However, this was the first time I’d heard that Shimozuru didn’t like sweets. After all, there were fruits in Aritomo’s bento, including grapefruit.
...Wait. If he hated sweets, why had he eaten so many chocolate macadamia nuts?
“Huh? Oboro doesn’t hate sweets. You got it backward. He loves ’em. You didn’t know?” Mikazuki cut in, amused.
“Wh-Whaaat?!”
Everyone else looked surprised.
Looking a little sheepish, Shimozuru offered up his confession.
“See, I received and ate so many sweets when I was working as a child actor, I gained a lot of weight. That’s why I starting telling people I didn’t like sweets, but somehow it stuck, and I can’t seem to shake that image people have of me.”
“You were just trying to look cool.”
“You’ve been dealing with that for almost ten years.”
“That’s why I would eat them when I could. You guys didn’t notice?”
“I didn’t think you were eating them by choice. I thought you felt you had to.”
“No wonder people thought you hated them.”
Everyone was talking all at once. I was glad they all seemed to be enjoying themselves, but I wished they would look at Aritomo. She was shaking so violently, I was sure she would explode at any moment.
“...B-B-But...you...sweets... Whatever! It doesn’t matter. But I still can’t buy that Tsukuyomi’s bento was more delicious than mine!”
She certainly had a lot of confidence to refuse so vehemently to accept defeat.
Turning to face Aritomo, Shimozuru maintained his gentle demeanor in spite of his obvious frustration.
“Aritomo, your bento was delicious as well. I really appreciated all your hard work...”
“So then—”
“However, the bread and the fillings for your panini were all store-bought, so you didn’t make it yourself, did you? Now I know it must be hard to prepare so many different things, but making it yourself was the whole point of this round, wasn’t it?”
Aritomo froze. Clearly Shimozuru had guessed right.
“So, it would have been fine if things hadn’t turned out perfect, as long as you cooked everything. That’s why Chouko, who worked hard on her bento, won this round. I mean, I don’t even cook, so you still did more than I ever could,” Shimozuru said, scratching his head, a little embarrassed, but his words were sincere.
Aritomo appeared to have accepted his words. And yet...
“B-But my food was much better!” With that, she fled the café, on the verge of tears.
“I’ll go talk to her,” Shimozuru said, turning to the rest of us.
“Yeah, you do something about her, Oboro. And you! Knock that off!”
It was only then that I realized Lady Chouko was still hugging me. I looked up and realized she seemed a little taller.
“Chouko...is it just me or are you getting taller?”
Lady Chouko immediately released her grip, as if she had only just now become aware of it.
“...Oh my, really? I must be having a growth spurt. Well, since there’s still food left, why don’t we have some, too?” she said and pulled me over to a seat at Mochizuki’s table.
I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but it would seem I had been completely led astray.
We ate the rest of the lunch with the others. The dishes in Lady Chouko’s bento were well done, and even the worst of them were better than my own cooking. I was starting to understand that she was the sort of person who could be perfect at just about anything.
Aritomo’s panini bento was delicious as well, but how did Shimozuru figure out it was store-bought?
“This is Eel Oliet shrimp, avocado, and roast beef.”
“I prefer La Froche, but this works, too.”
These were apparently stores catering to the rich and famous. Naturally, they were unfamiliar to me.
“Oboro is also quite the gourmand,” Lady Chouko said, trying to raise my spirits. “He’s always so picky, I’m surprised I won.”
That seemed to be an important thing to know. Was that why she had chosen the cooking challenge? Because she knew that about Shimozuru, as well as—
“Lady Chouko, you knew he actually did like sweet things, didn’t you?”
If she had known, that would have put her at an advantage.
“Huh? I had no idea. I thought he hated sweets, just as everyone else did.”
Ahh, well, that would mean...
“Hey, does that mean you never planned to win this round?” Mochizuki blurted out exactly what I was thinking. So he felt the same. If she hadn’t known, why else would she have included my family’s sweet tamagoyaki recipe?
“I was not planning to lose. I never throw a challenge.”
“Hmph. You don’t look like you’re trying to win to me,” Mochizuki said and turned away.
I didn’t think she had tried to throw the round. She had worked hard at improving her cooking. But something was off. Almost as if she was keeping something from me.
I glanced at her. Her face still maintained her calm, cool demeanor, but her body had stiffened a bit at Mochizuki’s accusation.
It was at that moment that Shimozuru broke the tension, Aritomo in tow.
“Sorry for making you all wait.”
With Shimozuru patting her shoulders to urge her on, Aritomo timidly took her place before us and gave a vigorous bow and an apology in that usually chipper voice of hers.
“I accept my defeat. I’m sorry for the disruption earlier. ...But I will win next time, no matter what!”
She looked straight at Lady Chouko for that last declaration of war. That was every bit the apology I would expect from Aritomo.
“I look forward to it,” Lady Chouko replied calmly with a broad smile.
And then, Aritomo continued, “Then let me have Urara back. She’s done teaching you to cook, so you shouldn’t need her anymore.”
“What?”
That was the arrangement from the start, Lady Chouko. You can’t be that surprised.
“That is true. They were on the same side to start with.”
“She’s not yours, Chouko.”
“It was just for this round anyway.”
“Chouko...”
Everyone chimed in. Perhaps it was because Lady Chouko and I had spent so much time together preparing for this round, but I was supposed to be Aritomo’s partner.
“Um, well...Urara?” she called out to me in a panic.
What had happened to the calm that pervaded Lady Chouko’s demeanor before?
“Yes, Chouko?”
“Um, well...” I could see she was hesitant. To be honest, I was a little sad I wouldn’t get to spend as much time with her as before. But I felt we had to follow the rules, and I just wanted this cloud of gloom in my chest to go away. So...
“You did well this round. Let’s all give it everything we’ve got in the next challenge,” I said, bowing to Lady Chouko.
Her shoulders seemed to slump, and she replied with a flat “Right, let’s do our best.”
She then gave me an elegant curtsy.