*Tap.*
As I closed the door and stepped into Mayuzumi-sensei’s living quarters, it was just as luxurious as one would expect from Shuo Hero Academy, which boasts itself as having the world’s best facilities.
The only problem? It smelled like a bar and a kitchen had a rough night together.
“I’m, um, sorry, Kim-kun. I just noticed your message now… Heeheehee★”
Mayuzumi-sensei scratched her pink hair and smiled brightly.
Her bouncing chest couldn’t be hidden even by her baggy training outfit.
[Hey partner. Was your instructor like this?]
It sounded like the Black Prince was in shock inside my head.
“Oops! Sensei, get a grip! First, let’s air the place out!”
With a light slap to her own head, Mayuzumi-sensei hurriedly opened the balcony window.
As the outside breeze flowed in, the smell of alcohol seemed to wane a bit.
“Kim-kun, sit here and wait. I’ll prepare a little something for you!”
Mayuzumi-sensei plopped down into the chair she claimed.
“Ah, hot!”
Crash! Boom!
A scream from the kitchen echoed, accompanied by cartoonish sound effects.
Only in a light novel world would they go that far.
What a time to be alive!
[That person isn’t making something edible, right? More importantly, is it really okay to have someone like that as a culinary advisor?]
The Black Prince’s worried voice echoed again.
Despite his concerns, Mayuzumi-sensei was actually decent at cooking thanks to her long single life.
It was her clumsy nature that was the real issue; the food itself was likely edible.
“Ta-da! It’s ready! Okonomiyaki!”
The catch? It was essentially bar snacks.
On a sizzling plate, the fluffy hot okonomiyaki was piled high.
*Clink, sizzle.*
Mayuzumi-sensei sliced the okonomiyaki in half with a spatula.
Glug-glug-glug.
She poured cola into a glass that was originally meant for beer.
“There’s not much, but dig in! Kim-kun!”
Well, if she’s offering, I should eat.
Picking up my chopsticks, I took a bite of the okonomiyaki.
The salty sauce mixed with the chewy batter and savory pork danced on my taste buds.
[Tasty?]
*“It’s delicious.”*
It was really good.
Way better than the okonomiyaki from that Japanese restaurant in front of the university.
This place has some skills!
I took a sip of cola.
“How’s Sensei’s cooking?”
Mayuzumi-sensei’s pink eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Delicious.”
Her face lit up at my compliment.
She covered her flushed cheeks with her hands and said, “I’m so glad! You see, I’ve never prepared a meal for someone else before. I was worried you wouldn’t like it. Hehe. You may look a bit prickly on the outside, but you’re such a sweet student! I want to give you ten praise stickers!”
“I’ve never had the chance to serve food to anyone before, so I was worried what if it didn’t suit their taste. Hehe. Kim seems prickly on the outside, but he’s such a kind student! I want to give him ten praise stickers!”
I knew he was one to exaggerate like that, but seeing it in person makes it feel even more burdensome.
[Ugh. Partner, doesn’t the homeroom instructor seem a bit odd?]
Even the Black Prince seems shocked.
Clap.
Mayuzumi-sensei claps her hands on the table, her eyes sparkling.
“So, Kim-kun, what would you like to discuss? I’ll listen to everything. I’m always on the side of the students! Go ahead and tell me.”
“I’m preparing to establish a cooking club and was wondering if I could request you as the advisor.”
“Absolutely! A cooking club sounds fun!”
Mayuzumi-sensei nods without a moment of hesitation.
[Is it really okay for her to agree so easily? Partner, you must have had a reason to be so confident?]
Hearing the Black Prince’s voice, I hand over the advisor application and pen to Mayuzumi-sensei.
“Just like this, like this. Done! All filled out!”
I receive the completed paperwork from Mayuzumi-sensei.
Now it’s all set.
[Congratulations. You did it. But partner, didn’t you say there’s a waiting period before formal club activities can be recognized?]
There are always means to bypass that.
