As Haruna offered her apology to Fuuka, I bowed my head as well.
If I had to find a reason, it was because the incident Haruna had caused was based entirely on the purpose of doing something for me.
Well… there was also a slightly cunning calculation that if I acted this way, Haruna might think twice before pulling a stunt like this again.
.
Seeing his, I guess I really have been tainted by Trinity's ways.
In any case, the situation was now rather awkward. We'd come for lunch, but thanks to Fuuka being held hostage, the cafeteria food was probably not worth looking forward to….
"Hey, Haruna. How many eels do you have?".
"About six".
Six? I thought she was preparing this for me. Why so many?.
"…I was planning to make it for you every day while you were staying in Gehenna, if you enjoyed it".
"You know, Haruna, as much as I appreciate it, even I would get tired of the same menu for days on end".
Still, six eels. That meant the numbers were a little off….
"Haruna, you don't mind sharing one with me, do you? That way, everyone here can have their own serving. And as a substitute for an apology, I'll pay for the eels".
"What? B-but this was meant as a stamina meal for Mika…".
"Ahaha, Haruna, my dear, thank you for the thought, but I'm probably one of the healthiest people you know. Besides, isn't it closer to your pursuit of 'gourmet' to enjoy a meal together with everyone?".
"…Fufu, you have a point. As always, I have learned another valuable lesson from you, Mika.
It seems I am nothing without you".
Great, Haruna was on board. If she and I shared one eel, the remaining five would be enough for the other five people here.
Izumi's portion might be a bit small, and Akari's would definitely be insufficient.
I didn't think I had the obligation to worry about that when I didn't even know how much the ingredients cost.
I also figured that if Akari was still hungry, I could just tell her to have some of the cafeteria food.
As for the other School Lunch Club members? They could consider it punishment for letting Fuuka get captured… or, more charitably, I could tell them to go out for lunch and send me the bill.
With my finances, I wouldn't even blink if they picked somewhere expensive.
"So, Fuuka. Could I ask you to show off your skills for everyone here? With Haruna's help, of course!.
I'll be right beside her to make sure she doesn't mess up☆".
I had no confidence in my ability to handle an eel, but I could at least help with simple prep work. If Fuuka gave the instructions, I could follow them.
More importantly, I could act as a supervisor to make sure Haruna didn't do anything strange. That alone was worth one person's share of the work.
"Well… the seniors don't seem too interested anyway. And this is better than being tied up and missing the dinner service prep…
Yes, I can certainly help with that.
But… can the Tea Party Host really cook…?".
"Hmm? I'm just a beginner, but another of the Hosts, Nagisa, is great at both cooking and baking. Anyway! I'm counting on you today, Chef Fuuka☆".
This one was so pure-hearted that she was surprisingly easy to persuade.
"By the way, are you two okay with this? It might take a while to cook.
Maybe an hour, tops?".
"In that case, we'll head back to the Prefet Team office so we're not in the way. Instead…
once we're done with work, I was hoping you'd go out into town with me this afternoon".
"Oh? Should I take that as my cue to discreetly disappear? I don't mind waiting that long, though. In fact, I should be the one thanking you all for this… but what's with that look!.
I know how to say thank you when it's called for, you know?".
Hina and Ako were easily persuaded, too. I felt grateful that they were willing to put up with my selfish request to go back and wait for nearly an hour after coming all this way for lunch.
And so, our chaotic eel rice bowl cooking session began. We tied up our long hair so it wouldn't get in the way and stood before our respective cutting boards.
"First, I'll show you how to prepare the eel. You start by scraping the slime off, running the knife from the back to the tail".
As Fuuka demonstrated on one of the eels, Haruna awkwardly tried to copy her.
I'd always thought that cooking and knife skills were separate things, but Haruna didn't seem particularly adept at this either.
"Next, you scrape out the small bones and slime from the inside. When the knife gets gunked up, don't rinse it with water. Wipe it with a paper towel".
While Fuuka moved on to the next eel with practiced ease, Haruna continued to work slowly.
It didn't look too difficult, but as I'd promised, I stayed by her side to help prepare the sauce, starting by slicing the ginger.
The sauce itself would take time to cook, so splitting the work was key to shortening the overall time.
It was strange, though. Fuuka was a first-year, yet she was speaking so casually to Haruna.
…Hmm, considering all the trouble Haruna had put her through, I'd probably do the same.
"Once you're done with the slime, you have to cut off the fins with scissors. And President, please julienne half of that ginger and soak it in water. The spiciness can be divisive, so it's better to tone it down a bit".
"Ah, okay! But 'President' is a little stiff. Could you just call me Mika?".
"Oh, yes… I'll keep that in mind, Mika".
After some time, Haruna finally finished removing the fins and bones from her eel as Fuuka had taught her and let out a satisfied smile.
"Fufu. By learning like this, one step at a time, my path of gourmet has also taken a step forward—".
"Hey, if you're done prepping, it's time to score the skin".
"…Yes, Chef Fuuka!".
Hmm… what was this? A role reversal between Fuuka and Haruna? It was surprisingly entertaining to watch.
It seems there's no room for compromise in the kitchen of a skilled chef, and it looked like Fuuka was no exception.
While Haruna, having finished her share of the eel prep, moved on to slicing onions and I chopped green onions, Fuuka finished prepping all the eels, crushed some whole garlic, and began adding water, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a pot according to the recipe.
Soon, the vegetables and a piece of kombu were added, followed by corn syrup and whole peppercorns.
