"Rumi-chan, I'm he— Mmph?!"
"Long time no see, Mika. Oh? You didn't come with Haruna this time? What a shame. There aren't many people who react as well as she does."
*Munch, munch.*
This taste is...
"...Cream shrimp balls? The combination of the crispy batter and the cream is fantastic, as always."
"Correct! Just as expected of the vice president of the Gourmet Research Society, you recognized it instantly. We brought in a huge amount of cream recently, and now we have way too much left over... Thanks to that, I'm stuck making nothing but cream-based dishes for a while to get rid of it all."
"Even so, what am I going to do if you suddenly stuff food in my mouth when I'm already full... And please, stop calling me the vice president of the Gourmet Research Society."
After being treated to a feast at Hyunryumon, I had gone straight to the Hyeonmu Sanghoe, only to be welcomed with a food ambush by its president, Akeshiro Rumi.
She was a girl with a tall, slender, and remarkably mature figure. Her distinctive features were her shining blue eyes, her bright orange hair that seemed to shift to a completely different shade on the inside, and her long, pointed fox ears, sharper than any other fox-like student I had seen so far.
My first thought for a partner in my tteokbokki venture had been Fuuka from Gehenna. However, after realizing how busy she was making school lunches every day, I searched for someone more seriously and ended up connecting with my current business partner.
I could guarantee that there was no one better suited for this job than Rumi, with her outstanding cooking skills and a spirit of inquiry for new dishes that was among the best in Kivotos.
Since I was planning to start the business with *bunmoja*-based *tteokbokki* and needed to develop a *mala* sauce, Rumi, a Shanhaijing native, was naturally an even better fit than Fuuka.
"Oh my, don't tell me you already had lunch? That's a little heartbreaking. I was just wondering what I should make for you."
"...I sent you a Momotalk saying I was stopping by Hyunryumon first. Didn't you see it?"
"...Oh, dear. Look at me. I didn't check it? Ahaha! Sorry, I've been a bit busy researching the *mala* sauce lately."
"Ugh, Mika-ssi. Why on earth did you ask President Rumi to research a recipe like that? My tongue has been suffering for days. I'm so sick of the smell of *mala*...!"
The one who suddenly started whining at me was a girl named Kayama Reijo, who had been suffering as a test subject for Rumi's *mala* sauce development. She was a student who served as Rumi's bodyguard, and one look at her physique made it obvious she was the athletic type. Her thighs, which seemed impressive enough to make even Yuuka concede defeat, were particularly striking.
Come to think of it, she seemed quite serious during our last meeting. Was that just part of her persona?
In truth, despite Reijo's complaints, she held Rumi's efforts in high regard. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a follower.
But follower or not, there's a line, isn't there? The scent of *mala* is polarizing to begin with, so if I had been forced to eat it for days on end, I probably would have complained first and asked questions later, too.
"Whoa... Rumi-chan, that was a little harsh. Oh, by the way, about that rosé sauce recipe you sent me last time. It was really good! Yes, Nagi-chan had a great reaction to it, too."
"I'm glad you liked it! It was quite popular within our merchants' association as well, so it should be fine to start selling it with the current recipe."
"Ahaha, still, it's a bit disappointing to launch a franchise with only one or two menu items. I think it's still too early."
"That's... Hmm, I can't deny that. Which means."
"...Hm?"
With an awkward smile, Rumi suddenly linked her arm with mine, leading me to a nearby table and sitting me down.
I seem to recall Nagisa telling me that this level of skinship wasn't common even among friends. And here I was, experiencing that uncommon thing myself.
"Come on, now that you're here, Mika, you'll have to lend a hand... no, a mouth? Anyway, you have to help out!"
"...Are you talking about the *mala* recipe?"
"Yep. It's been pretty tough breaking down the spiciness into different levels. I've got a decent handle on levels 1 and 2, but the problem is that the number of people willing to taste-test the higher levels has dropped sharply. You said you were good with spicy food, right, Mika?"
"I can handle it, more or less."
I was good with it. I was definitely good with it...
So what was this unidentifiable sense of dread?
"Great. Then I'd like you to evaluate levels 3 and 4."
The moment I saw Rumi's sparkling eyes and the wide grin on her face, I fell into a deep contemplation of whether returning to Trinity right now might be the wiser choice.
***
Beaming, Rumi presented two plates of *bunmoja tteokbokki* reeking of that distinctive *mala* aroma. My expression upon seeing them was... well.
"For your reference, Mika-ssi, I didn't even attempt level 4."
"...Thanks for the valuable information, Reijo-chan."
For Reijo to say that with such a worried look, my expression must have been unusually grim.
