"You can eat as much as you like. The dishes here are supplied without limit. If a dish isn't finished in ten minutes, a fresh one will be served.
After you finish eating, a fresh one will also be immediately served. Lunchtime is two hours, and there's about an hour left now. Eat your fill."
As the door opened, many people in the buffet restaurant turned their gazes towards them. Seeing Dojima Gin walk in, they immediately raised their hands to greet him.
In response, Dojima Gin merely gave a polite nod. Then he turned to Hoshino Sora, as his words were primarily for him.
"Understood, thank you, Dojima Gin."
Nodding seriously, looking at the dazzling array of various delicacies in the room, the young man's mouth watered profusely, and he began to plan where to start eating.
And as Dojima Gin left, Hoshino Sora was like a wolf charging into a sheepfold, beginning his frantic plunder.
"Have you not eaten for ten days? This is so exaggerated…"
Watching Hoshino Sora, who didn't stay in one place for more than two minutes, Erina Nakiri walked over to his side, silently observing his entire eating process.
"When you're hungry, isn't it normal to eat a lot? Besides, there's so much food here, we can't waste it, can we? If I don't eat it, it'll be wasted."
Hoshino Sora said indifferently, then continued to gobble down his food, completely disregarding his image. His exaggerated eating caused some of the surrounding graduates to frown.
It was as if a beggar had crashed a noble's banquet.
"This egg tart is pretty good, I'll have more. The steak tastes good too, perfectly cooked."
Feeling the Gourmet Cell's excitement within him, Hoshino Sora's expression was content. The food here was at least Silver (lower grade), and he wondered who the Master Chef was; their skill was truly excellent.
"How long has that guy not eaten?"
"I don't know. Why is he eating like that? Is that guy really a graduate of our Far Moon…?"
"Since he was brought by Master Chef Dojima, it's probably true. He's probably starving."
Hoshino Sora's actions aroused suspicion among the surrounding graduates. Some questioned his identity, but others immediately refuted it. Everyone had their own opinion, and for a time, the atmosphere became subtle.
"What's there to guess? Since this guy came in with the Eri Nai Family's young lady, and is so familiar with her, that means he's the same age as the Eri Nai Family's young lady, which is to say, a student."
Someone who understood the situation began to analyze.
"Why do you care if he's a graduate or a current student? It has nothing to do with us. Look how clear his objective is; he only came here to eat."
"You're right. Let's eat, let's eat. We still have to continue evaluating students this afternoon. The students nowadays are more competitive than ever, better than when I was around. It's unbearable."
"Times have changed."
Although Hoshino Sora's eating manners were unseemly, no one came forward to cause trouble or criticize him. Anyone who could graduate from Far Moon was a shrewd person. They naturally wouldn't do something that would offend others without gaining anything.
Time passed, and Hoshino Sora came to Erina Nakiri's side, clutching his stomach with a satisfied expression. He didn't speak, just stood there watching her taste the dishes, admiring her profile.
"What are you doing? Is there something on my face…?"
Her eyes subtly narrowed, she turned to look at Hoshino Sora, who had appeared beside her at some unknown point, and asked with confusion.
"I'm looking because you're beautiful, so I want to look more."
"Smooth talker."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri's cheeks visibly flushed. She turned to glance around, and only after confirming no one was looking did she let out a sigh of relief.
"Just telling the truth. What's next?"
"Let's go back and rest. It's a bit uncomfortable staying here."
Looking at the graduates around, Erina Nakiri carefully wiped her mouth with a tissue, then elegantly walked towards the doorway.
"You're right. Let's go then."
Seeing this, Hoshino Sora immediately took quick steps to catch up, his hands clasped behind his head. He left the buffet restaurant with her and began strolling through the forest outside the building.
The scenery here was beautiful, with clear waters, green mountains, and the singing of birds and fragrance of flowers, making it perfect for a date. At least, as the two walked, the atmosphere between them became subtly different, filled with a beautiful sense of mutual affection.
Due to her participation in the lodging training, Erina Nakiri's work was temporarily put on hold, and she was completely free. She looked incredibly relaxed.
"Here, a flower for you."
"So ugly, I don't want it."
Erina Nakiri looked at the flower Hoshino Sora offered with disdain.
"Where's the butterfly?"
Hoshino Sora caught another butterfly.
"Let it go, quickly!"
"This tree is so tall, it must be a hundred years old, right?"
"I don't know, but it's certainly very big..."
Finally, the two sat down to rest under a large tree, as the afternoon's main practice was after two o'clock, and they still had plenty of time.
The wind brushed against her body, and Erina Nakiri closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. Her heart was incredibly peaceful. This was her first time being in the wild, doing nothing but enjoying the breeze, spacing out, and playing freely.
It felt... quite good.
She glanced at Hoshino Sora, who was leaning against the tree beside her, keeping her company. Erina Nakiri couldn't help but think to herself, a faint sense of enjoyment in her eyes.
She was usually too busy. As a Totsuki Ten Elite, she had various matters to attend to.
When was the last time she had quieted her mind to observe the world like this?
