"P-President!?"
Hao Chi, who had been leading the charge against Hugo on behalf of the other club members, went pale the moment he heard the gentle, airy voice.
The others scrambled to break their encirclement as a girl walked through the path they cleared, offering Hugo a warm smile.
"I’m so sorry, Hugo-kun. Everyone is usually such a well-behaved group, you see?"
"Ah, no... I’m the one in the wrong here. I can’t blame them for reacting that way."
"That’s right, President! There isn’t a single reason for us to apologize to—mmgh!?"
"Now, now. When you get all worked up, you should eat something sweet and calm down. Everyone, just relax, relax...!"
Despite having settled down slightly, the vice-president was still fuming until the girl—the club president—produced a marshmallow from thin air and stuffed it into his mouth.
With the Home Economics Room finally falling into a semblance of silence, she turned to Hugo and the others to introduce herself.
"Hugo-kun, you have amnesia... right? In that case, let me introduce myself. I am the president of the Cooking Club, Presia Rice. And this is our vice-president, Hao Chi-kun. Since he’s a first-year just like you, I hope you two can be friends."
"I have absolutely no intention of being friends with these people! I refuse, completely!" Hao snapped, snorting with indignation as he cast a loathing glare at Hugo.
Hugo couldn't help but feel that such a reaction was only natural. As he stood there under the vice-president's gaze, Presia tilted her head curiously.
"So, Hugo-kun, what brings you here today?"
"Ah, well... the thing is, one thing led to another, and then..."
While cowering under the sharp glares of the club members, Hugo explained that he had come to request their help in preparing lunch boxes for an upcoming trip.
Presia listened in silence, nodding along until a beaming smile spread across her face.
"Yes, I understand! The Cooking Club would be happy to accept your Request!"
"Huh!? R-Really? Is it actually okay? Even after I...!"
"Wait, President! You haven't forgotten what this guy did, have you!? I refuse to cook for someone like him! Mmgh!?"
Presia, showing a level of kindness that no one had expected, silenced the protesting Hao once again by popping another marshmallow into his mouth with a cheerful smile.
She then spoke as if gently scolding a child, though her eyes remained kind.
"I understand how everyone feels, really. But holding a grudge forever doesn't accomplish anything. Even if he doesn't remember it, Hugo-kun came here and apologized for what he did in the past. Isn't that enough? Let's try to meet him halfway so we can all get along from now on. Okay?"
"Guh...! If you put it that way, none of us can really argue. Fine. We’ll take the job. We just have to do it, right?"
"Thank you, Hao-kun. And thank you, everyone else! Well then, Hugo-kun, the Cooking Club will take full responsibility for your request. We'll put our hearts and souls into these lunch boxes, so look forward to them!"
"Oh, o-oooooh...!"
Struck by Presia’s overwhelming maternal warmth and bright smile, Hugo felt a wave of emotion that went far beyond mere surprise.
To think she would go this far for me, even after forgiving my past outrages... he thought. To his eyes, Presia didn't look like a student; she looked like a goddess.
"Thank you so much, President...! I will never forget this kindness as long as I live...!"
"Oh my, don't be so dramatic! It's really no big deal!"
Hugo dropped to his knees on the spot, clasping his hands together as if offering a prayer of thanks to a deity. Combined with his naturally villainous features, he looked exactly like a repentant sinner confessing to God.
Marcos watched from the sidelines, thinking that Hugo's devotion to Presia had reached near-religious levels, largely because she was the first person to show him such mercy after he had been branded a piece of trash. Then, Presia spoke up again.
"But you know, Hugo-kun. It’s not as if we’re forgiving you for nothing. As an apology for your past actions and as payment for the lunch boxes, we’re going to have you work quite hard for us!"
"Yes! Please, give me any task! I will work myself to the bone!"
"My, how reliable! But don't worry, it won't be anything too grueling. Besides, if you were planning to go somewhere with your brother and friends anyway, this might actually be perfect timing."
"No way... President! You aren't planning to take him along for that, are you!?"
"That? Excuse me, but would you mind explaining what 'that' entails?"
Realizing the conversation was heading toward a situation where he might also be drafted into manual labor, Marcos spoke up. Presia turned her ever-present smile toward him.
"Actually, in a few days, we’re planning to head to a nearby forest to gather ingredients. We’ll be staying at an inn in a nearby village and spending a few days collecting seasonal produce. It’s a nice little short trip, and I’d love for Hugo-kun and his group to join us."
"An overnight trip to gather ingredients, huh...? That actually sounds pretty interesting!"
"It is fun! We all make a big fuss together while picking the forest's bounty, cook and eat the perishables on the same day, and then have a huge party with everything we gathered once we get back! It’s truly wonderful!"
Caught up in Presia’s infectious excitement, Hugo began to smile as he imagined the scene.
He could see Fee relaxing in the fresh air of the forest, having fun gathering food, and then enjoying a grand feast of delicious cooking. He turned back to Presia and spoke with newfound energy.
"Please, let us come along! I'll do whatever you need, and I promise to make myself useful!"
"Wonderful! I'll count on you, then! I'll be in touch once the detailed schedule is finalized."
"Wait!? President!!"
Though the original plan had shifted, Hugo was delighted that his goal of taking Fee on an outing had essentially been upgraded.
Presia shared his joy with a soft, airy smile, but Hao’s reaction was the polar opposite.
"President, do you even realize what you're doing!? That’s Hugo Clay! Going on an overnight trip with a guy who has a reputation for being a total womanizer... what are you going to do if something happens!?"
"Hao-kun, you're being far too suspicious! There's no way anything like that would happen, right? It'll be fine, it'll be fine!"
"How can you say it'll be fine so casually when you don't have any proof...!?"
In this particular instance, Hao was the one being reasonable.
Given Hugo’s notorious personality and his history of making advances on women, taking an overnight trip away from the school's supervision was a high-risk move.
Hao was practically vibrating with anxiety at the thought of Hugo making a move on Presia. However, the chances of her—the literal personification of seeing the good in everyone—taking his warnings seriously were slim to none.
He realized then that he had to take matters into his own hands to protect her.
Deciding he needed to recruit someone capable of stopping Hugo if the worst should happen, Hao later sought out Egos, a Hero Candidate who had been a frequent visitor to the Cooking Club. He asked Egos to act as a guard for Presia. Egos, in turn, invited Cyan to join him in accepting the request—and that was how the pieces fell into place.
And so, a group consisting of the Cooking Club, Hugo's party, and the duo of Cyan and Egos—a much larger gathering than originally intended—finally reached the day of the excursion and departed for the village.