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Using hotplates, I cook several okonomiyaki simultaneously. Everyone has their own preference, so let’s start with a standard one. Once everyone has eaten a bit, they’ll start cooking on their own.

“Here it is.”
“Do you have any death sauce?”
“I don’t have any such weird flavoring here. Give it up, super spicy lover.”

Like hell I would have something that would cause extreme pain with a single lick on me. In the past, several of us in class did a taste challenge as a test of courage, and everyone dropped out. Even Isami ran off to find water.

“Isn’t your throat important for your profession? Is eating super spicy stuff okay?”
“Do you think the average spiciness can affect me?”
““Nope.””

Shirose and I answered simultaneously. Sherry doesn’t seem to understand our conversation. Everyone in the rogue’s den even questions if Kataribe still has a working sense of taste. Still, when served with hell cooking, she normally hated it.

“Yum~”
“This is my first time tasting Koto-chan’s cooking, but it looks like you still got it.”
“That statement doesn’t make sense at all.”
“You’re only going to have more questions if you entertain their ramblings, so you can just ignore those.”

I was already doing that before I became Kotone. Sometimes they mix in stuff that I can’t afford to ignore, so I can’t keep my guard down. Don’t try to trick people into making promises in the middle of nonsense conversations, damn it. Moreover, they make sure to record it.

“This is my first time eating Anne’s cooking, but it’s really good with alcohol. I can see why Akane likes you that much.”
“It started with her liking me for my appearance, though.”

I didn’t imagine that we’d keep each other company for this long after meeting her in the hospital. And neither did I expect to be acquainted with her family. Who could imagine such a lively and inconsiderate family like theirs?

“Koto-chan. Give me the strongest one you can right now!”
“Sure thing.”
“Mask is necessary.”
“Shiro, could you explain it to me?”

What I have available are shichimi mix, tabasco, hawk talon pepper, and red chili pepper. I can’t really ask for quality, so I’ll attack with quantity. I’ll have Misaki do the precooking. Using the mortar is dangerous work, after all.

“Here, all done.”
“Wow, it’s a bright red okonomiyaki.”
“Koto-chan, your maid is crying.”
“Collateral damage. Don’t worry about it.”

She didn’t have any protection, so she kept getting exposed to capsaicin. Her eyes and nose have suffered a lot of damage, but she should be alright. I’ll do some proper aftercare later. Some carpet bombing of sweets.

“You girls, do you always do something like this?”
“““This is a regular day for us.”””

It’s not rare for us to do stupid stuff; rather, we’re like this every day. The only time we were calm and behaved was probably when we first met. But then, a few hours later, it devolved into chaos. The unmindful idiot was at fault there.

“Moderately spicy. This isn’t bad either.”
“You can actually tell the taste?”
“I can’t do it either.”

I don’t have the courage to taste it. I tried having Misaki taste it, but she violently shook her head in refusal. Not stepping on an obvious landmine, huh. If it were one of the idiots instead, I would have forced their mouth open and shoved it in their throat. My conscience doesn’t work with them.

“Can I have a bite?”
““Don’t.””
“Being stopped like that just makes people more curious, don’t you think?”
““We warned you.””

For this time, Shirose and I have the right opinion. Why would anyone want something that clearly looks like a fire hazard? Maybe she got curious because Kataribe is enjoying it so much. Kataribe is only fine because she’s special. I can easily imagine what would happen if a normal person ate this.

“Not even in my dreams would I have imagined that I’d ever feed Sherry.”
“Ah~n. Mmn, bgkhf!?”

She’s already in agony from the first bite. This is the perfect example of “curiosity kills the cat.” Sweat is dripping from her forehead, and her eyes are teary, but she’s holding her nose and showing her guts as a professional. If you’re willing to go that far, you’re going to make a face not fit for the public eye.

“Here, beer.”
“Ugh, glug, glug…”
“Giving her that instead of water, you’re pretty savage, Koto-chan.”
“Knocking people out is the best way to reduce numbers.”
“While that’s common sense in our drinking parties, is it really fine to treat Sherry the same way?”
“I consider her to be one of us.”

This is a person who is willing to drag people into performing in a concert when she feels like it. No matter how you look at it, she’s within the standards of the rogue’s den. And in Sherry’s case, she’s calculating too. If Unknown becomes popular, Sherry will also become popular for being the one who discovered me.

“I guess it’s minor damage for a bite, huh.”
“The super duper spicy curry’s damage over time was awful.”
“That one hit me good.”
“That one got even you sweating bullets; it’s practically an edible hazard. Hiiragi was just as bad, eating it with sheer willpower and guts.”

According to the people who ate it, it felt as if their stomachs were burning and their bottoms had an awful time as well. The effects remained even through the next day, so it lasted for a pretty long time. I judged it to be dangerous and avoided that fate, but there were many idiots who wanted the thrill of a challenge.

“Having the strongest defense among the rogue’s den is no joke. While everyone was still in pain the next day, Hiiragi apparently healed up after a full sleep.”
“Does Hiiragi just have some kind of daily reset ability?”
“If Nako’s the spear, then Hiiragi’s the shield. Moreover, she comes with automatic repair.”
“What exactly is that rogue’s den that keeps popping up in your conversations? ”
“It’s the name of a group of people similar to these two. They all have unique peculiarities and are extremely difficult to handle. They don’t come with a user manual.”

Since she’s already this deep in, it shouldn’t be a problem to tell Sherry about us. Well, it’ll result in a lot of problems, but I should tell her just as a warning. There are times when you can get swallowed up by something you want to exploit.

“Ughh, one isn’t enough to wash off the spiciness. Anne, one more can!”
“She’s in the infinite loop now.”
“If you think you’re completely safe as you are, you’re going to regret it.”
“My plate is well defended. And there’s no attack from Kataribe. So it’s alright. Nom, nom, crunch-… A trappp-!?”

Shirose bit through the chili pepper I sneaked into her plate. Seeing this happen, Kataribe and I broke into laughter. Since when were you under the impression that I wouldn’t do something? I said, didn’t I? Knocking out people is the best way to reduce numbers. Both Kataribe and Shirose are included in the numbers to reduce.

“Man, now it’s looking more like our parties.”
“Now what should I have for Kataribe?”
“Spicy stuff won’t work on me.”

I’m fully aware of that. However, what if it’s something bitter instead of spicy? With okonomiyaki, if I slip it in between and change its appearance, the chances of it being discovered will decrease. Shirose gulping down alcohol only serves to prove this. However, I’m sure Kataribe will be cautious after witnessing this.

“Seeing that the one next to me had a trap slipped in, I’m going to have my guard up, you know? Nom, nom, krrk. Krrk? Gggah-!?”

From the delayed bitterness, Kataribe shows a face of anguish. Who told you I was going to slip it in on the next serving? Within the spicy okonomiyaki I served to Kataribe was a nutritional pill that’s very good for the body. One that’s very bitter when you bite on it. This was something Shirose gave me.

“What an awful hellscape this is.”
“We can’t have the graduates witness this, so I want them knocked out here and now.”

Even Misaki is taken aback. This is something absolutely no one should imitate. It’s still fine when there are only a few people, but with more participants, it’ll likely start a chain of grudges.

“The instigator’s plate is the safest out of all.”
“There’s no way that I, the cook, would leave a trap for myself.”

Still, there’s no assurance that these fools before me won’t try to take revenge. One of them just self-destructed, though. Now, let’s see if I can knock them out before the graduates arrive.