Chapter 188

Unlike the grouping process, the first game of beach volleyball ended so quickly that no one could react.

"Two bugs cannot be placed on the same side." Random Aimura concluded while sitting on the beach with a volleyball in his arms.

"Should we just exclude them?" Tsukioka Tsumabuli said with lifeless eyes.

"Isn't this... a little too powerful?" Kitaoji Sakura stared blankly at the deep hole made by the volleyball on the beach.

On the other side of the volleyball net——

"Isn't it better to split you two up?" Nishikino Maki looked at Mikaze Ayaka on her left, and then at Artoria on her right. "When you put them together, you can definitely tell the outcome just by looking at the groupings."

"I lost control of my strength when I got excited—" Artoria stared at the deep pit on the beach opposite and muttered to herself, "Next time, I must remember not to forget to control my strength..."

"Tearing it down to both sides will only turn this place into a solo show for Artoria and me." Mikaze Lan glanced at the deep hole on the beach left by the volleyball Artoria had hit before, and rejected Nishikino Maki's proposal, "Do you think that ball just now is the type that you four can catch?"

"...Then it would be better for us to just give up on beach volleyball."

"Then we need to return the equipment first—"

Just like the previous time when they borrowed it, the three boys worked hard to move the equipment - and this time the girls also went to the Sea House to experience some summer characteristics.

"What do you want to eat?"

"In summer, is it still shaved ice?"

"Everything on the menu, please."

"Altolia!?!"

In the kitchen of Haizhijia——

"Should I thank them for borrowing the beach volleyball equipment in the first place?"

"Alright alright Emiya-kun, no matter what, they are our guests now."

"Two strawberry parfaits, one strawberry shaved ice..." Shourenji, who was out acting as a waiter taking orders, flipped through the order book in his hand while unconsciously looking at Artoria who was sitting outside. "There is also an order for one portion of all the dishes on the menu - do you really want to do this? Even if six people eat together, they won't be able to finish it, right?"

"……ah?"

"I think I know whose order it is." Emiya Shirou looked in the direction of Shouren's gaze and saw Artoria as expected. "I'll make this - don't worry, this amount may not be enough for her alone. I think what we need to worry about is whether the ingredients prepared by the program team are enough for her to eat."

"Huh?"

"Anyway - let's get to work."

By the time the boys' group sat together with the girls' group again, Artoria was already finishing the snack in front of her at the same speed as she usually ate in the Chaldea cafeteria - of course, Sea House didn't serve all the dishes that quickly, so when the three boys arrived, what they saw was the Sea House's waiters removing empty plates and placing new dishes in front of Artoria.

"Ms. Artoria, can you really eat so much?" Nishikino Maki, who had been staring at Artoria for a long time, was so surprised that she used honorifics again when she spoke, "You didn't eat enough when you had dinner with us before, did you?"

"It's not what you think." Artoria wiped her mouth, took a sip of the iced drink at hand, stopped eating and began to explain, "Whether I eat more or less, it will not affect my own actions and personal feelings - but if conditions permit, I'd better indulge myself."

"People in the firm often say that my family has a bottomless appetite."

"Although from a health perspective, I don't recommend anyone to overeat." Mikaze Lan sat down at the edge of the table, took the menu from another table and started to order, "Tsumugi, Ranshu - what do you want to order?"

"Ah, I ordered a strawberry parfait for Ransu." Kitaoji Sakura blinked and pushed the cup of parfait beside her to Amura Ransu who was sitting opposite her. "Does Ransu need anything else?"

"Thank you, Sakura!" Amura Ranku happily accepted the strawberry parfait that Kitaoji Sakura pushed in front of him, and rejected Mikaze Lan's invitation to order. "You two can look at the menu. This parfait is enough for me now."

"We are the only two left who need to look at the menu, Ai." Tsukioka Tsumugi smiled and reached out to turn the menu in Mikaze Ai's hand. "It's still a little too early to order a main course like Artoria did... By the way, there won't be such a problem with shaved ice and ice cream."

"…Then let's order these."

The new order was taken to the kitchen by the customer Tsukioka Tsumugi. Except for Shirou Emiya who was busy processing Altria's order, the other five people were attracted by the new order.

"Oh, it's Er Er San's turn to take the new order." After taking the order from Tsukioka Tsumugi and adding to it according to his request, Shou Renji looked at the order in his hand and raised his eyebrows at Ibana Ran Yi Er San. "First, the usual two items - lemon cake, which Chen Chen has prepared in advance; and a portion of tamagoyaki, Chen Chen is still in charge of this part of the order. And then -"

"Additional order, cocktail - Blue Hawaii."

