Chapter 236 Entrustment
Burp... Ryoko Kuroda, reeking of alcohol, stumbled forward and let out a drunken hiccup.
Seeing her like this, Hana Tachibana, whose hair only reached her ears, frowned and said, "Honestly, you've been drinking non-stop like an alcoholic all night. You won't die if you drink less, you know."
Ryoko glared at her and replied, "Look who's talking. You barely drank when our seniors came over to toast. I had to drink like crazy, and you didn't even have the slightest bit of loyalty."
Hana countered, "You could've refused too. Who asked you to drink every time someone encouraged you?"
"They're about to graduate, so isn't it heartless not to drink with them at this time?"
"Forget it. Wait, where's Tomoko?" Hana suddenly realized someone was missing.
"Probably behind us," Ryoko replied, looking back. Their other friend, Tomoko Yamaguchi, was crouching on the ground, throwing up.
"Tomoko, are you alright?" Hana immediately rushed over to check on her.
"Little Hana, I... I'm struggling," Tomoko barely managed to stand up with her friend's help.
"Tomoko, you're really something else. You know, when you got drunk just now, you looked so funny, like you drank some kind of medicine," Ryoko laughed heartlessly.
Annoyed, Hana glanced at the two of them. One drank like a man, accepting every toast, while the other was too nice to refuse. But comparatively, Ryoko was often invited to drink because of her outgoing personality, so her alcohol tolerance was much better than the average girl's and even some men's.
As Ryoko laughed without any grace, a figure suddenly ran past her, knocking her to the ground. The person also fell.
"Ouch! Which jerk just hit me?" Ryoko cursed as she slowly got up.
"Ryoko, are you okay?" Hana asked, helping Tomoko walk over.
Only then did Ryoko see that the person who knocked her down was an overweight middle-aged man, and by his hair and skin color, he was a foreigner.
The man stood up with a pained expression, holding his stomach with one hand and a briefcase-like box with the other. After glancing back in panic, the man tried to continue running, but Ryoko grabbed his sleeve and yelled, "You jerk! You knocked me down and didn't even apologize, and now you want to run?"
Hana sighed, knowing that once Ryoko got drunk, her recklessness only increased.
"Let... let me go," the man struggled, speaking broken Japanese.
"You are... Mr. Andre?" Ryoko hesitated.
"Who... who are you? How do you know my name?" The man looked terrified.
"So you really are Mr. Andre. I'm Ryoko Kuroda, a journalism student at Tokyo Institute of Technology. I interviewed you with Mr. Amuro half a year ago when I was interning at Nissho Newspaper. You said I looked like a friend's daughter you knew. Do you remember me?" Ryoko sobered up and spoke more politely.
"Are you really a journalism student at Tokyo Institute of Technology?" Andre scrutinized her.
"Yes."
Andre looked at her intently, then suddenly handed her the briefcase, saying, "There's something important inside. Please deliver it to a man named Murata at Apartment 38 on Shinjuku Heiwa Street on the evening of the 20th next month. Please help me with this."
"But why don't you give it to him yourself, Mr. Andre?" Ryoko asked, puzzled.
"I don't have time to explain. Please do as I say, and you all need to leave immediately. Don't let anyone see what you're holding. Don't ask any more questions, just do it!"
Frightened by his anxious expression, the three girls left with unanswered questions.
Once they were gone, Andre continued running, clutching his stomach.
"Ryoko, what should we do now? Should we really do what Andre said?" Hana asked.
"Of course, it's just a small favor."
"But don't you think he looked panicked? There might be something bad in the briefcase. And who is Andre, anyway?"
"You've been reading too many detective novels. Mr. Andre is quite an important person. He is... Tomoko, are you okay?" Seeing Tomoko about to collapse, Ryoko immediately dropped the briefcase and rushed to support her.
Hana shook her head, walked over to Ryoko, and picked up the briefcase. As soon as she touched it, she felt its weight and tried to open it out of curiosity. But she quickly discovered it was locked and gave up. With her free hand, she helped support Tomoko as they headed towards a place to hail a taxi.
—---
"Damn, finally done with the exams," Takeda threw his textbook away forcefully.
Just as Lei Yin was about to tease him, his phone rang.
"Yeah, we just finished. Let's meet at the school cafeteria." After hanging up, Lei Yin said to Takeda, "I'm meeting Kazumi at the school cafeteria. Are you coming?"
