Volume 6 - CH 4

With the culture festival executive committee back on its feet, the preparations for the individual distributions and events of the classes began. On top of being part of the committee, Natsukawa and Sasaki had to fulfill their work of helping our class as well. Just this once, there might actually be nothing I can do to help her. I plan on taking as much work from her as possible, of course, but the ones giving out the roles and work are our homeroom teacher Ootsuki-sensei and our class rep Iihoshi-san.

“Are you…coming again today?”

Probably because we sat so close to each other, as soon as our classmates began with their work, Natsukawa asked me. This is the second day after we restructured the workflow of the executive committee. Thanks to Hanawa-senpai’s outsourcing team, we’ve made good progress, but because of my old friend from middle school, Haru, and her stupid comment, things have still been awkward between me and Natsukawa.

“Sorry, but helping over there is actually a far lower priority on my list. Not to mention that the actual members of the committee would just think ‘Why is he here?’ since I’m not an official member myself. Since Gou-senpai…Ishiguro-senpai is there, I doubt there’s going to be any problems. He tends to take it easy as well with the footwork.”

“I see…”

“No need to worry, Natsukawa. Think about it? Unlike us, the people helping us can work all day, not just during lunch break and after the classes. The way they can make progress can’t even be compared to us, so everything will be okay.”

“Huh? A-Ah, yeah…”

It was the same when I was working part-time before. Even if the team itself is working together, you still don’t know the entire picture of the situation, especially when it comes to relaying information. I only understood that after asking my seniors about it. I’m not in a higher position than Natsukawa, of course, so I don’t know what to tell her, and it makes sense she’d be worried.

“At the very least, we seem to be doing fine right now…But if you have any questions, I can try to answer them?”

“Ah…”

The Sajocchi Help Center is always open, ya hear me?—is what I told her, and she started thinking for real. It seemed like she had a few questions, but had trouble putting them into words.

“Well, it can also be unrelated to work if that—”

“Natsukawa, let’s go.”

“……”

I tried to provide a follow-up to make things easier for her when another voice interrupted our sweet time. It’s Sasaki. I couldn’t help but be a bit annoyed.

“Awful timing you got there, really.”

“Ah, well…My bad.”

“Huh? Err…it’s fine.”

I gave him a stern gaze, to which he, surprisingly enough, apologized immediately. If you’re that honest, you’re forcing me to let you off the hook, damn it. He’s still annoyingly handsome, but it feels like he lost a good portion of his confidence after the incident the other day. Man…the way he’s become more humble and understanding only makes him seem even more popular…Are you a protagonist who grows stronger in the midst of battle? Acquiring a new power-up after being beaten down once?

“…Okay, we’ll be going then…?”

“Yeah, take care.”

Natsukawa didn’t seem like she had any particular question in the end and walked out of the classroom with Sasaki. A cold wintry wind blew through my heart, but I can’t waste my time getting hung up on that, and I myself pushed out Sasaki with a ‘Go already’ gaze, as he looked at me in hesitation. Now then, is there any place I can just lay down and sulk to myself?

“Sajocchi! What bread is still bread but uneatable bread?”

“Raisin bread.”

“That’s just you who dislikes it…The correct answer is sweet green pea paste bread!”

“And you dare lecture me, mortal?”

I do like green peas a lot when it comes to snacks, you know. Though I don’t know about sweet green peas. The first time I tried bread with it, I totally thought it was green soybeans, but I felt betrayed when I found out the truth. Also, why do all of these peas have to sound and be named differently god damn it. I can’t keep up anymore. Ashida let out a disappointed grunt and slouched down onto Natsukawa’s seat.

“I really can’t deal with it anymore. When I was a child, I thought it was just delicious paste.”

“Basically, it’s the same as thinking cloud ear mushrooms use clouds.”

“Eh, they don’t?”

“Nah, they do.” (Lie)

“I don’t like those either. I like looking at clouds, don’t wanna eat them.”

…Err, maybe I should have told her the truth after all? Well, whatever. A misunderstanding on that level is just cute, nothing more. I bet there’s bound to be other children who make the same mistake as her.

“You know, doing a riddle competition as an attraction for the culture festival sure sounds boring. When it comes to the big stuff like cafes, haunted houses, and band shows, it’s all taken by the third-years.” I complained.

“Well, that’s just how things work, no? Also, the next class over is preparing a resting space for the middle school students who come over to check out the school, so we’re a lot better off, don’t you think?” Ashida responded.

“I did see that before in middle school, but it just turned into an entirely different level in high school.”

