The gentle spring breeze had yet to fade, and summer arrived quietly.

But for the students, aside from shedding a uniform jacket, life hadn’t changed much.

Eisuke Shi nodded to the pink-haired boy who entered naturally, acknowledging his presence.

He’d heard Yuzu Arisugawa had four brothers, but he’d only met this one.

Because cooking practice sometimes resulted in leftovers, Yuzu Arisugawa often called this boy, Kuniharu, to eat dinner.

He also had a theory, and he had evidence.

The true identity of the coffee jelly god Yuzu Arisugawa worshipped daily was this Kuniharu himself.

The familiar pink hair, lollipop antenna, signature green glasses were identical to the ones on the offering table in Yuzu Arisugawa’s kitchen, along with the coffee jelly that appeared on the table every day.

Kuniharu was a very aloof person, not fond of talking and rarely showing facial expressions.

In daily interactions, Eisuke Shi actually feared this type of person, completely unsure whether he had offended him in any way.

Unlike Yuzu Arisugawa, he couldn’t communicate with his brother through just eye contact.

But just as Kuniharu was revered as a god by Yuzu Arisugawa simply for loving coffee jelly, the siblings had a really good relationship. No wonder they could communicate without speaking.

It was just that every time he asked a bunch of questions, Kuniharu’s answer was always “Hmm” or “No,” making him think he was probably disliked.

If Yuzu Arisugawa knew what he was thinking, she would definitely reply: It’s not yet time for you to be disliked by him! He’s just shocked by your smooth personality shifts and your fragile, easily-hurt heart.

After seeing Kuniharu off, Eisuke Shi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Yuzu Arisugawa chuckled lightly, her tone slightly sarcastic. “Senpai Shi, show some of the spirit you have when you’re cooking.”

Eisuke Shi slumped in his chair, his eyes wide and blank. “Eh~ Spare me. Interacting with people is so hard.”

Yuzu Arisugawa gestured for him to hold out his hand. “Megumi’s earth remedy. Specifically for dealing with tension and anxiety.”

Eisuke Shi obediently extended his hand, and then Yuzu Arisugawa’s middle finger descended.

(person).

Only two strokes, but she wrote very slowly.

People usually use their index finger for gestures, and that pale, oddly extended middle finger seemed to imply that the owner didn’t really want to write.

Where the gesture touched, a tingling sensation ran through his palm.

Friction always produces an electric current in physics; it’s a normal phenomenon. Eisuke Shi thought so.

But his gaze inevitably clouded for a moment.

Occasionally, he would have thoughts like, “Maybe she did it on purpose.”

Eisuke Shi withdrew his hand, feeling wronged.

He couldn’t understand, and he didn’t want to.

Anyway, things unrelated to cooking weren’t that important.

He decided to get to the point. “The first-year training camp is the day after tomorrow, right?”

The flyer for the training camp was still on the coffee table.

Under the guise of friendship and exchange, the training camp, which had eliminated half the students in a record year, was something Yuzu Arisugawa took seriously.

“Right, Senpai Shi, could you send me your usual rest times? I plan to renovate the apartment while I’m away at the training camp. My eyes are at their limit.”

“I’ll send them to you.”

“Also, I won’t be coming over tomorrow.” Eisuke Shi propped himself up on the armrest of the sofa. “Half of the Elite Ten have been invited to a banquet.”

Yuzu Arisugawa showed no interest in investigating. “A banquet that can invite half of the Elite Ten must be an incredibly boring place.”

The more high-class a banquet is, the more boring it is.

This was Yuzu Arisugawa’s profound understanding over the years.

“But it’s convenient, I also have plans for tomorrow night.”

Eisuke Shi looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “Eh, the training camp is the day after tomorrow, and you’re going out tomorrow night?”

Yuzu Arisugawa raised her chin, smiling proudly. “It’s very important.”

If Eisuke Shi had asked a couple more questions, he might have discovered that their destinations surprisingly coincided.

Unfortunately, out of politeness, he didn’t press further.

The banquet Eisuke Shi was attending was hosted by the national tennis training camp, a celebration for the tennis players who had won the U18 World Championship.

Athletes have big appetites, and the organizers specifically requested that the food be primarily meat dishes.

Therefore, the chefs were selected based on their expertise in meat dishes, or rather, dishes that could satisfy the appetites of male high school athletes.

Eisuke Shi (first seat), Ryotan Kobayashi (second seat), Fuyumi Yukimura (third seat), Sōmei Saitō (fifth seat), Ninin Kuninaka (sixth seat), and Teruki Kuga (eighth seat).

Thanks to the Japanese national team’s good results for two consecutive years, their budget was quite generous.

There were always rumors that Totsuki Academy recruited students based on their appearance, but the main reason was that there were so many handsome men and beautiful women in the school.

But even at the tennis training camp, those at the top of Totsuki Academy had to admit, these tennis players were chosen based on their looks.

No joke, it seemed that the country’s top-quality men were either cooking or playing tennis.

Both sides exchanged friendly greetings and compliments, then quickly transitioned into party mode.

However, for the energetic teenagers, “party” was a more appropriate term.

There weren’t many formalities.

It wasn’t that annoyingly high-class, boring type of banquet.

Yuzu Arisugawa was wrong this time.

Eisuke Shi thought.

