"Hayate, this is..."

"What happened?" Koyuki demanded.

His conversation with Chiaki had ended, and he'd jerked his focus in our direction. Chiaki also tilted his head.

But their confusion was lost to me. Hayate's hold loosened considerably—he was honestly fumbling because he hadn't anticipated that I'd take notice of his paper—which allowed me to properly place it in hand.

I surveyed every inch of the sketch as fast as possible only to glisten. Unlike the rest of our mediocre sketches or ideas, this one was beautiful. Filled to the brim with all the details you can imagine, bright and shaded with coloured pencils. Tiny arrows and words were even written around the margins, listing potential ingredients and techniques.

My jaw collapsed further and I brought it closer to my face.

"Hayate, this is... perfect."

All I saw then was a dramatic light emanating from the sheet, almost as if I was holding something graced from the heavens themselves.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I used my hands to crawl my way over to him until we were close enough to stare eye to eye. "This solves all of our problems! You knew about princesses after all. This Cinderella cake is perfect. The ingredients complementing the design, too! If you had an idea this thought out, why didn't you tell us sooner? Huh—"

"Stop getting too close. You're going to make him faint again."

I was promptly lifted to my feet by strong arms. Koyuki set me down a good distance away. I blinked, slowly, and watched as he extended a hand for Hayate to take.

"Show it to us," Koyuki said once Hayate was standing, peering over my shoulder to see the piece. Exactly as it had done to me, I could spot the astonishment slipping onto his features. "This is..."

Chiaki who'd toddled his way over instantly oohed.

"We finally have a decent sketch!" I cheered.

"We can use fondant here," Koyuki noted, slipping it from my fingers and holding it in a way so we all could see.

"I could... help with the freezing and making the frosting," Chiaki added.

"I request we make the gumdrops blue," I piped in.

I glanced over my shoulder at the boy who sheepishly stood aside. I flashed him a smile which only made him stiffen and twiddle his thumbs.

"B-but... i-it shouldn't be a-any good," he stammered. "I don't e-even know if it'll work, and I-I'm not a competent baker. Designing i-is all I'm good at..."

"You're doubting your talent?" I demanded. "You were listening to everything we were saying and adjusted this all to suit it. And you even added your own little touches to glue our vast ideas together. That's amazing! You're amazing! I'm super attracted to you right now!"

"Teruhashi," Koyuki warned.

I locked up. Oh no. My mouth was running on its own again. Worriedly, I gauged Hayate's reaction. Much to my surprise, however, he simply had his lips pressed tight, blushing from ear to ear. It was as if he was unsure of how to digest the compliment.

My heart melted to bits. Goodness, he was so precious.

"Anyway, no more silently watching from the sidelines," I continued excitedly. "We're all working on this cake, and there's no way we're doing it without your participation."

His mouth moved wordlessly for a while. "I-I..."

I brushed aside his discomfort and nudged him forward. "Come on. Let's get a practice batch going."

"B-but th-the t-time..."

"You're right. We barely have any left as is." Koyuki stepped in and handed him an apron as well as one for Chiaki and I. "We need to get a trial cake in before it's too late."

"B-b-but..."

"It's... okay, Haya." Chiaki tugged him by the sleeve over to the nearest station. "You can help me get the frosting ready."

His large eyes became glossy due to awe. The two truly handled him like it was second nature. They kept their distance whenever they knew he'd be fragile and encouraged him when he especially needed it. I guessed Hayate's ability to keep his sanity through it all resulted from knowing them long. Also, that the two made it easy to be yourself around them.

Regardless, things were finally getting back on track. And we had Hayate to thank for that.

Following a gruelling couple of days and nights consisting of staying up reading about serrated knives and how to cut, layer and apply frosting to a cake, the day of Mr. Hanamura's daughter's birthday arrived. Considering it was on a Sunday, we all agreed to meet up to buy some ingredients and bake the cake at Chiaki's house whose grandparents were out. With a series of relentless begging, my mother finally agreed to pitch in some money on the condition that I paid her back in full once I got a job.

