Kanta glanced at his phone, then at the classroom door. "Exactly 8:25," he announced, sounding confident.

"One minute left. One banana split, remember?" Lada said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

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

The three of them—Kanta, Lada, and Tanya—fixed their eyes on the classroom door, waiting in suspense. The seconds ticked by, then a full minute passed, but the door remained closed. No one showed up.

Lada's grin grew triumphant. "I win! Now, what flavor should I choose?" she said, rubbing it in with her playful tone.

Kanta let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, the guy has never been late. And now, of all days, he decides to come late? It's like he's doing it just to make me lose the bet."

Lada gave a satisfied hum. "Think of it as punishment for not inviting me to the ice cream parlor 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. She nodded along, her expression calm, but her eyes sparkled with a hint of enjoyment as she glanced between Kanta and Lada.

Lada pouted, crossing her arms. "I didn't know you guys were going for ice cream. I would've stayed."

Kanta leaned in slightly. "Oh? You just want an excuse to spend more time with me, don't you?" he teased, his grin playful.

Lada also leaned in with a smirk. "And what if I do? You think you can handle it?"

Kanta felt a flush of embarrassment rise to his cheeks. He cleared his throat, avoiding Lada's gaze as his eyes shifted to the empty seat beside him. "Anyway... Kim's never late. Not even that time I tricked him into coming to school when it was an online class day." He fumbled for his phone and started typing.

Lada gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest. "You did that? Bad Kanta." She shook her head, feigning disapproval. "Poor Kim, coming to school all alone." The laughter in her eyes betrayed her.

Tanya, who had been quietly observing, finally let out a soft chuckle, her eyes meeting Kanta's. The warmth in her gaze made Kanta grin.

"He wasn't alone. I was there with him," Kanta said, grinning wider now. "You should've seen his face when he realized. Priceless." He chuckled, and Tanya's smile grew as she shook her head slightly.

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"So, what did he do after that? Did he just go home?" Lada asked.

Kanta shook his head, still smiling. "Nah, we stayed the whole day. Kim logged into his online classes on his phone, trying to keep up with all the lessons, while I—well, I just played mobile games. With the sound on." He laughed. "He was so annoyed, kept giving me death glares. But then Morisen found us and made us help set up his Google Classroom. Kim did all the work while I pretended to be helpful. It was chaos, but honestly? It was pretty fun."

Lada laughed, shaking her head. "Mori-sensei really is always around, isn't he? You two must've been the only ones he could find to rope into that." She flashed Kanta a teasing smile. "Still, sounds like quite the day."

Tanya, still listening quietly, glanced at Kanta, her eyes showing a hint of amusement. She gave him a soft smile, and he couldn't help but return it.

Kanta's phone buzzed, but his smile faded as he looked down. "Kim isn't even reading my texts. Homeroom's about to start." He frowned, fingers tapping at the screen in irritation.

"Maybe he forgot to charge his phone, and the battery died," Lada offered, shrugging casually.

Kanta shook his head. "No way. The guy's a sucker. He buys a new iPhone every year. His battery lasts forever."

The bell rang, cutting off their conversation. Mori-sensei entered the room, and the usual chatter quieted. Kanta stood, signaling the students. "Stand. Bow."

The class bowed, then Mori-sensei gestured for everyone to sit. His gaze swept the room, eventually landing on the empty seat beside Kanta. "Kim isn't here yet?"

Kanta didn't miss a beat. "Kidnapped by aliens, that's the only explanation," he said, his expression deadpan. A ripple of giggles passed through the room. Tanya's lips curled into a faint smile, while Lada rolled her eyes.

Mori-sensei gave Kanta a flat look. "Let's hope they bring him back before midterms," he said dryly before moving on with the homeroom announcements.

Homeroom ended, and the students began preparing for their first class. The classroom buzzed with chatter as students gathered their books and supplies. Takamura-sensei's Japanese class was next, and as soon as Mori-sensei exited the classroom, she entered without even a glance toward him. Takamura was a tall woman with sharp features, her black hair pulled back tightly into a bun. Her stern expression and her piercing gaze almost stifling.

Two minutes after the bell, Kim finally arrived at the door, visibly nervous. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he was out of breath, his eyes darting around the room as if gauging everyone's reactions. He was late.

Takamura's eyes narrowed, her arms crossing over her chest. "Kim, late to class? I expected better from you," she said, her voice laced with disdain. "Discipline and respect are virtues we hold dear here in Japan. But perhaps I was expecting too much from 'mister top of the class'—someone who clearly thinks the rules don't apply to him."

A hush fell over the room as students exchanged uneasy glances. Some whispered nervously, while others kept their eyes down, not daring to meet Takamura's gaze. Her harsh words hung heavy in the air.

Kim bowed his head, muttering an apology, his shoulders tense.

Kanta's eyes widened slightly, surprised by Takamura's harsh words. He looked like he was about to say something in Kim's defense but stopped himself. He took a deep breath and sank back into his seat, though his glare at Takamura lingered for a moment.