Chapter 980: Rice Beverage, Direct Questioning

"I'm Isshiki Satoshi, a 91st Generation student, second-year high school — in other words, your senior. Nice to meet you."

The strange youth wearing a chef's uniform flipped down from the mezzanine and introduced himself just like that.

"Soma Yukihira."

"Broly."

The two of them also greeted the other party.

"Let's go, everyone else is over at Room 205."

Broly and Soma Yukihira made eye contact, but they didn't refuse the Polar Star Dormitory welcome party.

"Is there food there?"

"Of course, every welcome party, us Polar Star Dormitory veterans prepare some cooking to entertain the newly moved-in students."

Isshiki Satoshi stopped on the second floor, raised his hand and pointed toward a room at the end of the second-floor corridor: "That's 205. You two go on ahead, I'll go get some things and come over."

Isshiki Satoshi went to the first floor, while Broly and Soma Yukihira headed for Room 205. Just as they approached, they could hear the lively atmosphere inside — sounded like someone was arguing in there.

"Excuse us!"

Soma Yukihira pushed open the door and saw that there really were two people staring each other down in the room.

"New residents are here, you two still planning to keep yelling like this?"

The girl with pale purple long hair and a bulging chest saw Soma Yukihira enter and said a line to the two youths glaring at each other, who looked a bit like delinquents.

"Hmph, for the newcomers' sake, I'll let you off this time."

"That's my line."

"Sorry for the unsightly display. This airplane-haired white tank top guy is Aoki Daigo, the one next to him with the blond slicked-back hair is Sato Shoji. They're friends, but they also frequently clash in various aspects, leading to arguments."

After the long-haired girl stopped the two from arguing, she actively introduced herself: "I'm Sakaki Ryouko, a 92nd Generation Totsuki Academy first-year high school student. I'm good at fermentation cooking. Nice to meet you."

"Also 92nd Generation first-year, Yoshino Yuuki. I'm good at game meat cooking."

Beside her, a blond bun-haired girl spoke and looked at Broly behind Soma Yukihira.

"I heard from Komekko about you. She said your ramen is very delicious. Wonder if you could make some and let me taste it too?

"

She looked somewhat lively, asking with very familiar behavior.

"Ah, Yoshino, this is a newcomer welcome party right now. Having Broly-san make noodles, wouldn't that be not too good?"

Tadokoro Megumi reminded from the side.

", sorry, I forgot that point. Then if there's a chance later."

The girl stuck out her tongue and apologized, giving off a kind of small animal cuteness.

"By the way, why does the welcome party have to be in MY room?!"

A glasses-wearing boy looked at the people standing or sitting around the room, clenched his fist and demanded.

"That's because Marui, your room is big enough, just right for holding a welcome party."

"He's Marui Zenji, our same-generation student, with the nickname Doctor of Taste. Hmm, if you have any problems with seasoning, you can come consult him."

"Don't treat people like a convenient search engine for looking up data!"

For the glasses boy's dissatisfied complaints, the people present seemed already used to it.

"Well, we're all classmates, mutual help is natural. Don't be so stingy. At worst, once my sika deer is raised, I'll share you a hind leg."

Marui Zenji's mouth corner twitched, he sighed, looked at the two who entered and asked: "What about you two, not going to do a self-introduction?"

"No need for them to introduce themselves. During the opening ceremony this morning, didn't they go up and introduce themselves?"

"This is a necessary process of following procedure."

"This kind of unnecessary procedure, Pass, Pass——

Although the bun-haired blond girl said to skip, Soma Yukihira still stepped forward and went through the procedure: "I'm Soma Yukihira. My family runs a small restaurant similar to an izakaya, so I'm good at various commonly seen home-style cooking. Of course, non-home-style cooking I can also attempt."

"Broly, no cooking I'm good at."

Broly also followed up, introducing himself concisely.

"What about Isshiki-senpai? He didn't come with you guys?"

"That person said he's going downstairs to get some things then come over."

"Oh, I get it. He went to prepare the welcome party cooking."

", there aren't any ingredients?"

Soma Yukihira asked with some surprise.

"The communal ingredients in the kitchen are gone, but the vegetable garden in the backyard is his. Right now he might be picking vegetables. Hmm, never mind Isshiki-senpai for now. You two want some drinks?"

"I'm thirsty right now. What drinks are there?"

Soma Yukihira's eyes lit up, directly asking.

"A drink made from rice."

Sakaki Ryouko picked up a somewhat suspicious-looking bottle of drink and answered.

"That's just alcohol, isn't it? There's no normal drinks like cola here?"

"Nope. Most of the welcome party food is made by ourselves. We don't have that kind of assembly-line stuff.

Also, this isn't alcohol. It's just a unique beverage formed from glutinous rice fermentation. Please don't misunderstand."

"Minors can't drink alcohol, so you two just listen for real."

