Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093076684326416/episodes/16818093076686254846
Takeru and Akari arrived in front of a classroom at the university around past ten o’clock before second period started.
Takeru stopped Akari, who was about to enter the classroom first.
“Wait, Akari. Here is today’s lunch. It’s a ginger-grilled meal today.”
He pulls out a lunch box wrapped in a small orange wrapping from his bag and presents it to Akari. He always makes lunch boxes for his father and sister as well as for Akari.
Since ginger-grilled meal is her favorite food, he imagines that she will be happy to take it with her, saying [Yay !], but she looks troubled.
“Ah, I see… Sorry, I don’t need my lunch today.”
“Eh? Why? Akari, you have club activities today, right?”
If the day ends in the morning, she could go out for lunch with her friends, but Akari is a member of a tennis club, and when the club has activities in the afternoon, she always eats in the university.
If that were the case, Takeru thought she would need a lunch box, but Akari crossed her arms and made a reluctant face.
“Ummm…well…we kind of agreed to eat outside together today.”
“Is…..that so? I see…well, there are days like that, I get it. But next time, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know in advance.”
I made one extra lunch. Well, I don’t mind as long as I can pass it on to dinner.
“I’m really sorry, okay? See you next time !”
Akari said and entered the classroom, mingling with the group of sparkling girls who occupied the seats in the back of the room.
Takeru and Akari were separated at campus. Takeru and Akari have different types of friends. Takeru has a relatively simple type of friends, while Akari, on the other hand, is more outgoing and sociable.
When Takeru enters the classroom and looks around at his seat, he sees a man waving at him.
Sako Ryoma. He is small for a man, and his curly black hair is so beautifully coiffed that you would think he had a perm, but he says he has his own (natural perm). He has a simple face and looks quiet at first glance, but he is a very loud guy with a good sense of humor.
“Good morning, Sako.”
“Sup. You’re going to school with Sato san again today, aren’t you? I envy you.”
“No, that’s not how it is between me and Akari.”
How many times have we had this exchange? Just because we are childhood friends and go to school together, people often mistake us for lovers.
“No, it doesn’t have to be that way, just walking around with Sato san makes you feel better…..don’t you feel like your value as a man goes up a notch?”
If I had a relationship with a beautiful woman like Akari, I could understand why he would think that way, but it would be presumptuous for a mere childhood friend to think that way.
“Hmm, I don’t know about that. Then again, even Sako walks around with Miyano san a lot, right?”
Miyano Megumi. She and Sako seem to have been friends since childhood, and she often hangs out with Takeru and the others.
She is tall for a woman, wears glasses, and wears her long hair tied in a low knot.
“Megumi~? It won’t work with Megumi. She’s huge for nothing !”
“….Hmmm? Sako kun, you were thinking about that, weren’t you?”
Before they knew it, Miyano was standing behind Takeru and Sako. She crossed her arms and smiled a weird smile.
“Guh !?”
Sako stands up straight, as if surprised.
“No, no, no ! I-I was just saying that it would be harsh for anyone to compare themselves to Sato san…..!”
Miyano let out a sigh and sat down next to Takeru.
“Wel, I don’t care what Sako kun thinks of me, but I’d be shocked if Shiota kun thought that too…”
Miyano glares at Takeru, who shakes his head and denies it.
“No, no, no, I didn’t think that ! Sako just said it on his own ! It’s not that Miyano san is big, it’s just that Sako is small !”
In fact, Miyano san is only slightly taller than the average height of a woman, but shorter than the average height of a man. Sako is just small, that’s all.
Sako’s brow wrinkles as Miyano erupts at Takeru’s words.
“Don’t call me small ! Don’t you laugh, Megumi !”
Takeru and Miyano looked at each other and laughed.
Sako and Miyano, the atmosphere between them was very comfortable for Takeru.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a gaze from behind him. When Takeru turned around, his eyes met Akari’s. It seemed that the gaze was from Akari.
Takeru tilted his head in the direction of her, as if to ask her what she wanted, but she remained still and did not respond. Upon closer inspection, he felt that her eyes were not focused on him. Then what the hell is she looking at?
