Chapter 1 - Part 10
...Thank you for waiting.
Teruteru is in the kitchen, and... it appears Fuyuhiko did not come.
I apologize. I did inform him about the party, but...
Hey, you don’t need to apologize. It's his fault for not coming...
I explicitly stated that attendance was mandatory, but...
It's fine... If just one person is absent, that shouldn't pose a problem.
...He won't be able to do anything.
...What do you mean by that?
More importantly...hm?
Hey, what is that!?
Byakuya’s face tensed as he looked at the rows of tables adorned with food.
...This is dangerous.
Still pointing, he hurried over to the table and...
H-Hey! What are you doing?!
You're hoggin' all the food! No fair!
No, I'm not...! Look carefully at this dish...!
It looks like delicious roasted meat...
...And just what is stabbed into this roasted meat?
...Hm? It's an iron skewer.
That's right. This iron skewer is definitely a dangerous item. I must take full responsibility and collect it!
Heeeey! Looks like everyone's here!
I should go ahead and bring out the rest of the...huh?
Whaaaaa-!? Some messy eater ruined my arrangement!
Who made this dish?
Th-That would be me, but...
What are you plotting? Cooking with dangerous items like those skewers...
Eh!? Even iron skewers aren't allowed!?
Judging by that reaction, there must be other items which pose a risk to everyone’s safety...
Hm... something like this may require a helping hand.
...Mahiru, you come with me.
Wait, me? Why me!?
Heh... well, I guess you are always acting like a mom.
If he wants things all family friendly, it figures you’re the best person for the job...
A-A mom? I don’t act like that!
It’s true I want to make sure everyone’s safe, but that’s just common decency!
This is an important matter we must attend to. Come on already! [leaves]
You’ve got to be kidding me...
Repressing a sigh, I followed the stern Byakuya outside.
You and I are going to search the kitchen for any other dangerous items.
Wait, at least tell me why I have to do this!
.....
You’ve been volatile in the past, but... I think I can trust your judgement.
At least, for this particular job. Dangerous items aren’t hard to find.
...
For a split second, there’d been a lull in Byakuya’s voice.
A sigh, almost... Like the loser of a long-winded debate finally admitting defeat.
Looks like he’s embarrassed about it, considering the return to form... This guy can’t make anything easy, can he?
Alright, let me show you what you need to do.
Motioning me forward, Byakuya began to open some of the kitchen’s shelves.
Mahiru, do you see this?
Um... it’s a bunch of forks and knives.
Who knows what violent things you could do with these... We should remove them immediately.
...What? Are you saying even cutlery isn’t allowed?
They’re sharp and pointy. Someone could easily weaponize them.
Even if the chance is minute, I’m not taking any risks. Neither should you...
Byakuya stuffed every fork and knife into the Duralumin case.
I should have expected this nonsense the minute he said “thoroughly”...
That’s the end of my demonstration. You can search the other shelves now.
But... doesn’t this seem unnecessary?
This is extremely necessary. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t.
I promised there will not be a single victim. To keep my word, the utmost caution must be taken...
What’s the matter with you?
...What?
Seriously, you’ve been acting so weird!
What’s the deal with this party? Why are you forcing us all to attend?
And... why are you checking for weapons? You’ve got me thinking something bad has happened!
...Nothing bad has happened.
It’s just... being cautious like this... it’s second nature to me.
...What do you mean?
...
I don’t particularly like to discuss my past, but...
I suppose, if it’s with you... there are some things I can disclose.
For a long time I’ve been forced to distrust others, and they in return were forced to distrust me...
Trust is a luxury few can afford. People like us mustn't be lenient. To survive, we must suspect everyone...
You say that... yet you trust me with this information?
....
...Let’s continue this discussion after the party.
Right now we have work to do.
Yeah, unnecessary work...
...
That conversation... What was Byakuya trying to say there?
A past where he’s always had to distrust people...? What sort of things have happened to him?
...
I think... that was the first time Byakuya referred to me as an equal.
“People like us”, huh...
Um... what am I looking at here? A lieutenant and his underling?
We’re confiscating every dangerous item.
Confiscating every....?
Ah, the tableware! It’s all gone!
W-Why did you ranschack my shelf? You’ve made a mess of everything!
Speaking of which... Mahiru, take a look at this.
Byakuya pointed to a piece of paper hanging above the kitchen counter.
This seems like an equipment list...
Fork x 20. Knife x 20. Spoon x 20. Skewer x 5. Frying pan x 3. Wine glass x 20...
In addition, there’s even a barbecue griddle and a portable stove for hot pots.
A griddle and stove... I can see them on the shelf over there.
They’re both portable and in excellent condition. Certainly very much usable.
...Which means they’re dangerous.
D-Dangerous?
...Into the case they go.
As he said that, he walked over to the shelf and grabbed the items in question.
W-Wait, hold on a minute!
At least let me finish cooking...! There are still things I need to prepare!
I-I promise it won’t take too long... It’ll just, you know...
Um...
...
...Waaaaaaaah! Mahiru, help me!
E-Eh!?
B-Bug off! Quit hugging me!
...Huh? To be rejected so quickly... I must say I’m a little shattered.
Believe me, I’m the only one here who’s shattered...!
That being said, I’m relieved he didn’t try to cop a feel...
Hey, don’t go making any advances... There’s something here that still needs addressing.
After checking the equipment list, it seems one of the iron skewers is missing...
Ah, that's right... As far as I know, that's been missing from the start.
No matter how clean this place gets, stuff is still bound to go missing in an old building, right?
...
Looks like something still managed to escape you.
If the skewer’s been missing since the very beginning, it’s possible the kitchen hadn't even been stocked with it.
There doesn’t seem to be any place to hide such a long skewer, anyway... As long as I remain vigilant, we can let this rest.
It’s just a skewer...
Then our business here is done. Let's return to the main hall.
You come along too, Teruteru.
O-Okay...
...Sorry that you have to deal with this.
I guess it’s alright... There weren’t that many dishes left anyway...
....
Maybe... I should have been more blunt with Byakuya.
After that strange conversation concerning his “past”, he mightn’t be as difficult as I thought...