I search for Seira’s contact saved on my phone.
It’s time to contact the Chairman.
*
Shuo Hero Academy.
Chairman’s Room.
Today, as usual, Seira is humming a tune while sipping matcha, leaving most of the work to her dedicated assistant, Ritsuko.
Seira, sitting on a chair far too large for her petite frame, absentmindedly swings her legs.
Despite her legs never reaching the floor, tightly wrapped in white knee-high socks, Seira is already used to this body shape.
A message arrives on her phone.
“Huh? Who’s contacting me?”
The number of people she has given her personal number to is few and far between.
Among them, the only ones she contacts regularly are Student Council President Aris and Association President Ichiro.
“Could it be the kid?”
Thump, thump.
Seira’s face turns red and her heart starts racing.
Excitement begins to swell deep inside her.
She bites her lip.
“Ugh, how silly of me. So silly…”
Clap, clap.
Seira lightly slaps her cheeks with both hands, trembling as she turns on her phone.
[Chairman, I’ve completed all the requirements for club creation. Please approve it.]
She freezes.
Seira’s hand stops.
Swipe.
As soon as Seira touches the screen, the message she just shared with Kim Deok-Sung appears.
“A club… that’s why the kid wanted to know about Mayuzumi’s room earlier.”
Seems nothing went wrong with Mayuzumi-sensei after all.
Seira lets out a sigh of relief, shaking her head quickly.
“Ugh, such a bold little kid…”
Seira groans.
It’s frustrating how he only contacts her when he needs something without even showing his face.
She misses him.
“W-What am I thinking right now…?!”
Seira jumps in surprise.
She lets out a sigh.
Ever since she felt her own infatuation during a conversation with Aris not long ago, every time she talks to Kim Deok-Sung, her heart rate keeps increasing.
Even just exchanging messages with him made her heart race to the point of surprising herself.
“If I say it like this, he can’t possibly refuse…”
“Isn’t it just unfair…?”
Still, I can’t refuse his request.
If I don’t do it now…
She might disappear like someone she once loved.
I want to give her as much as I can while she’s here.
Whatever he desires.
I don’t want to create anything that I might regret again.
“Mmmm…”
Seira shakes her head.
Feeling her heart racing wildly like a girl in her first love, she furrows her brows.
“You little troublemaker…”
She hesitates, trying to send a reply with her fingers.
I want to hear his voice.
That thought suddenly crosses her mind.
Seira’s hand halts.
Is it okay to call him?
“A phone call should be… fine, right?”
Carefully, Seira presses the call button on her contacts app.
[Chairman]
As the call connects and his voice reaches her ears, Seira’s heartbeat skyrockets.
Trying desperately to hide her flushed face, she speaks with a facade of calmness.
“Uh, um. So you want to establish a club for resurrection?”
[Yes. Normally, to formalize a temporary club into a regular one, a reflection period is required, but… I have some circumstances. Could you do me this favor?]
It’s nothing big.
Yet Seira’s face turns so red it looks like it’s dripping with color.
“Of course! There’s no request I cannot fulfill!”
Smack!
Seira confidently pounds her chest as if to emphasize her assurance.
Kim Deok-Sung’s voice resonates in her ears.
[So you’ll agree?]
“Of course, just send the paperwork my way.”
[Understood. Thank you, Chairman.]
Click.
The call ends.
Thank you.
His last words linger in Seira’s ears.
A smile spreads across her face.
“Hmph, heh heh. Hehehe♪”
As she starts humming again, shaking her legs that don’t touch the ground.
“You seem in a good mood, Chairman.”
A deliciously thick Kansai dialect tickles her ears.
Seira turns her gaze toward the voice.
There stands Ritsuko, elegantly dressed, her mint-colored hair secured with a golden hairpin.
“You old hag! You pile work on me until I nearly drop dead, and here you are drooling on the phone with a kid many years younger than you? Honestly, I’m flabbergasted…”
Ritsuko slams a pile of documents down on the desk.
