Completely unaware of the greedy thoughts brewing inside the seemingly gentle adult before her, Fuuka, who still held a good impression of me, continued talking.
"Don't be fooled by appearances. Every ingredient I supply to the academy's kitchen is something I've carefully selected myself. Of course, no matter how carefully we prepare, when you're cooking in such large quantities, it's inevitable that the ingredients lose some of their natural flavor."
I had already experienced that firsthand.
"Sometimes we get a lot of complaints too…"
At that, her expression darkened, her tone growing faintly gloomy.
"I actually ate lunch at the cafeteria today," I said casually.
"Eh?" Fuuka's eyes widened in surprise. "Sensei, why didn't you tell me beforehand? Ah... but even if you had, I probably wouldn't have had time to make something just for you."
I abruptly shifted the topic. "There are really a lot of students at Gehenna, aren't there?"
Fuuka blinked, then nodded slightly. "Yes. After all, it's a school with a long history."
"I used to only know the number in theory, without really understanding what it meant. But today, when I stepped into the cafeteria at lunchtime, I finally realized just how many people that number represents."
I sighed softly. "And that's even with many students choosing not to eat there. From what little I know about Gehenna, I'd imagine that number isn't small either, right?"
Our eyes met. Fuuka must have already guessed what I was about to say next.
"To provide affordable, healthy, hot meals for so many students, Fuuka, you're already doing an incredible job. Sure, there may be a few complaints, but I'm sure your effort and care have reached far more people than those few voices."
I smiled at her. "Otherwise, why would so many students still choose to eat there? It's not like Gehenna mandates cafeteria lunches."
Of course, it might also just be because of the low price. Regardless of taste, it's hard to beat cheap food, and the Three Great Academies really do provide decent subsidies.
I continued, pressing my point. "Even if the food can't always be called delicious, that's simply a necessary trade-off for efficiency. Your hard work hasn't diminished in the slightest. Honestly, when I was eating, just knowing that the meal was cooked by you made it taste better somehow. Maybe that's what they call emotional added value."
After my long speech, Fuuka looked dazed.
"Uu… Sensei, when you say so many things so seriously, I don't even know how to respond."
Another girl who isn't used to being praised, huh.
I suddenly realized that there are too many good girls in Kivotos who lack the care and affirmation they deserve. Maybe one of my missions in this world is to fill that void in their hearts.
After all, I am a Sensei.
In other words, I should help these love-starved girls grow into adults.
"Hehe." Instead of answering directly, I leaned closer with a mischievous grin and whispered, "Besides, those few people who complain probably just don't understand you. They're selfish idiots who don't deserve your effort. If they stop coming to the cafeteria, doesn't that just lighten your workload?"
Fuuka stared at me in disbelief. "Th-that's not how we should think! It's the School Lunch Club's duty to meet the students' needs…"
"You mean the needs of the students who come to eat, right? If someone's already so dissatisfied that they file complaints, we can just assume they won't come anymore. So why worry about what they think?"
"T-that's…"
She furrowed her brows, clearly trying to find a flaw in my twisted logic.
But I laughed, raising both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm just kidding. Don't take it so seriously, Fuuka. That was pure nonsense."
"Sensei, really!" she pouted, cheeks puffed up in mock annoyance, though her eyes were smiling.
"But," I said, my tone turning sincere, "you really don't have to let hurtful words get to you. As long as you do what you can, and stay true to your heart, that's enough. At least I know this much, you work harder than anyone else."
I shrugged lightly. "So, if you ever need help again, I'll be right there beside you. As your number one customer, of course."
That should've cheered her up for real this time.
Instead, Fuuka shot me a reproachful look, mumbling, "Sensei, how can you say something that embarrassing with such a straight face? What am I even supposed to say back to that?"
…Maybe I'd gone a bit too far.
Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I looked away. "Sorry, those words came straight from the heart. I just said them before thinking."
"Hehe~"
She couldn't hold back her laughter, the sound light and musical. "I was just joking, Sensei~ Didn't you just tell me not to worry if something doesn't come across?"
"Hey, that's not the same thing, is it?"
"Mhm~ But since you tricked me with your silly logic, I have to get even by teasing you the same way."
Fuuka playfully stuck out her tongue. "Don't underestimate a girl's sense of revenge, okay? Hehe~ Anyway, thank you, Sensei. I really do feel better now."
I could tell. She was in such a good mood she'd started bantering freely with her teacher.
"Alright, enough chatting. I've finished picking out all the ingredients."
Only then did I notice that the shopping cart had already been filled to the brim without me realizing it, she must've been selecting everything while we talked.
"So, once we buy all this, we're done with shopping?"
The amount seemed smaller than I expected. Honestly, she didn't really need me to help for this.
Still, there was always the possibility that she'd just used it as an excuse to spend time with me.
Can't blame me for thinking that way. It's tough being a handsome man in a den of wolves like Kivotos, you have to stay alert if you want to survive.
Otherwise, I might end up paying dearly for carelessness. Reference: my recent experience with Hoshino's bond story.
"No, Sensei," Fuuka said brightly, her eyes sparkling. "The real shopping starts now!"
Her enthusiasm was contagious. I clapped twice in mock admiration. "Wow, sounds intense."
"Ugh.... Sensei, stop teasing me!"
After that, Fuuka demonstrated what real shopping meant.
Through clever negotiation and perfectly timed bulk orders, she managed to secure a huge amount of premium ingredients at astonishingly low prices.
When the process was done, I couldn't help but praise her, seeing the confident, victorious gleam in her eyes. "Amazing work, Fuuka."
"Well, I am the head of Gehenna's School Lunch Club. This kind of thing is nothing to me!"
Despite her words, the joy on her face was impossible to hide. "Alright then, let's head back, Sensei!"
"Yeah."
We left the department store carrying what I assumed were sample ingredients and made our way to the parking lot.
But as we got closer, Fuuka's gentle smile slowly froze.
Because sitting in the driver's seat of the School Lunch Club's pickup truck was a blonde girl who looked calm and harmless.
And that blonde girl, who seemed oddly familiar to me, noticed us at the same time, smiling as she waved.
Fuuka's expression darkened, and she grabbed my hand. "Sensei, there's no time to explain! Come with me!"
"Hey! Fuuka, where are you going?"
We turned to run, only to find our path blocked by a short red-haired girl with twin tails, holding a rope and smirking playfully.
From the other side came a gray-haired twin-tailed girl, holding duct tape in one hand and a hot dog in the other, stuffing her mouth full while mumbling something incoherent.
Finally, the sharp click of heels echoed against the concrete. From the shadows stepped a silver-haired girl in a coat, her expression proud and imperious.
"Alright then, Fuuka. Just like usual… Hm? Wait, that adult over there... we've met before, haven't we?"
We had. More than once, in fact.
And I finally realized who the four of them were...
Gehenna Academy's Gourmet Research Society.