Day 3, dinner.
The previous two days, breakfast and dinner were Japanese-style course meals, but from this evening and until breakfast the day after tomorrow, when we will return home, the menu will be changed to an all-you-can-eat buffet format.
Of course, this is my first experience with an all-you-can-eat.
As for the meals, just like up until yesterday, we could freely eat at any table we wanted without worrying about group movement.
Many students were already crowded together and walking around with their trays.
My girlfriend Kei is also together with the girls today, and I can hear her laughter even from afar.
Now that I'm on my own without any interruptions, I'm watching the other students around me and learning how this works.
It seems that the customers take a tray from the stack, freely combine the dishes in the tray, and pick up the dishes one after the other along a predetermined route.
First, I'll take a salad bowl and put in it lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and such. You can choose from five different types of dressings, so I chose onion dressing.
"...This is interesting."
Unlike predetermined meals, making detailed choices on your own gives you a strong sense of individuality.
Without realizing, you end up making a nutritionally balanced meal.
On the other hand, the surrounding students varied in their patterns, with some taking the same kind of food as the members they're eating with, and others preparing many kinds at once in small quantities.
Then, as I lined up in the vegetable row, students began to gather behind me.
I thought there would not be many students here for an early dinner, but it is rather the opposite.
It seems that many of the students were aiming for the opening time.
Even though Japanese cuisine is the main thing,, there are also steaks, shumai, corn soup, and such.
"Yo, Ayanokoji. Are you actually going to eat alone?"
As I was trying to find a seat after putting everything in order, Ishizaki, who was empty handed, called out to me.
"I am."
"Eat with me, then. I just called Nishino too, since she was alone. It's lonely to eat by yourself, right?"
"No...well, that's right."
Since there is no real reason to refuse, I should go along with Ishizaki's kindness here.
Nishino raised her hand slightly as I followed Ishizaki to our seats.
Further, Albert seemed to be there too, and I felt him look at me through his sunglasses.
I sat down next to a tray with a large amount of food that seems to belong to Ishizaki.
"Well, I still have something I gotta go grab. You can start eating first."
So the reason that he was empty handed when he called out to me, is that he was going to get something.
Ishizaki returned to the place lined with food while singing a song.
"You're here because of Ishizaki's meddling too, huh?"
"I refused, but he was persistent."
"He's not the type to leave his friends alone."
"I guess. He was a lot more gloomy and sharp when he first enrolled in the school."
Certainly, he has very bright image these days, but it may not be the same as when he first enrolled.
I've had almost no contact with him, so it's only natural that he hasn't left an impression on me.
"He didn't seem to like Ryuen at first, so maybe it's that his rebellious spirit is strong."
Perhaps I didn't see it because he was being suppressed, but this must be Ishizaki as he is supposed to be.
Albert, however, who is eating alone in silence, is the one person that hasn't changed a bit.
He's skilfully using the chopsticks with his big hands.
"Alright! I brought crabs! So many crabs!"
When Ishizaki came back, he put a large plate on the tray, and there was only a large amount of crabs piled up there.
With the momentum of putting them on the table, the crab legs fell into the tray.

"...There's so much."
"If you're in Hokkaido, you eat crabs, right? I've always been after these guys, so I rushed to grab them."
"You're really vulgar, huh?"
Indeed, among the colourful menu, the crabs attracted many students.
I didn't want to be part of the herd, so I gave up trying to get one on the first lap.
"What do you mean vulgar? This is viking time, you know! I'll take all I want!" Ishizaki's theory is that if you don't take it, you lose it.
"First of all, can you stop saying viking? It's really lame."
"Huh? What else should I call it?"
"It's buffet. Buffet!"
[TL Note 28 : Ishizaki calls the buffet "viking" in the above exchange. Since buffets were popularized in Sweden, he jokingly uses the word "viking" to reference this. The usage of the word "viking" to mean "buffet" also appears in Japanese dictionaries.]
"Buffet? No, isn't that way worse? What the hell's that?"
I think that they have different rules for what to call it, but what Nishino cares more about than that is the pile of crabs on the plate.
"...that doesn't matter. I was looking forward to the viking, so."
"...what about the other people? Crab is one of the main dishes."
"Huh? If I thought about other people, then they would take it from me. Besides, this is an all you can eat, so they must have plenty prepared for everyone." Well, that does make sense too, in its own way.
As Ishizaki pointed out, the chef was leisurely replenishing the boiled crabs. Worst case, if he says that he can eat it all, then we have no right to stop him.
"Oh, no way."
Saying so, Nishino turned her gaze away from Ishizaki and scooped the chawanmushi and brought it to her mouth with a spoon.
[TL Note 29 : 茶碗蒸し Chawanmushi; savoury steamed egg custard with chicken, mushrooms, etc.]
As for Albert eating in silence next to us... His chosen line up included boiled eggplant, spinach with sesame paste, various kinds of sashimi, miso soup, rice, and such.
No matter how you look at it, it is all Japanese food.
"You like Japanese food, don't you?"
When I said that, Albert placed his chopsticks carefully side by side and, raised his thumb silently.
Then he returned to eating right away.
The way he eats is also very polite, more so than Ishizaki, who eats in a gulping manner.
"Oh, Ayanokoji. You're in a group with Ryuen, right? Are you handling it well?"
"I'm not doing anything special. The other group members are very supportive, so we're doing reasonably well together."