"Wow." Shinjuku's top host widened his eyes in surprise when he heard the order. "I remember that because we are running Kaiya today, there are only a few basic drinks on the menu, right? And those drinks are actually kept in the warehouse... Because there are only two people there who are of drinking age, so we all think they won't order wine today?"

"And it's daytime now!?"

"What's wrong, Mr. Omi?" Hoshimiya Strawberry tilted her head and asked Fushimi Omi who was looking at her.

"I want to ask Miss Strawberry to take care of the tamagoyaki." Fushimi Omi walked toward the back door of the Sea House. "The cake only needs to be cut and decorated to be complete - so I want to go out and move the wine we left in the warehouse."

"I'll go too." Shoulinger touched his chin and picked up the order. "It just so happens that I don't have any work at the moment. If more people go, it will end faster."

"Actually, I'm curious about one thing." On the way to the warehouse, Izawa Ran told the two people he was traveling with about his doubts about the order, "Although today is a group action, the program team didn't restrict them from breaking up into groups, right? Then the two people who have reached drinking age are not a couple at all, right?"

“Can a person who is under the drinking age really understand what the other person means when they order a drink?”

"If it's the group with the random numbers, I'm not sure..." Shourenji stretched out his hand to push open the shutter of the warehouse, answering Ibana Ran's questions one by one, "but since it's Tsumugi who's here to deliver the single copy, I'm pretty sure."

"You and Kazunari are really close." Fushimi Omi moved the wine prepared by the program team to the cart and smiled helplessly, "You and the Winter Team have only met a few times, but you have already followed him and called us by the same name. So, how sure are you? I remember that Mr. Tsumugi's first date was with your teammate, right?"

"Alan has a wide range of knowledge." Shourenji pushed the full cart out and replied to Fushimi Omi with a smile, "He knows a lot of things - but in fact, if we don't think about it from this perspective, he should also know the meaning of various wines. And, I think, according to the personality of Tsukioka Tsumugi, the captain of the Winter Team you mentioned, he would prepare from a perspective that Alan doesn't understand at all, right?"

"…Indeed, this is what Mr. Tsumugi would do." Fushimi Omi laughed.

"Can I ask why we don't consider it from the perspective of Mr. Meifeng's own knowledge? Does he also know the meaning of various types of wine?" Yi Yanran asked while holding a cocktail decoration.

"Xiao Miao can mix cocktails." Shoulingji gave the two of them a sly smile, pointing out a special skill of his seemingly inviolable teammate. "There was a scene in our music video where he was mixing cocktails. And - even if you are not of drinking age, no one will notice if you are not of drinking age when you hide in your own home."

"We live together in QUARTET☆NIGHT, so there are occasional gatherings where everyone contributes to something. That kind of time is the perfect opportunity to trick the youngest son." Shou Renji spread his hands and sighed helplessly, "Although it's basically all the result of Lan Lan's tricking us."

On the other side, in the Sea House.

Artoria was still eating, and the three people who were eating quickly because they were worried that the parfait and shaved ice would melt had already pushed their empty cups together, squinted their eyes and began to enjoy the rare quiet time - and the two people who ordered last were only now waiting for someone from the kitchen to bring their dishes.

The lemon cake was placed in front of Tsukioka Tsumugi.

Unlike the crystal clear jelly cakes that Mei Feng Lan used to present when she represented lemon at work, the cakes provided by Haizhijia were just the most ordinary lemon cakes - cake base, cream layer, cream icing and fruit decorations - nothing more.

In front of Mifuki Lan was a plate of tamagoyaki that was obviously filled with a lot of eggs - it was obviously made by more than one chef.

— One person stirs the food, one rolls the egg skin, one cuts it, and one plates it…

Mei Fenglan turned her head to look at the kitchen, and as expected, she found that the kitchen, which was originally short of three people, had somehow returned to its full capacity of six people.

"Excuse me."

At this moment, Ibara Ran, who was entrusted with an important task by everyone in the kitchen, walked up to the table of guests with a glass of blue cocktail. As the number one gigolo in Shinjuku, this was the first time that others placed heavy hopes on him in an ordinary job that did not require sweet talk or champagne calls.

"Here's your Blue Hawaiian - enjoy your meal."

The blue Hawaii that Izanran placed between Mikaze Ai and Tsukioka Tsumugi was a beautiful and clear blue that was similar to Mikaze Ai's hair and eye color. The fruit inserted on the wall of the cup for decoration was not pineapple or pineapple, but lemon slices that were replaced according to the lemon cake on the menu and the strong recommendations of other members...

"Thank you for your hard work." Tsukioka Tsumugi smiled and reached out to pull the cocktail closer to her side. She withdrew her gaze from Ibana Ran Ichibi San and fell directly into Mikaze Aoi's eyes. "This is my additional order - it's a refreshing and clear blue like the beautiful summer sea breeze."