Chapter 15: The Ripple Effect of the Bento Box

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Translator: Soafp

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“Hey… I appreciate you making the lunch, but why did you do that in the classroom?”

In the end, I had to bring Komori-san out to the emergency staircase.

Even Takagi was starting to suspect us, saying, “Are you guys actually dating or something?”

Komori-san picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth as she replied.

“Well, we're friends, right? So I thought it would be fine to confidently eat together in the classroom…”

If that was the case, then the reason she deliberately called me out to the emergency staircase before must've been because she didn't think of me as a friend back then.

I really couldn't understand Komori-san's standards for deciding things.

“…Was it bothering you?”

“No, it's not that exactly. I just thought it might cause more trouble for you than for me.”

“For me? Why?”

“Well, if rumors start spreading that you're dating me, it'll make it harder for you to get a boyfriend, right?”

Her grand plan—to become a gyaru who's nice to otaku and make a quiet otaku boy her first boyfriend.

I still didn't quite get it, but regardless, Komori-san was actually pretty popular with the boys at school now.

If someone like me kept hanging around her, it would obviously get in the way of that plan.

The reason we'd been walking to and from school together these past two days was because something more important was at stake—her life.

“Huh? You and me?”

“Yeah. Didn't you hear everyone making a fuss in the classroom earlier? They were saying you might be making a move on me.”

“Whaaat!? I had no idea! I was so nervous just handing you the lunchbox that I couldn't hear anything people around us were saying!”

…The way she said that could seriously give people the wrong idea.

Her innocent, completely unaware behavior like that could easily make other guys misunderstand.

And among girls, it might even get her ostracized.

“Next time I'll make sure to give it to you when we're alone…”

“Hm? You're going to make my lunch again? But today's the last day we're walking to and from school together.”

“Huh? Oh… right…”

Komori-san's shoulders drooped.

For someone who hadn't had any friends until recently, these past two days with me must've been really fun.

Honestly, I was satisfied too.

Even if she had already avoided that “nightmare,” at least these two days wouldn't feel meaningless.

“Well, even if we can't walk to school together every day, we could still make little detours on the way home.”

“R-right! Hehe, you should feel honored, you know! I'll turn down the other guys and walk home with you specially!”

“You probably just froze and couldn't answer them.”

“Shut up!”

We joked around like that while finishing the lunch Komori-san had made.

---

Yuzuki Kitayama headed to the student cafeteria.

The part about forgetting her lunchbox was a lie.

She planned to wait for Ren here.

If she invited him to eat lunch together in the classroom, it was obvious he would refuse.

(There must have been some kind of misunderstanding.)

If she talked things out with Ren properly, they should be able to make up.

Yuzuki still believed he was her boyfriend.

Right now, they were just having a big fight.

(That's right. I just need to tell him again that he's the only one for me.)

She wondered if she had neglected Ren a little while getting too absorbed in photography club activities.

She admitted that to herself.

So all she had to do was cut back on club time a bit and spend more time with him.

(Huh… but why hasn't he come yet…)

But no matter how long she waited, Ren didn't appear.

Ren didn't like his family's cooking very much, so he usually ate the lunch Yuzuki's mother made or bought something from the cafeteria.

Maybe he had something else to do today and wasn't coming to the cafeteria.

Just as she thought that, someone entered her field of vision.

“Takagi-kun.”

Yuzuki called out to Takagi, who had been like Ren's best friend since middle school.

Since entering high school, Ren usually ate lunch either with Yuzuki or with Takagi.

“Hm? Oh, Kitayama-san.”

“Ren isn't with you?”

“Huh? Oh… Fukagawa…”

Takagi scratched his head awkwardly.

“He went to eat lunch with someone else.”

“Someone else? Who?”

Did Ren have any other male friends he was close enough with to eat lunch together?

Yuzuki couldn't immediately think of anyone.

“N-not sure…”

Takagi avoided her gaze as he mumbled.

It clearly looked like he knew but was hiding it.

Yuzuki realized it must be something he found difficult to tell her.

“…Don't tell me it's a girl?”

“N-no way! Come on, it's Fukagawa. There's no way a guy like him would be that popular.”

Takagi laughed awkwardly.

Yuzuki understood immediately.

He was deliberately putting Ren down to protect his friend.

(Ren was actually more popular with girls than people thought.)

Ever since childhood, he had sharp instincts and seemed strangely mature.

The reason girls didn't approach him much was largely because of Yuzuki.

She was always by his side, and both inside and outside their group she openly declared that Ren was her first love, constantly warning others away.

(So normal girls shouldn't be approaching him…)

It hadn't been long since Ren and Yuzuki broke up.

Most girls would assume there was still a chance for them to get back together.

So there shouldn't be many girls trying to approach him right now.

As she thought it over, only one person came to mind.

