With my business in the Headmaster's office concluded, I headed toward the supermarket in the shopping district to hunt down the sukiyaki ingredients Chizuru had requested.
As a massive "Academy City," Mahora was packed with shops that catered specifically to students—which meant the prices were generally kind to a teenager's wallet. Or, in my case, a child's allowance.
"Welcome!"
The staff greeted me as I grabbed a basket and stepped inside. Let's see… Chizuru wanted shirataki noodles, shiitake mushrooms, and crown daisy.
I made a beeline for the produce section. I reached for a pack of shiitake near the edge of the shelf when a voice called out from behind me.
"Wait, is that Axel-kun?"
I turned around to find Madoka Kugimiya standing there, her own shopping basket hooked over her arm.
"Oh, hey, Kugimee."
"Don't call me 'Kugimee'!" she snapped, though her bite lacked any real venom. "Are you out on an errand?"
"Well, you could call it that..."
I trailed off as a realization hit me. A young boy, alone in a grocery store, clutching a shopping list... was I currently living out an episode of My Very First Errand?
Madoka tilted her head at my sudden silence, then a slow, mischievous smirk spread across her face. She looked down at me with "warm," pitying eyes.
"And what is little Axel-kun buying today?"
"...Shirataki, shiitake, and crown daisy."
"Oho, I see. Here, use these instead." She reached past me, swapped the pack of mushrooms in my hand for another, and dropped the new ones into my basket.
"Aren't they all the same?"
"Tsk, tsk. Allow me to educate you, 'First-Errand Axel.' They might both be shiitake, but the ones I gave you are much meatier. If you're buying this list, you're clearly making a hot pot. Thick mushrooms soak up the broth better. They're way tastier."
"We are having sukiyaki, actually. Good guess."
"Heh. I don't pull my weight on the dorm cooking rotation for nothing."
I see. In my room, Chizuru handled nearly 100% of the meal prep, but it seemed Madoka's room operated on a schedule. Come to think of it, that was probably the normal way to do things.
In my living situation, you had Ayaka—a genuine high-society heiress—and me, who looked like a grade-schooler. Natsumi was the only one who could arguably help, but she usually just got swept up in the others' pace. Chizuru was technically the daughter of some big-shot CEO at Naba Technologies, so her social standing was no different from Ayaka's, but she clearly had a personal passion for domestic life.
"Man, sukiyaki," Madoka sighed. "The Class Rep's place always eats like royalty."
"What are you guys having, Kugimin?"
"I told you, no nicknames! Especially not that one!" she huffed. Axel, you really know how to hold a grudge. We haven't decided yet. I'm just browsing the aisles to see what looks good for a main dish."
She picked up some king oyster mushrooms near the shiitake.
"It is still freezing out, so a hot pot does sound nice... Hey, Axel-kun. Could you do me a favor?"
"What's up?"
"How about we join you for dinner tonight? Hot pot is always better with a big group, right?"
I considered it. She wasn't wrong; a lively table made for a better meal. Chizuru technically wanted to celebrate my new Activation Key, but since Natsumi didn't know about magic, we couldn't exactly throw a "Mage Rank Up" party anyway.
The only risk was the "snowball effect." If word got out to the rest of Class 2-A, my room would turn into a mosh pit within thirty minutes. Well, I thought, that might be entertaining in its own way.
"Hang on a second."
I stepped aside and pulled out my phone to call Ayaka. She'd mentioned having a meeting about the Equestrian Club today, so if I was lucky...
"Hello? Axel-kun? This is your beloved Ayaka Yukihiro speaking!"
Yep. Same as always.
"Hey. It's Axel. Look, Kugya and her roommates want to crash our sukiyaki dinner. You okay with that?"
"Kugimiya-san and the others? Yes, I have no objections."
In the background, I could hear Madoka shouting, "What the hell is a 'Kugya'!?" but I ignored her and kept talking to Ayaka.
"Do we have enough food?"
"Of course! This is a meal for you, Axel-kun, so I've already secured an ample supply of A5-rank Matsusaka beef. If you're fine with guests, I'm fine with guests."
"Got it. Prep for three extra, then."
"Understood. I'll see you at dinner. Oh, and before I forget—since the others will be there later, let me say it now. Congratulations on choosing your Activation Key, Axel-kun."
"Thanks. See you later."
I tucked the phone away to find Madoka glaring at me with a look of pure exasperation.
"Everything's cleared for dinner," I noted.
"Great, thanks. But seriously—Kugya? I've been teased about my name before, but that's a new low."
"Is it? I think it's cute. It suits you, Kugya."
"Stop saying it! Where does it even come from?"
She grumbled to herself while swapping back the king oyster mushrooms and picking out extra-thick shiitake for the group. I chuckled, put my empty basket back on the stack, and transferred my mushrooms into her basket before taking it from her hand.
"Oh... thanks," she muttered. "Wait, having a kid carry the basket makes me look like a mean older sister, doesn't it?"
"Don't overthink it. As for the name: take 'Kugimiya,' drop the 'mi,' and shrink the 'ya.' Thus: Kugya."
"Why would you put that much effort into mangling my name?"
"Who knows? Maybe because 'Kugimee' was just too easy. Anyway, we should get more shirataki and crown daisy. Especially the shirataki."
"I really hate that nickname... Do you even like shirataki that much?" she asked, tossing three bundles of crown daisy into the basket.
