Peter and Hojo Tetsuji headed to a nearby shop to bring back barbecue equipnt, leaving Aozawa and Furusawa Kyoichiro with nothing to do.
anwhile, the girls took charge of washing the at and vegetables. They squatted by the river, using the clear stream water, occasionally scooping so up to splash and play. The girls’ laughter, as pleasant as silver bells, rang out. Only in the bloom of youth can one witness such a scene—a dreamy mont belonging exclusively to high school girls.
Aozawa couldn’t help exclaiming, "This is great. It makes all that earlier exhaustion worthwhile."
"You hardly did anything," Furusawa Kyoichiro retorted. He had set up almost all six tents single-handedly, while Peter spent more ti recounting his past exploits than actually helping.
Aozawa was even worse. Though not yet graduated, he was already a master of slacking like a seasoned civil servant, capable of dragging out the smallest task for an eternity. Ultimately, Furusawa Kyoichiro had to do most of it himself, setting up the tents while watching instructional videos and enduring the racket the other three were making. Thinking back on it, Furusawa Kyoichiro couldn’t help but gulp down his drink; the sweet beverage turned bitter in his throat.
"Haha, that’s because I trust mbers of the Disciplinary Committee to be responsible. With you on the job, those six tents were set up in no ti," Aozawa said with a shrug. "If you’re going to bla soone, bla Peter. That guy definitely knew you’d do it, which is why he kept recounting his stories. If you hadn’t done it, he surely would have."
"Soone had to do the job." Furusawa Kyoichiro took a sip of his drink, ending his complaint with that statent. He had encountered such situations countless tis since childhood. His overly serious and responsible nature had led him to take on the burdenso tasks his classmates shirked, a pattern that began in elentary school.
"Why do you all dislike following the rules so much?"
"Because most rules are made by those at the top to restrain those below, not to restrain themselves. Why should they be exempt from following the rules, while those below must adhere to them?" Aozawa took a sip, orange juice and mineral water mixing in his mouth.
Honestly, the taste is quite bland.
But he couldn’t drink them separately.
If Maggie or Iroha saw him holding just one to drink, it would certainly trigger a war.
Equitable sharing is not sothing easily achieved.
Furusawa Kyoichiro glanced at Aozawa, understanding the tent-pitching slacker’s mindset, and asked, "If you don’t follow the rules yourself, how can you stand tall and correct others?"
"Eh, were you thinking of going into politics?"
"I’m not sure. The future is still too distant for . I just want to aim for Koshien and use that to get into a good university," Furusawa Kyoichiro said, shaking his head.
Aozawa smiled, realizing Furusawa’s original plans were quite similar to his own. He himself had planned to win the Jade Dragon Flag championship and use that to get into Tokyo University. The difference was, Furusawa Kyoichiro wanted to use Koshien to change his future.
"If you follow the promotion rules they set, you’ll never get ahead. If you really want to make a na for yourself, you have to learn to overtake on the corners." He patted Furusawa Kyoichiro on the shoulder, then stood up and walked towards Peter and Hojo Tetsuji.
The gravel on the ground was tinged with the colors of dusk. Two tall figures were approaching the campsite, walking briskly.
"Haha, when it cos to speed, I’m still a step ahead!"
"You bastard." Hojo Tetsuji gritted his teeth. He didn’t complain about Peter jumping the gun; after all, having once been a delinquent, he couldn’t very well demand that others follow rules like starting fairly.
"Competition is always brutal, Hojo." Peter, beaming, placed the barbecue equipnt a short distance from the tents and began to speak with great confidence, "When it cos to barbecuing, I’m quite experienced. Once, in the Amazon Jungle, I encountered a cannibal tribe, and they taught how to grill at to make it taste even better."
"Eh, cannibals?!" Yoshikawa Sayuri looked shocked.
Ayatsuki Ayaka took a step back. "Peter, have you actually eaten human flesh before?" She quickly turned, shaking Takahashi Saeko’s arm. "Saeko, you absolutely mustn’t date him! You’ll be eaten!"
"Okay, okay," Takahashi Saeko nodded in agreent.
Seeing Ayatsuki Ayaka’s misunderstanding, Peter waved his hands. "Cannibals don’t exclusively eat humans; they usually eat animals. Although they were very keen to eat when we first t, under my guidance, we eventually beca friends. I’ve never eaten human flesh; I only barbecued wild boar there."
He explained what had happened. Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes glinted with disbelief, and Yoshikawa Sayuri also found his story hard to believe—cannibals who didn’t eat people? The two tacitly agreed to keep their distance from Peter.
Phoenix Academy Maggie noticed Ayatsuki Ayaka moving closer to Aozawa and suspected she was feigning fear to gain Aozawa’s sympathy.
It’s surprising. For soone so seemingly empty-headed, she’s quite scheming.
She knows how to exploit such advantages to arouse a man’s sympathy and protective instincts.
That was a tactic Phoenix Academy Maggie couldn’t bring herself to use.
But if Ayatsuki Ayaka moved closer to Aozawa, then she would too.
"Haha." Hojo Tetsuji was pleased to see Yoshikawa Sayuri distancing herself from Peter and quickly said, "Then leave the barbecuing to ."
