Danganronpa: Boiling Point

Chapter 25: Cooking Companion

After breakfast, which was green waffles and pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage links, I decided to stick around the Dining Hall a bit. There was one person I had not spoken to much, and today seemed like a great day to do so: Teruteru.

As everyone else departed the Dining Hall, I stayed behind to talk to Teruteru, and see if he needed a hand with today's dinner, since it would likely be a holiday-themed one.

Not surprisingly, he was very eager to accept my help, and asked me to drop by the Kitchen around 4pm. I obliged, and took my leave, looking for something to do in the meanwhile.

I headed to the Game Room, and played Roulette for a while, getting up to 3000 Monocoins before stopping at 1pm, when Rantaro came in. The two of us played darts and Chess for a while (he beat me all 3 times at Darts, but I beat him both times at Chess). We really did not talk about much of anything, but I enjoyed his company, and he seemed to enjoy mine.

When 4pm hit, Rantaro decided to come with me to the Kitchen. Teruteru was surprised to see Rantaro accompany me, but did not seem to mind his company. Teruteru handed each of us aprons.

"Tonight, I plan on creating the legendary St. Patrick's Day dish of corned beef and cabbage, served with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and dinner rolls. While that may seem simple to some, I see every dish I create as an opportunity to serve up an unforgettable experience! Now, of course, everyone's tastes differ depending on likes and dislikes, their memories and perceptions, so it is up to each person to truly decide what is tasty to them. Therefore, a true chef must create enough sides to appeal to everyone, even if the main course is not to their liking, so that everyone leaves full and happy! That's where the mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and dinner rolls come in, naturally."

Rantaro nodded, clearly impressed with Teruteru's speech. As for Teruteru, he looked over at the potatoes and carrots.

"I must make sure the meat is...properly prepared, so one of you can peel the potatoes, and the other one, the carrots."

"I'll volunteer for the potatoes," Rantaro announced. "I always worry about nicking myself when peeling small objects, and Shishano's fingers are smaller than mine."

I smiled and sighed internally, not wanting to peel the potatoes anyway, and grabbed the first bag of carrots.

Rantaro went to the kitchen counter, on the far side of the room, so I sat at the kitchen table in the middle, my back close to the entrance. As I opened the carrots, I sensed Teruteru's presence on my right, and was instantly dreading my decision to sit here.

"Hey," Teruteru said in a low, quiet voice that instantly annoyed me. "Is there any chance the two of us can be together?"

I managed a smile and replied, "Absolutely."

Teruteru smiled and responded, "Oh? And when can we make that happen?"

I looked him dead in the eye, smiled very politely, and answered, "When you are lying dead in front of me, and I am draining your blood and removing your organs, preparing you for burial."

Teruteru's eyes grew wide, and his face went a bit pale. Meanwhile, I returned my attention to the carrots, finally opening the bag and beginning to peel them, one by one.

After peeling all the carrots, I ran water over them to rinse them off, then put them off to the side for Teruteru to steam, then went over to Rantaro to assist him with the last of the potatoes, peeling and slicing them up so they would be easier to mash. Teruteru thanked us for our assistance (in a way only Teruteru could muster; I am not repeating his words), and Rantaro and I parted ways. Looking at the time, it was around 4:45pm, so I decided to take some time to myself, in my dorm room.