In Saten-san's dorm room, the members of this session's reading circle had already gathered.
On one side sat the group from Sakugawa Middle School, led by Saten-san herself; on the other, the Tokiwadai contingent headed by Misaka Mikoto.
Both sides faced each other across a low, rectangular table. With so many people crammed in, the space around the table was completely filled, shoulders nearly touching.
"Sorry we're late," Haruue-san said sheepishly as she stepped in last, accompanied by Edasaki Banri, who—now discharged from the hospital—was dressed in casual clothes.
"Not at all! You two arrived just in time," Uiharu-san shook her head with a smile.
"Since everyone's finally here, let's officially kick off this hotpot party! Honestly, who else would throw a hotpot party in the middle of summer? Only us, right?"
Perched directly across from the bedroom door, a certain Railgun cracked her knuckles, stood up slightly, and placed the clay pot onto the induction cooker with practiced ease.
"Is it starting already? Hotpot parties are the best!"
Natsume Sonoko gave an excited shiver and pulled a kettle from behind her back. With a loud glug-glug-glug, she poured water into the pot until it was nearly a third full.
"Whoa, whoa—that's enough! You'll dilute the broth!" Saten-san quickly stopped her. In the blink of an eye, the water had already risen past the lower edge of the pot.
"Look," Shirai-san sighed softly, casting a helpless glance at the two beside her.
"I don't know what you're all thinking, but let's get one thing straight—this isn't a hotpot party. It's a reading circle. The whole point was to get our summer reading assignments done. It sounded perfectly normal when we first planned it."
She reached into her ever-present schoolbag and pulled out a notebook and two classic novels, stacking them neatly on the table.
The bulk of their summer homework consisted of reading reports on assigned books.
Tokiwadai's requirements were stricter than most schools—though the only real difference was having more titles on the list—which was precisely why they'd called it a "reading circle" in the first place.
"Shirai-san," Saten-san said, slipping behind her and confiscating the notebook with mock solemnity, "the mood right now isn't exactly study-friendly. It's lunchtime—time to feast! Reading reports can wait. Right now, it's hotpot party o'clock!"
Her bold move earned approving nods from the two hotpot loyalists.
The clay pot began to heat up over the induction burner. Bubbles rose and rolled in the broth, sending plumes of steam curling into the air. Only then did Saten-san drop in the hotpot base.
Soon enough, the broth came to a lively simmer, turning a cheerful pale red. A faint, spicy aroma drifted into everyone's noses.
"I went with mild today—with just a little kick. Banri, Haruue-san, you okay with that?" Saten-san turned slightly toward them.
"No problem! I like spicy food," Banri replied, her cheeks already slightly flushed as she nodded.
"I'm fine with anything," Haruue Erii added quickly.
"Though… I was wondering," Haruue-san pointed toward the grill sitting on the same low table—occupying nearly a third of its surface—"are we doing barbecue too?"
"Oh, that? Natsume-san brought it, but I didn't actually prepare any grilling ingredients," Saten-san explained as she walked over to the fridge and started pulling out her own stash.
"Grill? Perfect! I brought meat—works for both hotpot and barbecue. The butcher recommended it on my way here, so I picked up a bit extra."
Misaka-senpai let out a surprised little "Huh?" and produced a stack of wooden boxes from behind her—seven or eight in total.
Inside lay beautifully marbled beef, each cut arranged with meticulous care, filling every box to the brim. The fat swirled through the meat like delicate brushstrokes.
"What gorgeous marbling! And this pattern—I've never seen anything like it. It looks like marble, and it even smells faintly buttery," Saten-san murmured, studying it intently before turning serious.
"I've only ever seen beef like this on gourmet TV shows," Uiharu-san gushed, stars practically twinkling in her eyes.
Banri leaned in too, gently tracing a finger over the marbling, curiosity lighting up her face.
"What's so special about it?" Misaka-senpai asked, taken aback by their reactions and waving her hands in confusion.
"This is Kobe beef! Rare stuff—and Misaka-senpai, you're so generous!" Natsume-san's eyes lit up, her face glowing with pure joy. This hotpot party just keeps getting better and better. Misaka-senpai is the greatest!
Though Natsume-san could afford such luxury beef, she usually stuck to tasty, reasonably priced fare—never splurging on extravagances like this.
"I see… So, what did everyone else bring?" Misaka-senpai asked, still a little dazed, her gaze sweeping over the group.
