As if struck by something, Erina's hand froze midair. For a moment she couldn't focus on the papers in front of her.
Her usually proud face changed at once, and when she recalled what had happened that morning, she grew irritated.
"Hah? How did he get admitted? Didn't I fail him?"
Hisako shook her head: "I don't know the details, but he attended classes at Totsuki this afternoon and even received high praise from Chef Chapelle."
Erina clenched her fist, clearly upset: "That guy..."
Hisako leaned closer to Erina's ear:
"Lady Erina, if you're worried about him, I could keep an eye on him for you."
"Wh-wh-who said I'm worried about him!" Erina's voice stuttered as a blush she couldn't hide spread across her face.
Hisako: "I just thought you seemed interested in him. But if that's not the case, then there's no need to keep paying attention to him."
Erina: "Right, no need to pay attention. But still, the fact that he got into Totsuki—did he use some kind of connections? That would be absolutely disgraceful for Totsuki Academy! Hisako, I want you to dig into his background."
"And besides, Polar Star Dorm is bound to be taken over sooner or later. We might as well move first. If it weren't for Isshiki-senpai guarding it... but that doesn't matter. Let Mito fight in my place. You know what I mean, right, Hisako?"
Hisako's expression turned subtle. Having grown up with Erina, how could she not understand her thoughts?
"Of course."
...
"Hey, good morning, Hikigaya!"
Still lying in bed, Hachiman was pulled out of his half-dreaming state by the sudden voice.
Isshiki's cheerful tone kept coming through:
"There's something I need your help with. Could you get dressed and come down?"
"Oh, oh..."
As he finally sat up, Hachiman understood what the weird sound tube was for. Last night in Marui's room, he had wondered what it was used for. Now he knew\...
Not only did it save on phone bills, but it seemed to only work one way.
As he rubbed his eyes absentmindedly, a strange noise suddenly came from the ceiling.
"Click..."
"Good morning, Hikigaya!"
"Whoa, whoa, don't just show up on my ceiling like nothing happened... Are you Spider-Man or something? No... I guess locking the door is useless now..."
Come to think of it, this was the first time in years that Hachiman had been away from home. Moving into the dorm and being greeted in such a weird way was something he wasn't really used to.
If he didn't sleep naked and didn't like reading naughty magazines in bed, he would have definitely rebuilt that ceiling by now.
Anyway, with Isshiki-senpai's unique wake-up service, Hachiman could no longer ignore it.
It was still early and the sun hadn't even come up yet, but Yoshino seemed full of energy.
"Yahallo! Hikigaya!"
"Oh, hey."
Seriously, talk about an energetic girl—she was lively even at this hour.
Yoshino patted Hachiman on the shoulder and then acted like a guide, leading him straight to the back yard of Polar Star Dorm.
"Mind if I ask where we're going?"
"Of course—to pick vegetables in the back yard."
"Wow, amazing... Even the ingredients are homegrown."
"Hahaha, of course! Good ingredients are the start of good cooking. That's our motto!"
While they were talking, Hachiman noticed that it wasn't just the two of them. Ibuzaki, Ryoko, Isshiki-senpai, and even Marui—who had been totally exhausted yesterday—were already there, busy with their work.
Except...
Isshiki-senpai was now wearing nothing but a simple apron, glowing under the sunlight. Combined with the sweat dripping down his body, it was quite the blinding scene, leaving the two of them speechless for a moment.
Hachiman: "So Isshiki-senpai has this kind of... hobby..."
Yoshino: "You'll get used to it."
Isshiki: "Ahahaha, good morning to you both! Working in the morning keeps the mind healthy, you know. Not only does it help you understand how ingredients grow, but it's also part of learning to cook. This place is called the Polar Star Field—or you can call it Isshiki's Field if you like."
Hachiman: "What a great name."
Yoshino: "You don't have to force the compliments..."
While the three of them were chatting, Tadokoro Megumi walked over slowly, wearing a yellow apron.
"Hikigaya!"
"You're up early too, Tadokoro."
"Yeah! Look, these are vegetables grown by Isshiki-senpai!"
That warm smile, along with the blue-haired girl wearing a straw hat and twin braids, felt so healing compared to the scene from earlier.
Hachiman picked up a tomato and started examining it.
Although he was the one who bought ingredients for the Hikigaya Diner, it was his first time handling something so fresh from the source.
Isshiki: "Go ahead and try one."
"Oh... sure."
He didn't refuse. In fact, he was really curious about what this kind of fresh tomato would taste like.
He took a small bite, and the juice burst open in his mouth right away.
The sweet tomato flavor immediately told him this was completely different from the tomatoes he'd eaten before.
"It's really sweet—way sweeter than the ones I usually have."
Isshiki smiled and spread out his hands. "Honestly, I put so much effort into these that I've been skipping classes lately."
Hachiman: "Senpai, you should still go to class..."
Isshiki: "Ahahaha, getting lectured by a junior now."
While they were enjoying the sunshine, a short-haired girl suddenly appeared, catching Hachiman's attention instantly.
Seeing the change in his expression, everyone else turned to look in the same direction.
Yoshino: "Is that... Mito?"
Tadokoro Megumi: "Huh? What's she doing here?"
Hachiman: "I have a really bad feeling about this…"
Mito stood with her hands on her hips, her revealing outfit radiating a unique aura as she unknowingly walked right up to the group.
Yoshino muttered in frustration: "Tch, damn Dutch cow, what's the point of showing off those big boobs!"
Hachiman: 'Uh, I feel like I just heard the sound of someone's soul breaking.'