THERE WERE CROWDS on the way to school. A sight not seen during winter break.
I didn't dislike the serene scenery, but unexpectedly, I may have preferred watching the waves of students.
Or perhaps, I had just gotten used to the current view in front of me.
As I felt the end drawing near, perhaps I subconsciously started to cherish it.
"What's the matter, Kiyotaka? You've stopped."
My right arm was enveloped in warmth, and looking up at me from it was Kei, my girlfriend.
Her moist lips caught my eye. She must have put on her favorite lipstick before leaving.
"No, it's nothing."
I muttered this and started walking with her. The daily life of spending time with her was at least free from boredom.
Even if I was silent, Kei, who loved to chat, provided topics of the day on autopilot. However, I find myself increasingly distanced from the time I used to spend alone.
If asked if those days spent together were necessary or unnecessary, I'd say it was half-half.
What was necessary was that, by repeatedly conversing with someone, it improved my communication skills. This was a valuable opportunity to polish my developing skills.
On the other hand, because of my inexperience, I often failed in my responses to the recipient.
Especially when I dealt with Kei in a bad mood, there were still times when I chose the wrong answer and ended up worsening her mood. I still struggled with that part.
On the contrary, the drawback was that the time to polish my individual skills was reduced. Other than the benefits of communication, dating, and understanding the opposite sex, I was sacrificing many other things.
"What? You were staring at my face."
"Do you dislike that?"
"It's not that I dislike it, but... Hmm, I want to kiss you again. A lot."
On the last day before the end of winter break, Kei and I spent the whole day relaxing in our room.
What transpired between a young man and woman sharing the same space shouldn't require much elaboration.
Kei drew my arm further into her embrace.
Except for the time we were changing our shoes after arriving at the gate, we were stuck together from start to finish until we entered the classroom.
"Everyone, good morning~"
It was the start of the third term. Upon entering, Kei waved to her friends in the class. She slowly released her hands from around me and winked at me saying, 'see you later.' Leaving behind that deep affection, she left. Afterward, I moved inside the classroom to my seat and placed down my lightly-filled bag.
Ever since tablets were introduced in classes, we didn't need to carry as many things, but the bag was still indispensable.
"Damn, don't come to school like that. It's embarrassing, Ayanokōji."
Sudō, who was already in the classroom, looked awkward as he called out to me.
"Going to school arm in arm, isn't that the peak of cheerful people? Dammit,
I'm envious."
Although he found the situation embarrassing, he was somewhat envious of
it.
"I want to clarify that it wasn't my idea."
"Obviously! Hell, it'd be seriously creepy if you'd wanted that, for real."
He continued to murmur, objecting to the idea, while bringing his face closer to mine.
"Being lovey-dovey is fine and all, but have you seen the school's email about first-years being caught during winter break? I'm not worried about you guys, but just be careful."
"Oh yeah, I did see that email."
Near the end of winter break, an email arrived from the school stating that penalties were imposed on two first-year students.
The names were kept anonymous, but it was said that a male and female student were spotted by a third party, engaging in an act deemed as an impure interaction.
Any activities with the intent of sexual stimulation were strictly prohibited, so they naturally were punished.
"They should've just done it indoors. How about you? What are your thoughts as a senpai?"
"What do you mean, 'how about me'?"
"Do you... want to do various things... outside?"
He shouldn't have asked if it made him so embarrassed, but I didn't say that.
"I can only state as the email suggests. The school premises are full of watchful eyes and surveillance cameras. If you do something strange, there's a high risk of being caught. I wouldn't choose to give in to my instincts."
"Oh, okay. That sounds like a unique perspective only you would have... It's a bit off-putting."
I ended up throwing Sudō off, albeit in a different way than expected.
"—Phew."
I heard Sudō's rather deep sigh. It seemed to have slipped unconsciously, but realizing what he had done, he hurriedly apologized.
"That wasn't about you. Sorry if it seemed like an unpleasant sigh."
"I'm not bothered, but is something wrong?"
He had raised his voice in public many times before, but he wasn't prone to sighing a lot.
This change was not to be underestimated.
"Lately, I've been feeling a bit tired. I thought I could balance both studies and sports, but it's getting tougher. Eh... It's not a big deal."
Seeming to regret discussing the cause of his sigh, Sudō tried to downplay it.
