The competition hall was larger than a soccer stadium. Each individual station alongside the floors shined like stars in the night sky. Only problem was, the lady at the front desk was asking way too many questions.

"I'm sorry. The fifth participant is where, exactly?"

"They're... coming, obviously," I lied through my teeth despite sweating buckets. "The traffic must be bad or something."

She didn't buy a single word. However, despite her dubious expression, she jotted down my answer on a sheet. "Just so you're aware, every team must have a total of five members. If not, you'll be disqualified."

"We know that, of course." I forced a chuckle. "Why else would we sign up? To get disqualified from the get-go? Of course not. Haha."

I discreetly turned. Sweat dribbled down my temple.

Koyuki's eyes were dark.

Oh no. I was going to be killed.

"May I get a name?"

I recoiled for another reason entirely. "Name?"

"For this fifth participant," she said apathetically. "It's required. Do you possibly not have one?"

A beat of silence.

"Wh-what?" I surveyed our surroundings, playing it off with a scoff. "D-do I have one? They are the fifth member. That I totally have. Why wouldn't I know their name?"

Her black stare bore right through me.

"Their name is, you know," I continued, matter-of-factly. My eyes skimmed the boy behind me, who had an angel wing logo on his sweater. "I-Is," I sputtered onward, "Saint."

"Saint?" she deadpanned.

Hayate cowered behind Chiaki.

"If you're joking—"

I was shoved aside. Koyuki took my place.

"It's a nickname," he said. "They'll be here."

The lady expunged a sigh. She lethargically extended yellow tags for us to take. "The change rooms are over there. After putting on the mandatory uniforms, please standby at the station written on these tags until further instructions are given."

I expelled the breath I'd been holding. Then, swift as a fox, swiped the tags and bolted.

Her voice rang out before I could get far.

"The latest your... saint can arrive is their turn in the competition."

I flinched. However, instead of saying anymore, she returned to tending the next group in line.

With her back turned, I scurried fast as my legs could carry me into the enormous hall.

I didn't make it past the doors.

"Te-ru-ha-shi."

A chill ran up my spine. I craned my neck but the three of them had already manoeuvred to block my path and potential escape.

Koyuki promptly pinched my cheeks. "You idiot! Why didn't you tell us we needed five members?"

I defensively flailed my arms. "What do ya mwean? Aren't we fwive?"

Chiaki put a sympathetic hand over his mouth. "Teru... is your math that bad?"

Hayate poked out his head from behind him, pouting adorably. "W-want me to tutor you?"

"She's playing dumb, guys," Koyuki snapped as if appalled they couldn't tell.

I broke free from Koyuki hold, inched back, and rubbed my cheeks. "Fine, I am. But it's not my fault. Even without a fifth member, we couldn't back down. We couldn't give up the fight before it began."

"And how are we supposed to fight when we'll be disqualified the moment this starts?" Koyuki's retort lodged all words in my throat. He groaned, bringing his palm to his face. "This is what I get for spending the majority of my time tutoring you on baking and taking your word for the competition. Not only will be making huge fools of ourselves in front of schools across the city, but we'll be that Cooking Club girl's slaves for the rest of our lives!"

Chiaki patted his shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, at least we'll be slaves together."

"That doesn't make me feel better!" Koyuki gritted his teeth. "I knew that premonition I got after seeing those results was right. We're screwed. We'll be laughing stocks!"

Heavily frowning, I situated my hands at my hips. "Hey, that's pathetic, Vice Prez. It's in times like these we can't lose hope."

He stared at me dubiously. "Where does that bottomless confidence come from?"

I cracked a broad grin. "Don't sweat it too much, all right? That lady said our last member doesn't have to arrive until their turn in the competition. That's plenty of time."

Hayate inched out from behind Chiaki, his big blue eyes shrouded in confusion. "D-do you... possibly have an idea of who can be our final member, Kotorin?"

Chiaki and Koyuki perked at the idea.

I tittered. "Of course not! But we'll do our best and let fate handle the rest!"

Koyuki pinched my cheek again. "What did you say?"

"Thwat I'll thwink more before I spweak! I weally will!"

Once free, I childishly rubbed my cheek. Sure he doesn't pinch hard enough for it to hurt, but it still left an uncomfortable aftermath. I didn't understand why they were so worried anyway.

It was to our luck that this competition didn't ride on whether you were apart of a club or not, but rather accepted any group of high schoolers as long as they signed up by the deadline. Without having to be an official club, we were spared of any imminent complications. Sure this current predicament was one such complication, but we couldn't give up. Not here. Not now.

We'd get through this like always.