"You're talking like you don't know that there was a fight at the ski resort." As one of the parties involved, Nishino reminded me of what happened.
"Did they have a fight with someone from another school? Shit, I wish I was there too!"
"It would have been even worse with you there. Why are men so hot blooded?" That being said, Nishino looked pretty brave too.
In order to become a shield for Yamamura who got in trouble, Nishino talked back without fear.
"You're a hot-blooded woman too, aren't you?"
Ishizaki cackled as he stuffed his cheeks with crab.
"Shut up. Also, stop spitting out food scraps everywhere, it's dirty."
"You aren't bothering Ryuen-san either, right? Listen well to his orders, okay?"
"You can be as loyal as you want, but why should I have to follow him too?"
She's still playing catch, even while arguing with Ishizaki.
[TL Note 30 - The word in the original is literally "catch ball" as it is in english, written with japanese letters. Here it's referencing to the back and forth between them.] I guess they are classmates who know each other thoroughly.
However, from what I can see, although Nishino doesn't speak much, she does not seem to cause any trouble, and she also has a kind-hearted side, showing concern for Yamamura.
"I've been wondering, Nishino, but aren't you afraid of Ryuen?"
"Well, when he gets serious, it feels really dangerous, but, you know... My idiot brother was a delinquent too, so maybe I have a little resistance." So there is a similar type in her family.
Then I can see why she is so confident in talking back in fights.
"It was obvious he would struggle if he didn't take school seriously. Despite that, my stupid brother dropped out of high school, couldn't find a job, and had a really hard time." As if it was unpleasant to remember, she sighed a few times as she spoke.
"What happened to him?"
"The local construction company picked him up and he works hard at the site every day. For a very low salary, though."
It is precisely because she has seen the reality, that she can only sigh when she thinks about Ryuen or Ishizaki's futures.
Doing whatever you want now will cause you trouble later.
This should be common sense through all of society, whether you're a delinquent or not.
The higher education you have, the better it is for you, except in the entertainment and creative industries, where talent is important, and in the sports industry, where physical ability is important.
The more you work hard and add on to your studies, the more likely you are to start from an easier position later.
"Despite how you look, you're pretty smart, huh?"
"You didn't need to say "despite how you look". Besides, anyone would look smart from your point of view."
"A-ha-ha! Maybe you're right!"
From Ishizaki's perspective, almost any student would be an honour student.
When I finished my meal and was about to leave the venue, a man, Katsuragi, came into my sight.
He is eating alone at a table in the corner, silently bringing food to his mouth by himself.
I was worried about his appearance, so I observed a little, and I saw a strange scene from there.
When Oda from the Ryuen class spotted Katsuragi and was about to call out to him, Matoba from A Class stopped Oda, said something, then Oda headed towards a different student while keeping eyes on Katsuragi.
It was as if her coming into contact with Katsuragi was obstructed on purpose.
This happened not just once, but continued on for a second and third time. Matoba is a member of group 2, like Katsuragi.
So he should have been at the table with Katsuragi, but he was doing the exact opposite.
Among A Class, there seems to be people doing some very shady things. I could have left it alone, but I decided to try to contact Katsuragi.
Then, as soon as he sensed that I was approaching, he approached me.
"I'm in a bit of a group event with Katsuragi right now. Could you leave him alone?"
I see. If he says that it is an issue of group 2 alone, then I have no choice but to pull back, even if we are classmates.
That's why Oda quickly understood and left too.
Is this the consensus of A Class, or is this an arbitrary act of Matoba alone?
I wondered if there was any intention to defeat the Ryuen Class behind it.
Either way, as a third party, this behaviour can't be seen as anything but malicious bullying.
A new visitor appeared near Matoba who was giving me a warning. Matoba turned his body around to stop them, but his thoughts quickly changed.
"Ugh..."
He gulped, and, as if he had never made an obstruction in the first place, turned his back.
"Hey, Katsuragi. You're eating with a very gloomy face, huh?"
It is not surprising that Matoba could not say anything, as the visitor was Ryuen.
He clicked his tongue and immediately ran away at the unexpected appearance of the big shot.
[TL Note 31 - The word used for Ryuen here is 大物 Oomono, meaning - important person; influential figure; big shot; big name; bigwig; heavyweight .]
Without even a glance at Matoba's back, he sat down in the seat in front of Katsuragi.
"I'm eating. You want something?"
"I wanted to get closer to see that wretched look on your face better."
"I don't know what you mean."
"He-he. That's what it's like to betray your class. It's too late for regrets now, Katsuragi."
"I don't regret anything. I don't know what to do with a leader that can't be restraint, but I'm ready to commit a double suicide with my current class."
Whether he was trying to hide his embarrassment or not, it was a roundabout way of saying it, but, it is clear that he has the resolve as a member of the Ryuen Class.
"I see."
Ryuen, sitting there, pulled out a chair and slid an empty glass in front of me.
"Bring me some water, Ayanokoji."
"...Me?"
"Dealing with you in public, I don't have to be afraid of you in the slightest. This is too easy."
"From the moment that the group was formed, I knew you were going to be rough with me, but... good grief."
"Don't worry, I'll go."
Unable to ignore this, Katsuragi offered so, but I gently stopped him. "I'm thirsty, so it's fine."
I also caught a glimpse of Ryuen's concern for Katsuragi, who was eating alone.
So I'll agree for now.