Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 118 Casino Night, Part Two: The Presidential Girl

            Darkness was beginning to creep across the campus, but excessive event lighting in the Uptown area kept it at bay. While Torrey had been enjoying the company of the Hyakkou students, he was forced to cut their conversation short when the clock struck 5. After saying farewell, he hurried down the path to reach Hall A.

Rindo Kobayashi arrived at the meeting place a few minutes after Torrey, and clearly for good reason.

"Kohai! Sorry I'm late. Not used to doing my hair up like this," said Rindo. She always looked good, whether she cared to or not, but tonight she had really made the effort.

"Wow...that's...fine," said Torrey, unable to offer anything more.

Rindo's scarlet mane, having recently been cut short, now consisted of layers upon layers of voluminous curls. A deep side part allowed some of these layers to cover one feline eye, showcasing the other in a passionate blaze of yellow.

The scarlet hue of her hair contrasted with the dark black dress she wore. Made of chiffon, it had long sleeves and a sultry scoop neck. Stretching to the floor, the hem was slitted on just one side, revealing a long and curvaceous leg.

"Ha! That's all you have to say?" said Rindo. "I guess that's a compliment in its own right."

"Sorry, I meant to say that you look great," said Torrey, attempting to recover.

"That's better. The old Kohai would have said something like, 'You look great, for someone who eats so much'."

"The thought definitely pops into my head, from time to time."

"You've always been candid with me, I'll give you that. Does this mean you're finally warming up to your Senpai? Wait, don't answer that. Let's just have a good time tonight," said Rindo, extending an arm for Torrey.

"Sounds like a plan," said Torrey, gladly linking arms with his date as they made their way through the vaulted archways of Hall A.

Many guests were still gathered in the vicinity; it wasn't a gambling den per se, but rather the staging area for the event. Signs were placed around the room, indicating directions to the other halls and the teams in charge of them. These signs also listed the games being held at each location, subject to change as the night continued. Torrey recognized several of his instructors, including Jun Shiomi, speaking with guests and helping them navigate the halls.

"I've been debatin' this all day, and I need your opinion, Kohai," said Rindo, suddenly. Torrey stopped in his tracks.

"What's on your mind?" he said, bracing himself for the type of question that only Rindo would be bold enough to ask.

"It's about the appetizers."

"Oh," said Torrey, both surprised and not at all surprised by this question.

"I was plannin' to spice things up and make a challenge of it; you know, like trying every appetizer tonight. But I didn't realize how many first-years there are."

"There's thirteen teams of twelve students, so...I don't know what that is, but you're right. It's a lot."

Rindo paused, thinking it over carefully.

"There were 120 stalls at the Moon Banquet Festival, and I had to split 'em up over five days. Hmm...a lot of those were main courses though, and way more filling than these appetizers. Argh, I don't know what to do," said Rindo.