Expressing my concern at this point might backfire.
So, I gave him just one piece of advice.
"Even if you cram knowledge, if you rush it, it's likely to spill over. Too much hurry spoils the curry."
"Yeah... Anyway, I'm looking forward to working with you again from today forward."
Switching gears, he smiled and headed to his seat.
Just then, Satō, who had just entered the classroom, greeted her classmates and passed by me.
"You two seemed quite close this morning."
Whispering so, she added, "Thanks for the meal," before joining her group of girls.
Apparently, she had witnessed my walk to school with Kei from behind.
(TL Note: Satō saying ご馳走様 (Gochisōsama) which is most commonly said after finishing a meal (for example いただきます (Itadakimasu) is said before the meal). In this case, she's basically thanking Kiyotaka for the lovey-dovey
KiyotakaxKei shipping material they've given to her…)
1
Even after winter break, there weren't any changes for both students and teachers.
As Chabashira-sensei came into the class, she briefly offered a New Year's greeting and put her hand on the lectern.
"The third term starts today. They say January comes and goes, February flies by, and March disappears; this period of time will pass by you in a flash.
Make sure you don't spend your days out of habit, and stay focused."
No one pointed it out, but the hair on the back of Chabashira-sensei's head was a little funny. There was just a little bit of bedhead there. She probably woke up late this morning and had to hurry.
For someone who was telling their students to focus, it made her words a little unconvincing.
Chabashira-sensei concluded morning homeroom and was about to leave the classroom when she stopped near the entrance.
"I forgot to mention one important notice. Next month, we plan to have our first 'student-teacher discussion' at this school. It will be centered around discussions about your career and employment, interwoven with talks about your school life up till now. Of course, we have already completed a survey with your parents."
While looking back, she passed on the message to the class.
Even though there might've been households making career choices purely based on the student's decisions, most would consider their parents' opinions.
This was proof that the school was actively working even without the students.
"I didn't know we had such a thing at this school. I actually thought we didn't."
Being the first to speak out, as always, was Ike. No one was surprised.
"Even though high school isn't compulsory education, we can't ignore the parents' words and allow students to decide their own paths. Of course, there will be parent-teacher conferences when the time comes."
Parent-teacher conferences. Does that mean there's a chance 'That man' might come again?
No, he clearly told me he wouldn't come back. But what will happen next?
While I was concerned about that problem, the immediate issue was the oneon-one discussion in February. That said, in my case, my future wasn't something I could control at will, so one could argue it didn't matter.
In that sense, it was very helpful that Chabashira-sensei knew about my situation, even if it was just a little. As deep discussions weren't necessary, it would likely only be a formality.
On the other hand, for my classmates, one-on-one or one-on-two discussions would undoubtedly become a major crossroads.
Would they charge straight ahead on their chosen path, or take a detour to discover a different one?
Parents and teachers would provide the students insight into aspects they couldn't see on their own.
"If you're curious about anything, it's okay to come and ask me directly."
Having delivered all the necessary information, Chabashira-sensei placed her hand on the door.
And then, with one hand closing the door, the other hand looked like it was patting the back of her head..
Apparently, she realized her own bed hair.
2
After Chabashira-sensei left the classroom, the class was engrossed in topics about the student-teacher conference and their future.
"We really need to start thinking about what we're going to do, don't we?"
"First, we must consider the case where we graduate from Class A and the case where we don't. What are you thinking, Hirata-kun?"
The girls surrounding Yōsuke, who was sitting in the center of the class, started the conversation.
"I'm planning to go to university, irrespective of the Class A privileges. My parents have told me from a young age that that's what they want."
Although I didn't intend to eavesdrop, their conversation was audible, and I couldn't help hearing it.
Yōsuke didn't seem to have any intention of finding a job at this point and was planning to continue his education based on his natural aptitude.
Considering his attitude towards his studies and his actual academic ability, this seemed a natural course of action.
Whether he had the Class A advantages or not, if he didn't have the determination, he wouldn't be able to take full advantage of his privileges.
Well, this was true for all aspects of life.
"Really? I totally thought you were going to become a soccer player!"
"Haha, not quite. Even if I do use the Class A privileges to forcibly become a professional, if my skills don't match, it's clear that I'd be let go soon. Even if I go to university, I'm planning to continue playing soccer, but only as a hobby."Getting a job in sports was a high hurdle.
