The lunchroom was chaos. Not because of the usual noise, but because of a very important debate happening at the lunch table.
"Okay, okay," Aiko said, slamming her chopsticks on the table like a judge. "We're doing this. We need to settle it once and for all. Pocky—is it better with chocolate or strawberry?"
"No contest, strawberry," Mei declared confidently, holding up her lunch. "It's clearly the superior flavor."
Rika raised an eyebrow. "You just want it to match your mood," she teased, smiling despite herself. "Everything you own is pink."
"I resent that," Mei replied, deadpan. "And I definitely don't only like strawberry because of that. But it's better."
Naoto chuckled softly from the side, watching them argue. "It's just Pocky. Just eat it."
"No! This is serious!" Aiko exclaimed. "This is the most important question we'll ever answer!"
Yuto, who had been silently eating his lunch, finally chimed in with a dramatic flair. "Forget chocolate. Forget strawberry. Matcha Pocky is where it's at."
Sora, who had been sitting across from him, shot him a playful glare. "You've been saying that about everything lately."
Yuto grinned. "You just don't get it."
"Wait, wait." Aiko leaned forward with an expression that suggested she had just solved the world's biggest mystery. "What if we combine all three flavors? Think about it, the perfect snack."
Mei frowned. "That sounds disgusting."
"Oh, come on!" Aiko cried. "Imagine the explosion of flavor—sugary heaven!"
Naoto just shook his head, still chuckling. "You're all ridiculous."
But even he couldn't resist joining the fun.
"Maybe we could get a pyramid of Pocky," he suggested. "Strawberry at the bottom, chocolate in the middle, and matcha on top."
Everyone paused for a moment, thinking about it.
"That sounds… genius," Rika said, eyes widening slightly. "How did you even come up with that?"
Naoto shrugged. "I've got a lot of random thoughts."
"True," Aiko said, grinning. "Most of them are about food."
The group burst out laughing.
---
Later, after school
They all decided to take their snack debate to a nearby park to buy as many Pocky flavors as they could. It wasn't about settling the debate anymore—it was about experiencing it together.
As they walked down the street, Aiko was holding a giant bag of snacks. Sora was trailing behind, throwing in random commentary.
"If we're gonna do this, we need the right attitude," Sora said seriously, flipping through his phone. "A victory dance after each flavor."
"I'm not dancing," Mei said flatly.
"Oh, you're dancing," Aiko replied with a mischievous grin. "I'm holding you to it."
"Fine," Mei muttered, rolling her eyes.
When they reached the park, they sat in a circle on the grass, a colorful mountain of Pocky between them.
"Alright, let's try strawberry first," Aiko said dramatically, as if they were about to eat the rarest delicacy. "For the people."
Rika picked up a stick and held it up like a trophy. "To victory!"
The next hour was a blur of laughter, ridiculous opinions on snack flavors, and the most chaotic food tasting anyone had ever experienced.
---
As the sun began to set
They were all sprawled out on the grass, snacks long forgotten, just talking and laughing about everything and nothing.
"You know," Naoto said quietly, staring up at the sky, "I never really had… friends like this. Not like this."
The others quieted for a moment, listening.
"Yeah," Yuto said, stretching his legs out, "I get that."
"It's kinda nice, huh?" Sora added. "It's like… we don't need to do anything special. Just being together is enough."
The silence stretched on, but it was comfortable—warm.
Mei smiled to herself, sitting close to Naoto, her hand brushing against his by accident. She didn't pull away, though, letting the moment linger.
"I think," Aiko said with a soft smile, "we should do this more often. No reason. Just because we can."
Everyone agreed.
And in that quiet evening, amidst the soft laughter and comfortable silences, it felt like they were all slowly becoming a part of each other's lives. No grand gestures, no complicated words—just them, together.
And somehow, it was more than enough.
---