Faced with Shiina Mahiru's annoyed glare, Hayashi Maki shook his head.
"I'm just… having a hard time believing it. Yesterday, you wouldn't even let me mooch a meal—and now, the person I've been thinking about shows up offering exactly the food I wanted most. I honestly thought I was dreaming."
Mahiru's cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"I just accidentally made too much. I didn't want it to go to waste, so I figured you could help me finish it. If anything, you're doing me a favor."
Hayashi Maki stared at her seriously.
"But if you're being this nice to me, Shiina-san… I might get the wrong idea."
Mahiru's heart skipped. She instinctively asked,
"What kind of idea?"
"That you actually like me—even though I'm the jerk. And the thing about guys like me is, once we get a little kindness, we always want more."
He said it with a teasing tone, his eyes drifting from her cute face down to her slender figure—especially her legs, wrapped in those signature black stockings.
At school, she always dressed this way. Her slim legs combined with her stunning looks made her impossibly eye-catching.
And Hayashi Maki had a reason for staring—
After all, he'd touched those very legs—bare, no stockings—just the other night... and again that morning.
They were soft, sweet, and dangerously tempting.
Mahiru furrowed her brows and glared at him.
"Stop saying weird stuff. If you're not going to eat it, give it back!"
"No way! I'm definitely eating it. Your cooking is probably something every guy in class dreams about. It's an honor just to get a taste."
Hayashi Maki obviously had no intention of returning the bento.
Then he added with a grin,
"Wanna come hang out in my room? Study together, maybe?"
Yeah… like that wasn't obvious.
Mahiru immediately took two steps back, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
"No thanks. Just eat your lunch… I'm going to rest."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left, leaving behind a beautiful retreating silhouette.
Hayashi Maki stared down at the warm bento in his hands and let out a quiet sigh.
Sure, he'd played pitiful on purpose at lunch, hoping to stir up her sympathy.
But now that she'd actually brought him food, he really was touched.
What a wonderful girl. There's no way I'm letting her go.
And with the energy from this meal…
It's time to put it to good use.
…
Back in her room, Mahiru clutched her chest, feeling her heart race.
"Ugh… don't get the wrong idea, okay? I just gave you leftovers. That's all."
That's what she said, but when it came to dealing with that idiot… her thoughts were a mess. She had no idea how to act normal around him.
…
Ten minutes later.
The doorbell rang.
Mahiru got up instinctively and opened the door.
Seeing Hayashi Maki, her heart jumped.
"What are you doing here? Something wrong?"
She was nervous—on guard.
This guy had a track record.
Last night, he'd carried her into bed and forced her to sleep beside him.
Hayashi Maki noticed her defensive posture but calmly held out the now-clean bento box.
"Just returning the bento."
"Also… by the way, your cooking was amazing. Seriously top-notch."
He gave her a big thumbs-up, totally unashamed.
Mahiru blushed from the compliment and lowered her guard a little.
"It's just regular food. You're exaggerating. But… thanks for washing the box. That's… surprisingly considerate of you."
If he'd handed it back with food stains all over it, her opinion of him definitely would've tanked.
Hayashi Maki gave her a slightly hurt look.
"Come on, give me some credit. You think I'm a slob or something? I eat your food—of course I clean the box before returning it."
"So… what kind of person do you think I am, Shiina-san?"
Mahiru rested her chin on her hand, pretending to think.
"Hmm… a shameless, pervy loser who takes advantage of girls?"
"Ugh… fine. I'll admit to 'shameless' and 'pervy'… but what's with 'loser'?"
He looked genuinely confused.
Mahiru raised her chin smugly.
He actually admitted to being a scumbag… unbelievable.
"You bring your laptop to school just to play games. What else would I call you?"
"Please. I'm not a loser. I'm an otaku. Or better yet, a creator otaku."
"Is there even a difference?"
She waved him off dismissively.
"Anyway, you've returned the box. You can go now—I need to rest."
"Wait! One last thing!" Hayashi Maki stopped her from shutting the door, his tone suddenly serious.
"What now?"
Mahiru blinked, curious.
And then—
With a yelp, she was scooped into Hayashi Maki's arms as he stepped into her room and shut the door behind him.
"As thanks for feeding me so well… I figured I should use all that energy to repay you."
Mahiru's eyes widened in shock.
"W-What are you talking about?! Mmph—!"
This guy… what kind of insane logic was that?!
"Repaying" her by… using his energy on her?!
Before she could protest further, Hayashi Maki silenced her with a kiss—giving her no room to resist.
Time for a little lesson, he thought.
Men are dangerous. She couldn't just lower her guard and offer home-cooked meals to someone like him.
She needed to understand that.
Of course… all that was just an excuse.
The real reason?
He wanted her.
And that warm, heartfelt bento she'd delivered…
Had completely melted his heart.
So naturally, he had to "reward" her back.