"Is Asa Shizu also going?" Takeda asked reflexively.
"Probably. Why?"
"Nothing."
When Lei Yin and Takeda arrived at the cafeteria, they saw Kazumi and Asa Shizu already waiting there. After sitting down, Lei Yin noticed that Kazumi looked pale, while Asa Shizu had lost some weight.
"You guys pushed yourselves too hard, huh? It's just an exam, passing is enough." Although he said this, he knew they wouldn't listen. In Japanese society, not only the school you graduate from but also your annual grades matter to potential employers. In such an environment, many students still face pressure even after getting into prestigious schools. While this wasn't the case for Kazumi, she, being a good student, took her exam results very seriously.
Kazumi smiled and asked, "Big brother, how are you planning to spend the vacation?"
"What else can I do? Just laze around and wait for time to pass."
"Are you planning to go anywhere?"
"No plans for now. What about you? Are you continuing your part-time job?"
Swiss primary schools have different holidays than Japan, so they only have about half a month of overlapping free time. Considering the time it takes to fly to Switzerland and the limited time they would have to spend with Ami, as well as not wanting Naoko to endure a long flight, they decided not to visit Switzerland this winter break.
"Kazumi's entrance exam is coming up, so I want to help her study during the last part of the break. It would be great if you don't go anywhere and stay with us."
Generally, there are two rounds of exams for Japanese college entrance.
The first one is the "National Center Test for University Admissions," a nationwide unified exam held on a Saturday and Sunday in late January. The test is based on the "High School Curriculum Guidelines" set by the Ministry of Education. The results are announced ten days after the exam, and students can then decide which schools and majors to apply to based on their scores.
The second round of exams is organized by each university, usually held in February or March. The exam format is determined by each school, and students who pass the test can enroll in that university.
Some universities have adopted a new plan to replace the "National Center Test" with the "University Entrance Examination Center Test." The test subjects include language, mathematics, foreign languages, geography, history, civics, and six science subjects, with 31 elective courses. Universities using this plan can decide on the number of subjects they will require.
As the two were talking, the other side of the table was unusually quiet.
Takeda was sitting with his head down, looking as embarrassed as a child who had just been caught breaking a neighbor's window. Asa Shizu was sitting across from him, staring at him intently with an expression that was hard to tell if it was anger or resentment.
Feeling the violent gaze from across the table, Takeda grew increasingly uneasy. Fortunately, his phone rang at that moment, and he quickly answered it as if he had been pardoned.
"Yoshikawa? I'm at the cafeteria with Masashi. Hurry over, don't ask, just come." His tone sounded urgent.
Lei Yin asked curiously, "Is there an emergency?"
"No, not really. I just wanted to ask how he did on his exam," Takeda said with evasive eyes.
Although Lei Yin suspected something was amiss, he didn't bother to inquire further and continued talking to Kazumi.
After hanging up, Takeda felt another sharp gaze and lowered his head pretending to drink water.
Luckily, this situation didn't last long. After a while, Yoshikawa and Akiyoshi slowly approached, and Takeda finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Masashi, are you interested in visiting Akimitsu's hometown, Morioka, during the break? I'm planning to go there. I heard there's a big ski resort nearby, and it would be a blast to go skiing," Yoshikawa said to Lei Yin after sitting down.
"Your hometown is Morioka?" Lei Yin asked Akiyoshi.
"Yes, would you like to visit?" Akiyoshi smiled.
Lei Yin shook his head, "I've been to many places recently, and I don't want to keep traveling. I'd rather stay home and enjoy the holidays."
Hearing her brother's words, Kazumi unconsciously revealed a happy smile.
"Is that so? We'll find another opportunity next time then."
"Skiing, huh? I guess I'll go too," said Takeda, who had been quiet the whole time.
"You know how to ski? Be careful, or you might end up dead and no one will know," the sarcastic voice came not from Yoshikawa but from Wushen Jing, who was sitting across from Takeda and had been mostly silent as well.
"Of course, I know how to ski. I've known since I was little. If you don't believe me, ask Yoshikawa," Takeda countered.
"Hmph, Yoshikawa is your best friend, of course he'll say nice things about you. You're good for nothing, with terrible grades. No wonder you can't find a girlfriend."
"You violent woman, I've been putting up with you for a long time. Don't go too far."
