Friday afternoon—club activity time.
Inside the Service Club.
Yukino held a piece of chalk and stood at the blackboard explaining a math problem.
It was content from last semester.
For second-year students, this should have been pretty easy.
But Yoru still needed Yukino's detailed explanation to more or less understand it.
He'd have to review it thoroughly at home to truly grasp it.
"Yukinon's so strict… Kitakami-kun looks really serious though…"
Off to the side, Yuigahama didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. She wasn't playing on her phone—just watching Yukino lecture.
"Did you understand it?" Yukino asked Yoru.
"Pretty much. I get it," Yoru nodded, sounding confident.
"Then wait a bit. I'll write two problems for you—come solve them." Yukino turned away and began writing quickly on the board.
Tap tap tap!
The sound of chalk tapping filled the room.
A few minutes later, Yukino signaled Yoru to come up and solve the problems.
Taking a deep breath, he grabbed a piece of chalk from the table and carefully studied the questions on the board.
His mind raced—he already had a rough idea.
"Use the method I just taught you," Yukino reminded him calmly.
While Yoru was working through the problems, she took a sip of water and glanced at Yuigahama.
"Yuigahama-san, if you're interested, you could join in too."
"If I recall, your grades are around the middle of the class, right?"
"I'm good, Yukinon~"
Yuigahama quickly smiled and waved her hand.
After a short while, Yoru confidently returned to his seat.
Before he could say anything, Yukino glanced over his answers and already knew the results.
"Looks like Kitakami-kun's more diligent than I expected. You're not hopeless."
A rare compliment from Yukinoo. Then she added:
"That's enough for today. Since you're learning well, try this test."
"Test?"
Yoru looked puzzled.
Yukino pulled out a neatly written A4 sheet from her bag, filled with questions—it was like a custom test paper.
"Yukinon, you wrote all that by hand?" Yuigahama exclaimed.
"Just answer it. I want to gauge your level." Yukino didn't respond to Yuigahama's remark.
Yoru took the hand-written test and examined it carefully.
"She really went all out…" he muttered.
The problems covered every subject and matched his current level exactly.
The handwriting was neat, the page was clean, and the ink hadn't even dried completely.
"Start. Time's running out," Yukino urged coolly.
Yoru got to work immediately.
By the time the club activity period was almost over, he had finished.
Yukino graded it on the spot. She had written every question herself, so it was as easy for her as solving 1+1.
It didn't even take a full minute—just one look at his answers, and she knew the result.
"Well… how did I do?" Yorui's nervousness rubbed off on Yuigahama beside him.
"Not bad. Barely passing. Keep it up." Yukino nodded lightly toward him.
"Phew~"
Someone in the Service Club finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Congrats, Kitakami-kun! Yukinon, can we start now?" Yuigahama smiled at her.
Yuro looked at them curiously.
Was there something going on that he didn't know about?
"Yukinon is going to teach me how to bake cookies. My mom's birthday is coming up, and I want to give her something special."
"Wanna join us, Kitakami-kun? It's Friday and we still have time."
"Well… yeah, I've got time."
"Can I?"
"Of course! I wanted another person to help taste them and give feedback!" Yuigahama nodded enthusiastically.
She had tried once before to bake cookies at home alone, using an online recipe. It was a disaster.
She couldn't even mix the dough properly, and the baked result was just a gross, misshapen lump.
Hoping the taste might at least be okay, she tried one… and lost her appetite for dinner.
After tidying up the clubroom, the three of them went to the home ec room.
There was one home ec class every week that taught cooking, mending clothes, basic hygiene, etc.
Once everything was ready, Yukino began her lesson.
They were making simple butter cookies.
The ingredients were butter, white sugar, eggs, cake flour, and a bit of salt.
Normally, Yoru would never eat high-calorie baked goods like this.
But taking one bite to test the flavor wouldn't hurt.
A few grams of cookie wouldn't ruin his diet.
Trying to make them himself certainly wouldn't make him gain weight.
"Soften the butter first, then add sugar…"
"Stir, and depending on how moist or firm the dough is, either put it in a piping bag or shape it by hand with a mold…"
"Brush a little oil and egg wash on top, then put them on the tray."
In about five to six minutes, Yukino had a tray lined with over a dozen cookie dough pieces.
She hadn't made a lot—just a little.
This wasn't for eating, just for teaching.
"Wow, you're amazing, Yukinon," Yuigahama said in admiration.
"Alright, now it's your turn, Yuigahama-san. I'll guide you."
Yukino's expression didn't change despite the praise.
She'd already put on oven mitts and slid the tray into the oven.
"So fast…" Yuigahama gasped. She hadn't even grasped the steps yet.
"I'll give it a try too."
Yoru picked up a bowl and began.
It seemed simple enough.
He often looked up recipes and cooked for himself. This was just matching steps.
Yukino was also beside him, reminding him of the correct proportions.
Seeing Yoru get started, Yuigahama gave Yukino a pleading look, then reluctantly began too.
Yoru worked seriously and realized he might actually have a knack for cooking.
Maybe he could even become a top chef someday?
He mentally replayed Yukino's process.
Even though his movements were slower, he managed to prepare the dough, fill the piping bag, and squeeze the batter onto the tray.