During the lunch break, Tanaka Masao brought his bento to the Service Club.
He knocked on the door, and only after hearing Yukinoshita Yukino's voice from inside did he push it open.
Seeing Yukinoshita already seated by the window, Tanaka couldn't help but complain.
"I rushed over the moment class ended—so how did you get here before me, Yukinoshita-san?"
Yukinoshita placed her bento on the desk and opened it as she replied calmly,
"Obviously because Tanaka-bacteria moves at the speed of a turtle."
"That's not that exaggerated."
Tanaka set his bento on the floor, then went to the back of the room and pulled a desk out from a pile of stacked desks and chairs.
After glancing around the room, he placed the desk directly across from Yukinoshita's.
Seeing this, Yukinoshita frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
"Tanaka-bacteria, could you please not put your desk so close to me?"
As he set the desk down, Tanaka explained,
"I'm training here after school, right? If I put it somewhere else, it'd take up too much space."
As he spoke, he slid the desk that had been right next to Yukinoshita's backward, leaving about a meter of space between them.
Seeing him move it on his own, Yukinoshita didn't say anything further.
She nodded once and said,
"That's fine. Now hurry up and eat."
Tanaka brought over a chair and sat down. Since they weren't that far apart, he could clearly see what was inside Yukinoshita's bento.
Unlike the extravagant lunchboxes often shown for rich girls in anime—Yukinoshita Yukino's bento was quite simple. No luxurious dishes, modest portions—but carefully arranged and refined.
Tanaka figured she had made it herself, and his imagination immediately started running.
[Looks good… I wonder if I'll ever get to eat a bento made by Yukinoshita Yukino herself someday.]
Just as Tanaka could see Yukinoshita's lunch, Yukinoshita could also see his.
Noticing that his food had almost no oil, with vegetables making up nearly half of it—She was very satisfied.
Without commenting, she quietly ate her meal.
Tanaka also stayed silent, eating calmly.
The room was filled only with the faint sounds of chewing.
Ten minutes later, they finished eating almost simultaneously.
Only then did Yukinoshita speak.
"I didn't expect Tanaka-kun to have such refined table manners."
Tanaka paused mid-cleanup and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You don't talk while eating, and you barely make any noise. I was fully prepared for loud snorting and chomping."
Tanaka was left speechless.
"I'm just fat. I'm not a pig."
Yukinoshita nodded. "Mm. That's my fault—judging by appearances."
She was apologizing, and her tone was sincere, but—
"Yukinoshita-san, the judging by appearances part was unnecessary."
Wasn't she basically saying he looked like a pig?
Tanaka firmly believed he hadn't reached that level yet.
…Then again, pigs actually have a body fat percentage under 20%.
Translated to humans, that'd mean no big belly at all.
Watching Tanaka suddenly sink into inexplicable gloom, Yukinoshita tilted her head.
"What's wrong with you?"
Though they hadn't known each other long, she could tell that Tanaka's mental resilience was quite high.
Sharp tongues and verbal abuse didn't faze him—in fact, he almost seemed to enjoy it.
He shouldn't be this affected by a comment like that.
"It's nothing." Tanaka waved it off, then added, worried she'd misunderstand,
"I just realized I might not even measure up to a pig."
That only confused Yukinoshita further.
She stayed quiet until they were almost back at the school building, then finally said,
"I think compared to a pig… you're slightly superior."
With that, they arrived at Yukinoshita's classroom, and she walked inside.
Tanaka, who had been mired in existential despair over being inferior to livestock, froze.
He stared at Yukinoshita's retreating back, stunned.
[…Was that Yukinoshita Yukino trying to comfort me?]
The thought felt unreal.
[We've barely known each other that long, and she's already comforting people? Wait—does she like me?]
"No. No, no, no."
Tanaka shook his head hard, forcing the thought out.
[That's Yukinoshita Yukino. There's no way she'd fall for a guy this easily.
She's probably just lonely—finally found someone she can talk to, so she showed a little concern.
Which means… I guess I count as her friend now.]
That realization made Tanaka oddly happy.
A little after two in the afternoon.
The sun was at its most merciless.
It was May, and the heat had already started to creep in.
Unfortunately, Tanaka Masao's class had P.E. scheduled at this exact time.
Naturally, complaints were everywhere.
But no one skipped.
Because at this school, P.E. grades actually mattered.
Tanaka felt helpless.
Between yesterday afternoon and this morning's workout, his body was still extremely sore.
And now P.E. on top of that.
Worst of all—P.E. was the last class of the day.
Which meant that after dragging himself through it, he'd still have to go to the Service Club for another hour of training.
"I'm going to die."
Just imagining it filled him with despair.
[Looks like I'll have to talk to Yukinoshita about reducing the workload today.
She'll understand… right?]
While Tanaka was worrying about whether Yukinoshita would ease up on his training—He followed his class to the track.
And there, he saw a familiar figure.
Yukinoshita Yukino.
She was also wearing gym clothes, standing near a group—but with a noticeable gap around her.
A small vacuum of empty space surrounded her, making her stand out even more.
Seeing this, Tanaka understood immediately.
Like him, Yukinoshita's last class of the day was also P.E.
On the other side—Feeling a familiar gaze, Yukinoshita looked over.
She quickly spotted Tanaka Masao at the edge of the crowd, trying his best to erase his presence.
In an instant, she understood the situation.
[If I make Tanaka-bacteria train for another hour after P.E., will he die?
…Let's try it. He probably won't die.
He was the one who proposed the weight-loss plan.
If it's a little tough, he'll understand.]
Thinking this, the corner of Yukinoshita's lips unconsciously curved upward.
Though she stood alone, many people were watching her.
Especially the boys, whose gazes kept drifting her way.
That single smile—Instantly drew everyone's attention.
Because the usually cold, expressionless Yukinoshita Yukino—
Was devastatingly beautiful when she smiled.
Hearts raced as countless boys thought the same thing.
[Was Yukinoshita-san just smiling at me?
Does she like me? Tomorrow I'm sending her a love letter.]
Tanaka Masao's heart also started pounding.
[I'm screwed. My back feels cold.
I don't think I'm surviving today.]