Confession

A complete failure!

This confession with Kushida Kikyo had been an utterly thorough failure.

The only upside was that he did not have to worry about anyone seeing her while she vented.

Kushida Kikyo's attitude was far too extreme.

It was like Schrödinger's Cat; the leverage in his hands was that cat.

If the cat existed, she would remain distrustful of Suzuki Tsubame.

If the cat did not exist, the girl would become uncontrollable. Kushida was smart. Without any leverage in his hands, she would do everything she could to eliminate him as a potential threat.

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

Returning to the Dormitory, Suzuki Tsubame knocked on the door of Room 605.

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

"Good evening, Suzune."

Seeing Suzuki Tsubame's grinning face, Horikita said nothing and did not ask why he had come so late.

She merely stepped aside and let him in.

What a strange bit of etiquette. Last time too, Horikita had instinctively stepped aside to let her guest enter the room.

It seemed to be a habit formed over many years, though the full etiquette should have involved more than that. She should have greeted the guest and gestured for them to come inside.

But Horikita was not accustomed to interacting with people, so she had omitted those steps.

"It smells so good!"

The moment he entered, Suzuki Tsubame was drawn in by the rich scent of meat.

The dining table held bowls, chopsticks, several plates, and a large basin.

The largest basin was piled high with braised pork. Its bright red color looked incredibly appetizing. He had not expected Horikita to make so much this time.

From Horikita's perspective, since this guy was paying in points anyway, making more would mean that once he ran short on points and could no longer do without her cooking, she would find it even easier to control him.

A perfect win-win! She won twice.

Suzuki Tsubame did not care about any of that. Horikita's cooking was simply impeccable, the undisputed ceiling of culinary skill in Classroom of the Elite.

Although Ichinose usually helped her mother with housework, she might not necessarily be better than Horikita, who had received systematic training.

Speaking of which, Ayanokoji was supposedly good at everything. Could he cook? That was a question.

What was the ultimate fat-to-lean ratio for braised pork? Suzuki Tsubame would tell you: without a doubt, three parts fat to two parts lean. Any fattier, and it would be too greasy; any leaner, and it would be too dry.

The pork Horikita had chosen was undoubtedly premium pork belly. As for why she could still find such top-quality meat so late...

The reason was that people in the island nation did not particularly like such fatty ingredients. On top of that, this was a school, and not many students were skilled at cooking, so she had easily picked it out.

The pieces were evenly sized, layered with fat and lean meat, and glistening in color. Absolutely perfect!

Suzuki Tsubame picked up a glossy red piece of meat and put it in his mouth. With a gentle press of his tongue and teeth, it melted instantly! The savory broth had seeped deep into the meat, making it fragrant, sweet, soft, and tender. Before Suzuki Tsubame could properly taste it, it had already slid down his throat.

It was so delicious it nearly made his tongue fall off.

This was the best thing he had eaten in the past half year! No contest.

Before being transported here, he had attended a top high school. As the best high school in the city, it had operated under a semi-closed system. Other than winter and summer breaks, students rarely got to leave campus.

There was no need to mention the taste of the school cafeteria; everyone knew what that was like. In fact, Suzuki Tsubame had not left school for nearly half a year.

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

For someone who had not eaten anything good for more than half a year, it was like rain after a long drought. Although what Horikita had made a couple of days ago was also delicious, Dragon Country cuisine was clearly better!

As he wolfed down the food, Horikita promptly placed a bowl of rice in front of him.

"Th-thanks..."

He had turned into Taotie, his mouth dripping with grease.

This was not even his limit. It was his mouth's limit.

Some people might say, "Streamer, streamer, braised pork tastes great in one bite, gets greasy in two, and by the third bite you puke all over the floor. Is it really that good?"

Suzuki Tsubame had eaten plenty of braised pork, and he admitted that the mass-cooked kind served at schools was basically boiled in water. The fat had not even been rendered out. If pork was cooked like that, the pig had died for nothing.

Suzuki Tsubame's mother had made it perfectly. She slowly rendered the fat from the pork belly, set aside the excess oil for later, then added water and various seasonings and simmered it over low heat, allowing the broth to soak thoroughly into the meat. That was how perfect braised pork was made.

The oil set aside separately could also be used to stir-fry vegetables.

Horikita had clearly learned it properly too. Her control of the heat was perfect; the meat was fatty without being greasy, lean without being dry. He could eat an entire pot of this!

Gradually... Suzuki Tsubame ate until tears streamed down his face. He thought of his mother... and wondered what she would do after he had left.

When he was little, his family had been poor. Suzuki Tsubame still remembered that their home had been far from school. His mother had called his uncle and asked whether he could give him a ride. His uncle's own child also had to go to school, and it was only along the way.

Yet his uncle had refused without hesitation, saying he wanted to eat lunch at home. What a wonderful reason.

Suzuki Tsubame could still remember the helpless look on his mother's face. Her own younger brother had shown her no mercy at all in front of her son.

Back then, Suzuki Tsubame had not understood much. Then he experienced it again in middle school. This time, when he returned from school, his uncle was there to pick up his own child.

This time, the reason was that he wanted to eat dinner in the city. Suzuki Tsubame finally understood his mother's expression: profound helplessness, profound despair, as if she had been stabbed tens of thousands of times. Suzuki Tsubame's heart was clenched tight along with hers.

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 have thought that just before the exams, he would end up here... He did not know what his mother would do.

There seemed to be no point thinking about it. Being transported to another world was a force beyond his control, not something he could resist.

Suzuki Tsubame was briefly dazed as he looked at Horikita Suzune through tear-blurred eyes.

You definitely used magic, didn't you?!

Without realizing it, you made me think about so much. You definitely drugged this meat!

Horikita Suzune was also stunned.

She watched as he stopped stuffing his face, then inexplicably began to cry, until it finally became uncontrollable.

She had not expected her braised pork to have such an effect.

Suzuki Tsubame swallowed all the meat in his mouth.

"Suzune."

This time, Suzuki Tsubame's tone did not carry its usual mock seriousness.

"Hmm?"

Horikita Suzune looked puzzled. Had she cooked too well? Was this guy about to bow down and acknowledge her as his master?

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

Suzuki Tsubame wore a solemn expression, though the vegetable oil at the corners of his mouth and the tear tracks at the corners of his eyes remained painfully obvious. Horikita almost burst out laughing.

Wait, what had this guy just said? Horikita's face was full of shock.

"Suzune, I'm not joking. Please date me with marriage in mind."

After a moment of shock, Horikita Suzune replied helplessly:

"You, could you stop thinking about things that are completely impossible?"

Horikita Suzune pressed one hand to her forehead. Was this guy in heat? She had only wanted to subdue him and use him for her own purposes. She had never considered anything like that.

"I won't give up." Suzuki Tsubame turned his grief into appetite and, together with Horikita, cleared away all the remaining food.

It was worth mentioning that Horikita truly cared about a healthy balance of ingredients. Besides the braised pork, there were two vegetable dishes and miso soup.

Suzuki Tsubame had eaten most of the braised pork, while Horikita mostly picked at the vegetables. She seemed very serious about managing her figure.

After wiping out all the delicious food.

After saying goodbye to Horikita Suzune, Suzuki Tsubame returned to his own Dormitory.