“Good morning.”

“Morning~”

“Good morning, Sara-senpai, Natsumi-senpai.”

The usual morning scene.

However, today I am looking forward to it more than usual.

“Hey, Takanashi-kun~. I heard that you gave her something other than a lunch box yesterday.”

“Yes, I wanted to give it to Sara-senpai no matter what.”

“I see. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do next time.”

“Though I feel that it is a bit of a waste for me to use it on a regular basis…”

Well, I guess Sara-senpai would think that way. I should reassure her.

“Sara-senpai, I’m glad that you think that is too valuable to use, but even so, I want you to use it in everyday life.”

“Yes, I’ll use it very carefully.”

“… Doing it first thing in the morning.”

“Is there something wrong, Natsumi?”

“Nothing’s wrong~, let’s go.”

The usual way to school.

Maybe the people around me have gotten used to it lately, as they didn’t look at me while pretending like they were talking with others, but today they seemed to be a little bit afraid to say anything.

“Then I’ll see you at lunch.”

“See you later~.”

“Yes, see you later.”

*Rattle*, *rattle*.

When I entered the classroom, I was approached by people with ulterior motives who I had been forced to entangle with recently.

I can’t comprehend what this group is thinking at all.

“Osu~ Takanashi.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Takanashi, you were at the shopping mall yesterday with Satsukawa-senpai!”

“I also heard from Tsure that he saw you two together.”

Oops, they were so excited that they’re a bit too close.

It isn’t strange to be found out by them, but I shall be more careful about it from now on.

“… Is it strange for me to go out with friends?”

“No, it’s not strange at all. It’s natural for friends to hang out. Next time, invite me too.”

“Takanashi-kun, let’s hang out next time. You can invite other people, especially girls…”

“… If there happen to be an opportunity~”

Of course, such an opportunity would never come.

But how can these guys just switch faces after ignoring and making fun of me until just the other day?

Have they got no shame or sense of honor… or are they just stupid?

“Takanashi-kun, good morning.”

“You shouldn’t be dealing with boys who have obvious ulterior motives like that.”

“Good morning. Yeah, that’s right.”

Un, I don’t understand these girls either.

Why are they suddenly… Well, it’s much better than these guys who have such demands.

When the bell rang, the teacher arrived, and everyone returned to their seats.

“Alright, let’s start HR!”

Well, there’s a reward waiting for me today, so I should do my best…

——————————————

“Hello, Takanashi-san.”

“Hello, Takanashi-kun~.”

“Hello, both of you.”

When I reached the flower garden, plastic sheets had already been laid out, and each of our respective lunch boxes were spread out and ready to be eaten.

“Wow, isn’t this too early? I mean it’s never too late to start but…”

“Sara’s really excited… and that’s why it’s like that.”

“I think I’m the same as always though?”

“Ehh~, in the fourth period class, just a little after the bell rang, with Sensei’s lesson still ongoing and about to take up more time, you told the Sensei to hurry up and finish…” (EN: Tsk tsk, look at what the stuco pres has become because of love.)

“Natsumi? Your blabbering mouth is annoying, so I will sew it up for you in home economics later, okay?”

Uh-oh, Sara-senpai has a huge smile on her face.

But the lights in her eyes are gone.

“I have absolutely nothing to say.”

“Now, please sit down, Takanashi-san.”

“I-I understand.”

“Now, sorry to keep you waiting. Here is today’s lunch.”

Saying that, she handed me a cute lunch box with a smile of a goddess, the complete opposite of what she showed earlier.

“Thank you very much!”

“Hou~ so that’s Takanashi-kun’s new lunch box? It’s very… cute, haha.”

“Yes, I selected the cutest bento box exclusively for Takanashi-san!”

Natsumi-senpai must have said it with the intention of teasing her, but Sara-senpai is just too innocent… she seems to have taken those words as it was.

You should learn a thing or two about this innocence, you know? Natsumi-senpai.

——————————————

 …Takanashi-kun must have thought that.

 Sara, she’s just too cute… she doesn’t show this side of herself anywhere else.

Only me or Takanashi-kun can get that girl to be so honest and likable like that…

If it was another classmate who said that.

“What do you mean by that? Answer quickly… depending on your answer, I won’t stay still.”

She’d probably say something like that.

If something like that were said about Takanashi, she’d probably say something even worse in return.

——————————————

“Then shall we eat?”

「「「”Thank you for the food”」」」

When I opened the lovely lid of the lunch box… I saw hamburgers for the first time in a long while!!

“Fufu… If I can see your delighted face, it’s all worth making.”

“For me, Senpai’s hamburgers are the best.”

“What? Do you like hamburgers, Takanashi-kun?”

Oh yeah, last time it was just me and Sara-senpai, so this was the first time Natsumi-senpai heard about my love for hamburgers.

“Yes, it’s my favorite food. And the greatest hamburger among them all is Sara-senpai’s.”

“Hee~ so does that mean Takanashi-kun can’t enjoy the top quality taste of food unless it’s made by Sara?… She already captured your stomach, eh…?”

What’s that supposed to mean？

Recently, both Natsumi-senpai and Yuji have been muttering a few lines at the end of their speeches.