Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

As she finished speaking, Nao Satsuka's voice changed, her sweet and delicate tone sending shivers down one's spine.

Even though Bai Yuan was quite a distance away, he was still finding it hard to bear. How much more so for Shinoto Hisako, who was facing Satsuka Nao directly, with goosebumps visibly rising on her arms.

"Teacher Baiyuan..."

She looked at Bai Yuan with a pleading expression, hoping he would help stop this madman. However, he remained unmoved, even watching the two of them with interest.

"Teacher Baiyuan!"

Hisako Shinto's voice was a few decibels louder, tinged with a hint of resentment. Although the two hadn't taken the final step, they had certainly confirmed their relationship.

Seeing her in such an embarrassing situation, didn't the other person react at all?

"Alright, whatever you do, let's sit down and eat first."

Seeing that Nao Satsuka was pressing closer, Shirobuchi's voice finally rang out, telling the two to sit down and eat, and that they could talk about everything after they finished eating.

This provides some buffer time.

Since Bai Yuan was a guest here, the old man also prepared his breakfast as a complimentary item with the order: a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, and fried dough sticks and soy milk.

A very standard Chinese breakfast.

"Sadazuka, you sit on the right."

As they were talking, Shirai pulled Hisako Shinto to his left, then stopped Nao Satsuka, who wanted to sit next to her, and grabbed her wrist to make her sit on his right.

If we don't do this, who knows what outrageous things Nao Sadazuka might do next.

"Oh, what a pity."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Nao Satsuka showed a regretful expression, but she still obediently sat to his right, putting on a sweet and well-behaved look.

If Bai Yuan hadn't already known her, he might have been fooled by her appearance alone.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, we'll be going to buy ingredients later. Will you come with us?"

After glancing at Nao Satsuka, who was eyeing her covetously, Hisako Shinodo subtly shrank back; she had no desire to act with this guy.

She was worried that Nao Satsuka might do something crazy to her, so she and Nao agreed that they would each take one day to buy lunch ingredients in the morning.

This is also why Bai Yuan bumped into Shirato Hisako when he arrived here.

"Buying groceries? Haven't we already bought them all? Is there anything else we need to buy..."

Before Shirabuchi could answer Hisako Shinoto's words, Nao Satsuka spoke first, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

Perhaps because of the distance, she had calmed down by now, but her gaze remained fixed on Hisako Shinoto, filled with tenderness.

"Actually it is..."

Seeing that Nao Satsuka didn't understand, Hisako Shinto briefly explained what had just happened.

"I see. Then the two of us can go. There's no need to trouble Teacher Bai Yuan. He's so busy with his affairs, he definitely won't have time to get involved."

Upon hearing Hisako Shinto's description, Nao Satsuka's eyes visibly lit up. She then turned her gaze to Shirabuchi, her eyes filled with pitifulness, clearly hoping for his approval.

"Teacher Bai Yuan specially set aside a day to spend with me, so he had time!"

Worried about being relentlessly pursued by Nao Satsuka, Hisako Shinoto gritted her teeth.

Finally, he reached out and intertwined his fingers with Bai Yuan's, raising his hand upwards as he spoke to show that the two were together.

Bai Yuan was clearly surprised to have his hand suddenly grasped.

However, after feeling the soft touch and hearing the girl's pleading gaze, he still said, "I'm here today for Hisako. I can support her in everything except cooking."

It was just accompanying her to buy groceries; it didn't count as helping her cheat. Bai Yuan wasn't a pedantic person. Since his girlfriend was being targeted by a cunning guy, he naturally wanted to boldly assert his ownership.

“That’s right. Teacher Bai Yuan came here because of me, so naturally he should accompany us to buy groceries.”

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Shinoto Hisako felt a little happy and changed her hand-holding from a handshake to a tightly interlocked handshake.

It is said that the ten fingers are connected to the heart. The moment they actually held hands, Hisako Shinoto clearly felt her heart beat faster. This feeling was particularly subtle.

The last time this happened was when Bai Yuan called her to the classroom that evening, holding a ruler.

She underwent a long period of special training back then. Every time she made a mistake, Bai Yuan would hit her buttocks with a ruler. When she got home, red marks would remain for a day or two and would be hard to remove. People who didn't know the situation would think they were doing something bad at night!

For a moment, Hisako Shinomiya's mind was filled with many wonderful memories of spending time with Hakugen-sensei.

Those past experiences that brought her both shame and pleasure are still vivid in her memory.

Well, maybe it's not that great either.

Bai Yuan's wicked smile flashed through her mind. He was clearly excited when he hit her, which meant that he probably already had his eye on her back then.

As a woman, Hisako Shinomiya had actually sensed it long ago, but she was too shy to say it. The other man felt the same way, and only after Erina-sama revealed her feelings did he finally open up.

If you're a man, be bold and push her down hard. She's a weak woman, she can't resist, okay? Every time you leave her in this awkward position, she has to clean up afterward. It's really too much!

"Teacher Shirai, Sister Hisako, are you... are you two dating!?"

Looking at the two people in front of him who suddenly intertwined their fingers and acted very intimately.

Nao Satsuka looked as if she had suffered a major blow, her face filled with disbelief, and her previously cheerful mood plummeted.

