The victor of the second round was decided, and Yamabuki Ai passionately announced the result, causing the entire venue to erupt in enthusiastic applause and discussion.
The trio once again appeared, pushing a small dining cart laden with the remaining dishes, and were instantly surrounded by excited students. The clamor of sharing the delicious food quickly filled the entire hall.
Itsuka Shido sighed in relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and prepared to leave the stage for the dressing room. However, as he turned, he noticed that Phoenix-in Chinatsu had not moved.
She was still standing in front of her cooking station, arms crossed over her chest, head slightly tilted back, her eyes tightly closed.
That posture did not look like rest; rather, it resembled a restrained silence. The spotlights had moved away, and the lighting on the stage was slightly dim, making her solitary figure appear somewhat forlorn.
The noisy discussions of the students drifted up from below the stage. Although he couldn't hear clearly, he could vaguely catch phrases like "What a shame," "The appearance was so beautiful," and "Itsuka's tastes much more comforting."
(Is she... listening to these evaluations?) Shido's heart tightened slightly.
(Is she using this method to remember her failure and punish herself by listening to these comments? Because she tried so hard, yet...)
Recalling her previous stance of striving for victory "even if it meant seduction," the guilt in Shido's heart and his resolve to "save" her became even more complexly intertwined.
He couldn't help but stop, looking worriedly in that direction.
"Older Brother! Why aren't you coming in yet? You can see from inside too!" The dressing room door opened a crack, and Kotori poked half her body out, a lollipop dangling from her mouth.
Seeing Shido frozen in place, she followed his gaze and also saw Chinatsu standing alone on the stage.
Kotori blinked, looked at Chinatsu's posture—which resembled "facing the wall in contemplation"—tilted her head, and lowered her voice to Shido:
"Hey, Shido. What is she... doing? Can't accept failure? Or is this... some new type of self-motivation technique? Or... a punishment for her failure?"
Her tone carried a hint of curiosity and an imperceptible scrutiny.
Shido's voice was low and uncertain: "I don't know... Kotori. Seeing her like this... did we... go too far? It was just a competition, but she seems to take it extremely seriously..."
Hearing this, Kotori let out a soft "Hmph," pointing the lollipop toward Chinatsu: "Idiot Older Brother, you are just too soft-hearted. That's how competitions are; the winner is decided, and the result is everything."
"Even if she used some... uh... 'tricks outside the rules' last round, didn't it still fail to change the outcome? Petty tricks are useless in the face of absolute skill and sincere effort."
"'Tricks... outside the rules'?" Shido was stunned, his face flushing, clearly recalling the "accident" in the ingredient area. "Kotori, you... you saw all of that?"
"Of course!" Kotori lifted her chin slightly, looking a little smug. "Don't underestimate Fraxinus's intelligence network! From the moment you started selecting ingredients to every single micro-expression, everything was under our surveillance!"
However, immediately afterward, her expression became slightly more serious. "But... looking at her now, maybe she really did give it her absolute all.
That obsession to 'win no matter what,' even if the methods were questionable, is... to a certain extent, quite..." She swallowed the word "admirable" and changed it to, "...memorable." (Hehe, I definitely have to win, *pulls out small scythe*.)
The brother and sister stood silently at the dressing room entrance, simply watching the girl on the stage who was out of sync with the surrounding noise, seemingly enveloped by an invisible membrane. In Shido's eyes was worry and complexity; in Kotori's eyes was analysis, vigilance, and a hint of indescribable Understanding.
--- [Chinatsu's Perspective: I just wanted to cool down for a bit!]
(...)
(It's so noisy below the stage... Can these guys really get this excited over leftovers?)
Chinatsu closed her eyes, her heart actually completely calm, even feeling a little like laughing.
She had indeed been "reviewing" just now, but the content of the review was: (Hmm, the acidity was about 15% too high, the problem of the saltiness becoming prominent later was also simulated, the vanilla flavor was too strong... Next time, if I really have to fail, I can fine-tune the details a bit more to make the flaws more subtle. Hiroto's reaction, that lively character, was an unexpected bonus; the show effect was maximized.)
The reason she was still standing on the stage without moving was purely because—
(Ah... the ventilation here on the stage seems better than in the dressing room... Although there's still heat from the lights, it's much better than that stuffy, steaming dressing room. I almost fainted from the heat just now. Now is the perfect time, while no one is paying attention, to enjoy this bit of convection current...)
She could even feel a faint current of air brushing her sweaty neck and back, bringing a slight coolness that made her so comfortable she didn't want to move.
(Go back? Back to that oven-like dressing room? No way! Only an idiot would go back now!)
However, her sharp senses quickly picked up two undisguised gazes coming from the direction of the dressing room.
(...Hmm?)
(Why hasn't this Itsuka Shido guy gone yet? Why is he standing there staring at me?)
(...Damn it, why is Kotori out too? Are they watching together?)
(...Seriously, do I have something on my face? Are you two that bored? Or is my acting too good, and they think I'm deeply wounded and silently licking my wounds alone?)
Chinatsu was speechless internally.
(Come on... I just wanted to enjoy the cool breeze! What's with those sympathetic and scrutinizing looks from you two siblings? Do you have to be so dramatic?)
She felt like a monkey being watched in a zoo, and her good mood from enjoying the cool breeze was ruined.
To maintain her persona, she couldn't just open her eyes and glare back or walk away, so she had to continue maintaining that "closed-eye contemplation" posture, but internally, she was already ranting wildly:
(Hey, hey, hey, have you watched enough?! Go take a rest! Do you have to care about your opponent this much?! And Kotori, you naturally wicked little brat, have those little eyes of yours analyzed anything yet? Does Fraxinus even monitor opponents trying to cool down?!)
(Forget it, I'll pretend I didn't see them... I'll stand here for thirty more seconds, and once they go inside, I'll find a corner to squat in... Why is it so hard to quietly enjoy some coolness these days...)
The "loner" on the stage and the "observers" at the dressing room entrance, against the backdrop of the noisy crowd, formed a scene full of misunderstanding and drama.
Meanwhile, the real storm was quietly brewing in the countdown to the third round.
--- (Halftime break over, the third round is about to begin!)