Part 10

After waiting for another fifteen minutes

Horikita had finished cooking and set everything out on the table. Seeing all of the food spread out before me was better than I had expected it to be. The way the meal decorated the dining table was similar to how you would see on TV from time to time. She then wrapped everything up by sitting down across from me.

If Sud were to see the two of us like this, hed probably throw a punch at me in rage.

Even if I were to tell him that it was a misunderstanding, it still probably wouldnt get me anywhere.

Better yet, I wanted to believe that he had already experienced this kind of treatment.

No, he would probably still be jealous of me either way.

Eat.

At Horikitas insistence, I picked up my chopsticks. The two of us sat facing one another with the food placed in between.

The scene gave off a strong sense of deja vu.

It reminded me of the time Horikita had taken advantage of me by buying me a meal in the cafeteria at the beginning of the school year.

Are you suspecting something? Of me?

Not at all, Im just feeling a bit uncomfortable.

If you start doubting the kindness of others, it just serves as proof that you have a problem as a human being.

You of all people are telling me that?

Today is special, you know.

If she really did make this because she was being considerate, then I suppose itd be rude not to at least try it.

However, its within human nature to be suspicious. No, rather, for me it was my past experiences with her that caused me to doubt her. This time, however, she had managed to perfectly back me into a corner.

The outcome had already been decided from the moment I had carelessly stepped into Horikitas room.

For the time being, I chose to at least try the soup.

The smell of miso tickled my nose. She had used healthy ingredients with daikon radish as the base.

Barley miso, huh?

Upon taking my first sip, the characteristically intense, sweet flavor of the soup spread throughout my mouth.

Youre well informed. Its the preferred form of Miso soup in Kyushu, but I wasnt sure if itd suit your taste.

Youre a good cook.

I tried to give her a genuine compliment, but she didnt seem particularly happy about it.

In this day and age, cooking doesnt require any special skills, so its not anything worth boasting about. If theres something you want to make, you just have to look up a recipe online and buy what you need from the supermarket or a convenience store. You do know that, right?

If its nothing more than cooking, then that might be right. That being said, all sorts of little touches could help highlight your culinary skills, from the way you arrange the dish on the plate to the way you prepare the ingredients. It wasnt just something you could learn overnight.

Have you been treating Sud to meals like this too?

When I asked her this, she stared at me with a somewhat dissatisfied look in her eyes.

Why would I be cooking food for him?

Well youre always helping him study, right?

Yes, but, while that may be true, how does that have anything to do with me cooking for him?

It was just supposed to be a trivial question, but Horikita continued to object to it.

If our positions were reversed and he was the one helping me study, then Id be more inclined to agree with you. After all, this is normally done as a way of saying thank you. But, theres no way that Id go through all this trouble when Im the one doing him a favor.

Her reasoning was so solid that I couldnt find the words to refute her, but

I cant tell if youre smart or stupid.

That should be my line. Sud had fallen for Horikita, so I had thought shed already cooked for him. Apparently, she still hadnt confronted his feelings for her yet. But, that was probably because she doesnt place very much emphasis on something like love. She hasnt grown to the point where she can be aware of stuff like that yet.

Well now. If you dont mind, how about we get down to business?

Saying that, she took out a notebook and offered it to me.

Without even having to ask what it was, I knew this had to be what she had been working on over the last several days.

Ive come up with a plan that I think will suit our class the best. Id like to hear your opinion on it.

And then, she added on a few more words.

You ate my food, didnt you?

What a truly dirty trick. She treats me to a meal and then comes and asks me to do work for her. I immediately grabbed the notebook and started flipping through it. She had thoroughly documented the various aspects of the special exam. There was even an entry about the ten events Class A had chosen, but since those had only just been revealed today, she was still in the process of writing them.

Incidentally, the ten events Class C had chosen were English, Basketball, Archery, Swimming, Tennis, Table Tennis, Typing, Soccer, Piano, and Rock Paper Scissors.

That last one had probably been thrown in as a last-ditch effort in case things werent looking good for us.

She had also written her evaluation of who would be the best at each event along with an estimated success rate.

This notebook contained everything we needed for the upcoming exam. I read over it quietly until I had gone through all the details. Upon seeing me like this, Horikita seemed surprised.

Dinner aside, you didnt think Id read through this so seriously, did you?

Ah, yeah. I was even prepared for you to turn me down, but

The data youve analyzed is crucial for this special exam. I wouldnt be able to do my job as the commander properly without at least taking a look at it.

Compared to the information I had gathered on my own, there werent any notable differences.

This collection of data almost feels like it exposes our entire class.

Its the culmination of everything Ive done over the course of this past week. Itd be troublesome if it wasnt accurate.

It probably wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that just about anybody could be a proper commander if they had their hands on this notebook.

Im going to continue adding on to it, and eventually include information on our best choices for all of Class As events as well. I was thinking that you could make use of it to put up a fight as the commander.

Yeah. People like Sud and Akito should be valuable assets for the class, even outside of one-on-one events. Whereas in Onoderas case, her chances are less certain if she were to compete against a boy. It would probably be wise to have a third or fourth option in mind ahead of time.

Horikita nodded silently. Itd be a waste to make a hasty decision on how somebody would be participating when they have the potential to shine across a variety of events. In any case, I really couldnt find an issue with what she had created.

I dont have any problems with the notebook. But, could I just add on one thing?

What is it?

One of the events Class A chose was chess, right?

After drinking a sip of water, I turned our conversation in a new direction.

Because nobody in our class was particularly good at chess, the section on it in the notebook was understandably still blank.

Yes. I havent put very much thought into it yet since Ive personally never played the game myself. Out of everyone, the only person who even has a grasp of the rules is you, the commander. Were probably going to have to follow your guidance about it.

About that, Id like you to be the one to take part in it.

Me? I get that well need to have somebody practice for it, but Why me? I wouldnt be good at it at all and probably wont be able to win.

Because I think youre the most suitable person for me to teach.

So youre saying itd be easier for you to teach me because you wouldnt have to interact with someone new?

Id be lying if I said that wasnt a part of it.

I can do it, but there should be at least a few students whod be willing to listen to you, right? And besides, I dont mean to sound like Im bragging or anything, but I think Im a pretty good option for some of the other events too.

Horikita was one of the more well-rounded students in the class.

Whether it be a written exam or a sporting event, I had no doubt that her results would be well above average.

Chess requires raw talent. Theres a time limit imposed on how much the commander can intervene. It doesnt matter how confident Sakayanagi is at chess, it just isnt enough time. I cant imagine that shell make use of it at the beginning of the match. In which case, the key to winning would be playing the early stages of the game properly.

If Horikita were to be overwhelmed at the beginning, itd be extremely difficult for me to make a comeback.

Your fascination with the chess event isnt just because you know the rules, is it? Youve predicted that Class A is going to choose it as one of their five events, havent you?

Im almost certain of it. Dont you think its strange how chess is the only event where the commander has so much influence?

Thats true. I felt like something was up with that as well Alright. Ill follow your discretion.

Thankful that she readily agreed to my request, I went back to eating my meal.

So, how will we be practicing chess?

It probably wont be the easiest for you, but I was thinking wed practice late at night over the internet.

Thats fair, we wouldnt attract any unnecessary attention by doing it that way. Nothing would be leaked either.

Another advantage was that, by doing it this way, it wouldnt interfere with practicing for any of the other events.