"It's a pleasure to work with you, Katō," Hanyu Mochizuki said.
"It's a pleasure to work with you as well, Hanyu-kun," the girl, who looked like the dreamlike older sister from next door, responded softly.
Her appearance wasn't stunning, but she was unexpectedly pleasant to look at and became more so the longer you looked at her. She was a very nice girl! A score of at least 80 points!
It's important to know that in Hanyu Mochizuki's eyes, the highest score was 80, and he had yet to encounter a perfect score.
So, Hanyu Mochizuki's expression was very solemn at this moment. He never expected to encounter such a high-quality girl by chance just by teaming up. It seemed he was truly a protagonist.
But it was fine. He wasn't one of those hormonal, adolescent boys, so this girl named Megumi Katō could relax completely!
"Hey, hey, Hanyu-kun..." Makoto Isshiki, who was assigned to the counter next to him, walked over and urgently pulled on Hanyu Mochizuki's sleeve.
"Don't panic! What's wrong?" Hanyu Mochizuki gently raised his arm, motioning for Makoto Isshiki, who had just been upgraded to a good buddy, to calm down.
"...This, thank you very much for your praise, Hanyu-kun. I will start making curry now." With that, Megumi Katō quickly lowered her head and walked toward her counter, in such a hurry that you could briefly see her earlobes, which were a bright red.
"That's weird! Why is she blushing?" Hanyu Mochizuki looked puzzled and entered a state of deep thought. This was a very serious question.
"Uh, Hanyu-kun, you don't have to say what you're thinking out loud for everyone to hear..."
"Oh, I see," Hanyu Mochizuki instantly came to a sudden realization. "No wonder Katō got so shy all of a sudden! But what's so great about my praise? I was just telling the truth. Why would that make her blush?"
Makoto Isshiki was speechless. It was only natural for a girl to blush when praised to her face, especially in front of so many people. It was a very normal reaction.
As if he knew what Makoto Isshiki was thinking, Hanyu Mochizuki pointed to Chika Fujiwara, who was secretly watching the show not far away. "Look, I praised her for being cute before, and she accepted it as a matter of course. She wasn't shy at all. This is what a normal girl is like!"
Makoto Isshiki: "...?!"
Chika Fujiwara: "...?!"
Hanyu Mochizuki stared at the two of them in a strange way for a while, then sighed. "Hurry up and make your food. I'm not an ingredient. Are you going to be able to make delicious curry just by staring at me?"
"Hmph! Hanyu-kun, you're a big dummy! It's what you get for being a normie with no friends!"
"...Then I'll go make the curry."
Hanyu Mochizuki shook his head, put his hands behind his back, and started a patrol like a teacher. The students around him all glanced at him, most of them with a hint of hostility.
This could be said to be a very normal thing. With his deadly bluntness and his tendency to stir up trouble like a stirrer, it was only natural that he was the most unpopular person on campus.
But if he had to think about others with everything he did, how exhausting would that be?
The home economics teacher's eyelids twitched as he watched the composed and self-satisfied Hanyu Mochizuki. He wanted to reprimand him on the spot several times, but then he remembered the rumors floating around the school, like "A real man does it with another man," "Going up a man," and "Man on man"... and he instantly lost his courage.
He had heard these rumors that morning while using the bathroom.
A few boys had talked about it with great trepidation, so when he saw the actual protagonist, he felt an inexplicable chill down his spine. He didn't dare to say a word outside of the lesson, for fear of being noticed by him. It wasn't him boasting, but even in middle age, he was a very handsome man.
Unfortunately, a fist fears the young and strong. If he made a mistake, he would regret it for the rest of his life! He didn't want to gamble on that possibility... Besides, this person hadn't broken any school rules, had he?
Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated. The home economics teacher stood up, instructed everyone to speed up, and then quickly walked outside.
"Hmm, this is a sweet-flavored curry. It has at least coconut milk. Is it Southeast Asian style? I'll have a taste~ Our homework? Just leave a scoop for that person, won't you? Get rid of the meat, get rid of it. He likes to eat vegetables and I like to eat meat. It's a perfect match!"
