Chapter 5. This Is Youth~
"Brothers, eyes on me—eyes on me—look at me, look at me, I have an announcement!"
The morning classes ended, and the long-awaited lunchtime arrived for Xander.
While Xander went to heat up his bento, Ken Sugisaki stopped the school store four-person group.
"Hm? What is it?"
He turned his head with a puzzled look.
Fortunately, this world doesn't have Tiger Bro; otherwise, Ken Sugisaki probably wouldn't have the face to shout a line like that.
"Don't you feel like something's missing at noon today?"
Seeing the two of them still looking confused, Ken spoke with a "hate iron for not becoming steel" tone.
Ken Sugisaki, Iori Kitahara, Kazuto Kirigaya, and Xander were dubbed by Ken as the school store foursome, since they went to the school store for bread every noon.
Iori and "Grandpa Kirito" glanced at each other, then looked back at Ken with even more bewildered eyes, not knowing what nerve had snapped.
Seeing this, Ken's expression gradually twisted.
He enunciated each word: "We're short a person. Short a person, okay? Don't you feel like one of us is missing?"
"You mean that guy Xander ?" Grandpa Kirito asked, puzzled.
"Isn't he just not planning to go to the school store? Isn't it normal to occasionally want a change of pace and go to the cafeteria?"
Iori looked utterly indifferent.
He even shot Ken a mischievous glance the next second.
"Key, what's with you? Why're you so concerned about Xander ? Don't tell me you've given up on your harem grand plan and gotten bent instead."
"I'll bend your head! You're the one who's bent! My pure and sincere love for everyone in the Student Council is witnessed by heaven and earth!!!"
Seeing Ken about to get heated again, Iori and Grandpa Kirito shook their heads, turned around, and prepared to continue toward the school store.
If you're late, you won't snag any yakisoba bread.
"Wait, wait, wait, I really do have something to say!!"
"Spit it out. People will be pouring in any second. I don't have time to listen to you babble here."
Obviously, Iori had already grown a little impatient.
Even Grandpa Kirito's brows wrinkled.
They really didn't want to experience that scene of layers and layers of people squeezing into the school store.
"Fine—Xander came with a bento today."
Ken exhaled and spoke with a serious face.
"..."
"..."
Iori tilted his head, giving Ken a "looking at an idiot" expression, as if to say: That's it?
"Isn't it just a bento, wha—"
"That bento was made by a girl."
"!!!!"
Iori's words cut off.
His originally handsome face suddenly went full "over-acting"—a total anime facial expression.
"Is that so? Heh-heh-heh. So that guy Xander has already defected?"
Even his voice twisted, making Grandpa Kirito subconsciously inch toward the door.
Although Ken always talked about harems and such nonsense, it was so over the top that everyone thought he was joking.
"So it was made by a girl, huh. That's nice~"
Grandpa Kirito didn't get jealous about things like this.
He'd always been Buddhist-level chill about it.
If it was a friend, he'd even offer blessings.
There's no SAO in this world.
As an otaku, it's naturally hard for him to meet his goddess.
A bit of a shame.
Just then, Xander, having finished heating his bento, strolled back in.
Seeing the three gathered, he smiled and greeted them.
"Yo. Not going to buy lunch—what are you standing around in the classroom for?"
Saying that, he pulled out his chair and sat down, then carefully set the bento on the cleaned desk.
He opened the light-blue lunchbox.
It had two tiers.
The lower tier was packed full of rice, with a cute smiling face drawn on top using black sesame.
The upper tier held dishes that travel well, like tamago-yaki and beef meatballs.
In the corner were a few small bundles of boiled vegetables drizzled with sauce.
A very balanced mix of meat and veg.
As soon as the microwaved rice was opened, wisps of steam rose.
Xander picked up his chopsticks and began to eat without delay.
"What, you're not going?"
Seeing the bliss on Xander's face as he ate, Iori's previously twisted expression gradually smoothed out.
Ignoring Ken's question, he simply turned around.
"Forget it."
At that moment, Grandpa Kirito noticed Iori's back seemed a little hunched.
Not yet influenced by a certain diving club, and currently sporting a buzz cut, Iori still had a bit of conscience.
Not much, but a bit.
"Let's go. To the school store."
Seeing that his "set the tiger against the wolf" plan had failed, Ken regretfully shook his head.
Grandpa Kirito was a bit lost, but still followed obediently.
A few minutes later, staring at the school store with people packed layers deep inside and out, Grandpa Kirito subconsciously sighed.
As expected, we're late.
Delayed this long, he'd already braced himself.
Forget it.
Today I'll just squeeze—
"Give me the money."
Silent the whole way, Iori suddenly turned around and looked at the two with a deep, unreadable face.
"Money?"
Grandpa Kirito was still confused, but Ken had already handed over the bread money.
Seeing this, seeming to understand, Grandpa Kirito also put his prepared change into Iori's hand.
"Phew~"
Letting out a slow breath, Iori suddenly squared his stance, then in the next instant bolted straight toward that churning crowd.
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!"
With a hysterical roar, Iori was "buried" in the unstoppable human tide.
"This is youth~"
Ken wiped at the corner of his eye as if he were moved.
Grandpa Kirito: "..."
All right then.
As long as you're happy.
...
"Still going to the Student Council?"
There weren't many afternoon classes, so dismissal came while the sun still hung high in the sky.
The classroom instantly grew noisy.
Everyone happily tidied up their desks and discussed their plans.
"Of course. To capture everyone in the Student Council, I can't slack off for even a single day. Even Xander 's got himself a girlfriend now—I've got to work hard too."
"Oh. You do that."
Seeing Ken so fired up, Iori waved indifferently, showing none of that "shattered composure" from noon.
What a joke.
Simultaneously conquering the four people in that room—and all four being beautiful girls?
Do you take reality for those hypnotic doujin plots?
Aside from Xander, almost everyone thought Ken was kidding.
However, Ken's words did stir up waves among the girls' side.
"Eh? Masato -kun actually has a girlfriend? Surprising~"
"That really is sudden. We didn't get any word at all."
"Ah, what a pity. I remember in our class there's—no, no, that totally can't be said..."
Truth be told, Xander was actually quite popular at school.
Tall, handsome, and cheerful, and very kind.
If he joined a sports club or something, he'd probably be super popular.
Unfortunately, he was a go-home-after-school type; you couldn't even ask him out, practically no chance to spend time with him.
After one or two confessions from girls got rejected, the gossip-loving girls put Xander into the "not going to date" basket.
Who would have thought that the "iron tree" in their minds would suddenly "blossom" today.
They tried to follow Xander with their eyes, only to find his seat empty.
Obviously, he'd already left.
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