Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 20 - Chapter 4

Episode 4: The Great War in Very Near Space

One Saturday afternoon, Koutarou, Yurika, Maki, Theia, and Clan were playing a board game they’d pulled out from the wardrobe. Because not all of the invaders were available, this would be considered a non-point game as far as the contest for ownership of the apartment was concerned. Instead, they were simply playing around for fun. It was a nice day out, and the soft autumn sunlight streamed in the window, shining down on them as the game slowly progressed.

“It’s your turn, Aika-san.”

“O-Okay.”

Urged on by Koutarou, Maki tentatively reached out for the game board’s roulette wheel. She’d grown up without most of the merriment and amusement most children were accustomed to, so things like this still felt a little strange to her sometimes.

“Hup!”

She gave a cute little shout as she gave the wheel a good spin. In the game they were playing, the number the wheel landed on determined how far they could move in a haunted European-style mansion.

“Okay, it’s four. Please move forward four spaces now, Maki-chan.”

“One, two, three, and four.”

“Let’s see here... It says, ‘Whilst you’re exploring the dining room, you hear a noise coming from thin air. Draw an event card.’ Oh, I wonder what’s going to happen.”

“Veltlion, the event cards.”

“Here, Maki-san. Draw one.”

“Okay.”

Following the instructions listed for the space she landed on, Maki drew a card. It would randomly determine the results of her turn.

“Um, it says, ‘A knight in armor suddenly attacks! Or so you thought... but it’s really just a stationary decoration in the room. Nothing actually happens,’” read Maki.

“Lucky,” commented Clan.

“Not necessarily. If it had been an enemy, she could’ve gotten some treasure,” argued Theia.

“Yurika, you’re on the ‘safety first’ side, aren’t you?” asked Maki.

“If you die, then it was all for nothing! Treasure and food are only useful if you’re still alive,” Yurika explained.

It seemed the girls were split on how to interpret the event Maki had drawn. And listening to them discuss it, Koutarou couldn’t help thinking their opinions on the matter suited their personalities perfectly. As he was musing over this, however, Maki began giggling.

“Heehee.”

“What is it, Aika-san?”

“Don’t you think the horror in this game is very subjective?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“When I imagined you attacking me... I just couldn’t help but find it funny.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant.”

When they heard “a knight in armor,” the first thing the girls of 106 thought of was, of course, Koutarou. That’s why, despite the fact that the situation was supposed to be scary, Maki immediately found herself smiling. There was already a serious lack in tension as they were playing a scary game in broad daylight, but this put the final nail in the coffin as far as the mood was concerned.

“What would you do then, Aika-san?”

“I’d probably scream out and thrown a bunch of things at you.”

“I can imagine that, yeah.”

“Then let the throwing commence!”

“Are you trying to kill me, Theia? Wait—”

“Open fire, men!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Following Theia’s orders, the other three girls all began hurling things at Koutarou. None of them really wanted to hurt Koutarou or mess up the apartment, so they were reaching for clothes, cushions, towels, newspapers, and whatever else they could get their hands on that wouldn’t do much damage. The thing that looked like it would hurt was the plastic cup of instant noodles. Of course, seeing that thrown hurt Yurika the most.

How do I put it...? It’s so hard to get into words, but...

When they were playing around so mindfully and gently, Koutarou couldn’t bring himself to get angry about it. If anything, he wanted to respond in kind to their playfulness.

“Now you guys have done it!”

“Kyah!”

“Eep!”

“Yikes!”

“Oh no!”

Koutarou gathered up what had been thrown at him and threw it right back all at once. With how small the room was, the girls had nowhere to escape. In short order, they were showered with all kinds of odds and ends just like Koutarou had been. But even then, they were still smiling. Really, they’d been hoping Koutarou would counterattack, and all was going according to plan.

And so the game proceeded, albeit slowly thanks to the occasional derailment. Maki put up a good fight as a newbie to the game, and Yurika pulled through on sheer luck. In the end, things turned into something of a showdown between the two of them.

“Maki-chan, this is our final showdown!”

“After coming this far, I won’t lose now, Yurika!”

Despite their history, Maki and Yurika now had a great relationship. They were close enough that they could enjoy a little friendly completion to the fullest.

“Yurika’s only ever this bold when it doesn’t matter if she loses or not...”

Koutarou smiled as he watched their antics. He could tell just how much fun they were having together. And after what he knew they’d been through, it was a heartwarming sight.

“She’s timid when it really counts, after all.”

Clan smiled as well. But she wasn’t making light of things. Quite the opposite. She was getting the same warm and fuzzy feeling Koutarou was. As of late, she’d come to be somewhat more transparent with her feelings.

“What are you saying, Koutarou?” an astonished Theia asked. “You’re the one who’s always talking about how Yurika has strength in spades when it really matters.”

Yurika was weak and awkward in general—not to mention she had a habit of taking a spectacular nosedive into failure whenever there were punishments on the line for losing a game. But when things really counted, Yurika was always there in her best form. If someone’s life was at stake, for example, she might even be the one to lead the charge to save them. Koutarou knew just how strong she really was, but that scared him a little because he knew Yurika only ever brought her full strength to bear when things were really, really bad. In his opinion, days like today—where nothing but a little fun was on the line and Yurika could lose to her heart’s content—were better. Everything was peaceful.

“So I don’t want to hear a word from you about Yurika winning now,” continued Theia.

“Jeez, cut me a little slack.”

“Heh,” scoffed Clan. “I imagine Veltlion thinks of Yurika as a little sister, albeit the troublesome kind. And he would prefer things stay that way.”

“I won’t deny it.”

Koutarou wanted not just Yurika, but also Maki, Theia, and Clan to live peaceful lives. And like he said, he would no longer deny that. But all serious discussion came to an end when it was interrupted by a sudden growl from Koutarou’s stomach. They’d been playing games for so long now that it was easily past lunchtime.

“Oh?”

“Jeez. Mind your manners, Koutarou.”

“My bad.”

“There’s no point in demanding manners from a barbarian like Veltlion.”

“Satomi-kun, let’s have lunch once we’re done.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“It’s a plan, then.”

As they were already entering the last stage of the game, they agreed to break for lunch once they were finished. One thing, however, remained undecided.

“But who’s gonna cook? Or should we order delivery?”

The missing members of the Corona House crew had all left that morning. They were all attending to some business or another, but without either Kiriha or Ruth around to cook like usual, the rest of them would have to come up with some other way to get food.

“Hey, how about the loser makes lunch?”

Just calling in lunch or deciding with a simple game of rock, paper, scissors would be boring, so Koutarou decided to have a little fun by suggesting they up the stakes for the grand finale of the game.

“Why would you say that now?! That’s something we should have determined at the start!”

At Koutarou’s suggestion, Theia suddenly erupted. With how much she prized victory, she was none too partial to the idea of changing the rules more than halfway through the game.

“Are you kidding? The timing is critical. Right now, it’s gotta be either me, you, or Clan, right?”

Koutarou glanced over at Yurika as he spoke. She and Maki were vying for the top spot, with the other three players lagging behind them. Chances were pretty high it would be one of them in the kitchen on lunch duty. In other words, they wouldn’t have to worry about having to eat Yurika’s cooking.

“Oh... You’re right,” copped Theia.

“I don’t mind this plan either, personally,” agreed Clan.

They’d quickly caught on to what Koutarou meant. None of them were interested in eating Yurika’s so-called cooking either. It would probably be dangerous.

“It’s your turn next, Satomi-san.”

“All right.”

After reaching a consensus on lunch, everyone returned to the game. Things would wrap up roughly fifteen minutes later.

Maki managed to secure first place. She defended her lead until the end and reached the goal first. She was also carrying a ton of treasure, scoring her by far and away the most points.

Next was Theia. Once it was determined that the loser would be making lunch, she stepped up her game and clawed her way all the way up to second place. She couldn’t overtake Maki, but the turnaround she’d been able to achieve was nothing to be sneezed at. She was pleased with these results.

Third place then went to Clan. She was more careful and defensive than Theia, so she wasn’t able to make quite as much of a comeback in the endgame. But she was happy too. She just wanted to make sure she didn’t end up last.

Koutarou ended up in fourth. He’d gone all out in an attempt to beat Theia, but his high risk, high reward playstyle had blown up in his face. He ducked into the treasury in the basement of the mansion and ended up being defeated by enemies, costing him most of his treasure. If he hadn’t tried to go head to head with Theia, he might have been able to overtake Clan. But it was a losing gamble in the end, landing him just shy of last place.

And the dreaded title of loser went to none other than Yurika. Despite being loaded with treasure, she’d lost almost all of it by the end of the game. It was a spectacular enough failure that it impressed everyone but surprised no one. They all thought, “Yeah, that’s so Yurika.”

“W-Waaaaah...”

“Wow, Yurika... You really just can’t keep it together, can you?”

“Augh, b-but if I’d just rolled high enough, then... Waaah!”

With teary eyes, Yurika acknowledged the reason for her own defeat. Just before the goal on the game board, there was a fork in the road that split the path in two—one branch led safely to the exit and the other took a risky detour through the treasury. Yurika was in first place when she reached the juncture, having managed to get a leg up on Maki through sheer luck. She’d had just enough spaces left to make it safely into the treasury, so decided to take that route, confident she couldn’t possibly lose her lead with all the treasure she had on her. And it wasn’t just her. Everyone thought at that point that she’d be the one to win the game.

However, that was simply the start of her downfall. After stopping in the treasury, Yurika never landed on a treasure space again. Instead, she was assailed by enemies practically nonstop. If she’d won against any of them, it would have landed her even more treasure. But Yurika’s luck had run out. The enemies towards the end of the board were strong, and she just couldn’t hack it against them. In a few short turns, she’d been robbed of almost everything. She was penniless by the time she crossed the finish line.

“In the very end, you got too greedy and lost it all...”

“You really are hapless. Maybe you’re cursed?”

Clan and Theia felt a great deal of consternation over this result. They’d both done what they could to try and make sure Yurika didn’t end up dead last, but they couldn’t manage to keep her from diving headlong into failure.

“Well, uh... How about I go make lunch instead?”

Worried about what might happen if they let Yurika loose in the kitchen, Koutarou offered to make lunch himself. He’d finished second to last, after all.

“That might be for the best.”

“I have no objections.”

Theia and Clan were both okay with this plan. Koutarou wasn’t the best cook in the world, but he could at least make edible food. They had absolute faith in that.

“Yeah! I think that would be for the best too!”

Yurika, meanwhile, was just happy that she didn’t have to make lunch anymore. The smile on her face was so bright that it made her earlier sobbing look like crocodile tears. Yurika thought cooking was a pain, so she was ecstatic to get out of doing it. The discerning Maki, however, shot her a suspicious glance.

“Yurika... I mean, it’s no surprise that no one thinks you can cook, but are you really okay with that?”

“Whaaat?! Really?!”

When Maki pointed out what was really going on, Yurika froze. She hadn’t realized that everyone else had capitulated under the assumption that she couldn’t cook. She then puffed out her cheeks and turned to Koutarou.

“Satomi-san, I changed my mind! I’ll make lunch after all!”

“I mean, you can try. But you really can’t cook, can you?”

Harsh as his words might have sounded, it wasn’t like Koutarou was trying to be mean. It was just that he’d been living with sloppy Yurika for over a year and a half now, and in that time, he had never once seen her cook a proper meal. Moreover, her grades in home ec were remarkably bad. If it turned out that she was actually good at cooking, it would be nothing short of a miracle. Koutarou wasn’t willing to gamble on that, which was why he’d offer to take her place.

“I can too cook! I always helped make the food when it was just me and Nana-san!”

However, Yurika gave him an unexpected rebuttal. Back when she was working as Nana’s cooperator, the two of them had lived together. In order to help out, she did her part with the housework and cooking.

“Y-You don’t say...”

“You’re awful, Satomi-san. Of course I can’t cook as well as you can, but I’m still a girl. It’s not like I can’t cook at all.”

“Well, I’m sorry.”

“Nana-san even complimented me once! She said I was good at pouring the hot water!”

“Like I said, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll show you! I’m gonna go make lunch and you’re gonna think it’s delicious!”

Yurika was now full-on sulking. As a girl of age, she was offended that Koutarou had just assumed she didn’t even have basic cooking skills. She wanted Koutarou to see her as a woman, and she couldn’t stand the idea that he thought she was lacking in some way. That stirred up what little pride she had, giving her the motivation to march right into the kitchen and get to work.

“I wonder if we’ll be okay...” muttered Clan.

“If Yurika is that confident, we’ll probably be fine,” assured Maki.

“We can only hope...” sighed Theia.

Maki was feeling fairly optimistic, but Clan and Theia not so much. They largely knew Yurika as their sloppy, careless, ill-starred compatriot—and once you have that image of someone, it’s hard to shake. Moreover, they had a far different sense of taste than Maki, who’d been born in the slums and was raised living off of anything she could.

After Yurika entered the kitchen, things were surprisingly quiet for a spell. She didn’t immediately come running to ask for help, so Koutarou and the others assumed that everything was fine. Maybe Yurika could actually cook after all. But sadly, their hopes were misplaced. Yurika had only gone silent because she was at an absolute loss. By the time Koutarou and the others realized what was really going on, the damage was already done.

“You... You want me to eat this?”

“Uwaaaaah!”

Yurika broke down sobbing on the tea table. Suspicious smoke was rising from the black masses sitting on everyone’s plates.

“What is this black stuff?”

“Considering it’s fully carbonized, it was probably something plant-based.”

“Oh, I know! It’s yakisoba!”

“Ah, I see! So that’s why it’s kind of long and thick!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

The black mass in question was indeed charred yakisoba. Of course, the “charred” part wasn’t intentional. Yurika knew her culinary skills were relatively basic, so she’d wanted to make something simple. It was a good idea in theory, but she’d cooked it too hot and used the wrong ingredients, then got distracted by what was going on in the inner room and ended up taking her eyes off the frying pan. The end result was the piles of black something or another currently sitting on the tea table, burned just like Yurika’s pride.

