Chapter 51: Thank you for the meal

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Translator: Soafp

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Ginji was dumbfounded as the stacked lunch box was placed before him with a thud. He glared at Sora, who proudly puffed out her chest with confidence.

“You… Is this why you're sleep-deprived?”

“Nope, not at all. Fufufu, this is the power of science! Here!”

When she opened the first tier, there was glistening, pink roast beef. She placed a sauce container from her bag beside it.

“Oooh, this looks amazing… but isn't this one of those time-consuming dishes?”

“Ch-ch-ch, just wait. Behold the second tier.”

In the second tier was a single foil wrap. Using the lid as a plate, Sora opened the foil to reveal steamed cod with lemon and asparagus.

“Seriously… this one's a lot of work too. It looks delicious though.”

“You still don't get it?”

After two labor-intensive dishes, Ginji finally caught on to their common trait.

“…A He**sio, huh!?” [TL: Healsio is a brand name for a steam oven made by Sharp Corporation in Japan]

“Bingo! You've been wanting to try it whenever you came over, right? So I figured I'd bring a sample of what it can do.”

“This… this is the power of the He**sio… Still, it must've taken time and effort.”

“I just set it while doing other stuff, so it was actually really easy. I did get up a little early, but the roast beef was prepped from the night before.”

Even with a He**sio, there's still prep work involved. But Sora didn't seem to mind at all as she finished preparing their lunch.

“It was fun to cook something fancy again after a while. The third tier is rice balls and a side salad.”

Sora sat beside him cheerfully. Ginji was still worried about her sleep, but complaining about it didn't feel right.

“Aaahn.”

She naturally held up a piece of roast beef with chopsticks.

“…Aaahn. But if I eat, you won't have time to eat your own lunch.”

“That's true, but I want to hear your reaction up close.”

There was no one around, so Sora snuggled closer without a hint of hesitation. She smelled faintly of citrus, as did the sauce, with a touch of yuzu.

“It's delicious. So tender, and the sauce is really good too.”

“Yay. I can't do this every day, but I just felt like making it. Thanks for worrying about my sleep.”

“…As long as you understand. It really is good. The best thing I've ever eaten.”

“…”

As Ginji gave his honest praise and smiled gently—an expression he never showed in class—Sora wanted to see that face more closely.

She stood up, moved the table aside, and plopped herself onto Ginji's lap.

The soft sensation on his thigh and the weight of her leaning body sent blood rushing to his head.

Sora's face was just as red, and her hands shook slightly as she picked up a small piece of the foil-baked fish.

“A-aahn.”

Looking up at him with big eyes, she held the chopsticks carefully under the fish to keep it steady.

At this point, Ginji felt he had no choice. He quickly ate the bite she offered. It tasted… peppery maybe? But he couldn't tell through the nervous tension. Sora then put down the chopsticks and rested her head against Ginji's chest.

With no air conditioning in the room, only the sound of the breeze through the open window echoed. Both of them were lightly sweating.

“Sora, is this part of your ‘devoted caretaker' time?”

“Who knows? But—it's part of a ‘promise.'”

Whether that promise referred to being a devoted caretaker, or Ginji's vow to “make her happy,” it didn't really matter. A promise is a promise. Closer than friends, their heartbeats aligned for a few quiet seconds. Then Sora stood up and returned to her own chair.

Until the talk over the weekend is done, she can't reveal everything in her heart.

“Ehehe, I feel like I'm already full.”

“Hah… I can still eat plenty.”

Ginji reached for a rice ball, and Sora poured him some cold tea into a paper cup and handed it to him, watching him eat with contentment in her eyes.

That was their lunchtime together.