SS7 'Weirdo'

One day.

At a family restaurant near Sakagō.

"Hey, hey! Senpai!"

"What's up, Konno Rentarō?"

"Senpai, have you ever worked a part-time job?"

"……No, I haven't."

"Wait, really? Never?"

"Nope."

"Really? By the way, I actually worked here once."

"Here? — You mean, this family restaurant where we're taking a break right now?"

"Yeah."

Hmm. That's surprising. Hayataro-kun actually having a proper job...

Even if you say that, I was fired right away.

"Wait, why?"

I was feeling a bit peckish, so I skinned and ate a field mouse right here in the kitchen.

"Rats... um... yeah..."

I mean, it's obviously not raw, right? I cooked it properly.

No, no, no. That's not the point here.

"Hey... back in the mountains, I ate those just fine, you know? I sterilized the cooking tools properly. I don't get what the problem is."

"…Hey, Ryutarou-kun."

"Hm?"

"If you ever end up cooking again in the future, please always let me know what ingredients you used, okay?"

"Sure, but—hey, wait, do you actually want to eat one too? A rat. I bet I could still find one around here…?"

"No. Never, ever."

▼

Later.

At Kagakyo High School, in a certain classroom.

"Hey, senior..."

"What is it, Rintarou?"

"Remember back during that exploration? We kinda talked about my cooking skills, right?"

"Exploration?...Ah, at that fast-food restaurant."

"Yeah, that's right. Anyway, I suddenly had an idea, so I tried making something. A meal."

"Huh?"

"So, here it is! Tempura made only from wild weeds I found in the nearby park!"

"Oh, sorry, I'm just feeling a bit unwell right now..."

"Hey, hey! Don't say that! I put in a lot of effort to gather these ingredients—Koosuke and Asuka even helped me!"

"Goodbye!"

"Wait, wait—uhh, wow, you're strong!"

"Let go... let go! I still want to keep my body looking nice..."

"P-please, don't say anything that sounds suspicious! If Ritsuko finds out, she'll kill me!"

"But... um..."

"Relax! I washed it properly, and there's absolutely nothing strange in it—like mugwort, snowdrop, or three-leafed plants, stuff like that!"

"Then... I might've heard of eating that on TV."

"Also, this thermos has dandelion coffee—same one from that famous drama. It's actually really good. Everyone loves it."

"Hmm..."

"See? See? You don't need much more than a light sprinkle of salt for tempura seasoning."

"If you're really insisting on it... (munch, munch)"

"How's that?"

"Hmm... Well, I suppose I could manage to eat it."

"Right?"

"Still, mugwort has a strong, distinct aroma—kind of overpowering. The snow cabbage feels weirdly chewy, and the three-leaf herb is just too tough... I can't even chew through it."

"Senpai, you're such a city kid."

"Indeed, I'm a true city-raised individual."

"But now you've realized that even wild plants in Tokyo can be edible, right?"

"...Huh."

"Knowing things like this can come in handy in unexpected ways... Especially for you guys, information about what's safe to eat versus what's not could be the difference between life and death..."

"I see. You mean 'magic exhaustion,' right?"

"Yeah. I heard it from that new girl. When players run out of food, they lose that mysterious power of theirs."

"...You were worried about me, huh?"

"Not really."

"Thank you. Ritaro-kun."

"Hehehe."

"Then, let's enjoy the dandelion coffee."

"This is delicious. Everyone else seemed to like it too."

"Hmm... Wait, what's this sweet little grain thing...?"

"Ah, that? It's a secret ingredient."

"Wha—?"

"I also boiled some bee larvae I happened to gather."

"Bee... larvae...?"

"Yeah. There were some preserved in a jar... here, this one."

"……………!"

"What's wrong?"

"–It's a bug, isn't it?!"

"Huh? Did something taste bad?"

"I told you there were no weird things in it!"

"What's so 'weird' about bee larvae? They're a fairly well-known protein source in mountain regions."

"...Ugh. Uuuu! I'm done! I don't care about you, Rintaro-kun, anymore!"

"Wait... did I do something wrong? Just hold on a second! Hey, Senpai..."