CH 72

“Hey, why are you closing the door !?”

After I closed the door, the door. Out of the door opened again without a pause. The one who came out of the door was Nanase Natsume, a blonde-haired junior. I remember seeing this girl having lunch alone at this place the other day. I wondered if she didn’t have any friends to share a meal with.

“Senpai, are you having lunch alone too?”

“Who knows.”

“No, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case !”

I was treated as one of her at the speed of sound. Nanase’s eyes were somewhat sparkling. By the way, I wonder if she doesn’t have any friends. I know it’s not my obligation to say it, but it’s still a little surprising. I thought she had a lot of friends because she was not bad looking.

“You don’t have any friends?”

“I have so many that I can’t count them by hand, but I get a lot of attention, you know?　It’s bad if that happens at a sports festival with so many people gathering, so I’m in a little self-quarantine.”

“I-I see.”

I still don’t know her very well. However, it’s an undeniable fact that Nanase is attracting attention. Recently, things have calmed down a bit, but she still has a lot of fans in this school. I’m sure those guys are chasing Nanase at this sports festival.

“Ah, Senpai, if you like, you can join me…….”

“Nope…….”

I somehow guessed that the atmosphere might turn out like this, but I tried to politely decline Nanase’s proposal. However, I suddenly remembered about Yukihana’s younger brother earlier. He’s in Nanase’s class. Nanase knows that boy. Maybe I’ll learn something about him along the way.

“…….Not that I don’t like it.”

“??? Which is it?”

“I’ll eat.”

“Oh, okay ! Then please come next to me.”

Saying that, Nanase dragged me to the top step of the vaulting box from somewhere and brought it closer to the table where she was sitting. No matter what I say here, I silently sit down using the vaulting box Nanase has prepared for me.

“You’re also having a lunch box, Senpai.”

“Well, sort of.”

“What’s with that indefinable tone of voice?”

When I suddenly looked at Nanase’s hand, there was a lunchbox slightly smaller than mine on her lap. It was filled with colorful vegetables and side dishes, and there was a lunch box that not only looked good but also had a nutritional balance. Were Nanase’s parents the ones who made it?　If so, they are even more skilled than I am. I especially like the fact that they only used rice balls as carbohydrates and packed everything else in a box.

“I’d be embarrassed if someone saw my lunch box…… So please show me yours too, Senpai.”

“Eh, mine?”

“I’m a little curious.”

I let out a sigh as I pulled out my lunch box from the bag. And the rice is probably in this one because you can feel the weight from the first one. I was more interested in the first layer, so I decided to open that one first.

“Hee, It looks so delicious !”

“……”

“What’s wrong, senpai?”

I was unintentionally silenced for a little while. In my lunch box, there was something I had never seen before, and it was packed with quality items that were on par with Nanase’s. A beautiful omelet with minced meat stuffed into a green pepper and baked. There were also several vegetables wrapped in ham and scallops sauteed in butter. And even bite-sized Neapolitan dishes and fried chicken. And they all had one thing in common.

(Nee san, what time did you get up?)

Amazingly, not a single one of these foods was frozen. Aside from the tomatoes and lettuce for garnish, everything else seemed to have been made in the morning. If an ordinary housewife were to ask to boil pasta or frying food in the morning, she would surely be stunned by the inefficiency.

(She said she was busy this morning because she had student council work, but on top of that, she had to cook all this stuff?)

Too inefficient. Perhaps my step sister is currently suffering from extreme lack of sleep and fatigue. However, I could not sense any such signs in her, I glimpsed at the management table earlier. She was either hiding it well or resting in a place I couldn’t see.

“Senpai, are you going to open the second layer?”

“Y-yeah. I’m opening it now.”

Nanase was a little suspicious because I was frozen, but I didn’t care what she thought, so I let it go. And I opened the second layer. As I had expected, there was white rice in it. However, it was not all white. There was a sparse sprinkling of seaweed and writing on it.

—Good luck

That one word was drawn on top of the white rice, and it made my eyes light up. Nanase, noticing this, looked into my lunch box and exclaimed in admiration.

