I Got Isekai'd Into a Manga I Don't Know

Afterward, we took a group sticker photo as a keepsake and headed to a bowling alley. There, we drew lots, pairing me with the president and the Akagi siblings as the other team. It was a fierce match, but the Akagi siblings won, so the president and I had to cover the karaoke bill. Neither of us had bowled before, which probably didn't help.

At the karaoke place, we took turns singing for about two hours. Surprisingly, the president's singing was top-notch. When I asked how she got so good, she said she'd learned it as part of her upbringing. As expected of a noble family's heiress—aside from things she hasn't tried, she's practically perfect at everything.

By the time we finished karaoke, it was already 6 p.m. We'd eaten ramen around 3 p.m., so we'd been playing nonstop since then. With the sun setting, we left Nakano Broadway and discussed dinner plans. Suddenly, Minami spoke up.

"How about a get-together at Yuseong's place?"

The president snapped open her fan and laughed, "Ohohoho! That's a great idea, Minami. The last time we went to Kim Yuseong-kun's house was last year."

Shinjiro, listening nearby, pushed up his glasses and nodded. "I think it's a good plan too. We'll need to eat dinner anyway."

With all three in agreement, the plan to eat at my place naturally took shape. Seeing my hesitation, the president casually pulled a black card from behind her fan.

"Of course, we're not expecting a free meal like last time. I'll pay properly this time."

"No, that's not what I was worried about. I just thought my mom might be surprised if I suddenly brought friends over."

"…Would it be too much?" The president looked at me with pitiful eyes.

How could anyone say no to that look? I asked the three to wait and called my mom.

"What? Of course it's fine! Bring them all over!" Im Mi-ja's hearty approval was loud enough to be heard even without speaker mode.

With the dinner decided, Minami made a quick call, and soon the same limousine from earlier pulled up. As we boarded, a sudden question hit me.

"By the way, how did the vice president and Minami get here?"

Shinjiro flinched before answering, "Us, you mean?"

"We took a taxi," Minami said. "We're not used to the subway."

Fair enough. Serving the president probably meant they rarely took public transport. Once all four of us were aboard, the limousine glided through the darkening streets. After everything today, our final destination was my house.

---

"Welcome!"

As we entered the restaurant, my mom, who was in the dining area, greeted us with a bright smile. Thanks to my earlier call, side dishes were already set on the table.

"Ohohoho, it's been a while, ma'am," the president said, stepping forward to greet her.

"Oh my, it's been too long, President!" Mom replied, grabbing her hands warmly.

By some coincidence, my mom, Im Mi-ja (李美子), and the president, Saionji Kumiko (久美子), shared almost the same name, differing by just one character. Maybe that's why they got along so well.

"Since the president and your student council friends are here, I prepared our restaurant's signature dishes," Mom said, seating us at the table before calling Dad from the kitchen.

Dad emerged carrying a charcoal brazier. "Careful, it's hot."

I gave a quick warning, and the president, folding her fan, stared at the brazier placed in the center of the table with an excited, curious expression.

"So this is yakiniku."

"Your first time grilling it yourself?"

"Yes, a bit embarrassing to admit," she said with a self-deprecating smile.

She still had plenty of things she hadn't experienced, but her eagerness to learn would make up for it. She'd been steadily embracing her "commoner experiences," tackling things she never would've considered before.

I grabbed the tongs to cook for the group. "Eat as much as you want. I'll keep grilling if you need more."

Shinjiro's glasses glinted as he said, "Hoh, you sure you won't regret that?"

"Absolutely."

I piled the meat onto the grill. Our family restaurant specialized in Korean-style yakiniku, serving familiar cuts like samgyeopsal (pork belly), moksal (pork neck), galmaegisal (pork skirt), and hangjeongsal (pork jowl). Naturally, as the son of a barbecue restaurant, I was a pro at grilling.

The meat sizzled on the grill, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma. The three hungry high schoolers, fresh from a day of fun, swallowed hard.

