Chapter 30: Fried horse mackerel

Translator: Soafp

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The days of stomachache continued. Gindou Kohaku and Hihara Karen constantly intimidated each other, leaving no peaceful days until the day before the sports festival.

Both of them realized they would make lunch boxes for the sports festival and it turned into a lunch box showdown, further escalating the tense atmosphere. I need a break…

There is another reason why I can’t find peace of mind, and that is the next victim, Kikawa Moegi.

There is still plenty of time until her bad ending. However, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to get closer to her, so when we coincidentally passed each other in the hallway, I tried to speak to her, but…

[Uhm…]

[…]

She gave me a look as if she was staring at garbage and emitted an aura of refusal to engage in conversation. The sports festival, the executive committee, the school gossip… Kikawa Moegi’s likability meter was below freezing. I couldn’t even have a minimal level of intimacy.

My stomach hurts. Endlessly…

I don’t need to have any further involvement with Kikawa Moegi, but just thinking about future encounters makes my stomach ache. I don’t know how to approach her.

Well, even if she resists, I’ll still follow her forcefully as usual…

In that case, the school gossip and the school newspaper will ignite once again. To avoid a bad ending, I can tolerate some criticism.

But…

[The rumored chuuni, delighted to have two beautiful girls at his side!!!]

[Stalker, did he discover the weaknesses of two beautiful girls!?]

[Nickname changed from Double Destruction Overlay to just a piece of sh*t]

Please spare me. My stomach, my stomach, it hurts. How much worse can it get?

Lost in worries, consumed by them…

But I can’t stop here. I have a goal to repay their kindness, so I mustn’t stop thinking.

I start to think…

If I avoid the bad ending, I just want to return to a normal school life, but won’t I be branded as a piece of sh*t for the rest of my life?

I shouldn’t think about such things. Right now, I should focus on them.

Have some form of involvement with Kikawa Moegi and alleviate the tension.

That’s it. I don’t have any specific ideas yet, but I have to do something. The sports festival has an atmosphere that naturally heightens students’ spirits, so I’ll figure something out. Probably.

Now, let’s go!!!

With determination, I slipped into bed, intending to get an early sleep for the sports festival. However, my phone rang.

When I checked, it was a message from my mother.

[Izayoi, my work suddenly got canceled, so I’ll come to watch the sports festival tomorrow.]

A message from my mother. She’s usually busy, so this is unusual. Her work got suddenly canceled? Well, if she’s coming, I have to show a somewhat good appearance.

Although my goals for tomorrow increased, I didn’t dwell on it and fell asleep as it is.

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[Hihara Karen PoV]

On the day of the sports festival, I woke up at 5 a.m. It was for the sake of making bento boxes. I’ve never really cooked before, but I couldn’t afford to say such things this time.

Time couldn’t be wasted. First, let’s start with fried chicken!

I stood in the kitchen, heating up the oil and taking out the marinated raw meat from the refrigerator. Smartphones these days are convenient. Anything can be found if you look it up. Coat the chicken with flour…

Dad offered to help, but I declined. If I relied on Dad’s help now, it would be no different from losing to that girl, Gindou Kohaku.

Once the oil is warmed up, add the raw meat… How do i put it in

Eh? I’m super scared?

“Good morning, Karen.”

“Good morning.”

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I don’t. This is my holy battle.”

“I-I see. But it’s dangerous, so I’ll watch over you…”

Even dad, who usually wakes up much later, came to watch me making bento boxes out of worry. I have to make this a success no matter what.

I look at the oil. If I put the meat in here, that’s all… Yes, just put it in. So, how do I do it!?

“Do your best, Karen.”

“Mom!!”

“Do you need any help?”

“I’m fine… Besides, mom can’t cook either, right?”

“Come to think of it, you’re right. I’ll stay here and watch with Dad.”

Mom can’t cook at all either. When I was a preschooler, her cooking was banned after she burnt an omelet and lost all the water in a stewed dish.

My poor cooking skills must be inherited from Mom… No, it’s just because I have never done it.

With trembling hands, I successfully managed to put the meat in using a mesh scoop. I have to endure for a while.

A few minutes later. The oil splattered, and I managed to take out the fried chicken. Next is the tamagoyaki.

I take out the eggs from the refrigerator. Um, lightly crack them…

They got crushed, and the contents spilled out. Next, next, next. They all cracked.

“Karen, can I say something?”

“No!!”

“I mean, if you keep going like this, all the eggs will get smashed……”

“There are still four eggs left!”

“O-Okay.”

The contents of the cracked eggs became my breakfast. Afterwards, it became scrambled eggs instead of tamagoyaki.

And fried chicken.

Due to lack of time, I reluctantly added frozen dumplings and takoyaki to the bento.

With these, the bento was completed!! At first, I thought the result would be poor, but when I packed it, it turned out surprisingly good.

“I did it!!!”

“Well done!”

“You’ve grown…”

Both of them seemed overwhelmed with emotions. How about that!! I can do it if I try!!! I’ll take this to Izayoi for lunch…

[Enjoy!]

[Even Michelin would be surprised!!! Hihara-senpai, you’re so domestic!!!]

[It’s nothing special!!]

Ah, perfect. Fufufu. Gindou Kohaku wouldn’t be able to make something like this. I win!!!

