*I know, been 3 months, sorry about that.
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"What do you mean half of the participants already lost?"
"Did you not get the update through your phone?" Horikita asked.
"Well, I haven't really charged my phone since last night, so no." I replied.
"Well, here, then. Take a look." She said as she showed me her phone.
"Hm... Well, I wouldn't necessarily say half, it's more than half." I said.
"Yes, and it's worrying since Kushida-san and Hirata-kun were among those."
"I see... Well, nothing we can do about it. The more we dwell on the matter, the less progress we're going to make." I said as I finished my water-diluted soda.
"Right... That aside, I have another question for you." She said.
"What?" I asked.
"How can you even drink that?" She asked and I just shrugged.
"Well, I'll be going Horikita." I said and she nodded, then I stood up from my seat and exited the fast-food chain.
"I guess my 60 mins starts now..." I muttered to myself as I set the timer on my phone.
I wonder, who should I bother next? The members of the Ayanokouji group are in class... So... No one... I should've stayed with Horikita. No, wait, what about Ichinose? I'm sure she'd be energetic enough to keep me company for a few hours. But how do I ask her?
Hmm... if I reveal my intentions, it might make her cautious, and might not want to meet... I'll just try to ask normally.
I took my phone out and dialed her number. Hopefully, she isn't busy.
*Phone Ringing noises*
<Hello?>
Oh good, she picked up.
"Hello Ichinose, hope I didn't disturb anything." I said.
<Oh, don't worry. You didn't! Anyways... Did you need something, Ayanokouji-kun?>
"Yeah, I was wondering if you could accompany me in shopping for uh... food and ingredients. And I'll cook for you in return if that's alright." I said.
<I-I'm on my way!> She said with a very energetic voice.
<W-Wait I almost forgot, uhh, where should we meet up, Ayanokouji-kun?> She asked.
"Center of the mall, by the fountain, is that fine?" I said and she said ok, then I hung up.
That was easier than I thought... So this is the power of food? Huh, now that I'm in this position, I realize why Horikita would rely on this strategy every now and then. I wonder if she'd be willing to trade lunches...
~A few minutes later.~
"Ooiii~ Ayanokouji-kun~." Ichinose called out from afar while waving her hands and sprinting her way towards me. Normally, I'd be bothered by this, but since classes are ongoing and it's basically a ghost town here, I'm fine with it. That said, I'm surprised there are still a few students who are cutting classes, well, it doesn't look like anyone came from my class so it's not like I care.
"H-Hello, Ayanokouji-kun." She greeted as she panted.
"You didn't have to run you know? It's not like I'm in a hurry." I said.
"I-I know, but I'm excited to eat your cooking, so I couldn't help it." She said.
"I appreciate that. But please don't expect much." I said.
"Okay!" She said. I still wish I can exert that much energy daily while interacting with people. Unfortunately, I can't since I feel like it's more tiring than running a few miles while a weighted vest and ankle weights.
"Shall we go then?" I said and she nodded. And now, we're making our way to the supermarket.
"So, you must have another reason for inviting me here, don't you, Ayanokouji-kun?" Ichinose asked as we walked.
"Can I ask what made you think that?" I asked.
"Well, I don't mean to offend Ayanokouji-kun or anything, but it's really rare for Ayanokouji-kun to just casually invite me. Especially in the middle of a Special Exam." She replied.
"I see... Well, you're not exactly wrong." I said.
"Hm? What do you mean?" She asked.
"Hmm, how do I put this... Basically, I need your help with my restriction, but at the same time, I was also bored so considering you're the only friend I have who either isn't in class or isn't too bothersome." I explained.
"Ohhh, I see~." She said.
"Well, I'm not really bothered by it, so don't think much about it, Ayanokouji-kun. After all, as weird as it may be, I am also more or less relying on you for my restriction." She explained.
"I see... In that case, why don't we tell out restrictions to one another?" I suggested.
"I'm good with that. I'll go first! I can only talk to one person every 3 hours. So... you'll be stuck with me Ayanokouji-kun!" She said in a jolly tone. That's convenient... For me that is.
"Hmm, I see, well, I guess I'm lucky then." I said.
"Hm? How so?" She asked.
"My restriction is that I can't stay silent for a whole hour, and I should converse with someone every hour." I explained.
"Oh, I see. It looks like we can both benefit from each other's restrictions huh?" She said and I just nodded. Just in time, we reached the supermarket.
It really didn't take us too long to buy the stuff we needed, both of us got the things we needed and wanted to buy and we paid for them, then made our way to my dorm. Now that I think about it, this feels like something a couple would do... Not that I mind.
~To Ayanokouji's Dorm~
We finally reached my dorm, and I put down the ingredients on the kitchen counter before getting a glass of water for Ichinose.
"So, what are you going to cook, Ayanokouji-kun?" She asked as I set the glass of water in front of her on the table.
"You'll just have to wait and see." I replied.
"Ehhh, but I'm curious!" She exclaimed.
"You'll know eventually, just wait. You can turn the TV on if want to watch something, I have a FlixNet subscription so you can watch their if you want." I said.
"Okay!" She said and I went to the kitchen to start cooking. Obviously, since it's lunch, we're starting with rice. A few cups, then use the first line of your middle finger to measure the water.
After that, I prepared all the needed ingredients, then proceeded to cook the dish that I've been wanting to try for a while now.
While I was cooking, Ichinose came into the kitchen to see what I was doing.
"Mmmhh, smells good. I'm more excited now than before."
"Can you help me set up the table? I'm almost done here." I said.
"Sure!" She said with enthusiasm, then proceeded to set up the table just as I requested.
I finished up cooking, and at the same time, Ichinose finished setting up the table. I took the food to the table, and sat down with Ichinose.
"Wahhh~~ That smells so good. What is it?" She asked.
"It's Yukihira style Chaliapin steak don." I replied."
"Oh! .....What's that?" She said.
"Well... It's steak..... but Yukihira style." I replied also unsure of what exactly it is.
"Where'd you get the recipe from?" She asked.
"Internet." Well, more specifically, a certain anime.
"I see... Well, shall we dig in?" She said and I just nodded.
"Itadakimasu." We said at the same time.
After that, we started eating and talking a bit. This special exam isn't as hard as I expected... Well, maybe it's too soon for that.
End.
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A/N: I know, it's been a long time, but I can explain. Firstly, I'm trying to be a responsible student now, so I am now more focused on school. Next... well, I'm lazy. So yeah, sorry bout that. Anyway, Probably no updates for like maybe till April or May? If I don't update on either month, just assume that I gave up on this. And I most likely will since it's a pain to write without my outline.
That aside, I also wanted to tell you guys that I made a Discord server, which you can join. We don't have many members, so hope you'll be there!
That's all.
G'BYE! (For like, maybe a few months or forever, I don't really know.)
[Here's the Discord Link: https://discord.gg/ggHtJH7F]