The cafeteria at Gehenna is truly a battlefield.
Among the five-digit number of enrolled students, only about 4,000 actually eat the school lunch…
But the staff preparing meals for 4,000 students, incredibly, consists of just two people. Considering one of them has disastrous cooking skills, the culinary efforts at Gehenna are nothing short of astonishing!
And to add to their woes, there’s a club that should be sworn enemies—enter the infamous Gourmet Research Club.
A group that is essentially the embodiment of evil, not shying away from dropping a nuke on what could have been a normal cafeteria.
However, surprisingly, the Gourmet Research Club has scarcely caused any major incidents this year.
In fact, it would be safe to say there have been none!
Of course, they’ve had their share of minor mishaps, but hey, if you’re from Gehenna, that’s just a charming quirk, right?
Turns out, the supposed “rehabilitated” Haruna is actually a genius of effort. Thanks to this, I’ve come to realize just how powerful the emotion of love can be—it can truly transform a person.
Now, Haruna has a clear goal: she wants to cook delicious food for her loved ones and enjoy it together.
Is it just me, or do I find our “Head” remarkably impressive for no longer blowing up the kitchen, either?
Sure, I’d give more credit to Noa in this regard, but still…
Haruna, taking my hand and leading the way, strode boldly into the cafeteria, throwing open the kitchen door. If this were the original story, an emergency bell would probably ring from the Student Council, but today isn’t that day. Maybe.
“Fuka, I know it’s a busy time, but may I impose for a moment?”
“Oh, you’re here! Well… it’s not that big of a deal to spare one oven. And Mika, it’s been a while! How have you been?”
“Oh, yeah! Fuka-chan, it’s been ages! Um, I want to ask how you’ve been, but… ahaha.”
Looking at Fuka, who was clearly showing signs of exhaustion, it’s pretty evident she hasn’t been faring well.
After all, feeding 4,000 people isn’t exactly a stroll in the park. Even if Haruna doesn’t cause problems, it’s bound to be a hassle.
“I’ve been doing well, considering everything. Well then, I’m—”
Crash! Aahhh!!!
Startled by the sudden ruckus, we turned our heads toward the source of the scream.
And there, we witnessed the birth of an oddly shaped creature.
“Ah! Juri…! Excuse me first!”
Seeing Fuka dash toward the chaos, Haruna and I instinctively reached for our weapons. Whatever that creature was, clearly born from Juri’s fingertips, everything deserved equal treatment in front of a bullet!
*
“…Thank you for helping.”
After subduing the unidentified life form, Juri thanked us with an awkward smile, and Haruna and I silently exchanged glances.
‘Should we just pretend that didn’t happen?’
‘What do you mean? We just got here!’
Through our exchanged looks, we decided that we wouldn’t mention the bizarre birth that just occurred in the Gehenna kitchen again. It’d be better for our mental health.
“By the way, this is the person you mentioned, Fuka-senpai, your benefactor!”
“Eh?”
“…”
Juri’s rather sudden introduction made me look at Fuka, realizing her gaze was fixed on Haruna. Then turning to Haruna, I finally grasped the meaning behind Juri’s words.
With rosy cheeks, Haruna was clearly embarrassed to be associated with something so positive.
That meant my influence on Haruna had become something ‘thankful’ for Fuka.
“Hmm… I don’t think I really deserve to be called a benefactor. But in any case, it was Haruna-chan who decided to change.”
“W-Well, saying this feels strange, but I think it’s all thanks to Mika.”
Now, Haruna, why are you denying my words? Of all people…
“Ahaha, enough of this chat. What do you want to make today?”
“Oh, it’s nothing grand. I’m thinking of making a simple dessert today. Since it’s fortuitous that I ran into Mika, I’d be delighted if you both could enjoy it with me.”
“Sure, ‘fortuitous’, huh…”
Giving me a cheeky grin, Haruna was far too charming, leaving me unable to press her further on what she had done.
Let’s just say that a smile can smooth over most mistakes if you’re beautiful enough.
“Oh, I’ll help—”
“It’s fine! I can handle it alone! Really, don’t worry about us, just focus on preparing the school lunch!”