Once we'd all gathered, Koyuki made sure to keep a strict eye on me as I prepared what I was responsible for—simple batter mixing and cutting of the cakes—in case I screwed up. Chiaki and Hayate were in charge of the frosting and considering they equally lacked expertise, they fumbled often. Truthfully, our inability to properly work together as a team despite possessing a foolproof plan was a little frustrating at times. But it was also unexpectedly fun. None of us were as haughtily skilled as the Cooking Club—we were a mess if anything—but somehow, while working together, stumbling here and there, things were getting done. We were getting closer and closer to the final product.

Definitely witnessing firsthand just how much of each of us were struggling with something during the process was able to lessen Hayate's nerves about his participation. Although he wasn't nearly as good at Koyuki at pastries or Chiaki with frozen deserts, when the time came for us to decorate, Hayate ended up taking an unexpected lead. For the first time ever, he was able to relax around us. He worked swiftly and meticulously, on par with the artistic skills of a genius. As if he'd done it plenty in his life, with a faint smile quirking up the corners of his lips to boot.

Needless to say, the moment Koyuki, Chiaki and I snapped out of our dazes to appreciate the finished cake sitting there in all its glory, we all gaped like idiots before jumping the said guy into a tight hug.

Hayate instantly got lightheaded and blushed as red as a tomato, but fortunately, this time, he didn't faint.

As planned, the product was a merge of our three cakes. Koyuki baking the vanilla and chocolate cakes and me cutting them to layer them, Chiaki preparing the frosting, and Hayate stringing it all together with an assortment of gumdrops and other specialty pieces. It was pretty. No, more than that. And we made it as a team.

Getting to see a teacher on a day off was insanely weird. But seeing his entire family alongside his daughter's friends brought that to a new extreme.

We kept the cake in the fridge once we'd arrived then stayed a bit to play with the kids. They forced Hayate to reenact princess movies with them, and despite being incredibly awkward around everyone around him, he surprisingly blended right in with them. Chiaki had fallen asleep on one of the couches, and the little girls dressed in princess gowns purposefully went to doodle on his face in markers. Koyuki was more of a chaperone alongside Mr. Hanamura. Then there was me, on the same page with all the little kids as we ran around, playing pretend.

By the time the party was midway through and the cake was officially due, Mr. Hanamura and his wife brought it out. The kids were all doused in awe. They were so happy. They enjoyed it a lot. And when I gave a huge shoutout to Hayate for designing the cake and decorating it, they simultaneously bombarded him with cries of awe and gratitude—even going so far as to tackle him into huge bear hugs that caused him to topple backwards onto the floor.

The party was over before long and the little girls started getting picked up one by one. We chose that as our cue to go. Mr. Hanamura walked us to the door on our way out.

"Thanks so much for today, you all. The cake was absolutely fantastic."

"Don't mention it," Koyuki replied.

"Any time," I agreed. "Your daughter and her friends are so cute! We'll be glad to bake her another cake next year—"

"As we'll be busy with university applications by then, we can't make any promises about next year," Koyuki cut me off, forging a smile, "but we're glad we made a difference."

"Suck up," Chiaki and I murmured simultaneously.

He shot us a glare. We both turned our heads.

"Teruhashi, consider it a deal," Mr. Hanamura said, smiling. "I'll bring it up to the principal this upcoming staff meeting so you and the rest should focus on recruiting a final member."

"Yes, sir!" I brought a hand to my forehead in mock salute. "We'll be on it!"

His wife called his name. With another wave, Mr. Hanamura slipped back inside the household and shut the door behind him.

The four of us made our way down the dark roads illuminated by the lampposts while I rambled about how wonderful today had been and how great our teamwork was going to get in the future.

When we reached crossroads, Koyuki pivoted around.

"Chiaki and I are headed this way."

Chiaki held up his hands. You could still blatantly see all the colour markings on his face. "Bye, Teru. Bye, Haya."