"I've been putting up with YOU! You jerk, I still haven't settled the score from last time." Wushen Jing angrily stood up.
"Last time, it was just an accident. And... Anyway, both of us are responsible," Takeda's momentum weakened as he mentioned the incident.
Wushen Jing was about to continue scolding when Yoshikawa suddenly laughed, "You two seem like a perfect match. So, what happened between you two that we're all so curious about?"
Wushen Jing's face reddened, and she shouted, "It's none of your business! Don't spread rumors. I would never be a match for this guy."
Yoshikawa, stroking his chin, said, "Seeing how nervous you are, I'm even more curious about what happened between you two."
"Nothing happened! Don't speculate," Wushen Jing quickly defended.
"Yeah, nothing happened," Takeda chimed in.
Wushen Jing glared at him, "Shut up!"
Watching these two childish people, Yoshikawa laughed even more ambiguously.
—---
"Goodbye, Senpai Nagakawa."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Senpai."
"Goodbye."
As the last male student responsible for cleaning the dojo left, he approached a girl in her school uniform, who hadn't changed into her kendo attire, and said, "Senpai, let us handle these chores. You should go home."
"It's fine. I'm just oiling the bamboo swords. It won't take long." Rumie lifted a bamboo sword and carefully wiped olive oil onto it with a cloth.
Watching Senpai meticulously oil the bamboo swords, the kendo club student suddenly felt a sense of peace and comfort.
"Ah," Rumie suddenly let out a small cry.
"What's wrong, Senpai?" the student asked.
"This bamboo sword is damaged in some places. Could you bring me some fine sandpaper?" Rumie said while touching the damaged area of the sword.
The student quickly brought the sandpaper.
Rumie took a piece of sandpaper and carefully sanded the damaged area.
After smoothing the damaged part, she told the student, "Never underestimate these small damages. If they accumulate over time, the bamboo sword will easily break. If you find these small damages on the sword, be sure to sand them down until you can't feel them with your fingers. Also, when using the bamboo sword, make sure to use all four sides evenly. Rotate to the other side after four or five practice sessions. This way, the bamboo sword will last longer."
"I understand, Senpai."
After putting away the bamboo sword, Rumie smiled at the student and said, "Alright, it's getting late. I'm heading home now. You should go home as soon as you finish cleaning up."
"Take care, Senpai Nagakawa," the student bowed to her.
"Goodbye," Rumie bowed back and then left the dojo.
The student watched her leave, dumbfounded. But as she walked out of the dojo, he was surprised to see her suddenly throw herself into the arms of a stranger standing outside.
For a moment, he couldn't believe his eyes. He never imagined that the usually polite, dignified and reserved senpai would excitedly hug a man, especially an ordinary-looking one.
"Senpai, how did you get here?" Rumie, still tightly embracing Lei Yin, asked excitedly like a child.
Lei Yin smiled and said, "Kazumi and I have already started our break, and we just got home. Seeing you hadn't returned, I came to pick you up."
"Oh, Kazumi, you came too!" The kendo girl noticed Kazumi standing nearby, smiling.
Gently tapping her head, Kazumi said, "All you see is your beloved senpai. How could you notice me?"
Rumie blushed and quickly took Kazumi's hand, "I don't only see him."
Teasing her, Lei Yin said, "Our little girl has already reached the point of teaching others. Time flies."
Rumie's face turned even redder, and she pouted, "Not really, Senpai. You're always teasing me."
Lei Yin pinched her cheek and said, "Alright, let's go home. We're having a feast tonight, and I hope Maeda gets back soon."
Rumie's eyes lit up, "Let's hurry back. Tonight, I'll help Auntie cook. You'll see, Senpai, my cooking skills have improved dramatically."
Seeing her confident look, Lei Yin turned to Kazumi and asked, "Do we have any medicine for stomachaches at home? If not, we should buy some on our way back, just in case."
Kazumi laughed, covering her mouth.
"Senpai, that's so mean! Just you wait, I'll prove myself to you," Rumie declared loudly like a vow.
"I don't mind you cooking, but I'm not going to be the first to taste it."
"You... Fine, then I'll let Kazumi taste it first."
"Uh..."
"Kazumi, don't you believe in me either?"
"Of course not! I trust you, Rumie. Okay, I'll be the first to taste it."
"You're so nice, Kazumi."
"Kazumi, you're really putting yourself out there."
"Senpai!"
