Rinku's dinner party went off without a hitch. Even though, initially, everyone was a little wary, it didn't take long for her to win their trust. Her naturally sunny disposition and cheerful goodwill towards others greatly put the class at ease, and her delight was sincere when all 23 of her classmates showed up to kitchens at exactly 6PM the evening after she sent out the mass-invitation.
"HAPPY AROUND!" she cried, jumping up and spinning through the air, setting the tone for the rest of the night. As expected, Maho oversaw the proceedings, and Hiiro acted as her right hand, since it was impossible to expect even the Ultimate Cook to keep an eye on 23 other "chefs".
They all had varying levels of food skill. Some were genuine in their efforts, such as Rei, who was working off to the side with Esora. And Rinku was trying too, having the most fun mixing things, but making quite a mess. Other students, however, didn't even try. Muni was in the back with Shinobu and Towa, raiding the snack pantry. Nagisa tried to be the semi-responsible adult, lecturing Shinobu about a balanced diet, but it didn't take much for the other three to bribe for her silence with the snacks they pilfered from the cabinets.
Kyoko made a burger at one of the stations near the center of the kitchen, and the Muscle Trio was just a table over, loading platters and cups with protein-packed meals and shakes. In their minds, they had to prepare in case they ever had to do battle with Monochio. It might've been against the rules to attack it, but as the scar on Dalia's cheek displayed, anything could happen.
The injury was already almost entirely healed, Monochio taking her to the nurse's office the evening of orientation, and giving her some of its Monochio Miracle Medicine (Medicates Multiple Maladies Marvelously). The ointment was cold and sticky, but it worked its way into Dalia's skin by the next morning and it was already but a pale scratch on her dark face, but it served as a reminder for her and everyone else.
Rika, Kurumi, and Miiko spent more time eating than cooking, chased around by Haruna and Saori for snacking on the ingredients. Once Haruna finished chasing Kurumi and Miiko, Saki tried to help her peel things more efficiently. Marika leaned over their shoulders and listened in. Tsubaki chatted with Miyu while Aoi made her world-class jam. From the outside, her Talent was silly, but all anyone needed was a single spoon to be forever changed. Noa stood a few feet away, constantly on the verge of collapse from how cute it was. She even got Yuka to get a few pictures with her PheFo. Even though Yuka felt morally conflicted enjoying anything of Monochio's, she could not deny how good the cameras were.
The party didn't stop after dinner either. For one, there were plenty of desserts to go around—including a copious and generous serving of donuts and cake—and for another, there were plenty of rooms on the first floor still left to enjoy and explore. Rei returned to the music room, one of the recreational areas near the west wing. Hapiara minus Muni and plus Esora were in tow, and they spent a pleasant evening with Rei on piano and Rinku excitedly leading vocals. Shinobu and Photon, by contrast, spent a competitive night in the gaming lounge, later joined by Rika, who just finished dropping Saori off at her dorm after they were done helping clean the kitchen and dining hall.
Before long, Aoi, Tsubaki, Haruna, and Miyu were the only ones still left in the kitchens.
"Poor Saori, I hope I didn't overwork her," Miyu fretted as the purple-haired girl stumbled away.
"Of course not, Miyu, I'm sure she's just tired because she hasn't had much sleep since being here," Tsubaki reasoned. Couldn't she relate? Sleeping was already difficult for her, but after the Killing Game started?
"If anything, you should be proud!" Haruna jumped at the chance to shower Miyu in praise. "It means she's finally comfortable enough to rest!"
"Well, when you put it that way…" Miyu blushed and looked away. She was a little embarrassed by Haruna's ardent praises, but Haruna had a point.
All of them were thinking of the moment poor Saori started trying to wash clean dishes while putting away dirty ones. At first, Miyu bit her lip, wondering and worrying how she could notify Saori without drawing undue attention to her. Then, Aoi unwittingly came to their rescue.
"Do you need any help with that?" she asked Saori with a disarming smile.
"Huh…?" At first, Saori didn't understand, then her eyes widened in horror and humiliation. "Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry!"
Tired though she was, she still felt guilty abandoning the cleanup team.
"Trust us, you'll be an even bigger help if you go to bed," Tsubaki smirked, and even though Saori looked even more embarrassed, she knew Tsubaki was right. If anything, it was a miracle that Tsubaki herself had only almost broken one plate that night when her average could be as high as four. She and the others finished cleaning the kitchen not long after Saori left anyway, Rika and the rest of M4 finishing the dining hall.
"See? She did not need to worry!" Haruna declared proudly as she, Miyu, Aoi, and Tsubaki exited the kitchens, shutting the lights off behind them. "We were already almost d—WOAH!" Haruna stepped on a small skateboard waiting outside the door for her, and off she went. As she flew down the hall towards the west wing, toy bugs and fake snakes fell on her from the rafters, once tied in place by black cords that doubled as tripwires as Haruna rolled over them. She didn't stop until she hit the staircase bisecting the hall, barely catching the banister as she flew by.
"Operation: Scare the Chair was a success!" Kurumi's nasally voice rang out from the staircase's landing.
"Kurumi! Miiko! How many times do I have to tell you?! I AM NOT THE CHAIRMAN!" Haruna howled as her heart thundered in her chest.
"Really? Your Talent would suggest otherwise," Kurumi snickered. "Or would you prefer the Ultimate Bossy Pants?!" While she and Miiko smirked, Haruna was almost as red as her hair. The only reason Miyu was spared from the conga line of pranks was because of her Ultimate Luck, which ensured that she wasn't the first one out of the kitchen. Unfortunately for Haruna…
"How did you two even find all of this?!" She gestured to the wake of bugs and snakes, seething. As far as she could recall, it wasn't part of their usual treasure trove of devious devices, but with the Ultimate Prankster around… Although though she was more than happy to brag about her hand in the trap, she actually could not take credit for the bugs and snakes, focused on the mechanics of the trap rather than the decorations.
"Don't tell Kurumi, but I found 'em on the fourth floor!" Miiko whispered to Miyu and Haruna after Haruna yelled at her and Kurumi to go clean up their mess. While Kurumi scampered off with a pout to escape the raging Chairman, Miiko lingered for just a second more. "I think I'm gonna build another trap for Kurumi to see how well she does with it, and I'll be using more decorations, so you can't tell her!" Miiko held a finger to her lips, smile stretching from ear to ear.
From what she told Haruna, there was a staircase on the far end of the dorm side of the floor. If one went up that staircase, the door to the fourth floor was left wide open. Since there was no rule against entering open doors, Miiko wasted no time in slipping inside. There, she found a display case of model insects all over the world. Thanks to her Linguistic Talent, she was able to read the instructions to get the display case open, and she was able to read that there was a reptile case just around the corner.
Haruna was beside herself in disbelief, eye twitching as Miiko finally scampered after Kurumi, story over. She ran away giggling excitedly for her next prank, though she would have to build it after cleaning up the first. While Haruna seethed, Aoi watched in confused and mild amusement, and Tsubaki frowned disapprovingly, crossing her arms. Miyu, meanwhile, only covered her mouth to conceal a laugh.
It's what they're good at, so why not let them have a little fun with it? It is their usual brand of chaos, and for that, I am glad!