After Mizuno and the others arrived at the cooking classroom, they joined in to help.

Gold Ship seemed able to do everything—washing vegetables, cutting meat, peeling shrimp shells, picking out fish bones, rolling meatballs. Whatever task needed hands, or wherever there was trouble, she would rush over to help. A true all-rounder.

Of course, she still liked to slack off—sometimes sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor to meditate, or sneaking off who-knows-where—but overall she helped tremendously. One Ship was worth two people.

Mizuno stood at the stove, in charge of cooking. Tokai Teio stood beside him, playing assistant.

Mizuno recalled the dishes he had studied before, then began to show off his skills.

Brush the wok. Light the flame. Heat the oil. Take carrot slices already cut, coat them in egg, dip in breadcrumbs, then slide them into the pan—fry until golden and crisp, lift them out to drain. Just like that, a plate of fragrant fried carrots was ready.

The aroma filled the entire room, drawing every girl's attention. All eyes turned toward Mizuno.

Teio, standing closest, sniffed the fragrance and couldn't help asking:

"Waaah~ This dish looks super tasty! Trainer Mizuno, can I try one?"

"Of course." Mizuno passed her the plate.

"Thank you~" Teio took it, picked up a piece with chopsticks, and popped it into her mouth.

"Mmm~ delicious!" Her eyes lit up, ponytail wagging rapidly as she exclaimed:

"This fried carrot is amazing! Better than anything I've ever eaten before! Trainer Mizuno, you're incredible!"

"Really?" Mizuno tilted his head, a little doubtful, reacting more flatly.

Cooking was something he'd already known since middle school. As long as you followed the instructions, a dish like this wasn't difficult. With a bit of practice, anyone could make something tasty. To Mizuno, it wasn't worth getting worked up about.

Besides, he had made fried carrots before, and even tasted them himself. He thought the flavor was decent, but not super delicious. So right now, he suspected Teio might be exaggerating.

Or perhaps this time his heat and seasoning had just happened to hit the perfect balance, making it better?

Just as Mizuno reached to try one himself, to test the taste and learn from it—he realized the plate of fried carrots was gone. Vanished. Along with Teio.

"Huh? Where are my fried carrots?"

Eyes wide, Mizuno turned—only to see Teio already at the center of the room, sharing them with everyone.

"Come try this, everyone! Trainer Mizuno made it—it's super delicious~"

"Really? I want some!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"Onii-sama's cooking… Rice wants to taste it too…"

At Teio's call, the others gathered round, each taking a piece.

"Delicious!" After the first bite, the praise erupted in unison. Then they couldn't stop. One piece after another, chopsticks moving without pause.

Before anyone realized, the entire plate of fried carrots had been devoured.

"Trainer Mizuno, I'm sorry… it was just so good, before I knew it…" Teio returned with an empty plate, apologetic.

"Sorry…" The others too realized they had eaten too quickly, while Mizuno himself—the one who made it—hadn't had a taste.

"…" Mizuno stared at them for a few seconds in silence, then turned back to the stove.

"It's fine. If you like it that much, I'll just make a few more plates."

"Yay~" Relieved by his answer, they returned to their tasks with lighter hearts.

"Trainer Mizuno, I want to learn how to make these fried carrots!" Teio looked at him eagerly.

"A first-rate like myself must also learn." King Halo raised her hand, jogging over.

"Alright." Mizuno agreed.

So Teio and King Halo stood on either side of him, watching closely.

After Mizuno demonstrated a few times, he asked:

"Did you memorize the steps?"

"Yes!" The two Uma nodded.

Mizuno stepped back, leaving space.

"Then try it yourselves."

"Okay~"

The two girls stepped to the stove, carefully imitating his movements. Mizuno stood behind them, occasionally giving quiet instructions.

Just then, Kiryuin Aoi, finished with her own work, came over to Mizuno's side.

"Trainer Mizuno, hello."

"Hello." Mizuno replied politely.

"The fried carrots you just made were really delicious~" Aoi smiled.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"I bet whoever becomes Trainer Mizuno's wife someday will be very happy."

"Thanks—huh?"

The moment those words fell, everyone except Urara and Happy Meek froze.

Especially the two Uma closest to Mizuno. Their necks flushed pink, a thin mist of steam rising from their heads, tails snapping against Mizuno's legs.

Suddenly, he felt a chill down his back. Stiffly, he turned to Kiryuin.

"Trainer Kiryuin… could you change the subject? I don't want to talk about that right now…"

"Oh, sorry, I crossed a line." Aoi quickly apologized.

After thinking a bit, she asked:

"Then, Trainer Mizuno, I'm curious—why do you keep yourself completely covered? Even when cooking, you don't remove your gloves?"

Mizuno paused, then gave the excuse he always used.

"Haha… I'm just chuuni, I like dressing like this. I think it looks cool."

"Is that so?" Aoi looked him over, then nodded seriously.

"It does look cool."

"Uh…" Mizuno was left speechless.

He had just tossed out a random excuse, and yet she actually believed it!

Then Aoi leaned a little closer, peering at his face with curiosity.

"Um… Trainer Mizuno, could I see your face?"

"…"

There it was again—the curiosity about his true appearance.

Mizuno first pretended to check cautiously around them, then bent close, whispering:

"Trainer Kiryuin, I'll be honest. Under this mask, my face is hideous. Green skin. Sharp beak. Round eyes. Long nose. Four arms. Covered in hair. Super gross to look at."

Behind them, Gold Ship, busy with takoyaki, snorted dismissively: "Tch… if only that were true…"

"…" Mizuno was at a loss.

Sorry for disappointing—his real face wasn't grotesque, but actually handsome.

Just as he thought only Gold Ship's sense of aesthetics was bizarre, Kiryuin proved an even heavier hitter.

"Haha, Trainer Mizuno, you're so funny. But that kind of image—you don't think it's cute?" Aoi laughed.

"…"

Did she have some misunderstanding about the definition of cute?