"So, that was just a misunderstanding? You're a student about to move into Yōbi Dormitory? You rushed over after class and happened to bump into my sister when we opened the door?"
With heavy suspicion in her eyes, looking at the man's honest appearance and recalling the situation just now, he really didn't seem to have done it on purpose.
But, that hand had indeed touched her, and it hadn't been removed immediately, it had even squeezed a bit. And her idiotic sister still looked indifferent, which was truly frustrating!
"Exactly! How could that situation possibly be premeditated?! It was just a low-probability event that occurred due to a combination of various coincidences."
Sitting on the warm, comfortable sofa, Hoshino Sora argued logically. Although his brain had somewhat frozen due to the suddenness of the touch, he had now realized that it was completely an accident!
"What should I do? I've never encountered something like this before..."
Shiina Shinohiru muttered to herself in a low voice. The crucial point was that Shiina Mashiro looked indifferent, which made her seem petty for being so concerned.
She didn't feel very good about it.
"The situation is clear now. Since it wasn't intentional, why don't Hoshino-kun make a dish to apologize? It'll also be a chance to see the new person's skills. Speaking of which, you're the first boy in our dormitory building in years."
Standing behind the sofa, watching the young man's reserved appearance, Kobayashi Rindo ate snacks and smiled as she offered the suggestion, practically drooling.
At this point, the current situation had to be mentioned.
At this moment, Shiina Shinohiru and Shiina Mashiro were sitting side by side in front of him.
Kobayashi Rindo propped her hands on the sofa behind him, leaning most of her body forward. Her red hair subtly covered half of one eye, and the way she showed her fangs when she spoke was very cute.
Akikubo Momo held a doll and sat beside Shiina Mashiro. She seemed a bit shy but couldn't help but curiously observe Hoshino Sora, wondering what she was thinking.
"A dish, huh..."
Her brows were slightly furrowed, clearly not satisfied with this outcome, but Shiina Shinohiru didn't say it directly. Instead, she turned her gaze to her sister, and seeing her sister staring blankly at Hoshino Sora's face, she reached out and tugged on her clothes.
"Hmm, I have no objection. Anyway, something like that has already been done to me."
Nodding gently, Shiina Mashiro spoke softly, and as she did, she even proactively reached out and touched her own upper body, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
That feeling, the feeling of a large hand covering everything, it was so subtle. It was so different from touching herself, and oddly comfortable. What was the principle behind it?
"Sister, don't do that in front of a boy!"
Seeing Shiina Mashiro's actions becoming increasingly bold, Shiina Shinohiru quickly raised her hand to stop her, scolding her with a blushing face. Sometimes she really felt that her sister was missing a screw in her head, her lack of common sense was absurd!
She and Shiina Mashiro were not biological sisters but cousins. When they first met, she was shocked because the other party's common sense was ridiculously weak.
Her room was incredibly messy, she didn't bother with personal hygiene, and she seemed completely out of touch with society, essentially a 'useless person.' However, her cooking skills were incredibly strong, possessing a talent beyond ordinary people.
"Then I'll make a dish to apologize. Where's the kitchen?"
Taking advantage of the situation, Hoshino Sora quickly spoke. If just making a dish could resolve this crisis, it would be a huge gain! But speaking of which, he was the only boy in this dormitory building?
Acutely aware of Kobayashi Rindo's words, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but feel a bit smug. This environment and setting, wasn't it a perfect harem tailored just for him?!
No, too many girls would make it difficult to make a move. Wouldn't this just be teasing him without giving him any opportunities?
But he had a system, so maybe there would be a new turn of events in the future, or he could conquer them with his personal charm. But that possibility was very small; he wasn't holding out much hope anyway.
Cross that bridge when he came to it. Thinking about so many things now was meaningless.
Shiina Mashiro, he remembered her favorite food seemed to be Baumkuchen. He just didn't know if she in this world still liked it. Anyway, he would try making it first.
However, making a layered Baumkuchen in a home kitchen was honestly a bit difficult, but for Hoshino Sora, it was no problem.
He tied on an apron and took a tour of the kitchen. To his surprise, all the ingredients needed for Baumkuchen were available in the kitchen.
Milk, butter, eggs, honey, flour. He thought back to seeing Senior Akikubo Momo in the dormitory building earlier; she was an expert in making desserts.
Thinking that way, it seemed natural for the kitchen to have these ingredients.
