Both I and Madoka remain in our seats, forlorn.

  Takashi speaks, “You can borrow my money.”

  Our eyes light up, “REALLY?!”

  “Yeah, I’ve got enough money to support you two.”

  “You’re a lifesaver, Takashi,” I praise.

  “We’ll definitely pay you back!”

  After all that was settled, every single one of us, decide to look at the menu by the counter. Minutes ter, each of us wrap up our meals of choice.

  “Alright, pce your orders!” Katsuro yells, as he takes out a piece of paper and pen atop the table.

  Volunteering first, I write down my order. It was passed down to Katsuro, then, Takashi, and finally, Madoka.

  Takashi takes out his money and stands up expecting to be the one to order. Madoka holds out his hand as a noble gesture.

  “No need, Takashi. I’ll do it. It’s the very least that I can do.”

  “Okay.”

  Takashi hands over the money to Madoka and then his hand signals the money of the other two. Not to decline his offer, they hand over their money to him, and he heads over to the counter to take all of our orders. As we wait, I incite a conversation to make use of the time.

  “Alright, I’ll go straight to the point. We have to think of the next challenge,” I decre, “But this time, please recommend challenges that are less luck-based. Taking into consideration that our combined luck as a group, isn’t very good. I suppose that our best bet really would be to rely on skill-based challenges,” I expin.

  “How about a napping contest?” Takashi suggests.

  “THAT’S- Wait a minute, you might be on to something.”

  “It’s just about naps.”

  “You’re right. If we py out cards right, we might have a chance at winning that.”

  “Was it ever stated if a group could refuse a challenge? Because if it was, they certainly would not agree. Sleeping is just… sleeping. It’s boring for both sides,” Masaru comments.

  “I don’t think such a rule was established. For now, I think we can consider that a loophole and we should announce it sometime in the future.”

  While it’s certainly a good thing we discovered a loophole, it’s best to use it to our advantage for now and patch it up ter. The other group might be able to use it against us as well. Who knows, maybe this ck of crity can prove to be of worth in the future.

  “How about an eating contest?” Katsuro insists.

  “Eating contest?” I ask for crification.

  “What I mean is… the rules are simple. We eat whatever we have in the cssroom, anyone can eat anything, however, anyone else who chooses to eat thereafter, has to eat something louder. The process continues until one of us gets busted.”

  “So it’s a process of elimination?”

  “Precisely!”

  “You know what? Your suggestions today are on point. I like it. You people have learned since st time, I am proud.”

  “I may be dumb, but I can be pretty witty when it comes to mischievous activities.”

  “Uhh, can I voice my opinion?” Takashi speaks up.

  “Sure, tell us your thoughts,” I insist.

  “I don’t want to be the downer here… but this seems pretty unfair on the side of the girls. Like… we can only conduct this challenge once you are identified to be ‘healthy’

  “What you’re saying is… when the challenge will be conducted, there will be 5 boys and 4 girls which is uneven.”

  He nods.

  “Darn, you’re right. I haven’t accounted for the fact that you guys can only participate when I’m there,” I say.

  “I’m back!” Madoka cheers carrying a tray filled with ungodly amounts of food.

  We all gnce at him and he pces the tray on the table. The tray was filled specifically with 3 packets of French fries accompanied by 3 small pstic ketchup cups, 3 orders of one-piece chicken along with steaming hot rice and a small pstic gravy cup for each, 2 orders of spaghetti, and 5 co drinks.

  Our mouths water staring at the meals below. If we could, we would devour all of these under a minute ft.

  “Choose your order!” Madoka cheers.

  …

  ..

  .

  The girls were roaming around the mall. They enter inside the women’s aisle of the clothing store and check out all sorts of dresses.

  Rin picks up a small blue dress with white polka dots.

  “Hey, Yuka! Don’t you think this would look good on you?”

  Yuka gets flustered and regresses. Unable to accept that anything would look good on her stature, she fidgets.

  “I-I…”

  “Come on now!” Ran says as she pushes her toward the changing room holding the dress.

  “AA-AYAAH!!!” Yuka yells as she was devoured by the curtains.

  She squeals a lot while being dressed, quite possibly being devoured by a different creature with sentience, this time. Minutes ter, they exit with Yuka wearing the blue dress.

  “IT LOOKS SO CUTE ON HER!!!” Ran accimed.

  Mari gasps, “She… is… adorable.”

  Rin keeps a composed face, but she one could see the nosebleed coming out, “I think I have diabetes.”

  “This is e-embarrassing…” Yuka says meekly, trying to keep her form as little possible.

