Mori Shinra didn't cook, because he had already used his connections to solve the dinner problem.
Yuigahama didn't cook, because she had far too many "creative" ideas.
Hikigaya also didn't cook, because he was freeloading off his little sister.
All in all, although it was said that everyone would take turns cooking, in reality, the ones who actually made the curry were the few among them who were best at cooking.
Those who couldn't cook were too embarrassed to show their lack of skill in front of everyone.
In elementary school, no one knew how to cook, so no one could laugh at anyone else.
But they were high schoolers now.
If people found out they couldn't even make a simple curry, how embarrassing would that be?
Mori Shinra felt this mindset was unique to high school. By the time you get to college, it's probably more like, "I can't cook, so what?"
Youth, after all, is the process of gradually accepting one's own mediocrity.
In simpler terms... you just go numb.
Everyone gathered around the long table at the campsite.
Hiratsuka Shizuka naturally sat at the head of the table, while the others basically sat wherever.
After spending a day together, the clear-cut divisions from when they first met had faded quite a bit.
Ebina took the initiative to sit next to Kawasaki Saki, and the two chatted on and off.
After all, they were roommates for this three-day, two-night trip.
Living under the same roof, they naturally couldn't let the relationship get too stiff.
Although Ebina's... hobbies... were a bit daunting, she was surprisingly nice to hang out with.
In short, Kawasaki Saki didn't dislike the glasses-wearing fujoshi.
Yumiko, meanwhile, sat with Yuigahama.
It was interesting to note that the curry on Yuigahama's plate was half from Yukinoshita and half from Yumiko, in almost equal portions.
It was hard to tell what she was trying to imply by that.
Yukinoshita sat on Yuigahama's other side, eating her dinner with elegant, methodical movements.
She was managing to make even curry look high-class.
Miura Yumiko noticed this and couldn't help but pout, thinking Yukinoshita was being a bit pretentious.
Her own eating pace then slowed, and she began to pay attention to her own etiquette.
She absolutely could not be outdone by Yukinoshita.
Female competition, every second of every day!
Yukinoshita was unaware of Miura Yumiko's thoughts, and probably wouldn't have cared if she did.
Her mind was already occupied by Tsurumi Rumi.
Whether it was out of a desire to help the child, or because of her competition with Mori Shinra, she was going all-in this time.
But... although she said "all-in," Yukinoshita Yukino didn't really have any ideas at the moment.
In her view, the situation Tsurumi Rumi was facing was, in a sense, a structural collapse.
Ordinary methods would be ineffective, and might even backfire.
If they, as outsiders, rashly stepped in to help her, it wouldn't improve Tsurumi Rumi's situation.
On the contrary, it would make her even more isolated by her peers.
If you're wondering how Yukinoshita knew this so clearly, don't ask. Just assume she's been through it.
So, rather than helping Tsurumi Rumi rejoin the group, the only thing I can do is help her adapt to this loneliness as quickly as possible, right?
As Yukinoshita thought this, her gaze drifted to Mori Shinra, who was sitting across from her.
He was currently focused on the curry on his plate, eating with great relish.
He looked completely carefree, the total opposite of her.
It made one wonder if this guy even cared about their bet at all.
But... whether Mori Shinra cared about their bet or not, she certainly had to.
And in the end, when the results are out, if she finds out this guy didn't even take it seriously, Yukinoshita will unhesitatingly use her "favor" to teach him a lesson!
Of course, if he did take it seriously, then the punishment could be a bit lighter... like, accompanying her to Disneyland? Don't get the wrong idea. When Mori Shinra took her to the Chiba Zoo, anyone could see he was deliberately throwing the match. As repayment, it's only normal for her to take him to Disneyland. After she repays this favor, if there's another chance, Yukinoshita will mercilessly make him wear a maid outfit, so he can also experience the feeling of having his embarrassing history photographed. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This was Yukinoshita Yukino's life motto.
Just as Yukinoshita was counting her chickens before they hatched, she heard Miura Yumiko ask Yuigahama, "How does it taste?"
