CHAPTER 285: COOKING CONTEST [1]

Rin’s POV

"Hey, you still like Leo, right, Keira?"

At least... that’s what I wanted to ask.

But the words stuck in my throat. I couldn’t bring myself to say them out loud.

Because pretending it doesn’t bother me is already hard enough.

Watching her fumble and blush, smiling at the smallest things I do—it’s dangerous. Not because it’s bad, but because I can’t tell if those moments are just mine. Or if she’d shine the same way for someone else. For Leo.

It shouldn’t matter to me.

And yet it does.

I told myself it was one-sided, that I was just imagining things. But the more time I spend with her, the harder it is to believe that. She looks at me sometimes like I’m more than just the "loser" she always calls me.

So no, it doesn’t feel one-sided. Not completely.

"Heehee, loser. Are you hungry? Let’s go call the others."

"...Yeah, sure."

Keira’s laugh was light, too light, like she was hiding something under it. Whether she really didn’t notice or was just pretending not to, I couldn’t tell. She just smiled and walked ahead, waving toward the group.

"Guys! Let’s eat lunch!"

A chorus of "oh, okay!" rose up immediately.

And then Keira, with all the flourish of someone about to reveal treasure, pulled a neat-looking lunchbox from her backpack. "Actually, I packed lunch! It’s not a lot, so let’s buy some other food and eat together!"

I raised an eyebrow. ...Well, at least she’s prepared.

Ryen nodded, genuinely impressed. "Oh, Keira is well-prepared."

That would’ve been a nice little moment for her. Except, of course—

"Oh my, what a coincidence."

I glanced over just in time to see Nora beam like she’d been waiting for her cue.

"Huh?" Keira froze.

"I packed one too," Nora announced proudly, pulling a pastel-pink lunchbox from her bag.

Her eyes were practically glowing.

"Oh wow~" Leona joined in, her tone deliberately teasing. "Nora and Keira are on the same wavelength."

And because the universe clearly has a sense of humor, Leona dug out her own neatly wrapped lunchbox.

"...Seriously?" I muttered under my breath.

Ryen chuckled. "Looks like we don’t need to buy anything else."

"Yeah, you’re right."

And just like that, what was supposed to be Keira’s big moment turned into a three-way showdown.

Three lunchboxes, three smiles, three people acting like this was some cooking contest.

I leaned back on the bench, sipping my drink.

Well... good luck, Keira.

You’re gonna need it.

Keira’s face was priceless—eyes wide, mouth slightly open like someone had just stolen her script. Which, technically, they had.

She recovered fast though, forcing a little laugh. "Oh, wow... that’s... um, great. Guess we’re all really... thoughtful, huh?"

Her tone was cheerful, but I could see the corner of her lips twitch. She hated this.

And honestly? I couldn’t blame her.

Ryen clapped his hands together like this was some grand discovery. "Alright then, we’ll just eat all three. No fighting, okay?"

Leona leaned forward with a mock-sweet smile. "Oh, don’t worry. There’s plenty of space for everyone’s cooking."

Keira tightened her grip on her lunchbox. "...Right."

She set it down carefully, like it was some fragile treasure. Nora and Leona did the same, their boxes lined up side by side on the bench like contestants waiting for judgment.

It would’ve been funny—if I wasn’t watching Keira struggle to keep her smile steady.

I tapped my soda can against my knee, sighing. "Well, guess we’ll see who poisoned us first."

That earned me a glare from Keira, a scoff from Leona, and an overly bright laugh from Nora.

"Poison? Don’t worry, Rin," Nora said, brushing her hair back dramatically. "Mine’s edible. Can’t say the same for the others though."

Leona gasped in fake offense. "Excuse me? I made sure mine’s not just edible—it’s actually tasty. Unlike certain people’s experiments."

Both of them turned in unison to look at Keira.

Her smile cracked. "H-hey! Mine’s good too!"

The air turned into a battlefield real quick.

And me? I just leaned back, sipping my drink. Watching Keira fluster was almost entertaining... almost.

But underneath her forced bravado, I caught it again—that flicker of vulnerability, the same one I saw earlier under the arch. She wanted this moment to matter. To prove she wasn’t invisible, that her effort counted.

A few seconds ticked by before Keira, of all people, decided to move first.

With a strangely confident look on her face, she popped open her lunchbox like she was unveiling some grand masterpiece.

Inside were neat rows of bite-sized rice balls, fried chicken, a couple of those red Vienna sausages shaped like octopuses, and some basic side vegetables.