“I hate it! I hate that we live in a world where a girl’s worth is determined by her cooking! I hate whoever invented cooking!”

Yurika banged her fist on the table as she grieved. She was mortified over her poor showing. It was clearly her own fault for slacking off during home ec classes, but she couldn’t admit that. No, all she could do was cry and take her anger out on the table.

“W-Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? For a girl not to be able to cook, I mean.”

But even if everything about this was demonstrably Yurika’s fault, Koutarou couldn’t just sit there and watch her cry. With a forced smile, he did his best to console her. Hearing this, Yurika looked up at him skeptically.

“Then would you date a girl who can’t cook, Satomi-san? Would you marry a girl like that?”

At that, the other girls all turned to look at Koutarou too. Theia, Clan, and Maki weren’t especially skilled when it came to cooking either, so they were interested to hear how Koutarou would respond and waited for his answer with bated breath.

“Of course. That’s not what’s really important. Besides, anyone can get better at cooking if they practice. If you want to learn it, then jump right in. But if there’s something more important to you, I think it’s better to focus on that.”

Koutarou spelled out his feelings without hesitation, and the three of them all immediately looked relieved. With lighter expressions, they began pondering whether they should pursue cooking or not. Yurika’s response alone was different, and she pressed Koutarou further.

“Okay, Satomi-san, imagine there being two girls with similar personalities and looks, and who you have similar relationships with.”

“Go on.”

“One of them can cook and one of them can’t. Which one would you choose?”

“Well... the one who can, right?”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

“H-Hey, Yurika!”

“I’m screwed! Waaaaaaaah!”

Realizing that she was undoubtedly the worst cook in room 106, Yurika broke down in tears once more.

When Shizuka returned to room 106, the first thing she noticed was the strong, lingering odor of artificial seasoning. It wasn’t an unfamiliar smell in room 106, however. Yurika frequently fixed instant noodles, and that’s what Shizuka chalked the smell up to. Little did she know what she was walking into.

“What’s going on here?! Why are you eating that stuff?!”

For some reason, everyone was eating instant noodles. They were all sitting around the tea table slurping them down somberly—except for Yurika, who was crying as she ate. It gave off almost a surreal vibe.

“Well, you see, Yurika...”

Koutarou paused eating for a moment to explain the situation to Shizuka, but...

“Shizuka-san!”

That was when Yurika pounced on her.

“Y-Yurika-chan?!”

“Please! Please teach me how to cook!”

She clung to Shizuka, desperately and tearfully begging her for cooking lessons. In terms of pure skill, Kiriha was a better chef, but Shizuka was part of the home ec club at school. She had plenty of good, basic recipes under her belt and even knew a thing or two about teaching them. She’d be the ideal cooking instructor.

“Pretty please! Teach me how to cook so I don’t have to live my life in shame!”

“...Satomi-kun, what on earth happened here?”

“Actually...”

There, Koutarou filled in the perplexed Shizuka, Yurika clinging to her and begging all the while. By the time he got to the end of the story, the other invaders had returned home to the apartment as well. As a result, the population of the room swelled to ten. In order to alleviate the sense of crampedness, some of the girls used Clan’s invention to sit on the walls and ceiling. This strange sight was becoming common in room 106 as of late.

“...And that’s how today’s lunch ended up being instant noodles.”

“I see. You really are luckless, Yurika-chan.”

“Augh...”

“I understand how you feel, though.”

“Then please! Teach me how to cook!”

“Yeah, you bet. You can count on me.”

“Thank you, Shizuka-san! Thank yooouuuuu!”

Once she’d heard what was going on, Shizuka readily agreed to Yurika’s request. She sympathized and completely understood why Yurika wanted to be able to cook something the man she loved would enjoy... and how bad it must have felt to screw that up. Moreover, Shizuka was a genuine go-getter and had no complaints about putting herself in a situation where she might be privy to some premium gossip. All said and done, she was more than happy to help Yurika out. But that wasn’t to say she was without any ulterior motives.

“In return, would you participate in the cook-off with a dish you’ve learned?”

“The cook-off?”

“That’s right. The home ec club is going to be holding a cook-off during the cultural festival.”

Shizuka also wanted to help Yurika as a way to get her to participate in the home ec club’s cook-off. It would soon be October, and the cultural festival was right around the corner in November. The home ec club that Shizuka was part of participated every year.

Last year, they’d put together a recipe book that doubled as a report of their club activities. While discussing what to do this year, someone had thrown out the idea of hosting a cook-off. Thinking it would be fun to go all out for a change, the other members were almost instantly on board. There was just one problem. The home ec club was technically only a society like the cosclub and knitting society, so they didn’t have nearly enough participants to have a compelling event with just their members.

It was unfeasible to try and recruit enough new members to pad their ranks before the competition, so the home ec club had instead decided to rally volunteers for the event. To maximize their chances of getting enough bites, they’d also decided to expand the participation requirements. They’d even take volunteers from outside the school, and there were no restrictions on age, gender, et cetera. They wanted to get as many people involved as possible.

“Even if I practice lots and lots, would it really be okay for me to dive right into a cook-off...?”

Yurika was uneasy and deep in thought as she wiped away her tears, but that was when the smiling Sanae called out to her.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m doing it too.”

“You are too, Sanae-chan? Then... maybe I’ll be okay...”

Hearing that Sanae would also be participating made Yurika feel better about it. If it was the kind of competition where even beginners were allowed to compete, then she wouldn’t need to be as nervous. She knew for a fact that Sanae wasn’t much better at cooking than she was, after all.

And if Sanae-chan is there, I won’t be so embarrassed if I do poorly...

With a reassuring friend by her side, her thoughts about the competition slowly grew more and more positive. Moreover, surely it was only fair to help Shizuka out if she was going to teach her how to cook.

“You’ll be fine! Just be brave.”

“Yeah... I’ll try.”

Convinced by Sanae’s confident smile, Yurika decided to participate in the cook-off alongside her. Having a friend on your level was always encouraging. They could fail together and Yurika wouldn’t have to feel so bad. Misery loves company, right?

Little did Yurika know her line of thinking was fundamentally wrong. It was true that Sanae-chan was a terrible cook. Even if she had the time and opportunity to cook, she’d much rather be off doing something fun. But that wasn’t true for Sanae-san. As a sickly girl, she’d rarely been able to leave the house when her condition was at its worst. To keep herself amused, she’d learned all about housekeeping from her mother, Kanae—which had of course included cooking. Thanks to that, Sanae as she was now already had basic cooking skills, putting her leaps and bounds ahead of Yurika.

“Thank you, Yurika-chan! Let’s work hard and get you cooking!”

Excited to have someone else signed up for the competition, Shizuka clasped Yurika’s hands with a big smile on her face.

“Thank you so much, Shizuka-san!”

Yurika squeezed Shizuka’s hands in return, blissfully agreeing to participate in the cook-off without any foresight into the fact that she’d inevitably take last place there too.

Yurika and Sanae weren’t the only ones Shizuka recruited, either. As it turned out, she’d already gotten Kiriha, Ruth, and Harumi on board too. They’d been absent from the apartment that morning because they were attending a meeting about the cook-off.

“Since it was only the first meeting, all we decided on was a date for the event and a rough schedule for what needs to be done between now and then,” explained Kiriha.

“Kiriha-san is amazing, you know? She calculated how many people and what kind of supplies we’d need when and where in an instant. It was a huge help because the home ec club only had rough estimates otherwise,” added an admiring Shizuka.

She’d gotten Kiriha involved in the cook-off because she held her culinary skills in high regard, but Kiriha brought a lot more than just cooking to the table. With Kiriha now helping in planning the event, surely it would be a huge success.

“Well... compared to a surface invasion,” said Koutarou, “I guess managing a contest is easy.”

“So it is,” replied Kiriha with a smile. “I always enjoy a little mental exercise, but I suppose getting the chance to do so under the circumstances is just proof of how peaceful things are right now.”

Kiriha was enjoying herself. In an ideal world, she would only ever have to use her wits and intellect for carefree things like these. Putting her brain to use in battle wasn’t ideal for anyone. It wasn’t what she really wanted. No, she much preferred days like this where the most serious thing she had to worry about was the success of the cook-off.

“Oh, I know, Kasagi-san!”

As the conversation came to a natural lull, Harumi suddenly clapped her hands together and smiled. This got everyone’s attention, and they all turned to look at her.

“Why not have Theiamillis-san and the others participate too?” she asked.

“Us too?”

“What?”

“Even me?”

The three girls who had largely stayed out of the conversation thus far—Theia, Clan, and Maki—suddenly looked at each other in confusion. Eyes wide, they then turned back to Harumi.

“Since the six of us are already participating, why don’t all nine of us do it and have fun together? The more, the merrier, right? You need more participants anyway, right, Shizuka-san?”

“You’re right about that!”

Shizuka took Harumi’s idea and ran with it. Since she’d already gotten most of the Corona House crew involved, she figured she might as well go for broke and try and get everyone on board. She then turned to the three girls in question with a smile.

“So how about it, Theia-chan, Clan-san, Aika-san?”

“Cooking, huh? I’ve never done much of it...”

Theia had learned to cook as part of her formal education back home. She wasn’t totally unskilled, but such detail-oriented tasks weren’t exactly in her wheelhouse. The fastidious Ruth, however, was a natural in the kitchen. Accordingly, Theia had always left meal prep to Ruth while her own skills went largely unused. It made her uncertain about whether or not she’d really have anything to bring to the contest.

“Don’t you think you should, Your Highness?”

“Ruth...”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to try your hand at Earth-style cooking at least once simply for the experience. It’s a good opportunity to learn something about the culture and people of this planet.”

Ruth tossed a sly glance Koutarou’s way as she said that, giving Theia just the push she needed. She knew Ruth was right.

“Hmm, that’s a fair point. It’s also a good opportunity to demonstrate my strength to the Earthlings! Shizuka, sign me up! I’ll be participating too!”

“You got it! What about you, Clan-san?”

“I’m not sure...”

Clan had never once cooked a meal her entire life. She’d been fully dedicated to science since an early age, and had always left everything she considered nonessential—like cooking—to her subordinates. Of course, she understood cooking from a technical perspective and was fully capable of pressing the “on” button on her automated cooking machine. But she had no confidence in her ability to actually make something. It was quite a quandary. And as she pondered what to do, Koutarou grinned.

“No way. Clan can’t cook.”

“Wh-Why would say that?!”

“If you could cook, then I wouldn’t have had to suffer like that.”

When Koutarou and Clan were stranded in past Forthorthe—and all the while on their journey home—Koutarou had been the one continuously taking care of her. He knew better than anyone that Clan was completely worthless when it came to housework. And cooking was out of the question.

“How rude! Even I can cook!”

“You don’t have to be so stubborn. You’re just digging the hole.”

“Cooking is simply culinary science! I’ll show you!”

“Try not to blow anything up, will you?”

“Ignore him, Shizuka! I will be participating in the contest as well!”

And so Clan agreed to take part in the cook-off, eager to prove Koutarou wrong. Her singular goal now was to cook something that Koutarou would be forced to acknowledge as good. And she got straight to work. Immediately after telling Shizuka to sign her up, she started running some calculations.

“You got it, Clan-san!”

Shizuka smiled at the sight and turned to Koutarou, discreetly giving him a thumbs up for his help in motivating Clan.

“Now, what about you, Aika-san?”

Last but not least, Shizuka turned to Maki. She was the only one who hadn’t had an immediate reaction to the idea of the contest.

“I don’t have any confidence in my cooking, honestly.”

“Really? But...”

There, Shizuka leaned in and whispered something in Maki’s ear. When she did, Maki’s expression changed entirely.

“Really?!”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m participating! I’m definitely participating!”

Shizuka had whispered something of great significance to Maki. Something that prompted her to immediately agree to sign up for the contest. She was now fully motivated.

“Okay, then it’s decided! Everyone will take part in the cook-off together!”

Satisfied with the increase in participants, Shizuka flashed a big smile. Between the members of the home ec club and the girls from 106, they’d have about a dozen participants now. The girls seemed like they were getting excited for it now too, so it was shaping up to be a heated competition.

“Give it your all, okay?”

Koutarou smiled and offered his encouragement as he watched over the girls. He didn’t want to get in the way of their fun, so he was more than content to enjoy the events of the cook-off as a spectator. He simply sat at the table, sipping on his tea as the chaos unfolded.

“Satomi-kun, why are you acting like this has nothing to do with you?” asked Shizuka.

“Huh?”

“You’re going to be the judge.”

“What?! This is the first I’m hearing about this!”

“I recommended you, and it was agreed upon with seven votes.”

Of the seven votes for Koutarou as judge, five of them came from Shizuka herself, Kiriha, Sanae, Harumi, and Ruth. Since the home ec club didn’t even have five members, those five votes alone were enough to constitute a majority.

“Why me?!”

“Because I thought you’d do it if I asked.”

“W-Well, you’re not wrong, but...”

As Shizuka had guessed, Koutarou had no intention of declining. He couldn’t refuse to help out with something the girls were so invested in. That didn’t stop him, however, from being surprised at his sudden nomination for presiding judge.

“Besides, we had our reasons.”

“Oh yeah?”

“You’re actually secretly popular with girls, Satomi-kun. I said you got seven votes, didn’t I? That means it was more than just the five of us that wanted you to do it.”

“What?! Wait, no... That can’t be.”

Koutarou’s eyes were open wide in disbelief. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

“I’m sure you’re not aware of it yourself, but... ever since the plays, you’ve gotten quite a reputation, I’ll have you know. So if you’re the judge for the cook-off, then I think we can rake in more participants and spectators.”