Chapter 236 Entrustment
Burp... Ryoko Kuroda, reeking of alcohol, stumbled forward and let out a drunken hiccup.
Seeing her like this, Hana Tachibana, whose hair only reached her ears, frowned and said, "Honestly, you've been drinking non-stop like an alcoholic all night. You won't die if you drink less, you know."
Ryoko glared at her and replied, "Look who's talking. You barely drank when our seniors came over to toast. I had to drink like crazy, and you didn't even have the slightest bit of loyalty."
Hana countered, "You could've refused too. Who asked you to drink every time someone encouraged you?"
"They're about to graduate, so isn't it heartless not to drink with them at this time?"
"Forget it. Wait, where's Tomoko?" Hana suddenly realized someone was missing.
"Probably behind us," Ryoko replied, looking back. Their other friend, Tomoko Yamaguchi, was crouching on the ground, throwing up.
"Tomoko, are you alright?" Hana immediately rushed over to check on her.
"Little Hana, I... I'm struggling," Tomoko barely managed to stand up with her friend's help.
"Tomoko, you're really something else. You know, when you got drunk just now, you looked so funny, like you drank some kind of medicine," Ryoko laughed heartlessly.
Annoyed, Hana glanced at the two of them. One drank like a man, accepting every toast, while the other was too nice to refuse. But comparatively, Ryoko was often invited to drink because of her outgoing personality, so her alcohol tolerance was much better than the average girl's and even some men's.
As Ryoko laughed without any grace, a figure suddenly ran past her, knocking her to the ground. The person also fell.
"Ouch! Which jerk just hit me?" Ryoko cursed as she slowly got up.
"Ryoko, are you okay?" Hana asked, helping Tomoko walk over.
Only then did Ryoko see that the person who knocked her down was an overweight middle-aged man, and by his hair and skin color, he was a foreigner.
The man stood up with a pained expression, holding his stomach with one hand and a briefcase-like box with the other. After glancing back in panic, the man tried to continue running, but Ryoko grabbed his sleeve and yelled, "You jerk! You knocked me down and didn't even apologize, and now you want to run?"
Hana sighed, knowing that once Ryoko got drunk, her recklessness only increased.
"Let... let me go," the man struggled, speaking broken Japanese.
"You are... Mr. Andre?" Ryoko hesitated.
"Who... who are you? How do you know my name?" The man looked terrified.
"So you really are Mr. Andre. I'm Ryoko Kuroda, a journalism student at Tokyo Institute of Technology. I interviewed you with Mr. Amuro half a year ago when I was interning at Nissho Newspaper. You said I looked like a friend's daughter you knew. Do you remember me?" Ryoko sobered up and spoke more politely.
"Are you really a journalism student at Tokyo Institute of Technology?" Andre scrutinized her.
"Yes."
Andre looked at her intently, then suddenly handed her the briefcase, saying, "There's something important inside. Please deliver it to a man named Murata at Apartment 38 on Shinjuku Heiwa Street on the evening of the 20th next month. Please help me with this."
"But why don't you give it to him yourself, Mr. Andre?" Ryoko asked, puzzled.
"I don't have time to explain. Please do as I say, and you all need to leave immediately. Don't let anyone see what you're holding. Don't ask any more questions, just do it!"
Frightened by his anxious expression, the three girls left with unanswered questions.
Once they were gone, Andre continued running, clutching his stomach.
"Ryoko, what should we do now? Should we really do what Andre said?" Hana asked.
"Of course, it's just a small favor."
"But don't you think he looked panicked? There might be something bad in the briefcase. And who is Andre, anyway?"
"You've been reading too many detective novels. Mr. Andre is quite an important person. He is... Tomoko, are you okay?" Seeing Tomoko about to collapse, Ryoko immediately dropped the briefcase and rushed to support her.
Hana shook her head, walked over to Ryoko, and picked up the briefcase. As soon as she touched it, she felt its weight and tried to open it out of curiosity. But she quickly discovered it was locked and gave up. With her free hand, she helped support Tomoko as they headed towards a place to hail a taxi.
—---
"Damn, finally done with the exams," Takeda threw his textbook away forcefully.
Just as Lei Yin was about to tease him, his phone rang.
"Yeah, we just finished. Let's meet at the school cafeteria." After hanging up, Lei Yin said to Takeda, "I'm meeting Kazumi at the school cafeteria. Are you coming?"
