Episode 10: Blue Sky Childhood Friend Bento Box
Yuuto Kamijou had been eagerly awaiting lunchtime.
He was now spreading out his bento box with Ayano Ichinose in a corner of the schoolyard.
There were many other students in the courtyard, but being lost in the hustle and bustle was less conspicuous than sitting at their desks in the classroom.
More than anything, he wanted to eat his childhood friend’s bento (a feast!) under the blue sky.
“This karaage is super delicious! It really makes me want to eat more rice!”
“If you eat so fast, you’ll choke,” Ayano said, trying to hide her almost-smiling face as she poured tea into the lid of her water bottle, which doubled as a cup, and handed it to him.
“Thanks. It’s not that I’m rushing, but it’s so good that I can’t stop eating.”
“I see, I’m glad.”
She also picked at the bento she had made.
She made it as usual, so it should taste the same as always. Theoretically.
However,
“I wonder why it tastes especially delicious today,” she muttered in her natural voice.
Yuuto chuckled softly. “Isn’t it because you’re eating with someone you like?”
“…Do you have to say it yourself?”
“That’s how it is for me. Lover Buff.”
“That’s like a relative of the protagonist buff, I understand the feeling. And, while I’m happy you say that…”
Yuuto munched on the karaage and chased it with rice.
“Does that mean the bento itself isn’t that great?”
“Guh, fugun!?”
He barely managed to stop himself from spitting it out.
“Sorry, that’s not what I meant—it really is delicious!”
“I know. So, don’t make such a tearful face, and don’t spill your rice.”
Saying that, Ayano wiped a grain of rice from the corner of Yuuto’s mouth with her finger and licked it off.
“Whoa, that surprised me…”
“Don’t get so flustered over something like this. We’re already ‘touching directly’… though only once so far.”
Ayano herself was blushing bright red.
Swallowing the emotions welling up in her expression,
“So, um, have things been awkward with Mizuhara-san? I made her look like the bad guy.”
“Not at all. I talked to her properly afterward. She said she’s cheering us on. She said that if she ever gets a boyfriend, she wants to go on a double date.”
Yuuto was relieved to hear that, but another worry arose.
“Two couples going on a date together, huh? I wonder what that’s like?”
“Honestly, I can’t really imagine it. We haven’t even had our own date yet…”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Well, anyway, Yuuto said,
“I’m glad Ayano didn’t lose a friend. I don’t want her to get hurt because of me anymore.”
“I appreciate your concern. But rest assured, I’m feeling happy as things are going.”
“Yeah, that’s the most important thing.”
Yuuto savored the last piece of thick omelet and put his hands together.
“—Thank you for the meal.”
“Were you satisfied?”
“You bet! Totally satisfied. I understand ‘happy weight’ now, I could eat anything.”
“I’m very happy to hear that, but I’ll make sure to focus on vegetables from tomorrow so you don’t gain weight.”
Yuuto was momentarily captivated by Ayano’s small chuckle.
“? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no… nothing.”
Ayano peered into Yuuto’s face as he coughed to cover it up.
“—By the way, Kamijou-kun.”
“W-what…?”
Her face drew close, and Yuuto’s heart pounded.
Ayano gave a mischievous smile,
“During gym class earlier, you were staring at me… why?”
Yuuto choked slightly.
“Ah, well… haha…”
Even as he tried to brush it off with a strained laugh, Ayano didn’t let go of her beautiful, cool smile.
“—I just thought Ayano looked beautiful when she was running.”
“Oh, Kamijou-kun. You’ll embarrass me if you say things like that—”
She covered her mouth with her hand demurely, feigning shyness in an exaggerated manner,
“—So? What’s the real reason?”
She was dead serious, using her natural tone.
Yuuto let out a small whimper.
A strange sweat broke out, but she didn’t avert her gaze.
…It seemed she wouldn’t let him off the hook.
“…I just felt sorry,” he said.
“Sorry for what?” he imagined her asking, as he worried about the eyes around them.
“Because, you have a lot of unnecessary worries right now, right? You can’t even run all-out in gym class, and you’re always on guard. —It’s all my fault.”
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped him.
“And yet, there’s nothing I can do. I thought, ‘Even if I’m your boyfriend, I’m not helping Ayano.’ So—”
Knowing he was about to apologize, Ayano picked up a cherry tomato from her bento and shoved it into his mouth.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Don’t even think about it.”
She chuckled as she watched Yuuto panic with the stem still in his mouth.
“Sure, the biggest reason was to get your attention, but that was just me spinning my wheels. Plus, it was also a way to keep others at bay.”
Ayano shrugged exaggeratedly.
“Keep others at bay?”
“You said, ‘Women are always competing for dominance,’ right? I don’t know if it’s always like that, but there were people like that around me, people whose identity was their bust size.”
Ayano looked into the distance,
“‘Oh no, my bra size is getting too small again—I just changed it the other day!’ ‘Oh? Is Ichinose-san still wearing the same one?’ ‘How easy for you!’ —Hmph.”
Then, she let out a dry laugh.
“What’s so great about having big boobs? What, are you great if you have big boobs, and do small boobs not have human rights…?”
She muttered curses, then chuckled at Yuuto’s uncomfortable expression.
“Well, that’s how it is. Those who brag about their big boobs don’t bother those who are the same size or bigger than them. —Haha, I got carried away because they glared at me so enviously, and I thought, ‘I’ll make it even bigger.’ …Yeah, I think I went too far myself.”
A deep sigh of regret escaped her.
“So, you don’t need to feel responsible. Besides, I’ve managed to hide it during pool and physical exams in middle school, right? It’s easy to get through another three years.”
“…You’re right, I don’t know how you managed to hide it.”
“That’s thanks to effort, persistence, and the bluff of ‘It’s all mine, so what?'”
“…I’m kind of sorry.”
“I said, don’t apologize.”
She lightly hit him on the back of the hand like in a comedy routine, and then Ayano gasped.
“Ayano Ichinose” is supposed to be a “gentle and kind honor student.” She’s definitely not the type of girl who would tease her boyfriend.
She looked around, relieved.
“Anyway, if you want to help me, from now on—just spoil me and heal me.”
She cleared her throat to change the subject, trying to hide her hot cheeks.
“—Well, fifth period is in the music room. Let’s go back to the classroom early and get ready.”
As Ayano began to clean up, Yuuto casually said,
“Ah… right. Tonight—wanna come over to my place?”
“Eh?”
Ayano’s hands stopped, and her face turned redder and redder at the invitation.
Before she could misunderstand, Yuuto hurriedly said,
“Ah, I mean, not tonight, but for ‘dinner’! My Mother told me to invite you as thanks for the bento. You used to come over to our place to eat a lot, right? She’s been worried since ‘that’ happened.”
“Ah… I see. I’ve made your Mother worry as well.”
Ayano frowned slightly.
“It’s originally my fault, so it’s not your fault, Ayano. So, if it’s not a bother, I want you to come over again from now on.”
“It’s both our faults that we grew apart in middle school,” she said with a wry smile.
“Then, I’ll come over.”
“Yeah, great. …And, not that it’s just an excuse, but I wanted to ask you something.”
Yuuto scratched his cheek as Ayano packed up the bento box.
“Would it be okay if I told my Mother and Older sister about us?”
There was no reply from her.
Instead, she gave a small nod.