I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About - Chapter 45: Classmates, Chaos in Cooking...

Chapter 45: Classmates, Chaos in Cooking…

It’s the second day of summer break. We’ve been at the beach all afternoon.

Under the supervision of Sasaki-sensei, we… wait, how many days is this trip again? Well, whatever. Our summer vacation trip has begun.

That afternoon, I lay under a parasol, feeling the sea breeze as I gazed at the beautiful ocean. Meanwhile, the others were playing at the shore, gathering plenty of seafood for the barbecue.

As the third son, it’s only natural that I take care of my younger sister when my older brothers and Kotone aren’t around. So, cooking isn’t an issue.

But yesterday, my sister told me, “The taste is just normal.” That kinda stung. I mean, she eats my cooking every day, doesn’t she?

Sure, I’ll admit my cooking isn’t as good as my older brother’s, but still… hearing that from her was a little disheartening.

And now, the number of people has increased from 8 to 12, meaning we don’t have nearly enough ingredients. This is a real problem…

“For 12 people, this definitely isn’t enough…”

Even without Kiritani and the others, this amount was already a bit lacking for 8 people. And now we’ve got 4 more to feed—yeah, no way it’s enough.

“Don’t worry, we brought food too.”

Kiritani said that as he opened his bag, pulling out a package with a large chunk of beef along with some vegetables.

“I brought some too.”

Sugita also pulled out a bag of frozen chicken wings and drumettes from his bag. But wait… they were frozen, right? They’re already at room temperature now. Is that really okay?

“I brought some too, but it’s not a lot, so make sure to share~”

“Too much trouble, so I just brought drinks.”

Tsukishima and Takanashi each pulled out their contributions. Tsukishima had corn, Pacific saury, potatoes, and carrots, while Takanashi had an assortment of drinks like coffee and soda.

Does this mean we finally have enough food…?

“That’s… a lot of ingredients.”

Tsunekawa, seeing everyone pulling out food one after another, muttered in surprise. Kiriyama grinned.

“It’s not that much, really. Everyone just brought a little.”

…A little? That beef alone is enough for two people. And if you add Sugita’s chicken, that’s another three or four portions.

This is what he calls “a little”…?

“Well then, let’s start cooking!”

Satohama was already getting impatient. And since we all skipped lunch to save room for the barbecue, everyone was starving.

“I’ll help too. It’d be too much for just Tsunekawa and Misaki to handle 12 servings by themselves.”

Kiritani rolled up his sleeves and started preparing ingredients beside me. Sasaki-sensei, calling this an “experiment,” joined in as well.

With Sensei’s guidance, everyone began to pitch in.

Enjoying a delicious barbecue while feeling the ocean breeze—this is undoubtedly one of the greatest pleasures in life. Good thing barbecuing isn’t banned here.

But with so many ingredients and no clear roles assigned… is this really going to work? I can already sense trouble brewing…

Tsunekawa must have noticed too. She was in the middle of handling crabs but suddenly stopped, seemingly ready to make an announcement.

“Everyone, stop for a moment.”

Standing up, she issued what could only be described as an “authoritative order.” Just as I expected…

“What? We still have a lot of food to prep, you know?”

Takanashi frowned, clearly irritated by Tsunekawa’s interruption.

“That’s exactly why I’m assigning roles—to make things easier for everyone.”

“The first part of your sentence is fine, but the second half is annoying. ‘Assigning roles’? Who do you think you are, some dictator?!”

Whoa, Takanashi, relax. We’re all classmates here. No need for infighting…

…Actually, I should probably keep quiet. If I speak up, I’ll just get randomly yelled at by Takanashi again. And then she might actually make me cry…

“I used the word ‘assign’ because Sensei agrees with my approach. That’s why it’s an ‘announcement.’ If I said ‘suggestion,’ it could lead to disagreements. But by saying ‘announcement,’ I’m simply relaying Sensei’s decision. And since Sensei is in charge, no one here really has the authority to argue, right?”

Is she playing word games now? Whatever, just get on with it. I’m starving…

“Tch…”

Takanashi clicked her tongue, clearly dissatisfied, but since Sensei wasn’t objecting, she had no choice but to accept it.

…Well, whatever. Just hurry up and assign the roles already.

“Kainatsu, you done with your takoyaki?”

I nudged Kainatsu with my elbow.

“There are two left. Why?”

“Well… to be honest, I’m starving. Mind if I have one?”

“…I guess that’s fine.”

Kainatsu picked up the takoyaki from her foldable chair and handed it to me.

Peering inside, I saw two remaining. Without hesitation, I stabbed one with a bamboo skewer and popped it into my mouth.

…Wait a sec. I paid for these. Does “without hesitation” really apply here?

“By the way, Aniki, that skewer? I already used it.”

“Huh? So what?”

I didn’t think much of it and casually popped a takoyaki into my mouth.

“Well, it’s not a big deal or anything, but… don’t you notice something?”

“Notice? Notice what? We’re siblings, right? Sharing the same skewer isn’t a big deal.”

“Tch, tch, tch… Oh, how naive you are, dear brother! Let me enlighten you! This, my friend, is an indirect you-know-what!”

“Indirect… you-know-what?”

Wait a sec… Could it be that what Umika is trying to say is… indirect kiss…!?

Me and my sister… kissing… No, no, no! That’s the kind of thing that only happens in manga! There’s no way I’d ever do that!

Sure, Umika is an important little sister to me, but that’s completely different from being in a romantic relationship!

Besides, an indirect kiss refers to an act where, even if lips don’t directly touch, something acts as a medium for the exchange.

For example, sharing the same utensil, or when someone’s saliva is left on an object before the other person uses it.

But Umika didn’t leave any saliva on the skewer, and I certainly didn’t either.

In other words, there’s been no exchange of saliva.

Therefore, this does not count as an indirect kiss.

“…You mean an indirect kiss?”

“Oh, look at you! Pretty quick on the uptake this time!”

“No, no, no, your mouth didn’t even touch the skewer directly, right? That means it doesn’t count as an indirect kiss.”

“Fufufu… To me, this much is more than enough to be an indirect kiss!”

“Umika-chan, Misaki-kun, what are you two doing? We’re starting on lunch soon!”

Just as I was about to argue back, Nakano cut in.

“Huh? Oh… yeah.”

“Alright then, Misaki-kun, you take care of the potatoes and carrots. Umika-chan, you handle the crab.”

Nakano handed me a bag filled with potatoes and carrots and gave Umika a bucket with a live crab inside.

…Wait, what? When did the work assignments get decided!?

“Uh, isn’t this something that Tsunekawa or Sensei should be deciding?”

“This is Sensei’s decision.”

…Huh!? It was already decided!? Since when!? How did I completely miss that!?

“Wait, hold on, when did this happen!? I didn’t hear anything about it!”

“Right about the time you two were messing around with whatever that was…”

“You’re kidding me… I didn’t notice at all!”

“Sigh… Come on, just get started already!”

Nakano said that before heading back to her own station, and the others also began preparing the ingredients.