Another week passed.
Saturday afternoon.
After a week of seeking guidance—consulting the opinions of Katsuragi, Yamamura, Shiraishi, Morishita, and others (while politely declining Shiraishi Asuka’s kind offer to go shopping together)—Master Chef Mikage, dreaming of becoming a culinary expert, put on his shoes in the dormitory, grabbed his phone, slung on his backpack, and headed straight for the supermarket.
Upon entering the supermarket, Mikage Touji went directly to the kitchenware section.
Looking at the dazzling rows of kitchen utensils, Master Chef Mikage first ruled out the “Quantum-Enabled Cookware,” “Nano Non-stick Pans,” and “Hokkaido Hermit Hand-Forged Iron Pots” that Morishita Ai had enthusiastically recommended.
These were obvious money traps; he briefly wondered if Morishita, seeing his wallet grow fat lately, was trying to swindle him out of all his money.
In the end, Mikage Touji picked up a cast-iron wok.
He held it high with both hands and swung it twice like he was fighting off zombies, nodding in satisfaction.
The feel was good.
One listen and you knew it was a good pot capable of crushing skulls or blocking bullets.
Unfortunately, his backpack wasn’t designed to holster it on the back.
After gradually selecting other utensils, Mikage Touji found a broomstick and strung the kitchenware together like a traveling peddler.
Shouldering the load, he moved on to the ingredients section.
High-end ingredients often only require the most simple cooking methods.
After a busy day, Master Chef Mikage chose to “freeload.”
One has to admit there is at least one good thing about Advanced Nurturing: to allow students from lower-ranked classes to eat something decent when they get tired of the free “Mountain Vegetable Set,” the supermarket puts out a limited amount of free ingredients every day.
With the mindset of “if I don’t take this bargain, someone else will,” Mikage Touji resolutely extended a “wicked hand” toward a bundle of spinach on the shelf.
At the same moment, another fair and slender hand reached out.
The two hands landed on the same bundle of spinach simultaneously.
“Hmm?” “Eh?”
Both hands retracted at the same time.
“…”
Mikage Touji turned his head and saw the “Great Angel” of Class B, Ichinose Honami, who had also turned to look at him.
“Hello there, Mikage-kun!
Long time no see.” Ichinose Honami quickly recognized him and waved with a sweet smile.
Ichinose was dressed in casual clothes—a tasteful cream-colored dress—with a shopping basket hanging on her arm.
The basket already contained quite a few ingredients; one look told you she was an experienced “homemaker,” far beyond what a novice like Mikage Touji could match.
“Ichinose-san, are you here to buy groceries too?” Mikage Touji struck up a conversation with some small talk.
“Yes, it’s the weekend, so I thought I’d relax a bit.
Mikage-kun, what’s with…
all that?”
Ichinose nodded, then noticed the clattering collection of kitchenware strung on the broomstick behind his back.
“Oh,” Mikage Touji turned around.
“I’m selecting a batch of legendary kitchen utensils.” Another round of clattering ensued.
“Um…
I think there are shopping carts over there.”
“This is cooler.”
“Is that so…”
Ichinose let out a dry laugh.
She found she couldn’t quite understand this classmate’s train of thought.
No wonder Hoshinomiya-sensei told her that Mikage Touji had the reputation of being an “oddball.”
Despite this, she still kindly offered him shopping advice.
“That enamel board might not be good.
The magnets it comes with are too weak; if you hang something heavy on the wall, it’ll drop off instantly.”
“As for knives, just buy one suitable for prep work.
You basically won’t need a bone cleaver because most ingredients at school are already processed.”
“And also…”
Ding!
Master Chef Mikage received a lecture of experience from Master Chef Ichinose; his level increased.
“I see. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
So that’s how it is.”
Mikage Touji looked like he had just achieved enlightenment.
“Then I need to go back and swap some things.
Thanks, Ichinose-san.”
With that, he turned back toward the kitchenware section.
“It’s only natural; we’re classmates after all.”
“You can’t say it like that.
If you accept someone’s kindness, you must say thank you.
It’s as simple as that.”
“Well, that’s true, but I still hope my friends will come to me whenever they have a problem.
I’ll do my best to help them.”
“But isn’t that a bit strange?
You should have your own life too, right?”
“But I feel that if a friend is in trouble, it’s fine to solve my own matters a bit later.”
“That won’t do, Ichinose-san.
To love others, you must first love yourself—wait, haven’t you left yet?”
Mikage Touji turned his head sharply and found Ichinose Honami still following him closely with a beaming smile.