That was really why Shizuka had recommended Koutarou. She was pinning her hopes on the school’s Blue Knight to pull in a crowd. Her gut told her that if she could just get Koutarou to wear blue on the day of the cook-off, it would draw even more attention. However, there were a few parties who didn’t think much of this idea—predominantly Theia.

“Say what you will, but Koutarou’s never so much as gotten a love letter. He didn’t even get any chocolates on Valentine’s Day other than from us. Oh, and the one from the kindergarten children addressed to ‘Baron Demon.’ So don’t you think you’re setting your expectations of him a little too high?”

Theia had a good point. Even after the plays and his supposed rise in popularity, girls had never really approached him. He didn’t receive any of the typical signs of affection. No love letters, no chocolates, no nothing. With that evidence against him, it was hard to believe he’d be able to pull in any participants or spectators at all.

“Listen, Satomi-kun comes off as a big, scary guy. It’s hard for girls to approach him directly. Besides, he’s always acting like an idiot.”

Nevertheless, Shizuka was confident. When she’d gossip with girls from other classes during PE, Koutarou’s name would come up from time to time. She was sure he had the potential to attract people, even if it wasn’t obvious.

“Yeah, Koutarou’s definitely not as easy to talk to as Glasses-kun,” chimed in Sanae.

She then circled around and clung to his back—something she knew she wouldn’t be able to do if he was as popular as, say, Kenji. So as far as she was concerned, it was a good thing Koutarou was unpopular and she wanted it to stay that way.

“I was actually planning on asking Mackenzie-kun to be a judge too.”

“I see. So Mackenzie will be the big draw on the surface, but there will be people who are really secretly coming to see Koutarou.”

“Yup! So please help us out, Satomi-kun!”

“I don’t really mind, but...”

“All right! Thanks, Satomi-kun!”

He was still concerned about being able to meet Shizuka’s expectations, but he had no real reason to refuse. When he at last nodded at Shizuka, she gratefully put her hands together and bowed her head. And with that, it was sealed. All nine girls would be participating in the home ec club’s cook-off, and Koutarou would be serving as a judge.

The cultural festival would be held over the course of two days. In keeping with tradition, the final day would be national Culture Day, November 3rd. As it was now late September, the girls had just over a month to prepare. They each decided to use their time wisely.

Harumi’s plan was simple. While she could cook, it wasn’t a skill she practiced daily because she still lived at home with her parents who took care of her. Because of that, she wasn’t as skilled as Ruth, Kiriha, or Shizuka. Accordingly, she chose a dish she knew she could make well within the time constraints of the cook-off. She wanted to be able to turn out something with confidence. Something she knew that the judges could enjoy. That was her own, very Harumi-like strategy.

“What should I do? Maybe I should be a little adventurous... But that would only make things more difficult...”

Harumi was currently standing in a particular corner of the supermarket, deep in thought with her brow visibly furrowed. While she almost always seemed calm, she looked incredibly serious right now. She felt her girlish pride was on the line, so even she was starting to get fired up about the contest.

“Maybe I should give it a try after all... It’s better than not doing anything...”

Harumi was going to make Salisbury steak. It was a standard dish you could find in any recipe book and she had made it countless times before. But if she cooked it following a recipe to a T, it wouldn’t really feel like her cooking. That’s why she wanted to add her own little twist to it, and that’s what she was standing in the store contemplating.

“All right, let’s start with practicing. Then I can decide where to go from there...”

Harumi was thinking of putting cheese in the patty to spice it up, but doing so would increase the difficulty of the dish. Adding cheese to the mix would affect the temperature at which she had to cook the patty. Moreover, depending on the amount and type of cheese she used, the time it took to melt would differ, adding a whole new level of variability to the cooking process. Melted cheese would make an exquisite filling, but if she cooked it too hot or too long, the patties might explode. It wouldn’t look good, and the surprise filling would lose all its effect if the judges could see it before they cut into the dish.

All of these thoughts spun through Harumi’s mind as she stood, lost deep in thought, in the cheese section of the supermarket. It made her realize that adding cheese to the Salisbury steak might actually be out of her skill range.

“If it’s too difficult, I could use cheese sauce... Yeah, let’s do that!”

And so instead, she came up with a simpler alternative. Rather than risking it all trying to make a more interesting version of the dish, she could make it like she was familiar with and then add her own personal touch at the end—cheese sauce. It was a simple, elegant solution. A very Harumi-esque compromise.

Ruth, meanwhile, had a different dilemma altogether. She was second only to Kiriha in terms of culinary skill, but she had a major disadvantage working against her—she was an alien. She was still learning about food and cooking on Earth. She was a quick learner, but still sometimes got thrown for a loop by things that were new and different to her.

“That being the case, it would be safest to stick with cooking something I’ve made before...”

Ruth was currently sitting in the classroom alone, poring over recipes. She’d brought up a list on her bracelet—a faithful record of everything she’d ever cooked.

“If I sort by frequency... it’s about as I expected.”

If she was going to cook something she was familiar with, the top candidates were curry, yakiniku, hand-rolled sushi, Salisbury steak, pasta, and omelet rice—all dishes that children loved. Since several residents of room 106 had childish tastes, it didn’t surprise Ruth any that those were the dishes she cooked most often.

“Now that I think about it, Harumi-sama mentioned that she was making Salisbury steak... Other contest-friendly dishes would be curry and pasta, or even omelet rice. Hmm... Maybe I’ll do curry...”

Data-oriented Ruth was leaning towards curry, the dish she’d made the most times since coming Earth. There was just one problem.

“Curry is a beloved family dish, but there’s always variation between households... That could be an issue.”

Ruth was smart enough to see the pitfall not accounted for by the data. As far as the computer was concerned, curry was curry. But the kind of curry everyone loved was the kind of curry they grew up with. In other words, it might be extraordinarily difficult to make a single kind of curry that would please all the judges. That could prove to be her downfall.

“All right, then let’s go with omelet rice instead!”

Compared to curry and pasta, omelet rice would be more straightforward in terms of expectations. It was a simple dish consisting of a thin omelet wrapped around chicken fried rice, decorated with ketchup on top—everyone knew that. While it wasn’t as popular as curry, Ruth figured omelet rice might actually score her higher points with the judges because it would be much easier to cater to all of their tastes.

“Omelet rice will make for a nicer presentation, too.”

Ruth had a secret weapon up her sleeve that she’d only be able to use with a dish like omelet rice—a miniature flag. Unlike curry and pasta, omelet rice could be dressed up in all sorts of cute, playful ways. And she just so happened to know that one of the judges was extremely partial to food made fun.

Harumi and Ruth were strategically planning on putting out well-loved dishes, but Kiriha was taking a different approach. Rather than competing with a single dish, she was planning on filling an entire tray. She’d start with rice and miso soup, and serve it with side dishes and vegetables to make it a complete meal. She was going for the full home cooking experience.

“Ane-san, why don’t you use your special move, ho?”

“Or do you have an ace up your sleeve, ho?”

“No, I won’t be doing anything special like that. I’m aiming for the ultimate ordinary here.”

“The ultimate ordinary, ho?”

“I don’t get it, ho!”

“I mean a meal you’d never get tired of even if you ate it every day. I want to make the ultimate version of everyday cuisine.”

Kiriha wanted to make the very best version of something unexpected—ordinary food. She wanted to make something people never seemed to get tired of, but she wanted to make it in a way that took it to the next level. The “everyday” aspect of her plan was key, however. She didn’t want to use any fancy cooking techniques or specialty kitchen gadgets, and she would only use commonly available ingredients. She wanted to make something with universal appeal. It would be mind-blowing in its simplicity and familiarity, sort of like the ultimate comfort food. She would take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.

“Psychological kitchen warfare, huh? The taste of mom’s cooking is always best!”

“Yeah! Even curry and Salisbury steak would get old if you ate them every day, ho!”

“Indeed. And besides... it wouldn’t be very mature of me to go all out at a time like this, would it?”

Kiriha smiled at the haniwas who were looking up at her in admiration. Part of the reason she was challenging herself to elevate the ordinary was so that the other girls stood a chance with staple dishes like Salisbury steak and curry. She had by far and away the most cooking experience, so if Kiriha got serious and played her trump cards like the haniwas had suggested, she would likely dominate the competition. So in order to keep things fair and fun for everyone, she was challenging herself to do something extraordinary.

Of course, that’s not all there is to it...

Desire flashed in Kiriha’s eyes as she smiled. The truth was that there was a certain someone she wanted to make the ultimate ordinary dish for. She knew he’d have a soft spot for anything that tasted like what his mother used to make for him, and she wanted to be the one to give it to him. And to that end, she was going to put her heart into this. It was personal.

Sanae knew how to cook well enough—or, rather, Sanae-san did. When she began researching her dish for the contest, Sanae-chan got bored and left her body, dumping all of the work on Sanae-san. Even now, Sanae-san was out buying ingredients while Sanae-chan was just carefreely floating around nearby.

“Hey, Sanae-chan, you should think about this together with me.”

“You’re the one who said you wanted to participate, so you do the thinking.”

“You don’t have to be so mean...”

“You’re not a kid anymore, so why don’t you start working on becoming independent already?”

“What good would it do to become independent from myself?!”

Feeling lonely on her own, Sanae-san tried again and again to get Sanae-chan involved. Sanae-chan, however, didn’t know the first thing about patience—she wouldn’t exactly make a great partner in the kitchen. Moreover, Sanae-chan wasn’t interested in meat or vegetables. Something less substantial had already caught her eye.

“More importantly, let’s buy some cream puffs! Let’s take some home for Koutarou and the others too!”

“‘More importantly’? Can’t you at least take this a little seriously...?”

“Look, you can think up anything I can, so give it your best shot.”

“But...”

Hearing those cold words coming from her other half, Sanae-san’s shoulders drooped. Meanwhile, Sanae-chan was so taken by the sweets department that she flew from shelf to shelf with sparkling eyes. But nevertheless, Sanae-san wanted Sanae-chan’s cooperation, so she began thinking of how to get her help.

I’m probably the only one that had to start this far back...

Feeling a little defeated, Sanae-san started observing Sanae-chan. From what she could see, Sanae-chan was particularly interested in snacks and sweets. Currently, it seemed she couldn’t decide between cream puffs or eclairs.

“Huh? Now that I think about it...”

That was when Sanae-san came up with a groundbreaking idea. It would give her direction in her cook-off dish, and, hopefully, earn her Sanae-chan’s cooperation in making it.

“Hey, Sanae-chan!”

“Hmm? Are we going home already? Let’s get five each of cream puffs and eclairs and take those with us!”

It turned out Sanae-chan had had a brilliant idea of her own. She wanted to eat a cream puff herself and give Koutarou an eclair so she could taste both.

“Hold on. I’m thinking of making cream puffs or some other sweets for the cook-off.”

“Cream puffs?!”

All of a sudden, Sanae-chan—who had shown zero interest in the cook-off before now—whipped around and looked at Sanae-san with wide, starry eyes.

“You can make cream puffs?!”

“Yeah. It’s not as hard as you’d think.”

“I want to make some! Wait... can we really enter cream puffs in the cook-off?”

“Why not? Baking is a form of cooking too. Besides, I think we’ll get a pass since there won’t be as much competition.”

Now that she’d finally gotten Sanae-chan’s attention, Sanae-san went in for the kill. She spoke in a bright, confident voice, determined to get Sanae-chan on board.

“All right, then it’s decided! We’re making sweets for the cook-off!”

“Yeah, let’s do our best!”

“Then let’s buy cream puffs and eclairs for research and go home!”

“Heehee, okay!”

Was Sanae-san using Sanae-chan, or was Sanae-chan using Sanae-san? It hardly mattered. They’d finally identified a common interest and happily returned home with cream puffs and eclairs. From here on out, they’d be a united front when it came to the cook-off.

While Theia had agreed to participate in the cook-off, she’d only ever had basic cooking lessons. Moreover, they were in Forthorthe cuisine. Japanese-style cooking was still completely foreign to her. She knew how dishes were supposed to taste, but she had no idea how to make them. And so she turned to her childhood friend for help.

“The cultural gap is so wide that I’m hardly confident right now.”

“I understand how you feel, Your Highness.”

“So I want you to teach me an easy recipe that even I’ll be able to make.”

“Understood, Your Highness. I’ll teach you some basic dishes.”

“Please and thank you, Ruth. You’re the only one I have to rely on.”

Ruth happily obliged Theia and immediately began reviewing recipes with her. Taking Theia’s skill level into account, Ruth pulled together a list of dishes she thought looked nice. Once she had the list printed out, Ruth placed the recipes on the table to show Theia.

“You know how to cook rice, right, Your Highness?”

“Yes, I’ve done that several times before.”

“Then this is my number one recommendation.”

Ruth pointed to one dish in particular, and Theia read the name aloud.

“Cold shabu-shabu?”

“Yes. It’s made using boiled meat and raw vegetables.”

“So it’s like meat with salad on it?”

“That is more or less correct. As long as you are careful not to over boil it, you can avoid the worst results.”

“Then the rest would be up to how the sauce turns out, huh? Hmm... I think you’re right. This seems like something even I could make.”

Theia nodded approvingly. Even she could make a salad. As for the shabu-shabu part, she’d only need to choose a meat that would stand up well to boiling. The biggest question mark was the sauce, but she had over a month to practice that part. All in all, it was a recipe that would be hard even for a beginner to screw up, but one that would still present well.

“However, there are a few potential flaws,” cautioned Ruth.

“Like what?”

“If it’s cold on the day of the cook-off, the dish won’t be received as well.”

“Ah, it is a cold dish, after all.”

“It also might be perceived as too easy.”

“I see... To counteract that, maybe I could make a soup as well.”

“That’s a good idea. It would be nice to pick something that you can serve hot or cold based on the weather that day... How about some potato potage?”

