CH 34

“Hey, Haruto-kun. What do high school couples do during lunch break? …”

“Lunch together, right?”

“Yes.”

Mikoto-san suggested it, so here we are in front of the cafeteria ticket machine.

The cafeteria, located in a separate building, has a cold atmosphere with concrete flooring, but the menu is quite extensive, and the A set meal is very inexpensive at 290 yen (!!).

Some days I bring my own lunch, but lately I have been too busy to cook it because Mikoto-san has come to my home.

Incidentally, Mikoto-san always ate rice balls from the convenience store or something like that in the corner of the classroom.

“N-Next time. I’ll make you a homemade lunch!”

It is true that this is a good way to show that we are boyfriend and girlfriend.

But…

“Oh, by the way, Mikoto-san, are you any good at cooking?”

“Um, that… I’ll do my best…”

“… I’ll make it myself, so it’s okay.”

When I said that, Mikoto-san dropped her blue eyes to the floor and looked dejected.

It seems that even that perfect superhuman Mikoto-san can’t do some things.

Well, if she lived in the Tomi mansion, she probably didn’t need to cook for herself.

I think Mikoto-san could easily make a lunch box with a little practice, but it would make sense for me to make it.

I smiled.

“I’ll make one for you, too, and we can have a homemade lunch together at school next time.”

“Really!? I’m looking forward to it.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

Mikoto-san’s face lit up.

It was an easy reaction to understand, I thought.

In the past, Mikoto-san would have suppressed her emotions at times like this, but not anymore.

“I guess it’s the school cafeteria for today. Mikoto-san, here are the meal tickets. Which one do you want?”

“I want the same one as Haruto-kun’s.”

“We’re pretending to be lovers and we’re here to let everyone know it. That’s why I think we should eat matching things.”

“Is that so?”

“Something like that.”

Mikoto-san nodded.

However.

What I order is…

“Well, I was going to order a large bowl of Szechuan-style hot and spicy mashed dumplings…”

Mikoto-san was at a loss for words.

“Maybe you don’t like spicy food?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll have something else on the menu.”

“I feel bad for Haruto-kun…”

“It’s fine. It’s not that I’m particular about it. On the contrary, I’ll go with what you want to eat.”

“What I want to eat?”

“Yes.

“That’s right. You can eat whatever you want to eat.”

Mikoto-san repeated and looked at the ticket machine.

She had to find what she wanted from the huge amount of items on the menu.

Mikoto-san looked at me, at a loss to decide.

“What should I choose?”

“I thought you haven’t been to the cafeteria much. I recommend the Katsudon.”

“Then, I’ll have that.”

Mikoto-san pressed the button on the ticket machine without hesitation, and I followed suit.

The school cafeteria is self-service, so we both got in line with our trays and received our katsudon with plenty of poached egg on top.

I was still concerned about the stares of the students around me.

Goddess and … who is that boy next to her?

Everyone must be thinking that.

We sat across from each other at one of the tables.

Mikoto-san clapped her hands.

“I’ll go get some tea.”

Mikoto-san smiled and went to get the tea before I could answer.

I was left behind and looked around absentmindedly.

Then my eyes met those of a male student near the entrance to the cafeteria.

The guy was approaching me with a smirk on his face.

For some reason, he is carrying a school backpack.

“Oh, Akihara. Are you eating alone?”

“You go to school at this time of the day?”

“Oh, yes. I’m going to have lunch and then start my afternoon classes.”

My friend Ooki smiled at me.

Ooki is a classmate of mine and, as his name suggests, he is quite sturdy and tall.

The fact that he came in the afternoon suggests that Ooki was unaware of the commotion caused by me and Mikoto-san.

“Akihara. Are you free after school today?”

“Why?”

“I have something wonderful I got from a foreign country that I thought you might like to try.”

What are you talking about?　

I have no idea what he is talking about.

And in my experience, Ooki’s offers were usually not good ones.

I have a vivid memory of desperately trying to stop him from setting off rocket-propelled fireworks from the roof of the school.

“I wouldn’t get on that boat if I thought I was going to get in trouble.”

“That kind of hard talk is why you’re not popular.”

Ooki said this jokingly, and I responded with a laugh.

Well, it was going to be a normal conversation.

So far.

“I think Haruto-kun is popular.”

Before I knew it, Mikoto-san was standing beside me with a cup of tea in each hand.

And she was looking at me and Ooki.

Ooki looked at me with a puzzled look on his face.

“Why are you here, Mikoto-san?”

“Because I’m Haruto-kun’s girlfriend.”

Mikoto-san looked a little embarrassed and her cheeks were tinted.　

Then, Mikoto-san continued to say to me.

“Haruto-kun, you’re not free after school today, correct?”

“Eh?”

“Because you’re going on a date with me.”