“Well, well, Misumai-kun, Barato-kun. You two are as close as ever today. I’m jealous. Ah, mind if I join you for lunch?”
“No. I want to be alone with my boyfriend.”
Just as Baron-san had said, the day itself was peaceful… but in a way, someone not so peaceful showed up at lunchtime.
It was Shibetsu-senpai. Even though it had only been a day since yesterday, he appeared right in front of us again.
“…If you’re fine sitting next to me, there’s a spot open, senpai.”
After being bluntly rejected by Nanami-san, senpai looked as dejected as a scolded dog.
…I felt a bit sorry for him, so I pointed to the seat next to me. He happily sat down beside me.
“Youshin…”
“I mean… just pretend it’s only us here.”
“Misumai-kun… I was touched by your kindness, but that comment hurts a little…”
Senpai was holding a lunchbox that looked about twice the size of mine. Taking a quick peek inside… fried chicken, hamburger steak, grilled meat, tonkatsu… it was a full-on meat festival, along with plenty of shredded cabbage. The amount of rice was also absurd.
Meanwhile, my lunch today had fried shrimp as the main dish. And not just any shrimp—these were large, restaurant-quality ones.
Since she hadn’t asked me what I wanted yesterday, I had been looking forward to seeing what I’d get, but this exceeded my expectations.
The excitement of opening a lunchbox made me feel like a kid again.
“In my house, when we celebrate something, fried shrimp is the standard. This is to celebrate your win yesterday.”
I see… so that’s why she didn’t ask for a request yesterday.
Well, the senpai who lost that match is sitting right next to me, but… let’s just not worry about that.
“By the way, Misumai-kun… actually, today… I have business with you.”
“Huh? Then can it wait until after I finish eating?”
“Of course. …By the way, may I ask—would you trade me one piece of your tamagoyaki for one of my tonkatsu?”
“Sorry, I’ll have to refuse.”
An instant answer.
There’s no way I’d trade something Nanami-san made for me with anyone else.
Senpai probably expected that, but he still looked a little disappointed.
“…Senpai, what did you come here for?”
Nanami-san, who seemed both annoyed at senpai and pleased that I refused, spoke up herself.
“Ah, Barato-kun… sorry to intrude while you two were alone. As I said earlier, I have business with your boyfriend, Misumai-kun.”
Since yesterday’s match, senpai had started calling her “Barato-kun” instead of “Nanami-kun.”
It was probably his way of drawing a line after losing—and also showing he had given up on her.
I just wish he’d shown that resolve a bit sooner.
“What do you need from me? The match is already over… I don’t think there’s anything left for us to talk about.”
“Don’t say something so cold… To be blunt, I want you to become my friend. So I was hoping we could exchange contact information.”
…How did this turn into that?
“Even with a handicap, you defeated me—the captain of the basketball team. I respect you for that. You proved yourself worthy of her… so I want to be your friend.”
I only won by using underhanded tactics, but it seemed that, to senpai, it was a proper result.
…Maybe he’s just that straightforward. It made my conscience sting a little.
“…And if I become your friend, maybe I can get a little closer to Barato-kun as a friend too.”
…I’d like my conscience back, please.
Also, the fact that he said that out loud to me proves it—this guy really is kind of an idiot.
He’s tall, handsome, and the basketball team captain… yet somehow, he’s still the “dumb” type.
“…Shibetsu-senpai is the kind of person who’s specialized only in basketball… everything else is kind of lacking… but apparently that appeals to girls’ maternal instincts.”
Suddenly, Nanami-san whispered that right next to my ear.
Her breath brushed against it along with her words, sending a completely different kind of shiver down my spine.
What is this?! What is this pleasant tingling feeling?!
I almost dropped my lunchbox, but barely managed to hold on.
Hearing someone’s voice this close in person was far more powerful than over the phone. That sensation of her breath against my ear… it was strangely addictive.
Another new discovery for today.
While I was quietly impressed, Nanami-san didn’t seem to notice at all.
“…Didn’t it trigger your maternal instincts, Nanami-san…?”
I didn’t have the courage to whisper into her ear, so I asked quietly instead. She leaned in again and whispered back.
“…Not at all… When he confessed, he kept staring at my chest… there was zero maternal instinct involved.”
A brutally honest opinion.
Well, thanks to that, things turned out the way they did for me, so maybe I should be grateful to senpai for staring at her chest. I looked at Nanami-san again, feeling a bit more thankful toward him.
“So, Misumai-kun. What do you say? Will you become my friend?”
“Uh… if you’re okay with me, then sure. But I’m not giving up Nanami-san.”
“I already understand that. I acted a bit pathetic yesterday by challenging you, but I’ll move on and look for my next love.”