  “You look like an angel! Don’t be ashamed of your face!” Ran cheered, “As a reward for presenting us with such a blessed appearance. I’ll go buy this dress just for you!”

  “N-No! That’s asking for too much!” Yuka expins.

  “Be more greedy!” Ran insists with a nudge to her shoulder.

  They ended up buying the dress.

  “I s-said you didn’t need to…” Yuka sheepishly tells Ran.

  “Consider it a gift! Now by that logic, it would be rude to reject my gift!”

  “By what logic?” Mari interrupts.

  “Oh no…” Yuka worries.

  “You fell for it?!” Mari responds.

  Rin pats Yuka’s head lightly.

  “Don’t think much of it. She just wanted to spoil you, that’s all.”

  “A-Alright then,” Yuka replies, “I-If th-that’s so… then… th-thank you, Ran-chan.”

  From the incredibly adorable sight, Mari blushes, Ran boasts, and Rin faints from excessive amounts of sugar.

  “Haugh…” Yuka-worries.

  “Girls, how about we go buy ourselves some lingerie? I’ve been itching to buy some for the past week,” Ran tells them.

  Rin rises from the dead.

  “I could use some new undergarments.”

  “Maybe…” Yuka answers.

  “I guess I could for new bras and panties,” Mari replies.

  “Great! Rin, you mind leading for a sec?” Ran asks.

  Rin nods.

  Ran continues, “I’ve got something to discuss with Mari-chan. Mari-chan, you got a minute?”

  “O-Oh? Sure thing,” Mari responds.

  Rin went on and lead the group. Ran falls back to chat with Mari.

  “What is it?” Mari asks her.

  “No, nothing of much importance. It’s just that I noticed something.”

  “Get to the point, will you?”

  “Ahem! I have noticed a slight dey in your messages as of recent.”

  “And that is a topic of concern… how?”

  “Keeping a tough front, eh? Let me tell you what that short dey means.”

  “I didn’t ask for that info.”

  “The short dey means you were doing something else at the time!”

  “Which is normal.”

  “But not this time! The dey was far greater this time.”

  “How long was the dey?”

  Ran thought for a bit and her answer was, “1 millisecond.”

  “HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO COMPUTE THAT SMALL OF A TIME DIFFERENCE?!”

  “The point I’m making is… you’re talking to someone, aren’t you?”

  “Wh-Wha?! N-No, that slight dey could also mean that I’m working on my chores.”

  “That could be the case… but I said it in front of your face and the expression you made says so otherwise.”

  “I hate how you are silently clever at times.”

  “So who is it? Who is it? Is it a boy? Spill me the beans!”

  “Why do I have to tell you? Those are private matters.”

  “And that would not be the reaction of someone talking to a girl… so it’s a boy, eh???”

  Mari grabs Ran’s shoulders and shakes her back and forth.

  Mari grows irritated and yells.

  “STOP BEING SO DAMN SMART! TURN OFF YOUR BRAIN! WHERE IS THE AIRHEADED PERSONALITY OF THE TANIMOTO-SAN I KNOW?!”

  “Wahahaha! I’m not so air-headed all the time!”

  Mari’s expression turns sapped.

  “Please… stop… shaking… me… I’m… gonna throw up.”

  “Oh sorry.”

  “Wohoahh… I’m fine now.”

  “Mhm… But who is it?”

  Bam!

  Mari hit Ran’s head.

  “Persistent, aren’t you?”

  Ran rubs her head.

  “Ow...”

  …

  ..

  .

  We finish our meals.

  Burp.

  “That was a good lunch,” Katsuro says.

  “I understand the case now, but how about we do it like this? We perform the challenge without you, Kibe,” Madoka insists.

  “That’s good and all but opening that option will present it as a viable countermeasure when any of us is bedridden. I think it’s a bit too early,” I tell him.

  “Okay… oh! Then we just do it for just this one challenge. For the rest, we will not agree with these kinds of terms. Only for the win of this challenge!”

  “Hmm, I’ll consider it. Stick to my pn with Masaru first, and if things really go south, let’s set that pn into motion.”

  Takashi stretches his hands and spurts out a random word.

  “Games.”

  “No,” I respond.

  “Oh, come on now. We did what you told us, Kibe. Let loose,” Madoka told me.

  “Ah-”

  I can’t refuse that notion. That is true, they did go through with my demands.

  I give in. Games are the fuel for us, men.

  “GRAGH! Fine, but after the games, we strategize.”

  “Yay!” everyone cheers.

  Mamma mia. The cost for progress… is a Slice-of-Life event. Might as well have some fun along the way.

  END OF EPISODE 29