"Is Asa Shizu also going?" Takeda asked reflexively.
"Probably. Why?"
"Nothing."
When Lei Yin and Takeda arrived at the cafeteria, they saw Kazumi and Asa Shizu already waiting there. After sitting down, Lei Yin noticed that Kazumi looked pale, while Asa Shizu had lost some weight.
"You guys pushed yourselves too hard, huh? It's just an exam, passing is enough." Although he said this, he knew they wouldn't listen. In Japanese society, not only the school you graduate from but also your annual grades matter to potential employers. In such an environment, many students still face pressure even after getting into prestigious schools. While this wasn't the case for Kazumi, she, being a good student, took her exam results very seriously.
Kazumi smiled and asked, "Big brother, how are you planning to spend the vacation?"
"What else can I do? Just laze around and wait for time to pass."
"Are you planning to go anywhere?"
"No plans for now. What about you? Are you continuing your part-time job?"
Swiss primary schools have different holidays than Japan, so they only have about half a month of overlapping free time. Considering the time it takes to fly to Switzerland and the limited time they would have to spend with Ami, as well as not wanting Naoko to endure a long flight, they decided not to visit Switzerland this winter break.
"Kazumi's entrance exam is coming up, so I want to help her study during the last part of the break. It would be great if you don't go anywhere and stay with us."
Generally, there are two rounds of exams for Japanese college entrance.
The first one is the "National Center Test for University Admissions," a nationwide unified exam held on a Saturday and Sunday in late January. The test is based on the "High School Curriculum Guidelines" set by the Ministry of Education. The results are announced ten days after the exam, and students can then decide which schools and majors to apply to based on their scores.
The second round of exams is organized by each university, usually held in February or March. The exam format is determined by each school, and students who pass the test can enroll in that university.
Some universities have adopted a new plan to replace the "National Center Test" with the "University Entrance Examination Center Test." The test subjects include language, mathematics, foreign languages, geography, history, civics, and six science subjects, with 31 elective courses. Universities using this plan can decide on the number of subjects they will require.
As the two were talking, the other side of the table was unusually quiet.
Takeda was sitting with his head down, looking as embarrassed as a child who had just been caught breaking a neighbor's window. Asa Shizu was sitting across from him, staring at him intently with an expression that was hard to tell if it was anger or resentment.
Feeling the violent gaze from across the table, Takeda grew increasingly uneasy. Fortunately, his phone rang at that moment, and he quickly answered it as if he had been pardoned.
"Yoshikawa? I'm at the cafeteria with Masashi. Hurry over, don't ask, just come." His tone sounded urgent.
Lei Yin asked curiously, "Is there an emergency?"
"No, not really. I just wanted to ask how he did on his exam," Takeda said with evasive eyes.
Although Lei Yin suspected something was amiss, he didn't bother to inquire further and continued talking to Kazumi.
After hanging up, Takeda felt another sharp gaze and lowered his head pretending to drink water.
Luckily, this situation didn't last long. After a while, Yoshikawa and Akiyoshi slowly approached, and Takeda finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Masashi, are you interested in visiting Akimitsu's hometown, Morioka, during the break? I'm planning to go there. I heard there's a big ski resort nearby, and it would be a blast to go skiing," Yoshikawa said to Lei Yin after sitting down.
"Your hometown is Morioka?" Lei Yin asked Akiyoshi.
"Yes, would you like to visit?" Akiyoshi smiled.
Lei Yin shook his head, "I've been to many places recently, and I don't want to keep traveling. I'd rather stay home and enjoy the holidays."
Hearing her brother's words, Kazumi unconsciously revealed a happy smile.
"Is that so? We'll find another opportunity next time then."
"Skiing, huh? I guess I'll go too," said Takeda, who had been quiet the whole time.
"You know how to ski? Be careful, or you might end up dead and no one will know," the sarcastic voice came not from Yoshikawa but from Wushen Jing, who was sitting across from Takeda and had been mostly silent as well.
"Of course, I know how to ski. I've known since I was little. If you don't believe me, ask Yoshikawa," Takeda countered.
"Hmph, Yoshikawa is your best friend, of course he'll say nice things about you. You're good for nothing, with terrible grades. No wonder you can't find a girlfriend."
"You violent woman, I've been putting up with you for a long time. Don't go too far."