After changing into the outfits we'd brought with us—borrowed from school with the thanks of Mr. Hanamura—we entered the competition hall. Like before, I was taken aback by its enormous size. Countless stations lined the sides of the room while a SMARTboard sat directly against the wall near tall tables where the judges were to be seated. Alongside insurmountable groups of students loitering by their independent stations, the bleachers circling the very room from above housed many individuals as well.

"Oh, it's Mr. Hana," Chiaki said the moment we arrived at the station indicated by our tags.

Proof to that, Mr. Hanamura sat smack dab in the middle of the bleachers, his wife and daughter beside him. I beamed at once, waving vigorously. They all smiled and waved back.

"If they're over there, where's Sakurauchi?" Koyuki asked, stringing his fingers through his hair.

"Our goddess?" I replied, giddily. "Hehe. She's long been here."

I extended my finger across the room, singling out my best friend in an instant. It was easy considering the huge—and I mean huge—banner draping over the handrails encasing the bleachers, adorned in multicoloured donuts and various other dessert drawings.

'VICTORY FOR THE BAKING SOCIETY,' it read.

"Sakura... made that for us?" Chiaki gaped.

"Sakurauchi is... a-amazing," Hayate whispered, equally sparkly-eyed.

As if it were me they were complimenting, I grinned like an idiot. "Isn't she? Our beloved goddess! The light that breathes air into our lungs! What a sight to behold...!"

Standing on my tip-toes, I waved vigorously.

"Miko! I love you! Please marry me!"

She gandered over the rails, looked straight at me, and returned a heart-stopping smile. "Never!"

I placed a hand to my chest. "Dammit," I gushed. "Her cold side is irresistible too."

Onlookers' eyes flew back and forth between us, gaping in disbelief.

Koyuki sighed. "I don't get it. What does she have that I don't?"

"Teru." Chiaki tugged my sleeve and used his free hand to point at his face. "Take me."

"M-me... too," Hayate sheepishly added, blushing senseless.

For some reason, Miko was giggling where she was as if she had understood our conversation. She placed her hands on either side of her mouth and yelled once more, "Are you short a member?"

We all stiffened.

Before any of us could respond, she continued, "I noticed the other groups had five. Did someone screw up?"

They all were easy to point at me. They didn't have to say a word. Their intention was clear as day.

Appalled, I gaped at them. "Hey!"

Miko paused to think. Then asked, "How long?"

"Until it's their turn," Koyuki called.

She nodded and flashed us a thumbs up. As if to say leave it to her.

I had to admit, it puzzled me. However, as if she already had an idea, Miko turned her back to us to scrounge her cellphone from her bag.

"Sakura is so d-dependable," Hayate mumbled.

I nodded vehemently. "We don't deserve her."

Neither Chiaki or Koyuki disagreed.

It felt like forever before all the stations in the hall filled with participants and the judges took their respective seats. The Cooking Club sashayed in a minute before the competition was to begin and they were a formidable sight. Not only us, but all other participants were intimidated. Whispers rang throughout the room; amongst the teams as well as throughout the bleachers.

About how they're the reigning champs. How they've never lost a single competition in years. How the chance to upstage them was virtually impossible.

The five of them walked through the praise like the kings and queens of the kitchen they were, paying the rest of us commoners no mind. They didn't even bat an eyelash, as if what was said was commonplace.

Without her sunglasses, Kohmi's eyes smouldered unbelievable intensity. She was ready to slaughter everyone here—especially me.

I balled my fists to stop my knees from wobbling.

The clock struck nine.

"Hello, everyone!" the host's voice boomed from the speakers. The man at the front of the room donned in a bizarre, rainbow suit and bowtie, dropped into a formal bow. "I am your host, Mr. Oto. And I'd like to formally welcome you all to the tenth annual Sweet Treats Competition, which is the most renowned youth baking competition in all of Tokyo. Today, high schoolers from all across the city will go head to head to determine the more masterly chef. As you're all aware, the winners of the competition shall receive a trophy as well as a year supply of free desserts from our esteemed sponsor, Second Serving."

Excited murmurs pervaded the room.

"That expensive dessert business?" one exclaimed.

"No way!" another hissed.

Mr. Oto flashed a pearly grin and extended his arms to silence everyone. "On that note, I'll keep the rules concise. This competition is divided into two rounds, each of which will be taking place on different dates. Each round will also be divided into smaller segments to give each team member a chance to shine. For example, today's round will be split into a cupcake, confection, and cake segment. Meaning, each team of five shall be randomly selected to partake in these three segments and based on the results, will either advance to the second round or be disqualified.

