Friday.
Hoshino Sora stood in front of the mirror, striking poses. Looking at his handsome reflection, a satisfied expression appeared on the young man's face. Indeed! No matter how many times he looked, he was always very handsome!
Thinking somewhat narcissistically in front of the mirror, he glanced down at the time. Hoshino Sora adjusted his clothes, opened the door, and left the room.
As soon as he stepped out, a rich aroma wafted up from downstairs. Just as he was about to head down, the door in front of him suddenly opened.
"Good morning, Yumeko."
"Good morning."
Stopping, Hoshino Sora warmly greeted Yumeko Jabami, who had emerged from another room. She responded just as warmly.
The two walked side by side. As soon as they reached the third floor, Shiina Mashiro's door suddenly opened, and a naked girl appeared before Hoshino Sora's eyes.
Seeing this, Yumeko Jabami was also stunned, unsure what to say for a moment.
"Mashiro-nee, you... you're doing this again.
Yumeko, you go down first. We'll be there in a moment."
Looking at the unguarded Shiina Mashiro in the room, Hoshino Sora's face immediately showed a helpless expression. He then stepped forward, pushed her back into the room, and prepared to help her change her clothes.
Although he lectured Shiina Mashiro daily about the differences between male and female, she would always nod but never take it seriously, coming out of her room like this if he wasn't careful.
Once or twice might have been accidental, but after so many times, Hoshino Sora started to feel like she was doing it on purpose. Yet, her expression didn't suggest it. She was truly a difficult woman to understand.
"So, did you forget again this time?"
Closing the door, he turned to look at the beautiful sight before him. Hoshino Sora's expression was normal, as he had seen it countless times. He no longer felt much about Shiina Mashiro in this state.
To be precise, it wasn't that he felt nothing, but rather his self-control had improved, after being 'trained' by so many girls every day.
"Too lazy to wear them."
Her voice was faint, betraying no emotion. Facing the question, Shiina Mashiro looked indifferent, clearly not caring about it.
"'Too lazy to wear them,' you say. But this is a public place after all. Pay a little attention to your image."
Hearing Shiina Mashiro's words, Hoshino Sora helplessly patted his head. He then walked past her and paced around the room. This girl, after a few days, had made her room so messy again.
Picking up the pink and white striped item on the floor, the rest of the room was also a mess. Hoshino Sora naturally helped Shiina Mashiro tidy up her room. Soon, the previously dirty and messy room was completely transformed.
And Shiina Mashiro had put on a thin T-shirt while he was cleaning the room.
For some reason, Hoshino Sora felt that wearing it was even more provocative than not wearing it, more alluring. Perhaps this was the charm of the so-called 'partially revealed'!
Muttering to himself, Hoshino Sora handed over the pink and white striped item. Shiina Mashiro, seeing it, showed no shyness and changed right in front of him, even pulling the elastic band, making a 'snap' sound.
"Let's go, time for breakfast."
Looking at Shiina Mashiro's innocent eyes, Hoshino Sora was momentarily at a loss for what she was thinking. So, he reached out and took the girl's small hand, preparing to leave and go downstairs with her.
However, they had only taken two steps.
Suddenly, Shiina Mashiro, who had been silent, spoke.
"You and Shinohiru have done it, haven't you?"
Her voice was calm, showing no change in emotion, but it was precisely this calmness that made Hoshino Sora's heart subtly tremble.
Isn't that obvious? You live next door. How could you not know what's happening in Shinohiru's room normally?
Subtly rolling his eyes, Hoshino Sora turned around, bumping right into Shiina Mashiro. Their lips were only two centimeters apart from touching.
"Why can't I?"
Another question was posed. Shiina Mashiro looked at Hoshino Sora with innocent eyes, and this single sentence completely bewildered him.
"So, Mashiro-nee, you want to be like Miyu?"
Looking at Shiina Mashiro's sincere expression, Hoshino Sora hesitated, but quickly boldly embraced her waist and gazed deeply into her eyes.
If that were the case, things seemed much simpler.
"Mm, Sora, do you dislike me? We've already done all sorts of things, but we haven't gone further. Don't make a girl have to say such things first, okay?"
"I don't dislike you. I like Mashiro-nee very much. I just think Mashiro-nee is too innocent and probably doesn't understand such things.
In this situation, if I coaxed Mashiro-nee into giving herself to me, my conscience would definitely be uneasy."
Shaking his head, Hoshino Sora spoke each word seriously. After such a long time together, it was impossible for him to feel nothing for Shiina Mashiro.
