Classroom of the Elite: Monster Academy

Vol. 2 Chapter 4.4 - In the Case

Regardless of how extravagant the ingredients and how fancy their names are, at the end of the day, they're all the same once they're inside your stomach.

Steak, spare ribs, sausages, oh let's get ham as well.

As I placed the last item on the cart, I felt the piercing gaze of my seat neighbor. Her eyes, sharp and somewhat critical, seemed to scrutinize not just my current choice of groceries but perhaps the very decisions that had shaped my life up to this point.

"What?" I asked.

"You're only buying meat." A hint of disdain was present in her voice.

"Is there anything wrong with that? I like meat."

When it comes to food, I didn't have much of a preference, not until recently. The rich, succulent flavor of a cut of steak, the juices that burst forth with each bite, and the tenderness that simply melts into your mouth. It was an eye opener, especially so when cooked to perfection by a masterchef, and I dare say, Horikita was a damn good one.

So, if anything, it's kinda her fault that I've developed such a preference.

"You should eat some vegetables too," she said, grabbing a bunch of kale and a type of cabbage from a nearby produce and placing them on the cart. "Balance is key, you can't live on protein alone."

"But it's my money."

"Is that so?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Well, good luck cooking that on your own, Ayanokouji-kun."

With those words, she turned her heel and walked away, waving her hand as if saying goodbye for good. My stomach dropped. Wait, is she seriously leaving?

"Wait, wait. I was just joking," I called out, my voice tinged with desperation, or so how I'd like it to appear. While I had given cooking a try, and could possibly be decent at it if I kept on going, there was simply no way I would be able to reach the level of Horikita.

She stopped, sighed, and turned back. Without a word, she marched to the produce section once again and began grabbing more vegetables that looked like some type of carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, and even a few sweet potatoes. One by one, she dropped them into the cart with deliberate thuds.

"You're adding more!?" I exclaimed, unable to keep my dismay.

She turned to me with a menacing glare that could have frozen even fire. My protest died in my throat.

Satisfied with my silence, she nodded curtly. "Good. Now let's move on to the dairy section. You could use some variety in your diet, Ayanokouji-kun."

Defeated, I followed her without another word, pushing the cart laden with a rainbow of vegetables, wondering just how much of my life she planned to overhaul next.

"Oh it's you two! I was wondering why you didn't come by the weekend."

The voice belonged to Nikuya, the butcher, who had just emerged from the back room pushing a large cart. Due to how few customers there are in this place, it is not unusual for the people to get to know each other after meeting a couple of times.

His burly figure and ever-present grin were as familiar as the meaty scent that clung to his apron. Today, though, his cart carried something unusual: tendrils of what appeared to be chopped tentacles, each as thick as an average octopus's but significantly larger.

"Good afternoon, Nikuya-san," Horikita greeted. "What's with the cart?"

Nikuya's grin widened. "These? Just got 'em down from the inner court. A 100,000 year Moonlight Kraken, they say. Thing's as big as a football field, and apparently, it was too much even for them. So they gave the rest to us here in the outer court." He gestured proudly to the monstrous tendrils, slapping it hard with a smack. "Quite a catch, eh?"