The kings of charcoal grilling are samgyeopsal and moksal. The fatty, savory layers of pork belly and the slightly chewy, flavorful pork neck were grilled to golden perfection and cut into bite-sized pieces. Some say you should only flip meat once, but that's a myth—just grill it nicely on both sides, and you're good.

Thanks to the strong charcoal heat, the meat cooked quickly. I moved the finished pieces to the grill's edge and added fresh ones. The three, who'd been clutching their chopsticks and swallowing in anticipation, dove in the moment I gave the go-ahead.

"Take it slow. There's plenty of meat left."

It must've been a quiet day at the restaurant—probably because of the holidays—so there weren't many customers. Having three hungry teens show up was a relief for the meat stock. I'm no slouch when it comes to eating either.

I explained the side dishes. "This is myeong-i namul and pickled perilla leaves—great for wrapping the meat. And that's ssamjang, a mix of gochujang and doenjang. It pairs perfectly with the meat."

Unlike the Akagi siblings, who seemed familiar with yakiniku, the president struggled a bit, likely due to it being her first time. I wrapped a ssam for her and held it out. "President, say 'ah.'"

Her face flushed as she protested, "Doing something so embarrassing in front of everyone? How shameless!"

"My arm's getting tired. Come on."

Reluctantly, she took the ssam and ate it delicately.

*Chew chew*

"How is it? Good, right?"

She nodded shyly at my question.

Minami, watching, spoke up. "Yuseong, don't you need to eat? I can take over the tongs."

I appreciated her thoughtfulness but decided to stick to my guns today. "No, I'm fine. The best griller should handle the meat, right? Don't worry about me—I'll eat plenty."

I popped a piece of meat into my mouth with my chopsticks, and Minami nodded reluctantly.

"Hahaha! I can keep going!" Shinjiro declared.

"Vice President, slow down. You're eating like someone's chasing you."

Despite my teasing, his pace didn't falter, so I kept piling meat onto the grill. As I worked, the president, who'd been watching me closely, suddenly wrapped a ssam and held it out to me.

"Oh, I can make my own—"

"You keep saying that but haven't eaten anything."

She pushed it toward me again, and I couldn't refuse. After eating it, she asked nervously, "How is it?"

I chewed, swallowed, and gave a thumbs-up. "Delicious."

She beamed. "Hehe, of course. Look who made it."

The night grew late, filled with the joy of the student council together after so long.

---

"See you next time!"

"Come back soon~"

With farewells from Yuseong and his mom, Saionji Kumiko and the Akagi siblings left the restaurant. The sky was already pitch-black. Considering they'd been bustling around Asakusa since early morning, they'd spent nearly the whole day out. Though tired, Kumiko felt a warm emotion lingering in her chest.

On the limousine ride back to her mansion, Shinjiro and Minami, seated across from her, bowed their heads.

"Sorry, miss. We should've slipped away discreetly."

"We got caught up in the fun and missed our chance to leave."

Kumiko smiled softly and shook her head at their sincere apologies. "It's fine. I'm more than satisfied with today."

She reflected on the day's events: waiting for someone for the first time, eating ice cream with Yuseong in Asakusa, laughing while picking out gifts, and hearing him call her beautiful in a kimono.

But that wasn't all.

"It's been a while since we hung out together like this. It brought back a lot of old memories."

The student council revolved around Saionji Kumiko, a natural dynamic. Yet, sometimes, she felt a strange loneliness, thinking Shinjiro and Minami no longer treated her as they did in the past. But that was a misunderstanding.

"Playing spot-the-difference with Minami was fun. Bowling was great, and taking sticker photos and singing at karaoke made for good memories."

Her date-like time with Yuseong, whom she admired, was wonderful, but today, spent united as the student council, held a special meaning beyond that.

"Thank you for always being by my side, Shinjiro, Minami. I'm always grateful."

At Kumiko's words and slight bow, the siblings looked touched.

"…I'll follow you forever."

"Miss…"

As a warm atmosphere settled in, Kumiko, feeling a bit awkward, cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm happy with today. There'll be more chances in the future, and you two will help, right?"

"Of course!" they replied in unison.

And so, the first night of Golden Week ended with the trio, bound by loyalty, reaffirming their bond.