Chapter 399: I'm Sure I'll Have Children Before You
"Indeed, you all are my wings!"
Upon hearing this, many of the girls couldn't help but raise their eyebrows.
"Wings" isn't exactly a flattering term.
After all, wings come in pairs; a single wing can't fly.
The plural "wings" implies that Hachiman intends to start a harem, doesn't it?
Damn it, men are all the same.
Thinking this, the girls, who hadn't been told the truth by Hachiman, felt slightly annoyed.
But even if they felt uncomfortable, they didn't voice it out loud. After all, today was Hachiman's birthday.
At this point, Komachi spoke up with a smile, "Alright, brothers and sisters, now that Onii-chan is back, our birthday party officially begins."
Hearing her words, everyone nodded.
Sitting around, they began to present the birthday gifts they had prepared in advance one by one.
Naturally, Hachiman accepted them all graciously, and over twenty boxes of various sizes filled the entire sofa.
However, he didn't immediately open them. After all, gifts are meant to be a surprise, so he planned to open them later in the evening.
After receiving the gifts, Hachiman smiled and addressed everyone.
"Thank you all for the gifts. Now, let's enjoy today's birthday feast."
The group made their way to the dining room, finding a table filled with an array of dishes.
"Hmph, usually, you're the one doing the cooking, but today you'll get a taste of our culinary skills," Erina, the chef for the occasion, remarked with her usual tsundere tone.
Hearing this, Hachiman reminisced about how he had been the primary cook during their gatherings in the past. Apart from a few exceptions, he had rarely sampled the girls' cooking.
Not only Erina, but the other girls involved in preparing the meal also wore expressions of pride.
As Hachiman surveyed the abundance of dishes on the table, he felt a sense of anticipation.
Among the spread, the centerpiece was a striking large cake.
This three-layered cake was elaborately decorated with different toppings on each tier, promising a delectable treat.
But... why did it resemble a wedding cake?
Observing the three-tiered cake, Hachiman couldn't resist a jest.
"Did you make this cake too?"
Creating such a sizable cake wasn't a simple task.
"No, we didn't make this cake," Erina shook her head. "I had a senior make it. She's one of the current Elite Ten and specializes in desserts."
Upon hearing this, Hachiman recalled. In the original "Food Wars" series, there indeed existed a member of the Elite Ten renowned for her desserts.
That would be Momo Akanegakubo, who held the third seat in the Elite Ten.
Despite being a third-year student, she had the appearance of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl and was often seen with a teddy bear in tow.
Although petite in stature, Momo Akanegakubo's pastry skills were undoubtedly among the best in Totsuki Academy.
Since she was the one who made the cake, its taste was sure to be exquisite, although it probably couldn't compare to his own skills.
"Come on, Onii-chan, make a wish first," Komachi said, placing candles on the cake and smiling at Hachiman.
Seeing the flickering candlelight, Hachiman nodded.
Approaching the large cake, he clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and silently made a wish.
After a moment, Hachiman opened his eyes again and blew out the candles on the cake.
Observing him blow out the candles, Yui couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hikki, what did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you that, or it won't come true," Hachiman mysteriously smiled, then began inviting everyone to enjoy the dishes together.
"Alright, everyone, let's not be so formal. Let's eat."
"Yeah!"
...
The group gathered in pairs and threes, enjoying the delicious spread before them.
Although not quite at Hachiman's level, the girls' culinary skills exceeded the average standard.
Especially Erina, after receiving both overt and covert guidance from Hachiman over time, her cooking skills now surpassed those in the original timeline of the series.
With the current girls' culinary skills, they could probably rank in the top five, or even the top three, among the current Elite Ten.
Watching everyone gathered together, Hachiman's face was adorned with a faint smile.
This was the life he wanted.
Living peacefully with friends and loved ones, experiencing laughter and even sorrow along the way—it was a worthwhile experience.
Just then, he heard the sound of someone eating voraciously.
Turning to look, he saw Alice wolfing down food hungrily.
Seeing her like this, before Hachiman could say anything, Erina frowned.
"Alice, mind your manners. You're embarrassing the Nakiri family with that behavior."
Hearing her sister's words, Alice disdainfully pursed her lips, but her table manners did improve somewhat.
"Do you even know? I've been exhausted just to keep Hachiman-kun occupied today."
Indeed, from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, even with others helping out, each person still spent about two hours on average, which was quite taxing.
Erina was curious, "By the way, I haven't asked yet. How did you and Saeko-neechan manage to keep Hachiman busy all day? You actually kept him out all day."
Now Alice choked up. She couldn't just say they had spent the day plowing fields with Hachiman. If she did, Erina would explode.
"It's nothing, we just tried various methods to keep Hachiman-kun occupied. Otherwise, I wouldn't be this hungry," Alice evasively replied.
Hearing her words, Erina was somewhat puzzled but didn't dwell on it.
"I see. Well, you did well this time, Alice."
However, seeing Erina's reaction, Alice felt somewhat indignant.
Hmph, what do you mean I did well? Stupid Erina, who do you think you are? Do I need your praise?
Just because you're the older sister, so what? Even if your cooking skills are better than mine, so what?
You still have to stand behind me.
And today, I felt Hachiman's intense, profound love.
I'm definitely going to have Hachiman-kun's child before you. By then, he'll definitely love me more than you.
With that in mind, Alice's expression also carried a hint of pride, leaving Erina puzzled beside her.
It was just a compliment from me, why is she so proud of it?
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