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The slam of Ren’s hand on the table shook Kasumi into focus. Around the table sat the Phantom Thieves, a few weeks out from successfully completing Futaba’s palace. They had been dealing with Mementos requests while searching for their next target.
But today, a new challenge would test them all…
“I want you all to take on the Big Bang Burger challenge!”
Kasumi’s mouth fell open, stunned by her Senpai’s bold proclamation.
“Dude, the heck are you talkin’ about?” Ryuji scratched his head.
“Oh, oh!” Futaba raised her hand, “I’ve read about that! There’s three levels of increasing hamburger size. Finish it, and you get a cool prize! Along with raising your social stats… or something.”
“Exactly!” Ren pointed at Futaba. “She’s got the right of it. I just conquered it myself, Morgana can attest to it!”
“It was pretty impressive, I have to admit,” Morgana spoke, sitting in the center of the table.
“And now, I challenge the rest of you!”
Makoto spoke next, “Ren are you… sure this is a good idea?”
Ren leaned over the table, locking eyes with his second-in-command, “You’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, Makoto.”
She merely raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
“I must admit, I am curious to see their selection of burgers. But, what about the cost? I can barely afford the train fare here…” Kasumi couldn’t help but sympathize with Yusuke’s seemingly never-ending money troubles. Strangely, he never seemed to completely hit zero…
“I’ll foot the bill.” Ren put out.
“With money from Mementos?” Makoto questioned, trying to dodge without admitting defeat.
Ren gave a stern nod, completely serious.
Kasumi couldn’t hold it back anymore. She let out a bright laugh. “Y-You’re all taking this so seriously! This sounds like fun, Senpai! Though, I think you’ll be surprised who the winner is…” Instantly she felt Makoto and Ryuji glare at her. Being a gymnast herself, she relished in the competition.
“If I get fat before my next model shoot, I’m blaming all of you!” Ann let out, crossing her arms in a ‘huff’.
Ryuji started, “Whaaaat? No way, remember the buffet we did? I saw how many sweets you—ow, ow…” Ann’s elbow met Ryuji’s gut—with love, of course. Ryuji fell silent.
Ren’s clap got everyone’s attention. “Glad we’re in agreement! Tomorrow, then. Let’s do it separately. I’ll text when each of you can join. Sumi, mind hanging out with me the full time? I, uh… don’t really like ordering that much…”
“Sure!” In her head, “Of course I don’t mind, Senpai. Any day with you is more fun! And, I guess at heart, you’re still a bit reserved, huh?”
“Alright, dismissed!”
Kasumi watched as each of the thieves filtered out, muttering about Ren’s crazy idea.
She got up and walked over to Ren, “So… what prompted this?”
He gave her a shrug, “Thought it’d be fun.” The fire in his eyes brought a smile to Kasumi’s face. Watching him go from a cold and angry shell in April to this… chaotic leader of the Phantom Thieves… was inspiring. Not without its troubles, as the other members’ stomachs were about to experience.
“Alrighty! Just text me when you want to meet up!” She twisted, picking up her bag and descending out of Leblanc, waving back and Ren and Sojiro as she went.
The Next Day
“Whoa…” Kasumi stood with Ren, who had Morgana slung over his shoulder. In front of them was the main Big Bang Burger on Central Street. Ren, looking exceedingly pleased with himself, entered with Kasumi just behind. They sat at a booth-chair combo, Kasumi in the chair across from Ren, who sat Morgana next to him. A server approached at cosmic speed.
“Hello there! Welcome to Big Bang Burger. How can we give you an out-of-this-world experience today?”
“Hi, there!” Kasumi twisted to face the waitress. “Well, this may sound a bit strange, but we have several friends planning to do the Big Bang Burger challenge.”
“Ohh, I see! Wait…” Her gaze turned to Ren, “I remember you! You’re our most recent winner, correct?”
Ren gave a small smile and nodded. Kasumi followed up, “And now he’s challenged the rest of our friend group to do the same!”
“How fun! Did you want to start, or are we waiting for a bit?”
Kasumi turned to Ren, who pointed at the door. In walked the first two victims contestants, Ann and Yusuke. Ren grabbed a menu and pointed at the Comet Burger, showing it to Kasumi.
She turned to the server, “Uh, we’ll start with two Comet Burgers, please!”
“Coming right up!” The waitress walked away, quite pleased knowing the large bill coming through.
The pair sat down, Yusuke next to Ren, and Ann next to Kasumi.
