She cuts off his words and says,
“Instead, I’ll call Ishihara and Kurosawa too, so figure it out.”
They were going to call them anyway.
Rin would stalk me whether I call her or not.
Since it’s come to this, I should assign the bomb disposal squad to those two connected to Rin.
Slave assembly!
“······Fine.”
Rin responds in a solemn voice and glares at Olivia.
Receiving Rin’s gaze, Olivia crosses her arms and snaps back.
“I absolutely dislike an idiotic decision made by someone as stupid as you, who’s the number one fool in the universe, but… I have no choice. Alright then, I’m generous, so I graciously accept your foolish decision. Consider it an honor!”
Ugh, seriously.
She never knows how to speak nicely.
“If you both understood, get to your seats. Dismissed. Stop bothering my head.”
I wave my hand to issue the dismissal.
Just then, as Rin and Olivia head back to their seats,
Creak.
The sliding door at the front of the classroom opens and Mayuzumi appears.
The murmurs of the students quickly quiet down.
Mayuzumi clenches her fists and yells,
“Hello, students! It’s your teacher! Let’s start HR today!”
She sure gets here quickly.
Did she just ignore my message?
Tokyo.
Deep within the Shinozaki Mansion.
An unnaturally quiet tatami room.
Shinozaki Ichiro, sitting down, casts his gloomy gaze over Shinozaki Rin, who has her head bowed in a formal position.
“What’s the result?”
Ichiro’s cold voice pierces Rin’s ear.
‘Tch.’
Rin bites her lip.
The events of today replay in her mind.
What she got after bravely confessing was a cold rejection.
Rin, who never even thought her confession would be rejected, was doubly shocked.
She wanted to smash the internet dating tips that said it was best to confess first.
‘What’s wrong with me…!’
She can’t comprehend the rejection.
She can’t understand his cold attitude either.
Objectively speaking, Rin believes she’s a top-notch bride candidate.
‘That thieving cat…!’
Olivia’s image pops into Rin’s mind.
The French princess, Olivia, whom she never wants to lose to again.
She also remembers Kim Deok-Sung standing next to her.
At first, she just vaguely thought about stealing the guy Olivia likes to get revenge for the humiliation of the entrance exam.
But today, after experiencing another humiliation in the classroom, the seed of stubbornness sprouted in her heart.
A determination to have him no matter what.
She can’t always be second fiddle, always coming in second place.
Rin’s hand gripping her school uniform skirt trembles.
“I failed in courting. But…”
Rin lifts her head with a grim expression.
“I got permission to accompany you to the cherry blossom festival at Inokashira Park.”
“Permission has been granted.”
A chilly smile appeared on Ichiro’s lips.
“That’s a fairly understandable achievement.”
“Thank you, Lord.”
Rin bowed her head politely.
This was the first time she received praise from the Lord since enrolling in Shuo Hero Academy.
Feeling a strangely uplifted mood, Rin’s expression suddenly tensed.
Going to the cherry blossom festival together was fine.
“But… I’ve never made a lunchbox even once…”
However, for Rin, who was more used to Japanese swords than dolls since childhood, cooking was an unfamiliar territory.
Naturally, there was no way she could make a lunchbox.
Considering that a homemade lunchbox is the essence of femininity, this was a serious problem.
If she wasn’t careful, the French princess, accompanied by a capable maid, might outshine her.
Just thinking about such a dizzying scenario made Rin bite her lips.
“I’ll assign a personal chef to you.”
Ichiro’s voice resonated in her ear.
“I’ll make sure you can create the best lunchboxes in Japan. And…”
Rin lifted her head.
“I’ll arrange for you and Kim Deok-Sung to be paired together at Imgan School after the model gate practice.”
Imgan School.
Once a year, first-year students from Shuo Hero Academy embark on a week-long outdoor training camp in Hokkaido’s eroded lands, known as the Tree Sea.
The original purpose is survival training, where students are expected to survive for a week in the wilderness filled with errant beings, but in reality, it’s more of a camping event for the students.
In Imgan School, the pairings are made in groups of two.
To prevent accidents, the principle is to have male students pair with male students and female students with female students as much as possible.
But now, Ichiro openly declared he would break that rule.
“Really…?”
