Chapter 200: Culinary Club Zombie
During this time, Jeanne stayed with Shizuka Hiratsuka. Because the principal was very fond of her, she was specially allowed to participate in some school activities, provided it didn't interfere with other students' studies.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shirou took Jeanne to taste the delicacies at nearby Michelin restaurants, such as Le Bristol in the five-star grand hotel on the Champs-Élysées, which serves state banquet-level cuisine enjoyed by celebrities.
In the Bois de Bouloge on the western outskirts of Paris, they enjoyed the pastoral scenery while savoring the creative dishes of the renowned local chefs, such as cod salad and two-color grouse with chestnuts and pears.
There was also molecular gastronomy, which incorporated the flavors of various vegetables and fruits into a foam with the texture of caviar.
The roasted pigeon dusted with cocoa powder and the monkfish curry were also incredibly delicious.
In this busy yet fulfilling life, packed with new experiences every day, time always flew by. Before they knew it, the guests from the Chiba Branch School had reached the day they were scheduled to leave France and return to Japan.
The Paris Branch School hosted a final buffet-style farewell party.
"Oh, Shirou, I'm really going to miss you," the principal said, opening her arms to Shirou.
"Haha, me too," Shirou smiled, stepping forward to initiate the bises (cheek kiss) with the enthusiastic French lady.
Over the past week, he had somewhat gotten used to the principal's warmth.
Just then, Jeanne walked in from outside the school gate, looking at Shirou silently.
"Wouldn't it be rude to ignore her?" Shirou looked at the silver-haired girl with some hesitation.
"Huh? What?" Jeanne tilted her head slightly, noticing the boy's gaze.
Leaning her neck forward was a sign that a greeting was acceptable. It felt like it would be impolite to the lady if he didn't step forward now.
So, Shirou leaned in and placed his cheek against both sides of Jeanne's face.
"Wh-What... Shirou... What are you doing?!" Jeanne froze, and the plate she was carrying, which contained cake with sliced strawberries embedded in cream, began to tilt, threatening to fall to the floor.
"Eh? The cheek kiss? Was that not a popular custom in your era, Jeanne?" Shirou quickly reached out and caught the plate, preventing the cake from dropping.
"Ugh, ugh, idiot, don't ask me!" Even if Jeanne wanted to remain composed this time, she couldn't. Her face was flushed bright red.
This was an act reserved for those close to you. Even her original self only did this with family when she was a country girl helping with farm work.
After joining the army, she was always busy fighting. One could say she hadn't engaged in this kind of action since she was sixteen, much less with a boy!
"I wish I could make a hole and bury myself in it!" Jeanne thought, regretting, and burying her head lower and lower.
"Um... did I do something you didn't like, Jeanne? I'm sorry..." Shirou tried to apologize to the girl.
"Don't apologize! I didn't say I disliked it! You jerk! Don't try to deny what you did!" Jeanne raised her head and shouted loudly.
"Then why were you looking down and not saying anything?" Shirou asked curiously.
"Why did you suddenly lean in?! Do that again and I'll burn you!" Jeanne yelled fiercely.
"I understand. If you dislike it so much, I apologize," Shirou conceded.
"Aah! I said I don't dislike it!! Idiot Shirou!" Jeanne seemed even angrier.
"Then what exactly do you want?" Shirou asked helplessly.
Fortunately, their great savior, Hiratsuka Shizuka, arrived, stopping their endless conversation.
"Alright, alright. This child is with me. Shirou, make sure you organize things properly. You're returning to Chiba tomorrow morning, so after saying goodbye to your classmates, you need to get a good night's rest," Shizuka Hiratsuka said.
"Understood," the students from the Chiba Branch School replied in unison.
Some girls reluctantly clasped hands with the girls from the Paris Branch School.
They didn't have the same missions as Shirou, rushing around and moving to another country immediately after solving a problem, so they didn't have much emotional attachment to specific people or places.