Morgana popped out of the bag, “Lady Ann! How do you feel about your chances?”
“Ah…haha… Hamburgers aren’t exactly my thing, so I’m not 100%... I haven’t eaten anything today, though, so I am hungry!”
“That’s the spirit, Ann-senpai!”
Ren turned to Yusuke, “What about you?”
“Hmm… I think I’ll try to commit this scene to memory, and sketch it later.” He formed his fingers into a square, aiming them at Ann.
“If you paint me eating a giant burger, I’m shoving it down your throat.”
Yusuke’s eyes went wide as both Ren and Kasumi laughed. The prospect did not seem to encourage the young artist. Some small talk later, and two trays were placed in front of Kasumi’s friends.
“W-What is this…” Fear laced Yusuke’s eyes and voice as he gazed at the monstrosity before him. “How could such a work of art paralyze me so…”
“I-It’s… huge… And this is just level one?!” Ann exclaimed.
“Yep. Good luck, you have half an hour.” Ren clicked a stopwatch on his phone, beginning the challenge. Kasumi’s eyes were wide looking at the burger. The bun was three times the size of her face, with an equally big patty to match. And it was stuffed with all the toppings one could think of.
“It’s certainly… impressive. But I’m confident I can win this.”
Both contestants started off strong, taking large bites coupled with water to help wash the food down. But not even 5 minutes in, the damage begins to show itself. First, Ann dropped a bit of ketchup on her pants, resulting in a, “Bleh! This is why I don’t like hamburgers!” But they both continued.
Kasumi and Ren began to commentate on the spectacle.
“Oh man, Ann-senpai goes in for another bite! An impressive showing and recovery from the ketchup disaster earlier!” Kasumi started, pretending to speak into a mic.
“Yusuke isn’t too far behind either— clearly the month of only eating crackers has honed his hunger!”
However, this strong showing would not last.
“I… I yield!” Yusuke leaned back into the booth, about 65% of his burger remaining. “My stomach is just… not large enough for this…”
“Oh, and down goes one!”
Before long, Ann leans back as well, letting out a large burp. “O-Oops! Yeah… I think I’m done too…” She managed to get further, only about 35% of her burger left.
Kasumi clapped her hands, “Not bad, you too!”
“Not bad at all.” Ren followed.
“I never knew Lady Ann could eat so much…”
“Hey, stuff it, Morgana!”
Yusuke slowly stood up, “Whew… I’ve never felt so… heavy… I may require some assistance… But, um… Could I please get a to-go box?”
“...Yusuke, does your dorm even have a microwave?” Ren asked.
“Yes, thankfully. I shudder to think how I would have survived without one. Ann, would you like a box?”
Ann slowly got up as well, “Absolutely not. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to look at a burger again…” She turned towards Ren and Kasumi. “I’ll make sure he gets home alright. And… I’ll get you back for this, Ren…”
“Thanks for competing!” Ren flashed a smile. He gave the server enough yen as she removed the trays and gave Yusuke his to-go box, watching the two first contestants slowly leave the restaurant.
In a break between their friends, Ren picked up the menu. “Honestly, that made me a bit hungry myself. Since I’m not planning on doing the challenge today, maybe I’ll get a small meal.”
“Ohh, I may have a few of your fries.” Kasumi waved the server over and gestured at Ren.
Quietly, he gave his order. “Um… Can I get a #3 combo? With no pickles, please.”
Looking at him, sometimes Kasumi can’t believe the fearless and defiant leader of the Thieves and the trickster he was in their friend group could be so shy in public. “He’s making steps, slowly but surely.”
Before long, the next contestants arrive, with Ryuji and Futaba taking their places.
“Yo, what’s bonkin’! Sorry we’re late guys, I had to swing by Leblanc to get Futaba.”
“Did you think I could make it here on my own?! Also, stop saying that!”
“Oh shoot, sorry about that, Futaba. Thanks for getting her, Ryuji.” Ren held out his fist, which Ryuji bumped with his own.
“No prob! So tell me, how did Ann and Yusuke do?”
Kasumi explained, “Both made good progress! But couldn’t beat the first level.”
Futaba pushed up her glasses, “Heheh… well, I’ll blow them out of the water. I’ve maxed out my eating stat. Ren, you’ve seen me destroy Sojiro’s curry!”
Ren nodded, looking over as the waitress walked back over.
“Welcome, you two! Same order?” She looked between Ren and Kasumi.
“Wait wait, hold up. You said those two didn’t get past level one? How many are there?”
