Chapter 514: What is the Spirit of Craftsmanship?
On the second day of the Chocolate Making Festival, Valentine's Day arrives.
The entire Sobu High School is filled with a romantic atmosphere, with couples exchanging chocolates everywhere. Yesterday was merely a warm-up; today marks the official start of Valentine's Day.
Due to the declining birthrate in Japan, high schools typically do not have explicit policies against dating, but neither do they encourage it. Most schools prefer to turn a blind eye to students' romantic relationships, which are usually kept discreet.
However, this time is different. The student council, as the school's representatives, have taken the lead in organizing this Valentine's event, and students are now expressing their affection openly, seemingly relieved to finally do so.
As for Hachiman, he's receiving a lot of chocolates. Yukino, Yui, Yumiko, Saki, Iroha, and Ebina name it—nearly every girl has given him a piece. The envy of the others is palpable.
This is actually a restrained version of Hachiman's usual haul. If he were less modest, the number of chocolates he'd receive would be even greater. After all, given his newfound popularity thanks to recent events, chocolates are easily within his reach.
Yet, Hachiman maintains his decorum and politely declines chocolates from his more enthusiastic admirers.
Aside from the chocolates from Yukino and others, Saeko and Alice's Valentine's special event is also underway.
In the afternoon of Valentine's Day, Hachiman arrives at Saeko's dojo as scheduled. With Masao away for international swordsmanship exchanges, they are undisturbed.
Upon opening the door to Saeko's room, Hachiman is greeted by the sight of four girls waiting eagerly.
Their attire immediately catches his eye: they are adorned with nothing but a few decorative gift ribbons wrapped around their bare bodies, presenting themselves as living gifts, with chocolate syrup smeared over their chest areas.
Seeing the Valentine's chocolates presented by the girls, Hachiman doesn't hesitate to taste them.
The sweetness is perfect, and the texture is quite good.
However, Hachiman is frustrated to find that the chocolates lack syrup—a crucial component. As the world's greatest chef, he cannot tolerate such an oversight.
Determined to rectify the situation, Hachiman takes it upon himself to add rich syrup to each piece of "girl's chocolate," working tirelessly until he's nearly exhausted.
What is the spirit of craftsmanship, you ask?
Feel free to let the tears flow on the screen.
....
After a sweet Valentine's Day, Hachiman faces another important event: Komachi's entrance exams.
In the days leading up to the exam, Komachi has been studying diligently, determined to pass and join her brother at Sobu High. Seeing her hard work, Hachiman feels a pang of sympathy.
While he can't directly help her with the exams, he's been busy preparing delicious meals to support her through this stressful period. The results have been noticeable—Komachi gained a pound recently, which led to her chasing Hachiman around and giving him a playful beating.
Despite the playful violence, Komachi's anxiety before the exam has eased significantly.
On the day of the exam, Hachiman wakes up early to prepare a hearty breakfast for Komachi. Since the entrance exams are being held, Sobu High has given a day off.
As Hachiman enjoys his breakfast, he hears the familiar sound of "thud-thud-thud" footsteps approaching, followed by Komachi's cheerful voice.
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
"Yeah, good morning, Komachi."
Seeing his energetic little sister, Hachiman greeted her with a smile.
"Ah... I slept so well," Komachi stretched with a yawn.
Hachiman nodded approvingly. "That's good. A good night's sleep will help you perform well today."
Without saying much, Komachi bounded over and hugged him tightly. "Onii-chan, I'm going to pass the exam and join you at Sobu High."
Seeing her determination, Hachiman lovingly ruffled her hair. "I'll be waiting for you."
"Yes, Onii-chan, just wait for my good news," Komachi said confidently, shaking her little fist.
After breakfast, Hachiman and Komachi left the house together. Since it was snowing, he decided to accompany his sister to the exam venue.
Upon arriving, Hachiman noticed some familiar faces. Yukino and Yui were also there for some reason.
"Yukino-nee, Yui-nee."
Komachi greeted them first.
"Hello, Komachi-chan!"
"Good morning, Komachi."
The two girls responded warmly.
Hachiman, puzzled, asked, "What are you two doing here?"
"Of course, we're here to see Komachi-chan off for her exam," Yui explained with a smile, while Yukino nodded in agreement.
"Yes, today is an important day for Komachi, so we came along to support her."
Komachi beamed with happiness. "Wow, Yukino-nee, Yui-nee, thank you!"
It seemed like these two were eager to become Komachi's sisters-in-law.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Hachiman couldn't help but smile.
As he glanced around, he soon spotted another familiar face. Saki was also there, accompanying a boy who appeared to be her younger brother, Taishi—Komachi's classmate from the tutoring sessions.
"Taishi, over here!"
Komachi waved excitedly when she saw him. Saki and Taishi walked over to join them.
Seeing the group gathered together, Kawasaki Saki was a bit surprised.
"You're all here too?"
"Yes, today is the day of Komachi's entrance exam, so we came to see her off," Yukino explained with a smile.
"I see," Saki said, realizing that Komachi was also an exam taker, just like her younger brother.
"You're here to see your brother off as well?" Yukino asked.
Saki nodded. "Yes, Taishi is also taking the exam today, and his first choice is Sobu High, so I'm quite worried about him."
"Heh, it looks like you're a good older sibling just like Hikki. I wish I had a younger brother or sister, but I'm an only child," Yui said with a touch of envy.
"…"
Meanwhile, Komachi and Taishi were also chatting about their preparations.
Komachi, curious, asked Taishi, "How was your review? Feeling prepared?"
"I've reviewed everything I needed to; now it's just about performing well today," Taishi said, showing a hint of worry.
"What about you? Are you confident?"
In contrast to Taishi's worry, Komachi seemed much more confident, smiling brightly. "I'm definitely going to pass. I've promised Onii-chan that we'll be going to Sobu High together."
Taishi's worry seemed to lessen with her confidence. "I'll definitely pass too. Let's both get into Sobu High."
Just as Taishi, feeling emotional, reached out to grab Komachi's hand, a clearing throat was heard.
"Ahem!"
Looking over, Taishi saw Hachiman glaring at him, which made him stand straight immediately.
Soon, it was time for the exam, and Komachi and Taishi said their goodbyes to everyone and entered the exam venue.
As they watched the two of them walk away, Yui expressed her concern.
"I wonder if Komachi-chan will pass. If she doesn't…"
She quickly realized that wasn't a very optimistic thing to say and corrected herself.
"Ugh, what am I saying? She will definitely pass."
"Yes, Komachi will definitely make it," Hachiman said with confidence.
Even if she didn't, with his current resources, he could still arrange for Komachi to get into Sobu High.
Of course, that was a secondary consideration.
Komachi had worked so hard; she would definitely pass on her own.
She definitely would!
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