Those who should resort to exercising their privileges to proceed include those with talent who, for one reason or another, are yet to be discovered or those who due to other issues can't go down the regular path.
Then how should they properly utilize the benefits of graduating from Class A?
Keisei, a top student in our class, opened his mouth.
"If we're talking about the Class A privileges, then we should definitely opt for a job at a top company. Setting aside the exceptional case where one's skills are obviously not up to par, as long as we can work as much as others, we won't be fired easily. For us, jumping into a world where we win as long as we get in might be the best option."
Our classmates nodded, convinced by Keisei's logical statement.
A company takes on a major responsibility when hiring someone.
Unless a big mistake is made, it would be unfair to fire someone just because they didn't like them.
ANHS wasn't a newly established school, and its existence was widely known because it was recognized by the government. So far, they must have accepted many students who have graduated in Class A.
In that sense, if we were to choose a top company, we could relax and fulfill our duties for a long time.
"Considering efficiency, Yukimura-kun's choice might be correct. But I think it's also important to aim for the job you want."
That too was one of the correct answers. You only have one life, and it's okay not to choose to dedicate it entirely to a stable job or money.
Chase after an ideal job or go for a realistic job.
Sooner or later, the students in this place will be faced with these crossroads.
Honestly, there are both right and wrong choices for any decision.
The future after my graduation is only one at the moment, but whether it was right or wrong wouldn't be known until far into the distance.
Was I living the correct life?
The true answer will reveal itself depending on how one concludes when looking back over their past.
3
It was the first lunchtime since winter break had concluded and classes returned. Kei had already formed a group with the girls, Satō included, and was headed to the cafeteria. It was important not only to focus on your partner but to also cherish your friends. I watched Kei's retreating figure from the corridor. The girls were neatly lined up in a row.
"Why do girls always walk side by side, regardless of whether there are four or five of them?"
"I don't know why you're asking me. Walking side by side is just a nuisance."
I threw a question to Horikita, who stood behind me, but she seemed to have no idea.
"Besides, do you have eyes on the back of your head? It's a mystery how you notice things."
"Isn't it better to leave the mystery as it is?"
"So, you don't intend to tell me?"
"If you tell me why girls always walk side by side, I might consider it."
"That's a harsh question to ask Horikita-san. She doesn't have enough friends to form a line."
Following Horikita, Kushida showed up.
"There's a hierarchy. Even if you block the corridor and become a nuisance, there are times when you need to maintain the group's formation."
"I see. So they naturally avoid forming a configuration where they have to follow one person in front."
"Probably. They don't all say it, but I think it's something they can intuitively understand."
So it might be a mechanism derived from the group psychology that is common in women.
"What a trivial reason. We should be considerate of others when we walk."
"Yeah, yeah. It's easy for people without friends to say that."
"Are you picking a fight with me?"
"Were you thinking I wasn't? That's amusing."The two glared at each other, and sparks flew.
"Please don't fight. Do you need something from me?"
"I do have something. Ayanokōji-kun, can I treat you to lunch today?"
Horikita was offering to pay for my meal? I had almost no good memories of this.
"When you propose something like this, usually nothing good comes of it.
This is based on my past experiences."
"How rude. I won't ask for money or anything strange, so you can relax.""Well... Okay."
I was sure I wouldn't be able to relax, but if I said that, she would probably get angry. Instead, after a long pause, I nodded quietly.
"You sure took a while to decide."
"I may not like that about you, but it's okay. Kushida-san, are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm good to go."
She casually switched from battle mode to angel mode.
"I see, so Kushida is coming along too. That's quite unusual."
Could it be that Horikita didn't want to have lunch with Kushida alone so she invited me?
For a moment, I thought that, but if she hated to have a meal with an unpleasant companion, she wouldn't set up such a situation.
Those two must have a reason for inviting me together. I wonder what they're thinking.
Today, since Kei isn't around, there wasn't a problem hanging out with them.
"So, are we going to the cafeteria?"
"No, somewhere... somewhere less popular would be better."
Horikita replied, and Kushida, walking beside me, was empty-handed.
So, does this mean we're going to stop by a convenience store or a stall on the way to get a bento?
I didn't know, but I was sure to find out soon. We got up from our seats and started walking out into the corridor. Of course, the three of us didn't walk side by side. Horikita was leading the way, while Kushida and I followed a little behind.
