Sentient ball of moss

After lunch, class 1-A had P.E with Coach Vargas.

“Physically educating your feeble little bodies is my responsibility because great sorcery begins with a great physique!” He struck a pose, his bulging muscles rippling. “Behold the muscles you can build with a diet of raw eggs! A great mage needs great physical constitution! So gimme twenty laps, and a hundred push-ups!”

Oyuki did not like him. 

“You! Girl! You’re trailing behind! Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you’re our only girl! No magic doesn’t mean no effort! Come on, push those legs and keep your back straight!”

The workout itself was extreme enough but it was made even worse because Coach Vargas kept flexing in front of them and hollering about how great each of his muscles were as they were doing their warm up and cool down stretches. It took everything in her to keep herself from screaming in frustration. Back home she was a borderline shut-in who only left her room for school, groceries, or church. It used to drive her parents insane how she’s refused to even step foot in a gym. Maybe this hell was just divine retribution. In fact, between the incident at the dwarf’s mine and Riddle’s overblot, her body has been aching non-stop. When the bell finally rang every breath she took felt like breathing in needles. She considered faking a medical condition so she never had to endure his spartan training ever again.

With great effort, she followed her friends to the campus’ botanical garden to grab the tools they needed to pick the prickly chestnuts. A blast of warm air and the scent of soil hit her as she entered into the garden's massive glass dome. Colorful flowers, shrubs, and trees stretched as far as her eyes could see. A makeshift river flowed all throughout the garden, serving as both irrigation and ambiance setter. The four of them decided to split up to cover more ground.

Grim immediately ran up to a cluster of yellow fruit and gave it a sniff. "Oyuki, look! These smell ripe for a picking! I’m pretty sure they won’t mind if I take a little bite…"

"Grim, have you learned nothing? Come here—" she rushed over, stepping on a tree branch along the way.

"Ow!"

She turned around to see the 'branch' she had stepped on retract into the bushes. The leaves rustled as a tall beastman with long, tousled brown hair and lion ears on his head stepped out of the foliage. The garden became silent. His green eyes narrowed, the scar over his left eye making his glare even more fearsome.

"You got some nerve steppin' on my tail and just walking away." His voice carried the rough cadence of someone who had just rolled out of bed.

Grim looked back from the fruit bush. "Are you the groundskeeper? Not sure you oughta be talkin' to students that way, pal."

The boy barred his fangs at him which made Grim yelp and run behind her.

"Wait a minute, I know you. You're the herbivore from orientation who can't use magic." he leaned his head forward and took a long sniff. "Huh. It's true. You don't smell of magic at all."

“I, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m sorry.” Usually she would bow her head when apologizing but the last thing she wanted to do right now was make herself look even smaller compared to him. The sound of his sandals (who wears sandals to school?) striking the stone path echoed through the garden. He stopped in front of her, standing close enough that she could smell the faint scent of musk and lawn clippings that clung on to him.

"I usually don't bother hunting such helpless prey… but ain't nothin' worse than bein' waken up in the middle of a good nap." A devilish smirk appeared on his lips. "That's gonna cost ya, herbivore."

Oyuki wanted to run, really she did. But the feeling of Grim clinging on to her leg kept her rooted to the ground. The beastman reached towards her. She braced herself for whatever comes next. Hopefully Grim had enough common sense to run away while he was distracted.

"Leona! There you are!" an unfamiliar voice cut through the tension.

Leona's hand stopped inches away from her face. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, turning to the source of the voice.

"Knew I'd find you here." A scrawny hyena beastman rushed over to them, wiping sweat off his brow. "You got after-school classes today, remember?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Oh, put a sock in it already. I'm tired of your yappin', Ruggie," he grumbled.

"Hey it's not like I want to be chasing after you all the time either you know. I got other stuff to do, actually. But you've already had to repeat a year. If you get held back again, we'll be in the same grade!" Ruggie let out a snicker which sounded more like a spray bottle wheezing. "Now come on!"

Surprisingly, Leone let himself be pushed towards the door. As he was walking, he looked back at Oyuki. She was trembling like a calf that just learned to stand but her other hand, the one that wasn't hovering in front of Grim, had balled into a tight fist.

