Meanwhile, just a little before the competition officially ended…
———————————————————————
At Akifumi Mugiho's Home
"As expected of Mugiho-kun! He's amazing!!"
"Tch, that guy's actually pretty good, huh?"
Eriri and Mahiru watched the screen with eyes sparkling in excitement.
Ever since the competition started, the two had barely left their seats except for quick bathroom breaks and grabbing food deliveries.
They were glued to the live broadcast.
Mashiro, on the other hand, wasn't as obsessed as them.
She continued drawing her manga, only occasionally taking breaks to glance at the screen with mild interest.
"How does this guy's brain even work? To come up with such a compelling story in such a short time?" Eriri muttered in disbelief.
Mahiru chuckled softly, covering her mouth. "Did you forget what the judges said? Mugiho-kun had already built up material before this."
"Everyone has material! But even if I had a whole month, I could never create a story like Unnatural!"
Eriri sighed in frustration.
Writing Shokugeki no Souma had improved her storytelling skills, but there was still an overwhelming gap between her and Akifumi.
Even if she had an entire month, there was no way she could craft a masterpiece like this.
"Why is there such a massive gap between people!?"
But then, her frown disappeared, replaced by a proud smirk.
Sure, she might be far behind Akifumi Mugiho now… but he was her man!
Watching him shine on the grand stage, dazzling the world, she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Mahiru, still smiling, glanced at Eriri thoughtfully before saying, "Judging by the judges' reactions, Mugiho-kun is definitely taking first place in this round."
"Obviously! There's no way any other work could be more complete than Unnatural Death in such a short time!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, Mahiru stood up from her seat.
"Huh? Where are you going, Mahiru?"
"To prepare dinner for Mugiho-kun."
"Slurp."
Eriri, recalling Mahiru's incredible cooking skills, practically drooled.
A faint blush dusted her cheeks, but after a brief hesitation, she stood up as well.
Mahiru looked at her in surprise.
Eriri straightened her back and said with determination, "I'll help too! It's not fair for you to do all the work."
Mahiru studied her for a moment before smiling. "Alright then, let's cook together."
"Mmhmm!"
———————————————————————
At Hiratsuka Shizuka's Home
"AHAHAHAHA!! Do you see this, Seika? That's my student!!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka was laughing loudly, completely throwing away her usual intelligent and dignified demeanor.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed—she had clearly been drinking.
Iijichi Seika let out a helpless chuckle.
"Yes, yes. That's your student. Your most outstanding student."
"Hah! As if! He's not even my most outstanding student."
One second, she was full of pride. The next, she was pouting like a tsundere.
Iijichi Seika shook her head in exasperation. "Honestly, his storytelling skills have nothing to do with you, though?"
"What do you mean, nothing to do with me!? I taught him Japanese literature!"
"…"
…She's completely drunk.
Iijichi sighed.
Not long ago, Shizuka had been complaining about how Akifumi was a complete monster who didn't even need to study to remain at the top of the rankings.
But now, she was taking full credit for his talent?
Yeah, no point arguing with a drunk.
Giving up on the conversation, Iijichi grabbed her beer can and took a swig.
"Cheers."
"Cheers!!"
Shizuka instantly matched her, raising her drink. Then, she turned back to the screen, grinning like a fool.
———————————————————————
Kato Megumi
"Why is Akifumi-kun so ridiculously talented…?"
Kato stared at her phone screen, watching the live broadcast with a complicated expression.
Then, she let out a small sigh.
"…It's impossible to catch up to him, isn't it?"
But instead of feeling disheartened, she clenched her fists and steeled herself.
"No. It's not about closing the distance between us. I just have to focus on improving myself."
With that, she turned off her phone, pulled out her chemistry workbook, and quietly began solving problems.
———————————————————————
Shinomiya Kaguya
"Damn that guy!!"
Shinomiya Kaguya glared at the screen, her small, sharp canines showing as she bit her lip in frustration.
The usual icy, composed demeanor was nowhere to be seen—right now, she just looked adorably angry.
Because that damn man had made her cry multiple times!
And now, she finally knew what the culprit looked like!
But after a few seconds of pouting, her anger faded, replaced by a helpless sigh.
After all… what could she do?
Even if she knew he was responsible for all the heartache she'd suffered reading his stories, there was no way to actually get back at him.
"Tch. He could've just written his stories like this from the start."
She muttered under her breath.
If he had simply tweaked the endings, the tragedies could have become happy stories.
Then, a sudden thought struck her.
"First place?"
"Hmph! Like hell I'm giving him a perfect score!"
At most… at most, he'd get an 8.
The remaining 2 points? Consider it payback for all the emotional trauma he caused!
With that decision made, Kaguya smiled smugly.
Meanwhile, standing beside her, Hayasaka Ai sighed internally.
"Kaguya-sama's finally showing her goofy side…"
———————————————————————
Kasumigaoka Utaha
"A fellow writer of the same age… and he's this good?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at the whiteboard filled with story outlines, her expression caught between admiration and despair.
After reading something like this, she couldn't even muster the will to try competing.
"Seriously… this level of talent is just unfair."