Chapter 26: How to Make Delicious Curry

We returned to the campsite after firmly tying the netted apples to a rock by the riverside so they wouldn’t get swept away.

Whether there was any point in further chilling apples that were already cold was questionable, but the person responsible just insisted, “It’s about the romance!” and wouldn’t budge, so that was that.

...Still, I couldn’t help wondering if leaving them like that was really okay.

Even if they were underwater, with all those delicious-looking apples just lying around, there was a real chance some wild animals might get to them.

Monkeys, for instance.

But when I asked Mikoto Hikari about it, she just smiled casually and said it was fine—there was a lookout watching them.


Well, setting that aside.

Free time had ended, and we were now at the outdoor kitchen area attached to the campground.

As mentioned earlier, during this hike, we were required to prepare our own lunch.

According to the teacher, it was supposed to be a team-building experience, with each group assigning roles and cooperating.

That said, the menu had already been decided—curry.

You stir-fry the ingredients first, then simmer them, so it’s pretty much impossible to mess up, and the flavor’s mostly taken care of by the curry roux.

In other words, it should be an easy recipe for high schoolers... should be.

“Ow!”

Holding her index finger, Hikari let out a small yelp.

There was a potato with a red dot on the cutting board, and a knife in her other hand. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened.

Was she okay?

Before I could ask, Koshimizu—who had been nearby—beat me to it with a sharp remark.

“Why won’t you curl your fingers like a cat paw when you cut, Mikoto-san? I’ve told you so many times already, and you keep making the same mistake!”

“S-Sorry! I got a little too into it…”

Just as she said, this wasn’t the first time Hikari had slipped up.

Two, three times now—she’d nearly dyed the cutting board crimson with how often she missed, and each time, Koshimizu had warned her. So it was perfectly understandable that she was frustrated now.

For the record, Gōenji wasn’t much better when it came to cooking. If he were here, he’d probably be getting scolded right alongside her.

However, he had mysteriously strong skills when it came to rice-cooking over an open flame.

“Hah hah hah! I shall prepare white rice so delicious it could be a side dish in itself!”

With that confident declaration, he had headed off to his designated station, and wasn’t around right now.

“That’s exactly the problem! You’re not used to using a knife, so there’s no need to rush. And seriously—how can you act like it doesn’t even hurt…?”

“This much is fine. I’ve got a high pain tolerance. Look, it’s already stopped bleeding.”

“D-Don’t show me the wound! Just—ugh! Just focus on the cat paw thing, okay?!”

“...Cat paw?”

Repeating the phrase, Hikari lifted both hands onto her head and mimicked cat ears.

As she tilted her head in confusion, Koshimizu seemed to realize what she had just said. Her face turned bright red.

“I’m saying this because I care about you… seriously!”

She turned away, flustered and clearly trying to hide her embarrassment.

“S-Sorry, Aina-san. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you, I swear! It’s just—you looked really cute, and I couldn’t help it…”

Hikari was completely flustered now, but even with her apology, it didn’t seem like Aina’s irritation had cooled.

Feeling awkward, maybe even a bit cornered, Hikari suddenly called out in an exaggerated voice,

“Ah! Right! I’ll go check on the stuff by the river! I’m worried about our dessert!”

With that excuse thrown out, she scurried away from the kitchen area like she was fleeing the scene.


We were the only two left—just me and Koshimizu.

After what had just happened, we’d been silently chopping up ingredients, but…

Once we got to the stage of stir-frying and I took over the frying pan, she seemed to find herself with nothing to do.

Noticing the moment, I spoke up.

“Sorry, Koshimizu. But, y’know… try not to be too hard on Hikari. That’s just the way she is.”

“…I’m not really mad anymore. I was just embarrassed that I let my way of speaking from home slip out, and I ended up taking it out on her, that’s all.”

“From home?”

“…Just so you know, I’ve got a much younger sister. I was just used to teaching her stuff like that.”

Ah, I see.

That natural urge to look after someone probably came from there.

I nodded in understanding.

Maybe, without even realizing it, she’d ended up projecting that onto Hikari earlier too.

“Hey, since we’re talking… mind if I ask you something?”

“…What is it?”

“I mean, I know I turned it down myself, but I’ve been wondering—what made you decide to become the soccer team’s manager? You seem seriously invested in the team.”

If I were to go off first impressions, Koshimizu always struck me as the type who’d be in a culture club.

Or maybe on the student council.

I know it’s a bit of a stereotype, but I just couldn’t picture her in a soccer club.

Ever since she got scouted, I’d been a little curious about it.

“Ah, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s totally fine. I was just hoping it’d make for some light conversation.”

“…No, it’s okay. We did promise we’d talk, after all. Besides, during summer break, I was the one asking you personal stuff.”

She added that with a little hesitation, but thankfully, her tone didn’t sound annoyed at all.

In fact, there was something almost cheerful about it. With the sound of meat sizzling in the background, she began to speak, a little at a time.

“Let’s see… I think the first time I saw a soccer match was back in elementary school. That’s what got me into it.”

“Elementary school? So you’ve been managing teams for a pretty long time, then.”

“Yeah. My parents took me to watch a game. And there was this one player… He just stood out so much. It was like he was leading the whole team forward. Not because he was shouting out instructions or anything—just by being there, everyone naturally followed his lead.”

She spoke with a lightness in her voice, like she was recalling a memory that hadn’t faded over time.

“Watching him made me think—I want to be the kind of person who supports players like that. And ever since then, I’ve stuck with it.”

“So… did you ever meet that player again? If he left that big of an impression, I figure you’d want to.”

That was the one thing I couldn’t help wondering.

“No… I never saw him again. And maybe I never will.”

“…I see.”

After a short pause, she gave a clear and certain answer.

If it was back in her elementary school days, that could be nearly five years ago.

If the guy was a pro player, it wouldn’t be strange if he’d already retired.

There was a hint of quiet sadness in her voice.

“…Still, Mikoto-san’s taking her time, isn’t she?”

“Y-Yeah.”

While we’d been talking, the ingredients had finished cooking nicely, and the scent filling the air was enough to make anyone’s stomach growl.

All that was left was to simmer everything and add the curry roux.

Which meant a decent amount of time had already passed.

But there was still no sign of her coming back. It felt like way too long just to cool off.

…And for some reason, I was starting to get a really bad feeling about it.

“I’ll go check on her.”

I told Koshimizu that and left the kitchen area.

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