Yuigahama's eyes curved as she replied, "It's delicious! Yumiko's curry is just as good as my mom's!"
"Is that so~" On the surface, Yumiko looked as if she expected this, but the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her true feelings.
"How does it compare to Yukinoshita's?" Miura Yumiko launched her follow-up attack.
Yuigahama's body stiffened.
Crap! she thought.
How could she forget that the curry on her plate was half Miura Yumiko's and half Yukinoshita Yukino's? Why does even eating dinner have to turn into a friendship battlefield?
Yuigahama: o(╥﹏╥)o
"B-both are great! Both are as delicious as my mom's!" Yuigahama said, trying not to offend either side.
But as we know, sometimes, trying to please everyone ends up pleasing no one.
Fortunately, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't care about this.
Seeing how troubled Yuigahama was, she spoke up, her voice light, "If you want to compare, there's still some curry left in the pot. Why don't you just try it yourself? Besides, everyone has different tastes. What's the point of pestering someone over such a subjective question? Are you an elementary schooler?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was as sharp-tongued as ever.
Her words almost made Miura Yumiko's defenses crumble again.
"Um... this..." Yuigahama was stuck in the middle, looking like a total pushover.
If she speaks up for Yukinoshita, she'll offend Miura Yumiko. If she doesn't, it makes her look disloyal, since Yukinoshita was standing up for her. What do you call this? It's called being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Who wants to eat your curry? I was talking to Yuigahama!" Miura Yumiko said through gritted teeth, her gaze skipping over Yuigahama to stare directly at Yukinoshita.
If looks could kill, Yukinoshita would be riddled with holes right now.
"Heh. You're only sitting one seat away, yet you don't dare to ask me directly, and instead take it out on an innocent party. I'm not impressed," Yukinoshita Yukino retorted, not backing down at all.
A mocking sneer appeared on her beautiful face, which made Miura Yumiko so angry her chest probably grew a cup size.
"What did you say?" Miura Yumiko's eyebrows shot up.
She just wanted to know whose curry was better, hers or Yukinoshita's. How was that 'taking it out on an innocent party'? It's not like she was bullying Yuigahama.
"In that case, why are you only asking Yuigahama? She's not the only one who has tasted both of our curries," Yukinoshita said, raising an eyebrow.
Her gaze shifted to Mori Shinra, who was sitting directly opposite her.
Mori Shinra: ...I'm involved in this?
"Wh-who said I wasn't going to ask him!" Miura Yumiko flustered.
In truth, she had wanted to ask Mori Shinra who was prettier, no, whose curry tasted better, from the start.
"Then please tell her the answer, Mori Shinra-kun," Yukinoshita said, lifting her chin at him.
"Go ahead and say it," Miura Yumiko added.
Looking at the two confrontational girls, the others at the table unconsciously lowered their voices, as if afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, seeing the situation was bad, didn't even stick around to watch the show.
She immediately used the excuse of "lighting a mosquito coil" to make her escape.
Because, apart from Mori Shinra, Hiratsuka Shizuka's curry was also made by others. Her portion was even more of a mix; basically, everyone had given her a spoonful. She was eating a 'potluck', so to speak. If she had to pick a winner, how could she? Time to go.
Yuigahama felt she was the one who had gotten Mori Shinra into this mess.
She tried to speak up.
"Um..."
Yuigahama stood up.
"Yuigahama-san, are you trying to appeal the verdict?" Yukinoshita asked.
"Ugh..."
Yuigahama sat back down.
Thus, the pressure returned to Mori Shinra.
He, however, calmly twisted the cap off a bottle of water, rinsed his mouth, and then picked up a piece of Yukinoshita's curry, savoring it.
He rinsed again, then picked up a piece of Miura Yumiko's curry and repeated the process.
Finally, meeting the gazes of the two girls, he cleared his throat and said, "Yukinoshita-san's curry leans sweet. The seasoning is closer to a warm, daily meal. It has a simple, plain, deliciousness. Miura-san's curry leans savory. The seasoning is more like a refined restaurant, with an uncommon deliciousness. Both have their own merits, and it's hard to pick a winner. Besides, something like curry is a semi-finished dish, so it's hard to make it distinctive. If you two really want to compete in cooking, I suggest choosing a new dish. That way, I can give a better critique," Mori Shinra said.
