Shortly after that.
「Thank you for the meal.」
「Yeah, it was my pleasure.」
We finished eating our bentos, and then Sasaki-san said to me with a smile on her face.
「Thank you for today. It was really delicious. Fufu, but you know, it’s actually quite nice to have someone else make a bento for you once in a while.」
「Yeah, hearing that makes all the effort I put into making it worth it. And I’m really happy that you ate all of my bento. So, thank you, Sasaki-san.」
「Yeah, same here. But since you’ve made me such a delicious bento, I have to return the favor somehow. Ah, how about I grant you one wish?」
「Eh? A wish?」
「Yeah. Like if you want me to make something you want to eat next time, or if you want to have another study session, or go out somewhere… if there’s anything you want, I’ll grant it for you now.」
Sasaki-san said that with a smile. So I…
「I see. Yeah, then… actually, I have something I want to ask Sasaki-san. Is it okay if I tell you?」
「Yeah, of course. What kind of wish is it?」
「Yeah. Actually… I’ve been wanting to go and cheer for Sasaki-san’s club activities for a while now. So, whether it’s a practice match or a tournament, anytime is fine… can I go to cheer for Sasaki-san? Of course, I’ll make a bento for you again when I go.」
「Eh… Ehh!?」
When I made the request to go and cheer for the volleyball club, Sasaki-san, who had been smiling, suddenly reacted with surprise.
「Huh? Was that not okay?」
「Eh… Ehh!? N-No, it’s not that, but… b-but personally, umm, how should I say this… during club activities, I get really sweaty and my hair gets all messy… so to be honest… I-I don’t really want boys to see me like that… or rather, I don’t want Yamada to see me like that──」
「I love Sasaki-san. That’s why I want to cheer for the Sasaki-san I love.」
「Or rather, I don’t want Yamada to see me like that… wait, h-haaa!?」
Before I knew it, I suddenly confessed to Sasaki-san. Then, upon hearing my confession, Sasaki-san turned back to me with her face completely red.
「A-Are you okay? Kind of, Sasaki-san’s face is getting really red.」
「N-No! O-O-O-Of course I’m not okay! A-And that was way too sudden!! U-Um… I-I-If you’re going to confess, wouldn’t you think about the mood a bit more!?」
「Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I did plan to confess while considering the right timing and mood, but…」
「B-But?」
「Yeah. But today, I realized once again how much I like Sasaki-san… and then I just couldn’t hold it in anymore and ended up confessing. Ahaha, sorry about that.」
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「E-Even if you apologize cutely like that, it’s not cute at all, okay!?」
I closed one eye and put my hand out in front of me, striking a cute pose as if to say sorry. But seeing me do that, Sasaki-san retorted while still blushing.
「H-Haa, really… S-So, u-umm… no, first of all, why did you come to like me? I know it’s weird for me to say this, but… I don’t exactly have a girly personality, and I’m not that popular with guys, right? S-So… why me.?」
「Haha, there are plenty of reasons to fall for Sasaki-san, of course. I mean, Sasaki-san is really cute, easy to talk to, and very kind, always there to help when someone is in trouble… yeah, there are only reasons to fall for Sasaki-san.」
「Eh!? C-Cute!? N-No, u-um… d-don’t say embarrassing things with such a straight face…」
「Ahaha, I can’t help it if it’s the truth. Well, there are really many reasons why I came to love Sasaki-san, but… the biggest factor that made me fall for you… yeah, it’s the bentos.」
「U-Uhh… Eh? T-The bentos?」
When I said that, Sasaki-san tilted her head with a slightly puzzled expression.
「Yeah. So, what did you think of the bento I made today?」
「Eh? What do I think, it was normally delicious though?」
Sasaki-san continued with her puzzled look but said it was delicious. Of course, I’m honestly happy to hear that. But…
「Ahaha. Yeah, thanks for saying that. But… it was a bit too brown, wasn’t it?」
「Eh? Ah, ahh, that’s, well… I did think that a little bit.」
「Ahaha, I thought so.」
The bento I made was composed of 100% brown side dishes. It seems Sasaki-san noticed that too.
So, with a smile still on my face, I said this to Sasaki-san about today’s bento.
「You see, today was the first time in my life that I made a bento all by myself.」
「Eh? Y-Yeah?」
「And since Sasaki-san said loved meat, and I heard that eating meat is good when you’re injured… I thought it would be a good idea to make a bento with lots of meat, so I just kept packing meat into the bento box. And that’s how it ended up almost entirely brown. Ahaha.」
「Fufu, I see.」
「Yeah. But you know…」
After clearly remembering the bento I made, I then started to recall all the bentos Sasaki-san had made for me.
「But you know… at that time, I started to remember each of Sasaki-san’s bentos.」
「Eh? Mine?」
「Yeah. Sasaki-san’s bentos were always really delicious, but they weren’t just about taste. Sasaki-san’s bentos were always vividly colorful and really beautiful. Like… every time I opened the lid of the bento box, it was always such an exciting and wonderful bento.」
As I vividly recalled all the bentos Sasaki-san had given me, I conveyed these thoughts to her.