“Aaah, wait a sec, Asumin! Those ones have a really strong flavor! We should start off with the lightly salted ones!”
“Ohh. Right.”
“Leave the order to me. Miss Hitsujimoto, your chopsticks!”
Perhaps she was overwhelmed by Moena’s menacing expression, but Kuchina finally picked up her chopsticks.
Asumi and Yukisada ripped open the paper packaging and took out their chopsticks. Sousei watched Kuchina as he tore open the end of his chopsticks packet.
Kuchina was expressionless. She stared vacantly at her chopsticks.
Moena suddenly took the chopsticks from her, and a chill went through Sousei’s body. Kuchina was stunned.
Moena swiftly ripped open the packet, positioned the chopsticks so they would be easy to take out, then returned them to Kuchina.
…Oh, it’s because Hitsujimoto’s wearing gloves…
Moena was being considerate of that. She’d probably thought it would be difficult to tear open the paper packet with gloves on.
Moena was already opening the bag of lightly salted potato chips.
“All right, they’re open! Eat up, Miss Hitsujimoto!”
“…Me?”
Kuchina looked at Sousei. Her gaze seemed to be pleading for help. It didn’t seem like there was a wall between them at that moment. No matter how he thought about it, those weren’t the eyes of a person isolated behind tall walls. Sousei also felt that perhaps she herself had been the wall. It had probably been a terrible misunderstanding.
Sousei nodded.
“You’re the reason that we’re having this potato chip party. Come to think of it, you said you’ve never had french fries before, but have you had potato chips?”
“…This…is a first for me.”
Kuchina took the wooden chopsticks out of their paper packet. She pulled them apart very slowly and neatly. She didn’t seem to be hesitating anymore. Kuchina didn’t select a large chip, but instead picked up a rather small one from the bag Moena had opened and put it in her mouth. There was a faint crunching sound as it broke, and she closed her eyes as she chewed discreetly. At last, she swallowed.
Sousei was only looking at Kuchina. He wondered what kind of expressions were on Asumi, Moena, and Yukisada’s faces. He was curious about what everyone was thinking. But he couldn’t take his eyes off Kuchina.
He didn’t even blink. His eyes were dry and sore, but he put up with it.
“It’s salty,” she said before letting out a breath. “…Salty and delicious.”
Moena did a fist pump with her free hand. Asumi’s dazzling smile seemed to radiate light as she reached out with her chopsticks.
“I’ll have some, too!” she said.
“I guess I will, too, then,” chimed in Yukisada. “Let’s dig in!”
Moena showcased her quick chopstick skills, eating one chip and then another in rapid succession before saying, “Whoa, these really are good…!”
Kuchina’s eyes were still closed. Keeping her in his field of vision, Sousei tasted one of the lightly salted potato chips. An electric current ran from his tongue to the rest of his body.
“…It’s salty and delicious…”
“That’s the same thing Kuchina said,” Yukisada commented with a chuckle.
Moena opened the salt and nori and consommé flavors.
“Try comparing the different flavors!” she urged.
Asumi and Yukisada started taking the salty nori seaweed and consommé flavored chips, and it was only then that Kuchina finally opened her eyes. She timidly took another lightly salted chip with her chopsticks, lifted it to her mouth, and closed her eyes. Moena glanced at Kuchina, and her face softened.
Perhaps…it’s difficult for Kuchina to take a chip when everyone’s eating the lightly salted ones. Is that why Moena opened some other bags…?
“Consommé is amazing!” Asumi noisily kicked her feet against the floor. “Consommé! Miss Hitsujimoto, you should try the consommé ones too!”
At Asumi’s suggestion, Kuchina gently picked up a consommé flavored chip with her chopsticks. She ate it, then closed her eyes again.
“…This one…has a different taste,” she said.
“It does, doesn’t it! Isn’t it super yummy?!”
“…It’s yummy,” Kuchina agreed.
“Right?!”
“…It’s yummy,” Kuchina repeated.
“I really like the salt and nori ones,” Yukisada said as he munched on a chip. “Probably because they taste a bit like rice balls. I could eat so many of these.”
“Shall we move on to the next flavor?” Moena asked.
She opened the bag of pizza flavor chips, instantly releasing a rich aroma that smelled unmistakably of cheese. Sousei involuntarily leaned back, letting out an “Ohhh…”
“About time!” Asumi clapped her hands in delight.
Kuchina frowned and blinked rapidly. The smell was actually quite jarring, and Yukisada audibly sniffed it in.
“Yep, smells like pizza pie,” he said.
“Don’t say ‘pizza pie’!” Moena retorted as she ate the salt and nori chips.
“I can’t wait any longer!” Asumi said before attacking the pizza-flavored potato chips. She ate three—no, four chips in rapid succession. “Wah! This is it! This is the one! I could eat these for every meal!”
“Wouldn’t that give you indigestion…?” Sousei asked.
Asumi forcefully shook her head. “Not at all! I have a second stomach for potato chips!”
“…If it’s a separate stomach, you’d still have to eat other food, too, right?”
“I mean, I think these pizza-flavored chips could be my staple food. I know I just said it’s a second stomach, but still.”
Kuchina was reaching toward the pizza chips, but the tips of her chopsticks were trembling slightly. The flavor seemed quite overwhelming, after all. Sousei was also hesitant to try them.
Kuchina blinked once. Her eyes suddenly became more focused, and her chopsticks stopped trembling. She picked up a pizza flavored chip and smoothly guided it to her mouth. Her eyes instantly widened, and she inhaled through her nose.
…What’s gonna happen?
Sousei held his breath and watched.
Is she okay? Can she handle it? Or…?
Kuchina closed her eyes and slowly chewed the chip.
How is it…?!
Kuchina opened her eyes wide.
“They’re really yummy.”
“Victory!” Asumi shouted with delight and made a V sign with her left hand.
It wasn’t exactly clear what she meant by “victory,” but Kuchina had praised Asumi’s favorite chips, which must have made her tremendously happy.
“We still have lots more to go!” Moena continued opening the bags one after another. “Eat, eat! Eat them all up!”
He’d thought it was too much by any stretch of the imagination, but Sousei seemed to have underestimated the stomachs of high school students. Come to think of it, Sousei himself was a second-year high school student with a naturally healthy appetite. Although he usually didn’t eat much greasy food, whenever he did, it went down easily. Even though all they had was potato chips, there were eight different flavors so they wouldn’t get bored. After eating from one bag, you’d find yourself wanting one from a different bag. Sousei also discovered the wonder of combining flavors; eating flavor A after flavor B could make it taste twice as delicious.