"Beep... beep... beep..."
Hachiman's phone rang. Yukinoshita, who had just been mocking him, tilted her head slightly, pretending not to notice so she wouldn't disturb him while he answered.
It was Ryoko calling, but as soon as he picked up, Tadokoro Megumi's voice came through first.
"Hikigaya-kun! How did it go? Did you pass the assignment?!"
"Got lucky, I guess. Anyway, I passed."
Hearing that, Tadokoro finally let out a sigh of relief. Hachiman asked curiously:
"Tadokoro, how about you?"
"Not bad. I was teamed up with Ryoko, so I guess I got lucky too."
"That's good."
Ryoko then took the phone from her and, in her usual big-sister tone, said:
"Everyone in Polar Star Dorm passed today. We're just waiting for you to come back."
"Yeah, I'm on the bus heading back now."
"Alright, see you soon."
"Mm."
After a quick exchange, they both hung up. The moment Hachiman stopped moving, Yukinoshita spoke again.
"Didn't expect Zombie-kun to have people who care about him."
"Well, everyone at Polar Star Dorm are good people."
"Oh, really?" Hachiman didn't know what Yukinoshita was thinking when she said that. But from the look on her face, it seemed like she was questioning reality itself.
Maybe it was only natural. It was hard to believe that someone with rotten, lifeless eyes like his could actually make friends.
Since the classroom wasn't far from the hotel, their back-and-forth lasted only a short while before the bus arrived. Neither of them said goodbye—after all, they weren't friends, so there was no need for the kind of words or gestures friends would exchange.
Back at the hotel lobby, Hachiman quickly spotted the Polar Star Dorm group. Aside from Marui, who looked half-dead, the others were in decent spirits. Overall, it had been a smooth day.
Tadokoro: "Hikigaya-kun!"
Hachiman: "What's wrong with Marui?"
Ryoko: "I heard he ran around the mountains all day, completely exhausted himself, so just being able to come back was already good enough."
Marui: "Whose assignment is out in the mountains anyway... I give up."
Hachiman: "Uh... well, mine was also about finding ingredients in the mountains..."
Hearing something funny, Ryoko covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Marui was saying you should train with us to build stamina, but look at Hikigaya, he's perfectly fine."
Marui looked helpless, his hands already too weak to lift. "Forget it, I'm heading back to the hotel to rest... just thinking there are still four more days like this, I can't take it."
He hadn't realized until now, but Ryoko's past training really did pay off a little. His stamina wasn't bad to begin with, but if it had been before, today's workload would have left him in Marui's condition. Yet now\... he didn't even feel tired.
Hachiman: "If that's the case, I'll go back to the hotel to rest too. We still have four days ahead."
Yoshino: "Eh? You're heading back already? I was thinking we'd go to Marui's room and have a wild celebration."
Marui: "Spare me..."
Yoshino: "Forget it then, you guys really don't know how to enjoy yourselves. The reward time is just starting!"
Everyone looked confused, staring at Yoshino's excitement. It really did feel like they had forgotten something.
"Dinner, the baths, the guest rooms, even hot springs—I bet everything's luxurious and over the top!"
Ibusaki: "I really don't think so. Honestly, if we don't get hit with another surprise assignment, I'd already count that as a blessing."
Hachiman: "Why does it feel like you just jinxed us..."
...
"Everyone, gather in the main hall now!" With Chef Kanshu's voice spreading through the speakers, they all realized something was off. Marui, who was about to sneak off, had no choice but to turn back.
The moment they stepped into the hall, Hachiman noticed the number of people was already less than half of yesterday. There had been over a thousand yesterday, but now the place looked obviously empty.
So many people eliminated in just one day...
With a snap of Chef Kanshu's fingers, a wave of muscular men flooded in like a raging tide. There were only about a hundred of them, but their presence felt heavier than the five hundred students still left. That's what sheer size did to people.
Ryoko: "That uneasy feeling is getting worse."
Tadokoro: "I feel the same way..."
Hachiman: "Don't tell me those words really came true."
Marui was already lying on the ground, trembling. Was this guy even considered conscious anymore? He looked more like a walking corpse.
As everyone grew more nervous, Chef Kanshu's voice rang out again:
"Any student who can prepare dinner for these people will have free time afterward."
Yoshino: "Where the heck did those guys come from?!"
Ibusaki: "Yoshino, just accept it."
Chef Kanshu: "They're from the nearby Upper Arm University bodybuilding club. Later, the rugby and wrestling clubs will also be joining. Tonight's dinner is simple—if you can prepare at least fifty full portions, you can return to the hotel."
"Fifty portions?!"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"I'm already dead tired..."
"Fifty full plates... I'll be cooking until tomorrow morning at this rate!"
While everyone was panicking, Yoshino still raised her hand with excitement:
"Chef Sekimori , what about our dinner?"
Chef Sekimori: "After you finish fifty servings, make your own staff meal for dinner."
Yoshino: "Make it myself... ourselves? What about the fancy meal you promised us?"
Chef Sekimori: "There's no such thing."
Yoshino: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Hachiman let out another helpless sigh. For the first time, he realized how important a harmless lie could be. Chef Guan had no idea how big of a blow Yoshino just took right now. No—nobody could take that.
Maybe… only Yoshino knew. Her beautiful dream of a school trip had completely shattered in this moment. She had lost her soul, and didn't even have the strength to lift a pan anymore.
Now, there's no difference between her and Marui, right?
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