When she was a child? Or had it never happened? This feeling was truly wonderful. The air was filled with a faint floral scent, birds were singing, and occasionally, small animals would pass by; their meat should be good.
With her eyes closed, her breathing gradually became steady. Erina Nakiri wholeheartedly embraced the tranquility around her, then felt drowsiness creeping in, and unconsciously fell asleep.
"Look at that one over there... is she asleep?"
After talking for a while with no response from beside him, Hoshino Sora turned his head to find that Erina Nakiri had already fallen asleep. She looked quite cute when she wasn't talking, he thought to himself.
He reached out, wanting to pinch her cheek, but then felt it would be too abrupt. He could only lower his hand, move his body closer to her, and after setting an alarm, he closed his eyes to rest.
At one point, Erina Nakiri even rested her head on him, and a trail of drool naturally hung from the corner of her mouth, forming a white mark that made one want to taste it.
"Ah! Why didn't you wake me up? What time is it? We're going to be late!"
Glancing at the time on her phone, Erina Nakiri, still a bit sleepy from just waking up, immediately became alert. Then she noticed Hoshino Sora's smiling face beside her and immediately complained.
"Don't worry, we have enough time. Even if we leave three minutes from now, we can still enter the kitchen five minutes before it starts."
Shaking the phone with his alarm set, Hoshino Sora said very seriously; he had calculated the time carefully.
"Is there a need to rush so much? Can't we go a few minutes early to prepare..."
"This is called being meticulous. You get a few extra minutes of sleep, and you're still not happy?"
"Well, thank you very much then. Let's go back quickly!"
The afternoon class was very short. Whether intentionally or not, Erina Nakiri stood beside Hoshino Sora this time, or more precisely, she chose the cooking station next to him.
The two were very close.
Noticing this, Hoshino Sora's smile became noticeably wider.
In the evening, the group returned by bus. Hoshino Sora, as usual, sat in the last row, with Erina Nakiri by his side, ignoring the gazes of those around them.
Fatigue showed on the girl's face, and the swaying of the bus intensified her drowsiness. Naturally, her head rested on Hoshino Sora's shoulder, a habit that had already formed.
Hoshino Sora didn't react to this, letting her lean on him, providing a warm arm. Then he also closed his eyes to rest, his mind drifting to the training topic a few days later.
Making breakfast using "eggs."
If he prepared now, he could rest well later, without having to stay up late researching recipes. But what should he make?
As breakfast, and a buffet at that, the portions definitely couldn't be too large, or guests would feel pressured. Seeing a wide array of dishes, everyone would surely want to eat a bit of everything.
This is human nature and must be considered.
If he were to make a more traditional dish, tea eggs would undoubtedly be very suitable: quick, small portions, good taste, and most importantly, no technical difficulty; he could sell two hundred servings in an instant.
However, tea eggs are somewhat too simple and might not meet the judging criteria, so he temporarily dismissed the idea.
Since it's breakfast.
Shrimp, green peas, corn, eggs—these ingredients are all nutritious and very suitable for starting the day. He needed to find a way to combine them.
Egg burgers!
They could be served efficiently, and they were delicious and nutritious. Both the elderly, children, and adults would love them, and there were no difficult technical hurdles to overcome.
Thinking of this, Hoshino Sora excitedly shifted his body. Immediately, a soft groan came from beside him, and Erina Nakiri woke up. Her face flushed red when she realized she was leaning on Hoshino Sora.
Then she immediately sat upright.
"It's fine. You've been leaning on me for so long; everyone has already accepted this setting."
Looking at Erina Nakiri's reaction, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but say smugly. Whether she was willing to admit it or not, in everyone's eyes, their relationship was already quite close.
"Hmph."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, the redness on Erina Nakiri's face deepened, but she was powerless to refute, only able to express her inner dissatisfaction with a hmph.
After the previous day's selection, significantly more people remained in the selection today. More than half of the forty people were left, and by the third day, the number of remaining people should increase further.
After all, those who had made it this far were already the elite of the elite.
"We're here. Time really flies."
Looking at the familiar scenery outside the window, the twilight sky, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but sigh. It was already the second day, and there wasn't much time left until the end of the lodging training.
"Erina-sama! And Hoshino-kun, why are you here too?"
Hisako eagerly stepped forward to greet Erina Nakiri, but then saw Hoshino Sora getting off behind her. Hisako's expression froze, and then she asked a very silly question.
"Is there a possibility that Erina and I were assigned the same topic?"
"Huh? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Alright, let's go inside quickly. I hope there won't be another task to make 50 steak sets tonight; it's too tiring."
As they talked, they became a group of three. Hisako and Erina didn't mind Hoshino Sora joining them. In their eyes, he had already become a regular in their two-person clique.
Or rather, should it now be called a three-person clique?
"There shouldn't be. Come to my room tonight to play poker."
"Hmph, wash your neck and wait for me!"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri immediately became excited. The memory of her crushing defeat last night resurfaced in her mind, and she clenched her fists, her face filled with fighting spirit.
"Then I'll wait for you in my room."
