"Sizzle— sizzle—"
Shrimp, bacon, cabbage, and a little batter quickly solidified into a single piece on the griddle.
When one side of the fried egg was completely set, it was shoveled onto the already formed pancake. At the same time, it was flipped over to ensure the yolk stayed intact.
"Yosh! Done! Okonomiyaki for you to enjoy!"
"Whoa—!"
Looking at the okonomiyaki on the table, Chisa praised without reservation, "Azusa-senpai, you're still such a great cook."
"Oh, you flatter me~"
Azusa Hamaoka made a peace sign. She used the spatula to divide the pancake into several pieces and handed them to the three new members who had gathered around.
"Mm! It's so delicious."
"Are we going to sell okonomiyaki during the spring festival?"
Iori Kitahara picked up a piece of okonomiyaki and tasted it. He had to admit that the taste was just right for him. Compared to the pancakes Miyazawa Yu made a few days ago, each had its own unique flavor.
Thinking of this, he suddenly noticed that someone was missing. Where did that guy Yu go?
"Mm-hmm! It would be a problem if it didn't taste good. Yu-chan, aren't you going to come and try a piece?"
The food she made was approved. Azusa Hamaoka smiled and graciously accepted the juniors' praise.
At the same time, she glanced sideways. She once again stared at Miyazawa Yu, who was hiding behind Nanaka at the store counter, and tried to trick him out of his comfort zone.
"Ah~ I don't need any, thank you for the offer!"
Facing Azusa-senpai's temptation, Miyazawa Yu shook his head wildly, a clear sign of refusal.
Are you kidding me? How could he easily take a bite of something handed to him by a love rival! What if there were strange things mixed into it!
He remembered what happened this morning clearly. When facing an enemy who had a gender advantage, he had to hold his ground and advance carefully to defeat the enemy!
A direct confrontation was absolutely not an option!
"Hmph~ Is that so? I remember Yu's cooking skills are the best, aren't they? With him here, the club's funds should be a lot more substantial, don't you think, Shinji?"
"That makes sense..."
Shinji Tokita appeared behind Miyazawa Yu. He benignly dragged him out of Nanaka's protective range and pressed him in front of the griddle.
"Go for it, Yu! The amount of our club's funds this year depends on you."
"Yes... I understand."
With a grinning Azusa Hamaoka beside him, Miyazawa Yu wanted to run, but the other person had already taken the moral high ground, completely blocking all his escape routes.
Helpless, he could only reluctantly take the spatula from Azusa-senpai and honestly start learning how to make okonomiyaki.
"That's more like it~ Aren't you going to learn with him, Toki and Tobi?"
Azusa Hamaoka glanced triumphantly at Yu, who was completely in her control. She then turned around and saw that Ryūjirō Kotobuki and Shinji Tokita had no intention of helping.
"Ah, we..."
Just as he was about to explain, a van pulled up on the road next to the outdoor kitchen. The driver stuck his head out the window and shouted, "Tokita—Kotobuki—time to go!"
"Oh!"
Shinji Tokita shouted back at the driver. He apologized awkwardly, "Sorry, we have to go prepare the equipment first."
"Everyone will come and eat after we're done, so please prepare a lot!"
Ryūjirō Kotobuki quickly packed up and ran towards the van, taking the time to remind them.
"Got it, be careful on the road!"
Azusa Hamaoka waved goodbye to the two and turned to the four new members with a smile, "Alright then— let's get to work!"
"Okay."
Chisa Kotegawa put on an apron, picked up a second spatula, and walked to the griddle. She began to try to make okonomiyaki.
What she didn't know was that behind her, Kohei Imamura and Iori Kitahara exchanged a look. Both of them looked ready to make a move.
"Oh, it's so hot, Kohei!"
"It is! Iori! What if we get heatstroke in this heat!"
Miyazawa Yu, who was constantly on guard against Azusa-senpai's dirty tricks, heard his companions' exaggerated voices and immediately understood that they were about to act. He proactively cooperated.
"Hey, Kohei, it's so hard to stand in front of this griddle. Can you get me some water?"
"No problem! I'll go get some drinks right now!"
They worked together seamlessly. Finding an excuse, Kohei Imamura immediately ran to a dark corner and prepared a cup of Pab club's special oolong tea. He handed it to him along with a cup of regular oolong tea.
"Here you go!"
"Thank you!"
Miyazawa Yu turned his head and made eye contact with Kohei Imamura. He used their internal language and took the cup of regular oolong tea from his right hand and took a sip.