"Fufu. The one on the left is level 3, and the one on the right is level 4."
After a quick glance at the smiling Rumi, I picked up a piece of *bunmoja* from the left plate. The color itself wasn't as bad as I'd thought. The aroma was tolerable, too. I slowly took a bite...
"Mm. Hmm. This is edible. It's not quite a 'this is it!' kind of flavor, but it's a manageable level of spicy."
"Oh no, does level 3 still need more work? What a pity. Please take a short break and then evaluate level 4 for me!"
I glanced at the plate on the right. Even its color looked off.
The fact that level 3 was a "manageable" level of spicy was based on my own standards; if I gave it to Nagisa, who can't handle spice, she probably wouldn't even be able to breathe. And from my perspective, level 4 looked seriously ominous.
"Ahaha... How about we talk about something else while we rest? Rumi-chan, what do you think about the current situation between Hyunryumon and the Hyeonmu Sanghoe?"
"Hm? Did you happen to discuss that with Kisaki? If you want my opinion... I don't fail to understand Hyunryumon's position. It doesn't make sense to pursue change without acknowledging the importance of tradition, right? However, you can't say that being consumed by tradition is desirable. If you don't accept new cultures, nothing will ever change, no matter how much time passes."
"To summarize, you're frustrated with the people of Hyunryumon because they won't even try to accept change?"
"...Oh? Isn't it a bit blunt to put it so directly? I heard Trinity's politics are... a little more roundabout? Something like that."
"Ahaha. Then let's just say I'm the black sheep☆"
At first, Trinity's upper class had felt so alien to me that I thought I would never adapt. But now, I felt that in the end, they were all just kids, just better at hiding their true feelings a little deeper.
Though I couldn't deny that I was probably being biased.
"Fufu. To put it a bit more delicately, I feel that if Hyunryumon would just open their hearts a little, we could understand each other much better."
"In that case, if Kisaki-chan were to try and bring about change in that area, could we expect the Hyeonmu Sanghoe's full cooperation?"
"...Oh, Kisaki expressed that intention? That's... unexpected. Yes, I never would have thought. I assumed she'd given up completely after the last contest ended in a mess."
"Turns out, the reason Kisaki-chan had me visit Hyunryumon in the first place was for that very reason. Yes. I only found that out after I got here."
"Well, I should say I welcome it with open arms. Now that Kisaki has made up her mind, I can't be the one to throw a wrench in the works!"
"...Wait a minute, President Rumi. You're not saying you're going to try something again with those stubborn Hyunryumon folks, are you? No matter what you say to those cowards who refuse change under the pretext of valuing tradition, it's just talking to a brick wall."
Reijo, who had been looking at something on her phone beside Rumi and me, jumped into the conversation, startled by the direction it was taking.
Seeing this, it seemed the Hyeonmu Sanghoe had been burned more than once or twice, and a lot of resentment had built up.
"Reijo-chan, nothing will ever change if you don't try. Right?"
"...Ugh. That's a low blow, President. If you say it like that, I can't argue at all."
"That was the point! So, Mika. Could you tell me a little bit about what you two discussed?"
Rumi sat across from me, resting her chin on her hands. For some reason, the moment reminded me of my conversation with Kisaki.
I recounted the ideas I had presented to Kisaki. Rumi nodded with interest, her eyes shining as she leaned halfway out of her seat.
"Let's do both!"
"...Huh?"
"To open Hyunryumon's hearts, we don't need friction from our current state of confrontation. We need more productive opportunities where we can truly connect. We can't afford to hold anything back on something that isn't guaranteed to succeed even if we use every means possible!"
"That... is certainly a plausible argument. But since it's Shanhaijing's burden to bear, I can't really tell you what to do. Yes, I think that's something you and Kisaki-chan need to work out on your own."
"I'll figure that out somehow. Fufu... If we can just take the first step with Hyunryumon, who won't even listen to the saying 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' then everything after that will surely be smooth sailing. Don't you think so?"
"If you say so, Rumi-chan... I guess it must be...?"
"Ahaha, today is a truly joyous day! Thank you for the good news, Mika."
"Hmph. If I was helpful in some way, then I'm happy."
We talked like that for a while until Rumi suggested I should probably taste the *tteokbokki* before it got too cold. I agreed, picking up a piece of *bunmoja* and a fish cake together and slowly bringing them to my lips. My nose must have already adapted to the *mala* scent, because it didn't feel that strong.
The moment I took a large bite of the *bunmoja*, my eyes flew wide open.
"...?"
"Oh, oh my? Mika? Are you... crying?"
"My ha—lo is—flicker—ing?!"
I... I curse you, Akeshiro Rumi...
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