Ken was forced to stop by the person in front of him, who looked to be getting into line. He peaked his head to the right in order to see what was going on at the front.
That's when he saw Miho with a notepad in her hand. She would inspect the next person in line before writing something on a piece of paper and handing it to them.
Once this was done, the player would head over to the serving line and hand the piece of paper to one of the staff members in the kitchen.
Although perplexed, Ken only needed to wait for a few minutes before he was next in line.
"Ken Takagi." She stated, looking at him up and down.
Once again she seemed to be undressing him with her eyes, giving Ken an appreciative glance. She grabbed him by the arm and lifted it up briefly, checking out the muscles on his arms and obliques before turning her gaze downward.
Ken was in such shock that he didn't even pull away from her touch. He felt like a livestock being checked over by the Quality Assurance officer.
"Good muscle constitution, but could still use some more mass." She muttered just loud enough for only him to hear.
"Pardon?" Ken blinked a few times, feeling mystified at the entire interaction.
However, she ignored him before writing down something on the notepad and tearing off the paper. Without a word she handed it to him and gestured for him to move along.
He could only accept the piece of paper and move forwards following the line in front of him.
After collecting a silver tray, Ken looked down at the piece of paper which just appeared to be a number with scribbles written next to it.
Only after a few moments was he able to decipher it thanks to his improved mental capacity.
'4 x bowls of rice. Needs protein for increased muscle development.'
As he was trying to interpret the chicken scratch upon the paper, Daichi was currently having the time of his life. He willingly participated in the livestock viewing, raising his arms and even striking poses as he tried to impress the woman in front of him.
When he finally made it through the line, his face was flushed and he was wearing a coy expression.
Ken turned to notice him acting weirdly before he was drawn to the piece of paper in front of him.
"Can I see that?" he asked, feeling slightly curious as to what the difference between them would be.
"Hehe sure." Like a man who was drunk on love, Daichi handed it to his brother, thinking nothing of the coded message.
'1 bowl of rice. Reduce carbohydrates to remove unneeded weight around the hips and thighs.'
Ken sucked in a cold breath of air as he saw the harsh words written on the sheet of paper. His gaze slowly moved to Daichi who still looked to be riding a high and quickly decided to keep this information to himself.
"Great mother of Mary!"
Everyone turned their attention to Miho who had just had a sudden outburst.
They then saw the scene of Hiroki with his shirt lifted, showing off an impeccable six pack which looked like they'd been carved by the hands of Michaelangelo himself.
Daichi's expression suddenly changed to one of blatant jealousy. He gnashed his teeth in annoyance as he locked gaze with Hiroki who had an embarrassed look on his face.
The poor kid was asked to lift up his shirt to which he initially refused. However, after being told he wouldn't be able to eat if he didn't comply, he could only do as he was told.
Yet once he did so, she caused a large commotion, drawing everyone's attention to the two of them.
Suddenly feeling as if he'd been caught out, Hiroki pulled down his shirt and lowered his head in embarrassment. He swore that he could feel the burning gazes of all the players on his figure at that moment, yet none scalded him more than Daichi's fierce gaze.
"Hmph."
Daichi turned his head away, yet inwardly he was fired up.
'I'll do 100… no 200 sit ups every morning and night…'
Unaware of what was going through his brother's head, Ken continued down the line until he was met with another staff member who he handed the note. She scrunched her face and squinted her eyes before finally able to decipher what was on it.
With that, she served up his meal which was two double stacked bowls of rice and various side dishes of meat and fish, along with some miso soup.
Despite what one might think, the meal smelled amazing and he was eager to get tucked in. Without waiting for Daichi, he walked towards the seating area and picked out an empty table.
Not wanting to let the food go cold, he dug in.
He was joined not long later by Hiroki and Daichi. The two looked at his tray which was filled with lots of rice and proteins, only to compare it to their own meals.
While Hiroki had 2 servings of rice, he only had fish and vegetables as a side dish. Daichi on the other hand only had a single bowl of rice and fish, making his meal look pitiful in comparison.
"What is with this disparity?" He mumbled, feeling even more down.
Ken tried to cheer the two up by trying to explain the situation nicely.
"I'd say Miho is a nutritionist for athletes judging by her notes. She probably recognized that I need to bulk up some more to match up with my height, which was why I got more rice and protein than you both."
Thankfully, Daichi seemed to cling onto his theory since it suited him more than the one he had come up with.
So the three ate their food and were able to make some small talk before it was time for bed.
Since it was going to be a big day tomorrow, they went straight to bed after eating, but not before agreeing to go for a light run early in the morning.
Ken was eager to get into bed since he had still yet to use his Golden Tickets from the National Tournament rewards.
'I wonder what I'll get this time?'