𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞

┌──── ∘°❉°∘ ────┐

𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞

└──── °∘❉∘° ────┘

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--THE FLUORESCENT LIGHTS OF THE GROCERY STORE BUZZED FAINTLY as Misa, Maki, Nobara, Megumi, and Toge trudged through the automatic doors. Their mission? Stock up for the week. Their likelihood of doing it without incident? Almost zero.

"Alright," Maki said, taking charge as she grabbed a shopping cart. "We're sticking to the list. No unnecessary items, no wandering off, and absolutely no—"

"Tuna mayo," Toge interrupted, pointing at a shelf of instant noodles.

"Fine," Maki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "One pack of noodles. But that's it."

Toge gave her a thumbs up and began tossing several packs into the cart with alarming precision.

"Did you not hear the one part?" Megumi muttered, pulling three packs back out.

"I'm getting snacks," Nobara announced, already veering off toward the snack aisle.

"Stick to the list!" Maki called after her.

"Don't wait up!" Nobara yelled back.

Misa, meanwhile, was poking at a display of apples. She picked one up, inspecting it closely. "Why are these so shiny? They look fake."

"They're coated in wax," Megumi said, nudging her aside to grab a couple.

"That's disgusting," Misa said, making a face and dropping the apple back into the pile.

"Less judging, more helping," Maki said, steering the cart toward the produce section.

"Are we seriously going to eat vegetables?" Nobara groaned, reappearing with an armful of snacks. "We're sorcerers, not health freaks."

"You'll eat vegetables, and you'll like it," Maki said, grabbing a bundle of broccoli and tossing it into the cart.

"Tuna," Toge agreed, nodding solemnly as he inspected a watermelon.

The chaos escalated when they reached the frozen food section. Misa had somehow convinced Megumi to race her down the aisle, sliding across the slick floor in their socks. Maki yelled at them to stop, but her stern tone lost its impact when she burst out laughing as Misa slid straight into a stack of frozen pizza boxes.

"Graceful," Maki said dryly, pulling Misa to her feet.

"Don't act like you weren't impressed," Misa shot back, dusting herself off.

Meanwhile, Nobara had discovered the ice cream freezer. "Megumi! What flavor do you want?"

"None," Megumi replied, rubbing his temple.

"That's boring," Misa said, joining her. She grabbed a tub of cookie dough ice cream and held it up. "This one's the best. Megumi, you're getting this whether you like it or not."

"Don't put words in my mouth," he grumbled, but he didn't stop her from putting it in the cart.

Toge, on the other hand, had wandered over to the canned goods aisle and was stacking cans into a precarious tower. Maki caught sight of him just as the tower wobbled dangerously.

"Toge!" she shouted.

He froze, giving her a sheepish look. "Salmon."

"No more Jenga with the groceries," she said, shaking her head.

As they moved toward the checkout, the group's cart was overflowing with a bizarre mix of items: snacks, vegetables, noodles, frozen pizza, and a watermelon that Toge refused to part with.

"Alright, let's pay and get out of here before we're banned for life," Maki said, steering the cart toward the register.

But just as they were about to make way, Misa grabbed a pack of brightly colored stickers from a nearby rack. "Wait! We need these."

"For what?" Maki asked, incredulous.

"For morale," Misa said with a grin, tossing them into the cart.

Maki sighed but didn't argue.

The group was now in the cleaning supplies aisle, and things were spiraling further out of control. Maki was trying to restock their stash of essentials, while Misa and Nobara were entertaining themselves by playing an impromptu game of "catch the sponge" over Megumi's head.

"Can you not?" Megumi muttered, ducking as a bright yellow sponge whizzed past his ear.

"Don't be so dramatic," Misa said, catching the sponge effortlessly. "This is team-building."

"Team-building would be helping Maki," Megumi shot back.

"Oh, please," Nobara chimed in, snatching the sponge mid-throw. "She's already acting like she's our mom. She's got this covered."

Maki, overhearing, turned around, arms crossed. "You little charlatan."

Misa froze, then turned to Maki with mock offense. "Charlatan? Are you finally reading the Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day emails I sent you?"

Maki raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You think I needed your emails to know what 'charlatan' means? Please."

"You should thank me for broadening your vocabulary," Misa quipped, tossing the sponge in the cart like she was scoring a basketball.

"Thank you?!" Maki sputtered. "You've got nerve for someone who spent five minutes trying to convince me we needed glittery dish soap for 'aesthetic purposes.'"

"We do need it," Misa replied solemnly.

