Chapter 9: Lunch Box
After a two-day break, school had resumed.
However, since Monday and Tuesday were days off, Saito only had to go to school for three days in a week.
He felt a strange discomfort carrying a backpack stuffed with gym clothes, something he wouldn’t usually have after a break.
Actually, there was something else, and today his childhood friend, Lily, had one more thing with her.
One might think it’s natural since she brought a gym uniform, but it’s not.
In addition to the bag containing the gym uniform, she was holding another small mysterious tote.
Considering that there were no special classes today after the school trip, and there shouldn’t be a need to bring anything extra, it was strange.
He thought maybe he had forgotten something, but that wasn’t the case.
Earlier, he asked his friends Kai and Haruki if there was anything special to bring today, and they both said there wasn’t.
In other words, why Lily brought the tote bag was a complete mystery.
It was intriguing.
Unable to resist the urge to find out, Saito walked over to Lily’s side.
“Hey, what’s in that tote?”
He quietly whispered to Lily.
“Uh!”
She let out a strange sound and covered her ears, creating some distance.
(Is it really that surprising?)
Saito was amazed at her hypersensitive reaction, considering that whispering on a train should be normal.
“So, what’s in that bag?”
“Bento.”
This time, she answered succinctly with three words when he asked directly, attempting not to surprise her.
(Oh, it’s a lunchbox. Is it a lunchbox cooler bag?)
With this revelation, Saito’s doubts disappeared.
It seemed that the bag she was carrying was indeed a cooler bag to protect the lunchbox from the heat.
Certainly, the weather had been getting warmer lately compared to the time of the entrance ceremony.
Some food items might spoil faster because of it.
It seemed like a precautionary measure.
Satisfied with the simple explanation, Saito, being the simple person he was, casually agreed to bring a cooler bag along with his lunchbox starting from tomorrow.
Even though Lily’s bag could fit inside a regular school bag, she chose to carry it in her hand. The reason for this became clear upon closer consideration.
Unaware of the meaning behind it, Saito continued his usual routine, swaying in the train, waiting to reach the station.
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“Hey, I heard there’s a commotion going on over there.”
“Moreover, the two top angels of our school are causing a scene, fighting over a mediocre-looking guy.”
“For real!? Sounds damn interesting. Let’s go check it out.”
“What’s with all the noise?”
“Wonder what it is?”
Upon arriving at school, both Lily and I tilted our heads in unison, curious about what was happening.
After putting our shoes in the locker and changing into indoor shoes, we headed towards our classroom. As we approached, the number of people increased.
By the time we reached the classroom, the front was overflowing with people, and something significant was obviously happening.
“What’s going on, Saito?” surprised, while Saito is expressing confusion, Lily, in her second go at life, grimaces as she finally understands the cause.
Pushing through the crowd and finally reaching the classroom door, Saito realizes what the spectators were focusing on.
“Haruki had a promise to have lunch with Mizuki today! He’s going home!”
“Bu-but we confirmed yesterday when I invited him. That’s why you’re the one who should back off!”
“Ouch, it hurts! You two, if you keep fighting, my arms will come off!”
In the midst of the crowd, two beautiful girls, similar to Lily’s level, were sparking and creating fireworks, fighting over a somewhat plain-looking guy.
It was a scene straight out of a chaotic battlefield.
It made sense that gossip-loving high school students would gather to witness this spectacle.
“Ah, Saito-kun! Help me, please!”
Analyzing the situation calmly, I made eye contact with my friend in the middle of the turmoil. He pleaded for my help.
“Sorry, looks like I can’t do much. Good luck, Mr. Popular.”
If a friend asks for help, I wouldn’t usually hesitate, but when threatened by the two intense gazes, I couldn’t interfere.
“You heartless guy!”
Feeling apologetic, I looked away, entering the classroom. From behind, I could still hear my friend’s desperate cries being ignored.
It was the fate of someone liked by beautiful girls – a situation I had no control over.
“NAMU “
Nemu.”
Saying a brief prayer for him, I entered the classroom and joined my friend Kai, who seemed to be observing the chaos.
“So, what the hell happened there?”
Putting jokes aside, I asked Kai, hoping to get reliable information since the gossipers outside weren’t trustworthy.
“Let me explain. It dates back thousands of years—”
“Too far back. Give me a short version.”
