Reiji sat beside Haruna, who insisted on taking the window view. Ren was next to them on the adjacent row since each side had two seats.
"The bus is small but it's pretty comfy," Haruna said as she leaned back with a sigh.
"Alright everyone! The second and third years know the drill, but we have three newcomers so I'll have to debrief you again about how things are going to work. The restaurant we go to has graciously allowed us to visit their kitchen and see their working process. Please make sure not to touch anything and to follow all the instructions they give you on-site, we are not there to cause trouble! After they show us everything, you will be able to eat some of the meals on their menu, paid for by the school of course!"
Mizuno Senpai's explanation received a joyful chorus from all the seniors at the latter part. Who doesn't like free food?
Even Haruna and Ren joined in the cheers, reveling in the upbeat and leisurely atmosphere of the bus.
This was one of the reasons why they made it so tough for people to enter the club, because it would be too expensive to pay for a larger group of people after all.
Mizuno Senpai continued once the shouts died down, an understanding smile on her face.
"For the duration of this trip, do not leave the group for any reason unless it is approved by either me or Tomoe Sensei. We will drop you guys off at school later, so you don't have to worry on how you'll get back. Lastly!... DON'T FORGET TO HAVE SOME FUN!"
Another set of cheers broke out, with Haruna raising Reiji's hand for him so that he could join in. Reiji shook his head at their excitement, but he too had a deep grin that he couldn't stop.
"Reiji-san, isn't this awesome!?" Ren exclaimed with shining eyes.
"Haha, yeah I can't wait!"
Mizuno Senpai took a seat in front of them and turned slightly to face the three freshmen. She had a curious and friendly gaze, a sharp contrast from the authoritative figure that supervised the entrance test.
"So, how are you three feeling so far? I know how stressful the entrance exam is, I went through it once myself!" She asked.
Haruna leaned forward and started chatting with her.
"Mizuno Senpai, how often do we go on these outings?" she cut straight to the point, a slightly greedy look on her face.
Reiji smiled softly at how happy she seemed, but he could understand it from her point of view.
Due to their financial situation, Haruna and Granny rarely went out to eat.
They usually cooked for themselves and pretty much lived paycheck to paycheck because a lot of it went towards paying off the debt left by her deadbeat dad.
So to have the chance to occasionally go out to eat at top-tier restaurants approved by the cooking club, it was nothing less than a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy good food without feeling guilty.
Mizuno Senpai smiled at her eagerness.
"Well.... I can't give you a concrete number. We have these outings to learn how the restaurant industry works, different cooking techniques and practices, and taste unique flavor profiles. We can't do all that unless the restaurants cooperate with us and allow the club to see their kitchens and other areas, so it depends on how many we can convince," she said.
Reiji nodded understandingly. The process behind such wonderful field trips would be far from simple, a lot of it relying on the prestige of Souhei High.
"Don't worry though, it's not going to be as infrequent as you might imagine," she laughed when she saw Haruna's crestfallen face.
"Okay, thanks!"
"Forget about that, tell me why each one of you joined the club. Don't worry, you already passed the test so you can be honest. It doesn't have to be something grand like opening your own five star restaurant."
The three of them exchanged glances and Ren went first.
"U-Uh, for me I just love food! Though..... I guess that's not exactly a secret," he chuckled, wobbling his belly on purpose, which earned him a few giggles.
He continued to say, "I don't know what exactly I want to do in the future, but I know for sure it will be related to the food industry."
Mizuno Senpai gave him an encouraging nod and turned to Haruna.
"Me? Well.... To be honest I didn't have a specific reason to join the club. I visited the orientation and saw how fun it sounded and thought I'd try my luck. I do like cooking, but I don't know if I want to pursue it as a career."
"There's nothing wrong with that, all I ask is that you take our sessions seriously," Senpai reassured.
The she turned to the last man who had a perpetual smile on his handsome face.
It was finally Reiji's turn.
"I love to cook."
"..."
"..."
"...That's it? No elaboration?" the black haired senior blinked with surprise.
"Do I need to say anything else? I love to cook, so I joined the cooking club," Reiji tilted his head as if he didn't understand a problem.
"I-I see? But what about your future? Do you want to do something in the food industry?" She questioned, still taken aback by his bluntness.
Reiji smiled at her query.
"I wish I knew. It seems like Senpai is unaware of my background?"
"Your background? No, why?"
Mizuno Senpai grew even more puzzled when she saw the uncomfortable expressions on Ren and Haruna's faces.
Reiji took a moment to think and then sighed.
"Well, I'd rather not say. All I can tell you is that my career might not be up to me," he muttered.
".....Ok, I won't force you to explain. Well, we're almost there so I'll leave you guys be until we arrive," Mizuno Senpai stood up and moved to the back of the bus where her friends were sitting.
Haruna turned to him with a hint of worry.
"...Are you ok?"
"Hm? Oh I'm fine, did I make it seem like I was depressed?" Reiji chuckled. He twisted the ring on his right hand and continued, "Although I said that, I have no intentions of staying as is. I'll make sure that won't happen."
Though he seemed confident, Haruna wasn't so convinced by his seemingly indifferent demeanor. Ren, who was unaware of a lot of the nuances aside from the fact that he was the heir of a Yakuza syndicate, kept quiet because he didn't think they were close enough to discuss those things.
Not yet at least.
'Though the rumors are a little scary, Reiji-san doesn't seem so bad...'
***
The bus came to a halt at a public parking lot next to a road filled with various shops and restaurants. It was a commercial street known for its diversity of products and cuisines, so their expectations were pretty high.
Once everyone disembarked, Mizuno Senpai took the lead and led the small group to their final destination. They received a few odd glances from the bystanders, but that was a given since they were all in school uniforms.
While the others were wondering which one of these restaurants they would go to, Reiji had already locked onto it in the distance.
A seemingly invisible shop nestled between two massive fast food chains, unassuming white paint, and a small wooden sign that was the only indicator that there was even a store here.
This, was Cafe Corazon.
It literally translated to 'heart', which was an apt name for a coffee shop that prided itself on pouring everything they had into their drinks and desserts.
The group came to a stop right in front of it, and Mizuno Senpai pointed to the cafe with a mischievous glint when she saw the puzzled looks some of the members were showing.
"Don't be fooled by it's small size and modest design, this is a gem that is hidden on purpose. The owners are from Spain, who are renowned in their country for being passionate about their food. There were even news articles that said they sometimes argued with customers if they felt like they were disrespectful to the food placed in front of them," she laughed.
Reiji widened his eyes slightly, because he was unaware of this piece of 'lore'. The game skipped straight to when they entered their kitchen, so little tidbits like this were not available in the playthrough.
Things like this just affirmed how real this world really was.
"Unfortunately the owners aren't here, I would have loved for you guys to meet them. They can only be described as.... eccentric. The last time I saw them, they made me eat a bacon-infused espresso for an experiment. Regardless, let's go in and start our very first outing of the year!"
They all walked in slowly, taking in the vastly different atmosphere within the cafe. Though it was as small as they thought it would be, the decor was extremely stylish.
Everything was white with brown wood casings, which gave it a premium vibe. There were no chairs, just booths with plush cushions that prioritized comfort over quantity. There was a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, glittering with a golden hue that cast a warm light over the entire space.
"Holy shit this is so cool...." Haruna whispered, tugging at his sleeve enthusiastically.
It was time for a memorable experience.