They sat in the little shop for a while, talking some more about what had happened at the Auction.
Amasawa Ichika was still hung up on the Charm she had failed to get and brought it up several times. After Kushida Kikyo teased her about it, she turned to pestering Kagihara, insisting that he help her bid on something decent next time.
Kazehara Tetsu listened without immediately agreeing or refusing. He only said they would see how things worked out.
"Oh, right..."
Kushida Kikyo seemed to suddenly remember something. "Kazehara-kun, did you run into someone else you knew in there? Buying this little bit of stuff shouldn't have taken so long otherwise."
"I did run into someone."
Kazehara Tetsu lifted the bag. "Kiryuin-senpai."
"Kiryuin-senpai?"
Kushida Kikyo paused. "The third-year?"
"Yeah. She happened to be in the Ingredient Section while I was picking out vegetables. She said she'd gone in to join the fun and have a look, but she didn't end up winning anything either."
"Huh... I thought Kiryuin-senpai wasn't particularly interested in this sort of event."
"She said herself that she was just curious."
Kazehara Tetsu didn't go into much detail about their conversation on cooking or her grandfather, only giving a brief account. "We did chat a little. She learned to cook before."
"Kiryuin-senpai can cook?" This time, even Amasawa Ichika was surprised.
"She doesn't look the type, does she?"
"Not at all." All three girls had practically the same reaction.
Kazehara Tetsu looked at their identical expressions. "That's what I told her, too."
He didn't continue the topic. Instead, he glanced down at the time on his phone, then at the bag of ingredients on the table.
The shop was well heated, and during their time there, the box of meat he had specially selected and the