Nano was typically the first person in the Shinonome household to get out of bed in the morning, and this Friday was no exception. She woke up silently, taking care not to wake the professor or Sakamoto, and went into the kitchen to cook breakfast.
The aroma of eggs, bacon, sausages, and toast cooking drew the professor to the kitchen a few minutes later.
''Good morning, Hakase!'' Nano said cheerily as she spotted the girl.
''Morning, Nano.'' The professor said while running her tired eyes.
''Breakfast is almost done. Go sit down.''
The professor nodded. ''Okay.''
Sakamoto joined the girls in the living and headed for his bowl of cat food Nano had just filled for him.
As they ate together, the professor looked at Nano with a mouth full of buttered toast and spoke, ''Hey, Nano, can we go play baseball when you come back?''
''Oi! You shouldn't talk with your mouth full!'' Sakamoto scolded.
In response, the child professor swallowed her food and blew a raspberry at the cat.
''He's right, Hakase. You could choke if you do that,'' Nano chastised her more gently. ''And I already promised Aioi-san that I'd come with her and the girls to the coffee shop after school.''
''Ahhhh.'' The professor hunched her shoulders in disappointment. ''But I really wanted to play baseball today.''
''Don't worry, we can play tomorrow,'' Nano attempted to cheer her up, but it didn't appear to work. She tried to think of something that would lift the girls' spirits.''But when I come back, maybe we can, uhhhh… bake a cake! How does that sound?"
''A cake?'' The Professor's eyes lit with excitement over the word. ''Yaay! We're gonna have a cake!''
Sakamoto shook his head and muttered something about very spoiled children.
After eating breakfast and cleaning the dishes, Nano changed int her uniform and said goodbye to everyone before leaving for school.
The rest of the day passed as usual for Nano. She ran into the girls on her way to school. They expressed excitement for the weekend and what they were going to do after school. Nano's classes were uneventful, and before she knew it, it was already the final lesson of the day.
''All right class, for your homework this weekend, I want you to complete activities nineteen and twenty.'' Mr. Takasaki, their Japanese Literature teacher, instructed them right before the bell rang.
Nano carefully gathered her belongings as he dismissed the class, and as she stood up from her desk, she noticed the familiar ribbon-wearing Haruna Annaka at her own desk, hurriedly writing her book. Despite the girl's insistence, Nano couldn't help but feel bad for leaving her to clean up the class by herself so she could play with her friends.
Now that Nano thought about it, yesterday was one of the few times the two of them had ever really spoken to each other since she first arrived at Tokisadame High months ago. Nano found herself being a little upset by this revelation because, based on their few interactions, she seemed like a really pleasant girl to be around.
Nano had an idea at that moment, but she needed to consult with her friends about it first, so she made her way to the back of the classroom.
''Maaaaan! This is so unfair!'' Yuuko whined. ''Why do they make us do homework on the weekends? That shouldn't be legal.''
''You hardly ever do your homework anyway, Yukko, so I don't see why you're complaining.'' Said Mio as she packed her books into her bag.
''Well, I still don't think it's fair,'' She groaned.'' Whatever. Are we all still on for Daiku Coffee?''
''Yeah.'' Mio replied.
''And you, Mai-chan?''
''Affirmative.'' Their bespectacled friend answered in her usual quiet and distant tone.
Nano approached them, feeling suddenly nervous about what she was going to ask of them. ''Guys?''
''What is it, Nano?'' Asked Mio.
''I know this a bit out of nowhere, but is it okay if I ask Annaka-san if she would like to come with us for coffee?''
Yuuko blinked in confusion. ''Huh? Annaka-san? Why?''
Mio's head whipped in her direction. "Yukko!''
''I-I didn't mean it in a rude way! I just want to know what brought this on suddenly.''
''It's okay, I understand,'' Nano said. ''You see, yesterday when I was on cleaning duty, Annaka-san offered to finish alone so I could go home early and finish some chores. So I thought maybe I could buy her something from the cafe as a little thank you.'' She explained.