“Senpai’s mother is very stylish. Or is it your sister?”

I didn’t answer Nanase’s question and fell silent. I didn’t think my step sister would pull a stunt like this. She’s not the type to do this kind of thing. Also [Good luck] I’ve already lost the game and I’m out of the game for the entire second half, you know?

“Senpai? Are you okay? You’ve been quiet the whole time.

“……I’m fine. I’m going to eat now, so you should eat properly too. And be quiet.”

“I know. …..How can you be so cruel !?”

What are you talking about, silent eating is common nowadays. For the time being, I started eating the lunch that my step sister made with enthusiasm. The lunch box are made with much more care than the breakfasts and dinners I usually eat, and they taste strangely gentle.

※

“So, how’s your class doing?”

At the point when I finished eating about two-thirds of my lunch, I explored what I was wondering. Then Nanase told me about the battle situation with a big smile..

“I’m doing extremely well. Thanks to the hard work of everyone in my class, I’m currently in first place.”

“How about yourself?”

“I’ll be out in the second half. I feel like I’ll do my best in the second half, pushing all the pole topple in difficult places to that idiot Hisui.”

“Idiot Hisui?”

“Wasn’t there an idiot who rushed in alone at the time of the pole toppling? That’s the idiot Hisui.”

I see, I finally know the name of that person. Yukihana Ruri and Yukihana Hisui. They’re probably siblings, but they don’t look alike. Their behavior is similar, but they are somewhat different. Well, my step sister and I are nothing alike, so it’s not like I can say anything about it.

“Come to think of it, Senpai also fought him in pole topple, right? How was it?”

“I was just standing there and couldn’t do anything.”

“……I see. There are a lot of things you have to think about, but I’m sure that’s the right thing to do in that situation. If you do it poorly, I don’t know what will happen. It’s dangerous.”

Well, I had no other choice in that situation. I don’t want to stand out in front of the chairman or the public, and I don’t have a strong desire to win. It was enough if I could just get away with it. This difference in perception may be the reason why I’m walking in a different path than my classmates, but I don’t care about that.

“Senpai, are you going to participate in any competitions after this?”

“No, I’ve already done my part. All I have to do now is cheer and pray for my class.”

“Hee, so I can’t see Senpai’s brave figure. That’s too bad.”

“What kind of brave man am I in your mind?”

I don’t want to ask any more because it seems like it’s going to be troublesome if I ask too deeply, but somehow I feel like Nanase is glorifying my existence. I don’t have a special relationship with her, and I didn’t help her in any way, but I wonder what’s going on here. I know that there’s no answer to this question, so the mystery only gets deeper and deeper.

“If that’s the case, I’d like to ask you to cheer for me. I’m going to participate in the steeplechase and the relay, and I’m sure I’ll come in first in one or the other.”

“Oh, go for it–“

“You sound like you’re reading in a monotone. Well, you can count on me.”

Why are you expecting your enemy to cheer on you? I don’t think Nanase understand that either.

Well, I’m just a little bit curious because I can actually see how Nanase can do at this school. After all, Kisaragi and Shinkai will also participate in the obstacle race and relay race. Let’s see who will win.

(I’m going to take it easy.)

And so I finished off my step sister’s special lunch box. I feel bad that I couldn’t respond to her [Good luck] words, but it was unavoidable, so I hope she’ll give me a break. When I get home, I’ll have to do something to put my step sister in a good mood.

Just as I decide to do so, the chime for the end of the lunch break rings. And at about the same time, I heard an announcement from the field. It seems that the sports festival is about to resume. The next event is obstacle race.

“Now, Senpai, it’s finally my turn to compete ! Don’t miss it, okay?”

Then Nanase turned around, made a peace sign, and bravely left the equipment room. From that figure, I can’t feel anxiety at all, but rather it’s an appearance that says you can’t help but look forward to it. As a matter of fact, Nanase has the same physical ability as Yukihana Hisui. That’s probably why she doesn’t use as much strength as she normally does in sports. I’m looking forward to seeing how much strength she will show in this sports festival.

“……Thank you for the food.”

I was alone in the equipment room and went back to the field.