"Narcissist... aren't you the one talking about yourself?"
Talk about a complete reversal of reality.
How on earth did this guy manage to strike up a good relationship with Hiro?!
Furuya Rei's lip twitched slightly. "You weren't looking?"
"Nope."
"You were!"
"Nope!"
Noticing their elementary-school-level banter, Hiromitsu Morofushi quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Zero, could you come over and help me peel the potatoes?"
"Ah, coming right now."
The young man with grey-blue eyes began lining up the ingredients on the kitchen counter one by one, a plume of steam curling from the spout of the boiling kettle. He efficiently rolled up his uniform sleeves, revealing smoothly toned forearms, and turned to make a request of Satoru Gojo: "Nozomi-kun, could you help me chop the carrots? It's very simple. I want to prep the meat first."
"Understood, leave it to me~"
The small kitchen in the dorm room wasn't large, but it came equipped with all the necessary utensils, and the three of them quickly fell into their respective roles.
As the saying goes, the longer you starve, the more delicious the food tastes. Thinking of the culinary delight he was about to enjoy, Gojo was in an excellent mood, even breaking out into an improvised, chaotic tune.
Though his own cooking skills were second to none compared to a Michelin-star chef, his daily life back at the Gojo estate was entirely handled by Tama and the other servants; the number of times he had personally cooked could be counted on one hand. Since Hiromitsu Morofushi's "exceptional culinary skills" were officially canon, it was better to keep his own cooking skills hidden away so he could logically freeload on meals.
"Little white rabbit~ so, so white~ eating a carrot~ what a cute sight~"
Hearing his off-key singing, Furuya Rei asked, "What is that?"
"The Carrot Song, of course. Didn't you have such a heartwarming tune in your childhood, Furuya-kun?"
"...Not at all." And which part of that is heartwarming!
Nozomi-kun seems very happy. Hiromitsu thought to himself. Could it be that he rarely cooks with others? Does this moment give him... a feeling akin to having a family?
He flipped the pork cutlets that were sizzling loudly in the pan, and a mouth-watering aroma soon filled the room. With two people helping him prep the ingredients, his efficiency had drastically improved.
Roughly half an hour later, the final dish—the cream stew—was brought to the dining table.
The creamy white broth was bubbling gently, its rich milk aroma blending with the crisp sweetness of the vegetables. The carrots, potatoes, and broccoli were semi-submerged in it, and the rising steam hit their faces, looking exceptionally alluring. Furthermore, a gentle press with a fork revealed a subtle crunch from the hamburger steak and pork cutlets, which had been fried to a perfect golden brown. Beside them was a glossy stir-fried pork with celery, where shredded ginger adorned the meat slices like golden threads. It was a feast for all the senses.
"This looks absolutely incredible! I almost feel bad eating it." Furuya Rei praised generously. "If there's a chance, I'd love to learn how to make this too."
Although the two of them usually met up often, opportunities to eat Hiromitsu's cooking weren't frequent, as they generally ate out. Because Hiromitsu was boarding with relatives in Tokyo, he didn't want to disturb them and rarely invited Furuya over to play.
"If you praise me that much, I'll really get conceited," Hiromitsu laughed. "Class schedules will be tight during the week, so when we rest on the weekend, I'll teach you how to cook."
During the gap in their conversation, Satoru Gojo's chopsticks shot out like lightning toward the fried pork cutlet.
"Itadaki-masu (I'm opening)——"
The moment he bit into the food, his red eyes instantly narrowed in pure bliss. "Mmm..."
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?" Hiromitsu poured a glass of water for him and Furuya. "Remember to soothe your throat when eating fried food."
"Hiro-kun, your cooking really is delicious!" The black-haired youth chewed on the cutlet, his cheeks puffing up like a hamster, completely oblivious to the fine breadcrumbs dusting the corner of his mouth.
"I'm glad you like it." For some reason, Hiromitsu's expression grew even softer, while Furuya Rei, who was currently holding his water glass, almost choked.
Hiro-kun...?!
That kind of nickname was something even he, as a childhood friend, couldn't bring himself to utter. And more importantly, Hiro didn't even push back? Based on what he knew about his friend, Hiromitsu should have disliked this kind of overfamiliar behavior.
Furuya Rei took a bite of a potato slice, unable to hold back any longer: "Hisano-kun, you and Hiromitsu have known each other for less than a day, right? Are you already this... this close?"
"Are we?" Unlike the people around him who heavily valued order and boundaries, Satoru Gojo was completely relaxed when it came to matters like forms of address. His tone was as casual as if the two had known each other for ages. "We're roommates after all. If we didn't have a good relationship, it would be quite a headache, wouldn't it?"
Furuya, who not long ago had argued with Matsuda until his throat was parched: True.
"But don't you think a nickname like 'Hiro-kun' is a bit..."
Gojo said cheerfully, "It's very cute, right? Doesn't it suit him perfectly?"
"..."