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[Gindou side]

“Well, the fried chicken has been double-fried… Then there’s the hamburger, potatoes, omelet, and avocado salad…”

In a certain kitchen, a silver-haired girl was diligently preparing the dishes…

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[Izayoi PoV]

I woke up in the morning and immediately changed clothes to head to school. As a member of the student council, I had a lot to do in the morning, so I had to arrive a bit early. The school festival was held at Mina no Iro High School, and parents were allowed to attend. It was expected that a large number of people would gather, and we needed to set up tents for shade.

Most of the venue setup was done the day before, but the final touches had to be prepared on the morning of the event. That’s why we, the student council members, were being utilized. When I arrived at school, most of the student council members were already gathered. It was a few minutes before 7 o’clock, the time when our work as the student council started. I should have given myself more leeway by arriving earlier.

“Alright, let’s get started with the work”

Kaneko Taichi gave the order, and all the committee members except one started to move. I was surprised to see that Hihara Karen had not arrived yet.

Could it be because of the lunch preparation?

I worked for about 40 minutes.

“I’m late!”

Hihara Karen arrived in a rush, bowing and apologizing to everyone.

“I’m sorry, Izayoi.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I forgot all about it while making lunch …….”

She held her head down, feeling down. It seemed that she was so focused on making the lunch that she forgot about other things.

“But I did an amazing job. It’s so good that it deserves a Michelin star! Look forward to it!”

“R-Really? I’ll look forward to it, then.”

Was she good at cooking after all? In the original work, she often made mistakes like breaking a whole pack of eggs or reading a light novel while neglecting the simmering dish and evaporating all the liquid. But maybe things are different from the original work.

As the preparations progressed, more students started arriving at school. Since today was the day of the sports festival, students were allowed to come to school in their gym uniforms. Some students came directly wearing their gym clothes, while others came in their uniforms and changed later.

Students from Isshiki High School also started entering the school one after another. They placed their belongings in the designated areas for each school and waited until the event started. The waiting areas for each class were further divided on the south side.

After finishing the attendance check at the waiting area, the student council members returned to their designated area to prepare for the opening ceremony. The student council’s waiting area was located on the north side, where they performed various tasks.

While preparing for the opening ceremony in the student council’s waiting area, I heard Kaneko Taichi’s voice.

“Eh? Kagawa-kun, who was supposed to lead the warm-up exercises in the front, is absent!?”

The warm-up exercises were included in the program of the opening ceremony. It seemed that Kagawa-kun, who is responsible for it, was not here.

That’s troublesome. There’s no one who wants to do warm-up exercises in front of all the students, so it won’t be easy to find a replacement quickly.

“I have to act as a facilitator, and someone has to take his place… Ha!!”

Don’t look at me. I tried to avoid eye contact, but Kaneko Taichi came up to me.

“Please, Kuroda-kun. You’ve already embarrassed yourself in so many ways, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of now!”

How rude. Who does he think he is? It’s even more annoying that he’s hitting the mark. Try to be vague with your words.

“Please! You’re the only one we have!”

It’s irritating, but he has been working hard as the committee chairperson. I guess it’s fine for this.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you!”

And so, for the opening ceremony of the sports festival, all the students from both schools lined up, and the opening ceremony began. It’s clear how many people there are when everyone is lined up together.

Parents of the students were also present throughout the school, and there might be nearly a thousand people in total.

“Now, let’s begin the opening ceremony of the sports festival. First, we will hear from the principal.”

It was quite long from there. Talking about the joy of being able to hold the event despite the incident we went through. Then it unexpectedly turned into casual conversations. Repeat that twice.

After about an hour of that, finally, the program moved on.

“Next, we have a greeting from Kimchika Motoji.”

Why him? I don’t understand the meaning. That’s what I thought, but apparently, there were various adult circumstances because Motoji’s company provided drinks this time. Motoji stepped forward.

“We are truly delighted to be able to hold this joint sports festival.”

“So cool!”

“Who’s that kid?!”

“I’ve decided to transfer schools!”

Most of the female high school students from both schools were making a lot of noise, while most of the high school boys from both schools raised their middle fingers.

It’s just the same old thing on a larger scale.

After the shitty greeting was over, amidst the lingering excitement of the girls…

“Next is warm-up exercises. Kuroda-kun from Mina no Iro High School will serve as an example, so let’s all perform the exercises seriously and make sure no one gets injured.”

Amidst this atmosphere, I have to go. After Motoji stepped forward. It’s almost like self-sabotage to come out after the field has completely become his domain. But I ended up taking it on.

I reluctantly walk forward.

“Huh? Isn’t he… kind of short?”

“His face… looks plain.”

“Poor guy. Coming out after the handsome one…”

I look short because I’m coming out after Motoji. Of course, my face will plain in comparison after them seeing Motoji. The whispering of the female students from Mina no Iro High School hits me in the heart.

“Hey, isn’t it kind of pitiful?!”

One of the female students from Mina no Iro High School shouts loudly. She seems happy about something.

“It can’t be helped! If you serve fried horse mackerel after foie gras, it’s only natural that it pales in comparison! It’s the same thing! It’s disrespectful to keep pointing it out to that kid!!”

You. You are the most disrespectful one here. When she said that, everyone became aware of me and it became a bit awkward.

Performing warm-up exercises in that indescribable atmosphere was hell.