Chapter 511 - Meteor and Meteoric Iron: Real Side
—"Wow, that's really impressive."
"Don't just murmur that to yourself. You're going to make me laugh."
I'd been in the kitchen for a few dozen minutes now, half to hide my embarrassment and half out of genuine curiosity. Having observed Uni's cooking for a while, I let my thoughts slip out, and the chef chuckled lightly as he continued to expertly filet a large sea bream.
He was a man, an adult, and a skilled cook, which brought to mind our own chef at the Yotsuya dorm, Kazuharu Chitose. He was a former professional who still honed his craft as a hobby, but Uni seemed to be a bit different.
From what he told me, if Chitose-san was a chef whose main focus was 'honing his craft,' then Uni preferred to 'research cooking.' Rather than providing for others, he seemed to be the type who found joy in the process of thinking and creating.
In other words, he was the kind of person who loved cooking as a form of recreation. A spacious kitchen all to himself, an unlimited supply of high-quality ingredients, and a ready audience to eat his creations—this gathering must be a dream environment for Uni.
To top it off, the people here all had, in his words, "refined palates," making it a perfect testing ground from top to bottom. He laughed, saying that was half the reason he came.
This year, the trip had been moved up to June at Alicia's request, but he'd been attending the annual July summer trip ever since the first one three years ago, always being the first to sign up.
However, it wasn't as if he was only thinking of his own benefit.
"Looks like it's going to be lively this year with more people than ever before. I'm excited to cook all sorts of things—and most of all, I'm just glad our princess looks so happy."
He was probably going to let it rest and age for a bit. After fileting the fish into three pieces, he quickly wrapped the cuts in paper towels and stored them in the fridge before pulling out the next one.
Next up was… what was that? It looked like another bream, but the color, pattern, and shape were different. Anyway, Uni's voice was sincere and heartfelt as he continued to work with a smile on his face.
I could see the care in his actions, born from trust, friendship, and more. It was easy to tell that the relationship between the top two rankers of the Southern Faction was a good one.
"She's loved, no matter where she is."
I don't know the Alicia—the [Sword Queen]—from before I met her. But there are some things you can sense without knowing. And so, seeing this glimpse into her past, I felt a little relieved.
She might have been lonely, but she was never truly alone.
"Yeah. She's the kind of person who was born to be loved, not just in the virtual world, but by people, too. She really is—Hey, Haru."
"Hm?"
Uni stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me, another smile on his face. It wasn't his usual, lighthearted one, but a slightly deeper expression, filled with emotion.
"Someone else might have already told you this… but just in case, as a friend who's been by her side as the eternal number two, and as the highest-ranking member besides her, I'll tell you the consensus of the Southern top ten."
"…………"
"Thank you for making our 'princess' laugh. For three years, you accomplished something no one else in the world could—as one of her companions who could only watch over her, I offer my gratitude. Please, don't be embarrassed, and accept it."
…Telling me not to be embarrassed was asking the impossible. But when he pleaded with me to accept it as well, looking away would have been incredibly rude, so…
"O-Okay. Just this… just this once."
"Ha, haha…! Man, I can't believe you're the same [Acrobat] who shook the world in his debut match. You're so down-to-earth."
I managed a deadpan expression and a stiff nod, which, as expected, earned me a laugh.
"Alright, that's enough of the serious talk… So, what's the deal? It's a well-known fact that Iris is hot for you, but has there been any progress?"
"A w-well-known fact…"
"Oh yeah. Globally."
After laughing at me, he seamlessly shifted the mood and brought up a topic I had been expecting all along.
To hit me with this while I was still flustered… As expected of the Southern Faction's master of interpersonal skills, the [Heavy Tank]. Honestly, I wished he'd give me a break, but then I realized—bringing up the 'serious talk' first must have been part of his plan, too.
By showing his sincerity first, he'd created a situation where it was easier for me to respond in kind.
"Well… with my own circumstances, and other people's circumstances… there's a lot going on, so it's probably going to take a while longer to give an answer…"
And the problem with that was that I still didn't have a concrete answer to give when asked 'what's the deal?'
The closer I was to her, the more I cared about her, the harder it was to tell someone that the current situation was, for all intents and purposes, 'on hold'—
"Hmm… I see. Judging by that guilty look on your face, you feel bad for putting her on hold, I take it…"
"…………"
He'd hit the nail right on the head. I was speechless.
"Let's see, for example…"
"Yes?"
"Let's say, right now, I was confessed to by the top three most beautiful women in the world at the same time, okay? Now, what do you think I would do?"
"………………Huh? Oh, uh… is this a quiz?"
"It is. Just take a guess."
The fact that he naturally used 'three' as an example suggested that the world was indeed aware of the three arrows pointing my way. Anyway…
My mind was still a bit shaken, and I couldn't think straight with the sudden question. Besides, I barely knew Uni as a person, so I could only make a 'wild guess' as he'd suggested.
"Well… I think you'd either choose one, turn them all down, or put them on hold. Those are the three options, right?"
"If you're talking about clear-cut choices, then yeah, that's about it. Here's a hint: I'm the type of person who doesn't like to postpone problems."
"Then you'd either choose one or turn them down right away…?"
He probably wasn't looking for a definitive answer. Uni gave a single nod at my vague response before lopping the head off the fish with a thud and revealing the correct one.
"I'd run. Same day, without looking back."
"Seriously…?"
To me, it was a completely unexpected answer. But Uni shook his head with a look of exasperation, not a hint of a smile on his face, as if he were dead serious.
"I mean, think about it. A situation like that is impossible. Trying to deal with it head-on is reckless in itself. It's not something you can solve by worrying about it, nor is it something you can smooth over with clever maneuvering, right?"
"…………"
"I'd hate for you to get the impression that I'm a 'fickle guy' right after we've met, but I'll be brutally honest—no way. I can't handle that much baggage. Not me."
"…I, s…"
"I'd feel bad for the girls, I guess. But you know, I think it would be 'easier' for me, and for them, to just resent the reality of three 'I love yous' happening at once and give up. Chalk it up to an unfortunate accident."
His opinion was honest and forthright. The direct words, by no means 'thoughtless,' swirled in my chest after landing with a heavy impact.
"So, what I'm trying to say is…"
As he spoke, he swiftly finished preparing the second bream (?) and sent it to the fridge. Pulling out another large, different fish, Uni continued without pause.
"The fact that you're trying to face this impossible miracle head-on instead of running away… well, I'd say nobody has the right to criticize you for that. Except, perhaps, for some rare individual who's faced a similar miracle and didn't run."
—he concluded confidently, as if there was no doubt in his own theory.
"You're doing a great job, just by looking so apologetic and thinking about it so sincerely. You can have more confidence in yourself. Maybe relax your shoulders a bit."
"………………You really… think so?"
"I do. I'll say it again: I would definitely run. So, as a man, I respect you, Haru. As a sign of that respect, how about I make you one of your favorite dishes for dinner tonight? Is there anything you want to eat?"
I still hadn't answered his initial question that had started this whole conversation, but perhaps he'd accepted 'I'm still thinking about it' as the answer itself.
As if to lift my spirits while I was still trying to process everything, Uni flashed another innocent smile. After a moment of silence, I responded—
"Can I ask for… dessert?"
"Oh, a sweet tooth, are you? Sure, sure. I love baking, too."
I stored his words away as valuable advice from a fellow man and put in my simple request in response to his kind offer.
The second fish he was preparing was a striped beakfish.