"That's how it is, so let's split up and buy the ingredients this time."

Seeing the hurt look on Nao Sadazuka's face, Hisako Shinto felt a little guilty for some reason, but still kept a straight face and said.

Finally, I can get rid of Nao Satsuka's entanglement.

Since the summer selection ended, she has been subjected to relentless harassment from Nao Satsuka.

It should be said that there were quite a few before that, but they were all directed at Erina Nakiri. She could treat them like garbage and throw the letters she wrote to Erina Nakiri every day into the trash can.

But now she's writing to herself.

Out of politeness, Hisako Shinoto could no longer do that, so she put her letter away.

I even read a few ambiguous thank-you letters and love confessions, and it was hard to imagine that the other person had such a talent, writing dozens of letters without repeating any content.

Now, she has two boxes in her room filled with her letters.

This thing is useless to keep, but throwing it away would be a bit much; it's really hard to decide.

"stare..."

Nao Satsuka remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on Hisako Shinto.

Yes, even though Hisako Shinto tried everything to stop her, she never gave up on following Erina Nakiri.

How could someone as insignificant as Bai Yuan possibly make her give up on Shinobu Hisako?

She was originally a person who was so persistent that she was somewhat twisted; otherwise, she wouldn't have been Black Jeanne d'Arc Nao for several years until she was redeemed during the Summer Selection.

"Alright, I've looked at the ingredients on the list. The seafood market and the poultry market are in different places, so we have to split up. We'll meet at the market after we've bought everything on the list."

Nao Satsuka stared at Hisako Shinto without saying a word. Hisako Shinto could only pretend not to see it and remained silent. In the end, Shirabuchi stepped in to smooth things over, offering a solution by pressing his hands together slightly.

"Okay, let's do it this way."

Bai Yuan offered a way out, and although Satsuka Nao was unwilling, she accepted it, though she still felt a little bitter.

Why, why is it that every time she likes someone, that person is taken by someone else first? It happened with Erina Nakiri, and it happened with Hisako Shirato too...

Various thoughts flooded her mind. Nao Sadazuka pouted somewhat aggrievedly, which, combined with her face, gave her a pitiful look.

Seeing the girl's expression, Bai Yuan felt a bit overwhelmed and quickly ate, soon finishing his meal.

Hisako Shinoto was a little slower, but she finished cooking quickly, got up and followed Shiro into the restaurant, afraid that if she was too slow she would be entangled by him.

As for Nao Satsuka, after seeing Hisako Shinto leave, she picked up the note he left behind, took a deep breath, and her face was full of intoxication and enjoyment.

Then she got up and sat in the spot where Hisako Shinto had just been sitting, pressing her face against the bowl Hisako Shinto had left over from eating, her mouth agape, almost drooling.

"Speaking of which, how exactly did you get entangled with her? Was it because of the Summer Selection?"

After leaving the restaurant, both of them relaxed considerably.

Looking at Hisako Shinto's face, which showed a faint trace of melancholy, Shirabuchi asked curiously.

"Because of the Summer Selection, I gave Nao Satsuka a bowl of Eight-Ingredient Herbal Lamb Soup after the competition. Then she transformed like a magical girl and has been clinging to me ever since."

As she recounted her experiences over the past few months, Hisako Shinoto's expression grew even more unpleasant.

She never imagined that her kindness during the summer selection preliminaries would end up like this.

Although she and Erina Nakiri often have a lesbian relationship, it's more of a subtle, ambiguous atmosphere unique to close friends, and doesn't mean she likes girls!

"Isn't this great? It just proves that my Hisako is charming and appealing to both men and women."

Seeing Hisako Shirato's frantic expression, Shirabuchi couldn't help but laugh, and then said to her in a half-joking tone.

"Do you want this good fortune? If a man kept bothering you, you'd probably run away faster than I do."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Shinoto Hisako rolled her eyes in annoyance, her expression became complicated, and she slowed down her walking pace considerably.

Admittedly, Nao Satsuka is very cute after her transformation, the kind of girl everyone loves, but she really has no interest in girls.

"Things will work themselves out in the end. Stop worrying about these things. The main task now is to buy ingredients."

I'll be watching from the sidelines, but I won't say anything whether the ingredients you buy are good or bad. After all, this is a test for you.

To prevent Hisako from developing unwarranted expectations of him, Shirabuchi took preventative measures by explaining his situation beforehand.

Buying groceries was a task assigned to the two by the old man, which contained a test within it. If he helped them, it would be no different from helping them cheat.

"Don't worry, I've already memorized everything you taught me!"

While I may not be as skilled as you in sourcing the absolute best ingredients, acquiring good quality ingredients of this level shouldn't be a problem.

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Hisako patted her ample chest, her face radiating intense confidence, as if she had everything under control.

And she was qualified to say such a thing, after all, she and Hojo Miyoko were the most attentive listeners to Bai Yuan's lessons.

She has mastered all the techniques very well.

Chapter 306 Split Up, Feelings Heat Up

"Then it depends on your performance. If you don't perform well, I will punish you."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan glanced at Hisako Shinto's buttocks, then, as if he had thought of something, his voice became more playful.

"Punishment...it can't be again...?"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's extremely blunt words, Shinoto Hisako blushed.