"Thank you... for caring about me like that. Please give me time to think this through and make up my mind."

In a private room with my precious club members, my apprehension was at an all-time high. The skin-crawling silence that followed churned my stomach. Fleeing was no longer an option—hadn't been from the moment we arrived at the venue of the final round and had safely changed into our required outfits. Should I have passed this message along individually? I hadn't outright verified Okito's stance either (although, his feelings were clear as glass). Then again, in his case, it'd been over a year. Certainly, me randomly blurting, 'remember that day you practically confessed and kissed me? yeah, my stupidity has officially been cured! I now completely understand you have romantic feelings for me...!'

Was there a better way to break the news or would I unintentionally break his heart for the second time?

I roused from my coiled thoughts when Koyuki sniggered.

"So stiff."

Finding the rest of them smiling all the same grounded me in an instant.

"Wh—what?" I sputtered. "Wait, you guys already—"

"It'd be stranger if none of us noticed we all share feelings for you," Chiaki said. "We agreed a long time ago that we'd respect your decision, no matter who you chose. Not that my love remotely compares to the rest of them."

Hayate bashfully twiddled his fingers. "I—I... won't lose."

Koyuki propped a hand at his hip. "Frankly, I expected you to declare something along the lines of, 'I want you all! Gimme!'"

"I'm not that insensitive!" A frown claimed my lips. "But, just for good measure... I can't have you all, right?"

They sighed.

"There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the idea, but if you ask us whether or not that's personally what we want, then the answer is no. When it comes to you, we'd rather have you to ourselves." Nori raised my palm in his. "But, Angel. None of us want to discomfort or pressure you in any way. The fact you're considering us in that way is enough to make us happy. That being said, there's no use supplying the rest hope when we both know your heart beats solely for me. Reject them so we can live happily ever after."

The three of them dragged him backward—Koyuki by the collar—soul-sucking glares in tow.

"What happened to not pressuring her?"

"I'm merely stating the facts. My angel personally declared she be with me forever—"

"To eat your food!"

"I'll become a househusband if it's her desire. Say the word, Angel. We'll seal it with a kiss—"

The bickering that erupted consisted of a whirlpool of gaiety. Relief tumbled over my shoulders and back. The corners of my eyes prickled with tears.

From the moment we met, they'd given more than I could repay. They kept me company on this lonely journey and worked themselves to the bone alongside me. I was incredibly self-absorbed and flawed yet they loved me in spite of that. They yearned for a future we could be together.

"We'll shelve this conversation for another time," Koyuki said. Nori, now discarded on the floor, was purposefully hidden from sight by Chiaki and Hayate. "The final round of this competition starts in a few minutes. It goes without saying, but we need this win."

"Winning's our only option," I said, brushing the tears away. "It always has been."

We placed our hands in the centre.

"Let's wipe the floor with them, Prez," they said in unison.

I grinned, an expression they matched with ease.

"Um—" Nori muttered, long forgotten on the ground. "I'm here, too... Your fifth and final teammate has been left out of the team huddle...!"

"It's here! It's finally here! The second and final round of the Sweet Treats competition!" Mr. Oto, dressed in elaborate neon colours, stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the kitchen. The Cooking Club remained rooted to their respective areas and the stands were filled to the brim with spectators. "Are we all excited to crown the best teenage bakers in Tokyo? I sure am! Now, now, before we begin, we must explain the rules. Similar to the first round, the remaining teams will battle it out to determine the masterly chef. However, since we have less competitors here today, instead of pairing up team members to compete in separate segments, each member will bake their own desserts against the members of another team. We're talking one-on-one battles! How exhilarating! Personally, I wouldn't mind red velvet flavoured desserts, ha ha."

As Mr. Oto theatrically described the rules, my gaze shifted to the bleachers. Miko stood behind the largest banner in the room, a size that put her previous one to shame. Beside her, waving boisterously, were familiar faces. Mr. Hanamura and his wife and daughter. Pia and Satsuki, my classmates. Mom and Sota.

'I love you. Good luck,' Mom had told me before the event started. In her arms, Sota babbled on and on about bringing him delicious cakes to munch on afterward.

Either way, with their collective support, my heart couldn't be warmer.

"As stated, the five members from each team will have a designated opponent in the other team. The judges—yes, our beloved judges from last round, say hi and wave—will choose which dessert reigns victorious of the two. The team that ends up with three of five votes are the winners!"

Team Elite vs. Team Baking Society

I fought a shiver as I read the display Mr. Oto motioned to. The pairings of our respective adversaries could be considered fate.

1. Koyuki Tamura vs. Shiori Aida
2. Chiaki Setoguchi vs. Eru Onitsuka
3. Hayate Inoue vs. Ryoma Fukui
4. Saint vs. Kohmi Hiroka
5. Kotori Teruhashi vs. Okito Gouda

"Each duo will be judged out of a total of twenty points: presentation, consistency, flavour, creativity, relativity to theme," Mr. Oto finalized. "The one with the higher score will gain a single vote. The first to three votes wins. Do keep in mind that these are solitary battles: members collaborating in any shape or form will result in instant disqualification!"

All clamour settled into white noise.

My legs plodded forward, each step striking fear into my bones. It took everything in my power not to quake, opposite to the Cooking Club who carried themselves with the poise of royalty, befitting their confidence. We stopped across from one another.

"Don't get cold feet, loser," Shiori teased Koyuki.

"Worry about yourself," he returned.

"Nyahaha, let the best one win!" Eru cheered, arms extended. "Good luck, Chichi!"

"Good luck," Chiaki responded.

Ryoma scoffed. "Luck isn't necessary. Take this seriously, Onitsuka."

"Ever the stickler." Nori smirked. "Take a day off. Those wrinkles aren't doing you well."

"Shut it." He glowered. "You'll regret not defecting to our side. I'll show no mercy."

"Hold your horses, Ryoma. He's my opponent," Kohmi cut in. "You focus on the crybaby."

Ryoma's malicious glare shifted left. "It's a free win. He'll hardly put up a fight."

Hayate, who unintentionally flinched, tapered his eyelids, matching his resolve the best he could.

"You won't back out, will you?" Okito said. "Even though it's guaranteed Hiroka will make you her servants?"

"Nope." I smiled up at him, hands at my waist. "So look forward to taking a bite of my divine dessert. You'll be apologizing on your hands and knees for underestimating me."

The corner of his lip flapped up. "Going so far out of your way for me—are you that obsessed with hogging my attention?"

"Yes, so give it to me! Every last bit!"

A blush spread across his cheeks like a wildfire—glaring enough for me to catch. He bunched his bangs between his fingers. "You're... problematic, Kotori."

"Well, well, without further ado: teams, to your stations!" Mr. Oto's interjection steered all alertness to him. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

This fateful day had finally arrived.

With everything on the line, we'd go all out.

And win.