"Hey, Horikita-san. I want to confirm again, are you really planning on eating?"
"Yes, that's what I said, didn't I?"
"Ha... In that case, could you make a stop at the convenience store first? I'll get some stomach medicine."
"Please stop. I understand your anxiety, but that's unnecessary."
I see, she's going to buy stomach medicine at a convenience store on the way. Stomach medicine was necessary.
"Wait a minute. What's with the stomach medicine? What on earth are you planning to eat?"
There was something clearly amiss in wanting to procure something unnecessary for lunch.
When I sternly asked Horikita, she answered without looking back.
"It's a homemade lunch by Ibuki-san."
"...Ibuki's homemade lunch?"
I was forced to handle the situation calmly as my thoughts froze for a moment.
"She's making one lunchbox for me, Kushida-san, and you today, so we're going to divide it into three equal parts and share it. Didn't I tell you that?"
"You never intended to mention it, did you...?"
If I'd heard that explanation in the beginning, I would've run away like a frightened hare.
First of all, there was no way she made it for me. It was too unexpected.
"If my memory serves me right, Ibuki wasn't good at cooking, was she?"
I dared not to call it bad and tried to suppress my fear as I phrased my words.
"She's the type who never did any home cooking before. So she usually only had imbalanced meals. That's probably new to your vague memory, isn't it?"
I had been on winter break until recently, but I ran into Horikita and Ibuki just after the new year.
And I do remember hearing about the current topic there by chance.
"Because imbalanced nutrition is unhealthy, I recently invited her to my room a few times and let her eat the food I made. She came without fail, albeit begrudgingly, because it saved her money on her food expenses."
"It's kinda annoyingly cute how she comes even while complaining, isn't
it?"
Normally, one would describe that as 'annoyingly cute,' right?
"You seem to know a lot about Horikita's situation, considering you say you hate her."
"I've been dropping by often, hoping maybe a fight would break out. That's how I'm in the know."
That was a very nasty expectation; it was just like Kushida.
"However, it was a bit of a hassle having to cook for three people, myself included."
Despite her complaints, Horikita didn't seem to mind much.
Perhaps she was already used to it.
"So how did that lead to us eating Ibuki's homemade lunch box?"
"It was a tit for tat. When Horikita taunted her, saying she should at least learn how to cook, she loudly boasted, 'Even I can cook if I put my mind to it!'
'Then show me you can.'
'Prepare yourself and wait, I'll do it.'
'If you can't even do that, go die.'
'If I pull it off, I'll kill you.'
"And that's how we got here."
I was impressed by how easy it was to understand and imagine the flow of events.
But the last two exchanges were most likely lies. I hoped.
"Alright, I understand the situation. Well, I'm heading to the cafeteria, see you next time."
At the crossroads, I tried to escape by turning in a different direction, but Kushida immediately grabbed my arm.
"You're lucky. You get to eat homemade food by someone biologically
classified as a girl."
"You tricked me."
I expressed my resentment towards Horikita who was calmly walking in front of me.
"It's not pleasant to hear you say that I tricked you. I just wanted to share Ibuki-san's cooking with as many people as possible. And wouldn't it be strange to involve people who aren't close to her? And it's too early to assume that it won't be delicious."
I couldn't get the impression that she was looking forward to it from the conversation.
I understood that I couldn't escape, so it seemed that I had no choice but to reluctantly follow.
"But couldn't you avoid being involved and escape, Kushida?"
It made sense to push into Horikita's room to eat her homemade food, but no matter how much she wanted to see Horikita vs Ibuki, the risk was high. She didn't know what kind of tragedy awaited.
"Well, yeah. Even I have something in this, you know."
"You hate to lose too, don't you, Kushida-san? You came here against your better judgment just because you were cheaply provoked by Ibuki-san, asking if you were going to run away like a coward, didn't you?"
"...I just wanted to see Ibuki fail and apologize for it."
It seemed that I hit the nail on the head, evident by her dropping the honorifics, but would Ibuki be the type to apologize if she failed?
Well, her troublesome personality was why she might've thought it was worthwhile to witness the apology, even if the probability was low.
"It doesn't seem like she's here yet. We're just in time for our appointment though..."
This seemed to be the meeting place, and she stopped in front of the corridor leading to the outdoors.