“—Haruki made a promise to have lunch with his childhood friend, whom he always eats with. But today, he made another promise to have lunch with another girl. That’s it.”
I see. It’s Haruki’s fault for not contacting first.
” Guilty.”
It felt like kai were about to delve into the origins of humanity, so Saito fast-forwarded through the conversation by tapping the head of Kai.
When he released it at an appropriate point, he succinctly explained what had happened.
Upon hearing that, Saito’s verdict was guilty.
Since Haruki’s mistake led to a double booking, it was Haruki’s fault for not communicating.
It was only natural for chaos to ensue.
(But, there really are guys like harem protagonists in real life.)
Saito thought about it while putting his belongings in his bag.
Honestly, until he witnessed that scene, he didn’t believe there were typical harem protagonists in real life.
Being surrounded by multiple girls seemed reserved for flashy types or handsome actors on TV.
That was Saito’s perception, but watching his friend Haruki changed his perspective.
Haruki had a baby face with a cute appearance, but compared to actors on TV, he was two or three steps below in terms of looks. He didn’t have a flashy appearance, except for slightly long bangs, and he dressed in a conventional way.
Saito learned that even with average looks, one could be praised by beautiful girls.
Of course, it wasn’t applicable to everyone, and the caveat was having a caring personality like Haruki, who couldn’t ignore someone in trouble in any situation.
(I can’t do that.)
Saito had the desire to be popular like everyone else.
However, when it came to dealing with multiple people, he knew it was a definite NO.
Juggling the moods of several people was something Saito couldn’t handle.
Even with just one girl, he occasionally stepped on a landmine and triggered a lightning strike.
If he dealt with multiple people, lightning would strike all over him, leaving him completely burnt to a crisp.
Imagining himself disappearing into ashes, Saito shivered, and just then, the chime rang.
“Alright, everyone, it’s time for the SHR break! Please return to the classroom!”
Though onlookers seemed reluctant to leave, still fascinated by the chaotic scene, a stern command from the unexpectedly wise teacher scattered them, and they returned to their own classroom like scattering spiderlings.
(Impressive.)
Saito looked at the wise teacher with respect, and just as he did, Haruki and Mizuki, the protagonists of the commotion, returned to the classroom.
(Impressive, he still has all his limbs.)
Saito directed a gaze of admiration not only at the homeroom teacher but also at his friend, who had returned safely with all his limbs intact.
After that, during each break, a senior named Shirayuri Koyuki, who belonged to the student council, would come and, apart from the battle over Haruki, everything progressed calmly. Finally, the anticipated lunch break arrived.
Why was it a problem, you ask? Because Haruki hadn’t yet decided whether to have lunch with Mizuki or Koyuki, despite discussing it every break.
Despite their ongoing discussions, their stubbornness had prevented them from finding a satisfactory compromise.
At first, it was amusing to see his friend flustered.
However, if it was repeated many times, the frustration towards his friend for not making a decision sooner surpassed the amusement.
“It’s Mizuki!”
“It’s me!”
“Ugh, I’m fed up with this. Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors!”
Unable to speak due to the pressure from both sides, Saito, reaching his limit, intervened between the two.
“don’t get in the way, Saito.”
“That’s right. Outsiders should back off.”
“I’m not an outsider! I’m tired of your noisy commotion here. Seriously, make a decision, you two!”
“…Senior won’t back down.”
“…Mizuki-san won’t back down either.”
Even though he was glared at fiercely by the two beautiful girls, Saito, at his wit’s end, stood his ground.
When Saito lectured them, the two seemed to feel guilty for prolonging the situation and awkwardly averted their eyes, still claiming the other was at fault.
“If I win, Haruki will have lunch with me. Rock-paper-scissors, pon!”
Thinking it might take too long, Saito forcefully initiated the rock-paper-scissors game.
Mizuki and Koyuki hurriedly reacted and made their moves.
Saito chose paper.
Mizuki chose scissors.
Koyuki chose rock. The result was Mizuki’s victory.
“I did it!”
“Aww…”
Mizuki raised her scissors high in the air, celebrating her victory, while Koyuki broke down in tears, looking at her tightly clenched fist.
“Alright, so today Mizuki will have lunch with Haruki. I don’t know about tomorrow. Haruki, sort it out yourself.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks, Saito-kun.”
“See you. Now I can finally eat lunch—Wait, where’s my bento?”
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