"Oh? There's beef curry, too. Matsukawa, have you heard of a story about a place in the southeast corner of Ono-tei in Chiyoda Ward? Ah, you're too kind. Thank you so much!"
"Mimura, I heard there's a terrifying ghost story at Sakura-ku Private High School... Huh? Thank you, thank you. You're a really good person!"
Hanyu Mochizuki held a plate of "trophies" in his hand. He changed his usual carefree demeanor and watched the students who hadn't finished their curry yet with a gentle smile. Many of them didn't dare to make eye contact with him and just sped up their cooking process.
Then, he put his "trophies" on the desk, sat in the home economics teacher's chair, and rummaged around under the podium. He quickly found a large pot of steaming hot rice, served himself, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and began to devour the curry.
His handsome face, in an instant, became swollen-cheeked, like a wild beast devouring its prey, full of savagery.
His table manners were ugly and unbearable to watch.
"How... how much can he eat?! I'm so jealous~" Chika Fujiwara cupped her face in her hands, a hint of admiration in her expression.
How many people's dark secrets did this poor guy dig up? And how did he do it? Kaguya Shinomiya thought to herself, her face showing a pensive look. It was obvious that something was wrong when he could so easily get their homework assignments with just a few words.
Before long, Hanyu Mochizuki patted his belly, having successfully finished all the curry on the podium desk. He looked up, quickly locked onto a few targets, and immediately took action.
"Katō is indeed a great beauty. Her cooking skills are so amazing! It smells so good~~"
"Here you go. You look like you're starving, but don't force yourself to eat too much, okay~"
"This encounter is like a fated meeting. You, a fallen mortal, are still so magnificent and outstanding. Oh, angel descended to earth! You can fulfill my—"
"...Take it! Now get out—"
"Do you know what this is? This is the 'troubled one' that I saved this morning! I extended a helping hand to a creature in distress out of compassion, and I did it! That's why I was so hungry this morning; I gave her all my food. Look at how happy and joyful she is... If my wish isn't fulfilled now, I feel like the whole world is wrong!"
"...Leave the picture and take the curry! And a reminder, the date printed on this picture is from the day before yesterday."
"Hayasaka, I've actually been watching you for a long time—"
"Hi~ Hi~ Hi~ Enjoy your meal~"
"Hello~ Class President, do you know the magic—Hmm... It tastes pretty good. Pack it up, pack it up. It's great. OK~ Bye-bye~"
"...Seriously, Hanyu-kun, don't make yourself sick~"
"Sawamura-san, could you please move aside? It seems you're blocking my way." Hanyu Mochizuki gave a solemn nod of thanks to a blonde, twin-tailed girl.
"..."
"Pfft!" The twin-tailed Maki Shijo, who was standing beside her, couldn't help but laugh loudly, pointing at Eriri Sawamura and being unable to say a word for a while.
"Y-y-you guys—"
Hanyu Mochizuki, who had straightened his clothes, ignored the two losers and slowly walked up to Kaguya Shinomiya. He looked at her naturally for a moment.
"Shinomiya, let's settle this with a match in the next exam!"
"...You're insolent! Since you dared to challenge me in public, don't blame me for crushing you completely. Cherish the remaining days you have. I accept your challenge!"
"Very good," Hanyu Mochizuki nodded with a straight face, and casually took the bowl of curry that Chika Fujiwara had handed him. He weighed it in his hand, then placed it on the large tray he was holding in his other hand. "I'm looking forward to it."
"..."
Kaguya Shinomiya frowned, suddenly feeling that something was wrong. She turned her attention to Hanyu Mochizuki, who had already reached the podium and was eating away. A strange emotion flashed through her heart.
It wasn't anger, it wasn't frustration, but a feeling she couldn't quite explain... What was it?
In the end, the home economics teacher arrived in the classroom just before the class ended.
What awaited him was a tiny scoop of curry that was only enough for one bite and had no meat, as well as a few plates of curry that were visually unappealing but extremely large...
Today, Hanyu Mochizuki wins!