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“It’s too late now,” Tachikawa bemoaned. “We’re doomed.”
Tsutsumi agreed; it truly was unfortunate for them. There was no escape from their current situation. Unless a Neighbor invasion occurred at this exact moment... (He didn’t want to think of the morality of even considering it as an alternative.)
“Is it possible that an administration executive would potentially need us, at this exact moment?” Tsutsumi couldn't help himself; he was that desperate, grasping at straws. “Like Shinoda-san, for example?”
“Why Tsutsumi,” grinned Tachikawa. Despite his own desire to escape, he still had the humor to joke. He reached into his pockets. “You aren’t breaking your promise now, are you?”
“Of course not. What about you, Tachikawa?”
“Me?”
“Who could you possibly be texting now?”
“At this point,” Tachikawa confessed, eyeing Tsutsumi across the table. “I’m even willing to ask Kido-san. You do know the rates of death increase when you’re involved?”
Tsutsumi frowned. If that’s true, then was he that unlucky? It just so happened that he was distracted with his new book- a new bestseller historical fiction novel- that he didn’t realize he had fallen into the trap of agreeing.
Before he could ask Tachikawa what he did to land himself here, the sound of hurried steps heading towards them reminded Tsutsumi of his impending doom. His heart rate sped up, and not in a good way. If Tachikawa was right, then it it was likely there was no chance they could’ve gotten lucky.
“It’s done!” Kako sang, presenting the boys their reaper with a flourish. “I’m so glad to have you two here to test my new recipe.”
“Oh? So what’s in this one?” Kako shook her head at Tsutsumi, her smile widening. He reminded himself that Kako was usually a fine person to be around, when it didn’t come to cooking or Ninomiya. Her smile wasn’t malevolent, but he felt even more uncertain now.
“It might ruin the surprise! I want to see your reaction when you first try it!”
Swallowing hard, he nodded and looked at the plate in front of him. At first glance, it looked normal. The ingredients were thoroughly cooked and chopped to small pieces. Nothing out of place, like burnt pieces or glowing radioactive seasoning. Not that he’s ever seen anything strange from Kako’s dishes, but it would explain the horrible combination of flavors he’s tasted before.
“Oh, I’m sure Tsutsumi will give you a very interesting reaction,” said Tachikawa, throwing Tsutsumi under the bus. If they weren’t going to be saved, at least he’d get a story to tell. “He said he was looking forward to it.”
Tsutsumi couldn’t say anything when Kako brightened like that, beaming at him. Inwardly he decided to sabotage Tachikawa someday as payback. Tell Tachikawa he couldn’t help him study for final exams, or inform Kazama of some trouble and hope the higher ups deal proper retribution.
“Feel free to dig in~”
Tachikawa and Tsutsumi both slowly reached for their spoons, but Tsutsumi felt like they were both waiting for him to start first. His stomach dropped, and he prayed: Hisato, make sure to support Suwa-san; Osano, keep doing what you do for the team. I’m sorry for failing you, Suwa-san.
“Sorry, just admiring it. I can see you put a lot of effort into this, Kako.”
Then he took his first bite.