Potato potage would also be a simple, easy to prepare dish. All Theia would have to do would be to lightly stir-fry some potatoes and throw them in a blender. But despite its easy prep, it would be a nice, hearty dish that would go great with cold shabu-shabu.

“Hmm, let’s go with that. All that would be left then is making some rice.”

“Yes. And if you have some time to spare, you could even add a twist to the rice.”

“Like seasoning it?”

“Making rice balls might be a good idea as well.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Ruth. With your help, this is already shaping up to be a wonderful meal.”

“I’m always happy to help, Your Highness.”

“And I’m always grateful.”

“You flatter me.”

From there, the two friends continued discussing Theia’s cooking strategies for a while. Ruth was forgoing her own practice to help out Theia, but she didn’t seem to mind. Ruth’s glory would be Theia’s and vice versa. Even if they were entering the competition separately, they felt like they were in this together.

As Yurika was learning how to cook from Shizuka, they would be making the same dish for the cook-off. Yurika would learn from her while she practiced, which would make things easier for both of them.

“Yurika-chan, you’ll cut your hand like that. You have to hold it like this.”

“Like this?”

“Not like that. Like this.”

“You mean like this?”

“Come here. Take a good look at my left hand.”

“So you bend your fingers?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

When it came to cooking, Yurika was a completely blank slate. She had no skills whatsoever, so Shizuka was teaching her everything from the ground up. Yurika wasn’t a quick learner by any stretch of the imagination, but under the circumstances, she was making up for that with sheer passion. Slowly but surely, Yurika was picking up the cooking skills she’d need to compete.

But... how did she survive when she was with Nana-san?

Shizuka was wondering how it was really possible that Yurika didn’t know the first thing about being in the kitchen. She’d once lived with Nana and even claimed she’d helped out with meals and such... So how was it that Yurika knew nothing about housework, much less cooking? It was so baffling to Shizuka that she couldn’t help asking Yurika about it.

“Say, Yurika-chan...”

“Yes?”

Yurika paused her chopping and set down the knife before turning to Shizuka. She’d already cut her finger because she wasn’t paying enough attention to what she was doing once, and she wasn’t anxious to repeat that mistake.

“When you were living with Nana-san, didn’t you ever cook?”

“I was only ever boiling water, microwaving things, and stuff like that. Nana-san is a genius, after all.”

“I see...”

“If I packed the fridge with ingredients, Nana-san could whip up a meal in the blink of an eye.”

The division of labor in their household was simple—Yurika did the shopping and Nana did the cooking. Nana was prodigious in many ways, and cooking was just another skill she had under her belt. She worked so swiftly Yurika hardly had any time at all to sponge anything off of her.

“Geniuses really are incredible, huh?”

Shizuka flashed a dry smile. She could understand why Nana had been that way. It was probably just faster for her to cook herself than to take the time to teach Yurika how to cook. And with the spare time she had after that, she could teach Yurika magic instead. Considering their situation, it was the most logical and effective thing to do.

“I think so too. Especially Nana. She was always alone...”

“But you’re not. So as for you, let’s just proceed one step at a time, okay?”

“Yeah... Thank you for your help, Shizuka-san.”

After chatting for a moment, both girls got back to cooking. Since Yurika took things slowly, the pork cutlets wouldn’t be ready for some time yet. But neither of them were unhappy about that. As things stood, they were in the leisurely position of being able to take their time. It was a blessing.

Maki was keenly aware of her own cooking abilities, and knew from the start that there was no way she’d be one of the top contenders in the cook-off. But even so, going into the competition with the intent to lose was just too pessimistic. Instead, she set her sights on doing her personal best and began working towards that. That would be a victory unto itself.

“Satomi-kun, what kind of dish would you like to eat?” she asked Koutarou during a break at school.

In response, he sighed a little and held his head.

“Aika-san, you didn’t come over here to cheat, did you?”

Since Koutarou was a judge, asking his preferences would be a clear violation of competition etiquette. He couldn’t believe that’s what she was really doing.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? With my skills, I won’t be winning, but I’d still at least like to be able to please one of the judges.”

That was what Maki had decided would be her personal goal for the competition—to get one of the judges to say her dish was delicious. Experience played a huge part in cooking, and in that regard, it was similar to magic. So even if Maki wasn’t a bad cook, she knew she simply didn’t have the experience some of the other competitors did. She knew she wouldn’t be able to please all of the judges, but she was in hopes she could at least impress one of them. And if she pandered to just one judge in particular, it wasn’t really like it would affect the results of the cook-off. That’s why the usually honest, earnest Maki had come to Koutarou and set her mind to a little cheating.

“I hear what you’re saying, but I still can’t condone it.”

Normally, Koutarou would’ve turned Maki away, but like she said, it was pretty obvious who the top contenders would be already. And, sadly, she was not one of them. In other words, she’d agreed to participate just to help the home ec club out and pad the numbers. Even though pandering to one of the judges would technically be cheating, it was just Maki’s way of having a little fun with the competition. Koutarou couldn’t bring himself to be all that mad at her.

“If I seriously wanted to cheat, I’d just use magic.”

“That’s fair... Okay, I’ll work with you.”

Koutarou was hesitant for a moment, but Maki again had a really good point. As a magical girl, if she really wanted to play dirty, she had all kinds of tricks at her disposal. But Maki would never do that. She didn’t want to manipulate the contest results; she just wanted to cook something Koutarou would like.

“So, what kind of dish would you like to eat, Satomi-kun?” she asked again with a wide grin.

“Let me think...”

Urged on by Maki, Koutarou began pondering what he would most like to eat. The first things that came to mind were dishes he rarely got the chance to eat.

“Something like burgers or dogs. And big ones.”

“You’re fine with something like that?”

Maki was surprised. She hadn’t expected an answer like that, but Koutarou leaned over and whispered to her...

“I’m getting three square meals a day as it is, so I never really have the opportunity to indulge in fast food anymore. Don’t get me wrong—I’m really grateful for all the home cooking, but sometimes you just feel like a burger or something, you know?”

Koutarou’s current diet consisted of nothing but lovingly made, home-cooked meals. As a result, he rarely ever ate fast food anymore. He’d still stop in a burger joint or something every now and then when he was out with the guys, and that was it. But it wasn’t like he’d lost his taste for it, which was why he’d answered Maki the way he had.

“Ah, I see... Heehee.”

When the lightbulb came on, Maki smiled. Really, Koutarou was just asking for an indulgent break from his healthy eating habits every now and then.

Now that I think about it, Satomi-kun likes cola, too.

He was mostly drinking healthier things as of late, but Maki knew Koutarou loved a good cola. Thinking about that, it made perfect sense he’d want to splurge on fast food from time to time too.

“That’s a big help. Thanks, Satomi-kun.”

“Do your best. I rarely get to eat junk anymore, so you don’t have to get high quality meat or anything. Nothing fancy here.”

“I know. You want something bad for you, right?”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“Heehee, okay.”

Now that she’d found a sense of direction, Maki was getting pumped for the cook-off. There would likely be few other participants that dared to take the junk food route, so Maki was quite sure she’d be scoring points with Koutarou in that regard. All she had left to do now was perfect cooking an indulgent, trashy treat he’d love to eat.

Polishing one’s culinary skills before a cooking competition seemed like the only road to success. You’d have to actually cook something to win a cook-off, after all. However, of all the participants, there was a certain someone who forsook the obvious path and was getting ready in a different way. It was the second princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Clariossa Daora Forthorthe. Really, you could say she had her sights set on something much bigger.

“Heh heh heh... It’s preposterous to rely on cooking things by hand in the age of modern science!”

Indeed, Clan was trying to revolutionize cooking from the ground up with technology she’d invent herself. And not just any technology, either—nanotechnology. In order for it to work according to her theories, she’d need two things. The first would be an automated cooking machine compatible with nanomachinery. The second would be nanomachines capable of interacting with taste buds to simulate taste. With those two things, she should be able to create the ultimate culinary experience with technology alone. It would be the dawn of a new era of cooking.

“Saying love makes good cooking is just unscientific! Me? I put my faith in science, and science and I will create the best dish anyone’s ever eaten!”

Clan tapped away at her computer as she worked on the program for the nanomachines. Her fingers danced across the keys like a pianist on the ivories. In almost no time at all, she’d written tens of thousands of lines of code and counting. Her programming was beautiful too; it was the very embodiment of logic and efficiency. She was certainly living up to her reputation as a scientist.

“Let’s start with curry—the first step on my journey to complete and utter domination!”

Currently, Clan’s nanomachines were only programmed to recreate the flavor of curry rice. But once she perfected that and expanded their programming, they would be able to replicate all sorts of other gustatory data. If all went according to Clan’s plan, it wouldn’t be long at all before these microscopic machines busted the culinary world wide open. It would be revolutionary.

“Just you wait, Veltlion! You said I couldn’t cook, but I’ll make you eat those words!”

Little did Clan realize that her grand ambitions, however, also came from the heart. In her own strange, science-y way, she was pouring love into her cooking too. She’d just gotten too worked up to notice.

Just like the cook-off participants were having meetings about the competition, so too were the judges. To that end, Koutarou and Kenji made their way to the student council room one afternoon after school. They’d be meeting the other judges here, including the principal, a popular female teacher, the student council president, the school’s star athlete, and more. They’d even brought in a CEO, a swordsmith, and other locals from outside the school. All in all, they’d recruited a diverse team of some of the most prominent figures in the area.

“I’ve gathered you all here today to talk about the schedule and the progress of the cook-off...”

Presiding over the meeting was the president of the home ec club, who both looked and sounded stiff. Not only had she just recently been appointed president, she was speaking to a room full of important people, some of which were practically local celebrities. Being thrust into such a big job, it was only natural that she was nervous.

“If you have questions about any part of today’s meeting, please feel free to speak up. Now then, first off is...”

But nervous as she was, she swiftly got down to business. This was the only time they’d been able to arrange for everyone to meet, so she would have to make this quick. There was no time to waste.

The cook-off would be held on the second and final day of the cultural festival, the afternoon of November 3rd. At first the home ec club had only been planning on making it a small event, but after Kiriha’s intervention, it had turned into a much bigger affair. As things stood now, it was set to be the grand finale of the cultural festival.

Considering the time it would take to cook and judge, the cook-off was expected to take four hours. Taking the season into account, the evenings were starting to get quite chilly after the sun went down. Accordingly, the cook-off was scheduled to start at noon so that it could be over and done with before dark. The venues would be the gym and the home economics classroom. The opening ceremony and judging would take place in the gym, while the actual cooking would be done in the kitchen section of the home economics classroom. A large monitor would be temporarily installed in the gym to showcase the participants’ progress in real time. The judges would be observing them from their post on the gymnasium’s stage.

All told, the home ec club managed to recruit 24 participants for the cook-off both internally and from outside the school. The contestants ran the gamut as far as age, gender, and occupation were concerned. They even had a few professional chefs in their ranks, meaning there were plenty of strong contenders. Lots of people had shown up to prove they were the best in town.

The rules for the cook-off were simple. Each participant would make a dish to be submitted for judging within a three-hour time limit. Ingredients would be provided, but bringing your own was also allowed on a case by case basis. Things were a little relaxed in the interest of fun.

As for the judging, there was a panel of ten judges that could each award up to ten points apiece, for a maximum total of 100 points per dish. The general scoring rubric was as follows: dishes of average taste and quality were five points, delicious dishes were worth seven, and anything unpleasant would be worth three. With that as a go-by, the individual judges would then award exact scores based on their own personal tastes. For example, if a dish tasted okay but had excellent presentation and aesthetics, it could be bumped up from a five to a seven in terms of scoring. That should keep everything fair and easy.

Judging would commence when everyone was done cooking or the time limit was up—whichever came first. That was the one strict rule of the otherwise laidback cook-off. With the post-festival celebrations waiting, they couldn’t afford to go into overtime even if they wanted to.

Once the judging was over, the top six competitors would be brought up on the stage and congratulated. The top three would receive trophies, and the school was abuzz with speculation about who would be taking the biggest one home.

And so the president politely explained how the event would play out. Several questions came up along the way, but fortunately there were no major hitches and the meeting concluded uneventfully a little after 3PM. With some time to kill now, Koutarou and Kenji headed out to the shopping center by the station.

“So what did you need here, Kou?”

“I’m having a bad feeling about this, so I was thinking of investing in some insurance.”

“Insurance?”

“Yup. This is the place.”

Koutarou had brought Kenji along to the biggest drugstore in the city. There was something specific he needed to buy.

“What? Did you hurt yourself or something?”

The first thing that popped into Kenji’s mind was that Koutarou might be injured. As active as he was, Koutarou ending up hurt was a relatively common occurrence. Maybe he just needed to refill his stash of ointments and bandages at home.

“Nah.”

“Then are you sick? No... I guess that never happens.”

Koutarou’s immune system was as robust as he was. He’d never seriously been sick. The worst he’d ever gotten was a cold.

“Of course not.”

“Then what are you buying? General purpose stuff?”

“Nope. This.”

Koutarou walked with Kenji over to the medicine shelves, filled with all manner of pills and tablets.

“Are you sure you’re not sick, Kou?”

“I’m sure I will be after the cook-off.”

“Huh?”

Unsure what Koutarou meant, Kenji’s eyes widened behind his glasses. Seeing this, Koutarou pulled a particular box from the shelf and presented it to him.

“And I’m sure you will be too. That’s why we’ll be needing this.”

“Stomach medicine? W-Wait a second... What are you saying?”

Kenji examined the box and read the label. Koutarou had handed him stomach medicine. The nice kind, even.

“You know that Theia and the others are participating, right?”

“Yeah. Kasagi-san asked them to.”

“Only about half of them actually know how to cook.”

“What about the other half?”

“They’re walking time bombs set to go off on November 3rd.”

“Whaaat?!”