“You could probably walk around it for an entire week.”

Some people even have video cameras with them. I guess the best time to have fun is the time when we actually prepare everything. And right as I was thinking that, Ashida suddenly rested her face on Natsukawa’s desk.

“Hehe…it’s Aichi’s scent.”

“Hey, moron. Stop that. That’s Natsukawa’s holy seat. Not some scent sample you can use whenever. So get away and let me take over.”

“Sajocchis and boys can’t!”

I-I never thought about it that way…! Since it’s the same seat Natsukawa is always using, it wouldn’t be weird to be rich with her scent. Also, why am I in a different category than boys?!

“Okay, everyone, put the desks in the back of the room! We’ll be splitting up now! The boys will go shopping, and the girls will work on the decoration! On with it, on with it!”

Ootsuki-sensei clapped her hands together out of nowhere. The people part of sports clubs reflectively got up with a dull ‘Aye~’, which left Iihoshi-san relieved. A student can’t hope to get everyone together like that, after all. A homeroom teacher has to be a strong woman. My instincts are telling me to be obedient.

“Okie, I’m going back then.”

“Can’t you at least carry Natsukawa’s desk to the back?”

“I’ll let you do that,” Ashida said with a grin.

Why did she even come over here in the first place? Your strong communication ability is needed elsewhere. Look, there’s total silence over at your own seat.

“Sajou-kun~”

“Aye.”

Since the front of the room ended up crowded, I quickly went to work.

*

“Yuri’s great, huh?”

“Can you at least sound more like a sleazy bastard? I have to take you seriously if you say that with a straight face.”

Right as we stepped out of the front entrance, Yamazaki started his low-life talk. He brought up a topic that I’m thankful for, but why did it have to be that? Then again, I’m nobody to talk to since I always make jokes about Natsukawa Ashida.

“You mean Ichinose-san and Shiraishi-san or something?”

“Exactly! And Okamocchi as well. They’re always so close, always flirting around. It’s heaven, really.”

“So you’ve finally caught on to her charm, I see.”

Looking at Ichinose-san gives you indescribable protective urges, but I still prefer Natsukawa and Ashida despite that. Especially since Natsukawa may tell Ashida to stop, but it’s obvious that she’s happy, and that makes me happy too. But because she’s sitting behind me now, I can’t fully enjoy the scenery as much as I did before. Turn around, you say? I might just pass out if I saw them flirting from up close.

“Did you know? Ichinose-san’s been reciprocating that lately.”

“Seriously?”

I totally latched on. That reminds me, whenever we’re chatting lately, she stops complaining about Shiraishi-san. Just a while ago, she grumbled that she can’t focus on reading with them around, asking me for help, and yet now she’s telling what kind of stuff Shiraishi-san likes, or what kind of person Okamocchan is. She’s even been exchanging book recommendations with the university middle school girl Sasaki-san. Yep, this is going great.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore,” Yamazaki said.

“This is the best position you could be in, okay? Don’t you dare get involved. That’s something to be admired from a distance. If you get involved with something like that—in the end, you just lose something yourself. See, I was working part-time with Ichinose-san, and yet we’re not super close, right?”

Not counting the fact that we’re regularly messaging each other, that is.

“Sajou…!”

“Honestly, I’m more interested in Okamocchan.”

“Iwata?! You…!”

“Okamocchan, huh…”

Out of nowhere, basketball brat Iwata joined the conversation. So he preferred Okamocchan…The way I see things, she’s not really good with people who are too clingy…I hear stories that she’s got addicted to some idol manager app aimed at women…If Shiraishi-san was interested in somebody, she would probably tell her friends right away, but Okamocchan would most likely keep that a secret. She does seem to be interested in love, at least. She was one of the biggest fans of me and Natsukawa, always looking at us with sparkling eyes.

Also if I had to guess, both Shiraishi-san and Okamocchan probably have feelings for Sasaki…Whenever Sasaki and I are together, I can feel their gazes directed at us, it’s pretty obvious. Of course, all of these gazes go towards Sasaki in particular.

“Also, how can you talk normally with a girl despite not even being that handsome, Sajou?”

“Well, I’m Natsukawa-only, you know. Since I don’t particularly care about the other girls, I don’t feel nervous at all. And the girls are talking to me in the same way. Like, neither side has any reason to be conscious of each other? Also, you’re not exactly handsome either, so don’t give me that crap.”

“…Sajou feels like a master of love for some reason…Well, you did get rejected though.”