Rin asked with a trembling voice.
“Yes. No matter how much the academy is a separate institution from the association, with the association’s pressure, this level of support is certainly possible.”
The Japanese Hero Association is the core power organization that supports Hero-strong Japan.
Even the Prime Minister, the top authority in Japan, cannot afford to treat the Association President Ichiro lightly.
Using such powerful influence, changing pairings is quite feasible.
Of course, unlike other hero academies in Japan, Shuo Academy’s chairman, the White Empress Seira, would only exert such pressure once, not twice.
But it doesn’t matter.
“A week. You will be spending a whole week alone with him. Find a way to win him over at Imgan School.”
When two hot-blooded teenagers spend time together in the same space for a week, something is bound to happen.
For such a golden opportunity, using just a single chance is more than enough.
“The daughter of the Shinozaki family must never lose to the French princess twice. Make sure to win with whatever means necessary.”
Ichiro’s command pierced Rin like a dagger.
“Understood, Lord.”
Rin replied through clenched teeth.
She never liked the Lord’s commands.
They always seemed to impose unreasonable goals.
But at this moment, she could willingly obey his command.
Her willingness not to lose to Olivia was the same.
“I will certainly achieve victory.”
With a determined voice, Rin responded, and Ichiro smiled faintly.
It had been a while since Rin approached instructions with such passion.
Ichiro sipped his oolong tea placed on the desk.
“Lord, may I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
Clack.
Ichiro set down the oolong tea cup.
It was a question from Rin, who usually hardly asked anything, making his curiosity heighten.
There is none.
Rin hesitates, lowering her head as she speaks slowly.
“U-um, do you perhaps know what Kimchi Soup is?”
“Kimchi Soup?”
Ichiro’s eyebrows twitch.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of that dish…”
Ichiro knows about kimchi; it’s a famous dish from neighboring Korea. Since Japan is quite fond of Korean cuisine, he knows a few basic dishes like hotteok, bibimbap, and galbi.
But kimchi soup is something he has never heard of before.
Ichiro’s eyes narrow.
“Is this question related to Kim Deok-Sung, by any chance?”
“Yes, it is.”
Rin nods.
She still doesn’t understand why Kim Deok-Sung told her to ‘stop drinking kimchi soup’.
Ichiro’s expression grows serious at Rin’s answer.
Kim Deok-Sung.
To make him a son-in-law of the Shinozaki family, no detail can be overlooked.
An awkward silence flows between them.
Slurp.
Ichiro takes another sip of his oolong tea.
A thought flashes in his mind like lightning.
“Is it possible that ‘kimchi soup’ refers to kimchi stew? Perhaps Kim Deok-Sung likes kimchi stew, a Korean dish.”
“Kimchi stew… I see.”
Rin nods.
“Any other questions?”
“No, none.”
“Cherry Blossom Festival. I hope for good results.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Rin bows politely, her eyes glinting coldly.
*
Shuo Hero Academy.
Home Economics Practice Room.
In the spacious room furnished with a variety of cooking tools and ingredients that rival a hotel kitchen, Olivia, a platinum-haired beautiful girl in a white apron, stands with a kitchen knife in her hand, huffing.
“Ugh, seriously… The worst! The dumbest! The most foolish man in the universe!”
Thunk.
The yellow pickled radish on the cutting board is sliced.
Olivia’s face turns red with anger.
“Not a single thing I like about that fool!”
Thunk.
The pickled radish is chopped again.
“Going with someone else is just unbelievable! Hey, after making promises! We even pinky swore, copied signatures and everything…!! How dare… how dare…”
Olivia’s hands tremble with rage.
The day’s events replay in her mind.
It was supposed to be a much-anticipated cherry blossom outing.
They had promised to go together, even pinky swore and copied signatures.
But of all people, why did Shinozaki Rin have to tag along?
“That can’t happen, I won’t forgive it…!!”
Tap-tap-tap.
Olivia’s furious slicing renders the pickled radish into a chaotic mess.
“Your Highness, if you cut it like that, you won’t be able to use the pickled radish for gimbap.”
A calm voice comes from beside Olivia.
Bella, dressed in a neat maid uniform, is mixing spinach while wearing sanitary gloves.
