Chapter 235 – Choosing the Challenger

Around six in the evening.

After finishing the promotional shoot and pre-show interviews, they finally show their own room, along with their luggage already inside.

Along with it, they handed over a list of this season’s contestants.

It was prepared specifically for Kessoku Band, so they could have something to reference when deciding who to challenge on Sing! Asia.

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Inside one of the rooms on the cruise ship—more precisely, Aoki Kei’s cabin—the members of Kessoku Band sat together in a loose circle.

Ryou was the first to break the silence, her expression unusually solemn as she stared down at the contestant list spread out on the table—the one they’d received from the Sing! Asia production team.

“Phew…”

She exhaled a long sigh, almost dramatic, before lifting her head to look at everyone else.

For a moment, she looked deep in thought, as if about to discuss some serious band matter. Then, in a low, deliberate tone, she finally spoke.

“Here’s the deal. We came all the way from Tokyo, right? So if we don’t order the all-you-can-eat A5 wagyu hotpot, it’d be a complete waste of a trip.”

Her voice carried the gravity of someone announcing a life-or-death decision.

“It’s fulfilling, perfect for sharing… and perfect for winter,” she added, as if building a flawless logical argument.

The way she emphasized complete waste made it sound like she might genuinely cry if they didn’t go through with it.

Normally, Ryou was the kind of person who lived off cheap takeout and instant food—raised by parents who constantly reminded her to be frugal. She was the last person anyone expected to suggest splurging on luxury food.

But this was a cruise ship.

The Sing! Asia staff had gone all out—treating contestants to a variety of cuisines and endless buffets. And the best part? It was all free.

When Kikouka-san from EMI first told them about it, Ryou hadn’t thought much of it.

But when she actually saw the extravagant spread laid out in front of her, she nearly cried on the spot.

‘Ah… what a beautiful world this is,’ she thought, her heart trembling.

Ever since then, she’d had her eyes set on one thing—the legendary A5 wagyu hotpot.

Sixteen pounds of marbled perfection.

Of course, she couldn’t finish that much alone, so she needed to convince the others to join in her crusade.

But before she could get too far into her pitch, Nijika shook her head firmly.

“No, Ryou. It’s already nighttime. Eating that much meat will ruin your body,” Nijika said firmly, crossing her arms like a strict older sister.

“And besides,” she continued, “there’s no way you’re finishing sixteen pounds of meat and all the sides. So listen to me—we should go for a tomato and corn broth combo instead. If you really want wagyu, just order it as a side dish.”

“Guh… That’s is to little… we’re still growi—”

“No means no.”

Nijika, ever the loving mom of the group, cut her off without hesitation.

Ryou slumped to the floor in defeat, her expression hollow as she turned her desperate eyes toward Kita, her last shred of hope.

“Ryou-senpai, I agree with Nijika-senpai,” Kita said with her usual brightness. “What if you hurt your stomach tomorrow morning?”

“We have something to do tomorrow you know?”

Ryou looked absolutely devastated now, as if her dreams had been torn apart before her eyes.

Still, she wasn’t ready to give up. She slowly turned toward the final chance for salvation—Bocchi.

Both Kita and Ryou’s gazes fixed on the pink-haired girl.

Having absolutely no idea what was going on, Bocchi froze on the spot.

Her brain immediately short-circuited under the weight of everyone’s attention.

‘Eh? W-Why are they staring at me? Did I say something wrong? Did I breathe too loud? Oh no, they want me to choose?!’

After several seconds of silent panic, Bocchi stammered, “Uh… th-then… tomato and corn?”

“Three to one, Ryou. You’re outvoted,” Nijika declared with a satisfied smile as she stood up to announce the verdict.

“Guh… there are no allies to be found in this world…” Ryou muttered dramatically, clutching her chest.

Then, her eyes shifted to Kei—the only one who hadn’t joined the argument, calmly flipping through the contestant list on the table.

“Suki-san,” she said in an uncharacteristically sweet tone as she slinked over, “what do you want to eat?”

Without even looking up, Kei sighed. “Didn’t we come here to decide which contestants we’re choosing for the next round? Not… dinner?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

The girls, who had been so fired up about food just moments ago, suddenly fell silent.

Ryou glanced down at the contestant list in her hand, then back up at Kei.

“Suki-san, to be honest… we don’t really know how strong any of these contestants are,” she said, her tone surprisingly level. “Our goal is to win anyway, right? So eventually, we’ll have to face them all.”

Kei didn’t respond right away.

What she said was technically true — no matter who they picked, it wouldn’t make much difference.

Thinking too hard about it would just pile unnecessary pressure on the girls again.

As if reading his expression, Ryou leaned back in her chair with a grin. “So instead of stressing over this… shouldn’t we focus on what to eat tonight?”

She tilted her head slightly, eyes gleaming with mischief. “What do you think, Suki-san? A5 Wagyu hotpot? Or… A5 Wagyu hotpot? You like to share the hotpot, right?”

Kei exhaled through his nose, a faint trace of amusement flickering across his face.

“You really take this as a traveling, don’t you?”

Ryou smirked. “Well, if it’s free food and a nice view, it’d be a crime not to enjoy it.”

In the end, the others surrendered to her persistence.

Ryou was allowed to order her precious hotpot — though predictably, she couldn’t finish it all.

Kei, being the only one with the endurance (and possibly the sense of responsibility) to avoid wasting food, quietly took care of the leftovers.

And just like that, Kessoku Band’s important meeting about selecting their next challenge opponent came to a close on that ridiculous note.

Eventually, they settled on a young idol named Haneul Lee as their opponent — mostly because her name happened to be the first one that appeared in the results of the last Sing! Asia performance search.

As for their next meal, Nijika made sure to put her foot down before things got out of hand again.

“Breakfast tomorrow,” she declared firmly, “is going to be tomato and corn hotpot.”

No one dared argue.