The Rooftop Gluttons

"...Rooftop what?"

The newbies exchanged confused glances while Airi and Greeny were just randomly giggling together.

Reiji shook his head with exasperation and took a sip from his cup.

"Ignore those buffoons; it doesn't mean anything," he sighed.

"Gasp! How could you, Reiji-kun!" Airi recoiled with mock surprise.

"...Did you just say the word 'gasp'?"

"The Rooftop Gluttons are an extremely exclusive group! You can only get in with connections or if you are an incredible cook, so don't take your initiation lightly," she continued, pinching Greeny for support.

"Er, right! It's a r-real honor!"

"Seriously? You two were against me naming the group chat that way in the first place, and now it's some sort of a cult?"

Reiji couldn't believe their shamelessness, especially when they had begged him to change the name multiple times.

"We have simply embraced the Sin of Gluttony; you only have yourself to blame."

'....I give up.'

Reiji decided to just ignore the psychos, turning to the other three only to see them struggling to hold back their laughter. Even Hina, who had been a little awkward until now, was covering her mouth to block out the leaking giggles.

"It really does sound like a cult, and Fujimoto-san is the preacher," Haruna laughed.

"Aiiish, you're still calling me by my surname. Just call me Airi, and that goes to all of you!"

"Sure, sure Airi-tan!"

"Oh, c-call me Gre-.... wait, I think I already told all of you," Greeny added before remembering with a sheepish smile.

Airi couldn't wait any longer, reaching for a fish taco from the spread in front of them, biting into it eagerly.

Ren watched her with anticipation, since he was the one who made it.

"How is it?"

"Soooo good! The sauce is really unique, I've never had something like this before!" she squealed.

"Haha, it's cilantro lime with a few different seasonings.

Seeing her enjoying the food so much, everyone else cast aside their inhibitions and joined in, reaching either for a taco or a spoon to scoop up some risotto.

Reiji went for the risotto first because he saw most people go for the fish. He chewed the creamy and soft rice dish, enjoying the subtle taste and calming warmth it brought.

"Wow, this is great! Good job, Haruna," Reiji commended sincerely.

Hina piped up too, though with a much softer voice.

"I really like it, Haruna-chan. I didn't know you could cook this well."

The usually outgoing blonde-haired girl hid her face behind her golden locks to cover up the deep blush at the genuine compliments.

"I-It was Tomoe Sensei's recipe, I just followed it closely," she mumbled shyly, which made Reiji chuckle.

"If it were that easy to just follow a recipe, there wouldn't be so many bad chefs."

Greeny, on the other hand, had picked up a strange-looking fish taco, the same one that had confused Reiji when he saw Ren making it.

It had an odd mix of purple and green sauces, and a raw egg yolk cracked on top of it. He did say he was making a Japanese-inspired version, but he couldn't quite comprehend how those flavors would work together.

Reiji watched curiously as he bit off a large chunk, probably not considering the combination to be so strange.

"MMmm.....Mm?"

Greeny's joy was wiped off in record time, his expression turning ugly as he retched the partially chewed taco into his water cup.

"Urghhh, what the hell was that? Why is it so bitter???" he groaned as he kept spitting the remaining particles out, disgusted to the point that his stutter was gone.

Ren bit his tongue with a touch of guilt.

"Ah, I forgot to warn you..."

Everyone looked back and forth between the pitiful eater and the remorseful chef.

"I-uh.... I like experimenting with different flavor profiles, and that one was something I tried in order to find out if there's any way to include a hint of bitterness in something that's supposed to be really flavorful..."

Everyone stared at him incredulously, and poor Greeny was downing the rest of the water in his thermos to scrape away the bitterness that seemed to stick to his teeth.

'So that's how people react if they eat his...concoctions.'

Reiji thought back to his playthroughs, where Ren made these strange combinations from time to time.

The extra spicy curry he had made for the entrance test was one he had considered to be a successful experiment, but for every good recipe, there were many more failed ones.

However, neither the player, nor any other character, had gotten to taste the 'failures' due to his perfectionist nature.