Then he wholeheartedly immersed himself in cooking.

The venue was the training camp’s dining hall; the party was buffet-style, with each chef having their own stove and table.

The ingredients had been prepared by the chefs in the afternoon to keep up with the eating speed of the very hungry young athletes.

Even with many people, the food disappeared quickly, like a popular restaurant during peak hours. The chefs worked in an orderly manner; this was a test they had all passed.

“Watch me eat a bowl of freshly cooked ramen in three minutes!” —From an energetic, lively seaweed-head.

“Hey, cut it out! Don’t steal mine! Don’t you have any in front of you?” —From a spirited red-haired spiky-head.

“But I want to eat that one.” —From an innocent little kid.

“It’s so delicious! Another bowl!” —Still the energetic seaweed-head.

“Mmm, this Yorkshire steak is incredibly beautifully cooked.” —From an elegant old man.

“So ants have this kind of use in cooking! It suddenly became delicious. Is it a special breed? Can you tell me where I can get these ants?” —From a strange bespectacled man.

“No! Don’t tell him!” —A chorus of voices from a certain school.

“Eh? Do you prefer ordinary ants without sweetness?” —Still the strange bespectacled man.

…

The dining hall was very lively. The young male high school students were conquered by the food and began showering praise.

“You’re the same age as us, but you already have such amazing cooking skills! That’s amazing!”

“You guys too. At the same age, you’re already shining brightly in the world.” The chefs returned the compliment.

“Did you hear that? Did you hear that? She said I’m shining brightly in the world! As expected of me, the ace of Rikkai, Akaya Kirishima!”

“Be more humble, you idiot. You’re already the captain of Rikkai Middle School, and you still can’t be serious.”

The parents watched their children’s playful antics with smiles. They were all excellent offspring.

The official team members could invite their families to this party.

It was a lively party.

As the party was nearing its end, the tennis players stopped crowding around the cooking stations, and Eisuke Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

Returning compliments was really hard, ugh.

Although the guests were overly enthusiastic, Eisuke Shi was satisfied with these people who sincerely tasted his cooking.

They weren’t like the usual guests who only praised his Elite Ten status and didn’t care what kind of dish he made.

Thinking this, he remembered Yuzu Arisugawa.

Did she also find those banquets hypocritical? Would she have the same thoughts?

Regarding the reform of the culinary world…

“Clang! I’m here to deliver warmth! Everyone! Long time no see!”

A dark shade appeared in his violet eyes. Eisuke Shi felt like he was hallucinating. Did he really hear Yuzu Arisugawa’s voice?

He looked up and saw Yuzu Arisugawa, very conspicuous, pushing a small cart towards the entrance.

Inside the cart was a large orange gift box tied with a large grass-green bow.

Yuzu Arisugawa herself was wearing a pale yellow brocade dress, with a black solid-color bow tied around her waist, her golden hair tied up with smaller black bows. She suddenly appeared in the national tennis training camp’s dining hall.

She suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

Perhaps he had just thought of her, and seeing her in person, besides surprise, Eisuke Shi also felt a little guilty.

However, the guests, who had been constantly fed (and had their food tested) with desserts by Yuzu Arisugawa, instinctively assumed the gift was dessert.

Only Buntarō Marui immediately rushed towards the large gift box in the cart.

Even if they were full, desserts were for a different stomach!

Yuzu Arisugawa had already excitedly rushed towards her beloved cousin.

So excited, her eyes only saw the boy with blue-purple curly hair, completely unaware of her surprised senior classmates behind the cooking station.

“Keigo-nii! I missed you so much!”

“Yuzu-nee! I missed you so much!” Mieko Shinkura, the younger sister of the Shinkura family, rushed toward Yuzu Arisugawa with the same excited expression.

Yuzu Arisugawa hung on Keigo Shinkura, Mieko Shinkura hung on Yuzu Arisugawa—sibling cuddles.

“Auntie and Uncle too~”

A scream broke the warm atmosphere.

“What the heck! Why isn’t it dessert?!” Buntarō Marui let out a wail of disappointment and shock, attracting everyone’s attention.

The large gift’s bow was removed, but the surrounding boxes still blocked everyone’s view. Yuzu Arisugawa “hmph”-ed. “Who said it was dessert? I said I was delivering warmth. Can’t you think a little more?”

“Am I the kind of person who keeps sending the same thing? That’s not ‘Pika~’ at all!”

Yuzu Arisugawa snapped her fingers, raising her voice. “Peter, Karubin, you’re on!”

Peter, an Afghan Hound, leaped out of the large gift box upon receiving the command, appearing handsome and shiny in everyone’s sight. It was a coincidence that he was right under a bright LED light, like the main character on stage, proudly holding his head high and striking a pose.

Kōsuke Shiraishi pondered. “Strange, it feels like a familiar déjà vu.”

With Peter’s leap of faith, the sides of the gift box scattered with his movements, revealing a Himalayan cat sitting in place, waiting for its owner to gently pick it up.

Akaya Kirishima showed a familiar expression upon seeing the cat. “Isn’t this the Echizen family’s cat?”

Yuzu Arisugawa let go of her cousin, raising her hands high, shouting loudly, “Surprise!”

Surprised? Unexpected?

Ryoma Echizen (cat owner): …

Keigo Atobe (dog owner): …