"I got some summer veggies—okra, cabbage, corn—and tofu and shiitake mushrooms too," Uiharu-san said, pulling items from her bag one by one.
"I brought handmade mochi and more mushrooms. Hotpot without mochi is basically a nightmare," Saten-san declared with absolute conviction.
The low table grew more crowded by the second. When it was Natsume-san's turn, her haul practically swallowed the entire surface.
"I, uh… might've brought a bit too much," Natsume Sonoko scratched her head sheepishly. She'd brought over ten boxes of assorted dumplings alone—not to mention a whole array of grilling seasonings.
"I wasn't sure what to get, so I just grabbed a bunch at the supermarket. Oh! I also have some bread slices and potatoes—good for grilling too," she added quickly, remembering at the last second.
"Wow, Natsume-san, you're so prepared!" Saten-san exclaimed—then froze mid-thought. "Wait… Shirai-san, what's wrong with you?"
She'd just noticed Shirai-san's expression had shifted into something unnervingly confident.
"Heh heh… Everyone's brought some nice things," Shirai-san said with a proud smirk, her skin still faintly smudged with soot from a recent electric shock—but now she positively glowed, brimming with strange energy.
"But you're all missing something far more important than the food itself: the deep emotion and artistry infused into a meal."
She paused dramatically.
"At first, like Natsume-san, I had no idea what to buy. I wandered the streets all morning, completely lost. But then—lightning struck! The moment I saw it in the pet shop, everything became clear. I finally understood what food would be most worthy of Onee-sama."
As she spoke, Shirai-san let out an eerie chuckle. The corners of her mouth curled upward, her voice growing heavy with melodrama.
"What… is it?" Natsume Sonoko swallowed hard, eyeing Shirai-san with growing dread. Suddenly, this hotpot party felt like it was teetering on the edge of disaster.
"Pet shop" and "groceries" made sense separately—but together? That was terrifying.
"Shirai-san… you're not planning to cook some kind of cursed dish, are you?" Uiharu-san asked nervously.
"What is it?!" Misaka-senpai's breath hitched. A bad feeling prickled at her spine. She stood up slightly, her expression grave.
"The moment of truth has arrived," Shirai-san announced, each word dripping with theatrical weight.
"I brought… this!"
With a flourish, she slammed a full box of soft-shell turtle meat onto the table.
"The collagen in turtle will make Onee-sama's skin silky smooth," she declared reverently.
"And to accompany it—Kuroko's specially crafted beverage! Infused with my deepest feelings and presented in dazzling elegance, this drink is the pinnacle of culinary art!"
She took a deep breath and presented a tall-stemmed glass filled with vivid red liquid to Misaka-senpai.
"What… is this?" Misaka-senpai stammered, pointing at the drink.
"It's turtle blood—blended with apple juice for easy drinking. Onee-sama, please drink it all in one go!"
Shirai-san beamed, pushing the glass closer with unsettling enthusiasm.
"After this, Onee-sama will be bursting with energy! Though… you might run a fever tonight and not be able to sleep… Heh heh heh~~~"
--+--
Now, back at the low table.
All the ingredients had been tossed into the pot.
Shirai-san's turtle had been buried deep in the broth as a secret base. As for that crimson drink? It had long since vanished down the drain—on its way to the Pacific Ocean.
And a certain teleporter? She lay sprawled on the floor, her fate uncertain.
Shirai-san bore a few fresh bruises—any detective present would've noted the telltale lump on her head, clearly from a blunt impact.
Meanwhile, Natsume Sonoko tended the grill like a diligent little bee, never pausing in her work.
One moment, she'd eagerly lay an entire box of Kobe beef onto the grates, carefully adjusting the heat to avoid burning it.
The next, she'd scoop steaming morsels from the hotpot into her bowl, shoveling them into her mouth without a second thought—scalding hot or not.
Unconsciously, the girl with the twin buns on her head wore a contented smile.
She couldn't explain it, but eating with friends always felt different—warmer, brighter—than eating alone in the dorm cafeteria.
"Hey, Natsume-san… doesn't that burn?" Haruue-san, seated beside her, stared in disbelief. "You just pulled that out of the hotpot!"
"Don't worry! Natsume-san's famously heatproof," Misaka-senpai said with a reassuring pat on Haruue Erii's shoulder.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.