Kazuma Kiryuu voice suddenly cut off.
What did he see? Three naked men wearing macho pink aprons!
He considered himself someone who had seen it all, especially after witnessing the scenes of naked men drinking heavily these past two days. But naked men plus pink aprons.....
"...."
In an instant, Kazuma Kiryuu felt that his eyes, which were adept at appreciating beauty, had been ruthlessly defiled.
Snapping back to reality, just as he was about to reach out to cover Chisa eyes and warn her not to look, he noticed that the girl face was completely blank.
Following closely behind them, Kitahara Iori and Imamura Kohei, who had just entered, were also caught off guard by the sight. They immediately covered their mouths, feeling a wave of nausea.
"Welcome back!" Three muscular men, dressed only in aprons, greeted them with the cheerful smiles of sunny boys.
"Kazuma and Kohei are here too. What's wrong, Kohei? Are you and Iori still hungover?" Tokita Shinji greeted them and then asked Imamura Kohei and the others.
Following him, Kotobuki also calmly reminded them, "If you really feel like throwing up, remember to go to the bathroom. It'll be a hassle to clean up if you do it here."
"IT'S CLEARLY BECAUSE OF YOUR OUTFITS!" Iori pointed at the three of them, unable to hold back his roar.
Hearing this, the store manager, Kotegawa, and the other two exchanged glances, then burst into laughter, hands on their hips.
"You mean this? We're going diving later, so we need to prepare now," Kotobuki said.
"That's right, we're actually wearing swimsuits underneath," Tokita gave a thumbs-up, looking as if he expected them to believe him.
Iori and Kohei actually did believe them.
Just as they were about to relax, they heard the voice of Kazuma Kiryuu.
"Well, I might barely believe that the manager is wearing a swimsuit since I can see the edge of his trunks, but you two seniors..."
At this reminder, Kitahara Iori and Imamura Kohei also realized it and simultaneously looked at Tokita and Kotobuki waists.
"It's true, only the manager waistline is visible," Imamura Kohei pinched his chin, frowning.
"We're wearing swimsuits that only smart people can see," Kotobuki crossed his arms, calmly defending himself.
"Liar! Do you think this is a fairy tale? You two aren't wearing swimsuits at all!" Kitahara Iori roared, his facial expression even turn into a titan.
As his voice fell, the store suddenly fell into silence. After a while, Manager Kotegawa let out a sigh.
"We've been found out."
"Yeah, Kazuma is really observant," Kotobuki nodded with a hint of disappointment.
"But we really are going diving later," Tokita Shinji emphasized.
At this moment, Nanaka walked over from the back.
"Excuse me, you three. Oh, Kazuma-kun, you're back."
Since Kazuma Kiryuu and the others had called Nanaka before leaving school, she already knew about their arrival.
"Sorry for the intrusion, senpai," Kazuma Kiryuu greeted with a bright smile.
It was a bit of a pity because although Nanaka was also wearing a pink apron, she wasn't wearing a swimsuit underneath but was properly dressed in casual clothes.
But honestly, it wasn't a big deal. A short skirt with bare legs was already quite nice.
"Not at all, I'm glad you could come," Nanaka waved her hand with a smile.
"What's up, Nanaka?" Manager Kotegawa asked.
"A customer called and said they have an emergency, so they've asked to postpone the diving," Nanaka explained.
So the diving plan was indeed real, but it had suddenly been canceled.
Because of this, Manager Kotegawa and the other two immediately showed disappointed expressions.
"What a shame."
"So the activity is canceled?"
"Ah, well, I guess we'll have to put on some clothes for once."
Reluctantly saying this, the three began to put on clothes under the incredulous stares of Kazuma Kiryuu and the others.
Shifting his gaze away from the three weirdos, Kazuma Kiryuu looked at the spatula in Nanaka hand.
"Senpai, were you cooking just now?"
"I was about to, since it's already noon."
"Then let me help."
Nanaka was slightly taken aback, then politely declined.
"No need, I can handle it myself. Besides, it's not right to have guests cook."
"It's alright, it's alright. I was just thinking of washing my eyes, and with so many people here, Senpai might be a bit overwhelmed cooking alone," said Kazuma Kiryuu with a reasonable and selfless tone.
Seeing that Nanaka still wanted to say something, he pulled Imamura Kohei into the conversation.
"Don't say anymore, Senpai. We came here and did nothing but mooch a meal, and we didn't even bring any gifts. If we don't help out a bit, we'll feel too embarrassed to come back next time. Right, Kohei?"
Imamura Kohei slowly typed out a question mark in his mind, but thinking about the autograph from Mizuki Kaya that Kazuma Kiryuu promised to get for him, he eventually nodded and chimed in.
"Yeah, yeah, Senpai, let us help you prepare lunch."
"Well..." Nanaka showed a troubled expression. Looking at their determined faces, she finally relented.
"Alright then, but Kohei, you don't need to come. You still seem to be suffering from a hangover. Just rest in the hall with Iori."
"Oh, sorry, Senpai," Imamura Kohei replied, taking the opportunity to step back.
Meanwhile, just as Kazuma Kiryuu was about to follow Nanaka to the kitchen, Chisa finally stopped being a silent background character. She walked over to them and spoke up.
"Sister, I'll help too."
"Great, thank you, Chisa!" The sister-loving Nanaka happily agreed.
...
"Sister, what are we having for lunch today?" asked Chisa after the three of them washed their hands with tap water in the kitchen.
"Well, I was planning to make stir-fried noodles and fried eggs," Nanaka replied without hesitation.
"Then I'll take care of the fried eggs," Kazuma Kiryuu volunteered.
"Chisa, you can assist me then," Nanaka said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest, tilting her head slightly, and looking at Kotegawa Chisa with expectant eyes.
Chisa: "...No problem."
With the division of labor smoothly settled, the three of them immediately got to work.
Since Chisa was in charge of assisting, Kazuma Kiryuu, as the assistant, naturally stood next to the head chef, Nanaka.
Keikakudori
Smelling the faint fragrance wafting from Nanaka, Kazuma Kiryuu heated the oil in the pan and cracked two eggs into it one after the other.
Seeing this, Nanaka exclaimed in surprise, "Kazuma-kun, you're quite skilled! Do you often cook at home?"
"Yes," Kazuma Kiryuu nodded slightly. "Senpai, do you want the eggs fully cooked or sunny-side up?"
"Sunny-side up is fine."
"Got it."