“…Could it be Nodoka?”

Takagi's body jerked violently as if she had hit the mark.

Yuzuki knew that Nodoka had reinvented herself after entering high school and that she wasn't particularly good at reading the atmosphere.

Recently, the two of them also seemed to be getting closer.

“N-no idea. I don't know.”

Takagi continued playing dumb to the end, which only irritated Yuzuki more.

But he was probably trying to stay loyal to Ren.

Realizing it was pointless to press further, Yuzuki turned to leave the cafeteria.

Then—

“Kitayama-san. I might be wrong, but… do you really not understand why Fukagawa broke up with you?”

Takagi called out to her.

His strangely provocative tone made Yuzuki raise her voice.

“So you're saying you know? Why Ren dumped me?”

“Well yeah. Anyone watching from the side could tell. That guy was suffering a lot.”

“…What?”

Ren was suffering?

From what?

Yuzuki couldn't understand what Takagi meant.

“Before he broke up with you, he was seriously worn down. As far as I know, he lost about seven kilograms all at once.”

“D-don't lie! Ren never said anything like—”

“Do you really need someone to say it? Even I could tell just by looking.”

“Ugh…”

When she couldn't respond, Takagi let out a deep sigh.

“Kitayama-san, aside from everything else, if Fukagawa tells you ‘don't do something,' you'd better not do it.”

“Why are you talking down to me like that!?”

“Because back in middle school I ignored Fukagawa's warning and almost died. Ever since then, I always listen when he warns me.”

Yuzuki remembered how strangely sensitive Ren had been about Nagasawa-senpai over the past month.

To her, it had just seemed like he was overreacting to rumors.

She had never intended to cheat, so it annoyed her to be accused of it outright.

“I want that guy to be happy.”

“I-I want that too—”

“No. I'm not as sharp as him, but there's one thing I'm certain about.”

Takagi frowned as he continued.

“Kitayama-san, you will never be able to make him happy.”

Yuzuki clenched her teeth.

That couldn't be true.

After his parents—or maybe even more than them—she was the one who knew Ren best.

That was why she had always believed she was his destined partner.

“What do you know about Ren!?”

Shouting in anger, she stormed out of the cafeteria.

She returned to the classroom and searched for Ren and Nodoka.

But they weren't there.

One of her friends hesitantly asked,

“Yuzuki? What's wrong? You look scary…”

“Did you see Ren and Nodoka!? Those two are together right now, aren't they!?”

“Huh? Um… maybe? I'm not sure, but earlier Komori-san gave Fukagawa-kun a handmade lunch and they left the classroom.”

“…What? Handmade lunch?”

Yuzuki wasn't very good at cooking, so she had never made a lunchbox for Ren herself.

Ren had never seemed particularly bothered by that.

Yet Nodoka had done something she herself couldn't?

Her lips and hands began trembling.

(I thought we were friends…!!)

The feeling of betrayal from Nodoka tightened around Yuzuki's chest.

At this point, she could hardly think of her as a friend anymore.

---

After spending a pleasant lunch break with Komori-san on the emergency staircase, I returned to the classroom.

But somehow the girls' stares felt painful…

I wondered about it, but fifth period was P.E., so I headed off to change.

Takagi spoke in the boys' locker room.

“Sorry. I might've meddled a bit too much.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Kitayama-san came to the cafeteria looking for you at lunch. But she seemed to have no clue what the problem was, and it kind of pissed me off.”

“Well, I don't mind. It has nothing to do with me anymore. If anything, you could date her yourself.”

“I'm the type who cares more about personality than looks.”

I couldn't help laughing.

Since P.E. classes are separated by gender at our school, we were able to have class peacefully without weird looks from the girls.

I wiped off my sweat with a body sheet, changed back into my uniform, and returned to the classroom.

As I was preparing for sixth period, I felt something was off.

(Huh? Why isn't Komori-san here?)

Her distinctive blonde bob was nowhere to be seen.

At first I thought she might've gone to the bathroom, but break time was almost over and she still hadn't returned.

I asked Takagi.

“Hey, do you know where Komori-san went?”

“Komori-san? Oh yeah, now that you mention it, the girls were making a fuss earlier. During P.E., Kitayama-san and Komori-san had a huge fight.”

“What? A fight?”

“I don't know the details, but apparently Kitayama-san yelled, ‘You're not my friend!' Komori-san looked pretty shocked.”

“And? Where is Komori-san!?”

Their fight was secondary right now.

What mattered most was where Komori-san had gone.

“I heard she left early because she wasn't feeling well.”

“Damn it!”

So the “nightmare” wasn't during the walk home?

I never imagined she'd leave school early.

“Sorry, I'm leaving early too. I'm not feeling well!”

“H-hey!? Wait a second!”

I rushed out of the classroom.

I have to catch up to Komori-san as fast as possible…!