Kanta checked his phone, then glanced at the door. "Exactly 8:25," he said, his voice filled with confidence.

Lada leaned back, her grin widening. "One minute left. One banana split, remember?"

"He's gonna be here any second now," Kanta replied, still sounding confident.

They all stared at the door—Kanta, Lada, Tanya—waiting. A minute passed. The door stayed shut.

Lada's grin turned triumphant. "I win! Now, what flavor should I choose?" she teased.

Kanta groaned, rolling his eyes. "Seriously? Of all days, he picks today to be late? It's like he's doing it just to mess with me."

Lada shrugged, her eyes glinting. "Maybe it's karma for not inviting me to ice cream yesterday," she teased.

Kanta shot her a look, his voice playful. "It was you who left early, leaving Tanya to her cleaning duty all alone, right, Tanya?" He turned to Tanya, who nodded along.

Lada pouted, crossing her arms. "If I'd known ice cream was involved, I'd have stayed."

Kanta leaned in, eyes narrowing playfully. "Oh, so you just want an excuse to hang out with me, huh?"

Lada leaned in as well, her smirk challenging. "And what if I do? You think you can handle it?"

Kanta flushed, his cheeks heating. He cleared his throat, turning his gaze away. "Anyway... Kim's never late. Not even that time I tricked him into coming to school on an online class day." His fingers moved quickly over his phone, typing a message.

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Lada gasped, feigning shock. "You did that? Bad Kanta." She shook her head, her mock disapproval barely hiding her amusement. "Poor Kim, getting tricked like that."

Tanya let out a soft chuckle, her eyes meeting Kanta's for a moment.

"You should've seen his face—priceless." He laughed, drawing a smile from Tanya, he couldn't help but return it.

"Did he just leave after that?" Lada asked.

"Nah, we stayed the whole day. Kim logged into the online class from his phone while I played games. He was so annoyed." Kanta laughed. "Then Morisen pulled us into helping with Google Classroom. Kim did all the work." He shook his head, still grinning. "It was a mess, but kind of fun."

Lada laughed, shaking her head. "Mori-sensei really is always at school. You two must've been the only ones here for him to catch." She smiled.

Kanta looked down at his phone, tapping the screen. "He's not reading my texts. Homeroom's about to start."

"Maybe his phone's dead," Lada offered, shrugging.

Kanta shook his head. "No way. The guy's a sucker. He gets a new iPhone every year. His battery's always good."

The bell rang, and Mori-sensei walked in. The room quieted as Kanta stood, calling out, "Stand. Bow."

The students bowed, then sat as Mori-sensei gestured. His gaze moved across the room, pausing at the empty seat next to Kanta. "Kim isn’t here yet?"

Kanta didn’t hesitate. "Kidnapped by aliens, probably," he said, deadpan. A few giggles broke out. Tanya's lips twitched, while Lada rolled her eyes.

Mori-sensei gave Kanta a flat look. "Let’s hope they bring him back for midterms." He moved on, and Kanta sank back into his seat, glancing at Kim's empty chair.

Homeroom ended, the room filling with chatter as students gathered their books. Takamura-sensei swept in, her sharp gaze silencing everyone instantly. She was tall, her black hair pulled into a tight bun, her presence almost suffocating.

Two minutes later, Kim slipped in, breathless, his eyes darting around the room. He was late.

Takamura's eyes narrowed, her arms folding. "Kim, late to class? I expected better," she said, her tone cold. "Discipline and respect are virtues here in this country. Maybe I expected too much from 'mister top of the class.'"

The class shifted uneasily, eyes avoiding hers. Kim bowed deeply, his shoulders tense. "I'm sorry."

Kanta's jaw tightened. He almost spoke but stopped, taking a deep breath. His glare lingered on Takamura before he looked away.

Takamura waved Kim in. He moved to his seat beside Kanta, his head down. Kanta caught his eye, gave a small nod, "it's fine." he whispered.