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After the perfectly logical arguments from manpower nos. 2 and 3, it was decided that the pastry club’s booth for the club fair would feature a pastry theme. In other words, it was as obvious as a steakhouse serving steak or a diner serving rice—there wasn’t really anything to debate.

I still couldn’t believe it. It was one thing to discuss the booth concept and the details, but we must be the first club in history to argue so much over the concept itself. We’ve made a rather embarrassing mark in the history of this academy’s clubs.

“Now that I think about it, we could make chocolate pastries shaped like chess pieces.”

“That sounds fun! It would showcase the club’s versatility.”

I almost lost it again after listening to Rutis and Tannian’s conversation. How did that show versatility? What did chess have to do with our pastry club?

Chess or whatever, it was just some members indulging their personal whims. Our club was all about pastries—they shouldn’t drag private hobbies into public events.

Well, I did say ‘some members,’ but to be honest, it was most of them. But still, it was personal indulgence.

“Chess piece-shaped treats?”

Unfortunately, the fact that it still fell under the category of pastries was enough to pique Louise’s interest. She was the kind of person who added herbs to her dough just because she wanted to create something unusual, so making pastries in the shape of everyday objects was the perfect challenge for our veteran leader.

“That’s a great idea! Food should be a feast for the eyes and the mouth.”

And just like that, I lost another ally to this madness. Lather joined Rutis, either thinking it was a good idea or feeling he’d already fulfilled his duty by sticking with the pastry theme.

What a critical betrayal at the most decisive moment. I guess royalty had a knack for political maneuvering.

…Well, we’ll figure it out somehow.

With the leader’s enthusiasm and about half the members on board, we started hearing more suggestions: cookies shaped like playing cards, and candy shaped like foot volleyballs. I just tried not to react. Did it matter what shape they were as long as they were still pastries?

Sure, like Lather said, food that looked good also tasted good. Whether chess pieces or cards were shapes that naturally boosted one’s appetite was another question, but they’d definitely attract some attention.

Should we add a gambling element too?

A random thought crossed my mind. We could have customers play chess against Rutis—win, and they get their treat for free; lose, and they’d pay double. That would be pretty fun.

If we were going to go wild, then we might as well go all out. It was better to be boldly outrageous than to halfheartedly play it safe. That way, people would be drawn in by our confidence.

***After we officially submitted the theme for our booth to the student council, the atmosphere in the club shifted dramatically. What had been a club carried solely by the leader was now a group effort with everyone pitching in.

“If we make them with puff pastry, they could be as thick as a card, don’t you think?”

“With three or four layers, that should be about right.”

It was just a shame that this newfound passion seemed… misguided. It didn’t look like we were making pastries anymore and more like we were crafting merchandise. Or was it just me? Maybe it was because our merch materials just happened to be flour.

“Louise, is this enough whipped cream?”

“Yes! That’s perfect!”

The silver lining was that the Mage Duchess, who’d shown an interest in baking, seemed to be learning. Though her skills were still at the beginner level, her willingness to learn was top-notch.

“Alright. I’ll make another one, so hang tight.”

Meanwhile, the veteran members were busy discussing ridiculous topics like the perfect card thickness or the ideal shape for a foot volleyball candy. It made the Mage Duchess’s dedication stand out even more, and she wasn’t even an official member yet! Was this really how it was supposed to be? Where else would you find a guest working harder than the actual members?

“Ah, Master! That area is dir—“

Louise, who was watching the Mage Duchess fondly, tried to stop her from walking toward the spilled flour, but she never finished her sentence. She closed her mouth as the Mage Duchess’s hair swept across the floor, leaving not even a speck of flour or dust behind.

A robot vacuum.

I had to stifle the laugh that almost escaped. I already knew that the Mage Duchess’s hair had a vacuum-like effect, but I’d never seen it clean so thoroughly before.

At least I was just a normal person, so all I had to do was hold back my laughter. If a group of mages had seen that, they probably would’ve wept. Nobody had the skill to infuse their body with magic 24/7, and yet the result of that power here was… a vacuum cleaner? It wouldn’t be surprising if they cried about the sheer waste of talent.

“…It’s spotless.”

Louise, who had been silent for a moment, muttered in a gloomy voice. She was a mage too, so she must’ve realized just how absurd that little performance was. Watching it happen in real time must’ve been quite a mental shock.

But we should look on the bright side. Unlike other mages, Louise was the Mage Duchess’s only disciple. One day, she would reach that level too.

