Chapter 785: The Peculiar Girl
"Unnamed Senior's demeanor... don't make fun of me, I'm still far from it." Saten Ruiko paused, then quickly replied.
"I'm not joking," Haruue Erii said seriously. "You just haven't used your Nen Ability to cook, but in other aspects, you're really similar to Unnamed Senior when he's in the kitchen. The aura, the level of seriousness, and so on..."
"Eh~" Saten Ruiko thought for a moment, then smiled brightly. "In that case, perhaps all people who can cook are pretty much the same?"
Because she woke up very early, Haruue Erii had plenty of time after breakfast to leisurely walk to the 177th branch.
Saten Ruiko, who had no other plans for the day, also went along. She usually showed up at the branch's activity room anyway, and Senior Kogawa Meiwei was always happy to see her.
However, Saten Ruiko was not Judgment after all, so when the others got to work, she appropriately excused herself and didn't stay to bother them.
"So, how am I going to spend the entire day?" Walking on the street, Saten Ruiko suddenly sighed. "Isn't this just like any other day?"
There was no real sense of having joined the "Lin Wuming Faction" at all!
"There's fresh mackerel imported at the large supermarket in the 20th School District!" Someone suddenly spoke from behind her.
Saten Ruiko immediately recognized the familiar voice and turned to look.
It was a beautiful blonde girl, as cute as a doll, wearing a gorgeous dress and a beret.
"Frenda! Where did you pop out from?" Saten Ruiko asked, surprised.
"How rude," Frenda said, displeased. "I greeted you just now, and I've been following behind you the whole time, but in the end, I was completely ignored."
"Sorry, sorry, I was distracted just now..." Saten Ruiko quickly said.
"Not just now," Frenda added, "Yesterday at the Tokiwadai dormitory, you didn't hear me greet you either."
"Huh? So you went to the Summer Festival yesterday too?"
"Of course! Not just me, Mugino and the others went too," Frenda said, puffing out her chest. "I can easily get invitations!"
Saten Ruiko already knew that this beautiful girl's social skills were Level 5. It was indeed no problem for her to get a few invitations.
Not dwelling on the matter too much, Saten Ruiko asked, "So... do you need something from me today?"
"Didn't I just say?" Frenda also tilted her head and looked over. "There's fresh mackerel at the large supermarket in the 20th School District."
"Just because of that?" Saten Ruiko couldn't help but be stunned.
"Precisely because of that." Frenda nodded seriously, then added, "Because I've only ever eaten canned mackerel, I don't know how to cook fresh mackerel."
"I thought you were only interested in canned goods," Saten Ruiko couldn't help but retort.
"That's how it used to be..." Frenda mumbled softly.
Given Frenda's obsession with canned mackerel, she had even declared that she could abandon all other foods except canned mackerel, a truly outrageous statement.
Even fresh mackerel was not within her preferred range.
However, after returning to the headquarters yesterday, Frenda's dietary preferences were unintentionally mocked by Hamazura Shiage.
It was precisely because Hamazura Shiage wasn't intentional, but rather a careless act, that it was most hurtful.
Although she had already lectured Hamazura Shiage, Frenda still held a grudge and decided to try something new.
First, Frenda chose the safest option: mackerel that hadn't been canned...
Then, the next step was to find a chef who could turn the raw ingredients into delicious dishes.
Unfortunately, among the current members of Item, the best cook was actually Hamazura Shiage, the unofficial member... It just goes to show that he truly was a jack-of-all-trades.
But Hamazura Shiage only mastered basic cooking skills because he lived alone; he certainly couldn't claim to be a culinary expert.
Moreover, Hamazura Shiage was very worried that the dishes he made wouldn't suit the palates of these young ladies, and he would then be punished. So he absolutely refused to help Frenda with those damned mackerel.
Thus, Frenda immediately thought of her "canned mackerel acquaintance," Saten Ruiko, who had excellent cooking skills.
Under Frenda's coaxing and the temptation of "covering all food expenses for today," Saten Ruiko went on a shopping spree at the supermarket, then contentedly prepared to return home to make a "Mackerel Feast."
The large supermarket in the 20th School District was a membership-based, high-end wholesale market, with prices significantly higher than regular supermarkets.
But in Frenda's eyes, "supermarket" was synonymous with "cheap," so when she swiped her card to pay, she didn't even blink, not bothering to check how much money was spent.
This greatly disappointed Saten Ruiko, making her feel foolish for carefully selecting Items and trying to save the other person money.
However, being expensive had its advantages: the supermarket offered home delivery service, so the two girls could return home empty-handed and relaxed, without worrying about extra burdens.
"Shall we get some coffee?" Frenda suddenly suggested as they passed through the shopping street in the 8th School District.
"Coffee..." Saten Ruiko looked around. "There doesn't seem to be a coffee shop here, does there?"
"A convenience store is fine," Frenda said.
To be precise, what Frenda wanted to drink was just "coffee-flavored beverage," not actual coffee.
So the two of them walked into the convenience store.
As soon as they entered, Frenda's footsteps suddenly paused.
Saten Ruiko, who was following behind, quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from letting out a rude gasp.
Because the girl checking out at the cashier was just too peculiar!
It couldn't be called ugly; judging by her facial features alone, she was a beautiful blank canvas with well-defined features.
However, for some unknown reason, the skin on this girl's face, and even her exposed neck and arms, showed patches of varying shades, as if... patched together.
It looked a little unsettling.
In contrast, the girl's rare black and white hair seemed less unusual.
Seemingly sensing their gaze, the uniquely-featured girl turned to look at them.
Saten Ruiko quickly averted her eyes.
The girl seemed accustomed to the curious glances from outsiders, so she didn't mind. Instead, she picked up her heated bento and oden, and went to a seat by the convenience store window, seemingly planning to eat there.
"She's a Researcher," Frenda suddenly said.
"Huh? That girl?" Saten Ruiko quickly caught up, asking in a hushed voice.
"Don't you see she's already taken out her laptop?" Frenda pointed to the dining area by the window. "It's quite rare to work in a convenience store instead of a coffee shop, though."
However, the well-traveled Frenda quickly lost interest in the uniquely-featured girl and turned to Saten Ruiko: "It's my treat, by the way. Pick whatever you want to drink."