I waved in return, walking backwards down the sidewalk. "See you guys at school! Good work today!"

Hayate didn't say anything in return, but I could somehow tell he had done so in his head. Koyuki and Chiaki made their way across the street while I turned around and properly ventured my own way home.

Hayate's footfalls plodded after me. I came to a halt and cast a glance over my shoulder, only to be greeted by nothing but darkness. I let out a sigh when his footsteps stopped also.

"Hayate, you don't have to hide. It's dark outside and you're kinda scaring me."

He poked his head out from behind a lamppost. Not exactly where I thought he'd hide, but at least he showed himself. I beckoned for him to join me and after what felt like centuries, he did. We walked side by side.

The trip was silent, not something I really bode well with. Maybe it was weird to notice, but somehow, I felt as if Hayate had become less wary of me. I mean, I did do my best not to jump him all today—excluding that group hug earlier—but at least now, we felt closer than ever. Was it because now that we'd baked together, I was able to learn a lot more about him? Or was it because Hayate had finally dropped some of the walls he'd barred against me from the beginning?

Regardless...

"Today would've never worked out without you, Hayate."

He recoiled dramatically. I laughed.

"Koyuki, Chiaki and I—we're completely different. I've never really stopped to consider it, but if it was just us in a club, things wouldn't turn out so well. We could never reach a consensus. But you're like our glue, almost? You brought everything together, especially with the decorations. You may not be super talented at baking, but your decorating and creativity is out of this world. You come up with things nobody would ever think of and that's amazing."

I was beaming from ear to ear. He was still a little awkward, sure, but if he could get over that, his future cake designs and decorations could glisten much more than it did today. He was the definite star of today and it felt too good to be true that instead of the Cooking Club, he was my ally.

"T-Teruhashi, is it... really okay if I join?"

I perked at the whimper and slowly pivoted on my foot to face the trembling boy. He fiddled his thumbs, gaze glued to the ground, lips quivering.

"I-I'm not very good at thinking on the spot, and I screw u-up a lot. Even now, it's still really difficult to look you in the eye and not stutter. I'm not exactly as talented as you say, s-so instead of me, maybe finding somebody more worthy—"

"There you go discouraging yourself," I complained, propping my hands on my hips. "I chose you because I think—no, I know you're worthy enough."

He flinched, mouth-dropped.

Snorting, I folded my arms behind my back. I moved a couple of steps and twirled around with a grin.

"I know I may have peer pressured you into this, but you're really admirable, Hayate. Your sketch and arrangements were just so beautiful I could tell straightaway you don't give yourself enough credit. That's why I know from experience. That even if it feels like the entire world is crushing you and there's no other choice but to hide, you should never let that stop you. If you end up running away from everything you love doing, you'll never be able to be happy."

It was easy to tell. Anyone with working eyes could. The only time I'd seen him calm was while exercising his mind, letting it flow free and allowing his hands to deliver the creativity onto a blank surface. But he was frightened to put himself out there—of being judged. I didn't know him well enough to know why, but if one thing became obvious to me it was that Hayate liked desserts. That fact alone was enough for me to say the cheesy things I was.

"If, after all this fun we've had together, you really want to quit the club, I won't stop you. It is your decision and I've pestered you enough. So I'll ask one more time for clarification: Hayate Inoue, will you please join my club, the Baking Society, and bake alongside me for the rest of the year?"

Somehow, right then and there, he was no longer shaking. No unexpected collapse from his fear and anxiety. No sudden burst of anxiety that seized him by the shoulders and wouldn't let go.

Rather, the semblance of the smile that upturned the corners of his mouth was like a spring sunbeam beaming through the grey clouds on this cold, winter day.

It was a smile that suited him so very much. One, that melted my heart and made me grin like an idiot all the same.

***

Cheers to Hayate being a literal cinnamon roll alongside Chiaki. Then there's Koyuki with his cute blushing habit xD

As always, I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Also, if you happen to have a favourite character, I'd love to hear who it is!

Vote & Comment! <3