Chapter 21: Ryo, Minato, and Sharing
“Rental Kitchen Studio Bankame Maki”
It was the rental studio with a kitchen where they had once been treated to fried cockatrice.
Ryo and Kaori had come there again.
Someone was already waiting in the kitchen.
“I’ve been waiting!!”
Standing inside the kitchen with her arms crossed and legs planted wide was a girl—needless to say, Minato.
Stars and hearts sparkled wildly behind her as her eyes shone brightly, her body fidgeting with excitement while she stubbornly maintained her imposing stance.
“Kaori… I’m feeling some kind of overwhelming pressure here.”
“Funny, I am too. What on earth is driving her?”
They had only just taken off their shoes at the entrance, yet both already wanted to put them back on.
As if to block any escape, Shiranagi, who had entered last, spoke up.
“Please come in quickly, both of you. You’re blocking the way.”
“…Yeah.”
“…Right.”
With their escape route cut off, the two reluctantly stepped into the studio.
They came to a stop across the counter from Minato, who was still standing defiantly.
“I haven’t been told anything, you know! You two said you wanted to see me through Shiranagi-san, so I made time! So what is it you want?”
Though she sounded as if she were questioning them, it was clear that something had already been decided in her mind.
And she did not seem to consider the possibility of being wrong in the slightest.
“First, this. A little something to share.”
Saying that, Ryo took two bottles out of his bag.
Inside the transparent bottles, a golden liquid gently swayed.
“Th-that!!”
“Yes. Lake Consommé.”
Ryo handed the bottles to Minato and Shiranagi.
“Fwooooooo!!”
“Thank you very much, Ryo-san.”
Ignoring Minato, who was letting out a strange cry while holding the bottle up reverently, Shiranagi expressed her thanks.
“I told Ryo to collect some for his real-life friends as well.”
“Hehe, that’s right. I didn’t expect to be included as a friend myself.”
She must have heard Kaori and Shiranagi’s exchange.
Minato’s bizarre movements froze completely.
“Eh? Um… when you said ‘real-life friend’ on the other day’s stream… don’t tell me—could it be…?”
“Ah, yeah. You, Minato.
You don’t have a direct connection with Ootsuno Dia-san, but you do have a direct connection with me, right?”
When Ryo confirmed it, Minato’s face turned red, forming a delicate expression that was somehow smiling, embarrassed, and flustered all at once, her eyes darting about.
“A-and Shiranagi-san…?”
“I realized right away.”
Concealing the fact that she had been contacted by Kaori beforehand, Shiranagi replied smoothly, causing Minato’s face to flush an even deeper crimson.
“What kind of face is that?”
When Kaori asked, Shiranagi answered with a cool expression.
“It’s the face of someone who thought, ‘I’ll try a bit of begging, and if I get lucky and receive some, great,’ only to find out that the other party had intended to give it from the start, and that their close associates had completely noticed this all along, while she herself remained oblivious and rampaged annoyingly—resulting in a mix of shame, embarrassment, joy at receiving it, and self-restraint telling her that running away now would be far too rude to the people who went out of their way to bring it.”
“That was a lot to say in one breath.”
“That was impressively fast.”
“～～～～～～～～ッ!!”
Grinding her teeth with an awkward smile as she endured the shame, Minato received warm, indulgent looks from the other three.
In any case, nothing would progress if Minato remained frozen like this.
So Ryo ignored her writhing and placed something on the counter.
It was a Grasscocco, plucked and properly bled.
“There’s this too.”
“F-fwooooooo…!!”
Minato let out another cry of joy, instantly switching from complex embarrassment to pure delight.
She was a busy woman, emotionally speaking.
“A Grasscocco. I brought it because I really wanted you to cook it, Minato.”
“Th-th-th-thank yoooooou!!”
The faintly greenish skin beneath the feathers was somewhat eerie, but for Minato, who loved unknown ingredients, it must have been irresistible.
“As thanks, please cook the Grasscocco.”
“Of course!!”
“So, nothing fancy, but let’s start by cutting it up and making steaks.”
What Minato quickly prepared were bite-sized chicken steaks.
“Once it’s cooked, the pale green color deepened into this matcha-like shade… it’s kind of creepy, right?”
“Hmmm…”
“This is…”
Kaori and Shiranagi made complicated expressions as they looked at the green chicken on the plate.
But there was one person here who forgot all hesitation the moment chicken was involved.
“Nom. Munch munch.”
“Ryo!?”
“Ryo-san!?”
“Ryo-chan!?”
Manly when chicken was on the line, Ryo kept chewing nonchalantly while the others stared in shock.
“The texture is firm. The meat itself is on the tougher side… but…”
Having tasted it thoroughly, Ryo spoke slowly, as if savoring the aftertaste.
“But…?”
“Each bite makes the juices burst out, and the umami just overflows… it’s really satisfying, or maybe ‘rich’ is the word…
Even though the meat is firm, it’s not hard to chew, and you could say it has a nice, springy bounce.
Above all—”
“Above all?”
“The skin is amazing.
I don’t know how to describe it well, but it’s crispy and juicy, and the skin is just incredible.”
His face was not glowing, but with Ryo delivering such an enthusiastic food review, it was impossible not to be curious.
“…Alright! Nom!”
Leaving the still-hesitant Kaori and Shiranagi behind, Minato steeled herself and brought the green chicken steak to her mouth.
“Oh. It’s good!
Yeah, it’s a bit firm, but totally fine!
I mean, compared to cockatrice, cockatrice wins, but this is still really tasty!
It kind of feels like gamey chicken, maybe like shamo!”
With both Ryo and Minato praising it this highly, Kaori and Shiranagi finally resolved themselves.
Without even coordinating, they exchanged glances and then, slightly tense, took a bite.
“Oh, it’s good.”
“Once it’s in your mouth, it’s simply delicious chicken.”
As they spoke, Kaori and Shiranagi chewed thoughtfully.
“Their reviews are spot on.
Compared to cockatrice, it lacks impact, but it’s still plenty tasty.”
“The skin really is excellent.
The skin alone might even be better than cockatrice.”
Hearing their impressions, Minato nodded once.
“I was thinking about what else to make besides fried food for Ryo-chan… and now I think I’ve found my direction.”
Saying that, Minato returned to the kitchen, knife in hand, wearing a crescent-moon smile.