It's not yet the age to compare clothes, jewelry, and makeup, so all we can compare is what we have for lunch.
Faced with the envious and jealous looks of the female classmates, Lisa felt a sense of pride rise in her heart.
"I'm just naturally good-looking. If you're not convinced, bite me!"
Soon, Richard returned with a lunchbox, attracting the attention of the whole class.
"Why did you bring so much? Can you finish it?"
Lisa curiously leaned over, wanting to see what else was in the box.
At a glance, it was noodles she hadn't seen before, and another box with potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and sprinkled with some scallions and chili powder on top. It looked cheap and couldn't compare to that box of sushi at all.
She instantly lost interest and pointed at the sushi, "Can I really have it?"
"Eat! Feel free to eat!"
Richard waved his hand without hesitation, answered, and simultaneously opened the cover of the takeaway box, mixing the noodles into the sauce.
Lisa happily picked up a piece of fatty tuna sushi. The luxurious lines of fat, the light pink flesh, and the distinct, shiny sushi rice already made one drool just by looking.
This one piece could cost five or six euros if sold individually in a shop, but now she could have it for free!
As expected, the fatty tuna melted in her mouth, with the plump and sweet fish releasing a rich aroma of fat, which blended perfectly with the well-seasoned sushi rice.
Sushi was something everyone often ate, with a sushi shop right outside the school gate, but she had never tasted such delicious sushi in her life.
"Oh... my God, this is way too delicious!"
Because it was so tasty, she was a bit reluctant to swallow and wanted to savor this wonderful feeling longer.
At the same time, she considered whether she should build a good relationship with Richard.
If she hinted to him now and then, would he bring her more high-grade sushi?
Just as she was hesitating.
"Slurp slurp..."
A sound of slurping noodles came from beside her.
She saw Richard holding the bowl of mixed noodles, slurping them down with big bites and dripping sauce everywhere.
Each strand of noodle was coated with a tomato-like sauce, looking enticingly red. Plus, the faint aroma of vinegar, sesame, scallions, and noodles—as well as Richard's gobbling behavior—actually made her want to try them.
She swallowed her saliva, stretched out her finger, and poked his arm.
"Aren't you eating the sushi? It's really expensive..."
"You eat more; I brought it especially for you."
Richard, with his cheeks puffed, mumbled, "If I'm still not full after this bowl of noodles, then I'll eat it."
"Huh?"
Lisa's small head was filled with big questions.
Does he really like her that much?
He would rather eat a few euros of cheap food just to let her have the expensive stuff? And making excuses about not being able to finish it?
Foreigners have simpler thought processes, not as much beating around the bush as in our country.
Lisa was genuinely moved at that moment.
While plenty of boys liked her, most only called out to her or bought small bread and snacks, asking if she wanted any.
This was the first time someone like Richard straightforwardly put an expensive box of sushi in front of her.
Having sat together for a year, both were quite familiar with each other's personality and habits. The guy was indeed decent, steady character, not much of a talker.
"Slurp slurp——"
The sound of slurping noodles interrupted her daydreams again.
Seeing Richard eat with such relish, she even suspected the guy was deliberately putting on a show for her, just so she could enjoy the expensive sushi in peace.
"Are those noodles really that tasty? Mind if I have a taste?"
"?!"
A hint of caution flashed in Richard's eyes; he scooted his chair outward and half-turned his body to protect his noodle bowl.
"Nothing special, just a five-euro noodle; it can't be that good. I just like eating noodles, that's all. Sashimi shouldn't be left at room temperature for too long. Hurry, eat it, or it'll spoil."
"Five euros?"
Hearing the price, Lisa instantly lost interest.
It's not that she was looking down on it; the fact is, food at that price is usually what you'd find at underground food courts or roadside stands. The taste doesn't vary much—edible, but that's about it.
He quickly finished an entire bowl of noodles, not wasting a single drop of sauce, and even licked his mouth in satisfaction.
Richard burped, considering he had eaten a bowl at 8:30 and another at 12:00. For a junior high student like him, he really was stuffed to the gills.
He took a glance at Lisa, who'd only eaten a third of the sushi, the rest of the time spent eating that salad. Puzzled, he asked.
"Why aren't you eating it? Not tasty?"
"No, no..."
Lisa's face flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed, "It's too expensive, I'm afraid to eat too much..."
That's the girl I like!
Richard laughed and pushed the sushi towards her.
"It's yours. Next time, share something tasty with me too. I really can't eat more. If you don't eat it, it'll just be thrown away after class."
"What?! It can't be thrown away!!"
Upon hearing it might be discarded, she couldn't care less about anything else, hastily put down the salad, and stuffed sushi into her mouth.
This scene, when seen by the other boys, made their expressions a bit unpleasant.
"Damn, it's just a box of sushi, what's the big deal?"
"Pretending to be rich, giving something that expensive away—if his mom knew, she'd surely kill him!"
"I have to inform his mom after school; I just can't stand this guy's pretentiousness."
After devouring a box of sushi, Lisa's attitude towards Richard completely changed. She not only added him as a friend on social media, but the whole afternoon was spent quietly chatting with each other, barely paying attention in class.
They nearly made the other boys in the class gnash their teeth in frustration.
Finally, school was over.
Richard and Lisa walked shoulder to shoulder through the campus, their faces flushed, giggling softly about who-knows-what.
Once on the school bus, they continued to sit together, watching videos and occasionally chuckling softly.
Finally.
The school bus stopped at Richard's house.
"See you tomorrow, Lisa~"
"Mm, see you tomorrow, Richard~"
Unable to bear watching from the backseat, a male classmate pulled down the window, leaned out, and shouted to Marian waiting by the road.
"Beautiful lady! Richard gave the expensive sushi to someone else today. Don't buy him more next time—what a waste of money!"
"Hm?"
Marian froze.
Richard's expression changed dramatically; he instinctively looked at Lisa, who awkwardly lowered her head, with a frightened look of being scolded.
Of course, Marian knew Lisa, the prettiest girl in the class and her son's dream girl.
Seeing the girl's expression through the bus window, coupled with observing them sitting together and chatting as the bus stopped, she immediately understood.
She stepped forward and shouted loudly.
"Sushi? Oh, that was Richard pestering me to buy it, saying he wanted to give it to the most beautiful princess in the world to eat~"