She lied about wanting a place without many people, but it looked like she was planning to involve me from the beginning.
"Hey, our classrooms are close by, why did we need to meet at the spot?"
"It's indeed a pointless gathering, but I properly invited Ibuki-san too, you know? She just rejected the idea of walking together."
If she disliked Horikita (and probably Kushida) that much, she could've just turned down this challenge.
It's a good example of the problem with being overly competitive.
"I can tell she's going to fail and bring us a nasty lunch box, isn't she?"
"I don't want to assume the result, but there's no doubt she's probably failed."
"I see... So now I have to eat the failed dish, huh?"
"Stop babbling about failure!"
Just as the air was about to become heavy, Ibuki joined us while shouting.
She has a bomb... No, a lunch box in her hand. She had it. I wish she hadn't.
I wish she'd blustered something like, "I forgot, so this match is off!" I would have supported her.
"Why is Ayanokōji here? I didn't invite him."
"Isn't it better to have more judges? That will increase the credibility of the cooking level. We'll change the location since everyone is here. You don't want to seem too friendly with us, do you?"
"Of course not!"
With that, we exited the corridor. It was still early January, so the cold was quite intense, but due to this, no one was at the dining spot.
Ibuki waved what seemed to be a bento box wrapped in a plain furoshiki (something I saw in a 100 yen shop) and slapped it down onto the bench.
"You'll regret ever talking about me failing. Hurry up and eat."
"You seem confident, maybe a miracle occurred and you actually cooked well?"
She's indeed brimming with confidence. That's obviously better than having no confidence, but are we safe to have expectations?
"She's clearly the overconfident type, so we can't take her attitude seriously."
Horikita, fully aware of this, averted her gaze from Ibuki to look down at the bento box.
My faint hopes, as well as Kushida's, instantly vanished.
"Hmm. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could win."
"Your confidence is apparent. But if that's the case, you should handle your food more delicately. Even if your cooking turns out well, you would still fail as a chef."
"Shut up. Just eat quickly. Then, apologize to me, Horikushi! You too, Ayanokōji!"
"Don't lump Kushida and I together, what a way to abbreviate our names."I wasn't particularly bothered being called out as an afterthought.
However, it felt like...
"You three have become quite close, haven't you?"
It contradicted the glaringly tense atmosphere, but that was what it seemed like.
"We're not close, how could you misunderstand to that degree, Ayanokōjikun?"
"That's right, don't interpret things strangely."
"I'll punch you if you say that again!"
Clearly, one of them was on a different wavelength, but they still seemed to be getting along well. Any way you look at it, I was out of place here.
"Should I go home?"
I expressed this genuine thought because I didn't want to be a bother, but—
"You can't leave!"
"You can't run away."
"That's unfair, Ayanokōji-kun."
The three of them shouted in unison once again.
I didn't quite get it, but it seemed I couldn't escape, so I sat down.
Well, it was fine. Listening to their conversation was somewhat interesting.
Ibuki's cooking was clearly amateurish.
Even so, she might have experimented and tried various methods to make Horikita and Kushida admit defeat.
With a hint of anticipation, I evaluated the aesthetics of the food, a critical element.
Out from the furoshiki came a plain bento box (again, something from a 100 yen shop).
(TL Note: "Furoshiki" is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth, often used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods.)
"Okay, let's open it."
There was no sense of worry or anxiety from Ibuki as she sat back with her arms folded.
Once the bento's lid was slowly opened…
What first caught our eyes was rice, not plain rice but fried rice.
Various vegetables and meats gave it a colorful appearance.
However, the ingredients in the fried rice were unusually large. Aside from that, there were mini tomatoes, tamagoyaki, gratin, simmered dishes, fried items, and mini hamburgers too. Although each portion was small, the seven types were laid out generously. The main feature was the addition of four slices of baran.(TL Note: "Tamagoyaki" is a Japanese rolled omelette)
(TL Note: "Baran" refers to the decorative plastic or paper dividers used in bento boxes.)
One could say that it preserved the appearance of a bento.
"Did you make everything by hand?"
"Of course."
She responded immediately, so it seemed that the answer was true.
However, she unexpectedly included simmered dishes.
"I'd give you a bonus 30 points for how it looks, perhaps."
"The taste matters in cooking, not the appearance."