“And yet he’s talking normally with her like nothing happened. How are you even alive? Or is your heart just frozen at this point?”

“No clue…Maybe because we’re in the same message group? We’ve known each other for almost two years now, too.”

“And Ashida’s part of that group as well, right?! How the hell did you do that?! Do something about her blunt attitude, it makes my heart race!”

“Yet you’re talking normally with Okamocchan! What’s your deal?!”

“You guys are pathetic, seriously.”

Thinking about it, Sasaki sure is amazing. He didn’t need any special rights like being rejected by Natsukawa so that the girls in our class would talk to him. It really feels like he’s been reincarnated into this world with some extra cheats. And I can totally see Yuki-chan having chased him all the way over here.

*

The shopping trip was a huge pain. Mainly because those bastards kept on causing a ruckus. Despite being part of the same basketball club as Iwata, Yasuda gave off the mysterious air of a leader, and without him forcing us into a mad dash at the end, I don’t think we would’ve made it in time. Thanks a bunch, Yasuda. I’ll be supporting you from the shadows from now on.

“Phew…So hot…Ichinose-san, what are you writing?”

“…Ah, Sajou-kun. I’m, erm, coming up with some riddles…”

I returned to the classroom, wiping my sweat with a towel, when I saw Ichinose-san sitting next to the wall, lost in thought. It seemed like she had already come up with some riddles, as she had a filled paper in front of her. She tends to read too many books, so she can probably come up with a lot of good riddles. Let me see…

‘Before the great famine occurred in the Tenpou Era1, who was the great thinker from the Edo period2 who realized that the early summer eggplant had the taste of fall, thus grasping an arriving cold summer, and went to warn the villagers to protect their crops and save the villagers from famine?’

“That’s a straight-up question.”

How is that a riddle? I mean, it sounds like it could be a riddle, but…it sounds more like a question you’d see pop up in a quiz show. My brain cells already tabbed out half a sentence into the question. Since we’re looking at mainly middle school students and families…It feels like this one’s not the…best. We’d probably get some literature freaks like you’d see in second-hand bookstores.

“Is it…no good…?”

“I don’t think anybody could answer that question…”

“Ugh…”

“Ah! Sajou-kun is bullying Mina-chan!”

I tried my hardest to convey it with kind words so as to not hurt her, but that apparently failed big time. Shiraishi-san immediately blurted out my death sentence as she pointed at me.

“Get away from her, vile man! Beast!”

“Beast?”

What kind of abrupt feminism is this supposed to be? Does Ichinose-san belong to you people or something? You’re all girls, so why are you treating her like she’s a girl in a manga club filled with boys. Shirashi-san pulled me away from Ichinose-san with no remorse, and when I turned around, I saw her smiling at me, faintly waving her hand. I’m die, thank you forever.

*

During the lunch break, it’s time to move away from my class and help the culture festival committee. The regular members of the committee such as Natsukawa and Sasaki were currently on break. Honestly, having them work during the day and after classes is nothing short of slavery. Natsukawa finally started to talk more with the people from our class, and yet she’s now separated from them again. Natsukawa should be having fun with the other girls.

With these passionate feelings filling my chest, I grabbed the bag with my laptop in it and got up from my seat.

“…Huh?”

“Ah, Natsukawa? You can use this seat if you’d like.”

“Ah, err…”

Even the heavy bag felt light as I was seen off by Natsukawa. And once I’m done with my work, she’ll greet me again at the exact same place, so there’s no greater happiness for me. In fact, through the shift system and Gou-senpai’s work, we’ve been making good progress organizing everything. And Hanawa-senpai’s team seems to have been working on this all day, too. So now, it’s my job to use my lunch break and check the progress the Hanawa group made so that the committee members can immediately continue with their own work. I can’t rob them of their time to work on their own stuff.

I’m just glad Gou-senpai isn’t anywhere to be found near the executive committee’s room. The hair he styled up with wax reflected in the sunlight is blinding me. Can’t he use something a bit more… soft, you know? You could easily boil a small fly alive with that.

“Ah…Well, I guess that makes sense.”

I arrived at the room, which turned out to be locked. That’s to be expected, of course, since nobody planned to use it right now. I guess I have to grab a key from the staff office…Argh, what a pain.

“…Oh, right.”

I headed down the hallway where I last walked with Yuuki-senpai and Gou-senpai. According to him, the wi-fi reaches even out there. It’s close to the entrance of the school building, and the comfortable breeze makes it the perfect place to get work done. Not to mention that it’s in the shadows, allowing me to cool down a bit.

