The moment Riko and I walked into the Kitchen, my nose was struck with a beautiful blend of fragrances. Just with my sense of smell, I could feel the warmth of sweet jasmine rice, the heat of a hot pot packed with flavours… everywhere my head turned, the tastes of different foods crashed into me, making my mouth water.
(Let's be honest, I could talk about food all day if I could. Heh heh heh.)

As I looked around, the centre counter was packed with plates and bowls, pots and pans - all filled to the brim with delicious offerings for us all, intricately laid out and prepared. Around the stoves and ovens came the sizzling and bubbling of even more dishes and sides being prepared, and the source of all these incredible sights and smells - two girls, working feverishly to create this culinary masterpiece.

"Rin-Pana!" Riko called out to them. "You guys need any help?"

"Ah, Riko!" The one with light brown hair seemed startled by her, the reaction helping me remember this girl's name - Hanayo. She was the one who made lunch. "Er, yeah, we could do with some help bringing this food out, if you don't mind." The pianist nodded and started to move some of the meals into the other room. "Erm…" She studied me through her glasses, before frowning. "Sorry, I don't think we've met."

"That's okay… it's Hanayo, right?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm Hanayo Koizumi, the Ultimate Chef. And this," She pointed out the ginger, who had come over to her side. "is Rin Hoshizora, my best friend and the Ultimate Athlete."
"Hey, you're the one who passed out this morning aren't you, nya?" Rin abruptly asked me.

…
"Yeah. Sorry if I scared you with that." I tried to play it cool, even though inside it hit a nerve. "Anyways, I'm Chika Takami, and… well, I don't really know what my talent is. But I hope, with everyone's help, I can find out what it is." This introduction didn't feel as impactful as the one I gave Nico, but the two of them seemed to react positively.

"Well, we'll certainly try and help with that, Chika."

"Yeah! We'll help you find out your talent!" Rin eagerly added. "Y'know, being in this place is horrible, but it's easier to face your problems head-on than run away from them, nyaa!~" She looked over to the door where Riko had come back, ready to collect more plates of food. "Hey, Kayo-chin. Do you need me to help Riko?"

"Err, yeah. There's still a few things I need to finish here, but Chika can help with that, if she's okay with it?" I agreed, and the ginger joined the pianist in moving dishes over to the next room. I've helped out with preparing food sometimes back at the inn, so this should be similar. As Hanayo instructed me over some noodles, she shyly adjusted her glasses. "I… I'm sorry if Rin seemed a bit too excited. She's often like that, but today she's been more lively."

"It's alright, Hanayo. Honoka's been around me all day, so it's really nothing. And, I guess Rin just wants to look out for you." I completely understood her too. We're forced into a… Killing Game, and I don't want her to get hurt. "So, ah… you two must be really close, then."

"Yeah, we are. We've been together nearly our whole lives, from kindergarten to school, to each of her races and now… here. When she got entered into the racing circuit and got a team around her, I signed on as her dietician. She's always been the superstar, and I want to do everything to make sure she's successful."
My 'awws' were muffled by the boiling water. I could clearly see why Riko and Kanan called them Rin-Pana - they seemed totally inseparable. "You must really enjoy cooking, then."

"I do. Making all sorts of different meals and recipes is a lot of fun. I just…" She trailed off, looking back to her stove. "Never mind, I think everything should be ready by now. Could you drain off those noodles and put them in that bowl, please?"

"Um, sure." Hanayo had clearly changed the topic, but… if it was like, You, earlier, she probably didn't want to talk about it with me. So I dropped it and did as she asked, and when I was done, she brought her own pan over and poured its contents - some kind of cheese and egg sauce - over the noodles and mixed them together.

"It's a rice noodle carbonara." The chef explained. "I heard Kanan say Mari is part Italian, so hopefully she'll like this." She finished the dish with a garnish of herbs, as the others came back to collect the last of the food. "Here. Riko, Rin, you take these," Hanayo handed them two different fish dishes. "and Chika and I will take these." She gave me the carbonara and took another pasta dish for herself. "Thanks for all your help, guys."

"It's okay, Hanayo. Helping out is what we do here!" Both she and Rin shot smiles at me, and together, we took the last of the food out to the Cafeteria.

Like at lunch, the centre table was packed with the food and drinks Rin-Pana had prepared today. The other students were gathered around it, waiting for the feast to begin. Eli and Nozomi were chatting with each other, about what I couldn't tell. Kanan, Mari, and Dia, along with Maru and Ruby, were joking around - much to the elder sister's dismay. Umi and Kotori, along with Honoka, were taken in by Nico's idol act.

