Tyler placed his bag beside his desk and had barely straightened when Clara appeared beside him, her notebook held against her chest.
"Let's do the planning here," she said, glancing at the empty space beside him. "It'll be easier."
"Sure."
Tyler pulled out his chair. Clara noticed Eris beside him, completely buried in paperwork. Her pen moved steadily across the page, stopping only when she crossed something out and started again.
"You're still working on that?" Clara asked.
"The final report," Eris replied without looking up. "I have to submit everything before I'm finally released from my club-head duties. Once this is done, I can finally live like a normal student again."
Tyler leaned back.
"Who told you to become club head if it comes with this much paperwork?"
Eris's pen stopped.
She slowly looked at him.
"Someone deliberately skipped the club-head election."
Tyler immediately turned toward the window and cleared his throat.
"Nice weather today."
Clara covered her mouth, but a laugh escaped anyway.
"Right. Beautiful."
Eris narrowed her eyes at Clara.
"What's with you?"
"Nothing," Clara said.
"When I came over, you looked ready to declare war on your notebook."
Clara pointed her pen at her.
"Don't you dare say that to me."
Eris looked up.
"What?"
"You're the one who left me with the party planning yesterday."
Eris blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"You disappeared into your club work. I had to worry about the venue, budget, guest list, food... everything."
Eris looked genuinely confused.
"How was I supposed to know we had to write reports about everything that happened while I was club head?"
She lifted her notebook.
"Do you have any idea how much work this is?"
Clara glanced at the pages.
"Probably less than what I'm dealing with."
"Absolutely not."
"Absolutely yes."
Tyler looked between them.
"I should probably leave before I get caught in the middle."
Both girls looked at him.
"No."
Tyler raised his hands slightly.
"Are you sure you want to drag me into this?"
He looked toward Eris, but his eyes connected with Miles's across the classroom. Tyler gave him a small smile before turning back.
Eris sighed.
"I thought being club head meant reading books and telling people what to do."
Tyler raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds exactly like something you would enjoy."
Eris gave him a flat look.
"It would have been enjoyable if someone had actually bothered to help me."
Tyler looked at Clara.
"She's looking at me."
Clara smiled.
"She definitely is."
Eris pointed her pen toward Tyler.
"Seriously, why didn't you become club head?"
Tyler slowly leaned back.
"I had a valid reason."
"What reason?"
"I didn't want the responsibility."
"You could have voted for someone else."
"I was busy."
Eris stared at him.
"That's not an excuse."
Clara laughed again.
Eris looked at her.
"Don't encourage him."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm just enjoying this."
Tyler nodded.
"See? Clara understands."
Eris rolled her eyes.
"Whatever."
She returned to her report, but the corners of her mouth had lifted slightly.
The conversation was light, almost ordinary.
Only a few days ago, even standing near Clara had felt uncomfortable for him. Every interaction had been surrounded by memories he had no intention of explaining. He had spent years building distance between himself and someone who had never even understood why.
Now they were standing beside each other discussing a school party.
It was strange.
But strangely pleasant.
Eris turned toward Clara.
"Why don't you take this free guy's help?"
Tyler's eyebrows rose.
"Hey!"
Eris looked innocent.
"What?"
"What do you mean, free guy?"
"You're free."
"That doesn't mean you have to describe me like some abandoned piece of furniture."
Clara laughed.
Eris shrugged.
"Are you not free?"
Tyler opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He looked at Clara, who was already trying not to laugh.
Tyler sighed.
"Still a cheap shot."
"Whatever."
Eris returned to her report.
Clara looked down at her notebook with a smile.
"That's why I'm here."
Tyler looked at her.
"Because I'm free?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"Because you agreed to help."
Eris looked up.
"Well, that's a new development."
Tyler gave her a suspicious look.
"What?"
"You helping voluntarily."
"I can be helpful."
"Sometimes."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
Tyler leaned back in his chair.
"You know, I was considering helping you with your report too."
Eris immediately looked at him.
"Really?"
"No."
Her expression fell.
Tyler smiled.
"Deserved."