"No, we don't!" Maki snapped.

"It's called morale, Maki. You'd understand if you had any," Misa teased.

Toge, who had been observing silently, raised his hand to interject. "Tuna mayo," he said, pointing to the glittery soap with an approving nod.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Maki said, exasperated.

"Bonito flakes."

"You're all insane," Maki grumbled, shoving a normal bottle of dish soap into the cart instead.

"Are we done yet?" Megumi asked, his patience wearing thin.

"Almost," Maki said. "I just need—"

But before she could finish, Nobara darted toward the aisle's end, shouting, "I need eyeliner! This is an emergency!"

"It's not on the list!" Maki shouted after her, chasing her down.

"She's right, though," Misa said to Megumi. "Eyeliner is essential."

Megumi sighed. "Do you even wear eyeliner?"

"No, but I might start."

At this point, Toge casually dropped an enormous pack of chocolate into the cart. "Salmon roe," he said simply.

"Sure, why not?" Misa said, shrugging. "At this rate, we'll be here all day anyway."

From the next aisle, Maki and Nobara's argument could be heard escalating.

"You don't need three kinds of eyeliner!"

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

"Stay out of my beauty decisions!"

"Do I even bother?" Mumbled Megumi, who had been deciding wether to stop their argument or not.

"Nah," Misa said, smirking. "This is better than TV."

Finally, Maki returned, dragging Nobara by the arm. "We're leaving. Now."

"But—"

"Now!"

As they made their way to the checkout line, the cart overflowing with a bizarre mix of essentials, snacks, and Misa's beloved glitter soap, Megumi sighed heavily. "This is why we can't do anything as a group."

"It's called teamwork," Misa corrected him, grinning.

"You're all hopeless," Maki muttered.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--The dorm kitchen was a whirlwind of activity as everyone unpacked the mountain of groceries. Bags rustled, cabinets clanged, and the occasional snack disappeared directly into someone's mouth.

Maki stood at the counter, receipt in hand, scrutinizing every item as if she were an auditor.

"Glitter soap," she muttered, holding up a sparkling bottle and glaring at Misa.

"You're welcome," Misa said smugly, wiggling her fingers like a magician.

"Enough snacks to last us a month—or at least a week, knowing Toge," Maki continued, side-eyeing Toge, who was casually tossing potato chips into his mouth. He didn't even look guilty.

"Eyeliner," Maki added with a long-suffering sigh, glancing at Nobara.

Nobara was busy testing a freshly bought eyeliner in the hallway mirror. "Bold of you to imply that this wasn't a necessity," she said, carefully tracing her wing.

Maki groaned and moved down the list, her expression darkening. "But no laundry detergent. Seriously?"

The group froze, each member slowly turning to look at her.

"I thought we got it!" Misa said defensively.

"Nope," Maki snapped, slamming the receipt onto the counter.

"Well, we can go back tomorrow," Megumi offered, as if that were a reasonable solution.

"Tomorrow?!" Maki's voice reached a dangerous octave. "Do you know how much laundry I've been putting off? And now I can't wash any of it!"

"Relax, it's fine. We'll just improvise," Panda said, waving his paw dismissively.

"Improvise?" Megumi asked, already wary.

"Yeah! We're all sorcerers. We're resourceful," Panda said confidently.

The next thing Misa knew, the group was huddled in the laundry room, staring into a large mixing bowl filled with what could only be described as a chaotic potion. Dish soap, a handful of baking soda, and—somehow—an entire bottle of glitter soap had made their way into the concoction.

"This is... ambitious," Misa said, leaning over to inspect it. "What's the glitter for?"

"Flair," Panda replied with a shrug.

"It smells... interesting," Nobara said, sniffing it.

"It smells like regret," Megumi deadpanned, standing a safe distance away.

Toge gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Salmon!"

"I cannot believe I'm about to let this happen," Maki muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If this destroys the washing machine, I'm holding every one of you accountable."

"It's foolproof!" Misa said, cheerfully picking up the mixing bowl and dumping its contents into the washing machine. "How bad could it be?"

Two minutes later, the laundry room was a scene of pure chaos. Bubbles poured out of the machine, spreading across the floor like an unstoppable wave.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Megumi shouted, attempting to wade through the suds.

"It's not that bad!" Misa argued, slipping and falling into the soapy mess.

"Not bad?" Nobara cried, clinging to the doorframe to avoid being swallowed by the foam. "It looks like a bubble bath exploded in here!"

Panda was spinning in circles, smacking at the air as bubbles clung to his fur. "I think it's kind of fun!"