“Well, that’s true but…”
Olivia pouts, tossing the mess of pickled radish aside and pulling out another piece.
The trash can next to her is already piled high with shattered pickled radish bits.
That’s the result of her venting her frustrations on the radish.
“Are you upset because your plan to hang out alone with your Master got canceled?”
“N-no! Absolutely not! Who would want to be alone with that fool!? It’s just that Shinozaki that sneaky cat suddenly intruded that bothers me!”
Shinozaki Rin.
Originally, Olivia didn’t pay much attention to her.
Although the world linked her and Shinozaki Rin as rivals of the century, Olivia wasn’t the type to care about such rumors.
She had been impressed by Rin’s considerable abilities during the entrance exam, but that was it.
If only she hadn’t picked a fight with Kim Deok-Sung, if only she hadn’t come looking for her that night.
If Kim Deok-Sung hadn’t picked a fight that day, and if he hadn’t come looking for her that night, Olivia might not have continued to pay any attention to Shinozaki Rin.
For Olivia, all the students in this academy, no, most heroes in this world, are just irresponsible fools.
The exception? That man.
“Ugh! Anyway, I don’t like any of it. All of it!”
“You’re worried about Shinozaki, aren’t you?”
“Exactly! That thief cat’s behavior annoys me from head to toe. The worst, the lowest!”
“To press down on Shinozaki’s nose, we need a perfect lunchbox.”
Bella’s words make Olivia pause her kitchen knife.
“Uh, what kind of lunchbox?”
“According to research, after gimbap, the next popular menu in Korean lunchboxes is inari sushi. The dessert is said to be cherry tomatoes, pineapple, kiwi, and strawberries.”
“Didn’t we already buy all of that?”
Olivia’s gaze lands on the inari sushi ingredients and various fruits on the table.
“That’s right. But there’s an important step missing.”
Bella says with a serious expression.
“It’s whether to add cucumber to the gimbap.”
“Cucumber?”
“According to the information, gimbap’s cucumber is a highly debated ingredient. Since we can’t know whether your master’s master likes or dislikes cucumbers, we purchased them, but at this decisive moment, we need to figure out your master’s master’s taste.”
“Taste… So, do I have to ask that fool directly?”
“Yes.”
Bella gives a slight smile as she subtly urges Olivia.
Olivia reddens, puts down the kitchen knife, and grabs her phone.
“Uh, I can’t help it. I guess it’s just this once! I won’t contact him first again!”
*
After finishing the review with Senior Kasumi in the reading room.
With a curry bread bought by the senior in her mouth, she heads back to the dormitory.
Beep.
Her phone rings.
She pulls it out of her pocket.
[Hey you]
A message from Olivia.
What’s going on?
[Why?]
[Do you like cucumber gimbap?]
A really random question.
Why is a French person asking about cucumber gimbap all of a sudden?
For a moment, she’s puzzled.
Though the question is strange, it’s not an impossible answer.
Above all.
[No, I hate it.]
I hate putting cucumbers in gimbap the most.
Mint chocolate, cucumber gimbap, pineapple pizza—those are the devil’s food that messes with taste buds.
The message’s read receipt disappears.
No reply.
Did she just leave me on read?
“Fine, do as you please.”
She puts her phone back in her pocket and stuffs the remaining curry bread in her mouth.
The fluttering cherry blossoms come into view.
Cherry blossom festival.
Not much time left.
Who is better?
Saturday.
Since it’s a holiday with no classes, normally, she would just hibernate in the dorm and sleep all day.
But because of the cherry blossom festival and the shady organization, New World League, I had no choice but to move my heavy body even on a holiday.
Shuo Hero Academy parking lot.
In the large open space next to the school gate, a variety of vehicles ranging from the shiny luxury sedans of the staff to scooters of the students are parked.
Among them, there’s a medium-sized bus.
In front of the familiar-looking medium-sized bus, which she often rode during her military days for external religious activities, stands a beauty with a neat bob haircut dressed in a black suit—Han Seo-Jin.
“Welcome, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Seeing me, she politely bows at a 90-degree angle.
Originally, she intended to have someone follow me secretly, but since Shinozaki Rin got involved and made things bigger, there’s nothing she can do now.