As Takeru looks around in doubt, Miyano suddenly shouts.
“Ah ! I’m gonna move to the front seat ! I think my glasses have become out of alignment recently…”
Miyano said and moved from next to Takeru to the seat in front of Sako.
The position she’s currently sitting in is slightly further back than in the middle. Indeed, for those with minus vision, it may be difficult to see the words on the blackboard.
Then, Sako started to complain.
“You idiot ! If you come to the front, I won’t be able to see the blackboard ! You’re harassing me !”
“I can’t help it, there’s no other space available ! Stand up straight before you complain !”
“Don’t be absurd ! I mean, there’s a space in front of Takeru ! Go that way !”
Sako and Miyano started arguing with each other. It’s really just a jabbering match. Even though they are talking lightly to each other, their relationship does not turn nasty, and they both know where the line is. Takeru loved to watch the comedic banter between the two.
“What’s the matter with you, Takeru, you’re smiling so wickedly.”
As I watched closely, Sako’s face seemed to show what he was thinking.
Takeru smiled and said what he thought straight out.
“No, I just thought it would be nice to have a childhood friend.”
[ [I don’t want Takeru (Shiota kun) to say that !] ]
Their voices came together.
They probably meant to say that I have Akari, but even me and Akari can’t be this breathtakingly in sync with each other.
I glanced at Akari, but her eyes were not on me and she was already chatting with her friend who looked like a gal next to her.
Come to think of it, what was she looking at earlier? Before I had time to think about that, the professor arrived and the class started.
After the second period, it was time for lunch, so I went to the cafeteria with Sako and Miyano and sat down at the appropriate table.
Ken, who had brought his own lunch box, took a seat for the two of them and waited for them to finish ordering, which was his usual routine.
As he waits for them, staring at his phone in a daze, he hears a curse-like groan.
“No no no no no……! !”
Takeru looked fearfully toward the voice and saw a ridiculously beautiful woman sitting diagonally in front of him, eating a ginger-grilled set meal with an ugly expression on her face.
She had waist-length, silky black hair, long eyelashes, bright eyes, and a dignified, sharp outline, making her look like a combination of cute and beautiful.
Her only flaw is that she eats her meal with a terrible expression on her face, with wrinkles between her eyebrows and nose.
Takeru couldn’t help but stare at her, and his eyes suddenly met hers. Then she called out to him with a dubious look on her face.
“…What is it? Do you want something from me?”
Her tone was quite frightening. Takeru hurriedly looked away.
“N-no….I was just wondering if you don’t like ginger-grilled……”
“I’m not saying I don’t like ginger-grilled. It’s just that I don’t like the taste of it here.”
Takeru has also eaten ginger-grilled at this canteen before. However, while it wasn’t particularly delicious, he remembers that it wasn’t bad either.
With that thought in mind, Takeru secretly looked at her again.
She was dressed calmly in a thin white knit and a long black skirt. The bag she was carrying at her side was of a high brand that even Ken, who was not familiar with fashion, knew. And when he looks at it and then looks at her clothes again, he gets the feeling that all of them are of good quality and expensive.
As is often the case at universities, there are sometimes wealthy people like her in the mix.
Perhaps a young lady like her cannot appreciate the taste of the common man’s food.
As Takeru was thinking about this, she suddenly leaned over and looked into his lunch box.
“Is that something you make yourself? The ginger-grilled?”
Her good looks were impeccable, even up close. Takeru is nervous about the sudden approach of a beautiful woman, but manages to answer her.
“Yes, well…”
“…Hmmm…?”
She compares the lunch and Takeru quizzically for a moment, then returns to her seat as if suddenly losing interest.
Then she pulled her tray of ginger-grilled set meals toward Ken.
“This is for you.”
“Eh?”
“I said, it’s for you. Wouldn’t it be disrespectful to the chef if I left it out?”
Chef…this is a canteen. …No, she’s not wrong.
“….I also think it’s rude to say something is bad when it’s served to you.”
Takeru, who cooks a lot, understands the pain of being criticized for something he has made.
At the risk of offending this apparently high-spirited girl, he spoke out unintentionally.
