The meat on the grill sizzled, and the aroma was already spreading.
"This sound, this color—it's ready to eat now, right? Slurp∽"
"It's ready, right? I can't hold back anymore!"
"Not yet..."
When it was grilled just right, Izumi handed a skewer to Saiki: "Here, Saiki-kun. Enjoy."
[Thanks.]
Saiki took the skewer, bit off a piece of meat along with the green pepper, chewed, and swallowed.
[Delicious.]
"That's great then."
The others started digging into their skewers too.
"Delicious."
"So good..."
"Shikimori-san, the meat's ready. Come eat!"
"Oh—wait, you guys eat first!"
Shikimori kept stirring in the frying pan for a while longer.
"Done!"
Shikimori carried over the garlic-butter baked shrimp she'd made in the pan and walked to Saiki's side.
"Saiki-kun, this is what I made. Do you want to try it?"
Saiki shook the cola in his hand, looking at the perfectly normal-looking dish in front of him. He hesitated a bit.
Izumi: "Oh, that looks really tasty."
Inuzuka Shu: "Is this specially made for Saiki?"
Nekozaki Kyo: "Obviously it is..."
"ヾ(≧O≦)〃 Woo~ No, it's not."
Shikimori interrupted before Nekozaki Kyo could finish.
"I just suddenly felt like making this dish. It's not specially for Saiki-kun. You... you guys can try some too."
"Oh, got it. Then I won't hold back."
Inuzuka Shu walked over to Saiki, put his hands on Saiki's shoulders, and urged: "Eat it already, Saiki! Come on, eat! Why aren't you eating!"
[If you want to eat it so badly, you can go first. Why are you...]
Saiki looked speechlessly at the person urging him to eat.
"No way! Shikimori was the first one to give it to you, and you haven't eaten it yet! You try it first!"
(You're just trying to see if it's good or not, aren't you?)
"Saiki-kun—"
Under everyone's expectant stares, Saiki picked up chopsticks, slowly lifted a perfectly normal-looking, appetizing garlic-butter baked shrimp, and put it in his mouth.
The flavor exploded instantly in Saiki's mouth. Even after chewing and swallowing, his face remained expressionless.
Saiki calmly took a sip of cola, but Inuzuka Shu's questioning voice already rang out beside him.
"How is it? Saiki, how is it? Super delicious, right!"
Shikimori was nervously staring at Saiki too.
[Well, everyone's tastes are different. You can try it yourself.]
Saiki looked at the curious person beside him, picked up another shrimp with chopsticks, and tried to feed it to Inuzuka Shu.
"This..."
Inuzuka Shu felt like being fed wasn't quite right.
But that thought was rejected in 0.2 seconds. Looking at the delicious shrimp in front of him, under Shikimori's envious gaze, Inuzuka Shu bit down and chewed while evaluating.
Izumi couldn't help feeling envious—not of being fed, but of how skilled Shikimori was.
Izumi [Shikimori-san really seems like she's good at everything. Even though Saiki-kun didn't say it, it must taste amazing from the look on his face. She's great at studying and sports, cute, and can cook too...]
While Izumi was still fantasizing, Inuzuka Shu already gave his verdict.
"Mm~ This flavor, this taste, this freshness... this is really... Urgh~"
Inuzuka Shu clutched his throat in pain with one hand and tightly grabbed Saiki with the other: "Water, water... water~"
Saiki handed over his cola. Inuzuka Shu grabbed it and chugged it down. Only after feeling a bit better did he kneel on the ground, drool still dripping from his mouth, looking like he couldn't believe it and still hadn't recovered.
"Inuzuka-kun!"
"Are you okay, Inuzuka!"
Saiki crouched down, patted Inuzuka Shu on the back, and asked kindly.
[How's the taste?]
凸(艹皿艹 )
Inuzuka Shu drooled while glaring intensely at Saiki: "How's the taste? Can't you tell!!!"
"It tastes so salty... so bitter... wait, sweet? The flavor spread in my mouth, wrecked my taste buds, but I could still feel that intense taste. I feel like my tongue's going to fall off!"
Saiki helplessly spread his hands like a little bear.
[That's why I said everyone's tastes are different—]
(σ｀・д･)σ
"No, this isn't about different tastes..."
Inuzuka Shu stared in shock at the calm Saiki: "How did you eat something that disgusting with a straight face!"
Saiki didn't explain. He absolutely wouldn't admit that he'd destroyed his own taste buds first so he couldn't taste anything before eating it.
Because the moment Saiki touched it, he already knew what effect this food would have.
(This kind of thing normal people really can't eat. Good thing I can freely destroy and restore my sense of taste.)
"Is it... really that bad?"
Shikimori looked disappointed and picked up chopsticks to try a piece herself, but Saiki grabbed her hand to stop her.
[I'd advise against eating it. This one should count as a failure. Normal people probably can't stomach it. Probably too much salt.]
❓
Inuzuka Shu (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅) [That jerk Saiki—he must have forced himself to eat it just to trick me into trying it. Saying everyone's tastes are different—then why won't you let Shikimori eat it!]
Saiki: ...
"Really can't eat it? I wanted to try too!"
Izumi poked his head over from the side.
"If no one can eat it, should we throw it out?"
[You're not seriously thinking of eating it, are you? Forget it, Izumi.]
Saiki advised the seemingly fearless, waste-hating person who still wanted to taste it.
[Use it as fish bait and see if you can catch something!]
"Will that work? Using this as fish bait?"
[No problem.]
"Urgh∽"
Shikimori covered her mouth and knelt on the ground in pain. Nekozaki Kyo and Hachimitsu Yui patted her back from the sides to comfort her.
"Are you okay?"
[She didn't...]
Hachimitsu Yui: "Shikimori... she just ate it."
[Uh...]
Shikimori knelt there, hand over her mouth. Drool could still be seen leaking from between her fingers. Her eyes looked a little watery as she gazed at Saiki.
"Saiki-kun, it really tastes awful!!"
[That's why I said it from the start, didn't I?]
"What? Shikimori, you actually ate it? How could you!"
After rinsing his mouth, Inuzuka Shu said in shock: "Something normal people couldn't even make, and you still managed to eat it? You're way too brave!"
(You're indirectly saying Shikimori-san isn't normal?)
After recovering a bit, Shikimori staggered over to him and said seriously: "I'll definitely make delicious food next time."
[Uh, then good luck with that!]