"I've been putting up with YOU! You jerk, I still haven't settled the score from last time." Wushen Jing angrily stood up.
"Last time, it was just an accident. And... Anyway, both of us are responsible," Takeda's momentum weakened as he mentioned the incident.
Wushen Jing was about to continue scolding when Yoshikawa suddenly laughed, "You two seem like a perfect match. So, what happened between you two that we're all so curious about?"
Wushen Jing's face reddened, and she shouted, "It's none of your business! Don't spread rumors. I would never be a match for this guy."
Yoshikawa, stroking his chin, said, "Seeing how nervous you are, I'm even more curious about what happened between you two."
"Nothing happened! Don't speculate," Wushen Jing quickly defended.
"Yeah, nothing happened," Takeda chimed in.
Wushen Jing glared at him, "Shut up!"
Watching these two childish people, Yoshikawa laughed even more ambiguously.
—---
"Goodbye, Senpai Nagakawa."
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Senpai."
"Goodbye."
As the last male student responsible for cleaning the dojo left, he approached a girl in her school uniform, who hadn't changed into her kendo attire, and said, "Senpai, let us handle these chores. You should go home."
"It's fine. I'm just oiling the bamboo swords. It won't take long." Rumie lifted a bamboo sword and carefully wiped olive oil onto it with a cloth.
Watching Senpai meticulously oil the bamboo swords, the kendo club student suddenly felt a sense of peace and comfort.
"Ah," Rumie suddenly let out a small cry.
"What's wrong, Senpai?" the student asked.
"This bamboo sword is damaged in some places. Could you bring me some fine sandpaper?" Rumie said while touching the damaged area of the sword.
The student quickly brought the sandpaper.
Rumie took a piece of sandpaper and carefully sanded the damaged area.
After smoothing the damaged part, she told the student, "Never underestimate these small damages. If they accumulate over time, the bamboo sword will easily break. If you find these small damages on the sword, be sure to sand them down until you can't feel them with your fingers. Also, when using the bamboo sword, make sure to use all four sides evenly. Rotate to the other side after four or five practice sessions. This way, the bamboo sword will last longer."
"I understand, Senpai."
After putting away the bamboo sword, Rumie smiled at the student and said, "Alright, it's getting late. I'm heading home now. You should go home as soon as you finish cleaning up."
"Take care, Senpai Nagakawa," the student bowed to her.
"Goodbye," Rumie bowed back and then left the dojo.
The student watched her leave, dumbfounded. But as she walked out of the dojo, he was surprised to see her suddenly throw herself into the arms of a stranger standing outside.
For a moment, he couldn't believe his eyes. He never imagined that the usually polite, dignified and reserved senpai would excitedly hug a man, especially an ordinary-looking one.
"Senpai, how did you get here?" Rumie, still tightly embracing Lei Yin, asked excitedly like a child.
Lei Yin smiled and said, "Kazumi and I have already started our break, and we just got home. Seeing you hadn't returned, I came to pick you up."
"Oh, Kazumi, you came too!" The kendo girl noticed Kazumi standing nearby, smiling.
Gently tapping her head, Kazumi said, "All you see is your beloved senpai. How could you notice me?"
Rumie blushed and quickly took Kazumi's hand, "I don't only see him."
Teasing her, Lei Yin said, "Our little girl has already reached the point of teaching others. Time flies."
Rumie's face turned even redder, and she pouted, "Not really, Senpai. You're always teasing me."
Lei Yin pinched her cheek and said, "Alright, let's go home. We're having a feast tonight, and I hope Maeda gets back soon."
Rumie's eyes lit up, "Let's hurry back. Tonight, I'll help Auntie cook. You'll see, Senpai, my cooking skills have improved dramatically."
Seeing her confident look, Lei Yin turned to Kazumi and asked, "Do we have any medicine for stomachaches at home? If not, we should buy some on our way back, just in case."
Kazumi laughed, covering her mouth.
"Senpai, that's so mean! Just you wait, I'll prove myself to you," Rumie declared loudly like a vow.
"I don't mind you cooking, but I'm not going to be the first to taste it."
"You... Fine, then I'll let Kazumi taste it first."
"Uh..."
"Kazumi, don't you believe in me either?"
"Of course not! I trust you, Rumie. Okay, I'll be the first to taste it."
"You're so nice, Kazumi."
"Kazumi, you're really putting yourself out there."
"Senpai!"