His “next love,” huh… does that mean he still has feelings for her?
But maybe this is his way of moving on—by drawing a line and forming a friendly relationship with me.
In that sense, it felt very manly… like a true sportsman. Something I don’t have.
I exchanged contact information with him… and only then remembered that my profile icon was still a game character. But Nanami-san didn’t seem to mind, so I decided to leave it as it was.
Senpai’s icon was a basketball.
“Well then, I’ve accomplished my goal, so I’ll be going… Oh, Misumai-kun—any interest in joining the basketball team?”
“Nope. If I join a club, I’ll have less time with Nanami-san.”
That was a line I’d seen somewhere before. It was also true—but more importantly, I’m not good with the whole sports club atmosphere.
Using Nanami-san as an excuse felt a little awkward, but when I glanced at her, she looked genuinely happy, so it was fine.
“I see. Lucky you. If you ever need anything, feel free to contact me. I’ll help however I can—and while I can’t always hang out because of club activities, I’d be happy to invite you sometime.”
“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that.”
With that, senpai left, wearing a refreshing smile.
A few girls followed after him off the rooftop, so maybe he’d find that “next love” sooner than expected.
After seeing him off, we resumed our lunch.
“Finally, just the two of us again. Though maybe you’d rather be with senpai, Youshin.”
Even though there were still people around on the rooftop, Nanami-san seemed just a little annoyed.
Well, I guess it’s not exactly fun seeing your boyfriend get along with someone you rejected.
Still… I couldn’t really hate that senpai. Maybe it was because we had that “battle” like in a shounen manga that made me feel some kind of bond.
“Sorry, Nanami-san. Did I make you feel uneasy?”
“…It’s not that I’m uneasy, but it’s just not fun when you’re paying so much attention to senpai.”
She turned away with a pout. Honestly, that was incredibly cute.
But somehow… just somehow… I felt like there was a hint of unease in her eyes.
Maybe I was imagining it… but if I was going to say the line I came up with yesterday, now was the time.
…Am I really going to say it? Even though I thought of it myself… it’s honestly… no, really embarrassing… But… if I’m going to say it, it has to be now.
“Nanami-san, don’t worry. Even if someone like yesterday… like senpai, tries to take you away from me like you’re some kind of prize… I’ll never… no matter what happens… let you go.”
…Wow, that sounded so cheesy…
This is bad, I can feel my spine freezing up. No… stay calm… at least until I hear her reaction… hold it together…
“Youshin…”
I heard her voice softly call my name… and then—
“Pfft…”
She burst out laughing.
“Ahahahahahaha!! What was that line? It was way too cool!! See? You’re way cooler than senpai, Youshin—but it’s totally obvious you’re forcing it. Your face is bright red!”
I touched my cheeks. Apparently, my whole face had turned red without me noticing. Being told that only made it worse.
…Then I looked at her—and noticed her ears were bright red too.
“…Your ears are red too, Nanami-san. Were you happy to hear that?”
“Of course I was. What girl wouldn’t be happy hearing something that cool from her boyfriend?”
Gah… another counterattack… I’m completely at a disadvantage here. I don’t stand a chance.
As we sat side by side eating lunch, my face was bright red, and her ears were just as red.
I thought I might’ve picked the wrong timing, but then she suddenly poked my side.
“…I think I brought too much food. Will you eat some?”
She said it in a slightly stiff tone, then held out a piece of tamagoyaki.
My favorite item from her lunch.
She deliberately picked it up with her chopsticks and offered it to me.
“…Weren’t we not doing ‘aah’ anymore because my lunch got bigger?”
“It can’t be helped. I’m full… and it’d be a waste to leave it, right?”
…Well, if she’s full, then it can’t be helped.
I ate the tamagoyaki she offered.
Just that alone made all the embarrassment worth it… I felt happy.
After finishing lunch and handing my lunchbox back to her… she suddenly moved closer.
She linked her arm with mine and leaned her weight against me. The warmth felt nice… but the attention from people around us was a bit embarrassing.
“Nanami-san… what are you doing…?”
“A reward for saying something cool? Let’s just sit like this and chat until lunch break ends.”
“…What about your friends?”
“Those two were all excited about giving their boyfriends handmade lunches for the first time in a while… so they probably went off-campus again.”
“Those two’s boyfriends are still a mystery… well, whatever. …Let’s just talk like this then.”
“Yep!”
Seeing her bright smile as she stayed pressed against me… I felt that, even if it was embarrassing, I was glad I said those words to her.
I really did think that… but—
Later on… I ended up becoming a bit of a topic as “the guy who said an embarrassing line on the rooftop with a straight face”… and I would regret it… just a tiny, tiny bit… but that’s a story for another time.
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