He preferred to try them out himself and only gave them to others when he confirmed whether it was delicious or not.

Maybe the chaos of having so many people around him made him forget about it this time, but he clearly hadn't intended to have anyone eat that version.

'Wait, if he's like this.... Wouldn't he get along quite well with 'that man'? Whatever, I kinda want to try it....'

Reiji picked up the bitter taco that Greeny had dropped back onto his plate, trying it out from the uneaten end while the rest watched him with horrified faces.

"What are you doing! Reiji-san, don't eat that!" Ren wailed.

But it was too late, he had already started chewing with curious eyes.

Now they could only wait for his judgment.

"...Yeah, this is disgusting."

Though he said that, his face was quite indifferent. He simply reached for the water and washed it down before turning to Hina.

"Even with your taste buds, you probably won't like it," he grinned.

She looked completely baffled by his words, her eyes wandering to the taco on his plate. Before anyone could react, she quickly grabbed it and took another bite.

"Noooo, why is everyone eating the bad one? I swear I'm a good cook!!" Ren fell over backwards in despair, his belly wobbling as he collapsed on the blanket.

"Hina-tan why???"

Even Reiji blinked with shock, provoking her into eating that vile object was never his intention.

They held their breaths as she chewed slowly, her small face squinting with focus.

"....It's not thaaaat bad," she whispered hesitantly.

Greeny and Reiji's jaws dropped because they knew that this recipe should never exist.

The others, however, were now a little conflicted if they should try it too or not.

Airi slowly extended her arm, but it was quickly slapped away by Ren, who lunged for it so fast that everyone was left in disbelief.

He shoved the taco back into the container and locked it up.

"NO! NO ONE ELSE TAKES A BITE!"

He hid the box behind him with a fierce glare.

'Wow, he really can't stand anyone disliking his food. Can't blame him, though. I think I'd do the same,' Reiji chuckled internally.

"Oh come on, now I'm dying to know what it tastes like!" Haruna complained.

"Don't Y-Yuzuki-san, you will die if you eat it!"

"Greeny, just call me Haruna. I think we're all past that by now," she replied with an eye roll.

Seeing Ren adamantly blocking the 'failure', Reiji decided to step in and help him out. He picked up a different taco and held it up.

"There's still so much food left. Why are you guys hounding after that one? No one has tried my mochi yet, either."

Hearing that, Greeny immediately picked up the pink sweet and popped into his mouth.

His eyes widened with satisfaction as he felt the soft and glutinous texture, taking another one before he'd even swallowed the first.

"That good?" Airi asked.

The boy, who was off in dreamland, just nodded slowly, prompting the others to try it out themselves. There was more than enough, so they each ate one and soon made similar expressions.

"Mmmmm!"

"That's so good!"

Though he was the one who made the sweets, his heart felt even sweeter when he saw everyone enjoying his food, a bright grin plastered on his face.

He followed suit and bit into one himself, nodding with approval.

'For my first time, this is pretty good.'

He watched as everyone exchanged light banter and conversations, the food merely serving as a backdrop amidst the harmonious and joyous ambience.

He could never have imagined such a sight in his previous life, where everyone around him felt like they were pretending to be someone they weren't.

To fit in.

Or, to stand out.

Ironically enough, amongst all these people, he was probably the only one who even remotely applied to that description.

Though that wasn't really by choice.

'This is nice....'

***

"That was sooo fun, Reiji-tan!"

He and Haruna were walking back to her house together.

The party was over, but the study session was just beginning.

"I hope you had your fill of fun. We're studying till dinner," he replied.

Haruna's face fell for a moment, but then she straightened up with seriousness, her eyes lighting up with fire and determination.

"Ok, I'll do my best."

She hadn't forgotten the situation she was in, so now that playtime was done, it was back to grinding until the midterms.

Then she glanced down at her phone and giggled at a meme that Airi had sent in the group chat, pushing the screen towards him.

The three newbies had all been added to 'Rooftop Gluttons', so it was way more chaotic now than it was before.

Reiji glanced at the photo and chuckled as well, shaking his head at the ridiculous joke.

'The chaos is just beginning, isn't it?'