“…Come to think of it, it’s almost lunchtime.”
“Yeah.”
At Arisa’s words, Yuzuru checked his waterproof watch.
11:30.
It was about time for the lunch Ayaka had planned.
“We’re doing a BBQ for lunch, right?”
“Yeah. If I remember correctly… Ayaka, Chiharu, and Soichiro are in charge.”
For this beach trip, everyone had been assigned something to bring—ingredients and the like.
Ayaka had meat, Chiharu vegetables, and Soichiro seafood.
“…Hopefully it’s all normal food.”
Given their personalities—especially Ayaka’s—there was a chance they’d go for something gimmicky.
“I-I’m sure it’ll at least be edible…?”
Apparently, Arisa also expected something unusual.
Still, if they brought something completely inedible or too niche, it would just kill the mood.
Surely they understood that much.
At the very least, it had to be something people could eat—
That’s what Yuzuru and Arisa chose to believe.
“Anyway, let’s head to the meeting spot. If we’re late, we’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Right.”
They left the water—Arisa quickly putting her rash guard back on—and headed over.
After walking a bit—
“…Speak of the devil.”
“Let’s go together.”
They spotted Ayaka and Chiharu.
Just as they were about to call out—
“…Don’t they seem a bit… off?”
“…Yeah.”
Instinctively, Yuzuru and Arisa ducked behind a rock.
Peeking out, they quietly listened.
“It’s fine, Ayaka-san.”
“N-no, but… doing that here is a bit…”
“It’s fine, no one’s watching.”
“But I—I have Soichiro-kun…”
“That has nothing to do with me. …Right?”
“W-wait—ah…”
Yuzuru and Arisa slowly backed away—
Then fled the scene.
“Th-that world was a bit too advanced for us…”
“…Yeah. We’re still just kids.”
When they reached the meeting spot, Hijiri, Tenka, and Soichiro were already there.
Soichiro called out—
“Did you see Ayaka and Chiharu?”
“N-nope…”
“We didn’t see anything.”
They answered quickly.
Soichiro shrugged.
“I see. …They’re probably off flirting somewhere.”
He sighed.
“And the ones who say ‘don’t be late’ are always the ones who are late…”
Five minutes later—
Two girls came running across the sand.
“Sorry!”
“Yeah, we’re a bit late.”
They didn’t look guilty in the slightest.
Their eyes turned to the BBQ setup.
“You already got this ready?”
“The three guys did.”
Tenka answered Ayaka.
Since they had nothing else to do, Yuzuru, Soichiro, and Hijiri had already set everything up.
All that remained was the food and lighting the charcoal.
“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got.”
Soichiro opened his cooler and started laying things out.
“Prawns, scallops, squid, clams, turban shells, horse mackerel… the usual. And the highlights—crab and rock oysters.”
Surprisingly normal.
Yuzuru and the others relaxed.
This is perfect.
“Pretty standard, huh?”
“I was thinking of bringing surströmming, but I held back.”
“Good call.”
Hijiri patted his head.
Soichiro brushed him off immediately.
“Alright, my turn.”
Chiharu opened her cooler and took out neatly pre-cut vegetables.
“These were sent from home—corn, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, garlic. Standard. Mushrooms—shiitake and king oyster. And Kyoto vegetables—Kujo negi, Kamo aubergine, Fushimi peppers. Highly recommended.”
She’d even brought yakisoba noodles for later.
Also normal.
And the Kyoto vegetables gave it a nice personal touch.
“I almost brought durian for dessert, but decided against it.”
“Good girl.”
“Praise me more!”
“Hey, don’t hug me!”
As Chiharu buried her face into Tenka’s chest, Ayaka stepped forward.
“I brought something special.”
Yuzuru and Arisa exchanged a glance.
Bad feeling.
Ayaka started laying things out.
“Beef—short ribs, tongue, offal. Pork—neck. Chicken skewers, both salt and sauce. And lamb.”
…Normal?
Yuzuru felt relieved—and slightly disappointed.
But Ayaka wasn’t done.
“And this is venison.”
“…Venison?”
“And rabbit, and pheasant.”
The mood shifted.
“And this—crocodile!”
“Crocodile!?”
Arisa gasped—
Her eyes sparkling slightly.
“And this is amazing—bear paw!”
“Whoa…”
Hijiri sounded half impressed, half stunned.
“And finally—frog.”
“F-frog…?”
Tenka looked visibly uncomfortable.
She clearly wasn’t keen.
Meanwhile, Arisa stared at it with curiosity.
At least she’d try it.
(Well, I’ve eaten it before… and Ayaka wouldn’t bring it if it wasn’t edible.)
Yuzuru had tried frog during a trip to China.
It wasn’t that unusual globally—
Even some places in Japan served it.
If you weren’t picky, you’d probably encounter it at least once in your life.
“As expected of Ayaka!”
“I’m impressed!”
“Fufun, praise me more!”
As Soichiro and Chiharu patted her head, Ayaka grinned proudly.
Those three definitely shared the same mindset.
“But… isn’t this a bit too much food?”
Yuzuru voiced his concern.
Even for seven growing teens, it seemed excessive.
“It’s fine. Anything left over goes into curry or miso soup for dinner.”
“That’s going to be quite the meal.”
Bear paw might work—
But frog in miso soup?
Yuzuru wasn’t entirely convinced.
