"We're here. Come in."
Pushing open the door to Room 217, Sakuya casually opened the shoe cabinet and gestured for Kamuro to change her shoes.
Kamuro Masumi changed her shoes and walked into the room.
"Hungry?"
Tatsuya Sakuya spoke first.
"No. And when are you deleting that video? I brought your things over too."
Kamuro Masumi had no interest in eating. She only wanted to demand that he delete the video as soon as possible and put an end to this farce.
Growl.
The sound of her stomach echoed through the quiet dorm room.
"Your stomach gave you away. Stay and have something to eat. You're in luck—I'm cooking myself, so you can try my cooking."
He carried the ingredients into the kitchen and tied on the apron hanging from the wall.
Water ran noisily in the kitchen as Tatsuya Sakuya prepared the ingredients in an orderly fashion.
He first removed the skin from the chicken legs, rinsed them in cold water, and blanched them to remove the blood foam and gamey smell. Meanwhile, he boiled the farm eggs, then fished them out and placed them in cold water for easier peeling.
He tossed the braising spice packet into a soup pot, added water and dark soy sauce, then put in the blanched chicken legs and peeled eggs, simmering them over low heat.
A faint fragrance drifted out of the kitchen and filled the entire dorm room.
While waiting for the braise to finish, he brought another pot of water to a boil, added the baby bok choy, then scooped it out to drain.
Finally came the soul of the dish—the sauce, poured over everything.
Several dozen minutes later, he brought out two servings of Shaxian-style snacks and set them on the table.
"It's ready. Give it a try."
Kamuro Masumi did not respond right away.
"All right, all right. I'll delete the video now."
Tatsuya Sakuya opened his phone, found the video, tapped the delete button, and held the phone out in front of her.
"There. Deleted successfully."
Kamuro Masumi was caught off guard for a moment, unable to figure out what this boy in front of her was trying to do.
Since things had come to this, she might as well eat first.
After hesitating for a moment, she picked up a piece of tender, flavorful braised chicken with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.
The rich, savory braising sauce burst across her tongue. The skinless chicken was tender and juicy, soaked through with the flavor of the spice packet, so smooth it practically melted in her mouth.
Kamuro Masumi's pupils contracted slightly, and her chewing stopped.
Delicious... What kind of cuisine is this?
She did not say it aloud, but the chopsticks in her hand had already slipped beyond her control.
"Hey, miss beautiful, you still haven't told me your name. Don't focus only on eating."
Tatsuya Sakuya tried to start a conversation.
"First-year Class 1-A. Kamuro Masumi."
Kamuro Masumi answered vaguely while wildly working her chopsticks.
Suddenly, Kamuro Masumi pointed at the chicken leg in her bowl and asked, "Are you going to eat this chicken leg?"
"I'm not. You can eat—"
Before Tatsuya Sakuya could finish, Kamuro Masumi snatched the chicken leg from his bowl with her chopsticks.
"Great, thanks."
This girl.
Tatsuya Sakuya was a little dumbfounded. Deciding to follow her lead, he pointed at the egg in his bowl and asked, "This one. Are you going to eat it?"
"Yes, thanks."
Kamuro Masumi promptly took the egg with another sweep of her chopsticks.
This girl ate so much, yet she was still so thin.
Tatsuya Sakuya was briefly at a loss for words.
"I'm curious. Why do you steal? Are one hundred thousand points not enough for you to spend?"
"Not really. I just find daily life at this school dull, so I seek out the thrill of breaking the rules. It makes me release dopamine."
Kamuro Masumi openly admitted her motive.
"Then have you considered what would happen if someone found out and reported you, getting you expelled?"
"I haven't thought about that. But no matter what, I don't want to be expelled."
She did not want to be expelled no matter what? If someone else caught her stealing next time, it could very well get her expelled. Unless she broke this habit of stealing and found something else more exciting to do.
Tatsuya Sakuya suddenly came up with a good idea. What if he let her try Flammable Oolong Tea? He turned and headed into the kitchen.
"I'm done eating. Take your time."
A moment later, Tatsuya Sakuya brought out two cups of mixed liquid and placed them on the table.
The cups held a mellow amber-colored liquid, indistinguishable in appearance from the oolong tea sold on the market.
It looked like an ordinary tea drink. Unless someone leaned close and took a careful sniff, no one would have guessed that it was the famous Flammable Oolong Tea.
"What is this? It looks like oolong tea, but why is it fizzing? It looks really strong."
Kamuro Masumi curiously leaned toward the rim of the cup and sniffed it.
"Doubao, Doubao, this is Flammable Oolong Tea I mixed using Water of Life vodka and Scotland blended whisky at a nine-to-one ratio."
Tatsuya Sakuya opened the Doubao app on his phone and took a picture of the Flammable Oolong Tea.
Doubao replied, "Wow, this is the famous Flammable Oolong Tea scene from Grand Blue. It perfectly recreates the standard 9:1 blend of 96-proof Water of Life and Scotland blended whisky.
A reminder: this drink is extremely dangerous in real life. High-proof alcohol is highly flammable. This is only an anime concept, so do not drink it."
"What a shame. It can't be drunk. I wanted you to try it."
There was a hint of disappointment in Tatsuya Sakuya's voice.
"Hey, what exactly are you disappointed about?"
Kamuro Masumi tilted her head and asked in confusion.
"I was planning to use this to help you have some fun, but Doubao said no."
"You were trying to kill me!"
"How's the atmosphere in your class?"
Feeling a little awkward, Tatsuya Sakuya chose to change the subject.
"What, are you already trying to gather intelligence on our class?"
"Class 1-A's main competitor right now is Class 1-B, right? Meanwhile, our main opponent is Class 1-C. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We should make lots of friends and unite everyone we can."
"Class 1-A currently has two leading figures: Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu. Those two factions in Class 1-A are fighting fiercely for control of the class."
"As far as I know, Katsuragi Kohei's faction is more popular with ordinary students, while Sakayanagi Arisu's faction is more popular with elite students. But what about your class?"
"Our class is full of freaks. All the school's freaks are in our class."
Tatsuya Sakuya blurted it out without a second thought.
Kamuro Masumi: "..."
"I've thought of a way for you to seek excitement without any risk of getting expelled."
An idea suddenly struck Tatsuya Sakuya.
"There's such a method? What is it?"
Kamuro Masumi asked curiously.
"How about becoming my girlfriend? I'd say I'm pretty good-looking myself."
Tatsuya Sakuya said it casually.
???
Was the map of Yan so short?
He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore?
This guy really was good-looking, but was there something wrong with his head?
"What are you trying to do? So you've finally revealed your true intentions, huh? I thought you were a good person, but you're actually this kind of disgusting pervert."
Kamuro Masumi stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared warily at Tatsuya Sakuya.
"Don't try anything. I'm calling the police."
"Don't get so worked up."
"Am I worked up?"
"Who's worked up? I'm seriously trying to come up with a solution for you."
Tatsuya Sakuya said with a solemn expression.
"What kind of solution is that? Besides, who decides to become a couple the first time they meet? Shouldn't normal people build up affection first before confirming a relationship?"
"Precisely because people don't do that, isn't it exciting?"
Tatsuya Sakuya said earnestly.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
"Do you mean that?"
Kamuro Masumi realized there was still room to turn things around.
"Half true, half false. But I still hope you'll consider it. After all, stealing really can get you expelled."
Before you continue