Ren held up his hand towards Ryuji, with three fingers up.
“Oh hell yeah, I’ll do the third level then!” Ryuji pumped his arm in the air, unknowing of the fate that was about to befall him.
“W-Wait, Ryuji-senp—”
“Nah, let him do it.” Ren gave a small smirk as he turned to Kasumi, showing her the menu.
“R-Right… Anywho, can we have one comet burger and one, uh… cosmic tower burger?”
“Coming right up!”
Small talk filled the table, mostly around how Futaba kept telling Ryuji how he was going to get a “game over”.
The clank of two trays brought their attention. The burger in front of Futaba was familiar, if still impressive. But the one that stood in front of Ryuji…
“Ohh fffff… frick.”
Ren let out a laugh at his friend’s abject terror. Kasumi leaned back in her chair, eyeing the actual tower of burgers in front of Ryuji. “It is certainly a lot, but…” She smirked to herself, confident in her victory.
“You’ve got 30 minutes. Good luck!” Ren pushed his timer on his phone.
“Heheh, watching Ryuji struggle is gonna be fun…” Morgana muttered from his bag.
“Stuff it, cat!”
“I am not a cat!”
“Alright!” Futaba slapped her cheeks and grabbed the burger. “It’s now or never…” She took a big bite, eyes growing wide as she set the burger down. “W-Whoa… It’s so… dense…”
She swallowed and sat still for a moment. Kasumi furrowed her brow, “Oh no… was it too much?” Futaba began to blink slowly until a soft plunk hit Kasumi’s shoulder. She adjusted her arm, making it easy for the now sleeping Futaba to rest on her.
“Wow.” Ren muttered, writing down ‘99% of burger left’.
“Huh. Must have been too much for her.” Morgana followed up. The table then turned to Ryuji.
“Well, guess it's on me then… Here we go!”
Of all the contestants, Ryuji was a major concern for Kasumi. She knew he could eat, the metabolism of a runner’s body was not to be underestimated. And he began to prove her right.
Starting off strong, Ryuji quickly moved through different parts of the stack. He tried many strategies, from the top, pulling off pieces, using a fork and knife. The table was transfixed.
While that was going on, the waitress brought out Ren’s order, which he muttered some thanks for, still watching Ryuji. After a few minutes, he passed the fries to Kasumi, who munched on some. He picked up his own small burger, and before taking a bite…
“Hm? …Aw man, they left the pickles on.”
“Aww, I’m sorry Senpai. We should ask for a new one.”
“Nah, it’s fine, I don’t want to bug them. I’ll just scrape them off.”
“But it’ll still have that pickle taste! C’mon Senpai…!”
He looked away, putting the burger down. “No, it’s fine…”
“Hmph!” Kasumi gently adjusted Futaba in her chair, then stood up, grabbing his tray and walking towards the register. Ren quickly got up and followed. Ryuji continued eating.
Kasumi walked up to the nearest employee at the register, “Excuse me.”
“Oh, hi there! How can I help?”
Ren was now behind her, looking at the ground. How someone who was several inches taller than her hid behind the tiny gymnast, no one could truly answer. “We ordered a #3 and asked for no pickles. Could I get another one please?”
“Oh, of course! I’m sorry about that.” The employee took the tray and got to work on a new hamburger.
Kasumi turned back to Ren, her face beaming with pride. Ren’s face was slightly flushed, as he muttered a “Thank you…” They both sat back down as Ryuji continued his quest. Kasumi felt Futaba lean on her again, still fast asleep. “It’s impressive she recognized I’m here…”
Before long, the timer went off on Ren’s phone, signaling the end. By this point, sweat had appeared on Ryuji’s forehead, his breathing increasingly labored. “W-Whew… Ok… I give…” escaped his mouth as he rested his head on the table. “T-There’s just… so much…”
“Not bad at all, Ryuji.” Ren surveyed the damage, “I’d say you got about 25% left.”
“Good job, Ryuji-senpai!”
“T-Thanks…”
“I’m surprised you gave in so easily!” Morgana taunted.
“What was that?! You give it a try then!”
“I-I couldn’t! My belly isn’t big enough…”
“Oh, so NOW you’re playing the cat card, huh?”
“Alright, alright.” Ren waved his hand, “That’s enough. Ryuji, you hold down the fort here. I’ll carry Futaba back to Leblanc, and explain to Sojiro so he doesn’t throw a coffee cup at me…”
Kasumi helped Ren gingerly pick up the still sleeping Futaba, as the two set off. Watching how close those two had become in such a short time brought a smile to Kasumi’s face.
