During the cooking, Lock and Ryukyu each occupied a stove. With nothing left to do, Jiro Kyoka left the kitchen.
However, when she looked at the girls sitting together on the sofa in the living room, chatting happily, a faint sense of discord rose in her heart.
Big Sister Ryukyu aside, there were so many girls in the room—yet Lock, the only boy, was the one cooking in the kitchen.
It just felt… wrong.
Thinking about it, these days, boys seem to be getting more and more "feminine," often more capable than most girls.
"Go wash your hands and get ready to eat," Lock said as he poked his head out of the kitchen, then added, "Kyoka, help bring out the dishes. Hatsume Mei, bring the chopsticks."
"Got it."
Jiro Kyoka and Hatsume Mei stood up and headed to the kitchen. Naturally, the others didn't stay seated either. This was a peer gathering, not a formal visit to an elder's home.
Everyone moved at once—some serving dishes, others arranging chairs and the table. One dish after another was brought out, and under Lock's guidance, everyone took their seats.
Jiro Kyoka sat down beside Lock without hesitation. Nejire was also gently nudged over by Ryukyu and ended up sitting on his other side.
Lock could only shake his head helplessly. No matter how the table was arranged, he was still the only boy, inevitably ending up flanked on both sides.
"Let's eat."
With that simple announcement, everyone relaxed and began moving their chopsticks.
A glance over the table showed tomato scrambled eggs, shredded potatoes with vinegar, green pepper stir-fried pork, tuna sashimi, fried shrimp tempura, and boiled vegetables—an extremely rich spread.
Nejire stared at the green pepper stir-fried pork on her plate as if it were an enemy. The slightly yellowed green pepper skins made her instinctively wary, especially after her eyes had burned earlier.
The others felt the same. Doubt hung in the air, and no one dared to be the first to try it.
"Lock… is this green pepper really edible?" Jiro Kyoka asked worriedly. Like many people, she had hated the boiled green peppers from school lunches as a child.
Before Lock could answer, a calm, confident voice spoke up.
"It's delicious. This is our Chinese-style cooking."
Everyone turned to look—Ryukyu had already started eating.
It was no exaggeration to say that Chinese chefs were popular almost everywhere in the world.
Of course, tastes varied, and some foreigners found Chinese food too oily or salty. But many Japanese food programs were extremely enthusiastic about Chinese cuisine. In terms of flavor, there wasn't such an insurmountable cultural barrier.
With Ryukyu taking the lead, Nejire swallowed nervously, picked up her chopsticks, and cautiously took a bite of the green pepper pork.
"…Huh?!"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Green peppers can actually taste this good? Why didn't I know before?!"
Seeing this, Jiro Kyoka followed suit. After one bite, her eyes clearly lit up.
Lock said confidently, "I told you—I'm talented at cooking."
After that small episode, the atmosphere at the table immediately became much livelier, far better than at the beginning.
Hatsume Mei picked up a freshly fried shrimp tempura and bit into it without hesitation, not caring whether it was still hot.
The result—she yelped as the heat burned her mouth, and the shrimp slipped from her chopsticks and fell under the table.
"Hatsume Mei, tissues," Sirius said, handing her one.
"Thanks," Hatsume Mei replied softly, her face slightly red. She glanced at the fallen shrimp and said to Lock, "Your fried shrimp went to your side."
"I know."
Lock responded, took a tissue, bent down, and picked up the shrimp to avoid anyone accidentally stepping on it.
But the moment he bent down, he froze slightly.
From that angle… the scenery under the table was far too good.
The table was an ordinary square table, with seven people seated around it. Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded.
It was the weekend. Several girls were wearing skirts—only Mt. Lady and Sirius still had their combat suits on.
In that glance, Lock saw a stretch of fair, slender legs.
Nejire wore small black leather shoes and black stockings, the fabric lightly indenting above her knees. Her posture was different from the others—one leg folded over the other—making the line from knee to ankle look especially slim, full, and alluring.
Hatsume Mei wore ordinary sneakers. Perhaps still embarrassed about dropping food earlier, she sat with her legs pressed together, like a well-behaved elementary school student. Her legs were also extremely slender—probably from long hours of physical work—so much so that Lock felt he could wrap one hand around them.
Then there was Jiro Kyoka.
No stockings, only delicate leather shoes.
From Lock's angle, she looked almost unreal—like a fairy untouched by the mundane world, quietly beautiful…
"No evil thoughts."
Lock didn't dare look any further. Feeling guilty, he silently admonished himself, covered the shrimp with a tissue, and stood up.
He glanced around—everyone was focused on eating and hadn't noticed. Only then did he relax slightly.
Time passed quickly.
The party and lunch ended in complete satisfaction. The Chinese dishes made by Lock and Ryukyu were universally praised.
"Thanks for the meal."
Seeing everyone set down their chopsticks, Lock naturally began gathering the dishes. Others also stood up to help.
"It's fine. You're all guests—sit down," Lock said, stopping them as he carried the dishes into the kitchen.
The girls left behind exchanged looks, all feeling the same sense of dissonance Jiro Kyoka had felt earlier—almost as if their confidence as women had taken a hit.
"It feels like Lock is the head of the household."
"Not only a Pro Hero, but also omnipotent at housework… amazing."
"And he's rich too. Letting him be my little boyfriend would be like catching a rich man," Mt. Lady said casually.
The moment she finished speaking, she felt the stares around her.
"I—I was just joking," Mt. Lady said stiffly, the corners of her mouth twitching as she sensed the danger of having said the wrong thing.
After lunch, Lock brewed several cups of tea.
Once everyone had rested, digested their food, and fully relaxed, they said their goodbyes and left one by one.
Nejire and Ryukyu did the same. Third-year students had almost no classes and went straight to internships every day.
Tomorrow was Monday again. They didn't stay long and soon left together.
Looking at the now-empty room, Lock collapsed onto the sofa.
Exhausted.
"After a man spends time with women… no matter how strong he is, he always ends up like this," Lock muttered lazily, staring at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window.
Then, for some reason, a certain maid's face flashed through his mind.
Baloo.
"Just you wait—I'll make you pay today," Lock ground his teeth inwardly. Today's crowd had all been caused by her deliberate arrangements.
Baloo could even provide transformation-type magic props herself.
In short, U.A. High's first week of school passed like this.
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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