But she does not get angry and replies without changing her expression.
“That was just an evaluation. I paid for it, so it is my right to evaluate it. Now, I’ll leave it to you.”
With that, she replaced the chopsticks she had used on the tray with unused ones and walked away.
As I watched in dismay as she stormed off without giving me a chance to refuse her, Sako returned with the set meal in his hand.
“Hey Takeru ! Who’s that girl just now ! Introduce her to me !”
Apparently, he had seen me interacting with her earlier.
“No, I don’t know her name either. I just got involved all of a sudden.”
“Huh? What kind of virtues did you accumulate in your previous life to get tangled up with such a super cute girl?”
Sako sat down next to Takeru and glared at him with a regretful look. Being entangled doesn’t mean girls, it’s more similar in meaning to being entangled with a delinquent, but Sako seems to be misunderstanding this.
[She’s Takatsuki Chisato, a first-year student.] As Takeru was thinking about how to explain, Miyano interjected, sitting down across from him. [She must have been in the same economics department as us. There was talk for a while that there was a cute new student.]
Sako held his forehead and shook his head.
“Kuh, I guess I didn’t do enough research ! Why didn’t my network of cute girls catch it !”
Miyano laughs bitterly at Sako’s words.
“Hmm…maybe that Takatsuki san’s personality has caused her troubles, and now she’s seen as more of a weird girl than a cute girl…?”
It’s true that no matter how good-looking you are, you won’t be popular if you criticize other people’s creations. After all, women like Akari who eat delicious food are more attractive. Yeah.
While Takeru was nodding in agreement, Sako pointed to the ginger-grilled set meal that Takatsuki had left behind and asked him a question.
“What is this ginger-grilled set meal? You have a bento, but you bought a set meal too?”
Takeru replies, trying to think of how to explain.
“Takatsuki san forced me. To put it in the style of a Food Blog review, I would say, [It tasted like an ordinary person and it was bad. I couldn’t eat it all, so I gave one to the person next to me.]”
“She’s the type of reviewer I really don’t like ! I mean, is this what that girl ate !?”
At Takeru’s words, Sako pulled the set meal toward him, his eyes sparkling like a pirate who has found a treasure.
[ [Uwaa…] ]
Sako, noticing the cold stares from Takeru and Miyano, buzzed his hands and spoke quickly.
“N-no…! You can’t eat it anyway, right? I just thought food was a waste ! Do you know SDGS? It’s an abbreviation for Sustainable Development Goals, which means, there is also the issue of food…..”
It was very funny to see him trying to speak fluently, trying to justify himself by using cursive pronunciations and knowledge he had picked up somewhere.
Unfortunately for Sako, he took the chopstick in his mouth, and it looked like he only took a bite, so it probably wasn’t the uneaten food he was hoping for. However, it was in no one’s best interest to tell Sako about it.
Let’s just shut up about it and let him eat it. It’s for the SDGs he says. Yup.
When the third period was over and Takeru had finished all his classes for the day and was getting ready to leave, Akari called out to him.
“Hey Ken, what are you doing after this?”
“I’m going straight home as usual.”
“I see. I’m going to go to the club.”
Akari has been playing tennis since junior high school and is also a member of a tennis club at the university. Takeru was invited to watch the match several times, and even though she was an amateur, Akari was very good at it. In fact, she has achieved some results in every tournament, so she must be quite good.
Sako peeked out from nearby.
“Sato san, can I still join the tennis club? I’ve always been quite athletic, you know?”
Sako said as he made a swinging motion with his tennis racket. With his awkward form, he does not look athletic even to the untrained eye.
Akari laughed happily and turned her dazzling smile to Sako.
“Haha, Sako kun, you’re always welcome here ! Since you’re a friend of Ken’s, I’ll teach you in person.”
“Are you serious !? Please do everything you can to get your..ugh.”
As Sako leaned forward to avoid jumping on Akari, Takeru grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
“What are you doing, Takeru !”
“Akari, Sako is too innocent to take lip service seriously, so don’t tease him too much. And Sako got a D in P.E. in his freshman year, so he’s not very athletic.”
“Ah ! You’ve done it, you bastard !”