“Maaan…” Ryuji let out a groan. “How can she still sleep…”
“Don’t you want to fall asleep, Ryuji-senpai?”
“I guess… I just want to stretch, mostly.”
The group passed the time with mostly Ryuji and Morgana bickering, while Kasumi made plans with Ryuji to work off all this food tomorrow. Before long, a Futaba-less Ren returned.
“Makoto is up next, right? I gotta stick around for this.” Ryuji rubbed his hands together, eager for a chance to get a win over Makoto.
They weren’t rivals, per se. Makoto could run circles around him in academics, and even keep up physically. And she was stronger overall in the Metaverse. But Ryuji had heart and did NOT have the brains to know when to give in. Their natural competitiveness brought a lot of good-natured fun to the group.
“She was helping Haru-senpai with the planters, right?”
“Yep. Although I think she should be here soon.” Not too much later, in walked Makoto, and… a surprise guest! Haru Okumura, her bright hair bouncing along as she followed Makoto in.
“Makoto-senpai, Haru-senpai, hi!”
“Yo…” Ryuji lazily lifted his arm up.
Makoto sat next to him and Ren on the booth, “It seems like you only got so far, Ryuji.”
“That’s only cause I started with the highest level!”
“I can tell… I’ll stay within my limits, thank you.”
“Hi everyone!” Haru sat next to Kasumi. She found it funny, looking at the heiress to Okumura Foods in one of their restaurants. Haru wasn’t a member of the Thieves (yet), but she was friends with all of their members, as they used the roof a lot, and helped her gardening in return. Her bright smile helped keep the group’s spirits up, even if she didn’t know about the Phantom Thieves.
“How’s it going, Haru?”
“Good! Thank you for asking, Ren-kun. I’m sorry for interrupting your event like this! But when Mako-chan told me what was happening, I couldn’t resist! I’ve always wanted to try the challenge!”
“You haven’t tried it?” Kasumi asked.
“Somehow, no.” Makoto answered, “I was surprised myself.”
“I actually don’t get too many opportunities to eat at my Father’s stores. So thank you for having me along! Oh, and I’m happy to pay for my own! Ohhh, I think I’ll try the gravity burger…”
Ren’s eyes widened, “A-Are you sure?”
“Yes! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.”
“A-Alright…” The server came back over, “We’ll have one comet burger and one gravity burger, please.”
“Coming right up!”
The same song and dance before two trays were put in front of the two third-years. Makoto cracked her knuckles, looking at the comet burger in front of her. Ryuji gave a sarcastic “Good luck!”
Haru clapped her hands together as she stared down the gravity burger. This wasn’t nearly as tall as the tower, but still around twice as big as Makoto’s. Ren pushed down on his phone, signaling them to begin!
Ryuji tried whatever tactics he could, but he failed in the presence of Makoto’s smarts. She evenly divided the burger and its toppings, ensuring she would never tire of a particular item. She moved through at a slow, methodological pace.
Haru had no such reservations, diving into the burger like it was her worst enemy. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
“She probably doesn’t get too many chances to eat like this…” Kasumi thought to herself.
The two methods, opposite, but complementary, were the talk of the table. The minutes ticked down, until…
“Done!” Makoto leaned back into her booth, a satisfied smile on her face. “Whew… that was a challenge.”
Ren looked down at his phone, “23:47. Not bad at all.”
“Guess I beat Ryuji then.”
“What?? No way, if I had done the comet burger, I totally would have beaten that time!”
“Yes, but you didn’t. That's what you get for not thinking ahead.”
“Aw, man…” Ryuji hung his head in defeat.
Haru, however, continued to forge ahead. The plate began to diminish as she continued her warpath, but…
“Aaaaand, time. Sorry Haru.”
The girl came to a pause, “Aww… well, I was approaching my limit regardless. Still, I’m impressed that our stores can put out so much food!”
“Not bad, Haru!” Ryuji exclaimed, letting out a burp after. Makoto merely pinched her nose.
“Hmm…” Ren looked at her tray, “I’d say that’s… 30%? Quite an impressive showing from our surprise contender.”
“Heheh, thanks, everyone!”
The chatter continued through the group until it was clear the three contestants were too stuffed to stay.
Ryuji let out a yawn, “Welp… I should probably get back to my mom… Thanks for paying, Ren! It was fun.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ryuji-senpai!” Ryuji slid out of the booth with a thumbs up and slowly hobbled home.
