Ill be getting involved with you much more from now on!

Ryuichi may or may not have underestimated the words that Shizunad conveyed to him. Of course, he clearly grasped the strong desire and determination in her eyes, but he didnt know what form it would take.

Wow, this is quite something.

It was the Friday before the weekend. They were currently on their lunch break, and before Ryuichis eyes was a bento box that he would normally never bring.

It was a two-tiered bento box commonly used by the average high school student, and the first things that greeted him werekaraage, egg rolls, a little frozen gratin, and vegetables.

It was the Friday before the weekend. They were currently on their lunch break, and before Ryuichis eyes was a bento box that he would normally never bring. It was a two-tiered bento box commonly used by the average high school student, and the first things that greeted him were

karaage

, egg rolls, a little frozen gratin, and vegetables.

These look hella tasty.

He would be lying if he said he was drooling at the sight, but the bento nevertheless greatly whetted his appetite, especially seeing as it was late noon and Ryuichi was starving.

In elementary and junior high school, there were school lunches available, but in high school, of course, there was no such thing. Although Ryuichi had often patroned the school cafeteria, this was his first time actually receiving a bento lunch that had been thoughtfully prepared for him.

A-A bento box? Aha! Well, I wont ask who its from, but I have to say, that looksrealtasty.

A-A bento box? Aha! Well, I wont ask who its from, but I have to say, that looks

real

tasty.

You aint gettin any from me.

You dont have to glare at me, man Haha, youve really changed, huh, Ryuichi.

Ryuichi glared at Makoto, protecting his bento with both of his hands. Makoto then patted Ryuichi on the shoulder and walked away, iterating that he had no intention of taking any of the bentos dishes away from him and telling him to savor his meal.

I dont need you to tell me that, he retorted.

In the meantime, Ryuichis stomach rumbled. The two-tier lunchbox meant that there was another tier; when he opened that one as well, three or so rice balls appeared.

Ryuichi wasnt sure what kind of ingredients were in them, or if they all had the same filling, but still he decided to put his hands together in thanks before digging in.

Thanks for the meal.

Chopsticks in hand, Ryuichi decided to start with thekaraage. Compared to freshly fried ones, its texture was softer and colder, but naturally, it was very delicious. Just one bite was enough to fill Ryuichis mouth with its abundant flavors.

Chopsticks in hand, Ryuichi decided to start with the

. Compared to freshly fried ones, its texture was softer and colder, but naturally, it was very delicious. Just one bite was enough to fill Ryuichis mouth with its abundant flavors.

?

While Ryuichi was enjoying his bento, he suddenly felt a gaze. It was Shizuna, and she was anxiously staring at him.

You dont have to be so worried. These are damn amazing.

As a matter of fact, Shizuna was the one whod made Ryuichi his lunch box. She handed it to him when they met up before coming to school this morning. She said, I tried making a bento for you, so I want you to try it, to which Ryuichi nodded without a second thought.

He knew firsthand just how delicious Shizunas cooking was.

Shizuna could clearly tell from Ryuichis appearance that he was truly eating it with gusto. She let out a relieved chuckle and began to eat her bento with her friends as well.

Aside from the fact that Ryuichis was larger in quantity, their contents were naturally very similar However, since the only person whod approached Ryuichi was Makoto, nobody noticed it.

This is seriously good.

I see. So thats what you meant.

Fufu, what do you think?

Ryuichi immediately understood the words shed told him the previous day when he saw the Shizuna in front of him. She appeared a little different from her usual appearance; she was quite flamboyant, to put it simply.

Although she did look like a gyaru, she only came off as a rather modest and subdued one purely due to her unconcealable innocence.

Although I did talk about this with Chisa the other day, this is actually entirely the work of my mother.

Sakie did?!

Apparently, Shizunas current appearance was manufactured by Sakie. She was wearing a blonde wig on her head and a black-hooded hoodie. Below that were a pair of hot pants, extremely short pants that exposed her beautiful legs.

It was a look thatd never been seen from Shizuna before, but he couldnt say it didnt suit her, likely because of her good looks.

Im not changing my image just like you told me to. Its just me in another fashion style, and this way, no one will recognize me, right?

Well, true.

At a quick glance, no one would be able to recognize this flamboyant woman as Shizuna. Especially if one knew what Shizuna looked like before, theyd never be able to realize it was her since it was such a drastic change.

Ah, look, look.

Hmm?

Shizuna lined up next to him. She asked him to look at the glass pane of the store in front of them, where they could both see their reflection. Perhaps it was because they were both so flamboyantly dressed, but it was quite a strange feeling to see the two of them so well-matched.

But seriously, I wouldve never thought Id turn out this way, either. I guess I was right to leave it to Mom.

Sakie, huh

Maybe Sakie had an experience like this in the past, too?Ryuichi wondered, but it seemed it was bad manners to think about other women now. Laughing at Shizuna who pinched the back of his hand, Ryuichi decided to nevertheless make the most out of this day with her.

Maybe Sakie had an experience like this in the past, too?

Ryuichi wondered, but it seemed it was bad manners to think about other women now. Laughing at Shizuna who pinched the back of his hand, Ryuichi decided to nevertheless make the most out of this day with her.

Aight, lets head out.

Yes .

Shizuna smiled and nodded. Seeing her in her unusual appearance reminded Ryuichi of the Shizuna he had seen in the manga. Although her appearance reminded him of Gyaru Shizuna, she had a much more restrained appearance than her other self depicted in the manga. Or rather, she looked pretty good.

Whats wrong?

Nothing. Just thinking that you look pretty good.

Fufu, thank you, Ryuichi-kun .

Ryuichi laughed at the beautiful smile she directed at him, thinking, I see. She really hasnt changed, huh. Just as she said. No matter how much she changed her appearance, Shizunas radiance remained untainted.

She clearly possessed a color that couldnt be dyed by any other color.

But I think I like the regular you much better.

*blush*

She looked down at the ground, prompting Ryuichi to chuckle as he took her down the streets on their journey through the city.

HamletJr's notes:

Hi, it's me again. Thanks for reading, and thank you so much (again) to Reni2425 for the Ko-fi. I got your message, and seriously, I was gonna spend some time off today, but how can I do that when you donate again? But seriously, thank you so much; you really don't have to.

Let's see if I can grind out another chapter tomorrow. 28 chapters in volume 1, so 6 more to go.