Her face flickers with shades of red and blue in real-time.
Twist.
Seira’s eyebrows arch.
“Ritsuko.”
“Wow, you called me! Old hag.”
“Who taught you to act so uncouth? Do you truly need another ‘lesson’ to get your act together?”
Lesson.
The memory of five continuous hours of preaching from Seira makes Ritsuko break a cold sweat.
She even had to work overtime that day to catch up on the backlog of tasks.
An experience she absolutely doesn’t want to repeat.
“That’s… not happening.”
“If you know, then bring me some yokan.”
Smack.
Seira extends her empty bowl toward Ritsuko.
“Oh great, wicked supervisor…”
Mumbling, Ritsuko takes the empty bowl and steps out.
Smack.
Watching the door to the Chairman’s Room close, Seira smiles.
“Hehe, I must have had thanks from the kid.”
Spinning around in her chair, she lets out a joyful twirl.
*
Annex, once the reading club, now turned cooking club room.
Club room.
Tap.
I place the documents sent by the president on the table.
“Here. It’s all done. This is the official club activity registration form.”
Hoshino Kasumi’s eyes widen as she looks at the documents.
“Junior, you really finished everything in just one day. Honestly, I didn’t expect it. You’re a bad but capable guy.”
[Accurate assessment. That girl Hoshino Kasumi has amazing insight, doesn’t she?]
What insight?
Just then, Nishizawa, fiddling with her collar, shouts confidently.
“Eri-ring had no doubt that you would finish the job in a day! Now, since Eri-ring won the bet, everyone pay up!”
Wait, what? Money?
Did you seriously bet on this?
“Ugh, I thought you were an incompetent guy… Seems like I underestimated you.”
“Heh… I feel ashamed.”
“Master… I’m sorry…”
“I never thought you’d pull it off.”
Clink, clank.
Coins and bills are placed in front of Nishizawa.
She collects the money with a smile.
“Hehe. I should use all of this for a date with the master.”
Unbelievable.
[You seriously didn’t have any faith in me?]
‘Shut up.’
I never expected to witness a cliché where they bet on me.
It hits me again that I’m in a light novel world.
The awkward atmosphere is broken by Kasumi’s voice.
“Hmm, then, though a bit late, let’s start the after-party for the training competition!”
Clap, clap, clap.
The after-party, initiated by Kasumi’s applause, lasted longer than expected.
The heroines are already noisy enough by themselves.
Five of them gathered? I’m about to lose my mind.
And then there’s the chatterbox Black Prince.
After munching on snacks and cola, I finally manage to hang in there until the after-party ends.
‘Both body and mind are exhausted.’
[Partner, you should learn to enjoy a little more. Any other guy would be jealous of this scene. Got it?]
Jealous? No way.
I don’t even have the energy for a rebuttal.
As I trudged towards the dormitory, I spot a familiar figure in the distance.
A Japanese beauty with a navy ponytail and a wonderfully prominent chest in her sailor uniform.
It’s Shinozaki Rin.
“…Kim Deok-Sung.”
“What’s up?”
She squints slightly.
As I get closer, I see her awkwardly standing with her hands behind her back.
“Uh, um… please take this!”
Suddenly, she bends down and awkwardly presents me with a poorly wrapped gift box in both hands.
A gift?
I snatch the box from Rin’s hands and unwrap it.
Inside is a small coin purse with a bear embroidery that looks like it was made with little skill.
“What’s with the coin purse?”
“I, I made it myself… I wanted to give it to you… I wanted to hand it over when it’s just the two of us… My skills are still rough, so it might look weird… But I thought I’d show you the results of my recent ‘feminine charm’ training…”
Rin fumbles with her fingers, blushing as she babbles.
‘Feminine charm’ training?
Is that strange training still ongoing?
Just as I think this and turn my gaze back to Rin, I notice her hands in my view.
They’re covered in band-aids and scratches, as if she’s been poked with a needle multiple times.
