"Ugh... mmm..."

I wonder how long I was unconscious.

When I opened my eyes, Kiyotaka-senpai was nowhere to be seen nearby.

Instead, a faint but delicious smell was coming from the kitchen.

"This smell..."

Just as I started to feel a strange sense of nostalgia from that scent—

"You’re awake, Amasawa..."

Kiyotaka-senpai came from the kitchen.

Looking closely... there was a dish in his hand.

And that dish was—

"Whoa!! Tom Yum Goong!!"

"...You know it?"

"Yes!"

It’s one of the world’s three great soups and a Thai soup dish from the Kingdom of Thailand, also known as Tom Yum Goong!

Why did Ichika-chan feel nostalgic about Tom Yum Goong?

Because I had eaten that same dish in the original world.

And not just any Tom Yum Goong!!!

It was Tom Yum Goong made by Kiyotaka-senpai himself!

Even if it was in exchange for pairing with Sudō-senpai, I still got to eat senpai’s cooking!

I’ll never forget the taste from that time!

"Now then, there are various things I want to ask you... but you don’t seem stupid enough to talk for free. So eat."

"Really? I get to eat senpai’s cooking again!?"

"...Again?"

"Ah! It’s nothing! I’m honored to receive Ayanokōji-senpai’s cooking~!!!"

That was close...

I almost let something slip out because I was so happy to eat senpai’s Tom Yum Goong again.

"Yay! Then I’ll gratefully—"

"Hey... if you’re going to eat, you’re going to talk properly."

"Of course, I understand~! Then... thanks for the meal!!!"

And so—

Ichika-chan forgot about the pain in her body and happily enjoyed the Tom Yum Goong made by Kiyotaka-senpai.

* * *

"Well then, let me introduce myself again... I’m Amasawa Ichika of White Room Fifth Generation~! Nice to meet you!"

"Well, I had already mostly figured that out back then..."

The fun mealtime ended.

And now Kiyotaka-senpai’s interrogation time had begun.

"So? Did that man send you to bring me back to that facility?"

Kiyotaka-senpai’s horrifying gaze and killing intent—reserved only for those he considers obstacles.

'Wow... that’s scary~!'

I absolutely cannot answer incorrectly here.

"Nope~ I don’t intend to do that. I want senpai to be happy."

"What do you mean?"

"I worship Ayanokōji-senpai. As the masterpiece of the White Room... you created records even I couldn’t catch up to."

Even after saying that, Kiyotaka-senpai still shows no sign of lowering his guard.

"Even the adults were surprised. Among the White Room Fifth Generation survivors, the only two left were the ones who didn’t feel hatred toward Ayanokōji Kiyotaka."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"You don’t have to believe me immediately. From now on, I plan to do everything I can so that you can live a peaceful school life. If you want, I could even tell you the name of the other White Room student."

"No need. Whoever that White Room student is... I can’t say they’re not worth dealing with, but from what you’ve said it seems they’re also against expelling me."

Oh?

That lowers the chance of Takuya being expelled a bit.

Also...

In the original world, Kiyotaka-senpai said the White Room Fifth Generation wasn’t even worth dealing with.

But in this world, his view seems slightly different.

Maybe fighting me made him realize the Fifth Generation is stronger than he expected.

"Then as a little souvenir... how about I tell you the details of the special exam secretly being carried out among some first-year students?"

"Is that really something you’re allowed to tell me?"

"They said not to spread it around, but there wasn’t any penalty explained~!"

And so I began explaining the details of the hidden special exam to Kiyotaka-senpai.

"So the organizers are Nagumo and Acting Director Tsukishiro..."

"Yep! And the ones called to that meeting were: Ishigami Kyō and me from Class 1-A, Yagami Takuya from Class 1-B, Utsunomiya Riku from Class 1-C, and Hōsen Kazuomi and Nanase Tsubasa from Class 1-D. That makes six people. Also, Utsunomiya plans to tell Tsubaki Sakurako from his class, so technically seven people know."

"I see... twenty million points if someone expels me..."

Even after hearing the details of the special exam, Kiyotaka-senpai showed absolutely no sign of being shaken.

"Well then, I’ll head back for today~! But from now on we might have to talk in front of others under the setting that we attended the same middle school. So please make sure to play along when that happens~!"

"I’ll do my best."

"Oh! And one more thing before I go!"

"...What?"

"Kiyotaka-senpai!!! I love you! I’ll definitely make you develop feelings for me too!"

After making that declaration, Ichika-chan left the room without waiting for Kiyotaka-senpai’s reply.

By the way...

For just a moment when I said that, it felt like senpai’s face showed a slight smile.

But that must have been my imagination, right?