The lightbulb finally came on for Kenji. Koutarou had come to buy stomach medicine in preparation for the fallout of said mass bombing. The frugal Koutarou was so sure of the severity of the attack that he hadn’t even hesitated to go for the more expensive name-brand medicine.

“I-Is it really gonna be that bad...?”

“That’s what it’s looking like. So make sure you’re ready on the big day, Mackenzie.”

“Kou, you...”

Kenji was surprised. Not because the girls might end up making something dangerous at the cook-off. No, there was something bigger going on here.

“Hey, Kou, you realized you just made a pretty explosive statement, right?”

“Explosive? Heh, yeah, I guess I did.”

Koutarou nodded. He had just said half the girls were walking time bombs, after all.

“No, I meant about your relationship with women.”

“I didn’t say anything about that, though.”

“Yeah, you totally did. You just said that only half of them can cook, which means you know how good they all are at cooking. If not, you wouldn’t have been able to make that kind of statement.”

“Well, yeah, I guess. I have known them for more than a year and a half now after all.”

“It means more than that, idiot. If you’re that familiar with their cooking, that means they’ve been cooking for you regularly.”

“And that’s an explosive statement?”

“Of course it is! Not even I got that lucky with any of my girlfriends.”

That was something only someone like Kenji with a wealth of dating experience could truly appreciate. In this day and age, it was difficult to get a true grasp of someone’s cooking skills, even when dating. There were plenty of ready-made dishes that only needed to be thrown in a pan, and there were even specialized kits and tools for making sweets with no experience required. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Kenji even once had a girlfriend who bought cookies from the supermarket once and took them home to stick them in the oven and burn them just a little so she could act like they were homemade. In other words, he thought it was impossible to casually get a genuine feel for someone’s culinary abilities. There were some people who’d do anything they could think of to pretend to be able to cook.

“But you’re claiming you have intimate knowledge of all their cooking skills. In other words, you basically just copped to dating all of them.”

“No way, man. I’m not like you. That’s the kind of thing you get to know about somebody when you’ve been friends for long enough.”

Koutarou flatly denied Kenji without hesitation. Kenji might’ve had a point if they were talking about some girl Koutarou had just met, but that wasn’t the story with the invaders. They’d all started off on rocky terms, so they knew each others’ good and bad sides whether they liked it or not. Their relationship had changed gradually over a long period of time together, making Kenji’s speculation moot.

“Besides, Mackenzie, you know how good I am at cooking, right? This is no different.”

“If you say so...”

Kenji flashed a wry smile and nodded, but his mind was elsewhere.

Sounds like someone’s building a bridge over that moat around his heart...

If the girls that surrounded Koutarou had now gotten as close to him as Kenji had, it was safe to say Koutarou now had nine more genuine friends. And if they continued to follow the same path to Koutarou’s heart that Kenji had, their next move would be trying to prove to him that they’d always be there for him—just like Kenji once had.

But even though they’re following after me, that doesn’t mean they’re gonna follow through the same way I did. I bet you’re none the wiser, Kou...

That would be the key difference in Koutarou and Kenji’s relationship, and Koutarou’s relationship with the girls. They would pick a very different way to prove to him they’d always be together. A way that would make their relationship all the more special. But for now, under the mask of friendship, they’d be able to get closer to Koutarou than anyone else.

“What are you laughing at, Mackenzie?”

“It’s nothing. So, Kou, you buying that?”

“Of course. That’s why we came here.”

“Just one bottle, though?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get enough for all of the judges.”

“Then another box it is.”

In the end, Kenji chose to stay silent on the matter. Things would be more fun that way, and he considered it a little bit of revenge for constantly being called a playboy.

Morning finally dawned on November 3rd, and it was shaping up to be a day of impeccable weather. It wasn’t excessively cold, the sun was shining bright, and the sky was a crystal clear blue. By noon, it was almost even a little warm.

“Now, everyone, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time for the Kisshouharukaze High School cook-off!”

The voice of the former president of the home ec club echoed through the PA in the gym. She’d be acting as master of ceremonies for the afternoon. Koutarou was sitting at the far end of the line of judges, listening to her brief the crowd on how the event would go down.

“The cook-off will be a simple contest of skill between competitors both from our school and our town who are confident in their cooking.”

The former president was standing just down the stage from Koutarou, holding a microphone. Her smooth voice and cool confidence were the result of a lot of practice.

“The dishes they serve will be judged on two important factors: Do they look good, and do they actually taste good? Will there be a dish that can make the mouths of our ten judges water? Or will they be going home hungry? The ones to decide will be our 24 contestants waiting for the signal to start back in the kitchen of the home economics classroom!”

The big monitor behind the former president displayed a live feed from the home ec classroom. It utilized the relay system the broadcasting club and the shopping street’s youth association had worked together to create.

Up on the monitor currently were the contestants—all 24 of them. The majority of them were students from the school, but there were some locals and other unfamiliar faces in the group. It included a variety of people from around town who really enjoyed cooking and, of course, Clan.

“Our contestants will be required to use the ingredients produced right here in Kisshouharukaze City—some of which we’ve provided and some of which our contestants have brought in themselves—to create a dish to be submitted for judging within the time limit. In the event that they don’t make it in time, they’ll automatically be disqualified. We have a three hour block, so factoring in the time it will take for judging, our contestants have a grand total of... two hours to cook! They’ll have to bring us their dishes within that time, and the timing will be a key element of the competition!”

After the camera filming the home economics classroom slowly panned across the room to show all of the participants, it stopped to focus on a corner of the room where all of the ingredients had been lovingly stacked up in a neat display. They’d been provided by the shopping street, highlighted by the note at the bottom of the screen that now flashed, “Special thanks to Kisshouharukaze shopping street!”

“Now, let’s meet our contestants! First off is the pride of the home ec club, the new president!”

Once the former president had thanked all the sponsors and gone through all the other ceremonial song and dance, she moved on to introducing the individual participants. There were 24 of them, more than a third of which were from room 106. As such, it wasn’t long before a familiar face popped up on the monitor.

“Contestant number 4, the resident strong arm of the home ec club, Kasagi Shizuka-chan!”

“Oh please, Senpai!”

“Despite having a black belt in karate, she also aims to be a master in the kitchen. She’s a rare breed, striving for perfection in both martial and culinary arts! We’re secretly hoping we’ll see her split a pumpkin with her bare hands today.”

“That’s not going to happen!”

The first of the bunch to be introduced was Shizuka. While it wasn’t much of an introduction, her back and forth with the former president gave Koutarou a glimpse into her relationship with the home ec club. He felt sure they probably had a lot of fun during club activities.

“Let’s move on to the next contestant before she splits the camera first!”

“Maybe I really should chop it in half...”

Replacing the mumbling Shizuka on screen was a mature-looking girl with long, silky, black hair. It was Kiriha.

“And here we have contestant number 5, Kurano Kiriha-san!”

“Thank you for having me here today.”

“Kurano-san is good friends with Shizuka-chan, who we just met, and signed up for the competition at Shizuka-chan’s request. But don’t underestimate her! According to an inside scoop we got from Shizuka-chan, Kurano-san here is an ace when it comes to domestic perfection. Shizuka-chan even said she’d make the perfect wife, so we’re expecting to see some impressive cooking from her today.”

“My... If you keep flattering me like that, you’re going to make me blush.”

“With that demure and elegant personality, even I’d like to marry her! She might just have suitors lined up out of the door when this is all over!”

Kiriha continued to put up her perfect honor student act at school. Not a soul had seen through her yet, so at moments like this where she was the center of attention, she made especially sure to put her best face forward.

“Moving on, we have contestant number 6—Sakuraba Harumi-san!”

“U-Um, hello there. I’m Sakuraba Harumi. I’ll do my best today!”

Unlike Kiriha, Harumi was a nervous wreck. She was enjoying watching Kiriha’s introduction and was taken aback when the emcee suddenly switched to her. Her knees were shaking and her voice was quaking. She’d developed a thicker skin after acting in the school plays, but even so, she was still a painfully shy girl by nature. As a result, she ended up appearing like a humble and relatable girl rather than a princess in the interview.

“You may know Sakuraba-san as the heroine of the plays that the drama club put on last year. I know lots of you have had your eye on this rising star. Wouldn’t we all just like to be her knight in shining armor? It seems she’s drawn quite a crowd today too. So, Sakuraba-san, please give us a word for your fans in the audience.”

“Um... Well, I’m a little nervous, but I’ll be trying my hardest. I hope you’ll be cheering me on.”

By the end, Harumi made a valiant recovery as she finished her introduction with her usual charming, calm smile and a deep bow. It instantly sent a buzz through the audience. As it turned out, she really did have some fans in the audience.

“Thank you very much, Sakuraba-san. Next up is contestant number 7, Higashihongan Sanae-san!”

“That’s me, the future winner of the cook-off!”

The complete opposite of Harumi, Sanae opened with a bold declaration of victory. Or rather, Sanae-chan did. From what Koutarou could tell, she’d stepped up and let the introverted Sanae-san take a backseat.

“Wow, what confidence! Higashihongan-san actually comes from a venerable family that runs a traditional shrine with a long history. She’s been receiving rigorous domestic training since childhood, so that confidence of hers is undoubtedly more than just hot air. She might just be this contest’s dark horse!”

“I’m the favorite, you hear? The favorite! Everyone, place your bets on me!”

“Ahahaha, please don’t actually place any bets! The home ec club would like the day’s events to be good, clean fun.”

“Anyways, I’m going to win!”

“Thank you very much. That was the very confident Higashihongan Sanae-san, everyone.”

Sanae-chan was her usual energetic self, so Sanae collectively wasn’t showing the slightest hint of nervousness.

Sanae might actually take an unexpected win today...

Even the best chefs in the world could crack under the stress and pressure of a timed competition. But not Sanae. She was primed and ready to go, giving her a surprising advantage.

“Hey, Kou...”

After Sanae’s introduction, Kenji—who was sitting next to Koutarou—nudged him with his elbow and leaned in a little so he could whisper to him.

“What?” Koutarou whispered back.

“This isn’t sounding as dangerous as you said it’d be.”

As far as Kenji could tell, it looked like Shizuka, Kiriha, and Harumi were all good cooks. He was pretty sure he’d seen them all bring their own homemade lunches to school, so that made sense. The only question mark was Sanae, but if what the emcee had said was true, she couldn’t be that much of a disaster.

“They’re front-loading it. It’ll all be downhill from here.”

Koutarou smiled wryly as the next contestant appeared on the monitor.

“Next we have some students from overseas! Since they’re childhood friends, we’ll introduce them together! Here we have Theiamillis-san and Ruthkania-san!”

Indeed, the next contestants to be introduced were Theia and Ruth. Since the story of how they’d ended up at Harukaze High was the same, the former president of the home ec club decided to save some time and feature them together.

“I’m Theiamillis. Feel free to call me Theia.”

“And I’m Ruth. Thank you for having both me and Theia-sama here today.”

“They both transferred here last year and are excellent students. Theiamillis-san is an ace at several sports, and Ruthkania-san is a math wiz. Since the focus of today’s events will be on cooking, we’re hoping to catch a glimpse of a different side of them.”

Theia stood tall and proud, while Ruth carried herself in a much more modest fashion. The difference in their personalities was obvious.

“You... mean those two?” Kenji asked tentatively.

“The real danger is Theia. She grew up a pampered rich girl, so her specialty is eating rather than cooking.”

“Ah, gotcha. Theia-san does seem like the impatient type.”

Kenji had been around Theia long enough to know she could be brash. They’d been classmates for a year and a half now, after all. Her handwriting was big and manly. And when she swept the classroom, she was always pretty rough with the broom. It was hard to believe she’d be good at something like cooking, which inherently required a delicate touch.

“Right? Her cooking’s gonna be risky business, I guarantee it. Be prepared.”

“Gotcha.”

“Ruth will be just fine, but the real danger’s yet to come.”

Kenji gulped and glanced over at the monitor Koutarou was pointing to. While the two of them were talking, the people on screen had changed.

“And here’s our next contestant! The girl who needs no introduction—the sweetheart of the cosplay society, Nijino Yurika-san!”

“Hello, I’m Nijino Yurika. Uh, um... I’ll do my best to create something delicious.”

“Excellent! A round of applause for Yurika-chan, everybody!”

Since she was forced to participate (read: suffer) at almost every school event as part of the cosclub, Yurika was quite the icon around campus. In utter defiance of her hopes, her misfortune had actually made her popular.

“Nijino-san is participating too?!”

The moment Kenji saw Yurika on the monitor, his expression contorted in fear and worry. Of all the girls, he never dreamed Yurika would be participating in the cook-off. He knew good and well how clumsy she was.

“That’s right. And as judges, we’ve gotta eat whatever she makes.”

“N-No way!”

“I see you’re finally coming to grips with the seriousness of the situation, Mackenzie.”

“Kou, gimme some of that stomach medicine you got!”

“You should have just asked from the start.”

Koutarou passed Kenji three tablets under the table so that the audience couldn’t see. Kenji tried to take them right away, but Koutarou stopped him.

“You’re supposed to take them after you eat.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

Kenji carefully wrapped the tablets in a tissue and slipped them into his pocket for later. Those three tablets were his only lifelines now.

“We also have another contender from the cosclub with us today—Aika Maki! She’s an old friend of Yurika’s, so she often plays her dark counterpart when they cosplay. She’d be playing the part of Yurika’s rival again today, but this time in the kitchen! Let’s hear from her! Over to you, Aika-san!”

“Um, I’m not as good at cooking as everyone else, but I’ve set my sights on my own personal goal for the day. I’ll do my best.”

“Attagirl! What earnest spirit! It’ll be hard to see her as a bad guy when she cosplays from now on!”

After listening to Maki’s introduction, Kenji nudged Koutarou again.

“Kou, what about Aika-san?”

“Aika-san knows she’s not the best cook. She probably won’t try and do anything crazy.”