However, as the number of girls around him increased, he started to be able to empathize with others, and coupled with her excessive innocence, he had always avoided this relationship.
Tsk, thinking about it, he really was a complete scoundrel, sweet-talking so many girls.
Thinking of this, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but feel a little guilty. However, his confession was sincere. Although he felt like a scumbag, if understood differently, wasn't this just universal love?
Thinking of this, Hoshino Sora lowered his head and kissed her directly.
Shiina Mashiro did not refuse. She wrapped her arms around Hoshino Sora's waist and kissed him. Because there was no one upstairs or downstairs, they even included some small movements while kissing.
"I don't know what my feelings for you are, but I really like your embrace. It's very warm, very comfortable, and gives a sense of security."
Shiina Mashiro had held these words in her heart for a long time. Because Hoshino Sora wasn't proactive, she took the initiative. Not wearing clothes in the dorm was also because Hoshino Sora was the only male in the dorm.
Moreover, not wearing anything felt very good. To be honest, she really liked that feeling.
— — — — — — — — — —
After breakfast, the girls returned to their rooms to pack their clothes, preparing to depart. Hoshino Sora, meanwhile, entered the Gourmet Manor.
The rules for the Elite Ten ranking match had been set: the theme was "pig." This was a very broad topic, allowing contestants to cook with any part of the pig.
The moment he saw this theme, a famous dish immediately came to Hoshino Sora's mind: Nine-Turned Large Intestine.
As an authentic Shandong cuisine dish, Nine-Turned Large Intestine uses pork large intestine as the main ingredient, supplemented with green onion, ginger, coriander, and other ingredients, prepared through boiling, braising, and other cooking techniques.
The finished dish has a spicy taste, and is also sour, sweet, fragrant, and salty, with a reddish color and soft, tender texture.
Of course, because he hadn't systematically studied Shandong cuisine, Hoshino Sora didn't plan to use this. He wanted to create an innovative dish, which would also use large intestine. This was something he had once eaten at a restaurant in Tokyo.
At the time, he thought it tasted very good, but because the chef's skill was mediocre, there were still many minor flaws in the dish. If these details were perfected, the taste could definitely rise another level.
To stand out among many masters, one must find a unique approach. Ordinary pork, while good, is eaten by many, making it difficult to achieve outstanding flavor.
Standing in the Gourmet Manor, looking at the pig brother in front of him, which had already grown to over 300 catties, Hoshino Sora's face was full of satisfaction.
If they used the ingredients from here, they would have an advantage over other contestants in terms of ingredients. The ingredients produced by the Gourmet Manor were the best in the world.
He had already verified this. Even Kobe beef was not as good as the beef in his Gourmet Manor. Mito Ikumi had personally admitted this.
At that time, she was shocked and asked Hoshino Sora where he got the beef, and even planned to buy breeding cattle at a high price. Hoshino Sora did not refuse, only saying to wait a bit longer.
Due to the time flow issue, the mutated cattle were almost fully grown. Hoshino Sora was curious if the mutated cattle could be bred in reality.
"Come, come, come."
Holding feed in his hand, Hoshino Sora actively fed the animals, busy and enjoying himself, until all the animals were mostly fed, then he prepared to leave the Gourmet Manor.
Before leaving, he also spent 10,000 Reputation Points to expand the Gourmet Manor, from its original 100 square meters to the current 1,000 square meters, and a river was added between the farm and the ranch.
Hoshino Sora planned to raise some fish and shrimp in it.
Anyway, the Gourmet Manor had no seasons; as long as creatures were put in, they could basically survive. If they mutated, it would be a huge profit.
His figure flickered, and Hoshino Sora reappeared at the entrance of Yōbi Dormitory.
A stretched limousine had been waiting outside for a long time. Hoshino Sora proceeded to count the people, then saw Hiratsuka Shizuka standing in the hall with a somewhat complex expression.
"Ms. Shizuka, what are you standing there for? Get in the car quickly."
Stepping forward and patting Hiratsuka Shizuka's shoulder, Hoshino Sora said with a smile, reaching out to help her with her luggage.
"Is it really okay for me to go like this?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's words carried a hint of hesitation. Looking at the beautiful girls getting into the car one after another, she knew clearly that this was Hoshino Sora's harem gathering. Was it really appropriate for an old aunt like her to tag along?
