Chinese Bento

My name was Airi Sakura, and I was an utterly ordinary student.

I currently attended a school called Advanced Nurturing College, where I spent every day being extremely cautious.

I had to worry about whether I would trouble others, whether I would do anything that drew attention. I had to worry about everything, everything.

Ever since I was little, I had been like this. Inferior, introverted, someone who could not do anything right.

After entering middle school, I learned how to take pictures. I loved the confident version of myself in those photos.

Only at times like that could I relax and stop caring about what others thought.

At this school, the only place where I could relax was the Dormitory.

My luck was particularly bad today. I had run into two especially troublesome situations.

The people at the center of both incidents were my classmates.

By early June, the weather had become even hotter. If the classroom had not been air-conditioned, wearing school uniforms with suit jackets every day would have been pure torture.

At lunchtime, Hachiman Hikigaya frugally pulled out a sandwich, intending to settle today's lunch with it.

For a student still growing, that was obviously not enough food.

Many of the other students had left the classroom, planning to fill up at the Student Cafeteria.

The most conspicuous was Yamauchi from the Idiot Trio. The moment class ended, he declared that he would treat Sudo and Ike to lunch, even abandoning his girlfriend, Kushida.

Should he be called an insensitive straight guy? Or should he be praised as a man who valued friendship?

Still, that guy had been getting more and more generous lately.

Horikita next to him was even more attention-grabbing. When she opened her lunch box, a fragrant aroma wafted out, making the sandwich in his hand seem like unappetizing leftovers.

"I'm so jealous, Horikita. You're such a good cook."

He viciously bit into his sandwich as though it were his enemy.

Horikita snorted. "That isn't something worth praising, is it?"

"Huh? Is that so? You looked pretty happy, though."

"Baka. I wasn't."

She would never acknowledge such words. After picking up her chopsticks and saying, "Thanks for the food," she prepared to start eating lunch.

"Don't be so selfish. Give me one takoyaki."

As he spoke, Hikigaya reached out to grab one directly, only for Horikita to smack the back of his hand with her chopsticks.

"Please don't be so rude. Our relationship isn't close enough for us to share food."

Horikita glared at him, displeased by his behavior.

"Just one. If it really comes to it, I can share my sandwich with you."

Hikigaya still refused to give up. Horikita wore an expression that said, Are you an idiot? and started eating on her own.

"Cheapskate."

Hikigaya muttered under his breath. For some reason, seeing that expression on his face made the corner of Horikita's lips curl up slightly.

She picked up a takoyaki, intending to graciously reward him with one, when—

"Hikigaya, if you don't mind, would you like to try my lunch...?"

Wang Meiyu, one of the class's model students, approached Hikigaya with a pink lunch box in her hands.

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Hikigaya asked awkwardly.

Wang Meiyu hurriedly shook her head. Her pretty face was flushed red, making her look exceptionally cute.

"No, not at all. I made an extra portion when I was cooking, so please accept it."

She even politely lowered her head. It was impossible to tell who was supposed to be giving food to whom.

With her head lowered, her eyes were tightly shut, too frightened to open them.

Was this what liking someone during one's student days was like?

Even giving something to the person you liked could make you unbearably shy.

That feeling of youth was truly something to yearn for.

"Then I'll accept it. Thank you very much for the lunch."

Hikigaya did not want to embarrass her. If he rejected her while Horikita was watching, she would probably be very upset.

After accepting the pink lunch box, Hikigaya secretly rejoiced. Was this what it felt like to receive a gift from someone in love with you?

Come to think of it, this was the first lunch box he had ever received from a girl.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort came from beside him. Horikita fiercely bit into her takoyaki, and the air around her felt even colder than usual.

Hikigaya shuddered and frowned as he cursed, "Which bastard turned the air conditioning down this low?"

When he opened the lunch box, Hikigaya could not help but freeze.

Unlike the usual Japanese-style lunches, Wang Meiyu's lunch box was filled entirely with Chinese food.

He picked up a piece of braised pork and stared blankly at it.

How long had it been since he had seen Chinese food?

The corners of his lips rose slightly. It seemed she had put quite a bit of thought into this.

Making a lunch box herself in the Dormitory must have taken a fair amount of effort.

Watching Hikigaya smile beside her, Horikita frowned. Even her own lunch no longer seemed appetizing.

Was the lunch she made really that delicious?

"Hikigaya, someone's looking for you~"

While Hikigaya happily ate his lunch, he heard a classmate calling from the doorway.

He put away the lunch box and walked to the door.

A short-haired girl stood there, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Hello. What did you need me for?"

Hikigaya took the initiative to greet her, searching his mind for information about the girl. After thinking for a while, he concluded that he did not know her.

Shiho Manabe. That was the name floating above her head.

"I... I have something I want to tell you. Could I trouble you to come with me for a moment?"

Manabe said bashfully, nervously picking at her fingers.

Hikigaya glanced at the class clock. There was still some time before afternoon lessons began.

"Sure."

The two left the classroom together, and the students still in Class D felt a sudden chill run down their backs.

What was going on? Had the weather gotten colder?

Hikigaya followed Manabe to the back of the school building. Students generally did not linger here, and he could not see anyone else around at the moment.

"Can you tell me now? What did you want to see me about?"

Hikigaya asked again. He truly had little interest in this utterly ordinary girl.

Manabe looked at Hikigaya, a blush appearing on her face. Then she fumbled around behind her back.

She bowed deeply to Hikigaya, stretching both hands straight out and presenting him with an envelope decorated with heart stickers.

"P-please go out with me, Hikigaya!"

A suggestive breeze called romance swept past with a whoosh, even blowing Hikigaya's bangs upward.

Th-this... was this a confession?

Hikigaya was surprisingly flustered, unconsciously taking several steps back.

"Nani?"

Should I accept? But I don't know her at all. Still, if I get to know her better, maybe I'll end up liking her?

This was a once-in-a-lifetime confession, something countless boys dreamed of! How could I reject it?

Come to think of it, what did her face look like again? She seemed pretty cute... probably...

"Sorry, I can't return your feelings."