Faced with a guy so utterly lacking in self-awareness, Furuya Rei found him more troublesome than anyone he had ever encountered. After a brief pause, he decided to throw a fastball: "To be honest, Hisano-kun, I don't think it's very appropriate."
"Oh? I see." The other party replied with a look of sudden realization. "You want a unique nickname too, don't you?"
"Huh?" What kind of mental gymnastics do you have to perform to come to that conclusion!
"Since Hiro-kun already calls you 'Zero,' I'll choose a different one," Satoru Gojo said with a beaming smile. "How about Rei-chan?"
[Ding! Impression points from plot character Furuya Rei +100!]
Furuya Rei: "...No need."
His fists clenched. They were getting rock hard.
Hiromitsu gave him a soothing look. "It's fine, Zero. Nozomi-kun is just a bit eccentric."
Furuya Rei had no choice but to drop the subject for now and pivot to serious matters. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about a dorm issue."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"To be precise, it's a roommate issue... Hiro, you know that Matsuda and I don't get along. If we have to live together for half a year, it's probably going to be pure torture." He explained, "The supervisor said that as long as we submit an application within the first week, there might still be a chance to swap roommates. The prerequisite is that both parties agree to the exchange. So I wanted to ask you and Hisano-kun if you could swap with Matsuda's side?"
"This..."
When his best friend in a predicament explicitly made a request, Hiromitsu should have given an affirmative answer without a second thought. However, Satoru Gojo, who had already demolished more than half of the pork cutlets, looked up and objected: "No way, I'm not swapping!"
What a joke. With a chef as useful as Hiromitsu—uh, no, with a roommate so understanding and incredibly talented, he wasn't about to let him get away. But if he bluntly said, "I want to live with you because it's the most convenient way to freeload on meals," it wouldn't sound very convincing.
Mmm, let's rephrase it then.
At this point, both Furuya and Hiromitsu were taken aback by his unyielding stance.
Furuya Rei didn't back down. "Hisano-kun, I know you and Hiromitsu are on good terms, but that doesn't mean you won't get along with Matsuda. Why not give it a try..."
His words ground to an abrupt halt when he saw the youth cast his eyes downward, his long eyelashes throwing butterfly-wing shadows on his porcelain cheeks.
"I want to be roommates with Hiro-kun." The black-haired youth stared at the steaming food on the table, seemingly lost in some memory. "Because it's the first time someone proactively invited me to go to the supermarket to buy ingredients, and then... eat together."
Furuya Rei's conscience stung a bit. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find a single word to say. Vaguely sensing some unusual circumstances, he decided to ask Hiromitsu about it later. For now, it was best not to bring up the room swap anymore.
Hiromitsu spoke softly, as if afraid of breaking something fragile: "Since Nozomi-kun doesn't want to swap, then we won't swap."
"After all, it requires mutual agreement..." He gave Furuya an apologetic look. "Zero, I don't think Student Matsuda is a bad person either. Why don't you try getting along with him first?"
Furuya Rei nodded in tacit agreement.
"Alright, let's eat first, the soup is going to get cold."
Taking advantage of the duo's guilt, Satoru Gojo stuffed another large spoonful of rice into his mouth, a grounded sense of joy settling into his stomach.
Perhaps Hisano Nozomi isn't as wicked as I thought...
Just as Furuya Rei was thinking this, his chopsticks collided with Gojo's as they both went for the same piece of hamburger steak.
"You go ahead, Hisano-kun." As a "senior" who was a few years older than Gojo, he would always show more yielding and tolerance.
"No, I'll leave it to Furuya-kun," Gojo said with a look of pure sincerity. "Since I prevented you from swapping rooms, I should make up for it."
Though something felt slightly off, Furuya Rei didn't refuse further, reaching out his hand. "Alright, then I'll—"
The piece of hamburger steak instantly vanished into Gojo's mouth.
"Ah, sorry. Turns out I still wanted to taste it."
Gojo blinked his eyes as if saying, "Are you mad?" causing Furuya Rei to completely lose control of his facial expression.
This guy... as expected, is incredibly obnoxious—!
[Ding! Impression points from plot character Furuya Rei +300!]
At the same time, Jinpei Matsuda and Kenji Hagiwara, who had returned from the cafeteria, paused in their tracks.
An aroma blending a caramel-like sweet scent with the grease of fried food was trickling in wisps through the crack of the door to Room 144.
"That's the smell of pork cutlet rice...!" The curly-haired youth clicked his tongue. "To cook their own meals on the very first day of school, how incredible."
Kenji Hagiwara let out a "Wow." "I feel like it smells even better than the cafeteria's pork cutlets... I really want to try some."
Seeing his childhood friend having the urge to go up and knock on the door, Matsuda Jinpei forcefully yanked him back by his collar. "Let's go, Hagi! Don't tell me you want to have dinner with Furuya?"
"But Little Jinpei, you're salivating..."
"No, I'm not! Even if I jump down from right here, I won't take a single bite of their food!"
Matsuda Jinpei stood proud and unyielding, forcefully dragging Hagiwara Kenji away.
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