He then handed the other cup of Pab club's special oolong tea to Chisa.
"It's important to stay hydrated, Chisa. Take a break and have some tea!"
"Huh? I just got to the griddle, so I'm not hot yet. Yu, you can just drink it all."
Without even looking up, Chisa Kotegawa, who wasn't even sweating, waved her hand and rejected his kindness.
Miyazawa Yu instantly froze. The hand holding the special oolong tea was stuck out, and he couldn't put it back.
For a moment, he was in an awkward position, not knowing what to do.
"If Chisa-chan doesn't want it, then give it to me."
Azusa Hamaoka, who had been standing at the griddle for a long time, walked past and reached for the oolong tea to moisten her throat.
But if she drank the special oolong tea, his plan would be exposed!
Thinking this, Miyazawa Yu, in a moment of panic, quickly pulled his hand back. He then drank the special oolong tea in one gulp and pretended that he had just heard her speak.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I think I was just too thirsty... Iori! Get some tea for Azusa-senpai!"
"Got it! Please, senpai!"
Iori Kitahara instantly appeared in front of Azusa Hamaoka and offered her a normal oolong tea. He a-d-h-e-r-e-d-ly took over for the unsuccessful Miyazawa Yu, who had already been "served" a cup of alcohol.
After leaving the griddle, Miyazawa Yu watched Azusa-senpai walk away. He immediately went to the back of the griddle and secretly turned the heat up to the maximum.
The effect was instantaneous. Chisa Kotegawa didn't notice that the griddle had been tampered with. She only felt that it was suddenly getting very hot.
"Hmm... why does it feel like it's getting even hotter?"
"Ah! You must be thirsty! I'll go get some drinks!"
Hearing her say that, Miyazawa Yu seized the opportunity and immediately ran to the back to prepare the special oolong tea.
However, Chisa Kotegawa believed in the principle of "self-reliance." Even though someone offered to get her a drink, she left the griddle to see if she could help with anything.
As a result, she happened to see Miyazawa Yu pouring whiskey into a cup.
"...What are you doing?"
"Mmph, mmph!?"
His heart was pounding. He had been caught red-handed. Miyazawa Yu quickly turned around and waved his hand.
But before he could explain, Chisa Kotegawa showed a look of understanding, "Oh, I'm just so done with you guys."
"Chi-chisa, no! Listen to me!"
"I know. You want Iori to drink that, right? Don't worry, I won't tell him."
She poured herself a cup of oolong tea. Chisa Kotegawa had no sense of being a victim at all. Instead, she was understanding and made up an excuse for him.
Hearing her say that, Miyazawa Yu was completely flustered. But to not make Chisa suspicious...
"Iori, come have some tea!"
"Oh! Thanks."
He lowered his head and walked over to hand the special oolong tea to Iori Kitahara. The latter took it without a second thought and chugged it.
However, as the familiar taste went down his throat, his eyes instantly lost their sparkle.
"Kohei, take over for me. Yu, you come with me."
"Okay." X2
Miyazawa Yu followed Iori to a dark corner, and his collar was immediately grabbed.
"Sorry, it was a necessary evil. I really didn't want to do it."
"What kind of 'necessary evil' is this, you bastard! You walked in a straight line and handed it to me! I'll kill you!"
At this point, an explanation would be pale and weak. Iori Kitahara ferociously raised his fist, ready to seriously discuss the situation with this scoundrel who was addicted to setting him up.
"Um, can't you guys smell the alcohol?"
Chisa Kotegawa came over and asked curiously. Logically, the special oolong tea was a strong liquor that could be lit on fire. If you put it under your nose, you should be able to smell it, right?
"That's true, but we can't smell it."
Iori Kitahara shook his head, saying that he couldn't do it. He didn't know why, but he always felt like everything he drank had an alcoholic taste.
Miyazawa Yu felt the same way. To be honest, his taste buds had been so affected that he couldn't tell the difference between water and "water of life" anymore!
"...I think you guys should really improve your lifestyle."
Are their tongues broken?
Chisa Kotegawa was glad she was a girl and didn't have to worry about the senpais forcing her to drink. She sincerely advised these two guys to go to the hospital.
She felt like they might be diagnosed with something like "Pab Club Syndrome."
"Alright! You four, hurry up and keep practicing—"
Azusa Hamaoka was confused. She saw that three and a half of the four new members were slacking off, and the only one standing at the griddle, Kohei Imamura, was also distracted. She felt like the three of them, except for Chisa, were deliberately plotting something.