The students here, however, had genuinely stayed for twenty days. Three weeks was enough time for them to develop feelings for the place and feel reluctant to leave the friends they had made.
"Shirou~!" At that moment, the ten students from the Culinary Department ran over.
Over the past few days, the Culinary Department students had become very reluctant to see Shirou leave.
Besides the fact that Shirou himself was a good person, it was also because these students found that their progress was much faster when they exchanged ideas with him. They were already benefiting greatly from the presence of the sharp-tongued Erina.
They never expected their rate of improvement to increase even more after Shirou joined.
Initially, they thought that since they were all students, their culinary skills should be comparable. However, over time, these students let go of that idea.
Although Shirou was initially still learning, as his knowledge of French cuisine wasn't as deep as theirs, once he gradually became familiar with it, his cooking skills were almost miraculous.
They felt that their culinary skills were increasing exponentially with Shirou and Erina present. At this rate of progress, they might even consider finding sponsors and opening a restaurant directly after graduation, rather than starting as subordinates in an existing one; they could certainly carve out a place for themselves in Paris.
But they realized that this progress was largely thanks to Erina, who, after tasting their dishes, would give the most accurate critiques—though she could be fiercely poisonous about any flaws—and Shirou, who would offer concrete methods for further improvement.
With these two present, it would be strange if their culinary skills didn't improve. So, hearing that Shirou and Erina were returning to Japan, they couldn't help but feel a genuine sense of loss.
Especially the black curly-haired girl, the manager of the Culinary Exchange Club, who had invited Shirou to join the exchange.
Every day, the teacher would assign a different topic, and the ten chefs would each use all their skills to create exquisite dishes. Then they would all taste and critique each other's food sequentially.
She also participated as a judge, offering her own opinions, though with the perceptive palate of Erina and the experienced Shirou there, she was mainly focused on eating.
The innocent and cheerful curly-haired girl had a cute round face and a petite figure, but an astonishing appetite. She would finish all the dishes made by the ten people, practically a gluttonous girl.
The look in her eyes as she gazed at Shirou and Erina was as mournful as can be, as if they were abandoning her. And she wouldn't listen to reason; any attempt to dissuade her would result in tears welling up in her eyes.
"We... we even did that together, and now you're just going to abandon me and go back home?!"
The curly-haired girl cried out, heartbroken, looking at the boy and girl. She lowered her head and stretched out her arms, one hand gripping Erina's clothes, the other reaching for the boy's
pants. She held on stubbornly. Despite her small stature, the strength in her grip was considerable. Shirou and Erina were stuck, unable to break free without using excessive force.
"Alright, alright. If you act like this, everyone will miss you even more," the blonde ponytail girl said, pulling her friend down.
The black curly-haired girl looked up excitedly and shouted loudly to her classmates:
"But... but... Erina's bread! Shirou's meat! I... I won't be able to eat them anymore!!!"
"Fine! Don't be so dramatic! I'll come here tomorrow morning to make breakfast, since I've gotten used to waking up early here in Paris!" Erina said with a pout. Well, since it was a a frie... since a classmate asked, there was nothing she could do.
"Thank you!!! Erina~!" The curly-haired girl smiled happily, thrilled at the mention of food, and lunged toward the blonde girl.
"Whoa, saliva, saliva! You're going to get it on my clothes!" Erina cried out in surprise, pushing the curly-haired girl's round face away.
The curly-haired girl then fixed her gaze on the boy, giving Shirou a look that clearly implied, You're a proper person.
Shirou looked at the curly-haired girl, who was constantly causing misunderstandings, and said helplessly.
"I know you're a gluttonous girl with a huge appetite, so I've prepared roast meat for everyone in the fridge for tonight's late-night snack and tomorrow's breakfast."
"That's awesome! Thank you, Shirou!" the curly-haired girl said, opening her arms and, using the same tactic, slightly squatting to gather momentum, intending to pounce on the boy like a starving tiger.
She was like a silly cat jumping off the top of a cabinet, trying to land on someone's face.