"The cupcake and confection rounds will be judged out of a total of thirty points—based on presentation, consistency, flavour, creativity, decorations, relativity to the theme—while the cake round will have a designated forty. A minimum of seventy-five points total will be required to advance to the second round of the competition." He pointed to his left. "Our lovely judges for today may be familiar to you all already. For complete fairness, they are all esteemed professionals, with a special guest who's flown in all the way from Paris, Mr. Paul Blanc.

"Everyone please direct your gazes toward the large screen. The theme for the entirety of the first round will revolve around the topic of..." He waited for it to appear on the screen. "Love and Sacrifice! Please be sure to incorporate this theme into your desserts the best you can for all segments today. You are allowed to be as creative as possible, however, be sure to stick to the time limit as all desserts will be judged then regardless of if you're finished or not."

The screen flickered and replaced itself with team names, as well as two names beside it.

"That being said, since having all five team members bake at the same time isn't reasonable, we will be randomly selecting two members to partake in each of the three segments. The names you see next to your team name will be the members partaking in the cupcake round. Oh, and for the record, being picked twice amidst these three segments is totally possible. But no need to worry—every member will still receive the chance to bake."

I scanned the screen like my life depended on it. Until I saw it. Right beside 'Baking Society' our names were there.

Kotori Teruhashi and Koyuki Tamura.

My lungs caved.

"If you've been chosen for the cupcake round, please remain in your designated station. I'll have to ask the remaining members to wait below the bleachers until this segment is over."

I swallowed hard. My heart hammered against my ribcage, loud in my ears.

I was up first.

What... What about the Cooking Club?

Albeit knowing that shouldn't have been my first thought, my gaze flickered to their very station anyway. Without a single phrase of encouragement or caution, Eru, Okito and Ryoma ambled off toward the waiting area, leaving behind a scowling Kohmi and Shiori.

Words weren't needed. No matter who had been chosen for this segment, their goal wouldn't change.

As if to reinforce that thought, Kohmi's menacing glower snapped in my direction.

A chill darted up my spine. Her intention was obvious.

"I'll destroy you."

I grabbed my forearm to keep it from trembling.

"Don't focus on them." Koyuki's voice brought me to my senses.

He'd taken my side, his attention fixed ahead—at Shiori. Chiaki and Hayate had already fallen back to where the other teams were accumulating.

A blush claimed my cheeks.

"I-I'm not...!" I denied, pathetically.

But Koyuki, seeing through me like always, dipped his head to meet my gaze. "Are you nervous?"

"M-me? Nervous?" I flailed my arms. "'C-course no— OW."

Koyuki deadpanned as I cradled my jaw, absorbing the pain of biting my tongue.

"You're a horrible liar."

I extended my bottom lip. "B-but..."

He expunged another breath. Then, he properly faced me.

Before I could figure out his intentions, I'd already been tickled.

"Ahaha!"

My giggles garnered the befuddled looks of others, but Koyuki retreated with renewed confidence.

"Laugh all those nerves and pointless thoughts away." Gone was his timidness from when we arrived. He was back to normal. "You didn't work yourself to the bone these last few months for no reason. You aren't the same person who burns everything they touch. Have more faith in yourself—in everything I taught you."

My eyes widened.

"Besides, we're in this together. And all of us, together, are taking them down." With a handsome smirk, he stabbed his thumb into his chest. "Let's win this segment and pass the baton to Chiaki and Hayate. You can do that, right, future Prez?"

The smile that stretched to my ears was soft, emanating from the warmth spreading throughout my chest.

"Your legs are shaking, Vice Prez," I snorted.

Koyuki recoiled. A rosy flush enveloped his skin. "Th-that...!"

I let out a bark of laughter, one I felt from the pit of my stomach. After spotting Chiaki and Hayate flashing us thumbs up where they were, I furled my fingers tight.

"Hey, Koyuki," I gulped, "can you tickle me one more time? Before the nerves come back."

"Only if you promise to return the favour."

"Raise your arms," was all I said.

We definitely looked like aliens to our peers who were waiting for the timers to begin. Some of them might've already begun brainstorming ideas. And although it was still difficult to ignore Kohmi and Shiori who stood mere metres away, thanks to Koyuki it'd become a lot easier than before.

"Ready?" Koyuki panted after we'd laughed off any lingering stress like maniacs.

"As I'll ever be," I responded.

The bell chimed.

"Start!" Mr. Oto screeched.

***

The competition is finally underway. Been a long time coming but we're finally here. How do you think everything will pan out in the chapters to come?

Also, I'm thinking of updating every Saturday now that I have more time to write. We'll see how it works but I'll try my best. Then maybe if I end up writing a lot more than I expect, I could bring back biweekly updates (but one baby step at a time, lol).

Hope you guys are staying safe!

Remember to vote & comment if you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reading! <3