"If I didn't help you, you would have kept looking for a way anyway." Ryuuen waved a hand.
Katsuragi nodded.
"That's enough." Ryuuen revealed a faint smile, though Katsuragi did not understand why he was smiling like that.
With the matter settled, Katsuragi had no reason to keep following Ryuuen. Ryuuen also disliked having someone trail behind him while he wandered around, so they readily agreed to split up.
Behind Keyaki Mall was a snack street. Not all the food stalls there were run by vendors hired by the school; some students also sold snacks there to earn a little pocket money.
There were quite a few such students, and their goods were even more popular with the other students. Compared with established vendors, the food made by students was cheaper and tasted quite good. After all, anyone whose cooking was bad simply could not survive on this snack street—they might be eliminated after only a day or two.
All in all, any snack stall that could establish itself on the street, whether student-run or vendor-run, served fairly delicious food. That was why the snack street was so lively.
Though Ryuuen was not someone who enjoyed joining the crowds, after getting used to Horikita Suzune's fine cuisine, he occasionally wanted to try some specialty snacks.
As he walked down the snack street, Ryuuen spent a long time browsing without buying anything. Every snack seemed to be missing something. They had the color, aroma, and flavor, yet he simply had no appetite for them.
That was until he spotted an acquaintance among the food stalls. It was the familiar Horikita—but not Horikita Suzune. It was her brother, Horikita Manabu.
Wearing a mask and a white apron, Horikita Manabu was making Fried Cold Noodles in a specially modified food cart. His movements