If he dodged, she might fall and get hurt. If he didn't dodge, he would be the one injured.
Shirou was hesitating whether to dodge.
At that moment, Erina reached out, grabbed the back of the girl's collar, and lifted her up, placing her in front of the blonde ponytail girl.
"Behave yourself." The blonde ponytail girl instinctively hugged the curly-haired girl tightly, locking her down with a significant physical difference, preventing the curly-haired girl from moving an inch more.
"Let me go~! Let me go~! I want to talk to Shirou properly!" The gluttonous girl, bundled up, made soft, muffled cries, which everyone ignored.
"That's enough! I fully understand your feelings!" Shirou stopped the girl who always struggled with maintaining personal boundaries.
"Is that so? That's good then," the girl said with a satisfied smile, accepting his words. However, because she was bundled up and her mouth was covered, she could only make muffled sounds.
"If you like my cooking that much, then hurry up and achieve your dream, and come find me at my restaurant in Tokyo," Erina said to the girl.
"I'll work hard! I'll definitely become a Michelin food critic!" the black curly-haired girl looked up, addressing Erina, who was a head taller than her, Shirou beside her, and everyone around, swearing her ambition.
"Mhm, we look forward to it," the young male and female chefs around her said with smiles.
If the girl wanted to become a top-tier gourmet, then they aimed to be the ones creating that top-tier cuisine.
The youth of the food critic and the chefs. The black curly-haired girl, whose only hobby was eating and was the manager of the Culinary Club exchange, was determined to become a food critic.
Meanwhile, her classmates, who studied and lived alongside her, aimed to own their own Michelin-rated restaurant or become head chefs in famous grand hotels and restaurants.
They supported and encouraged each other, mutually urging each other forward.
'I feel like this kind of friendship is also pretty great,' Shirou thought to himself.
"Waaah, everyone, I'm so touched. I really love all of you. I will absolutely, absolutely achieve my dream," the black curly-haired girl said, wiping her eyes.
"Don't cry, dummy," the blonde ponytail girl said, amused.
"Thank you, everyone... sob, sob, ha... A-choo!!!" The girl said emotionally, suddenly sneezing. She inhaled the snot that sprayed from her nose but couldn't suck it back in, leaving it dangling and swaying in mid-air.
With the swaying snot, the girl turned to face the crowd, opened her arms, and prepared to embrace them. "Everyone~! Give me a hug~!"
"Woah! Gross! Stay back! Stay back!" Seeing this, everyone retreated backward, creating distance from the girl.
"Waaah, everyone... why are you avoiding me? Come on, hug me~!" The girl, with her arms outstretched, sped up her pursuit.
The chefs, who had just been deeply emotional friends, began circling the long table where various cooking utensils were placed, trying to escape the girl's chase.
The girl was petite, but she wasn't slow when she ran. Her small steps made her even more nimble in the narrow, crowded space filled with various objects.
The pushing and shoving crowd was about to be caught.
"Waaah, everyone~!" The girl, holding up her hands and with teary eyes, walked toward them.
"Woah!! Snot! Snot!"
"Is this a zombie movie?" Shirou muttered softly. While the others were distracting the girl, he quietly headed toward the door, only seven or eight steps away from escaping.
The panicked group looked around, already cornered and at a loss for what to do, when they spotted the calm boy.
The group instinctively ran behind Shirou, grabbing his arms on either side and clutching his legs. Everyone hid behind him.
"Shirou! We're counting on you!"
"Mr. Never-Refuses! Please!"
"There's no one here who can stop her but you!" The boys, hiding behind Shirou, shouted loudly.
"Waaah... everyone~! Why are you running from me? Come on, hug me~!" The zombie-like girl, with snot swaying and tears of emotion streaming down her face, slowly walked toward them.
Shirou was held tight on all sides by these unreliable teammates. He couldn't move, despite being only a few steps from escaping the room, and was now stuck blocking the front.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting