After tasting Erina Nakiri's spiced pumpkin soup, Bai Mo arrived at the Polar Star Dormitory, curious to see if the original protagonists and other supporting characters could surprise him. After all, they were named characters in the original storyline, and their culinary skills were nothing to scoff at. Perhaps they might even offer him some unexpected delicacies!
However, what greeted Bai Mo was a sight that made his eyes sting.
Looking at the apron-clad man before him, Bai Mo's eyelids twitched slightly, and his right arm seemed to awaken some strange power!
Unable to hold back, Bai Mo directly punched a tree outside the Polar Star Dormitory.
With a loud crash, the tree—over a meter in diameter—was snapped clean in half.
The thunderous sound of the falling tree made Isshiki Satoshi, who had just been welcoming Bai Mo, subconsciously gulp.
If that punch had landed on him… would there even be a whole corpse left?
The commotion at the entrance drew the attention of everyone in the dormitory. When they rushed to the door, they were all astonished by Bai Mo's sheer strength.
Though Bai Mo brushed it off as the result of martial arts training since childhood, everyone was still curious: under what circumstances could a person punch down a tree like that?
However, after witnessing Isshiki Satoshi swiftly change outfits and reappear, they seemed to understand why Bai Mo had reacted so strongly!
But if Bai Mo's presence could rein in the naturist tendencies of their senior Isshiki, then in their eyes, he was nothing short of a powerful morality enforcer!
Perhaps as long as Bai Mo was around, they wouldn't have to endure the visual pollution from Isshiki-senpai anymore~
After entering the Polar Star Dormitory, Bai Mo had just sat down when a blushing Teruko Todoroki immediately offered him tea: "B-Bai Mo-kun, please have some tea!"
"Thank you~" After expressing his gratitude, Bai Mo got straight to the point: "I'm curious—how has everyone's experimentation with the spice fruits I gave you been going? Could you treat me to a meal?"
The dorm members exchanged glances before Yoshino Yuuki stepped forward.
"Ehehe~ Actually, we've all tried them. Since the ingredients were scarce, I won the earlier competition!"
Yoshino Yuuki playfully tapped her head, flashing a mischievous smile reminiscent of Peko-chan.
Bai Mo's interest was instantly piqued.
He had initially assumed that either Soma Yukihira or Isshiki Satoshi would be the first to master cooking with the spice fruits. Unexpectedly, Yoshino Yuuki had surpassed them?
Under Bai Mo's expectant gaze, Yoshino Yuuki didn't hesitate. "Actually, I just got lucky. Since we all received the same amount of ingredients, the number of trial attempts was equal for everyone."
"I happened to focus on one dish and had a sudden burst of inspiration, so I managed to create a decent dish after three attempts. If we'd had more ingredients, Isshiki-senpai and Soma's dishes would've definitely surpassed mine!"
"No, Yuuki," Isshiki interjected with a smile. "The fact that you found the right direction in such a short time already makes you more impressive than us."
Then, turning to Bai Mo, he added, "Since Bai Mo-kun is here, and his palate is even more sensitive than the God Tongue, why not let him taste your dish and see where it could improve?"
"Is that okay?" Yoshino Yuuki looked at Bai Mo eagerly. "Though we don't have much of the spice fruit left, if I combine what I have with Ryoko and Megumi, we can still prepare a dish!"
"Then I'll look forward to it. If it's truly delicious, I'll provide you with more ingredients."
"It's a deal!"
With that, Yoshino Yuuki grabbed Ryoko Sakaki and Teruko Todoroki's hands and dashed toward the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "I'll start preparing right now—give me two hours!"
Two hours? That wasn't a short time.
Glancing at the others still seated in the dormitory's common area, Bai Mo asked, "So, what should we do to pass the time?"
"How about a thrilling round of board games? I think I have one in my room~"
"Or we could play cards~"
"Mahjong sounds good."
With seven people left, they split into two groups—one playing cards while the other settled around a table for mahjong.
Bai Mo joined Isshiki Satoshi, Soma Yukihira, and Ibusaki Shun at the mahjong table.
Mahjong was perfect for chatting while playing.
As they arranged their tiles, Bai Mo, sitting across from Soma, asked curiously, "By the way, where's your dad these days?"
"Eh? You know my old man?"
"My father and Joichiro-san are good friends. Many years ago, when he traveled to China, I was lucky enough to taste his cooking."
"I had no idea there was such a connection!" Soma grinned. "I've got no clue where that deadbeat dad ran off to after ditching me, but last I heard, he was working as a chef in the U.S. or something."
"Is that so?" Bai Mo nodded. "Honestly, I'm more curious about what kind of dishes Joichiro-san could make with the ingredients I've found."
"Speaking of which, Bai Mo, where do you even find these ingredients?" Soma asked. "Whether it's that incredibly fragrant tea you brought during the entrance ceremony or these spice fruits, none of us have ever heard of them before!"
In response, Bai Mo simply smiled and pushed his tiles forward. "Ron, Tanyao! 1,000 points!"
Soma's face fell as he saw the tile he'd just discarded complete Bai Mo's winning hand.
"My Ryuuiisou…!" Soma lamented, flipping his own tiles over. "I was just one Green Dragon tile away!"
"Sorry, but the other two were in my hand all along~" Isshiki cheerfully revealed his own tiles.
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T/N:
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