The Thing I Fear Most

Sakura Airi quickly waved her hand to indicate that it was alright, and patted the dust off her skirt:

"I'll just go buy another one. Besides, I wasn't paying attention just now."

"Take it, after all, I'm the one who knocked it down. Or if you want the same one, I can go and buy you another one."

Horikita Suzune shook her head and threw the pineapple bun in her hand into the trash can.

"Then I'll take one."

Sakura Airi was indeed a little unsure how to deal with a strong-willed girl like Horikita Suzune, and she was also embarrassed to ask the other girl to make the trip for her again, so she could only nod in agreement and reach out to take the sandwich that Horikita Suzune handed her.

Are you going to the Drama Club? It's closed today.

Seeing Horikita Suzune about to leave, Sakura Airi, who had just returned from the Drama Club, quickly spoke up to remind her.

The Drama Club was located in a relatively remote corner of the school, and this road was the only way to get there, which is why Sakura Airi judged that Horikita Suzune was going to the Drama Club.

Sakura Airi was also a little frustrated. She had prepared for this day for a long time, only to find that she hadn't arrived.

"All right."

Horikita Suzune stopped in her tracks after hearing this. She walked back, found a bench, and planned to sit down and eat her lunch.

"Are you from the Drama Club?"

Sakura Airi, holding a sandwich, sat down next to Horikita Suzune and asked her curiously.

"We haven't officially entered yet."

Horikita Suzune answered reluctantly, as she was too embarrassed to remain silent as usual because she had just done something wrong.

"Have you met Kitagawa, the head of the Drama Club?"

Horikita Suzune paused in her chewing motion, then said after a moment's hesitation:

"I've seen him before, once at the start of the semester, and again a week ago."

"It seems the rumors are true."

Seeing the girl beside her breathe a sigh of relief, Horikita Suzune glanced at her and asked:

"What rumor?"

"It's the rumor that Kitagawa left the theater world to go back to school."

Sakura Airi answered matter-of-factly, taking a bite of her sandwich as well:

"Hmm... did you make this yourself, classmate?"

"Yes."

"It's delicious!"

"Really...? Thank you."

Hearing praise for her cooking skills for the first time, Horikita Suzune was slightly taken aback, suddenly realizing that this was the first time she had shared her cooking with someone else.

"It tastes great! Even though it's cold, the flavors are very distinct."

The other person didn't seem to be just being polite; they were eating happily, bite by bite.

For Horikita Suzune, who had been hit by a series of failures over the past week, this was truly a rare sight.

"Here, have this one too."

After hesitating for a moment, Horikita Suzune gave her sandwich to Sakura Airi as well.

"After all, I just dirtied your pineapple bun."

After providing a supplementary explanation for her actions, Horikita Suzune breathed a sigh of relief.

Are you looking for Kitagawa?

She recalled what the other person had just said:

Did you know him before?

"We know each other, and we're friends."

Sakura Airi nodded and said with a smile:

"And he's also very good at cooking; I've learned a little from him too."

"Which one tastes better, mine or his?"

Suddenly ignited by an inexplicable competitive spirit, Horikita Suzune asked earnestly.

"They're all delicious, aren't they? Comparing them isn't important; the point of food is to make people happy."

After finishing the two sandwiches in her hand, Sakura Airi said to Horikita Suzune with the same seriousness:

"When I was under a lot of pressure during training, Kitagawa would make me lots of sweets. He said he would use sugar to stick my lips and teeth together so that my lines wouldn't slip out of my mouth."

"Would he do something like that?"

Horikita Suzune pursed her lips and said softly.

After all, Kitagawa Ryo had never shown such a gentle side to her.

But she didn't really care.

"Maybe after you join the Drama Club, you'll be able to exchange a lot of culinary experiences with Kitagawa."

"His desserts are delicious!"

"I... I don't care."

Horikita Suzune shook her head, took a bite of her sandwich, and muttered something in a voice only she could hear.

Sakura Airi, of course, didn't hear Horikita Suzune's mutterings. She assumed the other person was a new student in the Drama Club and casually said, propping her head up with her hand:

"Looking back now, if I had your culinary skills back then, I might have been able to work in the Theater Troupe as a support staff member. Even if I couldn't perform on stage with him, I could have helped him by cooking, tailoring costumes, and setting up the stage."

Horikita Suzune was stunned.

Using the reflection from the glass, she smoothed out the wrinkles at her collar, checked it again from top to bottom, then took a deep breath, gently patted her cheeks with both hands, the appropriate force bringing a slight stinging sensation, and her face blossomed into the most perfect smile she had practiced countless times at home.

