After finishing lunch, I came to Erina's lab with Arisa and Iris-san.

''Hm?　Oh, welcome to the three of you.

　Erina, dressed in a lab coat, greets us with a soft smile while reaching for the lab equipment in front of her.

''I'm making ... caramelized ... again ... caramelized ... again.''
The possibilities are endless for caramelized baked goods, you know?
No, I guess so, but.........you're the same as always, Eri-chan.

　I looked at Erina's caramel baking, which could be said to be familiar, and Iris and Arisa told me with a wry smile. And as I was watching them, a word suddenly slipped out of my mouth.

'....Huh?　Baby sponge cake?
Yeah?　Baby sponge cake?　Oh, those are the ones they sell at fairs and stuff. They're good too.......I don't get a chance to eat them very often.......but why the baby sponge cake?
'What?　No ... why is that?
"Ha-ha, funny man.

　Strange?　Why is the term "baby sponge cake" suddenly coming up?　Somehow I imagined Erina eating a baby sponge cake, but I don't remember seeing her like that.
　But somehow it feels oddly fitting....I wonder what this is really about?

Where are the others?　Like Butei-senpai, or Liddy-senpai.
Hmm, those two aren't here. But Kaze is here.
'Oh?　Kaze was over here............................and where?
Yeah, he's sleeping on my nap bed.
I see....I'll go wake him up.
Nice to meet you.

　The two seniors Butei-senpai and Liddy-senpai that Arisa mentioned are senior students who belong to the same Erina's laboratory.
　The other two seniors are Saigyoji Butika, a national Kendo tournament champion and renowned for her brilliance, and Liddy Quanet, a foreign exchange student and archery expert like Iris.
　Both of them are very kind and helpful to me in many ways. Or rather, the members of Erina's laboratory are only six in total, a small number of people, and there is a very good rapport between the members.

''........Come to think of it, after all this time, why does our lab have so few members?''
Yeah?　Yeah, there are a lot of people who want to be in my lab, but you know, I'm the youngest of all the professors. It's not a good idea to have so many people in my lab at such a young age, but it's a bit complicated. That's why I've asked them to help me out.
Heh, so that's how you would call it, like there's a power relationship between factions...
Haha, that's a bit of a problem. Well, as far as I'm concerned, a small number of people are better able to take care of themselves, just as well.

　To be clear, Erina is very popular on campus. She's cute and kind, so it's not surprising. However, she's the youngest professor in the university, so she's had her share of troubles, and sometimes comes to my house to complain about it.
　Well, maybe it's not quite the same as "the stakes are staked out," but Erina, who is talented at a young age, stands out in many ways.

In fact, our laboratory is quite famous even within the university. After all, we have the 'Three Great Beauties of Yumegoka' and the 'Three Great Beauties of Yumegoka' all here. You see, Kaze. Please wake up already.
Umu........three more years........
Holy shit!

　A girl with light purple twin-tails, holding a laptop on her chest and dressed in sizeable casual clothing.......Arisa came back, pulling Kaze-san along.

''........Hello, Kaze....
'Huh?　Oh, it's not Kai-chan and Ai-tan. Yoo-hoo~.....

　After a loose greeting with a sleepy look on her face, Kaze is seated in a chair in the lab... or so Arisa makes her sit in the chair.
　And at that timing, Iris-san asks Arisa with a slight nod of her head.

''.........Arisa........what was that.......................what?
'Oh?　You don't know about this, Iris?　Our university, Yumegoka University, has the three most beautiful women and beautiful girls. By the way, the three most beautiful girls are Butei-senpai-senpai and Liddy-senpai... and Iris-san.
"...what?　...Me?
''Yes. And the three most beautiful girls are Kaze, Eri-chan-sensei........and me!

　Looking at Arisa, who tells her with a smug face, Iris-san tilts her head in wonderment. Well, Iris-san has a low self-esteem in some ways, so I wonder why it's me? I think that's what he's thinking.
　Objectively speaking, there's no way Iris-san wouldn't join........

''Everyone........members of the lab.......''
This is probably why, but........our laboratory is extremely popular and we are inundated with applicants. Well, Eri-chan-sensei refuses to accept people with such evil purposes.
Hmmm, I don't like that term. I'm an adult, so why don't they call me a beautiful girl?
...because Erina is so small...
....
Oh, no, I mean...

　After answering Erina as soon as she told me with a light puff of her cheeks, I regretted my gaffe. Erina looks at me and smiles gently. However, I, who had known her for a long time, could understand that this was her face when she was angry.

''.........Kaito-kun.......next assignment, ni-bai....''
''........I'm sorry, give me a break, Professor Kurosu is an attractive, mature woman.
That's all well and good. But we'll have more challenges.
...What?

　The price of the bypassed remarks came back in the form of more challenges. It is a very severe punishment before the winter break.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you are a happy person. Not just flowers on your hands, there are flowers all around you.
Well, there's no denying it.

　Indeed, I'm probably the only guy in this lab, a position that would be envied by the same s*x. Well, there are times when it's hard to keep up with topics unique to women, so it's not always a good thing, but....

Oh, by the way, Kaito-san has a name like that, too.
'What?　Seriously?　I thought I was pretty average but.......oh, yeah? I didn't know that. By the way, what do you call me?

　I don't know what it is, but I'm a little nervous. I'm not very good-looking, and my grades are in the middle of the pack, so I didn't think I had anything to write home about, but.......there's a name or two for you?
　I'm kind of happy to hear that.

.........the planned bombing site of Yumegoka.
Not a very good name for it!

　That's the kind of thing that's completely hated by the same s*x!

Incidentally, in terms of Kaito-san's evaluation from the same s*x, 70% of them say 'bomb me', 20% say 'well, he's a good guy, so I'll spare you the personal punishment', and 10% say 'I want to go out with you'.
'Wait a minute!　It's a "same s*x" assessment, right?　What's the last 10 percent?　I've heard some crazy, horrible words!
''........actually that person who is close to Kaito-san.......oops, that's a wild topic any more.
'Don't stop there, eh?　Isn't that freakin' terrifying?

　A horrible fact I didn't want to know. What kind of face am I going to meet my same-s*x friends tomorrow?
　I'm already kind of ... I'm not sure what to expect.