Eris narrowed her eyes.
"You are becoming more annoying every day."
"I've had good teachers."
"Don't look at me."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Eris pointed at him.
"Don't make that face."
"What face?"
"That face."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Eris finally gave up and returned to her report.
Tyler pulled out the chair beside him and looked toward Clara.
"Here, have a seat."
Clara glanced at the chair.
"I'm fine standing."
Eris immediately spoke without looking up.
"Just sit. He rarely offers his seat."
Clara looked at her.
Tyler leaned slightly toward Eris and poked her lightly on the side of her head with one finger.
"Ouch!"
Eris immediately rubbed the spot and looked at him in disbelief.
"Why did you do that?"
"Focus on completing your report instead of nosing into other people's business."
Eris rubbed her head harder.
"Fine. Jeez."
Clara took the seat and watched the exchange with a smile.
There was something oddly comforting about it.
Tyler and Eris had always been like this.
They could argue over the smallest things and then continue talking as if nothing had happened.
She had spent years watching them from a distance, never really understanding the bond between them.
Now, sitting beside them, she was beginning to understand.
It wasn't simply friendship.
There was an ease between them that came from years of knowing exactly how the other person would react.
Eris returned her attention to the report.
"Now stop distracting me."
Tyler nodded.
"Yes, ma'am."
Clara opened her notebook.
"So," Tyler said, turning toward Clara, "what's actually wrong?"
"The venue."
Clara let out a small sigh and turned the notebook toward him.
"We have three options, but every one of them has a problem."
Tyler leaned closer.
Clara pointed at the first name on the page.
"This one is affordable, but it's too far away. Some people will have trouble getting there, especially if we're inviting students from the other classes."
Tyler nodded.
"And the second?"
"It has enough space."
She moved her finger down the page.
"But it's more expensive than we planned. If we reserve enough tables for everyone, the budget is going to become a problem."
Tyler looked toward the third option.
"And this one?"
"It's convenient. It's close enough to school, the prices are reasonable, and most people can reach it without any trouble."
"Sounds perfect."
Clara looked at him.
"They might not take a group our size."
Tyler stared at the page for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"That explains why you looked like you were fighting the notebook."
Clara gave him a look.
"Are you going to help me or make fun of me?"
Tyler didn't even hesitate.
"Both."
Clara stared at him.
Then, despite herself, she smiled.
"Fine."
Tyler grinned.
"See? We're already making progress."
"How is that progress?"
"You smiled."
"I regret asking for your help."
"You can't take it back now."
Clara shook her head and looked down at the notebook again.
For a few seconds, both of them quietly studied the options.
Then Clara suddenly straightened.
"Oh, right!"
Tyler looked at her.
"What?"
Clara's expression brightened.
"Aaron told me about a place a while ago."
Tyler raised an eyebrow.
"Should we ask him?"
Clara nodded.
"He mentioned it yesterday when we were talking about the party. I completely forgot about it because we got distracted with everything else."
Tyler gave a small nod.
"Ask him."
Clara immediately stood up from Tyler's desk and turned toward the front of the classroom.
Aaron was sitting at his own desk a few rows ahead, talking quietly with another student.
Clara raised her voice slightly.
"Aaron."
He looked back.
"Yeah?"
"Can you come here for a second?"
Aaron nodded.
"Sure."
He stood up and made his way toward the back of the classroom.
Tyler stepped slightly aside to give him space.
Aaron stopped beside Clara.
"What's up?"
Clara held up her notebook.
"Did you decide what games we're going to play?"
Aaron nodded.
"Not completely. Sofia and a few others are helping me figure it out."
He scratched the side of his head.
"We have several ideas. Some team games, some smaller ones, maybe something involving music too. I'll give you the full list after we discuss everything properly."
Clara nodded.
"Okay. That's fine."
She looked toward Tyler.
"Aaron is handling what we're actually going to do at the party."
Tyler nodded.
"That's a good thing."
Aaron looked between them.
"So what do you need?"
Clara turned back toward him.
"You mentioned a place yesterday."
Aaron immediately understood.