"We'll let this simmer on medium heat for about 20 to 25 minutes. Since we're making more than the recipe calls for, I'll have to judge it by eye. Traditionally, you'd make the sauce by simmering the eel bones, but we're short on time, so this is the best we can do".
After explaining, Fuuka pulled out some miso paste.
"And unfortunately, we don't have any eel liver, so we'll have to substitute a normal miso soup for kimosui… For someone like you, Haruna.
you're a little underprepared, aren't you?".
"…Fufu, it seems my heart got ahead of itself this time.
I'm quite embarrassed".
"What? You never act embarrassed! This is so weird!".
"…You're being cruel".
Fuuka ignored Haruna's mock crying, quickly put the soup on to simmer, and then instructed Haruna to start skewering the eels on wooden sticks.
Watching Haruna obediently follow her orders reminded me of a strange school punishment game.
…Let's just forget for a moment that their roles would be reversed once this was all over.
After about twenty minutes, Fuuka checked the sauce, strained out the vegetables, and set the sauce aside.
"Now it's time to grill the eel. It's a bit of a hassle, but we're using a wire grate. The sauce is going to make a huge mess underneath.
Haruna can clean it up later".
Haruna, feeling the unspoken pressure from Fuuka's bright smile, gave a troubled laugh but nodded in agreement.
Wow, maybe Haruna could actually become a decent person.
I'd have no greater wish.
Fuuka placed the eels on the grate skin-side down, brushed them with tare sauce, and then handed the brush to Haruna.
From then on, it was a cycle of Fuuka flipping the eels and Haruna basting them with more sauce.
The fantastic aroma of grilling eel and sweet soy sauce filled the kitchen.
making my mouth water.
"Mika, you can start dishing out the rice into the bowls I prepared".
"Okay, got it!".
I put slightly less rice in my and Haruna's bowls and what I thought was a standard serving size in the others.
For Akari's bowl, I packed in what looked like a double portion.
After I finished, I was grabbing a glass of water when Hina and Ako walked through the kitchen door.
drawn by the smell, both swallowing hard. It was adorable.
The beautifully grilled eels were placed one by one on top of the rice, followed by a garnish of julienned ginger.
A final brush of tare sauce and a few cuts to make the eel easier to eat, and the dish was complete. Visually, it was on par with something from a specialty restaurant.
"…I see. So this is the secret to why the school lunch has been edible this year. No wonder Kurosaki was willing to kneel to learn from her".
"Um… are we really allowed to eat this? For free? Gulp.
This looks like something you couldn't get even if you paid for it".
"Ahaha, Ako. No one here is going to tell you not to eat.
after you just swallowed your saliva like that".
"Fufu, a dish just for Mika is certainly wonderful…
but the true essence of gourmet is to share the experience with many".
The seven of us pulled chairs around a table. It was a bit cramped, but no one complained.
Everyone was too mesmerized by the eel rice bowls in front of them.
As for me, sitting with Haruna on one side and Hina on the other, I had no complaints whatsoever.
Almost by habit, I took out my phone, switched the camera to selfie mode, and held it out.
"Everyone, look over here before we eat☆".
One angel from Trinity and six demons from Gehenna… or was Ako a demon? In any case, I snapped a picture of our strange group.
I took a few more shots of the food, sent the group picture to Haruna and Hina, and the food picture to Nagisa.
Since Nagisa was still on bad terms with Haruna.
I carefully worded the message to avoid any mention of her.
`[Having a stamina meal! Nagisa, you take care of yourself too.
Let's go get something delicious next week!]`.
There. That shouldn't cause any problems. When I put my phone away.
I realized everyone was holding their spoons and staring at me.
"…Hmm? We took the picture, why isn't anyone eating?".
"Well, this was originally prepared by Haruna for you, Mika.
We're all just respecting that".
"Because you're the Vice President!".
"I've had enough of the school lunch, so I can wait a little longer".
Even the two from the Gourmet Research Society, who were the most surprising, were saying it, so the others obviously felt the same.
They were all waiting for me to take the first bite.
"Well, I don't think you need to go that far, but…".
"In times like these, you can just take the first bite, Mika".
I couldn't find a reason to argue with Haruna's words, so I picked up my spoon.
I could feel the corners of my mouth turning up.
"Then… Haruna, Fuuka, thank you for the meal!".
I put a piece of eel on a spoonful of rice and brought it to my mouth.
And in that instant, I swore to worship Fuuka's culinary skills for the rest of my life.
The skin was crisp, the meat was tender, and the sweet and savory flavor of the tare sauce, combined with the unique aroma and spice of the ginger, created a perfect harmony.
Perhaps it was because it was top-quality eel.
but with every chew, I felt a surge of energy, a flavor that captured my heart completely.
"Whoa… this is the best eel rice bowl I've ever had in my life…".
"Mmm…! This is true gourmet".
"Th-this is something a student can make?.
I suddenly feel guilty eating something like this without paying…!".
A chorus of praise erupted from everyone, proving that the taste was undeniably impressive.
A motherly smile bloomed on Fuuka's face as she heard it.
As I was slowly coming down from the high of that first bite, Haruna gently tapped my arm and spoke shyly.
"…About half of that was made by me, Mika. All of it, just for you".
As she spoke, her eyes curved into the most incredibly lovely smile.
capturing my full attention.
I found myself smiling back at her as if bewitched.
…Sorry, Nagisa. I guess I'm just an easy person to please.