“Here you go. Special rib steak from Akizuki Suzuri-san.”
“So it’s Suzuri-san… Wow, it looks incredibly delicious.”
“Hehe, all the kids are smitten with my cooking.”
The steak sizzled on the hot plate—I didn’t expect something so authentic, and I swallowed involuntarily.
“Help yourself. The meat is kept warm on the pellet.”
“Thank you. Mmm… Mmm…!”
“Don’t hurry, the meat won’t run away. Oh… Shiro-chan’s here.”
Shizunami Dormitory has the main building from the entrance hall, with two buildings to the east and west, and my room is in the east building. Nanami-san is in the west building, and she seems to be trying to come over—yet she hasn’t come out from behind a pillar for some reason.
“Oh? I wonder what’s wrong… I’ll go check.”
Akizuki-san went to see what was up with Nanami-san. It might be that she’s embarrassed to eat with boys or something like that—I thought.
“Um, she wants to take a bath first. She got sweaty in full gear.”
“Oh, I see…”
“So I’ll join her to show her how to use the bath… Tsukasa-kun, will you be okay on your own?”
“Yes, I should manage… The bath is shared, right?”
“Our bath is heated with hot springs, so it’s quite pleasant. My theme is to offer a pension-like dorm life to the students.”
It wasn’t quite that I meant, but I wanted to suggest setting some rules if it’s a co-ed bath—however, Akizuki-san hurried off to the bath.
Left alone, I cut the meat with my knife and put it in my mouth. I was amazed by its melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, but it felt a bit lonely not being able to share it with anyone.
Thinking about Akizuki-san and Nanami-san bathing together added to my restlessness—though this will be a daily occurrence, so I have to force myself to settle down.
(… I’m getting more and more concerned… Was I such a weak-hearted person…)
I focused solely on my meal—grateful to the farmers, I stuffed my cheeks with rice and savored the meat’s flavor enhanced by a simple soy-based sauce.
(Delicious! Delicious!)
I concentrated on eating and let off steam—right now, I was like a power plant.
◆◇◆
Since I was taught how to use the dishwasher, I cleaned up after the meal myself. I could ask Akizuki-san for help, but in communal living, the principle is “do what you can yourself.”
(In my previous party, no one did housework… Ah, I don’t have many good memories of communal living…)
In my tidied room, I spread out a futon on the tatami, and since it was still early to sleep, I arranged today’s reward on the table and wrote in my diary.
I was given 19 silver and 1 gold, with 1 silver for Nanami-san’s share and 1 silver for adding steak. The 100 bronze regular allowance was untouched.
“I still don’t fully understand the value of currency… For now, it’s better to save.”
There must be other uses for silver, but what about gold? I checked the student app, but there was limited information since I had just enrolled.
“… The academy’s video channel… ‘S School Channel,’ huh?”
There was a prominent link to it in the app, so I tapped it and was taken to a video site. It seemed like videos posted by academy students could be viewed.
(Academy rank 2… They’re fighting monsters normally. Moreover, they’re overwhelming them…!)
The video had a popularity ranking, and the top video appeared to be one of dungeon battles.
“Senpai Houshou is so cool!!”
“Insane firepower, amazing extermination capability!”
“Please do a dungeon attack with me next time!”
It seemed the video was posted by Senpai Houshou of Class 3-A, and it was immensely popular—comments like these were allowed, reflecting the academy’s free-spirited atmosphere.
Video posting was treated similarly to report submissions, and high-rated videos reflected in the academy’s ranking. To become a top ranker, not only grades but also video reports were necessary.
(… Well, I hope I can also post videos as needed. Only if I encounter video-worthy situations, though.)
Just as I began to think that my turn for the bath might be approaching, I received a call on my smartphone.