As I set the pasta down… caught between Yoshiko trying to recruit a flustered Maki into her demon squad…

I saw You. Very much looking like she didn't want to be here. Trying to avoid talking with anyone.
Keeping to herself.

My heart panged at this sight. When we were kids, she'd probably have gone off and talked them all up, with a level of energy even Honoka would struggle to keep up with. But that was all gone now. She kept her harsh gaze low, not even looking to the others.

I already knew whatever happened to her in the last few years changed her. I just didn't know how much she had changed before now.
You was like a completely different person.

"Okay, everyone! Dinner's ready, nya~!" Rin called out, snapping me out of those dark thoughts and bringing everyone round to the table. Honoka sidled up next to me and had me sit down, asking me about my latest adventure.

"Honoka, they were just in the other room." Umi quickly countered. "It really wasn't an adventure."

"But still! I bet it was super exciting!" I assured her it really wasn't, but decided to tell her while we ate. Soon we were all down at the table, the ginger and Riko by my side, and ready to eat. I gave one more look around the table and, unlike this morning, I could put a name to every face in this room. It felt much better to know them all, but another terrible thought hit me as we began eating.

If this is a… Killing Game, then it's possible… most of them could… could die.

I don't want any one of them to die.

"OH MY GOD CHIKA YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS, IT'S AMAZING!" Honoka burst out, loud enough for everyone to hear. I turned to her and asked what she was eating, to maybe get some for myself - but ended up with a spoonful of stew in my mouth.

She was right. It was utterly beautiful. That one mouthful had expertly crafted flavours which warmed my cool heart.
But still! She just shoved hot stew into my mouth for pretty much no reason!

"Hehe, you need to stop worrying so much, Chika! It's all over your face!" She held a soft and warm smile to me, a light that drove out the darkness in my head, and it was clear why I was given that surprise taste of stew. I know she's the Ultimate Friend, but how is she so good at cheering me up? "Besides, weren't you gonna tell me about what you've been up to?" ("Seconds, zura!" echoed across the room.)

"Alright, alright. I'll tell." As I dished some of the carbonara into my bowl, I told her about my meeting with Rin-Pana - even though it wasn't that interesting (brief introductions and looking after noodles) she hung on every word I said, asking questions at the right times. Since I didn't learn much about Rin, apart from being an athlete, I asked Honoka about her.

"Oh, kitty cat Rin-chan? Yeah, I've heard she's a world-class marathon runner. She's got tons and tons of energy and can keep up with and beat almost anyone else, even when they've had years and years of training!"

"I really admire her attitude, too." Riko added, as she made work on a Thai curry. Well, my nose told me it was a Thai curry anyway. "She seems a bit impulsive and rash at times, but the level of work and dedication she puts into her races is very respectable."

"I know, right?" Like with the other Ultimates, just learning about her skills left me in awe, and wondering what special talent hides behind the '?' I was given. I carried on eating as Honoka and Riko talked on about Rin-Pana and the food they prepared, occasionally chipping in with odd comments. As it continued, the topic drifted to Honoka and what she got up to after I… took a nap. She had gone back and helped with the pulley at the Entrance Hall, until she said they 'hit a snag.'

"Hmm? What kind of snag?" I asked. Any snag wasn't good, but I felt it was better to know if it was a small setback, or something bigger.

"Weeelllll… we kinda can't get the wood to stick together with the ropes we have. We called Maru over, and she reckons we're gonna have to start cutting the wood to make it fit. Only we can't do that right now either because we can't find any tools for woodworking."

"Oh." I quickly looked around, but nobody seemed interested in our chat. That pulley was probably our best way out of this prison. And now… we've been pushed back to square one.
"Yeah, it sucks we can't move on with it, but hey-ho! We'll find another way outta here!" She kept her usual chipper attitude despite the bad news, and it was clear to us she was a truly positive force of nature - not letting anything get her down.

Eventually, the food so lovingly prepared by Hanayo was all relocated into eighteen stomachs, happy sighs filling the room from each of them. The power of a good meal was in clear view - everyone was satisfied and talking together (again, I noticed You trying her best to avoid conversation) - it was like we were all very good friends. Rin-Pana quickly gathered up the empty dishes and moved them back into the Kitchen, and when they came back, Eli and Dia grabbed everyone's attention for another meeting, to catch up with what happened today.
This crazy day.