The cold war between the Generation of Miracles is over, a winner has been declared, they're all on speaking terms again; so Murasakibara does what he always used to do and pressure Kise and Kise's connections for coupons to a sweets buffet.
Since it's thanks to Kise that Murasakibara is granted this opportunity, he graciously allows Kise to tag along as always. Unfortunately, Kise's circle of friends now encompasses more than the Generation of Miracles. Which is why Murasakibara is crammed around a tiny table with Kise and his sempai across from him. Beside him is Himuro, dragged along by Murasakibara for moral support and to deflect the astonished gazes of the female customers around them.
On the other side of the table, Kise makes a valiant attempt to sparkle something at his sempai – who has been frozen in place since they got in. The shorty – a PG maybe, Fukui seemed to know him – still has his first dish of lemon pie on the plate in front of him; Murasakibara, doggedly making his way through his tenth plate of cake – a red velvet this time – silently clucks his tongue at the waste.
Perhaps finally realising the futility of it, Kise gives up on the frozen shorty and turns to his other sempai – who has also eaten barely nothing, in his case because he's been trying to pick up girls the whole time. He's at least on his third plate of…what looks like a lamington, although it's been long since crushed into pieces while he was trying to give himself the illusion of eating as he flirted.
Swallowing the load in his mouth, Murasakibara leans forward and, quietly because he has some tact, asks Kise, 'Why is your sempai pretending to eat? Is he on a diet? Why would you bring your sempai to a sweets buffet if he's on a diet?"
"Moriyama-sempai isn't on a diet, Murasakicchi," Kise scoffs, "don't be silly! He's just trying out this new flirting technique. Apparently eating cake makes you look more attractive to girls!" Kise levels Murasakibara a ridiculously wide eyed look over his plate of baumkuchen. "Whatever made you think he was on a diet anyway?"
Murasakibara shrugs, not voicing his dim memories of seeing his sister do the same thing several years ago, back when she was worrying about how tall she was growing. It's too easy to forget how annoying Kise is when you haven't talked to him for a while.
Kise seems to lose interest with Murasakibara's lack of response and turns back to his sempai, one hand dexterously spearing a piece of his baumkuchen without even needing to look down. Murasakibara takes the chance to stand up, moving towards the counters to refill his plate. Himuro stands up with him, following him along.
Murasakibara slants a glance down at Himuro's empty plate. "That was your fourth?"
"Yup," Himuro says, smiling automatically. A little ways off, a small chorus of sighs flares up. "The cakes here are very good, aren't they?"
"Kise-chin knows the best places," Murasakibara replies, zeroing in on the dish piled high with madeleines, though not before making a short detour to grab a piece of banana bread.
"You guys are quite close after all, despite the way you act," Himuro says somewhat bemusedly from behind. "As long as you're having fun, I suppose."
Murasakibara ignores him. Who cares about Kise? That meringue is calling his name.