Chapter 87: What should I ask for as a reward?

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Translator: Soafp

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The shock from that morning had already spread through the school via social media. Even the photo of Sora in a dress—taken by a store clerk during an earlier outing—was circulating alongside the rumor. The top student who scored full marks dating someone? That kind of juicy gossip was irresistible to boys and girls of their age, and by lunchtime, it had become the biggest buzz across campus.

Meanwhile, the couple at the center of all the attention had hidden themselves beside the bike racks just outside school grounds.

“…So, why exactly are we hiding?”

“Because strangers keep staring at me…”

Sora, sensing that the once-settled storm was reigniting, bolted out of the school building the moment the lunch bell rang—dragging along her bento box and Ginji. After confirming that even the club building area was crawling with people, she opened up her lunch in this quiet, secluded spot. She laid a handkerchief on the stone steps and sat down, while Ginji sat cross-legged beside her.

“Still, I'm surprised you knew about this place.”

This narrow path between the field and the baseball team's outdoor clubroom rarely saw any foot traffic during lunch. At most, a few people came by to prepare for afternoon practice. The spot was shaded, breezy, and pleasantly cool.

“I used to be a loner, remember? When I couldn't use the student council prep room or eat in the bathroom because I was cross-dressing, I'd come here to be alone. Never thought I'd be back here again…”

“Well, what's wrong with that? You can never have too many secret spots.”

“As expected of Ginji—you totally get it. Now, let's eat! Today's special is the ultimate egg combo!”

She deftly opened the bento: the top layer was chicken rice, the second was a salad, and the third held two perfectly arranged omelets.

“Okay, so we do this…”

“…No way, you're not…”

Sensing what was about to happen, Ginji watched as Sora took out paper plates and containers from a cooler bag. She plated the chicken rice, added an omelet and a sprig of parsley, then solemnly held up a packet of ketchup.

“When it's lovers, this is the move!”

She drew multiple hearts on the omelet with the ketchup. Exhaling excitedly through her nose, she held the plate out to Ginji.

Thanks to her artistic skills, the hearts were drawn perfectly, almost professionally.

“I feel like… I just experienced something rare and surreal. I never thought I'd be on the receiving end of this…”

“Weren't you happy?”

“I was over the moon. I'll draw one for you too, Sora.”

“Yay!”

Ginji earnestly tried to draw hearts, though they came out a bit crooked. But Sora examined the imperfect yet heartfelt design with such joy that she took a photo of their two omelet rice dishes side by side.

“Don't take a picture… I'm nowhere near as good as you.”

“That's what makes it great. Thanks, Ginji. This way, we can look back on it together later.”

If she were alone, memories would just stay in her head. But for the two of them, she wanted to capture them in photos—so they could relive them together later. The thought made her smile to herself.

Ginji took the spoon Sora handed him and took a big bite of the omelet and chicken rice. The dish, packed with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and chicken, was rich with butter flavor—exactly how he liked it.

“Delicious.”

“Don't forget to eat your salad too.”

Sora passed him the salad, already drizzled with dressing.

“Of course. No way I'd ever leave Sora's food unfinished.”

His slightly gruff reply made Sora smile even more as she started eating her own omelet rice.

“The ketchup might be a bit sweet, though?”

“Really? I think it's just right.”

“Nope, it's definitely sweet. Ah—Ginji, you've got ketchup on your mouth.”

“Huh? Where?”

“I'll get it for you.”

Her slender fingers brushed his cheek. Then—Sora popped the finger into her mouth.

“Hey—!!”

“I-I read online that this is a couple-y thing to do…”

Blushing furiously, she kept her eyes shut, finger still in her mouth. It was her way of making up for the date they never finished—though Ginji didn't know that. All he knew was that she was so cute, he didn't know how to handle it.

“You don't have to do that kind of thing at school… It'd be embarrassing if anyone saw.”

“Okay. Hehe, Ginji's embarrassed.”

“…Idiot. Of course I am.”

He glanced sideways at her, his cheeks red. Satisfied that she'd made an impression, Sora wiped her finger clean.

They continued eating. Ginji got seconds of the chicken rice, while Sora finished her own meal.

“By the way, Shiki isn't at school today.”

“Yeah, maybe she'll show up this afternoon? There's a student council meeting today, after all.”

Sora talked about Aika without a trace of her old anxiety. Ginji could sense that Sora had grown stronger. Feeling reassured, he shoveled more rice into his mouth.

“Phew, that was amazing. Thanks again. So, since we've got the time, why don't we talk about what comes next?”

“Mm, feels like it's been a while. Honestly, as long as you're by my side, I don't need anything else.”

Sora replied as she packed up the bento. Ginji crossed his arms, stepped down from the stone steps, and turned to face the sky.

“That goes without saying. What I mean is, now you can draw whatever you want—and show it to the world.”

“…You're right. Not Aika's art, but my art… It's scary. But now, I feel like I can do it.”

“This isn't about getting back at Shiki. It's about you living your life—and proving to yourself how far you've come.”

Looking at Ginji's smile made her feel like she could do anything.

“Yeah… Up till now, every success or failure belonged to Aika. But from now on, my successes—and my failures—will be mine… Ours. That's scary, but it's exciting too.”

“Hell yeah. Everyone knows how amazing you are now. You can draw whatever you want.”

“Haha, I'm not amazing. You are, Ginji. Oh, and Ginji—aren't you forgetting something important?”

“Something important? What?”

Sora, having finished wrapping up the bento in a furoshiki cloth, stepped down and gave Ginji a deadpan glare.

“Final exams before summer break. Obviously, I'm going for first place again—but you're aiming for top ten too, right? Actually, you have to get in the top ten. Starting today, we're studying.”

“…I wasn't really planning on aiming for good grades…”

Ginji had completely forgotten. Cold sweat ran down his back as memories of his last study cram session came flooding back.

“No way around it. Or are you planning to leave me all alone? If so, I don't think I can try my best…”

“Tch. Saying it like that makes it impossible to say no. Alright, fine. I'm a man—I'll give it everything I've got if it means keeping up with you.”

“Hehe, my boyfriend is sooo cool. If I get first place again, will you give me a reward?”

“A reward? Sure. If it's something I can do, anything you want.”

“Oh! I just recorded that.”

Not joking—she had actually pulled out her phone and hit record.

“Wait, you really needed evidence!?”

“Yup. So be ready. If you make it into the top ten, I'll give you a reward.”

“If I've got you with me, that's already a reward.”

“You should still do something impressive, though!”

As their cheerful conversation continued, a luxury car came to a stop at the bottom of the nearby slope. Aika stepped out, glaring at her phone—then at the school building itself.

“…That lowly Sora… How dare she steal my spotlight…”

Her tightly clenched fingers had turned pale. Though her makeup tried to hide it, the dark circles under her eyes were plainly visible.