"Surprisingly professional," Komachi noted, having watched his performance.
From rinsing his mouth after tasting, to his textbook-level 'balancing' act and 'subject changing', Mori Shinra was extremely professional. If her brother was half as strong as him, would she still have to worry about his social life?
"A new dish won't be necessary. I don't have that much free time to get entangled with her," Yukinoshita refused the proposal without hesitation.
It wasn't that she was afraid of Miura Yumiko, but simply that she felt it was meaningless.
Competing with a brainless woman like her was a pure waste of time.
If she won, it was expected. If she lost... what a joke. Would she lose? In her entire life, among her peers, Yukinoshita Yukino had never taken anyone seriously except her sister and Mori Shinra.
"As if I want to get entangled with you," Miura Yumiko retorted, not to be outdone.
But this time, Yumiko didn't feel angry.
It was because she had heard Mori Shinra say with his own mouth that she and Yukinoshita were evenly matched.
It doesn't matter if he was just being polite. In Yumiko's eyes, the very fact that he would give such a high-EQ answer was, in itself, a sign that he valued her. In one sentence: He cares about me.
After that little interlude, everyone had more or less finished the curry on their plates.
At this time, smoke could be seen rising from the surrounding area.
Clearly, the elementary schoolers were starting to cook.
For the vast majority of them, this was their first time cooking outdoors.
Whether it was starting a fire or preparing ingredients, it was a big challenge.
And unlike the high schoolers, who could make their own curry, the elementary schoolers tended to work together to create their dinner.
This was also one of the goals of the summer camp—to cultivate their ability to work as a team.
But there are always exceptions.
Sometimes, things start with good intentions, but in the actual implementation, various accidents occur, leading to an unsatisfactory result.
And the job of volunteers like Mori Shinra and the camp teachers was to guide the outcome towards a good one as much as possible.
Tsurumi Rumi, as expected, was once again excluded from the small group.
The other four had a clear division of labor—starting the fire, preparing ingredients.
She was the only one with no assigned task, hovering outside the group, not knowing what to do.
She just kept fiddling with the dial on her camera.
Hayama, seeing this, wanted to go over and talk to her, but was stopped by Mori Shinra.
"What's wrong?" Hayama asked, confused.
"Leave her to me. If you go over, you'll just make things more complicated."
Hayama was simply too conspicuous.
He had become the center of the elementary schoolers' conversations after less than a day.
But this was to be expected.
After all, he was good-looking, easy to get along with, and very sociable.
This kind of person would be the center of attention anywhere.
But it was precisely for this reason that Hayama shouldn't be the one to approach Tsurumi Rumi.
His light was too bright.
It was like the principle of "a weak body can't handle strong supplements."
Even if Tsurumi Rumi was enveloped by his light and brought to the center of the stage, she would become the center of the topic.
The final result wouldn't be, "Wow, Rumi can be friends with a high schooler, she's so cool, I want to be her friend too~"
It would be, "Tsk, what gives her the right?" and she would be isolated even more.
The reason Cinderella is called a "fairy tale" is because the story itself is not very feasible.
In reality, when a girl who has always been plain suddenly transforms into a glamorous princess, the normal reaction isn't "She's amazing, I want to be her friend," but rather, "Is this princess even legit?"
Come to think of it, the situation Yukinoshita faced back then was probably similar to what Tsurumi Rumi was facing now. Hayama probably "helped" in the same way, and the final result was obvious.
Therefore, Mori Shinra decided to let Hayama attract the other kids' attention, while he, the "big brother" who had already interacted with Tsurumi Rumi, would go and ask about the situation.
As expected, Hayama walked over to the elementary schoolers' gathering area and was quickly surrounded.
Tsurumi Rumi, at some point, had retreated to the edge of the crowd, coldly watching the lively scene.
It had a strong "the excitement is theirs, I just find it noisy" vibe.