''Aww, that's really sweet of you, Nano,'' Mio smiled at her.''I don't mind if Annaka-san wants to tag along. Do you guys?''
''Negative,'' Answered Mai.
Yuuko shrugged. ''I don't have a problem with it.''
''Thank you so much, guys. I'll meet you outside.'' Nano said, feeling relieved.
Her relief was short-lived, however, as Nano turned around to notice Haruna's desk was suddenly empty. She hastily exited the classroom and searched the hallways for any trace of her. She might not have noticed the girl among the swarm of students if it hadn't been for the absurdly enormous ribbon. Nano hurried down the corridor to catch up to her.
''Annaka-san!'' She called out.
Haruna stopped abruptly at the sound of her name, turned around, and saw Nano approaching her. ''Oh, hey, Shinonome-san. What's up?''
Nano smiled shyly at her.''Thank you again for yesterday. And, um, are you busy today?''
Haruna blinked in confusion at the question but shook her head. ''No, not really. Why do you ask?''
''Well, my friends and I are going to Daiku Coffee, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with us.''
''Really?'' Haruna said, taken aback by Nano's invitation.''I, uh, appreciate the invite, Shinonome-san, but I didn't bring much money with me today.'' She said sheepishly.
''Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'd be more than happy to pay for you. Consider it my treat.'' Nano assured her.
Haruna stared at her in surprise, and then a slow smile spread across her lips. ''Okay, then. Count me in!''
''Great!'' Nano exclaimed in excitement. ''The girls are waiting for us outside.''
The two changed their shoes and met up with others. It was a long walk from school to the coffee shop, but the girls spent their time talking about school-related stuff. It was surprisingly crowded inside when they arrived. Fortunately, there was an empty table in the shop's corner where they could sit. Haruna and Mai sat on one side while Nano, Yuuko, and Mio sat on the other.
A young man who worked there stopped by their table with a note and pen."Hi! What can I get for you?"
Nano scanned the menu before responding. ''Can I get a caffe americano, please?'' She asked.
''I'll have the same, please.'' Haruna requested.
Yuuko ordered an expresso while Mio and Mai both asked for Lattes. As the waiter wrote their orders and left, Mio took out her book and pencil case. ''We can get Takasaki-sensei's homework done while we wait. It might take a while.''
''Oh, that's a good idea,'' Haruna said and took out her own book.
The rest of their girls got busy with their homework as well. Yuuko kept asking Mio for help like 'Mio-chan, how do you do this?' and 'What's your answer for this?'.
Mio became frustrated with Yuuko's constant pestering and eventually snapped. ''If you keep asking me about every single question, then I may as well just do the homework for you!''
Yuuko stared at her, eyes full of hope. ''Is that a serious suggestion?''
''NO!''
The scene made Haruna giggle a little. She looked next to her and noticed Mai was already done with her homework and replaced her book and stationery with a carving knife and a half-finished statue.
''I always see you carving statues in class, Minakami-san. You're really good at it.'' She complimented.
''Thank you,'' Mai said quietly, smiling slightly.
At that moment, the waiter from before arrived with their coffee along with a plate of five sugar-coated donuts.
''Um, sorry, but we didn't order these,'' Yuuko said, pointing at the plate.
''It's our new Friday special. You get a free donut with your order.'' The waiter explained before leaving again.
Yuuko stared back at the plate, then smiled widely. ''Sweet! Free donuts!''
The girls drank their coffee, along with their donuts, and had a good time. When they were finished, Yuuko, Mio, and Mai had to leave to not miss their train. Haruna and Nano exited the coffee shop afterward.
Haruna turned to her classmate, smiling. ''Thanks for inviting me. I had a good time.''
''I'm glad. We really should do this again sometime,'' Nano said, returning her smile. ''If that's okay with you, of course.''
Haruna giggled. ''I'd like that. But next time you won't have to pay for me. Enjoy your weekend!''
''Oh, you too!''
Nano waved goodbye to Haruna as the girl left. She then hurried home herself, remembering that she owed a certain someone a cake.