â⊠Speaking of which, itâs almost noon, isnât it?â
âI guess so.â
At Arisaâs words, Yuzuru checked his waterproof watch.
The time was 11:30.
It was almost time for the lunch that Ayaka had specified.
âAs I recall, we were talking about having a BBQ for lunch, werenât we?â
âI think so⊠If memory serves me right, the people in charge are Ayaka, Chiharu, and Soichiro.â
For this beach trip, each person was to bring something for which he or she was in charge â like foodstuffs.
For example, Ayaka was to bring meat, Chiharu vegetables, and Soichiro seafood.
â⊠I hope itâs proper food.â
Considering the personalities of the three â especially Ayaka â the possibility of a â jokeâ was high.
âN-naturally, it must be something edible, rightâŠ?â
It seemed that Arisa also thought that they brought âstrange thingsâ to the table.
However, if they brought something that was truly inedible or something that people would not choose to eat, and no one could eat it⊠it would certainly be a disappointing event.
Yuzuru and Arisa wanted to believe that all three of them would understand that much, so they would bring at least something edibleâŠ
âAnyway, we should get to the meeting place. If weâre late, theyâll whine about it.â
âI guess so.â
They got out of the water â Arisa put on the rash guard â and headed for the meeting place.
After walking for a whileâŠ
ââŠSpeak of the devils.â
âSince weâre here, why donât we all go together?â
They found two people, Ayaka and Chiharu.
Just as Yuzuru and Arisa were about to call out to themâŠ
â⊠are they not acting strange?â
ââŠso it seems.â
Unintentionally, Arisa and Yuzuru ducked behind a rock.
Then, peeking out from the shadows, they quietly listened.
âIsnât it fine, Ayaka-san?â
âN-no, but⊠doing it in a place like this isâŠâ
âDonât worry, no oneâs watching.â
âBut, F-for me, Soichiro-kun isâŠâ
âThat has nothing to do with me⊠right?â
âS-stop⊠Ah~âŠâ
Yuzuru and Arisa gently backed awayâŠ
Then walked away from the place as if to escape.
âT-thatâs a world which is too early for usâŠâ
ââŠwe are still just kids, arenât we.?â
When they arrived at the meeting place, Hijiri, Tenka, and Soichiro were already waiting for them ahead of time.
Soichiro asked Yuzuru and Arisa.
âHave you seen Ayaka and Chiharu?â
âN-No, not reallyâŠâ
âI havenât seen anything.â
When they replied, Soichiro merely shrugged his shoulders.
People who say donât be late are the ones who are lateâŠ
Soichiro sighed.
And five minutes later.
Two girls came toward them, running along the beach.
âSorry!â
âOh no, we are a little late.â
They said without a hint of remorse.
Then they turned their attention to the BBQ set already in place.
âYou already started.â
âThe three boys did.â
Tenka answered Ayaka.
Yuzuru, Soichiro, and Hijiri had already set up the BBQ set because they had nothing else to do while waiting.
The next step was to arrange the ingredients and ignite the coals.
âNow all thatâs left is the ingredients⊠Now that you two are here, letâs show them.â
âFor now⊠shrimp, scallops, squid, clams, turban shells, and horse mackerels. These are the standard stuff. And I recommend crabs and rock oysters.â
What Soichiro brought was more normal than they had imagined.
The four of them, including Yuzuru, patted their chests.
Such things are fine.
It was such a lineup.
âSurprisingly normal, isnât it?â
âYeah, I was actually going to bring surströmming⊠but I held myself back.â
âGood job. There there.â
Hijiri stroked Soichiroâs head.
Soichiro then shook it off, saying that he was not happy to be petted by a man.
âWell then, I guess Iâm next.â
Chiharu said and opened the cooler box she had brought with her.
She then pulls out a plastic bag of vegetables, which appear to have been cut in advance.
âAs for whatâs in season, I had some sent to me from my hometown. Corn, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and garlic. These are the standard items. Mushrooms are shiitake mushrooms and eringi mushrooms⊠I recommend Kujo leeks, Kamo eggplants, and Fushimi peppers, these three.â
In addition, Yakisoba noodles were also prepared for the closing dish.
Chiharu said.
Surprisingly ordinary.
The fact that by bringing Kyoto vegetables in particular, she was appealing to the uniqueness of the dish was a remarkable thing.
âI was debating on bringing Durians for dessert until the day of the trip, but decided against it.â
âGood job. There, there.â
âMore compliments, please!â
âHey, donât hug me!â
Chiharu pressed her face against Tenkaâs chest, while Ayaka put the cooler box on the beach as if it was her turn.
âIâve brought you something special.â
Yuzuru and Arisa looked at each other when Ayaka said that.
They had a bad premonition.
Ayaka, on the other hand, did not care and put the ingredients on the table.
âFrom beef, we have ribs, tongue, and entrails. As for pork, itâs the belly. And for chicken, itâs yakitori with salt and sauce. And lamb.â
Isnât that surprisingly normal?
Yuzuru felt relieved and a little disappointed at the same time.
âŠBut then Ayaka took out more ingredients.
âAnd then, hereâs a deer.â
ââŠdeer?â
âAnd a rabbit and a pheasant.â
Yuzuru felt the tide had turned.
âAnd hereâs the crocodile!â
âCrocodile!â
Arisa shouted in surprise.
âŠher eyes glittered a little.
âAnd this one is awesome. Bear hands!â
âThatâs amazing, dude.â
Hijiri shouted, half in amazement and half in astonishment.
âAnd finally, we have frogs.â
âF-frogsâŠâ
Tenka looked disgusted.
She apparently did not want to eat it.
On the other hand, Arisa was looking at the frogs with great interest.
Since Arisa seemed to be eating these for the first time, there was no need to worry about untouched food.
(Well, I can eat it too⊠and so can Ayaka, since she brought it with her.)
Yuzuru had eaten frogs when he traveled to China in the past.
When traveling abroad, one has the opportunity to eat this kind of food at least once.
Even in Japanese restaurants, some places offer it.
Unless someone is a picky eater, he or she will eat it at least once in their lifetime.
âThatâs Ayaka for youâŠ!â
âIâm mesmerized, I admire you!â
âHmph, give me more compliments!â
Ayaka smiled pleasantly as both Soichiro and Chiharu patted her on the head.
It seemed that the three of them shared similar sensibilities after all.
âBut thereâs so much food⊠Can we eat it all?â
Yuzuru voiced such concerns.
The amount of food seemed quite large, even including the fact that there were seven growing men and women.
âAh, donât worry. Iâll put the leftovers in the curry and miso soup for dinner.â
âThat sounds like quite a sumptuous dinner.â
Bear hands might be fine, but would frogs go with them?