Haruto savored a bite of karaage as the girls around his table fawned over him, each one eager to share a piece of their homemade bento.
Their delighted chatter was a pleasant hum as they vied for his attention.
"You need more protein, Hayase. Here, have my tamagoyaki," one girl insisted, her long, silky hair cascading over her shoulders as she offered a rolled omelet, carefully placing it in his bento.
"Take mine too!" another chimed in, offering him some grilled fish. Soon, Haruto's bento was brimming with the various dishes the girls had packed for themselves.
It wasn't a lie to say that he likes this attention and felt dumb that in the past he was uncomfortable with it.
'Well, the reason why I became uncomfortable around girls is because I have low self-esteem and scared they would mock me behind my back,'
he thought, reminiscing his old self that was no more.
'Though, I need to do something with Kota. That bastard has been ignoring me.'
One of the plans for Kota was for him to be his friend when he fucks his Mother. But if he didn't even want him around, what was the point?
'Also, I need him to join Daiki's gang.'
his mind was elsewhere when he bit into one of the omelets.
"Good, right?" one of the girls asked, snapping him back to the moment. Sayaka, the most beautiful girl in their class, smiled shyly at him as he sampled her omelet.
"Yeah, it's delicious," he replied with a warm smile, watching her cheeks flush with delight.
Their easy conversation was interrupted by a small paper ball smacking him from behind.
He ignored it at first, but it came again, then again. Finally, laughter erupted from the back of the room.
Turning around, Haruto leveled a lazy gaze at the three troublemakers seated at the back—typical delinquents who used to make him fork over lunch money just to avoid their harassment.
One was bald, the other stocky, and the last, a tall, muscular guy named Sato, tossed another paper wad at him.
"Stop it," Haruto said calmly, his voice low.
"You're not getting off that easy!" Botan roared, charging in from the side.
Haruto anticipated his move, stepping back and landing a powerful roundhouse kick to Botan's gut.
Botan stumbled back, gasping for air as he clutched his stomach, his face twisted in pain.
Youichi, now glaring with frustration, came at him next. He swung wildly, but Haruto blocked each punch.
Seizing an opening, Haruto delivered a hard punch to Youichi's jaw, sending him reeling. Cheers and gasps erupted from the crowd.
"It's three against one, and you're still losing?" Haruto taunted, his lips curling into a smirk.
Sato, furious, charged again, swinging desperately. Haruto ducked under his fist and countered with a quick series of jabs to his stomach, following it with a knee to his chest that sent Sato sprawling onto the ground.
The crowd erupted, some cheering, others too stunned to speak.
Botan, face flushed with anger, tried to tackle him from behind. Haruto anticipated it, stepping aside and throwing an uppercut that sent Botan stumbling back, blood trickling from his nose.
He wobbled on his feet, dazed, but Haruto wasn't done yet. He delivered a sharp kick to Botan's knee, sending him crashing down to the ground.
"Get up," Haruto said coolly, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked at the three on the ground, bruised and gasping for air. "Is this really all you've got?"
Youichi struggled to his feet, his face contorted with rage. "You... you're dead," he spat, staggering forward in a last-ditch effort to attack.
But Haruto was ready, meeting Youichi's charge with a swift punch to his gut that doubled him over, and an elbow to the back that sent him sprawling.
The crowd went wild, their cheers filling the yard. Haruto stood over the fallen trio, unfazed, his expression calm as he dusted off his hands.
He glanced at the students watching, catching the stunned expressions, the admiration, and the awe in their eyes.
"Next time," he said, looking down at the delinquents, "think twice before picking a fight you can't finish."
Without sparing them another glance, he turned and walked away, the crowd parting to let him through, whispering and murmuring as he passed.
He didn't realize that about three people has been looking at him from the rotroof with a different expression on their faces.