Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093605365078/episodes/16818622170162317866
Next day.
It’s lunchtime, and I have lunch with Haruto as usual.
Today, as usual, my bento side dish is fried chicken.
It’s the most delicious.
I bite into a rather large piece of fried chicken. It is not freshly fried, so it does not have a crispy texture, but the meat is well seasoned, and the rice goes down a treat. Fried chicken is a righteous dish.
On the other hand, smiling as he opens his lunch box, which is almost twice the size of mine, is my best friend, Fujisaki Haruto.
At 185 centimeters tall, he is the next ace of the basketball team, and he needs to eat enough to match his body and athleticism.
Haruto’s mother (or father?), who probably makes his lunch every morning, must be in a lot of trouble.
When he had finished about a quarter of his lunch, he said something like this, as if he had an idea.
“Oh, yes, by the way, I had a good thing happen.”
“A good thing?”
“Yeah. Actually, I’m gonna wear the number “8” in the next game.”
“Wow, that’s great. ……What’s so special about number “8” in basketball?”
“In basketball, the number 8 is a regular power forward.”
“Power forward?”
It sounds like a strong name.
I could understand why, since “forward” is associated with the position of an attacker in soccer.”
And if it means “power,” then I guess it’s a position where you have to be physical and aggressive…..?
That would be perfect for Haruhito, wouldn’t it? I can easily imagine him smiling as he blows away the opposing players with his body. I’m sure he’ll score easily.
……Well, I don’t know much about basketball.
“At least you earned yourself a regular spot, right? That’s amazing.”
“Ehehe, but it wasn’t an inter-high school qualifier, it was an invitational game in a neighboring city, so I guess they gave me a tryout and made me a regular.”
“No, no, no, Haruto, this is your chance to show off.
Star players never miss an opportunity like this. You need to perform well here and secure your place as a regular.”
“I agree. So Asahi, why don’t you come and watch the game this Saturday?”
Haruto smiles at me.
The smile is so pure and innocent that it doesn’t convey the slightest hint of malice, so I think it would be best for him to be protected by UNESCO as soon as possible.
“Of course, but I don’t know much about basketball.”
“The team that puts the most balls in the goal wins, so it’s okay.”
“I know that much……well, since you’ve managed to become a regular, I’ll go and cheer you on. I don’t think my support will be much help, though.”
“Thanks Asahi ! But Asahi, I think it’s a bit dangerous if you go alone, so it’s better to be with someone.”
“Eh, is it that dangerous?”
“Yeah, because the other day you were the victim of sexual harrassment.”
“Well, that’s true, but…..”
“I’ve been feeling that way especially lately. Asahi, is something wrong?”
If you ask me if something happened, there’s so much that I don’t know where to begin. I can’t say that, so I just give a polite smile and dodge the question.
I’m not aware of it at all, but Haruto says I look a bit risky because my guard is down.
He says I have an aura that attracts the wrong kind of women.
…….I wonder if it’s true.
“I think it would be better if you came with someone.”
“I mean……who’s that someone?”
“Erm…..hey, aren’t you interested, Nishimeya san?”
Haruto suddenly approached Hinayo, who was standing next to me.
She had her ears covered with earphones and was munching and chewing her sandwich like a rabbit.
She looked like a herbivore.
“……Oi, Nishimeya san?”
When Haruto raises his hand or calls back, Hinayo finally notices it.
“Y-yes, w-w-what is it?”
“I’m glad you noticed. This weekend, there is a basketball game on Saturday, if you want, you can come and watch.”
“Eh !? M-me !?”
“Yes, with Asahi.”
“With Hirakawa kun !?”
“Yeah. I thought it would be better for Asahi to go with Nishimeya san.”
Hinayo was obviously acting suspiciously.
That makes sense. I’d never even seen her talking to anyone until recently. Of course, that’s what a gloomy girl would do if she was suddenly spoken to.
But then again, Haruto was very bold.
Even though they were sitting close to each other, he didn’t have to go out of his way to talk to Hinase, who was in a state of being cut off from her surroundings.
……I see ! I see, I get it.
It means that Haruto’s soul is the exact opposite of what he’s saying.
He says he wants me to come with Hinayo because I’m in danger, but that’s just a pretext.
What Haruto really wants is for Hinayo to come with him.
When she cut her bangs the other day, Haruto reacted very much. He is definitely interested in her.
Since it’s hard to ask her out directly, he’s trying to use me as an excuse to get her to come over.
What a clever plan, Haruto.
“Um….can I go?”
“Of course.”
“Then, if it’s okay with me…..”
“Really !? I’m so happy that Nishimeya san is coming.”
Haruto smiles.
He’s a friendly guy, with enough smile for everyone.
From a child’s perspective, if this is the kind of smile a classmate receives, it must be frightening. It seems like it would be easy to misunderstand.
But I can understand. I know that Haruto was rather serious about asking Hinayo out.
As proof of this, the pace at which Haruto ate his bento afterwards was unusually fast.
After he ate, he immediately went to the gymnasium. I guess he was so happy that he couldn’t stand still.
Haruto is a very girly guy who works hard for the person he loves.
Since Haruto went away, I ate my lunch slowly.
Unlike Haruto, I don’t eat as fast as him, so there was still about half of the rice left in my bento box.
I looked at Hinayo next to me and saw that she had finished her sandwich and was watching some kind of anime.
I took a quick peek and saw that it was the same cartoon I had read yesterday.
“Nishimeya san, that anime–”
“Fuee !? W-w-w-what is it, Hirakawa kun !”
“Oh, sorry to startle you. I thought that anime was the same manga I happened to read yesterday.”
“Hirakawa kun, you know [Arashota] !?”
Hinayo was more surprised than when Haruto had invited her to a basketball game earlier.
The manga I read yesterday is called ‘Arashota’……and it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.
“The ‘Arashota’—or more precisely, ‘The Rural Life of a Reincarnated Office Lady Surrounded by Shota’ was a web novel that was extremely popular. The popularity of the manga grew even more with the manga version, which will finally be animated this season ! The series has sold over 5 million copies—-“
“Y-you know a lot…….”
“Ha…….! I’m sorry, I sometimes talk too much……”
“No, no, no, it’s okay. I wanted to read the rest of the manga because it’s so interesting, but I couldn’t remember the title of the manga……I finally figured it out, so thank God for that.”
Hinayo replied shyly.
But soon after that, she suddenly changed her expression as if she had noticed something.
“Hirakawa kun, if you like, why don’t you read the rest of [Arashota]? I have all the volumes…..”
“Really? Then I guess I’ll borrow it after school. Can I come over to Nishimeya san’s house?”
“Y……..yes……….!”
That’s how I made plans for after school.
I’m looking forward to reading the rest of that manga.
…Without knowing that this was the shady girl’s plan.
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