First, he melted butter with boiled milk, then added an appropriate amount of honey.
He cracked eggs into a bowl, added white sugar twice and whipped them, then sifted in low-gluten flour. Since he couldn't find it right away, Hoshino Sora used almond flour from the dining table instead.
Baumkuchen made this way would have an almond aroma and excellent coloring. In the recipe encyclopedia, it was rated one level higher than ordinary Baumkuchen.
After mixing evenly, he added the prepared honey-milk-butter mixture, continued to stir until uniform, then poured it into a flat mold. Next, he took out a rolling pin that could be used in the middle of the oven.
He wrapped it in aluminum foil and inserted a straw in the middle for easy demolding later. At this point, all the preparations were complete, and Hoshino Sora officially began baking the Baumkuchen.
On the other side, several girls were sitting on the sofa outside, waiting, passing Hoshino Sora's admission notice around, getting to know their new roommate who was about to move in.
"What are you all doing in the living room?"
Having just finished judging a Shokugeki, Hiratsuka Shizuka opened the door to the Yōbi Dormitory with a slight fatigue. She was the dorm manager of this building and occasionally served as a Shokugeki judge when asked.
"Shizu-chan, we have a boy here, and he's a handsome one too! He looks like your type."
As she spoke, Kobayashi Rindo jumped up from the sofa and handed Hoshino Sora's profile to the newly returned Hiratsuka Shizuka, a playful look on her face.
"Teasing me again. Is he a new student? Why wasn't I notified? Speaking of which, we haven't had a boy here in years; the yin energy is too strong!"
Hearing Kobayashi Rindo's words, Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes in exasperation, then cast her gaze on the admission notice handed to her, seeing the handsome face in the upper right corner of the notice.
Hmm, he was indeed the type she preferred, but he was a student. No matter how much she wanted to find someone to marry, she wouldn't make a move on a student.
"Where is he now? I'll go see him."
"He's in the kitchen. He should be almost done with the dish now. It seems to be some kind of cake. A very rich cake aroma has been wafting from in there since earlier."
Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's question, Shiina Shinohiru pointed towards the nearby kitchen. At this moment, the aroma of cake was continuously wafting from inside, instantly raising everyone's anticipation.
"It's Baumkuchen, and he even used almond flour. Good idea."
Akikubo Momo added from the side, waving the hand holding the bear doll twice as she spoke, her eyes revealing surprise. The newcomer was a pastry chef like her; now she had someone to exchange ideas with!
But, they had to get to know each other first.
"As expected of Senior Akikubo. Please, taste this almond-flavored Baumkuchen with a cup of clear tea. Mashiro, here. I apologize for what happened earlier. Please be lenient with me."
Placing the Baumkuchen in front of Shiina Mashiro with his own hands, Hoshino Sora sincerely apologized. Although what happened earlier was an accident from all angles, the other party was still the one who suffered.
And he had indeed felt the beauty of a girl. That feeling, surely, she hadn't been wearing anything inside, right? It had to be said that this perfectly fit Mashiro's character setting.
"I'm fine, but what was that feeling? My chest has felt warm since then, and my body..."
"Eh..."
"Alright, Sister, don't say anything more!"
Hearing Shiina Mashiro about to utter shocking words, Shiina Shinohiru quickly covered her mouth, preventing the situation from becoming awkward.
"What happened earlier?"
Raising an eyebrow, Hiratsuka Shizuka asked in confusion.
"It's just..."
Shiina Shinohiru began to explain what had happened, while Shiina Mashiro turned her gaze to the perfectly baked Baumkuchen in front of her, with its layers upon layers.
If one were to ask what the best part of bread was, it would undoubtedly be the crust! Baumkuchen was just such a magical thing; every layer was a crust.
At the same time, because almond flour was used, the texture and taste of the Baumkuchen had changed. For those who loved bread crusts, it was undoubtedly the best cake!
This could be seen from the sudden sparkle in Shiina Mashiro's eyes. It was clear that she truly loved this, and her usually expressionless face even seemed to show a smile.
Although it was faint, Hoshino Sora could feel it.
"Delicious! I didn't expect you to be good at desserts, even though you're a boy. This is great, Momo finally has someone to exchange ideas with."
Pinching Akikubo Momo's soft little face from behind, Kobayashi Rindo said with a smile. The almond-flavored Baumkuchen felt like being bathed in warm sunshine, cozy and very comfortable.
