hifumi sniffed.
"Cream puffs!" Koharu shouted.
"Don't scare me!" Hifumi yelped.
"C'mon, let's eat cream puffs! Hurry!" Azusa urged.
"Where's your usual cool vibe!?" Koharu asked.
The sweet scent of cream puffs lured them to the kitchen, where Mash stood in a training outfit topped with an apron, holding trays stacked with cream puff towers.
"Morning, everyone. Cream puffs for breakfast?" Mash offered.
"Yum!" Azusa grabbed one.
"Why an apron over training clothes!?" Koharu yelled.
"Morning workout," Mash said.
"Naked apron? ♡" Hanako teased.
"No!" Koharu snapped.
"Naked… apron?" Azusa tilted her head.
"You okay after all that exercise?" Hifumi asked.
"Thanks, Azusa-chan. I'm fine—just 50 laps around the dorm," Mash said.
"50… laps!?" they gasped.
"Less than usual, since we're here," Mash added.
"How much normally?" Hanako asked.
"An hour," Mash said.
"Hours, not laps!?" Koharu exclaimed.
"Feels light," Mash said.
"What are you, Sensei?" Hifumi muttered.
"Human," Mash replied.
"Not what I meant!" Hifumi retorted.
They bantered, munching cream puffs—delicious and filling, perfect for breakfast.
"Mine never taste this good… Sensei, handmade?" Hanako asked.
"Yup, faster than the machine," Mash said.
(Beating a machine with raw strength!?) Koharu thought.
"Sensei, teach me to make them. I relied on the machine last time," Azusa said.
"Sure, I'll teach you," Mash said.
"Really!? Thanks!" Azusa beamed, thrilled to learn for the club—her family.
Camp Classroom
Mash stood at the podium with his all-night study materials. The energized club, full from cream puffs, listened as Hifumi spoke as president.
"Ahem! Attention, please!" Hifumi said.
"Ta-da!" Mash chimed.
"This is our first real camp day, post-cleaning. We're in a tough spot, but don't overthink it. Our goal: pass the second special exam in a week!" Hifumi declared.
"Wow," Hanako said.
"Why so pumped!?" Koharu asked.
"Super motivated, Hifumi," Azusa noted.
"So—we're holding a mock exam now!" Hifumi announced.
She presented papers labeled "Supplementary Lessons Club Mock Exam," separate from Mash's materials.
"Mock exam?" Koharu blinked.
"Hm?" Azusa said.
"A test!? Why!?" Koharu yelped.
"It's valid to question," Hifumi said. "Blind studying isn't efficient. We need to know what we can and can't do, and where we stand. I prepared these last night, with Sensei's help, to mimic the second exam."
Hifumi placed a thick stack of papers on the desk—too much for one night.
"These are…" Hanako started.
"Past Trinity exam questions and answers. It's incomplete, but with Sensei's late-night help, we made a mock test," Hifumi explained.
"Impressive!" Azusa said.
"So clear and organized," Hanako added.
"Thanks…" Hifumi blushed. "It's 60 minutes, 60/100 to pass—same as the real thing. Let's graduate together!"
"Got it," Azusa said.
"Hehe," Hanako giggled.
"Ugh…" Koharu groaned.
Hifumi's passion fired them up, and they began the mock exam.
Post-Exam, Results
After an hour, the club showed fatigue or nerves. Mash stacked their answer sheets, his voice heavy.
"Results time," Mash said.
"Please, Sensei!" Hifumi urged.
"First mock exam results…" Mash paused.
Gulp.
"Hanako-chan: 4 points. Fail," Mash said.
"Whoops," Hanako said.
"Azusa-chan: 33 points. Fail," Mash continued.
"Got it," Azusa said.
"Koharu-chan: 15 points. Fail," Mash added.
"No way…" Koharu whispered.
"Hifumi-chan: 68 points. Pass," Mash finished.
"Good… now, everyone," Hifumi said, raising her voice. "This is our reality! No bright future like this. We have one week to score over 60. We must use our time wisely!"
"Makes sense," Azusa nodded.
"Koharu-chan and Azusa-chan, you're taking first-year exams, so Hanako-chan and I will help. Hanako-chan, you scored high as a first-year, right?" Hifumi asked.
"Uh… yeah?" Hanako said.
"I found your old answers! We'll figure out why you're struggling now and fix it with Sensei!" Hifumi said.
"That's… a plan," Hanako mumbled.
"I'll work hard," Koharu vowed.
Hifumi's fervor startled Hanako, and Mash's eyes sparkled in agreement.
"We're making more tests to track progress. With steady effort, we'll pass!" Hifumi said.
"No giving up," Mash said.
"Exactly! We'll graduate together!" Hifumi urged.
Her determination—finding her role and giving her all—warmed Mash's heart.
"Oh, and since studying non-stop kills motivation, I prepared rewards!" Hifumi added.
"Rewards?" Koharu asked.
"Yup!" Hifumi left, returning with a huge bag, grinning.
"Here!" she said.
"…" Azusa stared.
Hifumi pulled out stuffed toys: a skull-masked giant, a cookie-faced dog, a big-eyed cat, a funky blue owl, a bird choking on ice cream, a white-eyed bespectacled bird…
"Beasts?" Mash asked.