“So even her worst won’t be that bad?”

“Yeah, I don’t think we have much to worry about with Aika-san. Her chocolates on Valentine’s Day were pretty good, actually.”

“I’m cool as long as whatever she makes is edible.”

After realizing that Yurika was participating in the cook-off, Kenji knew he might genuinely be in danger. He was now a little on edge, frightened of the horrors to come. By comparison, Maki really didn’t seem that bad.

Should I tell him or not...?

But Koutarou knew that potentially the most dangerous competitor of all had yet to be introduced. Kenji didn’t know her, either, so Koutarou debated about whether or not he should warn him.

“Now let’s meet our competitors from outside the school! First up is Clariossa-san, Theiamillis-san’s cousin who’s visiting here on vacation!”

“Nice to meet you all. My name is Clariossa. Today I’d like to showcase my own personal version of going all out, so please look forward to it.”

Indeed, the only competitor that could possibly be more dangerous than Yurika was Clan. She was completely inept when it came to housework, and no one knew that better than Koutarou thanks to the time they’d spent together in past Forthorthe. She was like Theia but worse; she’d always had other people to do things for her and had never bothered to learn how to do them herself. That included cooking and cleaning.

That alone was worrisome enough, but after agreeing to participate in the cook-off, Clan had spent the majority of the last month shut up in her laboratory. Worse yet, she refused to say what she was doing in there. Koutarou was worried about what that was going to mean for her cooking.

Oh well. Whether I tell him or not, it’s not like there’s anything we can do about it now... Guess I’ll just keep quiet.

In the end, Koutarou didn’t divulge his information on Clan. Right now he was just going off of intuition, and telling Kenji would only make him more nervous. Letting him continue thinking Yurika was the worst threat would be a kindness.

Once all 24 participants had been introduced, the emcee moved on to the judges. With Koutarou and Kenji sitting at the far end of the panel, they were the last to be introduced. Since Koutarou didn’t have anything to keep himself occupied while everyone else had their time in the spotlight, he was on the verge of yawning by the time the emcee got to Kenji.

“And our ninth judge here is Matsudaira Kenji-kun, the drama club’s handsome star! The second generation Blue Knight, even!”

“Eeek, Mackenzie-kun!”

“Lean in shoulder to shoulder with Satomi-kun!”

“All right, all right... Come on, Kou. Smile for the crowd.”

“Kyaaah! That’s so hot!”

All kinds of cheering and squealing erupted in the audience when the emcee introduced Kenji. He happily played along, sending the whole gym into an uproar. Now that he was playing the male lead in the new “The Blue Knight and the Silver Princess,” his popularity had hit new heights.

“This is a whole other level...”

Koutarou was in awe. He’d always known Kenji was a hit with the girls, but after his flawless showing during the school play, it was like he had a bona fide fanclub now.

But it’s a big help in a way.

Koutarou honestly didn’t mind the attention Kenji was getting. The more people obsessed over him, the more they slowly seemed to put Koutarou’s performance as the Blue Knight out of their minds. And since he personally didn’t want to be known for his acting, this was a considerable relief.

“You don’t get it, Kou.”

“Huh?”

“There are plenty of girls just using me to get to you because you’re so hard to talk to.”

“That’s not true.”

“The girls that like you are always like that. They’ve always been like that.”

When Koutarou and Kenji were together, lots of girls would always call out to Kenji. A good number of them, however, only did so because they weren’t sure what to say to Koutarou. Kenji knew this firsthand because he’d asked out one such girl before only to find out she was really after Koutarou the entire time. It had happened more than once before, actually. That’s why he suspected some of the girls cheering for him were actually secret fans of Koutarou’s.

“That couldn’t be true nowadays.”

“We’ll see who’s right soon enough.”

While Koutarou wouldn’t humor him, Kenji was confident. He knew the tell-all moment would be when the emcee introduced Koutarou.

“Last but not least, our tenth judge! He was the original Blue Knight that you still heard tale of in the halls of Harukaze High—Satomi Koutarou-kun!”

When she did, the otherwise noisy gym immediately quieted down. As the female students fell silent, so too did all the others. They were probably puzzled by the situation.

“See? I told you. I’m not like you. Everyone’s already forgotten about me.”

“That’s strange. That shouldn’t―”

Just as Kenji was about to try and defend himself, the hushed gym erupted in a ruckus.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Blue Knight-samaaaaa!”

Koutarou wasn’t as good looking or as well mannered as Kenji, but the screaming girls had never forgotten his touching farewell with the Silver Princess. He’d moved their hearts. Captured them, even. Even now, over a year later, they were still talking about it.

“Go ahead and wave already, Kou.”

“Y-Yeah...”

Though confounded by all of this, Koutarou lifted his hand and waved like Kenji told him to. When he did, the ruckus in the gym only got louder. This was exactly what Shizuka had predicted and was hoping for, but Koutarou could scarcely believe it even though he was seeing it with his own two eyes.

“I understand how you feel, everyone, but please calm down! Our 24 contestants are the real star of the show here today!”

Thanks to the emcee’s intervention, the venue finally began to settle down. When all was quiet again, the monitor switched to displaying the 24 participants standing in a line along the kitchen counter. Some of the participants looked nervous, but all of them looked serious. Tension was in the air as they waited for the signal.

“Then I believe it’s about time we begin! Let’s get to the glorious first annual Kisshouharukaze High School Cook-off! Get cooking!”

Kenji and Koutarou’s popularity was certainly impressive, but the shouting and cheering that erupted with the cook-off kick-off were the loudest yet.

With the cook-off in motion, multiple cameras set up in the home economics classroom began capturing the contestants at work. The former home ec club president and a local gourmet would commentate on the live feed and explain what the contestants were doing. Basically, they would keep the crowd entertained and informed until it was time for the judging.

“Three people to keep your eye out for are the entrants from the home ec club. Everything from their quick veggie washing to their sharp knife skills speaks to their experience in the kitchen.”

“Did you hear that, contestants? That’s high praise from cohost Kashiwabara-sensei! Keep it up!”

The first contestants to be spotlighted were the three members from the home ec club, which consisted of Shizuka, another second-year, and a first-year. Their ardent training every day had paid off. Just the sight of their quick work in the kitchen made it clear how skilled they were.

“Kashiwabara-sensei, are there any other participants that have caught your eye?”

“Which would you like to hear first: the good impressions or the bad ones?”

“Let’s start with the good ones.”

“Then I’d have to say contestant number 5 and... number 9 too, I think.”

“Number 5 is Kurano-san and number 9 is Ruthkania-san.”

“They both look like they know their way around the kitchen. Their work is both efficient and elegant. In terms of the skills were seeing in the kids, those two girls probably rival the members of the home ec club.”

“And what about compared to the adults?”

“I’d say the biggest threat is... contestant number 24, the owner of the shopping street chicken joint Bird Stop. He’s very immature for his age. If that old man gets serious, there’s no way you kids could beat him.”

“I’ve heard he’s here to reveal a new dish for his restaurant. If he wins, he says he’s planning on bowing out.”

“Ah, to bump the others up in the rankings. He sure is considerate.”

The big favorite to win was the owner of a local chicken place. Trailing behind him were the members of the home ec club, Kiriha, and Ruth. They also gave a neighborhood foodie high marks. The seven of them would likely round out the head of the pack.

“So, what about your bad impressions, Kashiwabara-sensei?”

“I’d have to say contestant number 10 by a long shot. And also number 8.”

“Number 10 is Yurika-chan and number 8 is Theiamillis-san. Yurika-chan was expected, but―”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“What got your attention about Theiamillis-san?”

“Well, she’s admittedly a complete amateur. She looks like she’s struggling to remember something she was taught. Then there’s the way she holds a knife. It looks less like cooking, and more like some kind of military demonstration.”

“It’s true... It certainly looks like the cabbage she’s chopping would be screaming.”

“Still, her dish might not be all that bad.”

“You didn’t sound very confident of that a second ago.”

“Well, she’s chosen a smart thing to cook. She picked a beginner-friendly dish. If she’s got that kind of an eye for strategy, she might be able to pull through this.”

“In other words, she might have some kind of tactical edge. And what do you think of Yurika-chan?”

“She just doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Whaaaaat?! Why would you say something like that?!”

“For starters, she’s not focused on her cooking at all.”

“You’re right. It looks like she’s listening to us instead.”

“Ugh...”

“On top of that, she looks really tense. Can you see how her hands are trembling?”

“I sure can. She better be careful with a knife around those jittery fingers. Just watching her’s making me nervous.”

“I’m doing my best here!”

“Yeesh, let’s move on. I can feel my lifespan shortening just watching her.”

“I agree.”

“U-Ugh, that’s so mean...”

In the battle for last place, Yurika was currently in the lead by a wide margin. Her risky knife handling was keeping everyone else at a distance—literally. There was just something about her that screamed “there’s no way I’m winning.” Theia was arguably no better off, but she’d chosen a smart dish to try and make up for some of her weak points. In the cohost’s opinion, she probably wouldn’t be the one placing dead last.

“And are there any other participants that stuck out to you?”

“Contestants number 7 and 12.”

“That would be Higashihongan Sanae-san and Clariossa-san.”

“Just what is going on with these two?”

“What do you mean?”

“For starters, that number 7 girl... What she’s doing is absurd. The way she’s holding her cooking chopsticks is outright strange, and the way she’s whisking... She looks like a child splashing around in water.”

“Now that you mention it... It does look like some childish mischief.”

“Her cooking also flies in the face of all convention. The order she mixed her ingredients, the spices she’s picked, the temperature of the oven... I don’t get it.”

“It’s certainly an unorthodox approach.”

Sanae’s two personalities were confusing the emcee and her older cohost. Sanae-san was the one taking the lead, though because of her introverted personality, she didn’t want to be the one in the spotlight. So as a compromise, she’d withdrawn and let Sanae-chan take over while she gave her instructions behind the curtain. Sanae-chan was working hard, but she didn’t have anywhere near the skill Sanae-san did. The result was an odd sight indeed. Everyone apart from Koutarou and the others from room 106 was surprised to see it.

“Then how about number 12, Clariossa-san?”

“What she’s doing isn’t cooking at all. I hate to say it, but I think it’s some kind of kitchen sorcery instead.”

“Huh?”

Indeed, the only competitor that puzzled the hosts even more than Sanae was Clan.

“Just look at her. It looks like she’s about to peel the potatoes, right?”

“Yeah...”

“She pulled out a pot. Will she be tossing the skins in there, or will she be putting the peeled potatoes in there instead?”

“Neither.”

“Huh? Wait, what?! She didn’t even peel them! She just threw them in as is!”

“She didn’t even clean them.”

“And now it looks like she’s started shaking the pot for no reason!”

“That might make sense if she was making salty sweet powdered potatoes, but this is where it gets interesting...”

“Clariossa-san is now removing the lid and dumping her potatoes out on a cutting― Wait, whaaat?! What is going on?!”

“Oh my. Somehow or other, the potatoes are now both peeled and cubed.”

“What an unbelievable sight! I think you’re right! You could hardly call this cooking! It’s some kind of a trick or straight-up magic... Whatever it is, it’s in a whole other league! What an unexpected development!”

Only a small handful of people witnessing this unfold understood Clan’s seemingly eccentric actions. Koutarou was one of them.

That idiot! So that’s what she was working on!

He knew one of Clan’s inventions when he saw it. He had no way of knowing how it worked, but it went without saying that it was some kind of advanced Forthorthian science. It might have looked like any ordinary pot, but it was really cutting-edge technology.

“It seems like she’s going to cook her whole dish with just that pot.”

“What can I say? If I had that pot, I’d do the same thing.”

“Same here. If this were an infomercial, I’d be buying ten.”

So far, the cook-off was shaping up to be a wild ride. For better or for worse, nobody could look away. The excitement in the crowd was just building and building.

Surprisingly, the first one to finish her dish and present it for judging was Theia. While she may have been a little shaky in the kitchen, she’d chosen a simple and time-efficient dish to make. And in proud Theia fashion, she served trays with her dish on them to the judges. With Koutarou down at the end of the line, he was the last to get his.

“Oh, cold shabu-shabu and potato potage. There’s something in the rice too. What is it?”

“It’s diced chicken and root vegetables. The rice is seasoned, but it’s a very Western seasoning.”

“Hmm, you’ve put some thought into this.”

“I know my own limits. Out of the options I had, this was the best one. Besides, the first meal of the day is always the most delicious.”

Koutarou listened to Theia’s very straightforward and Theia-esque explanation as he took a bite. Theia silently stared at him as he did. Her uneasy expression made her look like a child giving away a birthday present for the first time.

“How is it? It’s good, right?”

“Yeah... Wait, I can’t answer that!”

“R-Right. Sorry.”

Theia wanted to know what Koutarou thought and instinctively asked him, but this was still only the beginning of the cook-off. The judges weren’t allowed to reveal their opinions yet.

“I have to finish eating it first, so be a good girl and wait for your official scores.”

“Y-Yes, I’ll go do that. Phew...”

Though she hadn’t gotten an answer, Theia felt somewhat relieved. When she thought about it, Koutarou’s face when he took his first bite wasn’t too bad. At the very least, he didn’t hate it. That alone was enough to feel like a victory for Theia.

The next contender to submit their dish for judging was Maki. The easy meal she’d chosen was a cinch to fix, but she hadn’t gotten as much of a chance as Theia had to practice.

“Oh, so you’ve made dogs and fries. Yeah, that’s it. This is what I wanted to dig into.”

“I even tried to season it like you like, Satomi-kun.”

Though Maki had entered the cook-off, her primary goal in the competition was to make a dish to please Koutarou. To that end, she’d spent a lot of time researching his tastes, which had inevitably cut into her actual practice time. As a result, she finished second even though she’d had by far the easiest meal to prepare.