Toge stood triumphantly atop a stool, blowing bubbles off his hand and yelling, "Tuna mayo!"

Maki stormed into the room, the only one who hadn't yet been covered in suds. She stood there for a moment, taking in the disaster before locking eyes with Misa.

Maki's glare could have melted steel. "Get. A. Mop."

Misa saluted dramatically, nearly slipping again as she tried to get up.

Meanwhile, Panda had started purposefully sliding across the soapy floor on his stomach, whooping as if it were a slip-and-slide. "This is the best day ever!"

"Panda, stop encouraging this madness!" Maki yelled, but her voice was drowned out by Misa's laughter as she joined him, sliding across the floor with reckless abandon.

Megumi, now drenched in bubbles, sighed deeply and muttered to himself, "Why do I even bother?"

The kitchen was an absolute battlefield of bubbles and chaos. Foam covered every inch of the counters, the floor had turned into a slippery death trap, and the air was filled with the sound of wild laughter.

"En garde!" Nobara shouted, gripping a soapy scrub brush like a sword. She charged toward Misa, who stood her ground with a frying pan held high like a makeshift shield.

"You'll never take me alive, Kugisaki!" Misa yelled back, twirling her "weapon" dramatically before ducking behind a suds-covered stool.

"I'm not trying to take you alive," Nobara shot back, flinging a wad of foam toward Misa. "I'm trying to win!"

Megumi, who had been valiantly trying to keep some semblance of order, had retreated to the corner of the room, mop in hand and a look of pure exasperation on his face. He glared at the chaos, his eyes following Panda, who was sliding across the soapy floor like a penguin, adding to the bedlam.

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen," Megumi muttered, but no one was paying attention to him.

"Focus!" Maki barked, smacking the side of the washing machine, which groaned in response but didn't explode further. Yet.

"Bubble justice stops for no vocabulary lessons!" Nobara shouted, lunging over a stool to get at Misa.

Misa shrieked, spinning on her heel and sprinting across the room. "Megumi, help me!" she pleaded, slipping slightly on the floor.

"No," Megumi said flatly, stepping aside as Rina scrambled past him.

"You traitor!" Misa yelped, just barely dodging a sudsy sponge Nobara had flung like a missile.

Panda, meanwhile, was creating his own chaos. He lay on the floor, blowing bubbles through a plastic straw and humming to himself. "This is what peak performance looks like," he declared proudly.

"Peak idiocy, maybe," Megumi grumbled, swatting away a stray bubble with his mop.

"Guys, enough!" Maki's voice rose above the din, her patience visibly fraying. She smacked the washing machine again, harder this time, and the entire appliance let out a metallic groan.

"It's going to blow!" Panda shouted dramatically, throwing himself onto the ground.

"It's not going to blow," Maki snapped, kicking the machine for good measure. With one final groan, the washing machine jolted and then, miraculously, whirred back to life.

A collective hush fell over the room as everyone stared at the suddenly obedient machine.

"...You fixed it?" Misa asked, poking her head out from behind Megumi like a cautious meerkat.

"Of course I fixed it," Maki said, brushing soap off her hands. "Unlike you clowns, I actually do things instead of creating a foam party disaster."

"Hey, the bubbles are your fault," Nobara argued, pointing an accusing finger.

"My fault? How is it my fault?" Maki snapped, crossing her arms.

"You forgot to buy it!"

The two began bickering while Misa, Panda, and Toge huddled together like conspirators.

"Tuna mayo," Toge said, nodding toward the exit.

"Agreed," Panda whispered, pulling himself up.

"Time to retreat," misa whispered, starting to tiptoe toward the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Maki's sharp voice cut through their escape attempt like a blade.

They froze, looking like children caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

"Nowhere!" Misa said quickly, a wide, innocent smile plastered on her face.

"Back to cleaning," Maki ordered, her glare promising pain if they disobeyed.

Grumbling under their breaths, they shuffled back to their places. Nobara and Misa exchanged glares before silently agreeing to a truce—for now.

As the chaos settled, Megumi finally put his mop down, the faintest trace of a smirk playing on his lips. "So, we're clear. I'm never stepping foot in this room again."

"Don't be dramatic," Misa said, elbowing him lightly.

"No, he's right," Maki said, glaring at the still-foamy floors. "You're all banned."

"Tuna mayo," Toge agreed, his tone mournful.

The room erupted into laughter again, chaos threatening to bubble over once more. But for now, the washing machine was humming along peacefully, a beacon of normalcy amidst the madness.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