“Now then…”

I put my right foot on my left lap and placed the laptop on it. I confirmed that I got a proper internet connection, connected to the server integrating Hanawa-senpai’s team, and checked the contents of today’s folders. Entering the folders that had today’s date as a name, I could see several folders that said ‘Finished’. Seeing so much progress made after all this analog work sure feels great, gotta say.

I opened up every single file, going through the various lines, checking. All the files I finished checking, I moved into the ‘Checked’ folder. Rinse and repeat. Although there are a lot of ‘Finished’ folders left to check, it’s definitely not a bad thing. Not to mention that I have this feeling of superiority by checking the created files of adults.

“…W-What are you grinning for?”

“Wha, I am?”

I put my hands on my face, checking my expression. It seems like I was actually grinning to myself in an isolated place with no people around. No, you’re wrong, okay? Having fun during work makes it easier to make progress, right? I wasn’t looking at porn sites or anything like that! Not like I could do that while I’m on my school’s internet! Big Sis would come to murder me! …Hol’ up.

“…Err, Natsukawa? Why are you here?”

“Ah, ehm…”

“…?”

Nobody but me should be here. The other students were either eating in their respective classrooms or in the cafeteria. Since Natsukawa has no reason to work during lunch, she should have been eating with Ashida back in the classroom. Yet, she stood in front of me, leaving me bewildered. Did she…think that the committee was supposed to meet up this lunch break?

“Um…I think the committee’s only meeting up after classes, right?”

“I-I know! I know that!”

“Ah, right…my bad.”

“……”

“……”

Err…What? Should I say something? What should I even say? Why is she here? C-Calm down…you’ll be able to analyze the situation. You’ve been chasing her the past two and a half years, so you should know better than anybody else. Believe in the me that believes in you.

“……Hm?”

I spotted something in Natsukawa’s hands.

“A wrapped lunch box, huh…So you planned to meet up with someone, and are on the way there?”

“Huh?! Ah, t-this is…not really…”

“?”

Natsukawa panicked and swiftly hid the lunch box behind her back. That single action made her skirt flutter, which almost completely drew my eyes towards it, but I somehow managed to withhold. Only my right eye was lost in the battle.

“I-I figured you were going to work, so…I thought I might as well…”

“Work…? Work…But, yours starts this afternoon—”

“Not that…! I saw you leave the classroom with your bag, so…I wondered if you were working right now…”

“Well, I am, yeah.”

At this very moment, I’m sitting at my laptop, connected to the internet, after all. She’s not wrong. She is not wrong at all, but it still doesn’t make sense why she should be here. There’s no rule that forces Natsukawa to work whenever I am. And if there was, then I’d let Sasaki do all of it.

“I thought you were in the committee’s room…but you weren’t. I went looking for you when I found you sitting here…”

“I mean…yeah…Borrowing the key to the room just for myself feels like a waste…Also, just because I’m working doesn’t mean you have to either, you know?”

“B-Because…you shouldn’t have to do any work in the first place…”

“That is true, but…it’s what I want to do, so you don’t have to worry about that. If anything, I’m closer to the student council, I guess?”

“That…might be true, but…”

This is one of the reasons why I call Natsukawa Aika a goddess. She feels a strong sense of responsibility for the work she was given. Of course, money is a big thing even for me, but the biggest reason I worked part-time back in middle school is that I wanted to become someone who was worthy of her. In a way, I was trying to polish myself. In the end, I realized that what I needed for that is something that you either have, or you don’t.

Looks, talent, brains, athletic abilities, it’s not like Natsukawa was blessed by these from the very beginning, and I’m sure she worked really hard to get where she is right now…but even so, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to reach that same level no matter what I did. I started to feel pain in the idea of endlessly chasing her. It made me wish she would stop and allow me to catch up, that’s how dazzling she looks to me.

“So…what about your lunch, Wataru?”

“…Huh? Oh, yeah, I’ll just eat whatever later…”

“‘Eat whatever’? So…you didn’t prepare anything?”

“I did, look.”

I took out a small plastic bag from my student bag. It’s the sweet bread I bought from the convenience store this morning. Though it is a bit squished now because I kept it in the same bag as my laptop. Then again, as long as the taste is fine, I don’t really care.

“Again with that…weren’t you eating proper lunch after we enrolled here?”

“W-Well…you know, had a tad bit too much green for my taste. I left a lot of the vegetables untouched, and my mom would constantly freak out.”