"Ah, Keira even made fried chicken? That must’ve been tough," Ryen said warmly.

And then—of course—Keira turned to me. Her eyes sparkled like she was waiting for something. Praise, obviously.

Great. Now even the others were sneaking glances at me, waiting for my reaction.

"Rin, try it quickly," Ryen added, way too casually.

...Seriously? Whose side was he on? He always loved stirring things up in moments like this.

I sighed inwardly, picked up one of the rice balls, and popped it into my mouth. It wasn’t anything mind-blowing, but the rice was seasoned with seaweed flakes and had a nice flavor. Simple, but good.

The fried chicken, on the other hand, was a little soggy—probably from being shut in the lunchbox all morning. Still edible, though.

"It’s good," I said finally, giving her a small nod. "You worked hard."

Her face lit up like I’d just given her the highest honor in existence.

"See? I’m good at cooking, right?" she declared proudly.

The way she looked at me, almost smug, made it impossible to shoot her down. Not that I wanted to. But still...

I couldn’t help thinking her confidence was a bit fragile.

Because the truth was, skill was always relative.

Even if you tried not to compare, the second someone else opened their lunchbox, comparisons would happen whether you wanted them to or not. And Keira, without realizing it, had just walked herself into a three-way showdown.

I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

Leona cleared her throat with all the grace of someone about to steal the spotlight.

"Now, it’s my turn, right? I woke up early for this, too~"

She set her lunchbox down with a flourish, and before she could even pop the lid open, Ryen leaned in, already in full entertainer mode.

"Ohh—the lone flower’s lunchbox! The only guy brave enough to bring homemade food today!"

Then she opened the lid.

Four types of fried food, cubed grilled salmon that looked like it came straight from a cooking magazine, beef and veggie rolls neatly pinned with toothpicks, golden rolled omelet, fresh salad, and perfectly shaped rice balls.

I caught Keira’s expression faltering in real time—her confident little smile tugging downward as if her lunchbox had just been downgraded to "snack-sized emergency ration."

Leona, meanwhile, wasn’t done. She clicked the second tier open with an elegant little snap.

"I kept this simple—just sides. And then for the first tier, I thought, why not add a palate cleanser?"

Sure enough, the top tray revealed fruit cut into little stars and hearts, pears and apples arranged neatly, with strawberries dipped in chocolate and hardened to a glossy shine.

The table went quiet for a second. Everyone just stared.

...Well, everyone except me. I was used to this. Leona’s cooking wasn’t new to me, though I had to admit she went a little overboard this time.

"Wow..." Keira finally breathed out, and it wasn’t the impressed kind of "wow." More like the please tell me I didn’t just walk into a losing battle kind of wow.

Even Ryen, who never shut up, could only whistle low. "Damn, Leon. You’re seriously on another level."

Leona smiled sweetly, like she wasn’t fully aware she just nuked the competition.

"Oh, it’s nothing big. Just something I put together."

...Sure. Just "something." With handmade chocolate strawberries.

I leaned back, sipping my drink, and caught Keira sneaking a nervous glance at her own lunchbox, probably wondering if she could somehow hide it back in her bag without anyone noticing.

Too late, though. Everyone had already seen it earlier.

Poor Keira.

Lunch had officially turned into a battlefield, and she was the one caught in the crossfire.

At that moment, Leona turned her head towards me and said, "Don’t look, eat now."

"Me again?" I muttered, staring at Leona.

Her smile didn’t falter. She slid the lunchbox a little closer, like she was presenting it on a silver platter. "Of course. You’re the fairest judge here, aren’t you?"

"Judge, huh." I narrowed my eyes. "This isn’t a competition."

"Mm, but it feels like one." She tilted her head playfully, though her eyes said she knew exactly what she was doing.

I sighed. Great. First Keira, now Leona, and Nora was still waiting her turn. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up stepping on a landmine no matter where I bit.

Still, refusing outright would only make things worse. So I picked up one of the beef and veggie rolls. The seasoning hit immediately—savory, balanced, with just enough soy glaze to coat the tongue without being heavy.

I chewed slowly, then set the toothpick down. "...Yeah. It’s good."

Leona’s smile widened, bright and unshakable, but I could feel Keira’s eyes burning holes into the side of my head.

I glanced toward her, and sure enough, she was trying too hard to look casual while fiddling with the edge of her lunchbox. Her lips were pressed tight, and that little spark of pride she’d shown earlier looked dimmer now.

Well....It was expected outcome after all.

But still, Nora hasn’t opend her lunchbox yet.