Perspective: Hachiman
"Alright, that concludes today's meeting," I announced, closing my notebook. "So? Just for the record, who is staying over tonight?"
"Me, me~! I'm staying~!" C.B. raised her hand, practically bouncing in her seat.
"Yeah, I knew that much. Who else?"
"I will be imposing on you as well. Is that acceptable?" Air Groove asked.
"Yeah, that's fine."
"I'd love to join," Fuji Kiseki chimed in with a wry smile, "but I have some minor work back at the dorms, so I'll pass this time."
"I will be returning immediately!! As the Class Representative, I have duties!!" Bakushin O shouted, saluting.
"I've already submitted my external stay request," Arrow said calmly. "I'm staying."
"I will be in your care as well," Ardan added with a polite nod.
"I didn't submit a request, so I intended to excuse myself once the meeting ended," Maurice explained.
Then, a small hand went up.
"Rice is staying over too... is that okay?"
"Hmm." I counted heads. "C.B., Air Groove, Arrow, Ardan, and Rice. That makes five. Understood. In that case, I need to prepare food for six... actually, no. Better make it ten servings."
"Eh? Why?" C.B. blinked.
"Because Rice is here," I said, gesturing to the small Uma Musume. "Contrary to her appearance, she's a heavy eater. I have to make sure she gets her fill."
"Fwe!?" Rice turned bright red. "B-Big Brother! That's embarrassing, please don't say that~!"
"It's fine, isn't it?" C.B. laughed, leaning back. "It's rare for Hachiman to fret over details like that. Besides, compared to those four who constantly beg Hachiman for food, Rice never asks for it herself, so she's way better. Though, I suppose being Hachiman's favorite plays a part in it too~."
That might be... true. But it's a fact that Rice doesn't demand food. That alone gives me a good impression of her.
"Right then," I stood up. "Who's helping with the shopping?"
"Rice wants to help!"
"I'm coming too~♪" C.B. stood up.
"In that case, someone needs to watch the house," Air Groove noted. "I shall remain here on standby."
"Then I'll stay too," Arrow added.
"Alright. You two come with me. Air Groove, Arrow, take care of the place."
The Shopping District
"Yahoo~ Mister♪" C.B. waved at the greengrocer. "Give us about ten each of potatoes, carrots, and onions, please."
The shopkeeper grinned. "Oh, C.B.-chan? On a date with the hubby today?"
"Oh, stop it, Mister~" C.B. giggled, leaning playfully against me. "I haven't even been walked down the aisle yet~♪"
"Enough with the jokes," I deadpanned. "Just give us the vegetables, please."
"Hahaha! Trainer-san, a joke like that is just a playful jab! Here you go, ten of each: potatoes, carrots, onions."
"Thanks..." I took the bag. "Do you come here often?"
"Yep. To buy ingredients and stuff," C.B. replied. "Well, that's the only reason I come here, really. Though sometimes I do a little eating tour. Want to go together sometime?"
"I suppose..." I mused. "Having a day like that once in a while wouldn't be bad. I'll accompany you next time."
"It's an absolute promise, okay?♪"
"Yeah." I turned my head. "How about you, Rice? Managing to buy everything okay?"
(Time Skip)
"Rice~ did you get it?"
"Ah, Big Brother. Yep, everything is gathered."
"Alright, is this everything?" C.B. asked.
"Yeah. Now we just head back and cook."
"We bought a lot," Rice noted, looking at the bags. "But Big Brother, are we really going to use all these ingredients today?"
"Yeah. There are six of us, so we'll be fine."
"And if push comes to shove, we can just call someone over to solve it," C.B. shrugged. "I'm sure Maruzensky would come flying over immediately."
Hachiman's House
"...Hachiman, surely there is something I can do to help," Air Groove insisted, hovering near the kitchen.
"It's fine," I said, not looking up from the cutting board. "I'll need help with the plating, so I'll call you when it's time."
"...I see."
"Big Brother, when that time comes, Rice will help too!"
"Yeah, I'm counting on you."
Currently, I am in the middle of cooking, with about sixty percent of the work done. Today's theme is Japanese cuisine. To put it simply, it's something close to a standard teishoku set meal.
Incidentally, the menu consists of white rice, miso soup, nikujaga (meat and potato stew), beef tendon stew, grilled salmon, pickled daikon, and cold tofu.
"..."
"Amazing..." Rice whispered.
"Hm? Something on your mind?"
"Un, just a little. It's all coming together in the blink of an eye... it's amazing."
"It's nothing special once you get used to it," I replied, adjusting the heat. "Besides, compared to the summer training camp, this is nothing. It's not like I'm making anything elaborate."
Several minutes later, the plating was finished, and the five of us began our meal. I had them serve themselves for the initial plating and any seconds they might want.
"...It has a gentle taste," Ardan murmured after a bite. "It is different from the training camp. It is a taste that warms you up."
"Yeah! I totally get that!" C.B. agreed enthusiastically. "Maybe because it's Japanese food, but it feels super nostalgic... Ah, is this what they call 'Mom's cooking'!?"
"I'm not your mom..." I sighed. "And if you're going to say that, the phrase is 'the taste of home' (ofukuro no aji)."
"...Mm. It's been a while since I ate this, but it's delicious," Arrow said quietly. "Trainer's cooking is a masterpiece, after all."
"Umu. I have been eating this since I became your charge, but I am constantly impressed that you can produce such flavors," Air Groove nodded in agreement.
"My teacher's instruction was good, that's all," I said, picking up a piece of tofu. "When you're taught with that level of Spartan discipline, you tend to get serious about it. I didn't want to get scolded twice."
"...Big Brother's teacher..." Rice tilted her head, thinking. "Wasn't it... Secretariat-san?"
"That's right. The famous American Uma Musume." I stared into my miso soup. "I am who I am today thanks to her teachings. If I hadn't met that person, I have no idea what would have become of me by now."
"..." Rice fell silent, listening intently.
"Maybe there are no coincidences in this world," I continued, voice lowering slightly. "As if everything is an inevitability. I believe meeting my teacher wasn't a coincidence, either."
"T-Then..." Rice looked up at me with large eyes. "Meeting us... was that inevitable too?"
"Yeah. I think so." I looked around the table. "I don't think it was an accident. The fact that we were able to form this team... all of it."
I realized I had said something incredibly unlike me.
I usually wouldn't say things like this. Perhaps it's because we are all surrounding the dinner table like this. It seems my tongue has loosened a little.
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