Kojima Kana returned in less than twenty minutes.
As soon as she stepped into the house and saw Shirase in the living room, she smiled radiantly. "Don't worry, I'll make you that omurice right away."
Still stripped of bodily control, Shirase didn't bother replying. The system wouldn't stop until he'd obtained his "prize."
Kojima Kana rushed into the kitchen, and soon the sizzle of hot oil filled the air, followed by the crisp cracking of eggs.
Not long after, she came out carrying a steaming-hot plate of omurice.
"Oh, right—I nearly forgot to draw the ketchup heart for you~"
With playful cheer, Kana picked up the ketchup and perfectly drew a heart on top. Then she waved Shirase over. "Come eat! Big Sis's cooking isn't any worse than yours."
After saying this, she sat down, propped her pale cheek with one small hand, and watched Shirase with an eager smile.
[Kitchen vacancy detected. System will now prepare a love-filled lunch for host.]
"No need. I'm already full," Shirase immediately rejected.
Yet the system didn't respond at all, simply tying an apron around itself under Kana's bewildered gaze and walking straight into the kitchen.
"What are you doing? Didn't you say you wanted omurice?" Kana hurriedly followed.
The system still said nothing.
Kana stood by in confusion until an enticing aroma filled the air, causing her to swallow instinctively.
When the golden, crispy karaage wings came out of the pan, Kana sniffed deeply, her expression shifting dramatically.
This aroma—is it serious?
In an instant, she understood that even something as ordinary as this Japanese fried chicken had completely surpassed her cooking skill.
Exactly by how much, she had no clue.
Next came heart-shaped crispy sausages and stir-fried mushrooms with green beans, each one freshly plated.
Only after placing all the dishes neatly atop fluffy white rice did the system stop.
[The love-filled lunch prepared for host is complete. Enjoy your meal.]
[Host has yet to evaluate this experience. Please submit your evaluation promptly.]
[Considering host's dissatisfaction with this prize, the post-lottery reward has been adjusted: Host's sense of taste and smell are greatly enhanced, approaching the level of high-class restaurant chefs.]
When Shirase regained control of his body, he noticed Kojima Kana secretly swallowing beside him, her expression rather grim.
Thinking for a moment, Shirase quickly guessed the reason and said, "Kana-nee, I think you've misunderstood. I went into the kitchen specifically after you made your omurice not to compete with you."
"Then why did you?" Kana clearly didn't believe him.
Shirase handed her the lunch prepared by the system. "This is something I secretly trained very hard for, just to give to you today."
"Huh?" Kana was instantly dumbfounded.
Shirase continued, "I know Kana-nee usually works hard, and there's not much I can help you with. Since you're already good at cooking, I had no choice but to secretly practice, so I could make something that would make you happy..."
He paused for a second, then lowered his voice to add, "After all, the true essence of cooking is to make someone feel happy."
"I-is that so?" Kana's cheeks flushed faintly. She grew a bit embarrassed. "Actually, it's not like I work all that hard..."
Even while saying this, she accepted the lunch. As the irresistible aroma tickled her senses, her expression brightened considerably. "Seriously, since when did your cooking skills become this amazing? How is your big sister supposed to handle this?"
Her words sounded like complaints, but her footsteps were extremely light as she carried her lunch outside.
Clearly, she was happy now.
Not just because she could enjoy delicious food, but because, as someone who prided herself as an older sister, she felt her younger brother's genuine care for her.
What she didn't see was Shirase behind her, exhaling in relief:
Good thing I managed to bluff my way through.
...
On Monday, after third-period class ended, Shirase was, as usual, memorizing vocabulary through [Fixed Hosting] mode when Hayama Hayato approached him.
Without much small talk, Hayama simply told Shirase that Isshiki Iroha had secured the principal's approval for the friendly soccer match, expedited considerably due to Kojima Kana and Kirisu Mafuyu's help.
"Remember to have your contact information ready for Isshiki-san," Hayama added casually with a smile, then walked away.
Shirase was calm. It was just contact information—no big deal.
Isshiki Iroha had only joined the club for Hayama Hayato anyway.
Even if she got Shirase's contact info, her attention would still mostly be on Hayama.
"Hey Shirase, have you ever watched Jackie Chan Adventures?" A crew-cut boy behind him suddenly asked. Two other boys stood beside him.
Shirase remembered him. Back when he'd disciplined those bullies, this crew-cut freshman had come to him with several others, volunteering as his underlings.
"Yeah," Shirase answered briefly, still looking at his textbook.
Unfazed by Shirase's lukewarm response, the three grinned. "Oh, you've seen it too? That's great. We were just arguing about which characters from other series could possibly be more useless than Valmont's three underlings."
Valmont's three underlings?
Three familiar faces immediately surfaced in Shirase's mind.
As far as useless teams went, the first that popped into his head was Team Rocket.
But Team Rocket wasn't actually useless.
So Shirase just shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
...
Lunch was again settled in the cafeteria. Interestingly, Shirase unexpectedly ran into Nakano Itsuki there.
The girl's tray was filled high with food, mostly meat dishes, enough to rival what athletes usually ate.
Nakano Itsuki noticed Shirase's gaze, her cheeks quickly reddening as she said somewhat stiffly, "I'm just a little hungrier than usual today."
Shirase let out a simple "Mm," not exposing her. "I'll bake you some cookies tonight."
Instantly, Itsuki's face brightened: "Then thank you~!"
The girl joyfully went off to join her sisters.
After lunch, as Shirase headed back to class, he spotted a familiar figure.
The person, who'd been standing alone in the hallway, staring downward, seemed to notice him. Turning around, their expression visibly stiffened upon meeting Shirase's gaze.
It was Hikigaya Hachiman.
Shirase recalled how excited—and then immediately worried—the soccer club captain had become upon learning on Monday that the friendly match had been approved, because the soccer club was severely lacking substitutes.
Currently, the soccer club's situation was somewhat like Shohoku's in Slam Dunk. The main lineup was complete, but substitutes were a total mess.
Thinking for a moment, Shirase stepped forward to greet him. "Yo, Hikigaya."
Hikigaya Hachiman's heart sank. Why's this hidden riajuu suddenly approaching me again...?
High schoolers barely had any time during lunch. He'd just found his classroom too noisy, so he'd stepped out to space out quietly in the hallway until class resumed.
Yet here he was again, confronted by this top-tier student.
Seeing Shirase approach steadily, Hachiman sighed internally. They attended the same school, after all, and had bumped into each other frequently lately. Out of courtesy, he couldn't just pretend Shirase didn't exist.
As Hikigaya wondered whether Shirase would again say something bizarre, the next moment, Shirase unexpectedly asked:
"Do you want to play soccer?"
Eh?
What's this guy even saying?
Hikigaya Hachiman's expression grew grim.
Is this another of today's special plays...?