Ayatsuki Ayaka waved her hand. "No need, we can handle it." She wanted Aozawa to eat food she had grilled herself, as a subtle way to show off her cooking skills.
"Yeah, let us do it," Phoenix Academy Maggie chid in, also taking on the task of grilling.
Aozawa instantly knew his stomach was in for a challenge.
"Huh? Does Phoenix Academy know how to barbecue? She doesn’t look like she would at all," Ayatsuki Ayaka said, her face full of surprise. She had assud the glamorous Phoenix Academy Maggie knew nothing about cooking, perhaps not even knowing that grains co from fields.
Feeling underestimated, Phoenix Academy Maggie laughed. "Only soone intellectually challenged would find barbecuing difficult. For anyone with normal intelligence, it’s a breeze."
"Hehe, I guess you’re right," Ayatsuki Ayaka chuckled, not catching the sarcasm in Phoenix Academy Maggie’s words.
"Haha, well, if you’re willing, then please, go ahead," Takahashi Saeko, understanding the sarcasm in Phoenix Academy Maggie’s words, feared Iroha would be mocked without realizing it. So, she quickly intervened to end the conversation.
Since everyone present was a student, no alcohol had been bought, only a lot of soft drinks. There was no shortage of at and vegetables. Peter had pre-ordered these. As for Takahashi Saeko, as long as she could make the boys work, she didn’t mind letting them handle everything. For Peter, he was never stingy when it ca to spending money on things that mattered.
"Is everything arranged?"
"Don’t worry, I’ve already rigged the lots for the test of courage," Takahashi Saeko said, giving an OK sign and smiling. "I guarantee you’ll be in the sa group as Aozawa. But do you really think you’ll succeed?"
"Where there’s a will, there’s a way." Peter watched Aozawa, who was standing between the two barbecue grills, being relentlessly fed from both sides. His earlier cheerfulness vanished, his gaze darkened, and he said grimly, "Power, money, status—the more exceptional a man is, the more he craves."
"What if he only wants won?"
"There are so won he cannot have." Peter shrugged. His plan was to first try to entice Aozawa, to see if he could get him to break things off with Phoenix Academy Maggie. If that didn’t work, he would reveal just how prestigious the Phoenix family was, making it clear that an ordinary high school student had no hope of becoming their son-in-law. Although books always claim that love is equal and can transcend class, reality is often very cruel. Class is an unavoidable, harsh reality.
"What if Aozawa stubbornly refuses to believe it?"
"Haha, in that case, it wouldn’t be so bad. I like strong opponents." Peter finished his drink in one gulp and strode forward, ready to taste the grilled at.
A contemplative glint flashed through Takahashi Saeko’s eyes. If Peter could successfully win Aozawa over, that would be perfect. Then, Iroha’s only remaining competitor for Aozawa would be Morimoto Chiyoda. This faint hope was enough for her to alter her original plan, arranging for Aozawa to be with Peter, instead of with Iroha.
Before Peter even got close, a pleasant voice called out, "Aozawa, the chives are ready."
Another clear voice added, "The lamb is ready too."
"Mm, mm." Aozawa nodded, eating so fast he could barely keep up with the speed at which the two girls were grilling; his cheeks were bulging.
Witnessing this, Hojo Tetsuji was quite surprised and murmured, "Is Aozawa really that hungry?"
"Hojo-kun, you’re really dense." Yoshikawa Sayuri shook her head. She had deliberately kept her distance because she sensed the tense atmosphere among the three of them, yet Hojo Tetsuji sohow couldn’t see it.
"Dense?" Hojo Tetsuji blinked, and then it dawned on him. Right! He hadn’t even asked Yoshikawa Sayuri what she wanted to eat.
"Yoshikawa, I’ve got big hands! Tell what you want, and I’ll grab it for you."
"Beef skewers, lamb skewers, eggplant."
"No problem!" Hojo Tetsuji quickly ran over.
"Little Sayuri, you’re hardly one to talk," Nomura Makoto teased her friend, who still hadn’t figured out Hojo Tetsuji’s real intentions for inviting her to gather material for his manga. As a love expert, Nomura Makoto had already dismissed the idea that Hojo Tetsuji liked Phoenix Academy Maggie. She was sure his target hadn’t changed from the very beginning.
Yoshikawa Sayuri looked up, puzzled. Why would her friend say that, especially since Makoto herself consistently had Furusawa Kyoichiro help her with the barbecue for convenience?
"Haha, this is delicious~" Tama Chan exclaid joyfully, then pointed to a lamb skewer. "Phoenix Academy, could you sprinkle a bit more cumin? I like spicy food."
"Okay." This was Phoenix Academy Maggie’s first ti doing this sort of thing, and though she was busy, she handled it without any mishaps. She even regularly fed Aozawa, ensuring he always had food from her grill.
She absolutely couldn’t let Aozawa eat only Ayatsuki Ayaka’s grilled food.
This kind of spirited rivalry was too childish.
Unfortunately, Ayatsuki Ayaka was exactly that type of childish person.
If she didn’t fight back, Ayatsuki Ayaka would unilaterally declare herself the winner.
For that reason, she had to compete.
Aozawa felt like a pig being fattened up, unable to keep up with their competitive feeding.
He decided to cheat.
A grayscale filter imdiately overlaid his vision of the world.
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