LMLCG – Episode 30 – Bento Day

Since then, the three of us have been going to school together every morning.

I’m not sure why, but I was surprised to see fewer people are criticizing me outright.

Honestly, I expected to hear more.

Of course, they are still thinking all sorts of things when they look at me.

What really sucked, though, was that even my class caught on.

I mean, when you stand out that much every day, there’s no way they wouldn’t notice…

Not to mention, Senpai even came directly into the classroom once, so I guess it was inevitable from the start.

And what really bothers me is how a few people have started approaching me.

It’s obvious they just want to use me to get closer to the Senpais, and that just pissed me off even more.

I’ve been ignoring them for the most part… Honestly, I couldn’t care any less what my classmates think of me at this point.

Then, last night, I got a message on RAIN. Sara-senpai said that she’d prepare a bento for me.

She told me not to buy any onigiri this time, so we could all eat together as a group of three.

Lunch Break

It took a lot of effort to stop myself from grinning in the classroom.

A homemade lunch from Sara-senpai… I’m seriously too happy.

When I arrived at the flower bed, the two of them had just gotten there as well.

“Hello, Takanashi-san.”

“Heya, Takanashi-kun.”

“Hello to both of you.”

“Since there are three of us, the bench won’t do, so I brought a picnic sheet.”

“Thank you so much for going that far…”

Yeah, that makes sense.

I should’ve realized it myself.

This morning, Sara-senpai was carrying a bag she usually didn’t have on her, but I just assumed it was for class or something…

Turns out it had the bento and the sheet in it…

“Alright, let’s set things up.”

We laid out the picnic sheet and put weights on the corners so it wouldn’t get blown away.

Once the three of us were seated, Sara-senpai started unpacking the bento…

“Here you go, Takanashi-san. Please use these chopsticks too.”

“Thank you very much, Sara-senpai.”

“I’ve got my own, so later let’s swap a little side dish, okay~?”

“Sure, I made a bit extra today, so it should be fine. Well then, shall we eat?”

“““Itadakimasu.”””

Today’s lunch is a Japanese-style bento, with simmered vegetables and grilled fish as the main dishes.

Ahh… so good.

“Takanashi-kun, you really eat well. Well, I get it, Sara’s food is delicious.”

“No, ‘delicious’ doesn’t even cover it. I mean, this might sound bad, but I honestly prefer it over my mom’s cooking.”

It’s not like my mom’s cooking is bad.

It’s more about my personal taste, and, well, the fact that Sara-senpai made this especially for me already puts it in another league…

“Fufu… I’m happy to hear that, but saying it’s better than Takanashi-san’s mother’s may be a bit much.”

“I’ve had some of Sara’s lunch before, and everything I’ve tried was great. Seeing how you eat, Takanashi-kun, makes me want to try a full bento of hers myself someday.”

“In that case, should I make one for you next time too, Natsumi?”

“Hmm, I’d love that, but three bento is a lot. I make my own so I know making for three takes way more effort, even if we work together.”

Since I don’t cook at all, I just happily eat without really thinking about the effort. Hearing this kind of talk makes me feel kind of guilty…

“Ah, then how about this, Sara can make it next time, and I’ll make it the time after that. Let’s take turns.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind making three every day. I really enjoy cooking.”

“No no, I know you have your own reasons to make lunch for Takanashi-kun, but having you make it for me for no reason feels wrong. Besides, I want you to try my cooking too!”

So next time, Natsumi-senpai will be making lunch?

That makes me happy… but also I feel bad…

“Uh… Natsumi-senpai, does that mean you’ll be making mine too…?”

“Yup! I’ll make yours too, Takanashi-kun, so I hope you enjoy—”

“I’ll make Takanashi-san’s lunch, okay?”

…Um…

“I’ll continue making Takanashi-san’s lunch, so you only make two portions, okay?”

Yeah… I’m starting to understand this now. That smile is the one you’re not supposed to go against…

Looks like even Natsumi-senpai got the message, she backed off a bit.

“Uh, well, since it’s a rare chance, I wanted to show my thanks to Takanashi-kun too… I figured if I’m making it anyway, I could include his portion.”

“I will continue making Takanashi-san’s lunch, okay?”

Senpai won’t back down even a little.

Then she looked right at me.

“Takanashi-san, only if it’s alright with you… that is…”

Ugh, that expression is unfair…

When she looks at me like that, all anxious and hopeful, there’s no way I can say anything but “yes.”

And to be honest, there’s nothing to worry about because it’s what I want too.

“If it’s not too much trouble for you, Sara-senpai, I’d like that. I do feel a little guilty, but your bentos are seriously delicious, and I’m genuinely happy that you made them for me.”

It was a little embarrassing to say out loud, but I wanted to be honest.

Sara-senpai had a very happy smile on her face.

“Fufu… I really enjoy making lunch while picturing how happy you’ll look eating it, Takanashi-san. So, if you don’t mind, please let me continue to prepare your bento from now on.”

“Thank you very much. I appreciate it.”

“………Ugh… And here we go again. It was supposed to be about me, but they leave me out every time… You two just slip into your own little world the second I let my guard down. And you call this ‘just friends’…”

Natsumi-senpai is muttering to herself now…

…Oh yeah, we were talking about Natsumi-senpai making lunch for me, but somehow the conversation turned to Sara-senpai.

“Okay then, how about this, just make a little less for Takanashi-kun. That way, I can give him a bit of mine too.”

“If that works… very well. Takanashi-san, would that be alright with you?”

“Of course. I’m the one being given a lunch here, so however you two want to arrange it is fine by me.”

“Great. Then I’ll do it that way next time. Now, what should I make…”

…Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if it’s really okay for me to be this happy.