“I thought Mikage-kun might need more help, so I followed along,” Ichinose said straightforwardly, clutching her basket.
“Ichinose-san, this isn’t anything urgent.
More importantly,” Mikage pointed to the basket in her hand, “don’t you have your own plans?”
“This won’t take much time.
Besides, Mikage-kun looked a bit troubled just now, didn’t you?”
Mikage Touji stopped walking and looked directly into Ichinose Honami’s bright eyes.
Ichinose watched him back without even blinking.
“Why do you like helping people so much?”
“Why does Mikage-kun refuse help from others?”
“It’s not refusing help, it’s just that the two of us aren’t that close yet.
I don’t think it’s necessary to take up a new friend’s time for such a small matter.”
“I believe we’ll become close in the future.
There’s nothing wrong with helping a friend in advance.”
“…”
Mikage Touji withdrew his gaze and said helplessly, “You’re a bit of a strange person.”
“Mikage-kun is also a bit strange.”
Seeing Ichinose was so stubborn, Mikage Touji simply agreed.
“In that case, if you run into trouble next time, you can call me.
I’ll help you too.”
Ichinose Honami’s body visibly stiffened for a moment, as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“What’s wrong?” Mikage Touji frowned.
Ichinose shook her head without saying a word, then whispered, “It feels like I haven’t heard something like that in a long time.
Won’t it be a bother to Mikage-kun?”
Mikage Touji tilted his head and slowly generated a mental question mark.
“Why is it that you helping me isn’t a bother, but me helping you would be a bother?”
“Because we’re friends.”
“Exactly.
Because we’re friends, isn’t it only right to help each other?”
Ichinose Honami, who usually had maxed-out social skills and could perfectly handle all types of friends, was left speechless.
“Let’s go.”
Seeing Ichinose dazed on the spot, Mikage Touji continued toward the kitchenware section.
“I hope I don’t waste too much of your time.”
“Something wrong?”
“No, nothing at all.”
With Ichinose Honami’s help, Mikage Touji re-purchased his exclusive kitchen utensils and named them the Ealing Blade, the Turning Dragon Pot, the Jade Dragon Wok…
he forgot the rest.
Since the supermarket supported delivery, Mikage Touji was spared the struggle of lugging them back to his room.
After selecting their ingredients, the two walked out of the supermarket together.
At that moment, a man with long red hair and his hands in his pockets walked past them hurriedly, his face full of murderous intent, drawing stares from passersby.
“Isn’t that the pervert from the forum?”
“Yikes, don’t look at him.
I don’t know why the school would admit someone like that.”
“He’s looking over here.”
“Hurry, let’s go.”
Two upperclassmen girls quickly walked away.
Ryuen Kakeru glared at them fiercely, his lips twitching slightly.
In the end, he clenched his fists and walked away indignantly.
“It seems Ryuen-kun has been having a hard time these past few days,” Ichinose remarked.
“You even know Ryuen Kakeru?” Mikage Touji asked, stifling a laugh.
“Because they were fighting for the first few days of school.
I tried to intervene, but it had no effect at all.
However, since they were suspended for a week, things have been much better these last few days.”
“That’s a bit problematic.
His suspension is almost over, right?”
“Yes, I hope he can show a bit more restraint.”
As the elevator door opened with a ding, the two parted ways.
“I’ll be going then.
Thanks, Ichinose-san.” Mikage Touji carried his shopping bag in one hand and waved goodbye with the other.
“Don’t work yourself too hard.
And if you really need it, ask me for help—but only once.”
“Sure!
Bye-bye.”
The elevator doors slowly slid shut, and Ichinose Honami’s gentle, smiling face vanished behind them.
Mikage Touji’s hand slowly stopped waving, and the smile on his face gradually faded as he let out a sigh.
“What a strange girl.”
Evening.
High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods: green vegetables boiled in a pot, beef sliced thin and stir-fried over high heat, and skipjack tuna seared with salt and sesame oil until golden brown on both sides.
After a busy day, Master Chef Mikage sat down at the dining table and put the food into his mouth.
“…”
Ten seconds later, a skipjack tuna with a strange light in its eyes lay quietly in the trash can.
At the same time, a rich aroma of food drifted from a balcony into Mikage Touji’s room, snaking into his nose and violently agitating his taste buds.
Master Chef Mikage expressionlessly pulled out his phone, opened the group chat, and sent a message.
[Hikari, When Will You Return]: Morishita, Yamamura, let’s go out to eat.
My treat!