[Chinatsu's Waiting Room]
Focusing back on the end of the first round, the final whistle sounded like a temporary reprieve for Phoenix-in Chinatsu.
Maintaining her aloof expression, she gave a slight nod toward the judges' panel before quickly turning and heading to her assigned waiting room.
Only she knew how much that extreme "performance" had drained her mentally and physically.
Not only did she have to precisely control her Jurisprudence Authority to simulate culinary skill, but she also had to focus on playing the role of the "proud, yet not invincible, genius girl."
Pushing open the waiting room door, a blast of hot, humid air hit her face. Chinatsu slightly furrowed her brow.
(...Why is it so hot? Is the air conditioning off?)
She walked to the wall, picked up the AC remote, and pressed it a few times, but nothing happened.
She checked the vent; there wasn't a hint of cold air. Clearly, the air conditioning system in this hastily prepared waiting room had gone on strike.
(...Just my luck.)
She walked to the massive glass wall, through which she could see the trio outside making a ruckus, classmates sharing food, and the atmosphere buzzing.
But her side... felt like a forgotten steamer basket.
(Should I go out now and say the AC is broken?)
The thought was immediately extinguished the moment it arose.
(No way, that's too embarrassing. I just finished acting like a cool, aloof genius, only to run out and complain because I'm hot? That would ruin my persona!)
(Go crash Shido's AC?)
Even less likely!
(What would that look like! Am I actively throwing myself at him?! Plus, Kotori and Reine would definitely analyze me to death with the look they reserve for rare animals!)
Left with no choice, she retreated to the center of the room. This waiting room was poorly ventilated for soundproofing, and with the sun currently streaming through the glass wall, the room temperature was steadily climbing.
(...Forget it, I'll just endure.)
She untied her apron and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her collar, hoping to cool down slightly.
But sweat still uncontrollably seeped out, dampening the icy-blue strands of hair on her forehead, sticking to her skin, and causing a slight itch.
Her back felt clammy too; the slightly elaborate spirit dress (disguised as casual clothes), worn for "aesthetics," had now become a burden.
She could no longer maintain her initial dignified posture. As if her bones had been removed, she slumped onto the chair in a fit of self-abandonment.
Her back rested fully against the chair back, her head tilted up, eyes closed, her chest rising and falling slightly as she took shallow breaths.
Her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red from the heat, and her meticulously pinned hair was somewhat messy; strands stuck to her neck and face, making her look slightly disheveled.
(I'm dying of heat... This is more exhausting than fighting Ellen...)
(Ratatoskr, you bastard... What kind of trash venue is this... They couldn't even provide AC...)
(And I have two more rounds to go... Just thinking about it makes me despair...)
She was completely unaware that her appearance—"exhausted from the heat" and "having lost the will to live"—was being observed through the one-way glass by someone opposite, who interpreted it as the "solitary fatigue of a powerful individual" and "the loneliness of having no one to rely on."
In reality, her mind was frantically cursing the awful weather, the broken AC, and the "performance" she still had to continue.
The so-called "solitude" was purely an illusion created by the physical environment.
If the AC had been working, she might be leisurely sipping iced water right now, perhaps even tempted to use her Reason Law ability to conjure a fan for herself (but she refrained, fearing the energy fluctuation would be detected).
(System Alert: Detecting user in high-temperature discomfort environment. Suggestion: Activate 'Frost Nova' Authority for localized cooling? Energy consumption: Extremely low.)
(Activate my foot! Do you want Fraxinus to lock onto me as a target?! Stay quiet!)
Thus, she could only continue slumping in the chair, like a withered cat, fighting this suffocating, hot "trial" alone.
She was separated from the bustling world outside by only one wall (glass). And this accidental "suffering," ironically, planted an unexpected seed for the interaction in the next round.