Sako brushed off Takeru’s hand and jumped at him, putting him in a headlock. It seems like he’s taking it seriously, and it’s quite painful.
As he slaps Sako’s arm, indicating that he’s ready to give up, Akari laughs at them.
At that moment, a man unfamiliar to this classroom calls out.
“Akari chan, are you done with class? You said at lunch that you were coming to the circle today, right?”
The man who approached Akari was a blond, slender, tall, model-like man.
The sudden appearance of the handsome man caused a hush to fall over the classroom.
“Oh, yes, I’m on my way ! See you later, Ken.”
“Eh? Y-yeah.”
Akari turned on her heel and ran to the blonde-haired handsome man.
Takeru and Sako looked with a blank stare.
Sako’s arm holding Takeru was no longer strong enough to hold him, but Takeru had forgotten to shake it off too.
And after they left, there were a few seconds of silence, and then Sako…no, Sako’s screams of anguish echoed through the classroom.
[Screw you ! I thought you said you couldn’t have a boyfriend because your childhood friend is guarding you !?] [There’s a hell of a dark horse out there…! !] [Who’s that super hot guy ! Our Sato san….!]
Most of the students in the classroom seemed shocked, showing how popular Akari is.
Takeru recognized the face of the blonde hottie from earlier.
“…..Yasaka Hayato…..a senior. I believe he was a regular at national tennis tournaments when he was in high school…”
Yasaka Hayato. He was one year older than Takeru and is the representative of the tennis club.
Takeru knew his name because he had heard from Akari in high school that he was both a literary and professional athlete who could do anything and was cool. At that time, she and Yasaka were in different schools and did not seem to be involved in any particular way, but Akari had told him that they were now in the same university and in the same club. He didn’t know that they were in a relationship where they pick each other up.
Besides, did he mention [lunch] earlier?
I couldn’t believe he was the friend she was having lunch with…
“Damn ! I knew it was the height…!? No, it’s the face…!? Or tennis !? I’m holding too much of everything ! I can’t hold it all !”
Sako’s cry echoed through the room, as if he were representing the feelings of all the men in the classroom.
Akari has a wide circle of friends and has always had many male friends, so it is possible that they are just friends.
Once in high school, I was curious about the relationship between Akari and a male friend she was close to, and asked her if they were dating. At the time, she answered with a laugh that it was impossible because he was not her type. But what about this time…?
“Shiota kun, are you okay?”
As I was lost in thought, Miyano unexpectedly called out to me, startling me.
“….Eh !? What?”
“I mean…..you have an amazing expression on your face…?”
Miyano told me, and I realized that I had been frowning. Takeru smiled as if he was trying to make up for it.
“I’m sorry, it’s okay. I was just thinking.”
[Is that so?] Miyano continued speaking while looking at Takeru’s expression. [By the way, Shiota kun, do you think those two are dating?]
Takeru was at a loss for words. He hadn’t heard anything like that from Akari, so he thought they weren’t dating right now.
However, when I think back on what Akari says about Yasaka senpai, I feel a sense of discomfort. It is possible that she is just admiring him…but at least it was different from when she talked about other boys.
“I haven’t heard anything from Akari either, so I don’t think they’re probably dating,…..but I can’t say for sure.”
Takeru thought about it and gave a vague answer. Miyano put her hand on Takeru’s back and called out to him in a concerned manner.
“….I see. If there’s anything wrong, at least talk to me about it, okay?”
I know why Miyano said that to me.
If they were really dating, she knows who would be the most shocked.
Since both Sako and Miyano are in clubs, Takeru goes home alone.
Normally after school, his steps would be light as he thinks about what he will do when he gets home, but today his steps are heavy because he can’t stop thinking about the incident that just happened.
Halfway home, I hear a notification on my phone. I take out my phone, see Akari’s name on the screen, and rush to open LINE.
[Sorry, my lunch is fine for a while starting tomorrow. I’m going to eat it with my friend.]
A friend….. Is it really just a friend? Could it really be Yasaka senpai?
I was thinking about this when I unintentionally typed [Who’s your friend?]
