Half an hour later, inside the home economics classroom.
"Shhh—time's up."
Lowering the whistle, Narumi Tōru stared at the pitch-black, faintly reddish, charcoal-like slab on the plate in front of him, rendered momentarily speechless.
This was the batch of cookies Yukinoshita Yukino had personally made within the time limit.
Meanwhile, the creation produced by Yuigahama Yui—who had competed alongside her—looked a bit misshapen, but at the very least, you could tell it was food just by looking at it.
"Since this is just a simulation, couldn't you maybe not simulate the sensation of eating this thing so precisely, dear System?"
No response echoed in his head. Looks like he was being ignored.
Come to think of it—was Yukinoshita Yukino's cooking this disastrous in reality too? Or was this some special setting unique to the simulation?
"Hmm… I didn't perform very well this time. This isn't my true level."
Miss Yukinoshita narrowed her eyes slightly as she gazed at the indescribable mass on the plate. For some reason, the way she said that gave off the unmistakable vibe of a seasoned, emotionally unavailable scumbag veteran (low-commitment build).
"But it should be sufficient as a reference for Yuigahama-san."
"There's no way that qualifies, no matter how you look at it!"
Hikigaya provided the perfectly timed retort—naturally earning himself a merciless cold glare from Yukinoshita.
"Making such a judgment without even tasting it is a deeply flawed argument, Hikigaya-kun."
No, no, no—this thing would straight-up kill you if you tasted it.
The dead-fish-eyed boy complained internally, while the pink-haired dango girl who met his gaze conveyed the exact same opinion with her subtly awkward expression.
Yet despite the atmosphere, Narumi Tōru casually picked up a charcoal-black lump from the plate.
And then—without hesitation—popped it into his mouth.
"N-Narumi-senpai! Someone help him!"
Firefighter Hikigaya, deploying! Locate nearest water source!
"Oh, it's fine. I just happened to be writing a scene about dark cuisine recently—thought I'd test the waters—urk."
The curly-haired young man tilted his head with a bright, reassuring smile, but alongside that dependable grin, white foam began spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't talk! Water's here—open up!"
"I'm f-fine! My m-mental state is p-perfectly n-normal—glug glug—"
As Hikigaya forcibly poured water down Narumi's throat, Yuigahama frantically pulled out her phone, fully prepared to call the hospital and get him rushed in for a stomach pump.
Thankfully, under the emergency treatment of Bodhisattva Hachiman, Narumi Tōru successfully escaped mortal danger.
Nearby, a certain culprit shrank her shoulders guiltily, questioning her cooking skills for the first time in her life.
"Sometimes, if your cooking really isn't up to par, wouldn't it be easier to just buy something ready-made?"
Hikigaya Hachiman wiped sweat from his head—despite there being none. Being this socially active was honestly asking too much of a certified loner like him.
"Ah, but if you want to convey your feelings through something you made with your own hands, that's understandable too."
Having downed half a bottle of mineral water, the curly-haired young man recovered, glancing sideways at the pink-haired dango girl who was busy fanning him.
"After all, if you don't say certain things in time, you might never get the chance."
She, meanwhile, looked like she'd been caught red-handed—panicking as she made a shushing gesture at him behind the dead-fish-eyed boy's back.
Honestly, ever since joining the Volunteer Service Club, the way she'd been constantly watching Hikigaya was way too obvious.
"That's true… some things, if you don't do them now, you might never get the chance later."
Yukinoshita Yukino echoed this calmly. While the other two weren't paying attention, she swallowed a pill with some water—of course, even if they'd noticed, they'd have assumed it was just vitamins.
"But what if you do it and still don't get the result you hoped for? What if it was meaningless from the start? Even then, would you still insist on conveying your feelings, Yuigahama-san?"
"Ah…"
Yukino's pointed question made Yuigahama Yui freeze mid-deflection. Hikigaya Hachiman, who'd been carefully reading the room, also sensed something off.
Narumi Tōru wiped the flippant look from his face, stealing a sideways glance at the black-haired girl beside him, her expression cold and distant.
Delicate like a porcelain doll, yet utterly expressionless, she stared at the counter as calmly as stagnant water.
But beneath that still surface—what kind of emotions were hiding?
Narumi Tōru was curious.
"Hmm… based on my understanding of Yukino, I honestly thought you'd say something like, 'Avoiding the problem is useless—facing your own weakness is the first step to becoming stronger.' You know, something sharp and to the point."
Standing beside her, he teased lightly while rolling up his sleeves and joining the cookie-making process.
That was, after all, what the original Yukinoshita Yukino would have said.
Never running away. Always facing difficulties head-on. Excessively upright, perhaps—but never lying to herself.
If there was anything that could shake such a strong Yukinoshita Yukino, then it could only be—
"…After that, I simply began thinking more deeply about what the point of doing such things really is."
The girl stared at the dough she was kneading, yet it felt as though she were gazing at something far, far away.
"Even if you convey those feelings, then what? What comes next? You get closer, confess naturally, start dating? How do you confirm that the other person truly shares your values, that they're willing to face hardships and choices alongside you? And if you end up disagreeing and separating, how do you convince yourself to accept the sunk costs you've lost? If…"
She fell silent—but Narumi could guess the rest.
If one day, one of you has to leave, how do you face that separation?
Narumi Tōru could understand this shift in Yukinoshita Yukino's outcome-oriented way of thinking.
Perhaps it's only when you're on the verge of losing something that you start agonizing over every possibility.
For Yukinoshita Yukino, that precious thing was health—or even life itself.
For Yuigahama Yui, this was merely a sweet, awkward teenage worry: Should I express my gratitude to someone I kind of like?
But for Yukinoshita Yukino, it was a real question of whether she should try forming new relationships when her life itself might be nearing its end.
Cruel—yet undeniably serious.
"I get it, I get it. Yeah, I've thought that way too."
As the mood began to sink, Narumi Tōru spoke while sliding the loaded cookie tray into the oven.
"Like deciding to become a security guard after graduating college—skipping twenty years of detours."
"Pfft."
His relaxed, joking tone earned a small laugh from Yuigahama Yui.
"And since everyone dies eventually anyway, might as well reincarnate at twenty. You'd be at least fifty years ahead of your peers—and could even snag a nice plot underground with mountains and rivers."
"Why are you still competing for real estate after you've already been buried?"
That line also drew Hikigaya into the effort to lighten the conversation, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
"Anyway—long story short."
Wearing oven mitts, the curly-haired young man took the tray out, symbolically blew on the whistle hanging around his neck to announce his time was up, and placed the cookies in front of the other two.
"Just like people who love cooking enjoy both the food and the process itself."
Drawn by the aroma, Hikigaya Hachiman and Yuigahama Yui both sniffed instinctively and leaned toward the counter.
"Searching for meaning in itself—that's already a meaningful act."
"..."
Yukinoshita Yukino picked up a cookie shaped like a cat's head and took a small bite.
When she looked up, she saw the curly-haired young man's clean, refreshing smile—one that seemed capable of embracing all negativity and darkness.
It was a little hot, but the crisp texture and gentle milk aroma—rich yet not cloying—made her brow relax.
To her own surprise, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't dislike the taste.
"Since we're all going to die eventually anyway, why don't we all share Yukino's cookies and reunite underground, singing Unforgettable Tonight together?"
Naturally, Narumi's sudden relapse caused everyone to nearly choke on their cookies.
The cookies brought absolutely no romantic atmosphere whatsoever.
Absolutely not.