The bun-haired girl sitting next to Sakaki Ryouko translated her friend's words.

"Your law-abiding consciousness of seriously exploiting loopholes is really impressive."

"If you don't drink this, there's only plain boiled water."

"Then give me a cup."

Soma Yukihira ultimately chose a flavored drink, and Sakaki Ryouko personally poured it for him.

"As for you, I'll just give you a whole bottle directly."

When it was Broly's turn, Sakaki Ryouko looked at the paper cups on the table, then at the boy's physique like a little giant, feeling that a normal paper cup could be used by him as a small cap for cough syrup, and after thinking it over, she handed him the entire bottle in her hand.

"I don't drink alcohol."

"This is a rice beverage."

"Then isn't beer just a wheat beverage?"

"Smart."

Sakaki Ryouko praised him, while Broly looked somewhat speechlessly at the girl before him.

", this drink tastes very refreshing and sweet, the taste is surprisingly good, give me another cup."

Soma Yukihira had already finished drinking, holding up his empty cup and wanting more.

"Here you go."

Broly took the wine bottle the girl handed to him in front, and then handed it to Soma Yukihira.

"Thanks, by the way, Broly-san, you really don't want to try a taste?"

Soma Yukihira thanked him in one sentence, then asked.

"My master and I have said that minors cannot drink alcohol."

Although Aqua is a lover of good wine, in terms of raising her disciple, she didn't turn Broly into a drunkard.

Of course, previously Broly's appearance really looked young, and now it's probably because she worries that if Broly also drinks alcohol, he would take up her share of divine wine in the Crystal Palace Space.

Anyway, regardless of whether Broly's body has developed or not, Aqua uses the excuse of not being old enough, focusing on delaying as long as possible.

", you're a minor?"

Broly's words made everyone except Tadokoro Megumi and Soma Yukihira turn to look at him.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"No, it's just that your build is too sturdy, we thought you were older."

"Can someone really not that young attend this academy?"

Soma Yukihira was somewhat curious and asked a question.

"Well, as long as the age isn't excessively old, this academy has some adult chefs who specifically enter to further their studies."

Yoshino Yuuki answered Soma Yukihira's question, then pointed at Sakaki Ryouko and said: "For example, Ryouko, she is 17 years old this year, but like us, she is a student of the 92nd term."

"Previously, the oldest transfer student was nearly thirty years old, and he suddenly discovered he had a talent for cooking, so he switched careers midway to become a chef."

He relied on his talent to graduate from Totsuki Academy, he is our senior from eight terms ago, and now he has his own cooking shop in Ginza."

Marui Zenji pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and also gave an example.

"As a cook, one must always understand various seasonings. Although this is an unfinished taste of Sweet Rice Wine, it also belongs to a type of seasoning, and a cook should understand the seasonings they might use; this is also common sense, so how about a cup?"

Sakaki Ryouko brought another bottle of her own brewed rice wine, and once again recommended it to Broly. For a boy who had never tasted alcohol, his first drinking experience was naturally a favorite of hers, this kind of person who loves promoting fermented food cooking. The gaze of this light purple-haired girl looking at Broly was just like a big bad wolf looking at Little Red Riding Hood.

"Broly-san, you just try it, this is really delicious, and used for seasoning cooking, it should be not bad either."

Soma Yukihira was also persuading from the side; he had already drunk two cups, and the breath exhaled from his mouth had the aroma of fermented wine and the grain scent of cooked glutinous rice, the fragrance was not pungent.

Broly's throat moved; he had only eaten half a portion of Soma Yukihira's cooking at night, and he really was somewhat hungry, but under everyone's persuasion, he picked up the rice beverage filled to the brim of the cup, and carefully tasted a sip.

Different from the feeling of tasting Aqua Master's distilled liquor before, the liquid entering his mouth gave him the first feeling of being clear, sweet, and mellow.

It had the sweetness of grain, with a slight sourness; this sourness was similar to fruit acid, but balanced with the sweetness, making the texture of the liquid smooth and coordinated.

After swallowing, the mouth was left with the scent of rice, and the aftertaste carried a faint hint of alcohol.

"How is it?"

Sakaki Ryouko looked at him with some expectation, wanting to get his evaluation as someone who had never tasted alcohol.

"It's very delicious, but after drinking, a hint of bitterness seems to rise at the root of the tongue; is this normal?"

"Haha, this is a normal situation. After drinking pure glutinous rice wine, a gentle bitterness spreads at the root of the tongue, which is exactly the manifestation of a mellow wine body and layered flavors."

"Sakaki Ryouko's rice beverage is very popular with the Logistics Department of Totsuki Academy; she is the Brewing Master of our Polar Star Dormitory."

"Of course, wine is just one type of fermented food she is good at; her Salt Koji and Natto and other fermented foods also taste very great."

"You've made me hungry; just drinking rice beverage isn't filling. Is there nothing else to eat here?"