“—Achoo—“

As Louise gazed somewhat bitterly at the Mage Duchess’s back, I heard a faint sneeze. It was so faint that you wouldn’t even notice it unless you were really paying attention.

“Sarah?”

Yet, Erich reacted to that barely audible sneeze. Just a minute ago, he was talking about how we should decorate the puff pastries with chocolate to make card designs. How did he even hear that?

“Uh, um?”

Sarah, the culprit, blinked, clearly startled by his ghost-like reaction, her hands covering her mouth.

She was probably embarrassed. It was only natural to want to show your crush your best side, and getting caught sneezing in the corner didn’t exactly fall under that. However, there wasn’t much she could do about it in this pastry club room, where flour was flying everywhere.

“Did you sneeze? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”

If the person you liked suddenly rushed over because of a simple sneeze, wouldn’t you try to hide it? I know I would.

“I-I’m fine. It was just a sneeze.”

“You said you were fine last time too, and then you collapsed that night.”

Sarah blushed slightly, flustered by the questioning, but Erich continued, his face stern. Now I see why he was so worried—she had a history. If she had collapsed after saying she was fine before, then it was understandable he’d be worried.

“Wasn’t that a long time ago already…?”

Despite her embarrassment, Sarah seemed somewhat pleased, as if touched that he remembered such a detail about her.

Anyway. While Sarah was flustered, Erich was busy checking her complexion.

“It’s not cold in here…”

Of course it wasn’t. It was spring right now, and considering how this room was full of high-ranking members, the heating and cooling systems were flawless.

“Could it be a pollen allergy?”

It was the flour. It was probably not an allergy, though.

Muttering so seriously that it almost made everyone uncomfortable, Erich finally grabbed Sarah’s hand.

“Hyung, I’m taking her to the infirmary.”

“…Alright.”

I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but I just let it go. It was clear he was overreacting, but right now, he wouldn’t hear any of it.

Rutis’s eyes turned wistful as Erich led Sarah out of the clubroom.

I can’t blame him for feeling a little sad.

For once, I could understand Rutis’s feelings. The five of them had all been living the solo life ever since they were turned down by Louise. But now, it seemed like one of their fellow solo comrades, Erich, was on the verge of leaving them for coupledom.

They weren’t officially dating, of course, but everyone in the club knew that Sarah had feelings for Erich. She was constantly holding his hand and rarely strayed from his side. You’d have to be a complete fool not to notice. I figured it out as soon as I returned from vacation, and the other members knew as soon as school started.

The sad part was that Erich was the only one who hadn’t realized it. This guy… it was like he stepped straight out of a romance novel. The moment he got caught in a love line, he reverted to his old clueless self. Just when he was starting to act like a normal human being…

So, it was no surprise that Rutis felt a bit betrayed while watching Erich prepare to leave the single life behind—

“Who’s going to serve for us in foot volleyball now?”

…

Damn it.

So much for betrayal. He was just worried about losing a foot volleyball teammate.

***Our club was losing its identity, and my younger brother’s intelligence had reverted to prehistoric levels. Meanwhile, one of our members didn’t care about romance as long as their foot volleyball team stayed intact.

This was too much. The insanity this year was on a different level from last year. Maybe the universe got bored of giving us the same trials and decided to mix it up for variety. If that was the case, then Enen must be a real piece of work.

— At their age, it’s natural for them to be unpredictable. Even noble blood can’t hide their youth.

“You’re telling me this is normal?”

— It’s no surprise that you wouldn’t know, given that you never had a school life.

I bit back the urge to curse at the Minister. His casual insults were enough to make me want to explode, but I held it in. If I gave in to my instincts, this would devolve into a full-on verbal brawl.

Still, it was frustrating. It wasn’t like my lack of schooling had done him any favors.

What a life.

It was sad, really. While the subordinates I sent on remote missions diligently filed regular reports and worked hard, my direct superior just teased me instead of offering any support.

Then again, that would be terrifying in its own way if the Minister ever did try to offer comfort. Imagine how bad things would have to get for him to feel the need to console me.

— Well, you’ll get some well-deserved time off when your mission ends. You have to put in the effort to earn your rewards.

“Yeah, I know, but…”

That didn’t mean he had to hit me with the cold, hard truth, though.

— By the way…

After laughing at my unimpressed response for a while, the Minister cleared his throat and continued.