Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine

Another day of continuous rain unfolded, with fine droplets gathering on the glass surfaces. The classroom atmosphere was noticeably heavy, filled with strange topics of discussion.

"Daiki-kun, did you hear any odd noises last night?" Fumino turned around and whispered to Daiki.

Ginko, seated to the right, slowed her movements and perked up her ears to listen. She too had heard peculiar sounds while studying shogi. Unnerved, she'd gone to bed unusually early. Now, hearing it mentioned, her curiosity was piqued.

"Hmm? It sounded like zombies." Daiki replied, causing Fumino to shudder and rub her arms.

Ginko's body tensed as she listened more intently.

"Are you serious? Like in apocalypse scenarios? Is the world really ending? No way — I haven't even gotten into a science university yet!" Fumino's eyes welled up with tears, her whole body trembling in fear.

It was true. Daiki had not only seen the zombies but had also dissected a few on the spot.

These zombies were scattered and disorganized, collapsing at the slightest attack. He suspected it might be the work of a Zombie Devil. A large-scale zombie virus outbreak would be an entirely different situation.

"The world isn't ending." Daiki said calmly, "You should worry more about your science grades. I've seen you dozing off more than once, and Kirisu-sensei's eyes were about to pop out."

His words struck Fumino like lightning. Sure enough, as she turned around, she saw Mafuyu at the podium, staring at her with a grave expression — like a bottomless abyss.

Fumino quickly lowered her head and began reviewing her science subjects. Little did she know that her teacher's attention was focused elsewhere.

'I thought I had misheard. Could there really be man-eating monsters appearing at night?' Mafuyu appeared calm, but internally, she was panicking.

Ginko glanced at Daiki, puzzled by his composure. However, as he noticed her gaze, she immediately averted her eyes.

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As lunchtime arrived, the classroom came alive with activity.

The pitter-patter of rain against the window, combined with the lively chatter of classmates and the anticipation of a favorite bento, created one of life's simple pleasures.

Ginko savored this moment as she retrieved her bento box from her desk. After generously dousing her meal with sauce, she felt content.

Her classmates, however, were taken aback by the sheer amount of "sauce" on her dish.

"Ginko-san must really love that sauce."

"Daiki-kun, you brought a bento today too?" Fumino asked, glancing at him as she unpacked her store-bought lunch.

Ginko's expression stiffened, and she turned her head robotically.

"I bought some ingredients yesterday and made three bento boxes on impulse. I've already given away the other two." Daiki explained.

As he opened his bento, a subtle yet enticing aroma wafted through the air.

"Wow—"

"That nori scent... it's making me hungry just smelling it."

All eyes in the class suddenly turned to Daiki.

"It's only nori sushi. What's the fuss about?"

The impact of his W.G.O. Two Star Culinary Skills was truly remarkable. Despite intentionally choosing simple sushi and onigiri to minimize the aroma, his advanced techniques still shone through.

Unlike Two-Star chefs who specialized in specific areas, Daiki's culinary talents spanned across all domains.

Like molecular gastronomy, some culinary techniques were unavailable due to equipment limitations. However, the combination of remaining culinary skills was still impressive. Even in the simple and elegant aroma, there was an irresistible charm that ordinary people couldn't resist.

"Daiki-kun, did you make this yourself?" Fumino leaned close to the bento box, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Mm... feel free to try if you'd like."

Hearing his offer, she hesitated. Wouldn't casually eating someone else's food seem too intimate? Rumor had it that he was dating Miku. If word got out, wouldn't it affect their relationship?

"Maybe I shouldn't..." Fumino began to refuse. However, her mouth was already watering uncontrollably.

Noticing drool dripping onto the bento, she panicked.

Daiki sighed helplessly. This was why he'd offered chopsticks. He used them to separate the parts touched by saliva and gave them to her.

Seeing his awkward but polite smile, Fumino's cheeks burned hot. She was so embarrassed she wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

Ginko forcibly averted her gaze, trying to convince herself:

That nori sushi was too bland; it probably didn't taste good anyway. She preferred adding sauce to her meals, almost drinking it by the bottle. Compared to the strong flavor of sauce, nori was indeed mild.

But sitting so close to Daiki, she struggled to focus on her meal. Her thoughts were in turmoil.

'That dish can't taste good! It definitely doesn't! But is all this sauce healthy? It feels too greasy. Maybe I should prepare lighter dishes.'

Her movements slowed as the sauce suddenly lost its appeal. In the end, she could only swallow it mechanically, tasting like cardboard, while stealing glances at Daiki.

He chewed his sushi, raising his eyes to find the entire class staring at him. With no other choice, he opened the window to circulate the air.

The result was astounding… The gentle breeze and fine rain instantly swept the fragrance throughout the entire classroom.

"I'm inhaling!" One of the poorer students suddenly took a deep breath. He then buried his head and started eating ravenously, as if savoring that gourmet dish.

The other students couldn't help but gasp.

Impressive! Truly impressive.

Of course, they couldn't bring themselves to do such a thing.

"Daiki-kun, may I have a taste?" A female student asked boldly.

Daiki nodded.

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, people started flocking over. Even Rizu (Ogata) from afar struggled to squeeze through. Although it was just a small bite, the crisp fragrance instantly invigorated everyone.

"Did you add ume powder?" Rizu asked seriously after taking a bite of the onigiri.

"Yes, I ground some and added it on a whim."

Listening to this exchange, Ginko's heart raced. She longed to know what it tasted like too!

"Cough, cough, cough..." The agitated little Princess of Shogi suddenly frowned.

Daiki noticed and, raising his eyes, handed an onigiri to her.

Ginko was stunned and stammered, "Th-thank... thank you..."

As she took a bite, the refreshing fragrance filled her lungs. Her restlessness seemed to gradually subside.

Daiki saw this and averted his gaze. He knew she had a heart condition. If an onigiri caused a heart attack, that would be a serious problem.

"I still have some left, if you don't mind, I'll share it with you." Ginko offered, noticing his nearly empty bento box.

The girls who had just tasted the onigiri and sushi also started offering their food.

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Meanwhile, Itsuki and Ichika had finished dividing the spoils in the activity room. The two were meticulously portioning out a bento box.

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T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

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