"Oh. That café?"
"Yes."
Clara leaned forward slightly.
"Didn't you say you were going to check it out?"
Aaron nodded.
"Yep."
"Did you?"
"Caleb and I went there yesterday."
Clara's eyes widened.
"And?"
Aaron smiled.
"It was nice."
Tyler watched as Clara immediately opened her notebook to a fresh page.
Aaron continued.
"It's pretty cozy. Not too big, but big enough for a decent-sized group. The place only opened a few weeks ago, so it's still pretty new."
"New?"
Clara repeated as she began writing.
"Yeah. Everything still looks fresh."
Aaron continued thinking.
"They also have musical instruments."
Tyler looked up.
"Instruments?"
"Yeah. A few guitars, a piano, and some other stuff."
Clara paused her writing.
"Really?"
Aaron nodded.
"And there's a separate area where people can sing or dance."
"What about food?"
"The food is good too. Caleb ordered enough for both of us."
Tyler smiled.
"That means Caleb approved."
Aaron laughed.
"Exactly."
Clara looked down at her notebook.
"With all of that, isn't it going to be expensive to reserve?"
Aaron shook his head.
"Not as much as you'd think."
"Why?"
"They're still in their opening month. Their prices are lower right now because they're trying to attract customers."
Clara slowly nodded.
Aaron continued.
"And if we talk to the owner and explain that we're bringing a big group, we might be able to negotiate."
Tyler crossed his arms.
"That actually makes sense."
Clara looked interested.
"We can ask about a group package too."
"Exactly," Aaron said. "If they know we're bringing a lot of students, they might be willing to give us something cheaper."
Clara began writing quickly.
"Okay. Location, price, group reservation, food..."
Tyler looked at her.
"You're writing faster than you can think."
"I have to write it down before I forget."
"You literally have a whole notebook."
"And it's still not enough."
Tyler laughed.
Aaron looked at the notebook.
"You've really been taking this seriously."
Clara stopped for a second.
Then she looked slightly embarrassed.
"Well... I just want it to go well."
Tyler's expression softened slightly.
"It will."
Clara looked at him.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she quickly returned her attention to the notebook and cleared her throat.
"What's the name of the café?"
Aaron answered casually.
"It's called Maccha Café."
Eris's hand froze.
Clara wrote the name down while quietly repeating it to herself.
"Maccha Café."
She gave a small laugh.
"Well, the name is unique."
Eris slowly looked up from her notebook.
"What did you guys say?"
Aaron blinked.
"Um... exactly what about?"
"The name."
Eris spoke a little too quickly.
Aaron looked confused for a second before understanding.
"Ah. It's Maccha Café. I know, it's something unique."
Eris's eyes widened.
For a moment, she didn't say anything.
Then she immediately turned toward Tyler.
Tyler, who had been standing beside Clara, suddenly found the wall on the other side of the classroom extremely interesting.
Eris stared at him.
"How?"
Before she could ask anything else, Tyler quickly turned toward Clara.
"Well, looks like you'll have to give this place a try."
Clara looked between Tyler and Eris, clearly noticing that something strange had just happened.
Then she looked back at Tyler.
"Yeah. I should check it out."
She turned toward Eris.
"Eris, you're coming too, right?"
Eris remained silent.
Clara narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Don't give me the excuse that you have to complete your report."
Eris still looked completely dumbfounded.
"Eris?"
Tyler gently poked her shoulder.
She immediately snapped back to reality.
"Yeah."
She cleared her throat and tried to regain her usual composure.
"I'll come with you."
Clara's face brightened.
"Great."
Aaron looked at the three of them before slowly stepping back.
"Well, I should probably get back to my task before she eats me alive."
Clara frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Aaron quickly turned around and walked back toward his seat.
Clara watched him leave before looking back at Tyler and Eris.
She still had no idea why Eris had suddenly reacted so strangely to the name of a café.
Tyler, meanwhile, continued pretending that nothing unusual had happened.
Eris looked at him once more.
Tyler still refused to meet her eyes.
And that only made her more certain that something was going on.