One lunch break during the second semester of my second year in high school. I, Yamada Kazuki, was facing a major crisis.
── Gugyururuuu…
My stomach growled loudly in the classroom. The big crisis was simply hunger.
「Haa… I’m starving.」
I usually buy rice balls or pastries from the convenience store, but today I forgot my wallet and couldn’t buy lunch.
I thought about borrowing money from a friend to go to the cafeteria, but all my close friends had left the classroom for club meetings or committee gatherings.
Reluctantly, I decided to try sleeping in the classroom while enduring my hunger, but the delicious smell of homemade bentos wafting around me was just too much to bear…
(…No, there’s no way I can sleep in the classroom like this…)
Every time I smelled the food around me, it made me even hungrier. And at this rate, my stomach might growl again, which would be embarrassing…
So I gave up on sleeping in the classroom and decided to leave for a while. Hmm, but is there anywhere I can kill some time…?
(…Ah, that’s right!)
I quickly thought of a good place. The rooftop of this school is rarely visited by people.
So if I go to the rooftop now, it should be quiet, and with the summer temperatures having cooled down, it might be just right for a warm nap.
(Alright, let’s head to the rooftop then.)
With that thought, I immediately stood up from my seat and walked towards the rooftop.
◇◇◇◇
── Gachan.
I opened the door to the rooftop and stepped in. There, I found a female student already sitting as an early arrival.
「「Ah…」」
I was surprised because I didn’t expect anyone to be on the rooftop at this time. Of course, the female student was also surprised.
The female student was quietly eating her bento alone. I quickly looked around… it seems she was the only one on the rooftop.
「U-Um… are you the only one here, Sasaki-san?」
「…Is that bad?」
「N-No, it’s not bad, but…」
That female student was Sasaki Saki-san from my class. Sasaki-san is a member of the volleyball club and an all-around athlete.
She’s about 167 centimeters tall, a bit on the taller side for a girl, with a distinctive style featuring voluptuous brea… I mean! W-Well, let’s just say she’s a girl with high combat power (in a certain sense).
She has black hair tied in a ponytail, and doesn’t wear any piercings or nail polish, giving the impression of a serious student.
Sasaki-san also has a straightforward personality, with a kind and reliable big sister-like quality, making her very trusted by other girls and juniors.
From the boys’ perspective, her straightforward nature makes it easy to joke around and have light-hearted conversations, so she’s also quite popular among the boys.
So for me, Sasaki-san was one of the few female friends I could talk to casually.
◇◇◇◇
Shortly after encountering Sasaki-san on the rooftop.
I decided to spend the lunch break sitting next to Sasaki-san, making small talk.
「So, why are you eating lunch on the rooftop today? Sasaki-san, you usually eat in the classroom, right?」
「Ahh, yeah. I usually eat in the classroom with Haruka… but recently Haruka got a boyfriend. I thought she’d want to eat alone with him, so I decided to give them space and came to the rooftop to eat alone today.」
「Hee, I see.」
Listening to Sasaki-san, it seems she usually eats her lunch with Sakurai Haruka-san from our class.
But apparently, Sakurai-san recently got a boyfriend. So, not wanting to intrude on the couple, Sasaki-san came to the rooftop to eat lunch alone.
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「Ah, now that you mention it, when I left the classroom, I saw Sakurai-san and Natsue happily eating together… wait, ehhh!? T-Those two are dating!?」
「Yeah, that’s right… eh? You didn’t know, Yamada?」
「N-No, I had no idea! E-Ehh… this is kind of shocking…」
「Hee, from the way you say it, were you aiming for Haruka too? Well, Haruka is really cute after all. Fufu, but too bad you had so many rivals.」
「Eh? N-No, it’s not like that. But, you know, when I think about everyone experiencing youth… it makes me really jealous.」
「Fuun? Well, if you feel that way, why don’t you go and get a girlfriend and experience youth yourself?」
「No, no, if getting a girlfriend was that easy, it wouldn’t be such a struggle!」
「Haha, that’s true.」
As we continued to chat about trivial things, my gaze inadvertently drifted towards Sasaki-san’s bento. As a result…
── Gugyururuuu…
「Eh!? W-What was that sound!?」
「…Ehe.」
I was so embarrassed that I just laughed it off. But seeing my reaction, Sasaki-san glared at me with half-closed eyes and asked.
「Mmm, it’s really late to ask this, but… Yamada, you haven’t eaten lunch, have you?」
「U-Um… a-ahaha… well, actually…」
So I decided to explain to Sasaki-san what had happened today.
…………
……
…
「…Haa, what are you doing.」
「A-Ahaha.」
After I honestly told her everything, Sasaki-san looked at me with a face full of disbelief.
「But now that you mention it, I do remember Yamada always eating rice balls or pastries in the classroom. Both of your parents work?」
「Yeah, they are. So I usually get money for lunch and buy bread or rice balls from the convenience store before coming to school.」
「Fuun, I see.」
「What about you, Sasaki-san? Did your parents make that bento for you?」
「No, my parents both work too. So I make this bento myself.」
「Hee, I see… wait, ehhh!? R-Really!?」
I was quite surprised by Sasaki-san’s words. Apparently, the bento she’s eating now was made by herself.
「It’s really amazing that you make your own bento! There’s no way I could prepare my own bento every morning…」
「Hmm, well, in my case, I live close to school and have plenty of time in the morning. Plus, I like cooking, so I end up wanting to make various things.」
「Hee, I see! But it’s really amazing that you can make all kinds of dishes! That’s a really great hobby!」
「Fufun, well, yeah─」
As I looked at her with admiration, Sasaki-san seemed pleased and continued eating her bento with a happy expression.
And then, I kept staring at Sasaki-san’s bento. Her lunch looked really delicious…
…Gokuri…
「…Haa, geez… can’t be helped. Here.」
「…Eh?」
Suddenly, Sasaki-san sighed and pushed the bento she was eating towards me.