Yuu, ready to eat, noticed someone watching him. He naturally met her gaze.
—I didn't do anything to disappoint you.
Yukino slightly frowned, her gaze turning cold.
—I haven't asked anything. Why are you so quick to confess?
Yuu shrugged helplessly. He glanced at Yuigahama secretly eyeing his bento sides. Her eyes showed admiration.
—I didn't do anything except move my lips. If she didn't want to endure and change, we might not be sitting here in the clubroom eating lunch together.
Yukino looked too. Her expression slowly softened, a faint smile on her lips.
—Back then, when I didn't want to talk to her, she persistently tried to chat with me. She always said we were friends.
Though she seemed so ordinary, fragile, and sensitive—like she could cry anytime… in the end, Yuigahama became the strongest and most mature of the three.
She became the bond of the Service Club, tying them tightly and bringing colorful scenes they'd never seen.
Yukino gained her first true friend. Though sometimes annoyed and hot when hugged, realizing she might drift away brought undeniable loneliness and panic. She didn't want to lose this rare friendship.
Meanwhile, Yuu gained redemption from his past. No matter how memories and feelings changed, Yuigahama was the one who loved him from start to finish in the first world. She was the anchor he never wanted to leave—the ordinary girl he slowly liked and wanted by his side forever.
Through their eyes, both reconfirmed how vital Yuigahama Yui was to them.
With this answer, they no longer needed anxiety or doubt. They just had to protect what they wanted and walk straight ahead.
"Ahem…"
Suddenly, Yuigahama leaned forward. She blocked their line of sight. Smiling, she said:
"If you two keep flirting with eyes and leave me out, I'll get jealous. Both of you~"
"Cough cough…"
As soon as Yuigahama finished, Yuu and Yukino simultaneously looked at their bentos. One casually stirred sides; the other rubbed chopsticks, face red with guilt.
Yuigahama's brows twitched. Such sync made her jealous.
Before, when jealous, she'd say nothing—just sink in sadness, bitterly smiling to convince herself they were best friends.
Now, when jealous, Yuigahama wouldn't let herself get hurt. Especially not holding back in front of them!
If their trio was fated to stray, let her—the most normal—start straying into abnormality like them!
"Yuu-kun, I want your little sausage!" Like a Queen commanding, Yuigahama lifted her chin at Yuu, ignoring her still-unopened bento.
"Sure." Yuu happily obeyed. As he picked up the cute reddish mini octopus sausage with chopsticks, Yuigahama opened her small mouth. Her glossy pink lips and neat white teeth were clear.
"Feed me." Her smooth, nimble tongue tip slightly raised. Though her ears half-reddened, Yuigahama's expression was remarkably firm. As if she wouldn't close her mouth without being fed. She waited with "Aa—"
Yuu didn't dare check Yukino's opinion. He just followed orders, putting the five-centimeter sausage into her equally small, cute mouth.
"Mmm~" Closing her glossy, lipsticked mouth, Yuigahama held her cheek while chewing. Her face seemed to glow. She couldn't help a soft sigh.
"So good~ Truly a delicacy ordinary people can't eat, even if just a sausage. Because Yuu-kun made it himself~"
Saying this, Yuigahama clearly turned to Yukino on purpose. She chewed with anxious, show-off childish sounds. Her blissful expression was openly unhidden.
If Yukino couldn't see the provocation, she needed an eye check.
"Yuigahama-san…" Her facial skin twitched slightly. She forced a thin smile. Half-confused, half-demanding: "May I ask what you're planning?"
"Nothing~" Yuigahama dragged her voice, unable to hide her joy. She eyed Yukino's sides. She opened her mouth again: "This time Yukinon. I want your tamagoyaki! Come on, Aa—"
She resumed her waiting-to-be-fed pose, face full of hope.
Yukino was slightly stunned. Recovering, she reflexively looked to Yuu for input.
But Yuigahama sharply caught her gaze. She shifted her head: "Aa— Yukinon hurry! My mouth's tired open like this. If not careful, drool might fall!"
Pressed like that, despite full doubts, Yukino put a tamagoyaki in her mouth.
Yuigahama closed her mouth satisfied. Then she turned to Yuu. Holding her cheek, she chewed happily.
"So goooood~ Though not as tasty as Yuu-kun's, just a slight level difference. Plus high school girl home cooking, with ideal wife bonus flavor… Decided, Yukinon's overwhelming victory! Too bad for those who can't eat it~"
Yuu: "…?"
Yukino: "…"
Yuigahama's head wasn't big enough to fully block. They could see each other's weird expressions by slightly tilting. Both showed subtle, speechless faces.
(Yui, is she trying to make us jealous of each other?)
(She's jealous, so she wants us both jealous too?)
(How to say… This astonishing thought process hasn't changed at all.)
"Alright, stop glaring! Eat, eat!"
Happily fed by both, Yuigahama clapped. She urged the silent pair with a wide smile.
She opened her bento, held chopsticks, and gave them a confirming look. Then she made her voice echo through the clubroom:
"One, two—"
"Let's eat!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
About twenty minutes of lunch break remained.
Rain outside still fell, only faint drizzle sounds heard.
The three Service Club members finished their bentos while chatting and eating. After cleaning up, they shifted seats.
Like last time's Quiz, Yuu and Yukino sat behind the long table, while Yuigahama moved her chair to the whiteboard. She adopted a meeting moderator pose. Clearing her throat seriously, she broke the brief silence with a heavy voice:
"Alright, next—the Service Club Feelings Communication Meeting officially begins."