"Please guide me, novice pastry chef. You must work hard to make your dishes cute~"
——————
Room 404.
After finishing the Baumkuchen in the living room, everyone returned to their respective rooms. Hoshino Sora, who had been tired all day, finally got to rest, lying on the bed with his eyes closed, recuperating.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly opened his eyes, reached out, and pointed into the void. The next moment, the Reputation Mall was summoned, along with a series of kitchen utensils.
bone removal dragon saber, All-Purpose Seasoning Bottle, Mysterious Iron Heavy Pot, Magic Spices—these were all the items he could currently use for fishing.
[Miracle Fishing Rod]: Place bait (any item), find a source of water, and you can randomly obtain an item of the same type that is one major grade up or down.
[Uses Remaining]: 10/10
However, because the All-Purpose Seasoning Bottle and Magic Spices were placed together, Hoshino Sora specifically separated them before fishing, thinking that he should at least keep one as a backup.
Currently, bronze-grade kitchen utensils no longer offered him much improvement, so he wanted to upgrade his equipment. If each item was given one chance, then according to probability, at least two would upgrade to silver grade.
So Hoshino Sora brought a basin of water and began fishing with the kitchen utensils tied to the rod. It turned out that sometimes probability was not as good as luck. Out of the four bronze-grade items, only the Magic Spices successfully upgraded, while the others all became black iron-grade kitchen utensils.
[Fantasy Spices]*2: Increases the taste of dishes by 500% and increases the dishes' attraction to living beings by 300%. Consuming these spices may cause a series of physical reactions, so please use them with caution.
"Geez, now I'm a bit confused whether to be happy or sad."
Seeing the effect of the Fantasy Spices, Hoshino Sora was utterly speechless. With the bonus from this item, even Far Moon's First Seat probably wouldn't be his opponent.
Unfortunately, there were only two portions, so they could only be used at the most crucial moments. He would save them for when there was a golden-grade reward he couldn't obtain otherwise; otherwise, it would be too wasteful.
Putting all the items on the ground into his storage backpack, Hoshino Sora leaned against the wall and opened the Reputation Mall. A dazzling array of items instantly appeared before his eyes.
Among them, what undoubtedly caught his attention the most was the very first item on the first page.
[Chef's Heart]: After a match with an opponent, you can gain a certain amount of culinary insight by tasting their dishes.
After accumulating enough culinary insight, the Chef's Heart will evolve.
[Redeem Reputation]: 10000
[Reputation]: By using your culinary skills to create an impact on your surroundings, the system will grant a certain amount of reputation rewards based on the number of people affected by the event.
Additionally, completing reputation quests will grant a large amount of reputation rewards.
Reputation Quest: Accept a Shokugeki from an internal transfer student and win the challenge.
Reputation Reward: 100
Reputation Quest: Obtain an A-grade evaluation in the upcoming assessment.
Reputation Reward: 200
...
Reputation Quest: Hold Erina Nakiri's hand in public, and while attracting the attention of those around you, loudly shout to the sky, "Tsundere is the best in the world!"
Reputation Reward: 1000
Looking at the dazzling, even somewhat flashy, reputation quests, Hoshino Sora felt a surge of motivation, a drive to move forward; he wanted this Chef's Heart!
Isn't this just an alternative monster-slaying and leveling-up system?
Upon closer inspection, his reputation value had already reached one thousand points, most of which were gained during the transfer student's speech that morning, after all, being infamous is still a form of fame.
"Hey, hey, transfer student, come over quickly.
We've prepared a welcome party for you, and another transfer student will be coming.
You should know him."
As a knock sounded, Shiina Mahiru's figure appeared at the doorway.
"Who is it?"
Hoshino Sora was puzzled.
Because the world line had changed, he didn't know whether Soma Yukihira would join Polar Star Dormitory or Yōbi Dormitory, but he didn't want him to come here.
"You'll know when you come over.
Also, even though you're in your room, please pay attention to your appearance, as everyone in the dormitory building besides you is a girl.
Oh, the party is in room 308."
With a flushed face, Shinohiru finished speaking, looking at Hoshino Sora, who had already taken off his clothes and was lying on the bed.
She then scurried away, stealing glances at Hoshino Sora's abs as she went.
Just as men like breasts and legs, girls also really like abs, and even if they know they can only admire them from afar, they can't help but gaze at them.
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