Third day of the training camp.
Early morning.
Akashi Asuka had just stepped out of the bathroom when he was met with an utterly unbelievable scene.
At the sink, Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya were holding toothbrushes and cups of tea. Across the hallway from them, Aida Riko wore an apron, holding a kitchen knife, her apron, knife, and even her face splattered with bright red liquid.
On the other side, Midorima Shintaro and Takao Kazunari stood frozen, their expressions stiff as if they were statues.
The atmosphere was eerily silent.
It wasn't until Akashi appeared that the strange tension was broken.
Midorima, already annoyed from encountering Kagami and Kuroko here, felt his mood explode as Akashi materialized beside him.
"Why are you guys here?!" Midorima's voice was less of a question and more of a wail.
"Who knows? I should be asking you that!" Kagami shot back without mercy.
"And you!" Midorima turned his glare to Akashi. "I thought today was the opening ceremony of the national tournament. Why is Seiho here instead of attending the nationals?"
"Because we don't have a match today," Akashi said, shrugging.
Seiho had prepared a three-day, two-night training camp, but the national tournament officially started on the third day. Seiho didn't need to compete in the first round.
With 52 teams competing in the summer nationals, the first day would eliminate 20 teams, meaning at least 12 teams wouldn't play in the opening round.
Seiho was one of them.
So all they had to do was attend the opening ceremony, and their task for the day was done.
And coincidentally, the venue for this year's tournament was near the inn, which explained why Akashi remained so calm.
The members of the Generation of Miracles were all fiercely competitive, and now, having to share the same roof with two opponents who had already beaten them… one could only imagine the state of Midorima's mood.
Even after the Seiho members left the inn, Midorima's scowl didn't fade.
============
Two hours later.
After the opening ceremony, Seiho returned to the inn.
On the way back, the group joked about whether Seirin and Shutoku, still at the inn, would be bickering, sitting in icy silence, or perhaps, like Seiho and Seirin earlier, forgiving each other and training together.
What they didn't expect…
Upon entering the inn, all their guesses were completely wrong.
No fights, no reconciliations.
Instead, all the Seirin and Shutoku members were sprawled across tables or lying on the floor, their faces showing terror and despair as if the world were ending. Eyes wide, skin pale. Some even looked like original artwork had been scared out of them.
"What happened here? Is this… the end of the world?"
Tsugawa Tomoki had just entered the inn and nearly jumped out of his skin.
Then, a Seiho substitute player crawled to Kasuga Ryuhei, tugging on his pants:
"B-bad news… Kitayama-senpai… she said she wants to personally cook a big meal to send us off for the nationals tomorrow…"
Akashi immediately sensed something was off.
He saw Kasuga, normally smiling through any challenge, frozen in place.
He saw Kenjiro Sakamoto and Yoshikasu Omuro, usually fearless, visibly trembling with panic.
He saw team captain Iwamura, normally calm and composed, his muscular frame shaking uncontrollably.
Even Tsugawa and a few first-year students, curious and oblivious to danger, said:
"Great! Kitayama-senpai can cook? Looks like we're in for a treat tonight!"
No one reacted to the newcomers' comments, they weren't about to quarrel with the dead.
"What about them?"
Akashi looked at the collapsed Seirin and Shutoku members. Kitayama was preparing a meal for Seiho, so why did they look like they were about to die?
Next, Hyuga Junpei answered.
"Our Riko heard Kitayama-senpai's suggestion and enthusiastically offered to help. Kitayama-senpai then invited us from Seirin and Shutoku to join in for dinner."
Akashi's eye twitched.
He had never seen Kitayama Yuzuki's cooking, so he could only guess.
But Aida Riko's cooking skills… he had witnessed their terrifying power more than once.
He cleared his throat. "Do we even stand a chance?"
Hyuga shook his head, a single tear forming in the corner of his eye.
"It's too late… way too late. By the time we got the news, they had already bought the ingredients and started cooking."
From the kitchen came the faint sound of chopping. Akashi closed his eyes, powerless.
Too late… if only I had come back a few minutes earlier…
No… there's still one chance!
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Akashi's mind, the last glimmer of hope.
With resolve, he pushed open the kitchen door.
Inside, Aida Riko and Kitayama Yuzuki were cheerfully handling ingredients, chatting and laughing.
The power of female friendship was remarkable, two women who were enemies just two days ago could now cook together smilingly.
Fortunately, Akashi had not forgotten his real purpose for being here.
As the two looked at him curiously, he smiled slightly.
"Since fate has brought us together today, why not hold a cooking contest?"
"Cooking contest?"
Aida and Kitayama froze for a moment. Then, their eyes gradually sparkled with excitement.
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