At most he was going to give her a flick on the forehead. But he saw how her jaw clenched when he reached for her. ‘The meek, little, magic-less herbivore bites. How cute.’ he thought.  He wondered, who was she more worried about in that moment, herself or her pet weasel?

"Watch where you're stepping next time, herbivore."

The doors to the botanical garden slammed shut and Oyuki let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Mrah... That was scary! It really felt like a wild beast was starin’ me down, what is up with that nutso?" Grim slumped to the floor, clutching his chest.

He tugged on her pant leg, asking to be carried after such a harrowing encounter. The two of them regrouped with Ace and Deuce, who had found the tools they need stashed in a shed.

"These ain't gonna fit me!" Grim exclaimed, more pleased than angry. "Oh well, guess I'm gonna have to sit this one out. Have fun schmucks! Nyahaha!"

Deuce grabbed him by the collar before he could run off. "Oh no you don't. You're holding the basket while me and Ace climb up the trees."

"Ha?! Who said anything about climbing trees?!" Ace protested.

"You can’t really do much with that collar on you so how else are you supposed to help out?”

“I mean, why me? Make Oyuki go up there.”

“You’re really going to make a girl do all the heavy lifting? What kind of man are you?”

“Rrrgh! Fine! Fine! I’ll go up the stupid tree! This’ll take forever if you’re the only one up there anyway.”

“Oh? Is that a challenge? You’re on! I’ll make you eat my dust!”

And with that little bit of friendly rivalry, the four of them filled their basket to the brim and triumphantly returned to Heartslabyul.

"Welcome back. Wow, looks like you guys got plenty of chestnuts!" Trey said, taking the basket Oyuki was holding and placing it on the counter. “Chestnut tart 101. Part 1: The chestnut paste. After taking the nut out of its prickly shell, score its surface with a knife, then add them to a pot of boiling water. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes then take them out and peel while they're still hot.”

"You know I'm starting to wish we didn't pick so many..." Deuce grumbled. He and Trey used magic to help peel the chestnuts but Deuce probably would've gotten the job done faster if he just used his hands.

“Once all the chestnuts are peeled, add them to a pot with some milk and bring to a boil.  Cook them for 15-20 minutes or until all the milk has evaporated. “

 Trey moved the boiled chestnuts, which had cooked down into a mash, into a food processor. "Now we add icing sugar, cocoa powder, and just a bit of vanilla extract... Ah, can't forget my secret ingredient, a sensible splash of oyster sauce!"

"Oyster sauce?!" Ace and Deuce exclaimed.

"Yep. The umami of the oysters gives the cream a deep, savory flavor. I use this one here: Walrus-brand Young Oyster Sauce. All the best bakers use it in their tarts."

Oyuki wasn't a baker but... is that really a thing people do? Oyster sauce? In a tart?

"Pfft... Ah ha ha ha! I'm totally lying! No one in their right mind would put oyster sauce into a pastry. I mean, if you'd used your brain, you'd have realized how ridiculous it was!” Trey wiped a tear out of his eye. “Let that be a lesson to you. Don't believe everything you hear."

Of course he was messing with them.

Grim rolled his eyes. "And here I thought we finally met someone who’s actually somewhat decent."

The chestnuts were blended into a smooth paste in the food processor then transferred to a separate bowl. Trey looked back and forth between the bowl of chestnut paste and the rest of the ingredients on the counter, his brow wrinkling in dissatisfaction.

"Is something wrong?" Oyuki asked, afraid she somehow messed up something as simple as ‘pouring thing into other thing’.

Trey shook his head, the smile returning to his face. "No, no, nothing's wrong. We just have more chestnut paste than I expected so I was thinking of making extra tarts. Would any of you mind going to the school store to pick up more cream?"

"I'll do it." Deuce said.

"Great. While you're at it, could I have you pick me up a few other things, please?"

Deuce read the shopping list Trey handed him. "I don't think I'll be able to carry all that back. Oyuki, could you come with me?"

Oyuki nodded. "Sure."