“This is totally cheating, though.”

“But it’s fine, isn’t it? The other judges aren’t going to think much of my cooking, so I wanted to try and at least get full marks from one judge.”

Not only had Maki picked out a dish she’d known Koutarou would like, she’d cooked and seasoned it to his tastes. It was exactly what he would’ve made if he’d cooked it himself. It was grilled to perfection and coated with an extra shake of salt and pepper. The cabbage stuffed into the bun next to the dog wasn’t raw, but stir-fried in butter. The fries she’d made were served with a sprinkle of curry powder on them for a little kick. All in all it was a heavy meal, so it likely wouldn’t be receiving a high score from any of the judges other than Koutarou. But that made perfect sense, considering it had been tailor-made for his unrefined palate.

“How many points I think this is worth is a secret.”

“I know, but I’m sure you’ll give me a good score.”

Maki’s wistful, innocent smile tugged at Koutarou’s heart almost enough that he was willing to give her ten points on the spot. It would make her dish hard to judge impartially.

The third to submit their cooking was Ruth. Beginning with her, the dishes the contestants turned in would start getting more complex. Ruth had made omelet rice and vegetable soup, and when Koutarou saw it coming down the table, his eyes lit up.

“All right, it’s omelet rice!” he cheered.

“Please calm down, Ma― Erm, I mean Satomi-sama. The food won’t run away,” said Ruth as she staked a miniature flag in his omelet.

“I can’t wait to dig into your dish, Ruth-san. It looks delicious.”

“My, my... Go right ahead, heehee.”

“I’d be happy to!”

“Please enjoy.”

The fluttering flag sticking out of it was a nice touch, but the omelet rice looked delicious all on its own. Koutarou knew it had to be good if Ruth had made it, and didn’t hesitate to wolf it down at his usual pace.

“Yup, that was good.”

“Satomi-sama, you’re not supposed to divulge your opinion now.”

“My bad.”

Ruth had lightly stir-fried the rice with some tomato puree and chicken, then wrapped it up in a thin, buttery blanket of soft egg. She then drizzled a rich demi-glace over the entire thing, creating what could truly be called luxurious omelet rice.

The soup she made to go with it was a blend of fresh, flavorful chicken stock and fragrant mirepoix. Since the omelet rice was dense and rich, the delicate soup balanced it out nicely.

No matter how he cut it—or tasted it—Koutarou had no complaints about Ruth’s cooking. But he couldn’t tell her how he rated it just yet. There were still plenty of other dishes to be judged.

“If you don’t stop there, you won’t have enough room to eat anyone else’s cooking.”

“Yeah, you’re right. That’s too bad.”

Koutarou saying that alone gave away his opinion of the dish. Ruth couldn’t help smiling as she watched him scribble away on the scorecard.

Two other contestants finished after Ruth, and Shizuka was next after them. She presented a meal starring a traditional pork cutlet. She was trying to win the hearts of the male judges with a hearty meal, but it was clear the dish was delicious just based on its beautiful presentation. The home ec club’s strong arm was really flexing her muscles today.

“Feel free to indulge in some extra sesame seeds on top. They’ll change the aftertaste a little and make the dish more fragrant.”

“Gourmet right down to the details.”

“What can I say? I joined the home ec club because I wanted to learn to cook down to the details like that.”

“That’s fair.”

As a finishing touch, Shizuka ground sesame seeds in front of the judges to sprinkle overtop the pork cutlet sauce. Not only did it kick the flavor level up a bit, it also added a certain degree of showmanship.

“I don’t think I’d have any choice but to give this high marks,” admitted Koutarou.

“Thanks, Satomi-kun,” replied Shizuka. “But how I really did today won’t be determined by just my score.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Yurika-chan. The real challenge will be seeing how close I got her to being able to replicate this.”

If Shizuka were really in the cook-off to win it, she likely would have chosen a different dish. She’d gone with pork cutlets because that was what she’d been practicing with Yurika. It had to be something simple enough that Yurika would stand a chance at making it, but Shizuka also wanted to push her into new territory. Pork cutlets were the perfect compromise. They were within Yurika’s skill range, and they would break her into learning how to deep-fry.

“I’ve done my best to beat the recipe into Yurika-chan over the past month, so keep your expectations high.”

Shizuka flashed a smile when she said that. A smile overflowing with hope and confidence in Yurika’s ability to put up a good fight.

“I see your first concern is always looking out for someone, Landlord-san.”

“Maybe it’s just in my nature. Also... I’m currently at my ideal weight, so you could say I’m really feeling myself,” said Shizuka, whispering the last part so no one other than Koutarou could hear it.

“Aren’t you going to fall behind if you end up putting everyone else first?”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Especially with you always keeping an eye on me, Satomi-kun.”

It was just like Koutarou said, but Shizuka was well aware that she put others ahead of herself. She felt like it was the only way she knew how to live. It was all she’d ever done, and she thought it was the right thing to do. Besides, she knew she would never really fall behind with Koutarou around to support her the way she supported everyone else.

“You’ll say something sweet to me later, right?”

“No, I won’t.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to go pout in the corner.”

“Okay, okay!”

Shizuka firmly believed that this would be her own path to happiness.

Of the girls from room 106, Harumi was the fifth to appear. It couldn’t be said that she was fast or slow. She moved at the perfect pace for her personality, neither too reserved nor too assertive. That’s what Koutarou couldn’t help thinking as she served him her dish.

“Why are you smiling, Satomi-kun?”

“I was just thinking that you’re perfectly proper even at times like these.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Harumi was indeed a proper and polite girl. Her manners were top tier, but when it came to dealing with someone like Koutarou who she’d known for a long time, she wasn’t quite as uptight. In a rare display, she puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

“I think it’s just part of who you are, Senpai.”

“Jeez, Satomi-kun. You really can be a meanie sometimes.”

“I think it’s just part of who I am.”

“Satomi-kun!”

Despite Harumi’s protesting, she looked as gentle and adorable as ever. She was trying to take a stand—she wanted to be taken seriously—but the sheer cuteness of it all undercut her. In fact, she was still politely serving Koutarou as she complained to him. The Salisbury steak she set down in front of Koutarou was masterfully stuffed with cheese, and looked almost as big as her puffed-up cheeks.

“This looks delicious.”

“Really?”

However, all it took was one word of praise from Koutarou and she instantly went from pouting to smiling. Not only was it hard for her to assert herself, she’d never been very good at holding a grudge.

“Oh...”

Realizing that she was smiling when she was trying to be angry, Harumi forced her lips into a frown again. After Koutarou had already caught her smiling, however, it didn’t have much effect on him this time.

“Come on, Senpai. I don’t think you have to force yourself to be angry.”

“Alaia-san said that it’s a matter of pride!”

“Oh...? Then how about this?”

Unsure how to respond to Harumi’s reaction, Koutarou decided to counterattack with a funny face. He pushed his cheeks together, and opened his eyes and mouth wide.

“Pfft!”

Seeing it, Harumi almost instantly burst into giggling. Based on her face, it was impossible to tell she’d ever been mad at all. She had a hard time staying angry, but it seemed she had no such resistance to laughter. Especially not when a good friend was involved.

“That’s more like it, Senpai.”

“Oh you, Satomi-kun...”

“I’ll throw in an extra three points because you’re cute.”

“Please take this seriously, Satomi-kun.”

Harumi raised a fist that didn’t look like it could harm a fly and scolded Koutarou. It was starting to get hard to keep track of what kind of evaluation this was, but it was fun in its own way. Harumi walked away feeling quite satisfied.

The next one to submit their cooking was Kiriha, but Sanae was right behind her. It was more accurate to say it was Sanae-chan, however, as she’d left Sanae-san back in the kitchen to keep cooking.

“How are things going out here?” she asked.

“I think we’ve passed the halfway mark,” answered Koutarou.

“Hmm, then I guess it’s about time for me to present my dish too.”

“Then hurry up and get it out here.”

“Okaaay!”

With that, Sanae was gone as quickly as she came. She’d only poked her ghostly head out to see how the judging was going. Really, it was reconnaissance. She knew her dish would go over better in the latter part of the competition, so she was waiting for the right opportunity to present it. Unaware of this, Koutarou turned to Kiriha, who was currently setting her meal out for him.

“What did she make?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I guess so, huh?”

“For now, I only want you looking at me.”

“Don’t make it sound so weird...”

“I meant it exactly the way it sounded.”

“Hey...”

“Heehee.”

Kiriha smiled as she set the final element—a bowl of rice—in front of Koutarou. She’d made a variety of commonplace dishes. There was a meat and potato stew, deep-fried tofu, boiled greens with dipping sauce, and finally rice and miso soup. There was nothing flashy or eye-catching. It was all food you’d expect to find on dinner tables everywhere.

“This is awfully plain for you.”

“Do I strike you as a plain woman, Satomi Koutarou?”

Kiriha reached out and gently pinched the back of Koutarou’s hand. It was her way of telling him she was unhappy.

“Since you’re hiding your true self at school, I figured you’d try and play that up here.”

“So what do you have to say about it knowing it’s coming from the real me?”

“It’s very much like you.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Now, please try it.”

Kiriha smiled and urged Koutarou to begin his judging. She wanted him to get a taste of everything while it was still warm.

“Whoa, what is this...? And this is just the start...”

Koutarou chose to start with the miso soup, but something seemed to strike him about it. He quickly set it down and began tasting the other dishes too.

“This is amazing. I don’t know what to say... other than this is real, honest-to-goodness home cooking at its best. It must’ve taken forever to perfect this.”

“You can tell?”

“I mean, I can’t say exactly what it is, but the taste... I see. So this is the personal challenge you decided to take on, Kiriha-san?”

“That’s right.”

There was nothing special about Kiriha’s cooking. She’d only used ingredients and utensils you could find in any kitchen. The real remarkable element in the equation was time. She’d clearly invested far more time than anyone could imagine in regular old home cooking. It was both perfectly simple and simply perfect.

Even the miso soup was divine. The broth was delicate. Just a sip of it tickled all of Koutarou’s taste buds with a hint of tuna. The soup was seasoned traditionally, but it certainly didn’t taste like any commercially available mix. Kiriha must have been through handfuls of brands before she found the ideal seasoning combination. Her goal—and the end result—was a flavor that complemented the broth without fighting it at all. It was a blend of seaweed and radish, but the radish had been prepared so that it wouldn’t be overpowering. It was so mind-blowingly high class that Koutarou had to doubt that it was even necessary to elevate miso soup like this.

“This is the most extraordinary version of ordinary food I’ve ever had, and that’s a compliment in every sense of the word.”

“Then I’ve succeeded.”

Koutarou couldn’t help praising Kiriha’s cooking. It was a wonderful everyday meal made in a wonderful Kiriha way. He was sure it was a feat only she could have accomplished.

“But why did you make something like this?”

“This meal is representative of how I want to spend the rest of my life. I’m pursuing this ordinary kind of happiness.”

“Yeah, I kinda get that...”

“It also affords a certain handicap in deference of Theia-dono and the others.”

“I see. You used this as a chance to make something that really meant something to you.”

“That’s right.”

Kiriha didn’t want anything flashy or over the top. She wanted the simple. She wanted what other people took for granted. And in that sense, her ideal life was represented in the meal she served Koutarou. She couldn’t be happier that he understood that.

Sanae showed not long after Kiriha exited the gym. Well over half of the contestants had been judged now, and there was less than an hour remaining of the cook-off. Sanae had been waiting for the right time to present her dish, and this seemed like it.

“Open wide, Koutarou! Eat your fill and praise me like crazy!”

“Hmm... So you made dessert, Sanae?”

“Eeheehee, I figured there’d be less competition with baked goods, and I thought you might be in the mood for something sweet right about now!”

Sanae was aiming to please the panel of judges by tickling their collective sweet tooth. A dessert amidst all of the other savory food being presented to them should really stand out. It should win her high marks and, as she’d said, mean she had few direct rivals overall considering it was unlikely anyone else had been so daring as to go the baking route. That was Sanae’s big plan to place in the top six.

“That’s surprisingly strategic for you, Sanae.”

“It’s high time you learn Sanae-chan’s true powers!”

“Whatever you say. Thanks for the food, though.”

“Eat until you’re full! Praise me until you get sick of it! And while you’re at it, increase my allowance!”

With Sanae expectantly staring him down, Koutarou picked up one of the sweets piled up on the plate and carried it to his mouth. She’d made a total of five different kinds: cream puffs, eclairs, chocolate mousse, raspberry tarts, and honey donuts. There were all petite to make them easier to eat, too. Really, Sanae had just made what she’d want to eat.

“Oh, this is surprisingly good.”

“Damn straight is it!”

“You must’ve put a lot of work into this.”

“Nopers. She knew how to make them all.”

“Ah, yeah. I heard she went through housewife training or something.”

“Well? Was it good?”

“I’m not allowed to say yet.”

“Hmm...”

Sanae didn’t hesitate to astral project so she could fly around behind Koutarou and cling to his back. If he wasn’t allowed to say it out loud, she would just ask his heart directly. Sanae was cheating in a very sophisticated way.

“Was it good?”

“Yeah, you did great.”

“Eeheehee! So which one did you like best?”

“The eclair, I guess. I think it’s got a more complex taste than the cream puff.”

“Me too, me too! The chocolate on top is just the best, isn’t it?”

Koutarou couldn’t lie to himself—or Sanae, for that matter—in his heart. He gave up on trying to play hardline and instead enjoyed chatting with Sanae in his head for a moment.

Since Shizuka and Yurika had been practicing for the cook-off together, Yurika naturally made the same dish she did the day of. Yet despite making the same thing, she didn’t submit hers for judging until an hour after Shizuka. That was red flag number one.

“So you’ve finally come, Yurika...”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

With less than half an hour left on the clock, there were several contestants rushing to get their dishes in for judging. Yurika had been one of them.