I say that, but she did give me a lot of cutting remarks, and I had no way to argue with her either. On top of that, Big Sis treated me like a child, stepping on me and kicking me. I know I’m at fault for being picky, but eating something I don’t like isn’t exactly motivating.

“……”

“Err…so, Natsukawa…san?”

She sounded so considerate and caring before, and yet the second she learned about my lunch for the day, she went quiet. Something’s off…maybe I stepped on a landmine? Oh yeah, she is a caring older sister to Airi, so she’s probably been training her to eat stuff like bell peppers.

“Um—”

“Do you…hate bell peppers?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I…see…Why?”

“They’re bitter…”

“Then…bitter melons too?”

“Yeah…”

“I see…”

“……”

“……”

Somebody save me, please. I guess she’s pretty strict when it comes to food, as she’s an older sister. Sometimes, you have to be strict, after all. It’s been a while since I got such a look of disdain from her. I’m feeling so alive right now, better get to work.

“……”

“Wha—”

I looked away in a weak attempt to run from her pressure, only for the shadow I saw suddenly walk towards me. With a bit of space between us, Natsukawa sat down to the left of me, placing the lunch box with a cute-looking wrapping on top of her lap. At the same time, the laptop on my lap seemed to have read the mood and went into sleep mode. Hey, hold on, wake up!

Met with this unprecedented situation, even my knowledge of technology went to sleep, and I mistyped the password when trying to wake up my laptop. This…is quite the predicament. Calm down, me.

Natsukawa felt bad for making me do so much work. > She’s kind.

That’s why she at least tries to participate and help with it. > She’s diligent.

She saw that the office room was closed, so she looked for me. > Why?

I shouldn’t be picky. > I apologize.

She sits down next to me. > Why?

Although the latter half makes no sense to me, the answer is still as clear as day—Natsukawa is a goddess. And I can’t keep her here for my selfish reasons. Or rather, I don’t think I can do any work with her this close to me.

“Um, Natsukawa…? You don’t have to stay with me or anything, I can do this on my own.”

“Huh…?”

“Ah, no, um…I didn’t want to bore you. Not like I can talk much, so…I’d feel bad.”

My policy wouldn’t allow me to work while fully ignoring Natsukawa. I’d rather have her go back to the classroom so that she can have fun with her friends. I’m sure a lot of people would prefer things that way.

“…I-It’s fine…”

“Ah, okay…”

…Eh? What is fine? What nuance am I supposed to guess from what? That she’ll go back without me having to tell her? Or that I don’t have to talk? That I don’t need to worry about any of that? That she’ll put up with it despite me being here? God, I’d cry so hard. But seriously, what is this?

I couldn’t hide my confusion and bewilderment as I unlocked my laptop. Thankfully, I didn’t mess up my password a second time. Although this situation made it very hard for me, I tried my best to make progress. Um…I didn’t mess up anything, right? I opened up the ‘Checked’ folder just to check one more time.

“…So this is what you were doing.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Natsukawa took a peek at the screen, commenting. Her long hair tickled my shoulder, making a sweet scent drift towards me. I genuinely think I’m going to die here.

“…!”

At the same time, Natsukawa nonchalantly opened up her lunch box. Now hold on, even if she doesn’t speak, I can’t focus with Natsukawa right next to me. What kind of bastard could ignore the girl he likes sitting next to him and just focus on his work. What kind of monk would you have to be, really. Now it’s time to remember what I learned at Shinomiya-senpai’s dojo. I can’t make her grandpa look down on me. It’s time for ultimate zen…Haaaaaaaaa!

——————

‘Wataru, open wide~’

‘A-Ahhh…’

——————————————

Hey, Fantasy Me, let me take over, you bastard. Why is Natsukawa feeding you her rolled omelet? Do you think I would just ignore such a difference compared to reality? Even if these are my own fantasies, there are good and bad things you could dream of, you hear me? Don’t open your dirty and reeking mouth like that. Go to the dentist, get a full clean-up, and then come back.

“W-Wataru…”

“Hm, what’s—Huh?”

I moved my hands even faster to deal with the boiling rage inside of me when Natsukawa suddenly called for me. I turned around without much hesitation, only to be met with Natsukawa pushing something held between her chopsticks towards me while creating a small plate beneath that with her left hand.

“Err, what, em…”

“Y-You don’t have to stop working. Just open your mouth.”

“Huh?! What is this?!”

“J-Just do it!”

Because it was so close to me, I couldn’t tell just what she was pushing towards me. It seemed like something green. I tried asking her, but she gave me no answer, just pushing the chopsticks towards me.

