Early the next morning, Miyano Makoto climbed out of bed.
It wasn't just because he was used to getting up early. Ichinose Honami had also messaged him.
"I'll come in at seven."
It wasn't a question but a notification, though Miyano Makoto had already prepared for it the night before.
After brushing his teeth and washing up, he refreshed his face with the cleanser Ichinose Honami had bought him, then took the leftover vegetables from yesterday out of the fridge and started preparing them.
"Preparing" them was really just a matter of washing them and cutting them into suitable pieces.
The door opened, and Ichinose Honami's beautiful face came into view.
"Good morning, Honami."
"Good morning, Makoto."
They greeted each other familiarly, as if this scene had played out hundreds of times before.
"Makoto, you've already prepared the ingredients for me? You're a lifesaver!"
Ichinose Honami deftly heated oil in the pan, then added the ingredients in order, starting with the ones that took longest to cook...
"Come to think of it, what about the rice?"
A meal simply wasn't complete without rice.
"Oh, that. I cooked it in my dorm and brought it over."
Ichinose Honami took two lunch boxes out of a plastic bag.
One was pink and the other blue. Miyano Makoto had no idea if they were a matching couple's set.
"The blue one's yours, Makoto. The pink one's mine."
"That's so like you, Honami."
"What are you talking about? It's always been this way, hasn't it?"
To his shame, Miyano Makoto had been receiving meals from Ichinose Honami for three years. She'd started bringing her own lunch back in middle school, and had always packed an extra portion for him.
"I never expected it to continue here, too."
Miyano Makoto sighed. Ichinose Honami really was a terrifying girl... a terrifying young woman.
"I'm doing it because I want to. I've always known about all the things you do when I'm not around, Makoto."
"Have I? I didn't know."
Miyano Makoto tilted his head in confusion.
"No, no. You're not allowed to be the only one giving! Honestly, Makoto, that's one thing I don't like about you."
Ichinose Honami puffed out her cheeks, rose onto her tiptoes, and lightly tapped the back of Miyano Makoto's head with her knuckles.
"I thought my biggest flaw was that I couldn't express myself well."
When Ichinose Honami gave him that gentle tap, Miyano Makoto felt something stir inside him.
"This school is great, isn't it? Even if we're not in the same class, we still get to spend so much time together."
"The way you put it makes us sound like a couple..."
"Idiot! We're not that kind of relationship yet."
"..."
Miyano Makoto touched his head. He was completely at a loss.
When he arrived at the Class 1-B classroom, everyone but him was already there. Miyano Makoto glanced around to see what everyone was up to.
Some sat quietly at their desks reading, while others spent the free time before class with their friends.
Hamaguchi Tetsuya was a typical example of the former, while Beppu Ryota represented the latter.
"Ahem. Um, before class starts, there's something I'd like to tell everyone."
Miyano Makoto cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"What do you have to say that you need to tell us?"
Shiranami Chihiro didn't seem inclined to humor Miyano Makoto.
"Come on, let's hear what he has to say."
Amikura Mako, who sat beside Shiranami Chihiro, tried to smooth things over.
Miyano Makoto simply let out a soft sigh.
"It's nothing important. I just hope everyone will act like the students we're supposed to be over these three years. Let's avoid being late, leaving early, or missing class whenever possible. That's all."
After saying this, Miyano Makoto returned to his seat.
"What did you mean by that?"
Kanzaki Ryuji, seated to Miyano Makoto's right, asked him.
"Exactly what I said. I want everyone to act like good students."
"...You're right. We're still students, after all, so we should do our part."
Kanzaki Ryuji approved of Miyano Makoto. He thought the other boy wasn't bad at all: beneath his cool exterior was a heart that burned with concern for the class.
"Yeah, I'm going to start studying hard."
That was what he said, but Miyano Makoto was already studying material from a higher grade.
"You've already gotten this far?"
Kanzaki Ryuji noticed how unusually thick the right side of the book on the neighboring desk was and couldn't help being surprised.
"Yeah. The material at the beginning was too boring. It's kind of torture for me to pay attention in class."
Miyano Makoto sighed. Why did he hate sitting through lessons in both his lives? The reasons weren't even the same.
"...Looks like you're way better than me."
Kanzaki Ryuji admitted that he wasn't Miyano Makoto's equal academically.
"The teacher's here."
Miyano Makoto reminded him. He had already flipped back to the first page.
Kanzaki Ryuji didn't answer. Once the teacher arrived, it was class time, even if the bell hadn't rung yet.
The morning passed quickly.
"Ah, finally, it's over~"
Miyano Makoto stretched his arms high above his head. Pretending to listen attentively had been torture.
Once he got through this first month of school, he'd start hiding novels inside his textbooks and reading them.
"You've worked hard."
Kanzaki Ryuji felt a little odd saying that. Wasn't it strange in this context?
"Yeah, I sure have."
Miyano Makoto nodded in response to Kanzaki Ryuji's consolation.
"Aren't you going to the cafeteria?"
"I'll head there in a minute. What about you?"
"Someone made me a lunch box. It even has a heating function~"
Miyano Makoto took out the blue lunch box.
"Don't tell me you really have a girlfriend?"
"I told you, we're just childhood friends."
Miyano Makoto plugged in the lunch box. It would be ready in a little while.
"I'm jealous. I'll go eat in the cafeteria, then."
Before long, the classroom was nearly empty.
"Hehe, am I here at the right time?"
Ichinose Honami walked into the Class B classroom with a spring in her step and placed her pink lunch box near the blue one to warm it up.
"I didn't expect the classroom to be empty."
Miyano Makoto complained inwardly. Why didn't anyone else bring a lunch box? Wouldn't it be weird if he ate lunch alone in the classroom from now on?
"Maybe it's because school just started. Everyone wants to try the cafeteria food."
Ichinose Honami offered a reasonable explanation.
"By the way, how is Kamuro doing?"
"Why are you so concerned about her?"
"I was just asking..."
Ichinose Honami looked suspiciously into Miyano Makoto's eyes, but didn't see any sign that he was lying.
"As for her... it might be because of her family. She's a little odd, but I'll get along with her!"
"She might be under a lot of pressure. We should help her work through it."
Miyano Makoto thought that a kleptomania wasn't so easy to cure.
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