"I'm giving you a compliment, you know. I thought something close to 0 points would appear."
Being generously told it was better than expected, earning a score of 30 points.
Horikita seemed to have prepared for this in advance and had brought several pairs of disposable chopsticks. She kept a pair for herself, then she gave Kushida and me a pair each.
"Let's get to the tasting."
"This is the first time I'm not looking forward to tasting something~ Such a lovely memory~"
Kushida said in a monotone voice and split her chopsticks. She didn't seem in the least bit eager to take the first bite, waiting for Horikita to do so.
Horikita picked up a bit of fried rice with her chopsticks and brought it to her mouth.
She then grabbed one of the gratins and popped that into her mouth as well.After finishing eating in silence, Kushida asked her.
"How is it?"
"I won't say yet. I don't want my reaction to influence yours. Your turn."
"Tsk."
What a blatant tongue click.
If any students who still held illusions about Kushida saw this, they probably would've fainted. Even if they overheard it, they would dismiss it as accidental, not believing it was intentional.
"Can I just try the mini tomatoes?"
"Take it seriously."
"Tsk, you're too strict."
Again, there was Kushida's intense tongue clicking, and it seemed even stronger than the first time.
In a reluctant manner, she chose the simmered dish and the mini hamburger to taste.
"Ahh… I see. Here you go, Ayanokōji-kun."
From Kushida's enlightened face, the baton of gross food was passed to me. Now, what to do with it?
The lunch box had seven items, including a small tomato. Since the two had eaten four of them, I figured it would be best to eat the remaining two apart from the mini tomato.
That meant a rolled tamagoyaki and a fried dish. It was a choice between life and death, or perhaps death and death.
"Well then, I will start with the tamagoyaki."
A staple for any lunch box. Though it required considerable skill to perfect, it was easy to make a decent one.
I popped it into my mouth, instinctively on guard for pieces of eggshell.
But it went down my throat without any crunch or discomfort, so I moved on to the fried dish. I didn't realize this until I picked it up with my chopsticks, but it was a bite-sized, round croquette.
"..."
I cautiously placed it on my tongue. When I bit down, the filling spilled out.
It was clearly a croquette and tasted like one.
However, a mushy texture was more prominent. It wasn't fried enough, leaving the ingredients too moist. Furthermore, it felt bad on the tongue and left a poor aftertaste.
After finishing, I quietly set down my chopsticks and closed my eyes.
...Yes, I see.
By chewing and swallowing, the answer naturally comes to mind.
"Since we all finished eating, I'll give you my honest opinion. It's not delicious."
"What!?"
"It's not inedible and, visually, it was better than the 0-point worst case scenario. I can tell that a beginner worked hard to make this, but more than that, it's clear that there was too much salt; the seasoning was added haphazardly."Sure, it wasn't unpalatable.
The bold seasoning was probably a result of eyeballing it, as Horikita pointed out.
"Yes, you can eat carrots without peeling them, but the texture is poor, and the size of the pieces is uneven. You gave it a serious attempt, but you couldn't hide which parts you thought were a bother."
It was just a single lunch box, but Horikita was able to precisely tell Ibuki's thought process when she prepared it. And judging by Ibuki's bitter expression, she was almost entirely correct.
"I don't want to eat anymore. So this is what it means to waste a meal."
Ibuki's frustration was evident in her vehement response to Kushida's caustic comment.
"It's surprising that you could boast about not losing to Horikita in cooking. You should've given some money to a good cook and asked them to prepare it for you."
She was harshly critiqued, and although it was a little pitiful, it couldn't be helped given the quality of food she'd made.
"You guys aren't judging fairly!"
"If you say that, then you eat it. You haven't even tasted it properly, have you?"
"Taste test…? I haven't, but it looks normal and must be edible."
"I didn't say it's inedible. It just doesn't taste good. Now, go on and eat it."Ibuki reluctantly took a bite of the lunchbox she prepared, visibly annoyed.
"...Ugh, it's not delicious—it's delicious... Amazing!?"
"Don't force yourself to lie."
Being hit on the head by Horikita, Ibuki howled.
"Why isn't this delicious? It has such a plain and disappointing taste! And it's salty!"
"I've explained everything. You can't just eyeball everything."
"Even if you tell me that, I just thought there wasn't much of a difference between a tablespoon or two teaspoons, it's just a nuisance!"
