Confession

Major failure!

This confession with Kushida Kikyo was an utterly thorough failure.

The only upside was not having to worry about anyone seeing him vent.

Kushida Kikyo's attitude was far too extreme.

It was like Schrödinger's cat—the leverage in his hand was that cat.

If the cat existed, she remained in a state of distrust toward Suzuki Tsubame.

If the cat didn't exist, the girl was in an uncontrollable state. Kushida was clever; without leverage in his hand, she would find ways to eliminate him as a threat.

Kushida Kikyo was more troublesome than he had imagined. He could only guide her slowly in the future.

Back at the dormitory, Suzuki Tsubame knocked on the door of Room 605.

The door opened. Horikita Suzune stood there in an apron, a spatula in her hand.

"Good evening, Suzune."

Watching Suzuki Tsubame's grinning face, Horikita said nothing, nor did she ask why he was only arriving now.

She stepped aside to let him enter.

A peculiar etiquette. Last time too, Horikita habitually turned sideways to let a guest into the room.

It seemed to be a long-standing habit of courtesy, though the full ritual should have included more—greeting the guest, extending a hand to guide them inside.

But Horikita wasn't used to social interaction, so she omitted it.

"Wow, that smells amazing!"

As soon as he stepped in, Suzuki Tsubame was drawn in by the rich aroma of meat.

On the dining table were bowls, chopsticks, several plates, and a large pot.

In the biggest pot sat a heaping pile of Braised Pork Belly, glistening red and incredibly appetizing. He hadn't expected Horikita to make so much this time.

In Horikita's view, since this guy was footing the bill, she might as well make more. If he ran out of points later and couldn't leave her cooking, it would make him easier to control.

It was a win-win! She won twice.

Suzuki Tsubame didn't care about any of that. Horikita's cooking was simply unmatched—the ceiling of culinary skill in this school.

Ichinose might help her mother with housework, but she probably couldn't compare to Horikita's systematic training.

Speaking of which, Ayanokoji was said to be all-around. Could he cook? That was a question.

What was the perfect fat-to-lean ratio for Braised Pork Belly? Suzuki Tsubame would tell you: without a doubt, three parts fat to two parts lean. Any more fat and it's too greasy; any less and it's too dry.

Horikita had undoubtedly chosen premium pork belly. As for how she managed to pick such a prime cut this late—

The reason was that islanders didn't much care for this kind of fatty ingredient, and since they were on campus, few students were skilled at cooking. So she had easily selected this piece.

Uniform in size, alternating fat and lean, glossy and lustrous. Perfect!

Suzuki Tsubame picked up a piece of ruddy meat and sent it into his mouth. With a gentle press between tongue and teeth, it melted on entry! The savory broth had seeped into the meat, sweet and soft. Before he could even taste it properly, it slid straight down his throat.

It nearly made him lose his tongue from the sheer deliciousness.

This was the best thing he had eaten in the past six months. No contest.

Before his transmigration, he had been at a top-tier high school. As the best school in the city, it operated under semi-closed management—basically, aside from summer and winter breaks, students rarely left campus.

The cafeteria food went without saying—everyone knew how that was—and Suzuki Tsubame hadn't left school for nearly half a year.

Suzuki Tsubame began wolfing it down, shoving piece after piece into his mouth.

For someone who hadn't eaten anything good in over half a year, it was like rain after a long drought. Even though Horikita's cooking two days ago had been delicious, Dragon Country cuisine was clearly superior!

As he devoured it, Horikita timely placed a bowl of rice in front of Suzuki Tsubame.

"Tha... nk you."

He had already turned into a Taotie, grease dripping from his mouth.

This wasn't his limit—it was his mouth's limit.

Someone might say, "Streamer, streamer, Braised Pork Belly is fragrant on the first bite, greasy on the second, and on the third you're spitting it all over the floor. Is it really that good?"

Suzuki Tsubame had eaten plenty of Braised Pork Belly, and he admitted that the kind from school—like boiled water with no flavor—hadn't even rendered the fat out of the meat. If pork was made like that, the pig died for nothing.

His mother's version was perfect. The oil from the pork belly was slowly rendered out, the excess set aside for later use. Then water and various seasonings were added, simmered on low heat until the broth perfectly seeped into the meat. That was how you made perfect Braised Pork Belly.

The separately rendered oil could also be used to stir-fry greens.

Horikita had clearly studied it specially. Her control of heat was flawless—the meat was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry. He could eat a whole pot of this!

Gradually..., Suzuki Tsubame ate until tears streamed down his face. He thought of his mother... and didn't know what she would do after he left.

When he was little, his family wasn't well-off. Suzuki Tsubame still remembered that their home was far from school. His mother called his uncle and asked if he could give him a ride. His uncle's family also had a child who needed to go to school—it was only on the way.

But his uncle refused without hesitation, saying he wanted to eat lunch at home. What a great excuse.

Suzuki Tsubame could still recall his mother's helpless expression. Her own brother had shown her no face in front of her son.

At that time, Suzuki Tsubame couldn't really grasp it—until middle school, when he experienced it again. This time, he was coming back from school, and his uncle was there picking up his own child.

The reason this time was wanting to eat dinner in the city. Suzuki Tsubame finally read his mother's expression: deep helplessness, deep despair, as if someone had stabbed her a thousand times with a knife. Suzuki Tsubame's heart, too, was tightly squeezed.

From then on, unwilling to see that scene again, Suzuki Tsubame worked hard and got into the best high school in the city.

Who would've thought, with exams approaching, he'd end up here... He had no idea what his mother was going to do.

Thinking about it all seemed useless anyway. Being transported like this was an act of god, not something he could resist.

Suzuki Tsubame's mind went hazy for a moment, and through tear-blurred eyes, he looked at Horikita Suzune.

"You definitely used magic, didn't you!"

Without me noticing, you made me think all that—there's definitely drugs in this meat!

Horikita Suzune was stunned too.

She watched him stop his gluttonous binge, then inexplicably start crying, until it all spiraled out of control.

She never thought her Braised Pork Belly would have this kind of effect.

Suzuki Tsubame swallowed all the meat in his mouth.

"Suzune."

This time, Suzuki Tsubame's tone lacked his usual forced seriousness.

"Hm?"

Horikita Suzune was puzzled. Could it be that her cooking was so good this guy was about to bow down and pledge allegiance on the spot?

"I want to marry you. Become my wife!"

Suzuki Tsubame's face was dead serious, though the oil at the corners of his mouth and the tear streaks on his cheeks were still clearly visible, making Horikita unable to suppress a laugh.

Wait—what did this guy just say? Horikita's face filled with shock.

"Suzune, I'm not joking. Please start a relationship with me with marriage in mind."

After a moment of shock, Horikita Suzune replied helplessly:

"Hey, don't think about things that are completely impossible, alright?"

Horikita Suzune propped her forehead with one hand. Was this guy in heat? She only wanted to recruit him for her own use—she had no intentions in that direction at all.

"I'm not giving up." Suzuki Tsubame turned his grief into appetite and cleared the rest of the dishes together with Horikita.

Worth mentioning, Horikita really cared about the healthy balance of ingredients. Besides the Braised Pork Belly, there were two small greens and miso soup.

Most of the Braised Pork Belly was polished off by Suzuki Tsubame, while Horikita mostly went for the greens—she seemed very mindful of her figure.

After finishing all the food.

Bidding farewell to Horikita Suzune, Suzuki Tsubame returned to his Dormitory.