/
CHAPTER 1 – POSTER GIRL AND DARK MATTER
PART 04
——
“Ugrurf!?”
A nightmare, where the whole world was overrun by black blobby bugs. Just as I was about to be crushed under the wave of insects…
I opened my eyes, and found myself in the school infirmary. The blanket which I’d tossed off of my body in a panic drifted back down over me, and I turned my head into the sweat-soaked pillow.
“Rekka? Thank goodness you’re awake.”
The curtains around my bed parted, and Satsuki entered.
The wet towel she was holding in her hands fell to the floor as her eyes filled with tears.
“Thank goodness… I was so worried that you won’t ever wake up again.”
“…Huh? Was I in such a bad state?”
I remembered being forced to eat the black blob by that Tsumiki girl… No, I couldn’t recall what happened after that.
Satsuki patted me gently on the forehead and chest, a worried expression on her face.
“What exactly happened? Why were you made to eat some cursed poison potent enough to kill hundreds of sacrifice victims…?”
“Cursed…poison?”
I knew the food was bad when I heard that girl talk about the ingredients and preparation method, but to hear Satsuki describe it with those words just made it seem a lot worse.
“Fortunately, the dish wasn’t imbued with magic, so I managed to break the curse, but it was really dangerous,” Satsuki explained with a serious expression on her face.
I could only give a crooked smile in reply.
To think that a weird dish could leave a magician like Satsuki shuddering in fear… Did that girl possess some sort of talent afterall?
Satsuki informed me that she had treated all the other victims who were forced to consume that girl, Tsumiki’s, concoction as well. Since I was the only one unfortunate enough to swallow an entire mouthful of the black blob, the rest had recovered some time ago and returned to classes.
“By the way, where’s Iris?”
Just then, I noticed the absence of the usually boisterous nobleman’s daughter.
“Erm… Well, Iris-san is…”
According to Satsuki, when her magic had failed to revive me immediately, Iris had declared that she would go fetch the most advanced medical equipment in the universe to help. And so, she had dashed out of school, or rather, out of Earth.
“So Iris is on her way to Phenerita now?”
“Probably… I know I should have stopped her, but I was in a real panic then too… So I didn’t manage to hold her back,” Satsuki added in a guilty tone.
She was probably regretting the fact that she had lost her cool.
“Nah, it’s alright. Thanks for worrying so much about me.”
“Y-You’re welcome.”
Why was Satsuki blushing and looking away?
Anyway, if Iris was really in outer space now, it meant that we had no way to contact her. If not, I could call her right now and ask her to come back.
Just then, the door to the infirmary opened, and someone entered the room.
“Oh, you’re awake. Thank goodness.”
It was the girl who had tried to stop Tsumiki.
Tsumiki’s friend, who shortly introduced herself as Satou-san, apologized to me before explaining the whole situation.
“Food Champion?”
“Yes. It’s a festival held annually in a neighboring town, and thanks to the recent popularity of DIY gourmet, this year’s event will be broadcast on TV to the entire country,” Satou-san patiently explained to a clueless me.
“I see. So she wishes to win the competition and makeover her family’s eatery.”
“Yes…”
“And she is creating new dishes and forcing everyone to give it a try?”
And her creation was definitely that black blob… Honestly, I felt that the chance of her winning was smaller than a speck of dust. She’d probably win a pair of silver handcuffs rather than a champion trophy.
“Erm, isn’t her dad the head chef of ‘Nozomiya’? Why doesn’t she just get him to join Food Champion?”
I felt that it was a great solution, but Satou-san shook her head.
“I don’t want to speak badly of Tsumiki’s father…but ‘Nozomiya”s menu items are really nothing special. I don’t think he’s able to create anything that will draw the attention of the judges at the competition.”
I see. So it wasn’t enough to join the competition, they had to win it too.
“In that case, why doesn’t she learn cooking from someone?”
Satsuki, who had been listening in as well, provided this sound suggestion.
While that might not help Tsumiki to win the competition, at least she’d have a better chance after some lessons than how she was right now.
However, Satou-san still looked perplexed.
“Tsumiki’s the type to dash on blindly once she’s made up her mind. I don’t think she’d listen to anyone’s advice…”
“Well…”
“What a troublesome personality…”
Satsuki and I whispered amongst ourselves. Satou-san apologized again.
Wait. Food Champion, an eatery that was in danger of going out of business.
Was this…?
“Hey, R.”
Stealing glances to ensure that Satou-san, whose head was bowed in apology, and Satsuki, who looked deep in thought, were not looking at me, I whispered in the ear of the girl floating beside me.
“Hey, that tickles.”
“If you were trying to be flirtatious, it didn’t work. Anyway, is Tsumiki a ‘heroine’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I knew it.
Argh, guess I have no choice then.
Even though I’m just an ordinary guy who hates complicated things.
I’m not that sort of cold-blooded man who would ignore a girl and let her story come to an “end”.
I’m just that unfortunate…but that’s ordinary, right?
“Alright, I get it. I’ll do something.”
“Huh?”
The two girls gasped in shock at my sudden announcement.