That was the major issue. The food packed in the lunch box had significant variation in seasoning and was either too light or dramatically over-seasoned.
"If I were to score your cooking this time, I would give it 20 points."
"...Out of 20?"
"Out of 100."
"Whaaaaat!? Is the judge bribed!?"
"I was being generous with you. I don't even want to eat this lunch box."
"True that. If it were me, I'd give it 2 points."
Ibuki kicked the ground in protest to the judges' harsh criticisms.
"What about you Ayanokōji-kun? You must have a similar opinion, right?"
"No, I don't think it's inedible. I'd give a higher score to this lunch box."
"See!? See!?"
Ibuki slightly leaped up, seemingly pleased with the first sign of support.
"Are you sane? This is a poorly made, mediocre lunch box."
"Agreed, without any bias."
Horikita matched the stride without hesitation. However, I wanted to throw a wrench into it.
Various perspectives should be taken into account when discussing this bento.
"But it's not inedible. You admitted that much, didn't you?"
"Well… yes, but I don't want to eat it."
"In this day and age, where food is aplenty, I would never want to eat this in my everyday life, but what if we were cast away on a deserted island? If this was the only thing to eat there, wouldn't you gratefully eat it? So, my rating is..."
"Your score is fair. Thanks for the somewhat unclear analogy. At least, I clearly understood that you weren't giving it praise."
"...Is that so?"
My rating was interrupted just when I was about to announce it, leaving me feeling a little indigestion and a bit sick.
Or maybe it was the indigestion starting from the food thrown into my stomach.
"On average, 11 points. That's a shame, Ibuki-san."
In the end, if my evaluation wasn't going to be included, maybe I didn't need to be called...
It was in the past, but all that remained was a feeling of disappointment that I couldn't shake off.
"Ugugu..."
Originally unable to cook in the first place, Ibuki had no choice but to accept the result of her overreaching.
"If you say you'll remake it later, I might make time for you."
"I won't make it again!"
Being criticized the entire time, Ibuki shouted her dissatisfaction, possibly having been broken by one round of cooking.
"Giving up early isn't a bad thing. Cooking just isn't for you right now."
Despite being criticized again, Ibuki, having already made up her mind, snorted and crossed her arms.
"On the contrary, I realized it's stupid to even bother with cooking. You are all wasting your time."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You can simply buy a bento at a convenience store or supermarket. It saves you time and you don't need to deal with leftover ingredients. And it even tastes delicious. Right?!"
Well… I guess that's one benefit of a ready-made bento...
"You shouldn't do that. You must consider your nutrition well when preparing meals. How long must I repeat what I have already explained? That's why you don't grow up."
"Ahahaha, that's true. Not just your mentality, your physical growth seems stagnant too."
"Hey Kushida! What are you looking at when you say that?!"
"What do you think?"
"I'm going to kick you now! I'm going to force you to apologize!"
"Alright, alright. Don't bite at every little thing. The fact that you always get prickly proves that you're not getting enough nutrition. Come to my room at seven o'clock tonight."
"If you insist so much, I accept!" Was she going?
I thought she would refuse, but despite her annoyance, Ibuki accepted.
While saving money on meals, you could get a nutritious and delicious meal.
Having to listen to Horikita's nagging was a downside, but it was too valuable of an opportunity to pass up.
"See you then!"
Leaving behind words of dismissal, Ibuki stormed off with fast-paced strides.
If it had been in an apartment, her energy would have annoyed the people downstairs.
"Leaving the lunch box she brought without cleaning up, really..."
Showing a disgruntled attitude like a mother complaining about her daughter's incompetence, Horikita tidied up the scattered lunch set.
She wouldn't take it home and wash it, would she?
Kushida, who was sitting next to her, averted her gaze from all that and stood up.
"Then I'll bother you at seven o'clock too."
"I didn't invite you, though?"
"That's fine. I want to save as many private points as possible. And a meal paid for with your money isn't bad. I'll enjoy eating it."
She seemed to find taste in things totally different from others.
"Don't you already have enough private points?"
"I'm far from having enough. I was supposed to receive money from someone every month, but unexpectedly, plans have changed."
Although she smiled nicely, her cold eyes were directed at me.
Then, back to her usual angelic self, she disappeared toward the cafeteria.
