The school rooftop.
After Naoki pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was Manaka sitting nearby on the floor, gazing at the sky.
As if hearing the door open, Manaka turned her head toward it and waved at Naoki. "All done, Naoki?"
"Rather than done, she said a bunch of weird stuff to me and then just left." Naoki sat beside her. "You must've seen it too, right? She took me behind the school building. I thought she was going to tell me something important, but turns out she's just a chunibyo."
"Chunibyo?"
"She said she's a knight sent by my parents to protect me, and tonight there might be a monster… Too many mixed-up settings."
"I don't really get that stuff… In short, nothing happened between you and Pendragon-san?"
"Huh? What do you mean by 'something happened'?"
Naoki, who had just taken a spoonful of rice, asked innocently.
Manaka shook her head slightly. "Nothing, just talking to myself… But you said I saw? Did you notice me watching you from up here earlier?"
"Yeah."
"How did you know? I didn't see you look up."
"I felt that comforting feeling from below—that's enough for me to tell if you're watching me or not." Naoki smiled. "I told you this morning, didn't I? You make me feel at ease when you're by my side."
Just like that?
Watching Naoki dig into his lunch, Manaka paused for a moment before suddenly smiling. "Hehe, what's this? Am I that important to you, Naoki?"
"Without you, I wouldn't even eat. If that's not important, what is?"
"You could wake up early sometimes and cook for yourself."
"I'm lazy. And washing dishes and pots afterward is such a hassle. Having you around is perfect."
A straightforward, simple reason, and very much Naoki's style. His childhood friend was usually low on motivation to do things, and Manaka knew that. Advising him to cook for himself was just talk.
If Naoki suddenly started cooking on his own, she'd actually feel a bit awkward.
Part of her purpose would be lost—that's roughly how it felt.
"Then it looks like I'll have to cook for you my whole life."
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Can't you give a more tangible response? Words alone feel too perfunctory."
A tangible response?
Naoki's eating slowed. After thinking for a moment, he picked up a piece of rolled egg and fed it to Manaka's mouth. "Like this?"
"Ugh… That's cheating." Manaka's cheeks flushed. "Giving me the lunch I made for you doesn't count as a response."
"Then want another piece?"
"N-no need. Just eat. I was full before you got here."
If it happened again, her emotions might not stay stable all afternoon.
Seeing Manaka turn her face slightly, blushing, Naoki suddenly reached out and quickly wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Huh? What's that?"
"There was some rolled egg stuck, probably from when I fed you earlier." Naoki said, licking the residue off his fingertip. "Well, if that doesn't count, how about tonight when I make omurice, I make a bit more? Or maybe this weekend, I buy you a new outfit? It's almost summer anyway."
"Hm… Hm, I don't mind, Naoki. Do whatever you want."
For some reason, Manaka's face grew even redder, even to her ears.
She couldn't hold it in anymore. This feeling of joy and excitement probably wouldn't fade all afternoon. She might be giddy all night—how could she sleep tonight?
Manaka's mind was now entirely filled with those two affectionate moments, replaying them automatically.
Because of that, neither she nor Naoki noticed that through the slightly ajar rooftop door, Artoria stood there, watching them while munching on bread.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Homurahara High School's dismissal time was usually 4:30 PM. After that, various clubs began their activities.
If it were last month, Naoki would've headed to the archery club for practice, but unfortunately, he'd quit and returned to the "go-home club."
Manaka was the same. Unlike Naoki, she had never joined any club. In her own words, joining a club would reduce her time with Naoki, so she never did. Even when Naoki joined a club, she'd just go there and watch him practice from the sidelines.
So now that Naoki had quit the archery club, they naturally didn't need to stay at school after dismissal. They could pack their bags and head home.
But today, since Naoki promised that morning to make omurice for Manaka's dinner, they didn't go straight home. Instead, they headed to the supermarket.
"Let me think, what ingredients do we need for omurice… Eggs, chicken, mushrooms, ketchup, bouillon cubes…"
"Naoki, you even forgot how to make omurice?"
Pushing the shopping cart behind Naoki, watching him search for omurice ingredients on his phone, Manaka couldn't help but sigh in resignation. "How about I cook tonight?"
"It's been a while since I made it, so it's normal to forget. The last time I made omurice was probably last year. The last time I was in the kitchen, I made tomato scrambled eggs."
"Why do I feel like we won't be full tonight?"
Manaka didn't doubt Naoki's cooking skills, but as he said, he rarely cooked. When you haven't done something in a long time, your skills naturally decline sharply.
(What if I buy some ingredients too, just in case Naoki messes up?)
As the thought crossed her mind, Manaka couldn't help but glance at the vegetable section nearby, instinctively pushing the cart there and browsing the day's produce.
But as she moved the cart, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an unexpected figure by a nearby shelf.