Hachiman's Side
Alright, it's the dreaded first of August. In other words, Reward Day. I'm curious to see what those four will try to pull. Even with the teachers here, there isn't a single Uma Musume who would be intimidated… Ogre (Oguri) knows the teachers, Brian probably wouldn't care, Spe (Special Week) would be engrossed in food, and Pack Queen… I mean McQueen… would gravitate towards the sweets. When I think about it this way, there's truly no escape.
And the other members probably feel a bit restless about today's events too. Well, if I tell them I'm cooking tonight, they'll snap back to normal.
Hachiman: "Alright then, time to get to it today."
—Beach—
Hachiman: "Alright, let's start training. But before that, don't worry, I'm cooking dinner tonight."
Air Groove: "—! I-is that so!"
CB: "Yayyy~ I'm so excited~ ♪"
Bakushin O: "You did it!!"
Hachiman: "Hey, you two, quiet down. For now, today's training will be a bit stricter. But in return, I'll make you something delicious for dinner."
"Yes!!"
For Ardan, Rice, Arrow, Bakushin O, and Maurice—who are participating in training camp for the first time since the team was formed—they've been undergoing fairly hard training since July (excluding Ardan due to her debut race). So, even with breaks, they must be accumulating fatigue.
Hachiman: "I'll have to make a lot today. There'll probably be tons of seconds. Especially for the white rice."
—After Training, Kitchen—
Hachiman: "Excuse me, I'm Hikitani, the trainer."
"Oh, Trainer-san! You're here this year! I've cleared the back kitchen for you! And the cooking utensils you mentioned before, I've got them ready!"
Hachiman: "Thank you. I'll get straight to it then. Also, I might borrow a few more dishes than the number I initially planned; would that be alright?"
"Yeah, that much is fine!"
Alright, from here on out, I'm making a ton! I mean, it's not a set meal style this time. If I don't make a lot, we might even run out of rice.
"I wonder what he's making for us this time~."
—A Few Minutes Before Dinner Time—
Making this much by myself is really tiring… But it's almost done, so just one more push. Time is… already this late, huh. They'll be here soon. In fact, some are already here, and some students are even peeking in. Well, it's not time yet, so I might just make it… maybe?
Air Groove: "Hachiman, is it ready? If you still need to plate, I can help?"
Hachiman: "Air Groove, thank you. But it's fine, cooking is almost finished. I'll plate everything at once, so you can wait."
Air Groove: "…But what are you making this time? The fragrant smell isn't very strong."
Hachiman: "That's a surprise for when you see it."
It's dinner time, so the other students, especially the new ones, are placing their orders. But the students who know about my menu are clearly looking forward to what kind of food will appear, so they haven't ordered yet. Naturally, those three haven't either. McQueen, though, only cares about dessert, so she just ordered normally.
Hachiman: "Sorry for the wait. Teachers, my apologies for keeping you. This is this year's reward menu."
Fuji: "Th-this is…"
Air Groove: "This is a different direction from before…"
Maurice: "Wow… it looks delicious!"
Bakushin O: "It really whets the appetite!!"
Taliato: "It seems you've further honed your skills, Hachiman."
Hachiman: "This year's cuisine is… Chinese. The menu starts with white rice, and I've made a large quantity of side dishes. Gyoza, shumai, sweet and sour pork, xiaolongbao, mapo tofu, spring rolls, karaage, and happosai for the main dishes. For soup, I've prepared a hearty, ingredient-filled soup."
Man o' War: "You made all this by yourself? As expected of my grand-disciple! But it's quite a lot…"
Hachiman: "Yes. So, I prepared this."
What I prepared was a large revolving serving platter. With this, they can all eat a large amount of food at once.
Taliato: "Hoh, well thought out. With this tableware, everyone can share. A good method."
Rice: "Brother can make anything~ it looks so incredibly delicious…"
Ardan: "Indeed. Seeing this, one might overeat even if they didn't intend to."
Hachiman: "Alright, I'll start plating, so give me a hand. I'll put this in the center."
Taliato: "Hehe, it's like a buffet."
I placed the tableware in the center and then served the dishes one after another. Man, I'm getting some intense stares… Definitely those three.
Hachiman: "Alright, plating complete. Now then, please help yourselves."
"We'll eat!"
The moment they heard those words, they reached for the dishes in front of them, then reached for other ingredients, repeating the process. Well, it can't be helped, there are 10 kinds of side dishes. Did I make too much? But what's made is made, so there's no going back now.
Hachiman: "If anything runs low, please let me know. I have some extra left."
Taliato: "You're always so prepared, Hachiman. Won't you eat with us?"
Hachiman: "I'd like to, but I want to wash the utensils. Besides, I was tasting as I cooked, so I'm not that hungry."
Taliato: "Is that so, I understand. Then we shall gratefully partake."
Hachiman: "Yes, please enjoy."
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