Chapter 74: This is Chicken Soup I’ve Stewed for Over Four Hours

Meanwhile, after returning to her room, Ichinose opened her freezer and grabbed some ice cubes to snack on. But, for some reason, Kanda Shuichi's earlier words popped into her head.

"It's better to drink warm water."

She hesitated for a second, then put the ice cubes back in the freezer and poured herself a cup of warm water from her thermos.

It actually seemed to help?

If Kanda Shuichi knew, he'd definitely tease her, saying, "It's just a placebo effect! There's no way it works that fast!"

After finishing her warm water, Ichinose lay down on her bed, thinking about how to handle the pressure from Class A and Class C. Sakayanagi's attacks from Class A were relentless, while Ryuen from Class C was constantly pulling shady moves. To be honest, Class B was barely holding up. If this kept up, they'd probably slip down to Class C soon, let alone aim for Class A's spot.

Maybe she should consider forming an alliance with Class D?

Once that idea popped up, it lingered in her mind, and she began to weigh its feasibility. She'd bring it up with Kanzaki and the rest of the class later.

Meanwhile, Kanda Shuichi was busy preparing the chicken. Since he'd decided to make chicken soup, he went all in. For the main dish, he'd make noodles to go with it.

Chicken soup with noodles and two drumsticks—he was already excited just thinking about it. Plus, he could store the leftover soup in the fridge and enjoy it again tomorrow. Perfect!

He ended up stewing it for over four hours. When he opened the rice cooker, the aroma of chicken soup filled the room, and the meat was tender and flavorful. He could almost taste it before he even started eating.

After eating, he stored the leftover soup in the fridge and got ready to open his diary for the day.

June 3rd, Wednesday, sunny.

Today, I got Horikita Manabu's contact info. I heard I'm the only first-year with his number, which is a bit of an honor. Too bad I forgot to show off to Horikita Suzune—gotta remember to do that tomorrow.

When heading back to the dorm, I ran into Ichinose Honami from Class B. She's really pretty, and… well, pretty big too. And she has a great personality; otherwise, with what I said back there, I would've already been crushed.

For dinner, I made chicken stew that cooked for four hours. It was delicious.

After closing his diary, Kanda Shuichi stretched. It was already 9 p.m., and since he'd just finished reading the second Harry Potter book while the soup was cooking, he didn't plan to keep reading. He decided to turn on his computer and play some games.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

The familiar sound brought a twinge of dread to Kanda Shuichi.

Looking through the peephole, he saw it was Kushida. She must be here again to vent her stress. This girl was so strange—couldn't she just do this in her own room? Why come here, especially at this late hour?

Sure enough, as soon as he let her in, she launched into a rant. Starting with Horikita, then moving to Ike and Yamauchi, those two idiots, then the other students in their class, and finally the students from other classes. Kanda Shuichi was already used to this, though one thing kept catching his attention.

No matter if Kushida had interacted with Horikita that day or not, Horikita Suzune was always the first person she insulted. Are you really that bothered by her?

Ignoring her, Kanda Shuichi put on his headphones and started playing his game. Half an hour later, he finished a round and took off his headphones, only to find that Kushida had stopped her ranting and was now curled up on his bed.

Kanda Shuichi sighed. Is she planning to make a move?

"Hey, hey, hey! Clinging to my blanket like that—are you trying to act like a creep?"

"Shut up, I… ah…"

Kushida flipped over quickly, her face suddenly turning pale, as she clutched her stomach with both hands.

What the hell? Two girls with cramps in one day—and one of them's lying in my bed! Seriously, what if she leaks? Bloodstains on my sheets would be hard to explain.

Thinking this, he went over to the fridge.

"Did you eat anything?"

"With this pain? There's no way I could eat," Kushida said, her expression fierce. "Or are you saying you want to experience this kind of pain too?"

Kushida, you're pretty feisty, huh? But since you're in pain, I'll let it slide.

Taking out the chicken soup he'd just stored, Kanda Shuichi poured it back into the rice cooker and started reheating it.

I spent four hours on this chicken, though I was hoping to save it for tomorrow. Oh well. Lucky for her that Miyake didn't come over today, or she wouldn't be getting any of this soup.

After about ten minutes, Kanda Shuichi placed a bowl of chicken soup on the small table in the center of the room—his usual dining table.

"Hey, get up and eat."

"Huh? Didn't I already tell you I'm not hungry?"

"You won't know until you try. Get up and eat."

If you weren't feeling bad, I'd have just forced you to.

Seeing Kanda Shuichi's impatience, a mischievous smile appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face.

"Well then, you feed me."

What?

"So, do you want me to feed you too?"

"Why don't you just go to heaven?"

"Don't push it. I'm warning you!"

Two minutes later, at the dining table, Kushida Kikyo was sitting on the floor, leaning sideways. Kanda Shuichi held a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, scooping up some chicken soup and feeding it to her.

After swallowing the soup, Kushida Kikyo squinted her eyes like a cat, looking pleased.

"Mmm… so good."

"If it's good, eat it yourself."

Kanda Shuichi put the bowl back on the table, looking annoyed. Although he kind of enjoyed feeding her, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was playing him, so he decided to stop.

"Tch." Kushida Kikyo snorted in dissatisfaction, then picked up the spoon and started eating by herself.

Even though she'd said she wasn't hungry, she was clearly starving and didn't hold back with the delicious soup. It was at the perfect temperature, with just the right seasoning, way better than most meals at the school cafeteria.

Who would've thought he could cook this well?! Damn, I missed out last time! F*ck you, Yamauchi, for dragging me off to that stupid party! You idiot!

After finishing the bowl of chicken soup and eating everything in it, Kushida felt completely refreshed, and the ache in her stomach eased up significantly.

Ugh, I'm never drinking cold water again when I'm in pain. That's ridiculous!

"Finish up and head home. Get a good night's sleep—you have work tomorrow."

Kanda Shuichi cleaned up her bowl and chopsticks, then spoke impatiently.

Damn it!

Is this just his way of paying me for the work? Give me back my gratitude!

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