Volume 2 - CH 2.4

Hinagata was still in a bad mood.

It was hard to talk to her, and I didn’t have anything to talk about, so I didn’t want to actively engage with her in conversation.

Sugiuchi and Uchinokura-san spent  the lunch break with us.

“Hey, Tonomura… you should apologize to Hinagata-san. She’s obviously in a bad mood.”

“Why?”

“Why? Jesus, this old man is a….”

Good grief, Sugiuchi shook his head.

“Shiori, are you in a bad mood?”

“No, not really.”

“That’s a  lie.”

Uchinokura-san touched Hinagata’s cheek as she squirmed and moved her mouth.

At that moment, Hinagata stopped chewing and raised her eyebrow. 

“Ryu….Tonomura-kun, it’s fine if you don’t eat it.”

I guess she meant the carrots that I just grabbed with my chopsticks.

“Why?

“…It didn’t get …cooked properly .”

“What? That’s it?”

I threw a carrot into my mouth. It was crunchy and not what it should have been, but it wasn’t inedible.

“Oh, you ate it.”

“I can eat vegetables, even if they’re a little raw.”

I’ve had my own cooking failures, but it was worse than this.

Compared to that, there’s nothing wrong with eating it crunchy.

“It doesn’t taste good; you don’t need to force yourself…”

“I’m still going to eat it . I wouldn’t have eaten it if it’s bad in the first place.”

The vegetables that were boiled in simmered chicken had a crunchy texture.

I’ve never seen her make simmered chicken before, so it was probably the first time she made it.

“For you, Shiori, it sure was a challenge right?”

Uchinokura-san said, looking at the lineup of lunches.

….Just like she said.

My lunch box was packed with mainly Japanese side dishes.

Before, it was mostly the standard stuff like the easy and simple fried eggs, fried chicken, small tomatoes, and broccoli.

“Do you also cook, Ucchi?”

“Me? Not at all.”

“I-I see. I’m not that bad.”

“Wow—”

Sugiuchi was making an appeal. He looked like he had succeeded, but as far as Uchinokura-san was concerned, the effect was not so good.

Eventually, we had a great time as we finished our lunches. 

Hinagata’s eyes were like a cat as she was watching me.

“It may have been Hinagata’s fault, but it was just delicious.”

“…..”

I could see Hinagata’s caution quickly dissolving.

“I’ll… make it  for you again.”

“Thank you, I’m looking forward to it.”

I put my lunch away. In the past, she told me to just give it back to her, but I felt really uncomfortable with that, so I should at least wash it.

“That’s good for you, Shiori.”

Hinagata nodded modestly with her lips pursed as she glanced at Uchinokura-san.

Maybe my eyes are going bad and I’m losing it, or maybe I’m feeling overconfident that “she wants to be with me”; but I think that Hinagata likes me.

“”Hah… That’s so nice …a homemade lunch.” Sugiuchi kicked me under the desk, and I kicked him back the same way.

“I’m going to interrupt you at your part time job”

“You’ll not interrupt me then, you’re interrupting me now only.”

He is so annoying. However, I work in the back , and I didn’t say which store, so Sugiuchi wouldn’t know.

“You’re working part-time right? Tonomura-kun? Is there something you want?” Uchinokura-san  casually asked.

I guess it wouldn’t have mattered if I had just said, “I’d like to ride the bike which is at my home,” but I felt like a child wanting to ride my father’s bike.

“Well, sort of.”

When I muddled through, Uchinokura-san poked Hinagata’s feet under the desk, as if to tell her something.

“Uchi, Tonomura once said he wants to ‘Call in’ some girl .”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You did. Last year. When you were a first year student!”

“That was you!”

Uchinokura-san sighs in exasperation. Hinagata couldn’t quite figure it out, but she nodded her head.

“Call in? Like sister?”

“Shiori, you shouldn’t try to dig in.”

Why? Hinagata tilted her head again.

She can understand direct words, but not so much when it comes to phrases.

Anyways, this was a topic that does no one any good, so I decided to change the subject by talking about the next class period.

Eventually our break was over, and we returned  to our seats.

As I was checking my desk to prepare my textbooks and notebooks, Hinagata spoke to me.

“I was wondering, do boys like fashionable girls?”

Hmm? I looked up at her and saw that she had an unexpectedly serious expression on her face.

I think Hinagata wants to know about that guy, though she’s confused about boys.

“I don’t think all boys are like that.”

I stated that up front and told her what I felt.

“It’s better than being lame.”

“I see.”

‘Hmmm’ Hinagata looked slightly troubled.

Did she make plans to go out with… that guy?

“It depends to a  degree, right? Rather than the eccentric fashion that appears in fashion shows …”

What am I supposed to say?  Specific clothings?

“Yeah, like the other day. The dress you wore when we went on our date was alright..”

“Really?”

Despite the expressionlessness of her face, I think I can see the joy in her eyes.

“Do you like that kind of thing, Ryunosuke?”

“Well, I guess.”

I looked away and nodded. The last time I saw Hinagata in her casual clothes was when she was in elementary school, so my image of her in casual clothing stuck there, but when I saw what she was wearing that day, I realized that she had started to dress up like a fashionable high school student. I was surprised by the gap in a positive way.

”You do…” She nodded her head a few times as if she understood.

“Well, it’s just me, okay? I’m telling you about my preferences.”

I don’t know that guy at all. 

“Yes, it’s totally okay.” She smiled lightly as she said with confirmation.

What is?

“I see, I see, that’s how it is.”

Glancing sideways, I saw that Hinagata’s face was relaxed. She covered the side of her face with her hair, perhaps trying to hide it.

The teacher came and gave the words, and the class began.

Hinagata, looking ahead with a serious face, was flapping her legs in a good mood.