"Well, that wraps things up. Good job."
"Yeah, good job—wait a minute."
I forcefully stopped Horikita, who was about to casually pick up and leave with the bento box.
"What is it?"
"I don't remember being treated to lunch just for tasting a bad bento, do I?"
"You could have eaten the whole horrible bento without hesitation."
She offered me the bento box, which still had a lot left in it, but I pushed it back without hesitation.
"It was a joke. Let's go to the cafeteria. I'll treat you to whatever you like."It seemed Horikita did have some remnant of conscience as she answered.
"But it must be expensive to feed both Ibuki and Kushida. Two people, right?"
"Thanks to them, my food expenses have almost doubled. Kushidasan came even though I didn't invite her."
"Do you think your and Ibuki's presence serves as a good stress relief for
Kushida?"
If they truly hated it, they wouldn't choose to spend their time together, free meals or not.
"I wonder. She seems to enjoy inflicting damage on me more than anything else. Including Ibuki-san, it feels like they just can't help wanting to see my struggles and frustrated expression."
I see. That might be true as well.
Spending the same time together, they could get a chance to see Horikita's weak side.
"It may be hard to imagine, but there must be some fun moments when the three of you gather, right?"
"There's nothing like that. It's not a typical girls' gathering. There's no laughing, and it's always tense. Did you not see our exchange earlier?"
Looking back, the earlier gathering was indeed not enjoyable by any stretch of the imagination.
The only time when Kushida, perhaps out of habit, showed a smile or a smirk, was less than half the number of times she did with others.
But, strangely, there was no heavy or tense atmosphere. It felt rather comfortable in a weird way.
"Let's go. It's a waste of time to keep talking about those two forever.""Sounds good."
As we started walking, I began to reflect on the mini-event that just took place.
Despite the burden on my tongue and stomach, today's gathering had been incredibly meaningful.
Horikita, Kushida, and Ibuki, who was from a different class.
The newly formed, albeit distorted, relationship between the three of them was unexpectedly sturdy and not to be underestimated.
They would all surely deny it if I called this a friendship, but my interpretation was that the sequence of surprises stemmed from the emergence of a budding friendship.
However...
"What?"
Maybe Horikita didn't like the fact that I, walking by her side, was looking at her. She narrowed her eyes defiantly.
"I was just thinking about what expensive food I could get you to treat me to."
"If that's the case, you should eat what you want without worrying about the cost."
"I just want to eat the most expensive thing there is."
"Just... do whatever you want."
But then, for some reason, I was forced to decide on a set meal to eat.
4
After 9 p.m. in the evening, Kei returned home after coming over, and I was preparing for the next day.
The television that was left on in the background was airing a variety show, which I stopped to focus on.
A man in his 40s was serving as the host, eliciting laughter by joking with the comedians. The scene changed, probably to an on-site one, showing a tour around town.
Observing for a while, the same kind of jokes and comments seemed to be repeated endlessly by the host in the studio.
Five paintings were displayed, with the audience needing to identify which was the real one, creating surprise and laughter.
"Number four."
Having indifferently muttered the answer, I turned off the TV without waiting for the actual solution. The once noisy room instantly fell silent.
Kei loved watching TV and often left it on when the two of us were alone.
While I had no particular aversion to television, having experimented with using various genres for study, I realized I wasn't especially fond of variety shows. I headed towards the drawer, taking out the sketchbook and colored pencils set stored in the second drawer.
I had purchased them with my private points shortly after enrolling in school, but I hadn't laid a finger on them since. I recalled the puzzled look on Kei's face when she discovered the untouched sketchbook in my drawer.
Spreading the sketchbook on my desk, I opened the silver case containing the colored pencils.
I reached for the brand-new colored pencils—And then I stopped.
What should I draw?
If I didn't think about anything, my hand would inevitably stop.
I thought I could create something on impulse, but it didn't turn out that way.
In the White Room, I learned numerous skills to enhance my aptitude.
Among these was sketching, which I wasn't bad at.
However, the process of thinking and creating on my own was not part of the curriculum.
I stared at the blank sketchbook.
After a while, I closed the silver case.
"Another day has come to an end."
Muttering such thoughts, I returned the sketchbook and colored pencils to the second drawer. Maybe, as Chabashira-sensei said, this third term might pass by in the blink of an eye.