“We should probably get going too, Mako-chan. I have a feeling I’m going to take a nice long nap…” Her eyes began to droop.
“Oh boy. Thanks again Ren, this was fun. Bye Morgana, Bye Kasumi.”
“Bye!” Morgana and Kasumi said in unison.
“That’s a… cute cat…” Haru muttered as Makoto helped her stand up. The two walked out into the cool night air, Haru talking Makoto’s arm.
Kasumi looked at the sky herself, noticing the fading of sunlight. “Well, Senpai? Is it my turn now?”
He pulled out his phone, firing off a quick message. “Not yet. There’s one more person who I wanted to invite…”
A short wait later, and in walked a figure who set the store ablaze with conversation. A tall, brown-haired student carrying a silver briefcase, was none other than Goro Akechi.
“Oh, Akechi-kun!”
Kasumi knew Akechi even before Ren met him. Or, at least knew of him. Since he was a regular at the TV station her father worked at. But ever since their budding friendship… or, one could describe it as a rivalry, Kasumi had seen a lot more of him. Not that she minded, he was a bright person and fun to talk to. Even if he sometimes got a bit too close to getting who the Phantom Thieves' identity was.
But beyond that, something in his eyes sometimes worried Kasumi… She put those thoughts aside from now as he approached.
“Ah, Yoshizawa-san, hello. Amamiya? You said you had a challenge for me?”
“Thanks for coming, Akechi. I thought this might be another competition we could add to our list. Since you so often beat me at billiards, how about a game of my choice?”
“...I’m not opposed.” He sat next to Kasumi, eyes locked with Ren. Whispers from other customers in the store continued their ascent. The detective prince, attempting the Big Bang Burger challenge? That would be trending instantly.
“It’s simple, really. A challenge to see who can finish the cosmic tower burger the fastest.”
“You certainly seem confident. Want me to go all out on this one?”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Akechi.”
“I’ll compete too!” The two boys turned to Kasumi, nodding simultaneously. Sparks seemed to fly as they turned back towards each other. Kasumi waved the server over, “Three cosmic tower burgers, please!”
“W-What…? O-Ok…” Her eyes almost came out of her head as she reported that to the kitchen.
“Did your other friends attempt as well?” Akechi asked.
“They did, but only Ryuji and Makoto got close. It was a good effort all around.”
“Heh, friends will only let you down, Amamiya.”
“Already making excuses for when you lose, Akechi?”
Akechi’s gaze sharpened, “Why you…!” A pause, “Ahem. Words won’t solve this, Amamiya. Only action.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
Kasumi had to hold back so much laughter. The dramatics, the threats, the movements. It's like both of them were on a stage. And they certainly had an audience, the entire store, customers and employees, were watching them. Before long, three plates of the giant tower Ryuji tried to climb earlier appeared in front of the three contestants.
Both Akechi and Ren never wavered, an aura of complete focus from both.
“Are you ready?” Ren’s finger hung over his phone.
“Wait.” Akechi held up his hand, carefully examining his tower. Then he pulled Ren’s plate over, performing the same thorough examination. “Yes, they seem to be even. Very well!” He reached into his briefcase, and pulled out a silver object, aiming it at Ren.
…It was a fork.
“I am ready!” Akechi shouted.
All three contestants got in their starting stances, as Ren said, “3… 2… 1… go!” As if a gun was fired, all three began eating.
Kasumi had been waiting for this moment. Being a gymnast means an extremely strict diet. But not strict in the sense of no carbs. If anything, she needed the energy she provided, and her workouts were tailored to burn off however much she ate.
And she hadn’t eaten all day.
She began to dive into the tower, using a combination of Makoto’s analytics and Haru’s violence to make her way through the tower. Before long, her attention wavered to the other two.
Akechi and Ren’s eyes stayed locked the whole time as each moved through the feast. Though at times their paces wavered, it looked like one would overtake the other, the other would always catch up. It was so impressive how evenly matched they were that Kasumi found she couldn’t tear her eyes away. But that didn’t stop her own efforts.
The minutes began to pass as all three moved through their meals. Sidebets quickly emerged in the crowd as they would call out which hair color they thought would win. But almost all the focus was on Ren and Akechi.
A few more minutes until Kasumi found her hand hitting the tray… where the burger should have been. Her eyes went wide, “I-It’s… gone!” She looked around the table, and true enough, there was no burger left on her tray. A combination of her attention being elsewhere and her incredible metabolism carried the day!