"Like it? ...Yeah, probably."
In truth, I liked it in my previous life. Since being reincarnated as Axel, I hadn't had much chance to eat traditional Japanese food. This would technically be the first time these taste buds experienced it.
We finished our shopping and stepped out into the evening air.
"Whoa, it's already dark."
It was nearly 6:00 PM. The sun had vanished completely, replaced by a rising moon.
"Well, it's February," I said.
"Ugh, I know. I wish the cold would just give it a rest already. You might not get it, but the cold is a girl's worst enemy. Then again, you're a child, so you're fine. 'Children are children of the wind,' as they say."
"I'm only four years younger than you. And 'child of the wind' or not, I don't enjoy freezing my ass off either."
"Oh really?"
She reached out and took my free hand—the one not carrying a grocery bag.
"Yikes! Your hand really is freezing. Are you sure you're not getting sick?"
"Actually, I've never had a cold."
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah."
To be honest, with a body as "cheat-optimized" as Axel's, I couldn't imagine a virus brave enough to try and infect me. If a germ that persistent existed, the world would have far bigger problems than my sniffles. Then again, maybe this child-sized vessel was more vulnerable than I thought.
"Well, they do say 'idiots don't catch colds'..."
"My test scores are higher than yours, Kugya."
"Ugh, don't remind me! Losing to a kid like you is genuinely humiliating. I'm going to actually try during the third-term finals."
Chatting like that, we made our way back to the girls' dorm and headed up to the second-floor hallway, where we were immediately intercepted.
"Aha! I knew that was Madoka."
"Sakurako? What are you doing out here?"
"I just had a 'feeling' I should come out and check the hallway," Sakurako Shiina teased, a cat-like grin spreading across her face as she looked at our joined hands. "I didn't realize you shared the Class Rep's... specific hobbies, Madoka."
"Hey! It's not like that!"
Madoka finally realized she was still holding my hand and practically threw it away.
"I—I was just... he didn't have gloves! I thought he looked cold!"
"Riiiight. You look awfully flustered for a simple act of charity, nya~."
"Sakurako! One more word and you're banned from dinner tonight!"
"Psh," Sakurako smirked. "I have backup cup noodles if it comes to that."
Madoka's smile turned predatory.
"Oh? Is that so? Even though Axel and the Class Rep invited us for sukiyaki? Naba-san is cooking, and the Rep brought over the highest-grade wagyu beef... Man, sukiyaki is great, but maybe I'll just have her make me a steak bowl instead..."
"Wait! No! Madoka, that's cheating!" Sakurako wailed.
I watched their antics with a weary smile as more footsteps echoed from the stairs. The rest of the floor was clearly waking up.
"Look, keep the comedy routine to a minimum," I interrupted. "I'll come call you when the food is ready, okay?"
"Eh? Oh, right. Thanks, Axel-kun."
"Hehe," Sakurako chimed in. "Just like a blushing young bride."
"Sakurako! Cut it out! At most, we look like siblings!"
Leaving the two of them to their chaos, I finally reached my own door.
"I'm back."
"Welcome home. Did my little messenger do a good job?"
Chizuru greeted me, already wearing an apron. Seeing her developed, definitely-not-middle-schooler figure wrapped in an apron really did sell the "young housewife" vibe more than the "student" one.
"Oh? Look at this lovely leek I found," she teased, picking up a stray onion from the bag and pointing it at me. "Axel-kun, care to be skewered?"
Was this a refined instinct? The way she could flip from domestic bliss to a threatening "wife who suspects an affair" vibe the moment my age or maturity came into question was impressive.
"I'll pass. Anyway, I talked to Ayaka. Madoka and the others are joining us for dinner. Did she tell you?"
Chizuru nodded, though she looked down at the leek in her hand with a strangely disappointed expression. Why did she look so sad about not poking me with a vegetable?
"Yes, Ayaka called. She said she'd bring enough extra ingredients to cover everyone, so it's no trouble at all. You got the things I asked for?"
"Yeah."
I handed over the bag. It was much heavier now, packed with the extra shirataki and mushrooms Madoka had insisted on.
"My, that's quite a lot. Did you have enough money?"
"Actually, Kugya paid for the extras. Said it was her 'entrance fee' for the meal."
"I see. Well then, I'll have to put my heart into making this the best sukiyaki they've ever had."
Chizuru hummed a tune as she vanished into the kitchen. Watching her go, I found myself actually looking forward to the meal.
As it turned out, the "snowball effect" I feared was real. Word leaked, and by the time the pot was bubbling, half the class had staged a tactical invasion of our room. It turned into a full-blown "Hot Pot Festival."
Thankfully, Ayaka had brought enough beef to feed a small army. She spent the whole night clinging to my side, whispering, "See? This is the power of a supportive wife!"
I just kept eating my shirataki.
Status Report
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 38 | PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Terrain: Air: S | Ground: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (4 SP), Effort (8 SP), Focus (16 SP), Direct Hit (30 SP), Awaken (32 SP), Love (48 SP)
Skills:
EXP Up, SP Boost, Telekinesis Lv.10, Attacker, Gunfight Lv.9, Infight Lv.9, Morale Limit Break, Geas
(Gray), Magic (Fire), Magic (Shadow), Magic (Summon), ???, ???
Kill Count: 376
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