Okay, skewers are on the fire!

Now to just wait for them to cook.

Hehe. I hope they turn out well.

Same.

Just don't them burn, alright, An?

Shut up! I won't!

I'm keeping a close eye on them.

I'll help monitor them as well. It'd be a shame to have put in all that effort and not be rewarded...

At the same time, it's very interesting to see how a person cooks can be an expression of their personality.

Yeah, I get what you mean.

Kohane's a total whiz with kitchen knives!

Hehe. Thanks...

It must be because I help my mom cook so often.

You seemed to know how to handle knives pretty well too, Shinonome. You did a great job peeling those potatoes.

I was just doing what I learned in home ec.

You did a good job too, Aoyagi.

You really made sure to curl in your fingers while you chopped.

Yes, I'm glad I figured out how to.

I had so much trouble keeping everything from slipping and wasn't sure what I was doing wrong, but now I understand that it's a good way to keep my fingers safe.

All that from learning how to use knives safely...

But I noticed that you were using the same technique.

Because I don't want to hurt my fingers.

Excuse me. Where are my manners...?

Haha! I don't blame you! We did a lot today, so I bet you're starving!

Me too, actually...

Hmm... Nothing's cooked through yet. Don't we have anything else to eat...?

Oh, how about these?

Mandarins...?

Yeah! I was gonna have some for dessert, but we can eat them now.

They're great for when you're snuggled up inside a kotatsu, so I bet they'll taste amazing since we have a cozy campfire.

How does that work?

Details. Details.

Here, knock yourselves out.

Hehe. Thanks, An.

If you don't mind...

They smell very nice when you peel them.

Hey, these are really good.

Oh, have you guys ever heard of orange peel art...?

Orange peel art?

Yeah. It should come up pretty quick if you look it up on your phone. Also, to be fair, it's more like a fun activity as opposed to real art...

Oh, here. I found some...

Hey, that's pretty cool. They turned theirs into cats and rabbits.

And this person made a kotatsu...

It's like the reverse of what we were just talking about.

Our food still probably needs a little more time, so why don't we give this a try?

Yeah, that sounds fun!

Let's do it!

Yes, I'd like to try as well.

Alright, I'll give it a shot.

But don't forget to keep an eye on the food.

Okay... Maintain a swirl pattern and...

Oh no, it ripped...!

Count Pearl's a lot harder to make than I realized.

Don't worry, Kohane!

We've got heaps more where that came from.

Right. Thanks, An.

Geez, how many mandarins did you bring?

Hmm... Not quite ten...?

Our neighbors gave us a whole box of them and we were having trouble going through them all, so Dad made me take some with me.

I see. Then, I'm glad he did.

Okay, mine's ready...

Oh wow! That's so cute!

Look at you, Toya!

Is it a dog and a bunny?

Yes, I put a lot of effort into getting the golden retriever's ears to bend properly. The same goes for how the carrot looks in the rabbit's mouth.

That reminds me. Weren't you in charge of making cotton candy art during the School Festival? I remember seeing bears and unicorns...

Yeah, those were so cute.

It's like Toya's legit artist, you know?

Yeah, maybe...

I wish I could somehow keep them as they were.

Hehe. I appreciate the compliment...

I was the student while learning how to pitch a tent and build a campfire, but it's finally my turn to be the teacher.

That means you'll just have to teach us more about orange peel art the next time we go camping, Mr. Aoyagi!

Wait, you plan on bringing these every time?

Why not?

They're good and we get to see Toya make these masterpieces!

Hehe. Okay...

(These were pretty heavy, but I'm glad I brought them...)

(I hope Toya and the rest of us can keep discovering our individual and collective talents like this...)

Oh, something smells really good. The skewers might be ready now...

Okay, you guys!

It's time to dig into tonight's main dish!