“Wow, at least it looks normal.”

To Koutarou’s surprise, Yurika’s pork cutlets actually looked like pork cutlets. While they were thicker-cut than Shizuka’s, they still looked okay. They weren’t visibly charred from being cooked too long or anything.

“Heehee. I made extras and put together the ones that turned out the best.”

Yurika’s success rate with pork cutlets was somewhere around 60 percent. Accordingly, her plan had been to make a time and a half what she’d need to serve all the judges—just in case. She’d spent long enough practicing together with Shizuka that she had an accurate grasp of her own abilities. And with that insight, the result wasn’t anywhere near the train wreck it could have been.

Now that I think about it, she does always pull through when she gets serious... which I guess means she got serious about cooking.

When it came to fighting or studying, Yurika was now the type of girl who saw things through to the end, and it seemed that side of her was branching out.

“I’m sorry, Yurika.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Forget it. It’s nothing. I’m gonna go ahead and eat now.”

“Yes. Please try it before it gets cold.”

Koutarou collected himself before picking up a piece of cutlet with his chopsticks. It was still freshly steaming, making it look like it had just come out of the fryer. It was even visibly cooked through all the way without any pink showing. It also had a relatively appetizing smell. By all appearances, Yurika had made real, edible food.

“Thank you for the food.”

“You’re welcome.”

Koutarou bit into the cutlet and was greeted immediately with the satisfying crunch of the crispy outer layer. Next he got a taste of the batter and sauce mixed together, and then a taste of the juicy pork itself.

“How is it?”

“Rejoice, Yurika. It’s a proper pork cutlet.”

“All right! Is it good?!”

Hearing her dish was properly made, Yurika slammed her hands into the table and eagerly leaned forward with sparkling eyes.

“If I tell you that now, it would defeat the point of having the judging.”

“Oh, r-right! I’m sorry...”

When Koutarou admonished her, she fell silent and withdrew. But seeing her look so apologetic, he felt a little bad.

“However, Yurika...”

“Y-Yes?”

“If you’d made this when you lost the game the other day... I wouldn’t have had any complaints.”

Yurika’s pork cutlet was no match for Shizuka’s. The pieces were unevenly cut and a little too brown like they’d been overfried. But nevertheless, it was an honest to god pork cutlet. And, more notably, better than what Koutarou thought he could make himself.

“Ah...”

Hearing that, Yurika’s face brightened up in a flash and she grinned from ear to ear as she pressed her hands to her chest. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Thank you very much! Thank you so very much! It was worth all of the effort!”

Yurika wiped her eyes as she thanked Koutarou. She was truly happy. It finally felt like she was being acknowledged as a woman.

“...Is this really anything to cry about?”

“You wouldn’t get it, Satomi-san... Boys don’t understand...”

Her placement in the cook-off no longer mattered to Yurika. Just having Koutarou acknowledge her was enough to make it feel like she’d won bigtime. After all, she’d achieved the goal she’d been striving for over the past month.

Yurika repeatedly waved to Koutarou as she exited the gym, and he felt like something warm and fuzzy was nestling in his chest as he watched her go. It was a truly touching thing to see a good friend realize their dreams.

I was being too pessimistic about Yurika...

As it turned out, he might not need the stomach medicine after all. Yurika had proved him completely wrong. Maybe she wasn’t the walking disaster she used to be. It was almost strange to think for Koutarou, considering he’d gotten used to thinking of her as his worthless, freeloading roommate.

Maybe I secretly wanted her to stay that way...

Koutarou stared at the clock in the gym while thinking that. There were only ten minutes remaining, meaning the cook-off was almost over.

“Ohohoho... It’s finally time for the star to take the stage!”

That was when the final participant, Clan, entered the gym with a boisterous laugh. The moment she appeared with her dish, the warm and fuzzy feeling Koutarou had been indulging in was suddenly gone.

“God... I forgot you were left.”

“That’s how you greet me? But yes, here I am to claim victory.”

“You were making that food with some weird technique. Is it actually edible?”

Koutarou shot Clan a doubtful glance. She’d prepared her dish in an exceedingly novel way—with just a pot she’d shake to perform different functions. The pot in question was without a doubt made using some kind of advanced technology, but there was no way of knowing yet if it could produce anything fit for human consumption.

“Of course! It’s a scientist’s duty to examine her inventions to make sure they’re safe!”

“You sure about that?”

“I’ve tried it several times myself and can say with certainty this food is safe!”

“All right. I’m trusting you.”

“Just shut up and eat, Veltlion!”

Clan practically slammed a deep plate down in front of Koutarou. The left side of it was filled with fluffy white rice and the right was swimming in a thick, brown sauce.

“...Curry?”

“Not just any curry! It’s the most delicious curry in the world!”

Clan was clearly proud of what she’d done. She boldly threw her head back and crossed her arms. But Koutarou couldn’t figure out where all this confidence was coming from.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s just a regular old make-at-home curry.”

Clan had declared that it was the most delicious curry in the world, but it certainly didn’t look like it. Rather than something you’d find at a restaurant, it just appeared to be the prepackaged kind of potato and onion curry you could buy at any store.

“Less chatting, more eating!”

“Okay, okay. Don’t shout.”

He knew Clan wouldn’t be satisfied until he tried it, so Koutarou picked up the spoon and scooped up a mouthful of curry and rice.

“Now eat up, Veltlion! And grovel before me!”

“You’re as maniacal as ever, I see— Mmmmm?!”

He was about to accuse her of exaggerating, but the moment he put the curry in his mouth, he realized she wasn’t. Her dish may have looked like plain curry, but it certainly didn’t taste like it. The difference was so jarring that it bewildered him.

“Clan, what’s with this curry?!”

“Ohohohoho! You’re getting a taste test of a new culinary revolution! The day cooks bow down to the power of science has come!”

“What did you do?!”

“It’s simple. The nanomachines sprinkled onto the curry are absorbing and completely blocking out its natural flavor. Then, when they enter your mouth, they’re feeding you gustatory data to make your tongue and brain believe you’re eating the most delicious curry in the world!”

Clan had two inventions working for her. The first, her pot, she used to create a simple curry with automated cooking technology. Her second invention was the nanomachines, which she sprinkled on the curry and programmed to change its flavor.

“That’s cheating!”

“Hardly! This is a specialized form of cooking that utilizes zero percent of the original ingredients’ actual taste!”

In other words, the curry she’d made was simply there for bulk and texture. Clan had the flavor of the most exquisite curry in the world on the programming equivalent of speed dial. She could conjure it up with just the press of a button. Not even the most seasoned chefs in the world could match that. It was now obvious why Clan was so full of herself.

“Besides, there’s no rule that forbids the use of―”

However, that was when an unexpected bang rang out.

“Wh-Wh-Whoa! What’s wrong, Kou?!”

“HUEH?!”

A few short minutes after eating Clan’s curry, Koutarou literally spewed fire from his mouth and collapsed to the floor.

Koutarou barfing flames wasn’t explicitly Clan’s fault. Really, it was a freak accident caused by several unfortunate coincidences overlapping.

For starters, Koutarou already had nanomachines inside of his body. Ruth had administered them as part of his medical treatment after several of their fiercer battles to help him recover. They not only promoted healing and kept an eye on his general health, they also actively worked to prevent the invasion of foreign bodies. Things like viruses and germs that entered his system were swiftly eliminated.

And that was exactly what had backfired. The seasoning nanomachines stuck to Koutarou’s tongue feeding false information to his brain were deemed a threat and attacked accordingly. Of course, Clan’s own nanomachines were programmed to defend themselves if need be, so they put up a fight in return. As a result, a nano-war broke out in Koutarou’s mouth—the outcome of which was an explosion.

When Koutarou came to, Clan and Ruth explained what had happened to him. The nanomachines had reacted to each other unexpectedly, and no one in particular was to blame.

“...And that’s the size of it.”

“I’m sorry. I completely overlooked the possibility you might already have nanomachines inside you.”

“No, it’s my fault, Clan-sama. I never told you.”

“Hai shee... Sho thas whah happhened hin mah mouf.”

While it was relatively small in scale, there’d still been an explosion in Koutarou’s mouth. His lips and tongue were burned enough that he was having trouble speaking as the medical nanomachines worked to heal him.

“Sanae, please translate.”

“Aye, aye! He said, ‘I see... So that’s what happened in my mouth.’”

Fortunately, with Sanae on his back, at least one person would understand him. Since her clinging to him was a daily occurrence, he wasn’t at all embarrassed by it.

“Now he wants to know what happened with the cook-off.”

The girls had brought Koutarou back to room 106 while he was unconscious, so he had no idea how the contest had ended. Apparently it had happened without him. As a representative of the home ec club, Shizuka explained.

“Well, first off... Because of the commotion with Satomi-kun, we ran out of time for judging and Clan-san had to be disqualified.”

“It only made sense under the circumstances. I’m also the one who carried you back here.”

“Koutarou says, ‘I’m not gonna say thank you.’”

“I know that. You don’t need to be mean.”

Koutarou’s sudden collapse on stage was publicly attributed to a dizzy spell. Fortunately, no one at the cook-off would even begin to suspect nanomachines were the real cause, so they swallowed the cover story rather easily. The whole ordeal caused quite a commotion, however. And with Koutarou, the tenth judge, out of commission, there was no longer a full panel to score her dish. Essentially, the moment Koutarou collapsed, Clan being dropped from the competition was a foregone conclusion.

“Don’t worry, Glasses. Koutarou isn’t really angry. He’s only pretending to be ’cause you’re so cute.”

“V-Veltlion?!”

“Oh, I wasn’t supposed to say that part? Sorry, Koutarou. Eeheehee.”

“A-Ahem... W-Well, it’s true that I’m partially to blame for the incident. It would be childish of me to scold you.”

Clan blushed slightly and her mood improved as the atmosphere of the room lightened. The truth was that all of the girls were dying to know how Koutarou was doing. Sensing their energy, Shizuka flashed a smile and got back to explaining what had happened to him.

“Your scorecard was mostly filled out otherwise, so it was submitted for final scoring and the contest played out from there.”

“‘I see’“

“The new president of the home ec club came in first. The runner up was that restaurant guy. And in third was... Ruth-san!”

“‘It certainly was delicious, that omelet rice. The flag was a nice touch, too. Anyways, congratulations, Ruth-san,’ he says.”

“Thank you very much, Master! I’m so happy right now!”

The rankings were mostly as expected. Kiriha had challenged herself to something so subtle that it was underrated, and Ruth ended up outdoing her.

“So that’s how it all went down in the end.”

“He says, ‘Thank you very much, Landlord-san.’”

“You’re welcome.”

After getting the full story, Koutarou was satisfied. He quietly took a sip of the tea sitting on the table in front of him, which had been left to cool so it wouldn’t singe his already burned mouth. That was when Kiriha spoke up.

“Could I have a word, Koutarou?”

There was something she wanted to ask Koutarou, so she’d been patiently waiting for Shizuka to finish.

“He says go ahead.”

“The truth is that when you collapsed, I saw your scorecard. You gave all of our dishes seven points, and I want to know your reasoning for that.”

The judges had been given a baseline for scoring the dishes. Delicious ones were worth seven points, normal ones were five, and bad ones were three. From there, the judges could add or subtract points at there discretion, meaning the final score from any judge would be between zero and ten points.

But Koutarou’s scorecard revealed that he’d ranked all the girls as delicious sevens. Even though he didn’t get to finish the judging, he’d already penciled in a seven for Clan too. It was strange. Looking at it objectively, there was no question that Theia, Maki, and Yurika had all served five-point dishes. Yet nevertheless, Koutarou had given them sevens just like everyone else. Kiriha was curious as to why.

“Koutarou is refusing to answer.”

Koutarou had a clear answer for Kiriha’s question, but he didn’t want someone else—in this case, his mouthpiece Sanae—to say it for him. As a teenage boy, he’d rather say nothing at all than that.

“Satomi-kun, I think explaining would be best to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Hearing Koutarou refuse to answer, Harumi turned and smiled at him. She had more or less caught on to him. In response, Koutarou flashed a wry smile and nodded at Sanae, giving her permission to tell everyone after all.

“‘Deliciousness isn’t determined by taste alone.’”

After losing his mother and growing up with a single, working father, Koutarou often ate his meals by himself. When he ate alone, nothing ever tasted good to him. There wasn’t really flavor in his life again until he met Kenji, and the same was just as true for the invaders. That’s why he’d given each of them a score of seven. In his eyes, it was the only thing to do.

“Koutarou...”

The words Sanae shared on Koutarou’s behalf were actually something Kiriha had said to him eleven years ago. Hearing them again now, she understood their meaning better than anyone. It was being with good company and people you loved that made food good. No, it wasn’t just food. They made life delicious.

“Since I got to hear what I wanted to know... I think it’s about time for dinner.”

They’d all gotten a chance to compete with each other today as well as spend some brief one-on-one time with Koutarou as a judge, but now it was time for them to all enjoy a meal together.

“Now that I think about it, we all made food, but we didn’t get to eat any.”

“Dinner, huh...? Satomi-kun, how is your mouth?”

“‘It’s okay, Landlord-san.’”

“Maki-chan, do you think Satomi-san’s mouth will heal by dinner?”

“Stop talking and help me heal him too, Yurika!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll help.”

“Clan-sama, could you prepare some painkillers just in case?”

“I think I had some strong ones back in my laboratory.”

And so the cook-off ended with Koutarou and the others returning to their normal, everyday lives. They were peaceful, happy days.

“By the way, Satomi-san, what are you drinking?”

“He says it’s stomach medicine. It looks like Koutarou he doesn’t trust our cooking.”

“Whaaaaaaaat?!”

And those days brought them together. Everything was a little better in good company. Everything meant a little extra something. The sun was warmer, food was tastier, manga was more interesting, and so on and so on. Yes, those were happy days indeed.