However, no one seemed to notice, aside from Morgana, who looked at her, eyes very wide. She gazed over at Ren’s phone, it displayed his timer. “14:31! I wonder if that’s a record.” She didn’t say a word, just turned back to the other contestants.
They had both crossed the halfway point of their towers, the competition as close as ever. Their eyes did all the speaking. Ren led with a strategy seeming to be all about force, but beneath that was a layer of tactics and cunning one would expect of a master thief.
Meanwhile, Akechi was all about feints. He, like Makoto, took an analytical approach, pacing himself and knowing his limits and strengths. But occasionally, darkness would creep into his eyes, allowing him an extra edge Ren could only match with his own darkness… It was truly a battle for the ages.
Finally, the end was in sight. Both combatants only had a small amount remaining. The crowd began to gasp. Kasumi couldn’t peel her eyes away.
A clank of a fork.
The swig of a cup.
A swallow.
And… it was over. They looked at each other as the room held its breath. Until Kasumi called out…
“It’s a tie!!!”
“WHAT?!” The entire room shouted.
Kasumi looked at Ren’s phone, “They both ended at 23:51!”
“No… No! That’s impossible!” Akechi screamed out, the look in his eyes was a wildfire.
“It can’t be…” Ren fell, his eyes sullen pits of darkness.
“I swear! You both swallowed the last bite at the same time!”
Both let their heads fall, the results dawning over them.
“...Fine…”
“If that’s the case…”
The room began to breathe normally as the crowd dispersed, disappointed betters returning to their seats.
Until…
“W-Wait, Kasumi… When did you finish?!”
“W-What…?” Ren and Akechi both glared at Kasumi’s empty plate and the most innocent smile on her face.
“Uh… I think it was around the 14-minute mark…?”
She almost had two pairs of eyes launch at her as both boys couldn’t hide their incredulity. The waitress was the same, “T-That’s a new record! That might even be nationwide… Um, please accept your prize!”
Kasumi stood up and bowed, accepting the pins and coupons. While she certainly felt heavy, it was nothing she couldn’t work off tomorrow.
“I still can’t believe it… I call foul! I ate something earlier today! Damnit!” Ren muttered.
“That’s no excuse, Amamiya! I didn’t even realize what kind of challenge this was! To be so thoroughly defeated… It is not a familiar taste…” Akechi followed. “I’m very impressed, Yoshizawa-san. You’ve earned my respect.”
His composure completely returned, and his usual polite mask was ironclad again. He stood up, slowly, placing his hand on his stomach. “Whew… Sae-san won’t be happy about how lethargic I’ll be tomorrow… I’ll… see you both later.”
“Bye, Akechi-kun! Have a good night!”
Ren gave a silent wave to his rival, as he stepped into the night. He turned to Kasumi, “You continue to amaze me, you know that?”
Kasumi beamed back at him, “Heh… Since meeting you in April, you’ve done the same for me.”
He let out a soft chuckle, “Thanks… Alright, shall we get going? It’s getting pretty dark.”
“Mhm!” They stood up, both stretching to let the food digest faster. Ren paid the meals off, collected his prize for completing the challenge, and walked, slowly, side by side with Kasumi to the train. As they got on, Ren pulled out his phone, sending the results. Kasumi sat next to him, pulling out her own phone to watch.
Group Chat
Ren: Here are the final results.
Futaba - 99% of comet burger left
Yusuke - 65% of comet burger left
Ann - 35% of comet burger left
Haru - 30% of gravity burger left
Ryuji - 25% of cosmic tower burger left
Makoto - finished comet burger in 23:47
Akechi & Ren - Tied, finished cosmic tower burger in 23:51
Kasumi - Finished cosmic tower burger in 14:31
Ryuji: WHAAAAT. Holy shit Kasumi, nice job!
Futaba: I feel cheated!!
Yusuke: I can’t believe you immediately fell asleep.
Ann: Didn’t realize Haru and Akechi got involved. They both did well!
Makoto: Kasumi did the best, I’m very impressed.
Kasumi: I’m more impressed Akechi-kun and Senpai tied!
Ren: I’ll get him one of these days. But still, good job all! Thanks for indulging me.
A series of “thank you’s!” and “it was fun!” followed. As they rode along, Kasumi could feel her eyes getting heavy. “Guess there was… more in that burger… then I realized…”
Before long, she leaned her head on Ren’s shoulder, a happy sigh escaping her lips. She felt him give a slight chuckle, adjusting his arm for her comfort. She felt his head lay onto hers as the train carried them both home.