"What's real or fake? Ms. Shizuka joining us will absolutely make our hot spring trip shine! Besides, it's not safe for us students to go alone, we need a teacher, don't we?"
Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's slightly worried words, Hoshino Sora gently pushed her back, urging her into the car, and gave her an irrefutable reason.
At this point, everyone from Yōbi Dormitory was assembled.
"Let's go!"
With Alice Nakiri's command, the stretched limousine started and headed towards Polar Star Dormitory. Before long, it arrived in front of Polar Star Dormitory.
At this moment, Tadokoro Megumi was standing at the entrance, with a suitcase beside her and a group of Polar Star Dormitory members standing around.
"Hoshino-kun... I told everyone we were going on a trip today, and it seems like everyone wants to come along." Looking at Hoshino Sora getting out of the car, Tadokoro Megumi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed to speak.
"Hoshino-kun, it's like this. Since we've finally achieved a phased victory, everyone wants to go out and relax, so I rented a bus. Can we come with you?"
Isshiki Satoshi stepped forward to negotiate. After all, it was a sudden decision, and he didn't know if the other party would agree.
"Of course! The more the merrier!"
Hoshino Sora showed no resistance to this and readily agreed.
Although it was a harem gathering, it was also lively with more people, and he didn't dislike liveliness. Furthermore, Polar Star Dormitory was also their firm ally. Refusing now would make the relationship very awkward.
"Okay, then send me the address. We'll meet at the hot spring inn."
Nodding, Hoshino Sora sent the hot spring inn's address to Isshiki Satoshi. That place was quite famous in the vicinity due to a lot of prior promotion.
As they talked, Tadokoro Megumi had already put away her luggage. Yukihira Soma appeared before Hoshino Sora at some point.
"Congratulations on becoming an Elite Ten, Soma Yukihira."
Yukihira Soma's words carried sincere congratulations. Although he himself had been eliminated, Hoshino Sora's advancement was truly impressive, especially in the A block with three Elite Ten members.
"You need to work hard too. Haven't you entered the top eight in the elimination rounds? The semi-final judging will be held when we return this weekend. I'm waiting for you to join the Elite Ten ranking with me."
"I definitely will. I'm looking forward to competing with you on the same stage. This time, I will absolutely not lose!"
In the B block, he lost to Isshiki Satoshi by one vote, which was unavoidable. The theme of the duel was cod, and the opponent was more skilled.
"I hope so. Well, I'm leaving now."
Patting Yukihira Soma's shoulder, Hoshino Sora followed Tadokoro Megumi into the limousine. As the car door opened, the scene inside made the expressions of the Polar Star Dormitory members change dramatically.
Beautiful legs, stockings, exquisite faces—a small stretched limousine, and inside, all of them were girls. Although their attire varied, they all had one common characteristic:
Exposed legs.
Black stockings, white stockings, bare legs—not a single person wore pants, including Tadokoro Megumi.
Hoshino Sora sat in the center of these girls, like an aloof king. No, the visual impact of this scene was too strong; he needed to alleviate it.
Yoshino Yuki turned her head and stuck out her tongue. The few people behind her also found the situation hard to accept, especially the boys. Aoki Daigo and Satou Shouji pointed at the departing stretched limousine, angrily cursing Hoshino Sora as a super normie.
Meanwhile, Hoshino Sora was immersed in the Reputation Point Mall, looking at the dazzling array of goods, momentarily overwhelmed. However, due to his limited Reputation Points, he could only look at these items.
It's worth mentioning that the Soul of Cooking could also be bought in the Reputation Point Mall, but even the cheapest item cost 10,000 Reputation Points, which made Hoshino Sora's heart ache.
However, thinking of the terrifying power of Golden-tier dishes, 10,000 Reputation Points didn't seem like a loss. How many people wanted this opportunity but didn't have it?
In addition, there were many other small items used to improve strength, among which the most representative was the Flow Rate Talisman, which simply meant buying time with Reputation Points, 100 Reputation Points per day.
[Flow Rate Talisman]: When attached to any enclosed space, it can change the time flow rate within it.
[Effect]: Time ratio 1 hour / 1 day.
[Price]: 100 Reputation Points
Besides these, there were also various novel animals and plants for purchase. Hoshino Sora even saw a Tyrannosaurus Rex inside, but the price was a bit too outrageous...
[Tyrannosaurus Rex]: 100,000 Reputation Points
However, he was indeed curious about what dinosaur meat would taste like. He could try it later when he had more Reputation Points.
Life had become full of motivation again!
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