Haruna urgently shooed Juri trying to help, throwing a glance at Fuka that seemed to plead, “Can you do something about this lady?”
I could feel it even then… no matter how you look at it, their relationship feels like it’s a bit reversed.
Seeing Haruna being dominated by Fuka? Life really is a spectacle.
“Juri, we’re in a bit of a bind here…”
“Ah!”
“…So, Haruna?”
“Yes, Fuka-senpai.”
With a look that was hard to express, Fuka nodded slightly.
“It’s nothing major. Just clean up once you’re done.”
“Yes, of course. Leaving a tidy kitchen is the bare minimum.”
Fuka gave a final nod to me before leading Juri to a corner of the kitchen. Between Haruna and myself, our shared thought was, ‘At least the dangerous individual is moving away…?’
…Originally, the dangerous individual would have been Haruna, not Juri. How did it come to the point where Haruna was the one intimidated by Juri’s negative aura?
“Hmm. Mika?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know what’s better than having a meal with your loved one?”
Hearing Haruna’s question, I stared silently into her eyes. I knew the answer but didn’t want to respond immediately.
I enjoyed the oddly ticklish atmosphere.
For a while, we kept staring at each other without a word until…
“…”
Feeling the glances from Juri and Fuka, who were eyeing us from afar, we returned to our original positions. I’m not usually one to care about others’ gazes, but when they’re so plainly staring at us, it’s a different story.
“Hahaha… So, what exactly can I help with?”
“First, could you come this way for a moment?”
Haruna smiled and pulled my hand as she responded. The answer to her question could be simply put as ‘making something together with your beloved.’
As I casually glanced back, I saw Fuka and Juri preparing for lunchtime. Juri would probably stick strictly to preparing ingredients. She has disastrous hands when it comes to cooking.
If Haruna is going to great lengths to protect herself, that says enough.
“You’ll see from the ingredients, but today we’re making brownies.”
“…Oh, I can definitely help with that.”
Since it’s not a full meal, I could breathe a sigh of relief. As a food enthusiast who already ate breakfast, I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed at all.
…Wait, did I somehow get prepped by Hina? After all, we have a group chat with all our husbands, so it doesn’t quite fit that Haruna would randomly find me unaware and drag me here.
Not that it matters much, I guess.
By the way, making desserts isn’t completely foreign territory to me; I’ve made various snacks and sweets with Nagisa.
So yes, I can definitely lend a hand.
“Brownies are simple to make. Here, Mika, could you mix this well?”
As Haruna said, brownies are among the easier desserts. The most she asked from me was to crack eggs in a bowl and add sugar, salt, and vanilla extract, before mixing it together.
I didn’t even have to worry about measuring how much to add; Haruna had already prepared the right amounts.
While I was doing that, Haruna melted chocolate, butter, and cocoa in a double boiler…
“Mika, could you pour this?”
“Huh? No, I’ll mix it.”
“But…”
“Uhh, Master, I should do this!”
“…”
Mixing the eggs and melted chocolate was my responsibility. The act of creating something together holds more significance than who does what, and it seemed Haruna wasn’t too concerned.
Concerned? That’s a delusion.
How dare she have me, the maid, do the work?!
Afterward, Haruna added flour to the mix and carefully placed thawed cherries on the prepared pan. It seemed like she altered a typical brownie recipe a bit.
Once she poured the completed batter and leveled it out in the pan, she pushed it into the preheated oven.
“Now we just need to wait about 18 minutes.”
“Really? That’s shorter than I expected.”
“Trust me, undercooking is better. I promise.”
“Well, if you say so, then what should we do now?”
“…Perhaps we could help over there?”
Pointing to the two busily preparing meals, I felt a sudden surge of emotion.
The embodiment of evil in the kitchen, Kurodate Haruna, is offering to help? Of course, she’s actually a devil, but still…!
“Hey, Mika? Why the expression…”
“Ah, it’s nothing!”
Just once again charmed by your reformed heart, that’s all. No need to worry about it.
Seeing Haruna’s transformation take place where even our teacher failed, I couldn’t help but feel moved to tears internally.
What will others do when her looks and kindness both go up a notch!?