It is unnatural to ask such a question to someone who is not my girlfriend. After thinking about it for a while, I erased the text I had typed, replied with a simple [Okay,] and closed my phone.
I was so frustrated and depressed just because Akari might have a boyfriend.
I wish I could ask Akari directly whether she is dating Yasaka senpai or not, but I can’t make up my mind because I imagine the moment when she confirms it. I feel really ashamed of myself for my weakness in the face of such a situation.
Thinking about this, Takeru walked slowly until he saw his house.
Takeru’s house is a three-story building, with a restaurant on the first floor and living space on the second and third floors. The restaurant is closed indefinitely, and there is a sign on the closed shutter that reads [Closed.]
There was a figure of a woman standing dumbfounded in front of the poster.
She might be a customer who used to come to our store. Takeru thought so and spoke to her.
I”‘m sorry, the owner is not here right now and the store is closed.”
The woman turned around at Takeru’s words.
She was a beautiful woman. She had beautiful, silky black hair that reached down to her waist, and her eyes were full of a winning look and wrinkles between her eyebrows.
“Takatsuki…san?”
It was Takatsuki Chisato, the woman who had shoved a set meal in my face during the day.
Takatsuki furrowed her brow and backed away in alarm.
“You, from the daytime…. Or rather, how do you know my name?”
Yes, she had never given her name. It was suspicious to mention her name.
“Oh, sorry, I heard it from a friend. You seem to be famous, so my friend knows you…”
Hearing those words, Takatsuki sighed, ran her hand through her beautiful black hair, and scratched her head a little roughly, as if annoyed.
[Haa, you must have heard some strange rumor anyway…?] After muttering to herself, Takatsuki crossed her arms and glared at Takeru. [More importantly, this restaurant has been closed for a long time…do you know anything about it? Any plans to reopen?]
Takeru answers, unconsciously straightening his back under her pressure.
“My grandma used to run this place, and she ran it the year before last…I think it’s probably not going to reopen again…”
Looking annoyed at Takeru’s words, Takatsuki’s face fell and she said shortly [I see.]
“Maybe you’ve been to our store before?”
When Takeru heard that, he felt like Takatsuki was staring at him sharply, and he flinched.
He prepared himself for another harsh word, but Takatsuki continued to speak in a nostalgic tone.
The look in her eyes seems to be scary from the beginning.
“Yes, it was a long time ago, but I liked the ginger-grilled set meal I had here,…….but if that’s the case, then I guess I have no choice but to leave for today.”
Guguguggu.
At that moment, there was a loud, stupid tummy rumbling.
The source of the sound was not Takeru’s stomach.
Takeru rolled his eyes and looked at Takatsuki, the owner of the sound.
Takatsuki’s face turned red.
“T-that’s not me….no, it is ! Do you have a problem with that !?{
Takeru couldn’t help but blow up when she said that. It was funny that she didn’t just say that it wasn’t her, but rather admitted that it was her and asked if he had a problem with it, which seemed to reflect her personality.
When Takatsuki saw Takeru laughing, her fists were shaking.
“Y-you…..! ! I’m leaving, goodbye !”
Takeru hurriedly stopped Takatsuki, who turned on her heel and started to walk with big steps.
“Sorry, sorry, wait ! You barely ate lunch, you must be hungry !”
“I-I’ve had enough of your rudeness ! I don’t even want to see a rude person like you again !”
Takeru ran and went around in front of her as she was moving forward.
[Take this.] he said, holding out a bento box wrapped in an orange wrapping. This is a lunch box he made for Akari. [The owner of this place taught me, so I think the taste is similar. I’m sorry that the ginger-grilled bento is the same as the lunch.]
“You know, I don’t think I could eat bento from someone that I just met today !”
Takeru took Takatsuki’s hand and forcibly handed her the lunch box.
“Please, take it. If you don’t need it, it’s okay to throw it away. …I want you to just throw away the bento box as well. It’s something I no longer need.”
It was a waste of time for me to deal with the lunch box I had made for Akari. It would be easier to have someone else take care of it.
Takeru ran away before she could push the lunch box back at him and ran into the house, as if to return the favor for the lunch she had forced upon him.
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