Faced with Kazami Kazuki's suspected invitation for them to join Jhin's harem party, Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others fled in total disarray.
They truly understood now that the special relationships between Jhin and these girls were born of sincere hearts and could not be shaken by any other factors. Even Michiru Matsushima, who usually seemed to have the IQ of a fool, was able to leave Kasumigaoka Utaha speechless on this matter.
The investigation into Jhin's harem thus came to a swift conclusion. After Utaha returned, she inevitably had another 'peachy' dream that left her feeling ashamed and indignant. She turned that grief and indignation into motivation, continuing to vent those emotions onto her manuscript paper.
Eriri's impression of Jhin in this regard was much more complex. She regarded him as a fellow otaku friend whom she acknowledged, while simultaneously keeping his harem-building behavior at arm's length.
However, after hearing the heartfelt feelings of so many girls, Eriri suddenly felt that the relationship between them seemed to make at least a little bit of sense.
Because she had finished her professional illustrations and the doujinshi for the convention ahead of schedule, Eriri rarely took the initiative to chat with Jhin after the safety training camp began. Firstly, she was too busy, and secondly, she didn't know how to face him. Regardless, for the current her, this was a good thing.
"Jhin, what dishes are you planning to make today?"
Kato Megumi chatted with Jhin in the kitchen as if nothing had happened. Today, it was her and Jhin's turn to be responsible for the kitchen duties. She didn't know what Kanae Maekawa was thinking; even though it was Christmas, she hadn't arranged for Suou Amane or Komine Sachi—both of whom had better cooking skills than her—to help out.
"It's a rare holiday where everyone is gathered together to play, so I'm planning to make roast chicken and other dishes suitable for a party. A holiday cake is also a must," Jhin replied.
Judging by his appearance, it seems Kazami-san still hasn't told him about us secretly investigating him?
Kato Megumi didn't quite understand Kazami Kazuki's approach. Based on her impression of Kazami Kazuki, this person who doted on her younger brother to an extreme degree should have told Jhin these things right from the start. It couldn't be that he was using Oscar-level acting skills to pretend he knew nothing, right?
"Was the birthday cake Shiraishi-san mentioned before also made by you?"
Jhin nodded. "Yeah."
Shiraishi Yuzuki had run over to thank him with tears in her eyes at the time. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Jhin had bullied her.
"Was it so delicious that it made her cry?"
"My culinary skills haven't reached the level of being able to make 'Sorrowful Rice' yet. It was because Tamaki-san and the others celebrated Shiraishi-san's birthday and officially became friends with her; that's why she cried."
"Officially became friends?" Kato Megumi didn't quite understand that phrase.
Does becoming friends distinguish between being 'official' or 'unofficial'?
Jhin explained the situation between Shiraishi Yuzuki and Tamaki Mari's group to Kato Megumi.
Kato Megumi then remembered the heroine of the 'Puberty Syndrome' story he had told before. She seemed to be an idol as well, and similarly had no true friends. The similar encounter led Kato Megumi to remark, "Being an idol isn't that easy, after all."
"Indeed. Once they have children, if they aren't careful, a fanatic fan might find their home and leave them with a 'white blade in, red blade out' situation, screaming something about how you betrayed the fans, leaving behind twin children to track down the killer after they're gone."
"Are there really such extreme fans? And why do you say it like you've seen it with your own eyes?"
"The forest is large, so there are all kinds of birds. I've only heard rumors, that's all. You don't need to worry about it."
"Gotoh-san seems like she could be considered the idol type too, right?"
"The nature of rock band fans and idol fans is quite different. The former are there for the performance and the songs, while for the latter, looks are one of the mandatory conditions. Besides..."
Jhin paused, then continued chopping vegetables, speaking in a casual, indifferent tone, "Do you think I would let something like that happen?"
Kato Megumi suddenly shuddered. The temperature inside the kitchen dropped several degrees in an instant before returning to normal in the blink of an eye. She had never so directly experienced the concrete feeling of the words 'killing intent.' Although this aura wasn't aimed at her, the aftershocks were enough to make her entire body turn cold.
"To be valued so much by you, they must be very happy."
"Being able to meet them... I'm the one who is the happiest."
"Sorry, let's just end this topic. I'm not used to hearing you say such cheesy lines with such a serious face," Megumi said.
Jhin let out a helpless sigh. He stopped what he was doing and complained to Kato Megumi, "Megumi, by saying it out loud like that, I'm the one who ends up even more embarrassed."
"I'll be careful in the future."
"You should talk less and work more. Here, these are the ingredients that need processing. Go wash them, peel them, and chop them up."
"You're ordering me around without any hesitation, aren't you?"
"What, should I let you continue to rain on my parade?"
Kato Megumi chuckled softly, picked up a basket full of ingredients, and went to process them.
Yumiko Samejima walked into the kitchen at that moment. Seeing the two of them who had already started preparing, she quickly apologized, "Sorry, you two. There were some matters with the expedition team that I only just finished handling. The others will be over in a moment."
"Sister Samejima, there's no need for apologies. Hurry over and help me take over a couple of these dishes."
"On it!" Yumiko Samejima tied on her apron, rolled up her sleeves, and dove into the kitchen work. The rest of the people arrived successively afterward, beginning the preparation for today's sumptuous Christmas dinner.
When dinner time arrived, the expedition members gathered for the meal dressed in Santa Claus, reindeer, and blue penguin costumes. They were full of praise for the tempting delicacies on the table.
After enjoying the feast, there were supposed to be various small performances and game segments... Or at least, that was the plan. However, most of the team members were dead drunk, leaning haphazardly against sofas or chairs.
Today was a rare holiday, so they had gone all out with their drinking.
"Honestly, drinking like this in front of so many high school students... it's just unseemly." As someone who had to stay sober, Yumiko Samejima hadn't touched much alcohol, but she felt a headache coming on as she faced the scene in the hall, which was thick with the smell of booze.
"Haha, it is Christmas after all. It's good for everyone to relax. Sister Samejima, I have some things to do, so I'll leave the rest to you."
"Mhm, go ahead. The cream cheese baked rice you made today was delicious."
Most of the girls had returned to their rooms early because they couldn't stand the smell of alcohol. Jhin went to the kitchen to take out the fermented sweet wine, notified the girls of Kessoku Band via phone, and then headed to the Antarctic Villa together.
Once inside the villa, Jhin used the sweet wine along with small glutinous rice balls, raisins, and osmanthus honey to make a dish of 'Fermented Sweet Rice Balls' for them.
The fragrance of rice mixed with the unique scent of osmanthus drifted through the air with the rising steam. The glutinous rice balls, floating like pearls in the golden honey, were plated with a golden sheen, looking extremely inviting.
Jhin watched as they happily began eating the fermented sweet rice balls. As their faces turned red one by one, a slight sense of unease rose in his heart.
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