"No! Momo Friends! Top scorers get these!" Hifumi said.
"Momo Friends?" Azusa tilted her head.
"What're those?" Koharu asked.
"…" Hifumi froze. "You don't know the trending Momo Friends?"
"I know Peroro from meeting him, but not the rest," Mash said.
Momo Friends, a quirky brand, weren't universally known. Hanako, Koharu, Azusa, and Mash were clueless.
"First time seeing them… maybe vaguely?" Hanako said.
"Weird… pig? Hippo?" Koharu asked.
"No! Peroro-sama's a bird! Look at those majestic wings and noble beak!" Hifumi insisted.
"Noble…?" Koharu squinted.
"Those eyes are creepy, and the name's kinda lewd…" Hanako said.
Hifumi avoided the lewd comment, but Peroro's eyes screamed… substance abuse.
"Some say that, but look closer—they're cute!" Hifumi urged.
"Can't see it…" Koharu said.
"Oh, I remember—Hifumi-chan's bag and phone case have them," Hanako said.
"Right!" Hifumi beamed.
"The one drooling, begging for mercy…?" Hanako added.
"No! That's wrong!" Hifumi protested.
"I don't want them!" Koharu declared.
"Ugh…" Hifumi wilted.
"I like this… Skullman? Cool," Mash said.
"Sensei… Then Peroro-sama too?" Hifumi asked.
"Pass," Mash said.
"Why!?" Hifumi wailed.
Koharu refused outright. To Hifumi, these were treasures—like Mash's cream puff heaven. To others? Bizarre junk.
"What about you, Azusa-chan? Cute, right?" Hifumi asked.
"Cu…" Azusa began.
"Cu?" Hifumi leaned in.
"Cute!" Azusa shouted, trembling with excitement.
"!?"
"!?"
"Oh?"
"Wow," Mash said.
Everyone's eyes widened. Azusa's face lit up, sparkling with a smile brighter than when she first ate a cream puff.
"So cute! These round, fluffy creatures… those unreadable eyes, no clue what they're thinking!" Azusa gushed.
"Right!? Azusa-chan gets Peroro-sama's charm! That's what makes them cute!" Hifumi cheered.
"No way…" Koharu muttered.
The two dove into a frenzy, hyped to the max.
"This long newt… giraffe? Looks cozy as a scarf!" Azusa said.
"That's Wavecat-san! Always dancing, but yes, there's a neck pillow version!" Hifumi said.
"And this tiny one!?" Azusa pointed.
"Mr. Nikolai-san! Philosophical, often stared at oddly. One reward is his book, Beyond Good and Evil—first edition!" Hifumi said.
"Amazing! Can I pick!?" Azusa asked.
"Take what you want!" Hifumi said.
Hanako smiled warmly, Koharu shuddered, and Mash…
(What's this feeling?) He clutched his chest, hit by a strange emotion. (Azusa-chan's huge smile, her excited talk with Hifumi-chan… my heart… tightened. What's this?)
"No choice—I'm going all out," Mash said.
Azusa, eyes on the Peroro pile, declared, "Great motivation, Hifumi. I swear I'll complete this mission and claim those mysterious, fluffy animals!"
"Fight on, Azusa-chan!" Hifumi giggled.
"Hifumi-chan's got Peroro's face now ♡," Hanako teased.
"She's that happy," Mash said.
"Ugh…" Koharu groaned.
Mash thought, (Hifumi-chan's doing so much. I wanna do something too, but I don't have much… anything works? Anything?)
"I've got a reward too," Mash said.
"Hm?" Azusa looked.
"Not something weird, right?" Koharu asked.
"What is it?" Hanako said.
"If you score well and pass the exam…" Mash paused. "I'll do anything you ask."
"Anything!?" they gasped.
"Yup, anything," Mash confirmed.
They froze. Mash didn't grasp how wild "anything" was.
"Sensei, 'anything' is…" Hifumi started.
"Not great," Azusa said.
"Anything!? No lewd stuff! Death penalty!" Koharu yelled.
"Is it that bad? Just doing whatever," Mash said.
"That's the problem!" Hifumi said. "Hanako-chan?"
Hanako approached, her face thousands of times more serious, unnerving Mash.
"Anything, right?" Hanako asked.
"Uh, yeah… except crimes," Mash said.
"So, anything but crimes?" Hanako pressed.
"Yup," Mash said.
"Hehe… hahahaha ♡," Hanako laughed.
"What're you planning!?" Koharu shouted.
"Don't forget that promise, Sensei," Hanako said, her expression sharpening.
"I… won't…" Mash said, spooked.
"Let's do this—for us, for the rewards!" Hanako rallied.
"Yeah!" Azusa cheered.
"What's she gonna do!?" Koharu panicked.
"Sensei… be careful," Hifumi warned.
"What's happening to me?" Mash asked.
Hanako and Azusa, fired up by rewards, went all-in. Mash thought, If they're motivated, good enough.
Stink bug hell sounds awful! Hope you're free of them. Homecoming club drop at this timing? Insane but awesome! Hifumi's Momo Friends obsession and Mash's "anything" promise—chaos awaits!
Comments and ratings super appreciated!
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