Soma Yukihira rubbed his belly and asked directly.

"Since that's the case, let me take out the meat I just smoked today."

A person squatting in the corner behind the door stood up and said.

", who are you?"

Soma Yukihira was startled, turned his head to look and asked; this time he didn't mistake the person for a ghost.

"He is Iwasaki Shun, living in Room 208, a guy with a somewhat taciturn personality."

"However, his smoked cooking is very great, and someone even gave him the nickname Smoked Noble."

"Nice to meet you."

The boy with bangs covering his eyes reached out his hand toward Soma Yukihira and Broly.

"Nice to meet you."

Soma Yukihira and Broly shook hands with this person; when shaking, Broly subconsciously sniffed this person's nose.

Indeed, he really smelled a scent of spice-smoked meat, which made him unable to help but swallow his saliva, and he couldn't help but say: "Brother, you smell so good."

Iwasaki Shun felt a bit creeped out by Broly's somewhat hungry gaze, and hurriedly explained: "I often stay in a room with smoked meat; it's normal to have a bit of a smell. You're also hungry; I'll go get you meat right now."

This person quickly pulled back his hand and walked out of Room 205.

"Why leave in such a hurry; the newcomer won't really eat you."

Aoki Daigo teased him, and also went out to prepare dishes for drinking.

Beside them, Sato Shoji also left together; the behavior of these two was actually synchronized.

In the room, only six people remained.

Broly sat down next to Tadokoro Megumi, and after he sat down, this braided girl subconsciously picked up the wine bottle, leaned against him, and filled his empty paper cup to the brim.

Broly looked at the girl with some puzzlement; Tadokoro Megumi blinked at him: "Uh, didn't you want me to pour wine for you?"

"No, I just wanted to ask you, why did you add honorifics to address me again just now?"

"?!"

Sakaki Ryouko and Yoshino Yuuki detected something was up, and cast probing gazes toward Tadokoro Megumi's side.

"I just subconsciously————"

Tadokoro Megumi explained somewhat panickedly.

"So, what should you really call me?"

Broly pursued the question.

"Broly————Brother————"

Tadokoro Megumi called out with a red face; clearly it was just a normal address, but because she was being stared at by two good friends, it made her whole body uncomfortable.

"You went straight to calling him Brother; what kind of relationship is this between you?"

Yoshino Yuuki was the first to lean over and ask.

"We only met today; we don't have any relationship; it's just that Broly-san is older than me."

Tadokoro Megumi hurriedly explained.

"Then I'm also older than you; how come you don't call me Big Sister?"

Sakaki Ryouko also leaned over to join the fun; with one sentence, she teased Tadokoro Megumi for amusement.

"Wah, when we weren't familiar before you didn't say you were older; now we've all been in middle school together for three years, and only now you come to make me call you Big Sister; isn't this bullying me?!"

Tadokoro Megumi, looking like an honest girl, said resistantly.

Before we were familiar I could call it, but after becoming familiar I couldn't say it.

"Just bullying you, so what; hurry up and call Big Sister, otherwise, you honestly confess your relationship with Mr. Broly."

"Ryouko Big Sister."

"Hmm————"

"?!"2

The sudden sound made Sakaki Ryouko subconsciously respond, but upon discovering it wasn't Tadokoro Megumi's voice, she looked in surprise at Broly beside her; Yoshino Yuuki had a similar reaction.

"Was it you calling me just now?"

The girl suspected her ears had misheard, and subconsciously asked.

"Mm."

Broly nodded in acknowledgment.

"Why?"

"Komekko was a bit troubled; I wanted to help her out of the siege, so I helped her call it."

Originally it was just a joke between close female friends, but now————

Sakaki Ryouko and Yoshino Yuuki made eye contact; both saw a meaning in each other's eyes.

【This guy definitely has feelings for Tadokoro!

"Cough cough, not making things difficult for Tadokoro is no problem, but, do you like Tadokoro?"

Sakaki Ryouko asked directly.

"Ah, Sakaki Ryouko, what nonsense are you saying?!"

Tadokoro Megumi's gentle nature was destined to not be able to throw any straight balls; hearing this now, she naturally became somewhat anxious.

Just now when she was bathing in the bathroom, she had also thought: if Broly really had feelings for her, what should she do.

The result was, Tadokoro Megumi finished bathing and still hadn't come up with an answer; now she suddenly had to face this kind of problem directly, yet it made her not know what to

do.

"Mm, I of course like her."

Facing this question, Broly didn't beat around the bush, directly nodding and admitting it.

"Ho, to actually admit it so straightforwardly?!"

Yoshino Yuuki was somewhat surprised.

"What's so hard to admit; Komekko is a very cute girl, isn't she?"

Broly countered.

"Wah————"

Hearing this, the rural girl shrank her neck; her somewhat baby-fat face rapidly climbed the color of a red apple.