“Geez! Open your mouth…”

“O-Okay! Ahhh…mmm!”

Since her voice sounded agitated, I did as I was told, to which she immediately stuffed the object into my mouth. However, my bewilderment and confusion left me unable to even filter out its taste. I could tell that it was something hard, at least. I tried biting it and immediately realized.

“Is that…a bitter melon?”

“…How does it taste?”

“Urk…Bitter…but also not bitter…”

“It’s not bitter!”

“…Maybe it is a bit…”

“It’s not bitter!”

“Mngh…”

I could hear the chewing noises inside of my mouth directly in my ears. I bet she’s trying hard when cooking for Airi-chan, but it’s especially hard trying to move an ingredient’s initial taste. The more I chewed on it, the more I could feel the distinct bitterness in the back of my mouth. At the same time, Natsukawa kept on chanting that it’s not bitter. At the end of a brief chewing period, I managed to swallow it all. I looked at Natsukawa with tears in my eyes, to which she showed a satisfied expression.

“Hehe, I knew you could eat it.”

“Whyyyy…?”

“You lack necessary nutrition if you keep eating only bread, right?”

“So bitter…”

“Come on, pull yourself together.” Natsukawa shook her head and showed a faint smile.

Weird…my heart is racing faster. Isn’t this the part where I should get angry at her for feeding me something I dislike? She’s just so cute, I can’t be angry at her. I want to switch positions with Airi-chan so bad. This is making me awaken to something.

“You have your work, right? Are you done already?”

“H-Hold on…can we not continue this? At the very least, I would appreciate some eggs as an addition—”

“Don’t look at me. Focus on your work.”

“U-Urk…”

“Here’s the next one.”

I returned my gaze back at the screen. After moving my hands for a while, Natsukawa said “Open your mouth.” I got my hopes up for a moment, but after chewing on the object for a moment, a familiar bitter taste filled my mouth. I managed to swallow it down when another piece was pushed towards my mouth. Bitter. At least feed me an egg or something…that alone would make my mouth feel bliss and joy for once—Wait, bliss and joy?

“………”

Hold on, what am I doing? Or rather, what is Natsukawa doing? Is this what I think it is? She’s feeding me. And why am I so displeased despite that?

“……”

“Hehe. See, all gone.”

Um, Natsukawa-san? I feel like there’s a more fundamental problem here. Do you not feel embarrassed or awkward? And why me of all people? She’s so cute. Also, is it just me who’s nervous? Am I the only one who’s conscious of this situation? Really? She really doesn’t see me as a man, huh. I knew, but it still hurts.

“Urk…”

Now my heart felt even more bitter than the inside of my mouth. I took out a small bottle of tea from the plastic bag and took a sip. Sadly, the bitterness still remained.

“Time to work some more…”

“Come on, don’t start sulking like that.”

Well, after being rejected and hated, I guess we’ve come a long way to reach this point, so I should be thankful, rather. Even if she doesn’t see me as a man, she shared her lunch with me, so there’s no greater reward. I can’t be this bewildered just because of some food. What comes first now is work.

“…Ah…” Natsukawa let out a bewildered voice.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“…Huh?! Ah, no, it’s nothing!”

“Oh, okay?”

I figured that she may have dropped something from her lunch box, so I looked beneath me while still moving my hands on the keyboard. It’s stupid of me to get so conscious of her, really. I looked around on the ground while trying to stay away from her skirt, but I couldn’t find anything in particular.

“…?”

I looked back up at Natsukawa in confusion. For some reason, she sat there frozen stiff, not even moving her chopsticks anymore. Is she so satisfied torturing me with bitter melons that she’s not going to eat anything yourself? Is she trying to hold back because I’m still working? I was worried about that, so I was about to say something. However, she didn’t budge at all, just staring at the rolled omelet she picked up between her chopsticks.

“Erm, Natsukawa? You can eat as well, you know?”

“Huh?! Ah, well, um!”

“What? Is something wrong?”

“I-I’ll eat the rest in the classroom!”

“Uhh?”

Natsukawa quickly put her lunch together, wrapped the fabric around it, and rushed back to the classroom. As this all happened in an instant, I was utterly confused. Maybe she made another promise and almost forgot about it? I don’t know, but it feels like I just woke up from a dream. Maybe this was just another experience necessary for me to become an adult.

After that, I made smooth progress with my work and finished it before the next class started.

1 (1830.12.10-1844.12.2)​

2 (1603-1868)​