The bell rang, which was a signal for the students after their first morning class to hurry to the cafeteria where they talked loudly about new schedules, club activities, and, of course, how wonderful their storied breakfasts had been. Haruto Sakamoto, somehow slow in contrast to the usual blur of student motions, kept his sketchbook tucked under his arm, watching the familiar chaos at a distance.
He had not expected anyone to notice him, and thus far, that had been the case. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Haruto-kun!"
He turned to find Yui Amane smiling with her eyes shining brightly. Rays of sun glinted down from her light blue ribbon pinned at the collar, giving her almost an ethereal glow. Her hands held a neatly packed lunch.
"I saved a seat for you. Come eat with me!"
Haruto blinked. Eat… with her? A flutter in his chest just blew through the thought. "...I… I usually eat alone," he said, almost whispering.
The smile on Yui's face did not fade. "That's okay! I like eating alone sometimes too, but I thought it would be nice if we sat together today."
Haruto hesitated. Sitting beside Yui, the bubbly girl who seemed to draw everyone's attention, was strangely intimidating. Yet at the hint of her sincerity, he nodded. "'O-Okay," he responded softly.
On the way to the cafeteria, Haruto kept his gaze mostly locked on the floor so as not to step on anyone's toes, whereas Yui had been chattering away about the morning teachings and cherry blossoms. Haruto would listen with the occasional nod and purse his lips in light humor.
Upon reaching a small table close to a window, Haruto set his tray down and sat across from Yui, who already had her lunch neat and awaiting her.
"Do you like this spot?" she asked, pointing to the sunlight pouring down at the table.
He shrugged, feeling unsure. "It's... fine."
Yui smiled, unaffected by his awkwardness. "Fine is a good start. I like fine too. It's simple, and it makes me happy."
Cacophony from the cafeteria surrounded them, but the feeling of calmness washed over Haruto with Yui sitting beside him. Haruto suddenly noticed a million little things he had never seen before: how she carefully unwrapped her sandwich, the faint scent of flowers in her hair, and how her eyes crinkled whenever she smiled.
"So... do you draw a lot?" Yui asked all of a sudden, nodding toward the sketchbook clutched in Haruto's arm.
He stopped for a moment, taken aback. "...A little," he admitted, opening it for her. The pages carried delicate pencil sketches of a classroom, cherry blossom petals, and a little figure holding an umbrella.
Yui's eyes widened a little. "These are... beautiful! You notice things so well."
Haruto could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Th-Thank you..."
The rest of the lunch passed with soft conversations about schoolwork, various hobbies, and favorite books. Haruto found himself genuinely laughing after weeks of hardly smiling, drawn to Yui's radiant warmth.
As the lunch break came to its end, Yui looked into his eyes and smiled lovingly. "I'm sure glad you joined me for lunch today. Would you like to sit with me again tomorrow?"
Before overthinking it, Haruto said, "Y-Yes. I'd like that."
As they walked back to class, a feeling lightened inside him. Simply sitting beside Yui Amane made the otherwise ordinary days a little brighter.