After doing all this, the girl switched the bag she had been tightly clutching in her right hand to her left, and somewhat nervously knocked on the door of a classroom on the third floor of the school building.

"Please come in."

Kitagawa Ryo in a recliner with his legs crossed, flipping through a mystery novel that Hiyori had recommended to him a few Hiyori ago.

Tomorrow is the Drama Club's final review, and there's a meeting today that he, as the department head, must attend; otherwise, he wouldn't bother coming.

Was it Kushida Kikyo who came to announce the meeting?

Kitagawa Ryo lazily raised his head and looked towards the doorway.

"Um, Minister Kitagawa..."

Horikita Suzune gave a stiff smile, as if someone were holding a gun to her back.

She lifted the lunchbox in her right hand:

"Cooking... convenient... for... you... who are hungry--"

It seems he bit his tongue.

Although she looked like she was about to cry, she still made a great effort to walk up to Kitagawa Ryo and place the bento box on his desk.

Then they fled in disarray.

Chapter Seventeen: The Most Frightening Thing

"Wait a minute."

Kitagawa Ryo's voice made Horikita Suzune, who had already left with one foot halfway, stop again. However, she did not turn around, as if waiting for Kitagawa Ryo's next instruction.

"Why would they suddenly send me this? Is it a bribe?"

"But this is the first time I've ever seen someone use a bento box to bribe a judge."

Kitagawa Ryo's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, and even with her back to him, Horikita Suzune could almost picture the teasing smile on his face.

Seeing that Horikita Suzune remained motionless, Kitagawa Ryo simply opened the bento box himself:

"It looks pretty good, but could you tell me what kind of dish this is?"

"I don't think I've ever seen this before."

Horikita Suzune pouted, turned around with difficulty, and whispered:

"Tom Yum."

"Never heard of it."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled, took a spoonful, and said:

"The taste is alright, though."

"Actually, I often cook at home. Could you tell me the specific steps?"

"There are ready-made recipes online; you can find them, buy the ingredients according to the list, and follow the steps."

Horikita Suzune leaned against the door; she neither left nor approached.

"There's nothing to praise."

In fact, before her conversation with Sakura Airi, Horikita Suzune had never considered cooking a skill to be proud of, which was also related to the fact that she had never shared her cooking with others.

Kitagawa Ryo ate his food while sizing up Horikita Suzune.

For Horikita Suzune, she actually pays more attention to the functionality of food than its taste.

In essence, Horikita Suzune always does things with a very strong sense of purpose.

She would never do anything meaningless, and this "meaning" was defined by herself. Coupled with Horikita Suzune's narrow personal vision, this led to her ultimately forming this seemingly incomprehensible style of behavior.

Take, for example, the dish he's eating right now.

Tom Yum is indeed a delicious dish, but it also has very obvious dietary restrictions. Because the main ingredient is shrimp and the dish itself has a strong flavor, it is completely unsuitable for people with seafood allergies or gastrointestinal discomfort, and may even cause adverse reactions.

Choosing Tom Yum, a dish considered quite nourishing for women, without any knowledge of other people's dietary habits and dietary restrictions is truly characteristic of Horikita Suzune.

I might as well tease her.

Horikita Suzune was watching Kitagawa Ryo eat with great relish, and was planning to ask him to join the Drama Club in a support role after he finished eating. But the next moment, she saw the spoon in Kitagawa Ryo's hand fall onto the table.

"What's wrong?"

What ingredients are used in this dish?

Kitagawa Ryo's eyebrows furrowed together, and his forehead was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.

"Shrimp."

Horikita Suzune quickly said, and she hurried forward:

"You're not allergic to seafood, are you?"

"I've never been able to eat seafood, tsk."

Kitagawa Ryo clutched his stomach, answering through gritted teeth.

"I... I'll take you to the infirmary?"

Even Horikita Suzune was a little flustered by this sudden situation. After all, if the other person really got sick from her cooking, then the Drama Club would be permanently closed to her.

"I only ate a couple of bites, I'll just rest for a bit."

Kitagawa Ryo spoke weakly, almost biting his lip until it bled, and lay back in the chair, panting heavily.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't know you had this dietary restriction."

Horikita Suzune didn't know what to do now. After Tom Yum, she occasionally made Tom Yum soup for herself, so she naturally thought there was no problem with choosing this dish.

The thought that she wouldn't be able to go to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School completely threw her into a panic:

Would you like some hot water? Or a hot towel? We don't seem to have any here...

They have a narrow perspective, don't consider the feelings of others, and are unable to think clearly when it comes to issues related to Horikita Manabu.

In fact, these problems persisted even after Horikita Suzune entered Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, and even became more severe.