As they spoke, the three parted ways in the hallway. Hoshino Sora stretched, keys jingling in his hand, ready to return to his room. However, he saw Alice Nakiri standing at his door, waiting with an unfriendly expression.
"Good evening. Why are you suddenly looking for me? Is something wrong?"
Hoshino Sora patted Alice Nakiri's shoulder and greeted her warmly. However, all he received was a roll of her eyes, along with her dissatisfied expression as she stood with her hands on her hips.
"How long has it been since you came to find me? Do you still have me, your maid, in your heart?"
There was a subtle hint of anger in her words. Hoshino Sora hadn't paid attention to her for five or six days, ever since he said he was going to train with Shiina Mahiru and Tadokoro Megumi.
Since that was the case, she would come to him herself!
"It's just that I've been busy these past few days. Everyone is under a lot of pressure during the lodging training. You must have been tired from the assessments these two days, so I was afraid you wouldn't rest well, which is why I didn't go to find you."
"Then why are you so close to Erina? I saw you two getting off the same car, and you were chatting so intimately. Were you very happy?"
"Didn't we draw the same topic? So we went to the same training ground. It's quite normal to come back together, isn't it?"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's question, Hoshino Sora said as a matter of course. He couldn't control drawing the same topic for the assessment, so he couldn't just pretend not to know her.
"Hmm..."
A subtle hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes, and her mouth pouted high. Looking at Hoshino Sora's somewhat puzzled expression, she felt very unhappy inside, but she didn't know why she was unhappy.
In short, she was very unhappy.
"Come in first. You must be exhausted these past two days. How about I give you a massage as an apology?"
Acutely sensing that the atmosphere was a bit off, Hoshino Sora opened the door and invited Alice Nakiri in, but her willingness was clearly not very high, and she stood at the doorway for a long time without moving.
"Tsk, a maid should listen to her master!"
Looking at Alice Nakiri's expression and actions, Hoshino Sora deliberately 'tsk'-ed, then bent down and carried her into the room in a princess carry, also closing the door with his foot.
"Eh..."
Alice Nakiri's expression froze as she looked at the suddenly somewhat forceful Hoshino Sora. By the time she came to her senses, she had already been dropped onto the soft, large bed.
Then the leather boots she had worn all day were taken off, revealing her somewhat embarrassing black-stockinged feet. Hoshino Sora seemed very eager; the entire process took less than a minute.
"Your movements are too fast, aren't they?"
"Didn't you come to me willingly? If so, then don't complain."
Hearing Alice Nakiri's slightly flustered words, Hoshino Sora didn't stop his actions.
Because he found that this girl liked it a bit more forceful, and speaking with a commanding tone was more acceptable to her. He wasn't sure if she had a masochistic tendency.
"This is super embarrassing, and don't smell them! Pervert."
Curling her toes, Alice Nakiri's cheeks were flushed red. She could feel the wind constantly blowing on her feet, and that feeling clearly indicated they were being smelled.
As for why she was so certain, it was mainly because Hoshino Sora was too perverted; this was indeed something he would do.
"I'm not smelling them, I just saw you had a lot of sweat and was curious."
Swallowing, Hoshino Sora's eyes held intense excitement. He couldn't lay a hand on Erina, but Alice? This girl had long been trained by him to have extremely high tolerance.
Normally, giving him stockings was standard practice, but he had never unlocked new content because he couldn't gauge Alice's attitude, fearing he might go too far.
But today, she came to him on her own, looking adorably jealous. If he didn't show any reaction, it would be inappropriate.
But these stockinged feet are truly amazing!
"There... it hurts, but, good, huh? Strange... how did it become so comfortable!"
The sound went from initial pain to later comfort, the bed's duvet was clutched into a bulge by Alice Nakiri, and finally, the girl lay weakly on the bed, her face filled with enjoyment.
"Are you a pervert? You actually made me smell my own socks, that's so rude!"
She reached out and slapped away Hoshino Sora's hand that he extended in front of her. Alice Nakiri pouted and complained. She had to admit, the smell was quite intoxicating, not bad, with a strange attraction.
"Wasn't I just letting you taste your own scent? I don't believe you haven't smelled them yourself in private."
"Who... who would smell their own socks for no reason! Idiot, idiot!"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Alice Nakiri immediately blushed and spoke, but her eyes looked a bit shifty when she spoke, so it was hard to tell if she was telling the truth or lying.
"Tsk, I don't believe it."
"It's true! Who would like that kind of smell?"
"I do. I think it's quite nice. It's that subtle psychological feeling that's great, mainly because the owner of the scent is a beautiful girl. It's like loving the house and its crow."
"Praising me won't earn you any rewards."
Acutely hearing Hoshino Sora's last few words, Alice Nakiri felt a little happy inside, but she still kept a straight face, putting on an expression as if she wouldn't be happy even if he praised her.
"Really no reward? I quite like these stockings. How about you leave them for me tonight?"
"Pervert, take them off yourself."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Alice Nakiri felt inexplicably happy, but she still wore a look of disdain on her face, propping her small foot in front of the young Hoshino Sora.
That look, completely unguarded.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.