"Congrats, Hikigaya. You got a pretty good result there." Hayama Hayato walked over slowly after Hikigaya's group had finished.
"No, it just luck."
"You really haven't changed at all." Hayama smiled wryly. They hadn't interacted much in three years of middle school, but during the school trip, he had gotten a sense of what kind of person Hikigaya was.
"By the way, I've got something to show you. You're the class rep, right? I'll leave it to you to handle."
"What is it?"
Tadokoro Megumi was also a bit lost. She knew the two of them were acquainted, but from Hikigaya's tone, they didn't seem close.
Hachiman took out his phone and opened a video. "Just watch, you'll understand."
...
Meanwhile, the two who had just tried to frame Hikigaya's group finally finished their dish. Their speed wasn't bad, and if it weren't for overcooking earlier, they might have been considered average in the class.
"Teacher, please try it..." One of them held out the plate, but his hand was shaking, clearly lacking confidence.
Seeing this, Chef Chapelle tasted it quickly, then showed an expression of disdain.
"What kind of trash is this? You actually hand me something that looks like a pig's nose? Are you trying to poison your teacher? Your level doesn't even reach an E. This is what you managed to polish in three years of middle school? Pathetic... you're worse than a transfer student."
Standing nearby, Hachiman listened and felt something was off.
"Am I... being treated as the villain again?"
Hachiman gave a bitter smile, while Tadokoro Megumi covered her mouth, laughing. Even though she tried to hold it back, she clearly couldn't hide her joy anymore.
"Grade: E!"
Maybe they had already expected this, because the two only showed a faint, resigned smile. If even they, the so-called "average students," couldn't avoid an E, then the weaker students later were in real trouble.
Just then, Hayama Hayato slowly walked up and handed a phone to Chef Chapelle.
"Teacher, please take a look..."
With a bit of doubt, Chapelle tapped the video open. On the screen, the whole process of the two trying to ruin Hikigaya's group's dish was recorded in full.
After watching the video, anger flared up on his face, impossible to put out.
"You two actually ruined someone else's dish?!"
"As chefs, you stooped to such dirty tricks. And you've studied at Totsuki Academy for three years? Looks like it's been completely useless!"
"You two, go process your withdrawal right now. From now on, don't ever claim to be students of Totsuki Academy. Oh, and... you'd better not become chefs either. From my point of view, I'd be afraid you'd poison your customers."
Chapelle's words were filled with rage, shaking the whole class. The two standing in front were completely stunned. They thought it was just a simple E-class, but because of a single video, they were suddenly expelled.
"How could this be..."
"No... I don't want to be expelled..."
"Pack up your things and get out!"
"Waaahhh..."
....
The day's class soon ended. For Hachiman, it was truly a tough day. After all, it was his first time really dealing with cooking, and there were so many things he only half understood.
Tadokoro Megumi: "Hikigaya-kun, I'm really thankful to you today... If it weren't for you... I'd probably already be gone from this school."
Hachiman shook his head: "You don't need to thank me. I won't accept it either. I did it for myself, and you did it for yourself."
Tadokoro Megumi: "But... everything you did for me, I saw it with my own eyes."
Hachiman: "Even so, it was only for myself. In the future, you'll face more hardships. At that time, the only one you can rely on is yourself. So, do your best."
Faced with Hikigaya's stubborn attitude, Tadokoro Megumi puffed her cheeks, frowned slightly, and said:
"I get it. Hikigaya-kun, you're such a troublesome guy, aren't you!"
"I'm not..."
"From now on, let's work hard together!"
"Uh, o-okay!"
As if something had just come to mind, Tadokoro Megumi asked curiously:
"By the way, Hikigaya-kun, did you find a dorm yet?"
"Dorm? Isn't that assigned by the school?"
With a helpless smile, Tadokoro Megumi was stunned for a moment: "Ahaha... Hikigaya-kun, you really don't know anything."
After all, he had only come here because of his father's request, then ran into a troublesome rich girl, somehow ended up enrolled in this school, and then jumped straight into classes. It felt like he hadn't had a moment's rest all day.
Tadokoro Megumi: "Well, that makes sense too... no wait, Hikigaya-kun, you need to find a dorm quickly! Otherwise, you'll have to stay at a hotel tonight... and as for those hotel prices..."
Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's tired smile, Hachiman immediately understood the sky-high rates of those businesses.
"Like this... but I still don't know anything about this school..."
"Totsuki Academy isn't really a normal school. It's more like a place to learn cooking, that's why it's called an academy." Tadokoro Megumi patiently explained to Hachiman.
"In fact, there aren't that many students here. Most people just live here. As long as you find the right dorm, you can stay even if you don't take classes, because this academy has many special things."
"As for us, we stay here to earn high school credits, or to chase our dream of becoming chefs. Of course, there are also quite a few transfer students like you, Hikigaya."
"As for food duels and the Elite Ten, I'll tell you later. For now, the most important thing is to find a place to stay. After all, it's already dark..." As she said this, Megumi's face showed a faint blush, like it was touched by the evening sun.
She turned back into that shy little girl, rubbing her palms nervously, and said in a timid voice, "Why don't you try staying at our Polar Star Dorm, Hikigaya?"
Startled by Megumi's words, Hikigaya asked in confusion:
"G-girls' dorm?"
"Idiot, of course not."
"You scared me."
"Hikigaya, your mind is really rotten!"
"..."
"But..." A bitter smile appeared on Megumi's face.
She knew very well about the weird people in her dorm and the terrifying entry rules.