"Nohara-san, please go out with me!"
A declaration, carried by a gust of hot air, slammed into Nohara Yi. A pink heart-shaped envelope was thrust violently before his eyes, almost touching his nose, seeming rather presumptuous.
Nohara Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively stepped back, hitting the wall.
At this moment, the other party's head was bowed deeply, her hair whorl directly facing him. Her posture was such that if she bowed just a little lower, it would become a standard dogeza of apology.
What made him retreat wasn't the factor that elementary schoolers were too young for romance, but rather the identity of the blonde girl in front of him.
Kumozaka Marina—she was a character from "Octopus Pi's Original Sin," which he had read before coming to this world. In his memory, she was by no means a good person.
Even though she was bowing her head now, her neck flushed, her profile childish, she looked harmless, even pitiful.
Although Nohara Yi knew that she hadn't committed any bad deeds yet, he already had the stereotype of her being a bully, so he had no intention of dating her.
He frowned and remained silent for more than ten seconds, until the corridor's clamor became piercingly loud, before he spoke dryly: "Kirazaka-san... I'm sorry, I have absolutely no plans for a relationship."
He vaguely raised his wrist, mimicking his younger brother looking at a non-existent watch: "I'm in a hurry... I need to go eat lunch."
"Wait, wait!"
Molina suddenly looked up, anxiously blocking his path, her voice trembling:
"I know this is a bit presumptuous! But I'm not a frivolous person! Every lunchtime these past few days, I've seen you quietly reading in the library... It's really special! I'm serious! Even if it doesn't work out... at least let's start as friends, okay?"
As the only chance in this life was before her, Molina was unwilling to give up.
Ever since her father's affair at home, she had desperately longed for a new spiritual pillar.
Unconsciously, this boy, who was special in the class and even the entire school, had developed an inexplicable attraction for her.
Nohara Yi was speechless; he clearly hadn't expected this to be a reason to attract her.
The library?
He only went there to find quiet to research and plan to start a business as an elementary student, change his class status, and try to help his family pay off their 32-year mortgage early. What kind of scholarly aura did he have? It was all her illusion.
It really is true that genuine feelings never last, only schemes win hearts.
He listened expressionlessly, then said succinctly: "Thank you, but you're not my type. Besides, we're elementary school students. Our primary task is to study, not to think about these things."
Using the general template he once used to deal with students in his hometown, he refused her again very directly.
Molina looked as if she had been punched, her body swayed slightly, and she asked unwillingly: "Then... what kind of person do you like?"
Nohara Yi's gaze flickered for a moment, then he answered in a calm, almost factual tone:
"Me? I'm only interested in two types of people. One is cute lolis under ten years old, and the other is mature older sisters over twenty."
He looked at Molina's youthful face, his tone tinged with regret: "Unfortunately, you've perfectly entered that 'expired and invalid' zone in the middle."
"Ex-expired?!" Molina was completely dumbfounded, her small mouth slightly agape, as if she had heard some declaration of independence.
She instinctively argued: "But... but I just had my tenth birthday a few days ago! It's only been less than a week..."
"Yes, I know. Even if it's only been one day, or even one hour, the nature is already completely different."
Nohara Yi shook his head sincerely, his face open and honest: "In fact, I'm a pervert who dual-cultivates both older sister-lovers and loli-lovers. I'm completely immune to and uninterested in the age range between ten and twenty."
He even "kindly" planned for her.
"If you still feel this way ten years from now, and you've become an older sister... then you can find me again. That's all, Ghana."
He sidestepped the frozen Molina, his tone relaxed.
Hmm, although his own younger brother usually speaks nonsense, Shin-chan's conversational style is quite effective when it comes to fobbing people off.
Thinking this, Nohara Yi arrived at his destination.
Although his mother, Misae, had given him a bento packed with tamagoyaki and fried cutlets that morning, he absolutely did not want to return to his seat—just imagining opening his bento while being stared at by gossipy eyes made him feel disgusted.
However, looking on the bright side, the blonde who made him avoid conflict should be feeling worse than him, probably crying somewhere.
Elementary school love, Nohara Yi doubted its authenticity; he felt it was merely a child's simple admiration for strength.
Thinking this, Nohara Yi, carrying a tonkatsu rice tray, moved through the bustling crowd like an invisible person.
The joys and sorrows of people are not interconnected; I only find them noisy.
As the spoon broke through the crispy skin of the pork cutlet, Nohara Yi suddenly realized—although he had come to the cafeteria, why was he spending money on food? Wouldn't it be better to find a corner and eat Misae's bento?!
"What an incorrigible idiot..."
He cursed himself in annoyance.
Throwing away the bento would be a desecration of his mother's intentions. Thinking of this, how to deal with the bento box in his bag now became very troublesome.
He didn't have a big stomach; finishing two lunches, no matter how he thought about it, wasn't realistic, was it?
Amidst his irritation, he inadvertently glanced at another corner of the cafeteria, and his movements suddenly froze.
A slender, black-haired girl was hiding alone in a dim corner, her shoulders hunched, with a solitary, unusually clean, dark blue bento box in front of her.
Her profile was exquisite, but a heavy, oppressive atmosphere clung to her.
Ignoring that, she definitely had the makings of a top-tier beautiful girl in the future.
After all, that pitiful aura was a foul-level existence that could arouse one's protective instincts.
Perhaps his gaze was too direct, Kuse Shizuka suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with unease, and she frantically met Nohara Yi's gaze.
Then, she lowered her head even further, her fingers desperately digging into the edge of the bento box to hide her panic.
Last night, her mother came home very late again, carrying a strong smell of alcohol and perfume.
So much so that she forgot to make her bento and forgot to give her money for lunch.
Under unprepared circumstances, it was impossible to make a bento and then go to school.
So Shizuka could only hug the cold, empty bento box, sneak into a secluded corner before everyone entered the cafeteria, slowly lift the lid and close it again, pretending to have eaten, pretending to be satisfied, pretending... she had a normal family.
Her stomach was manipulated by an invisible hand, like the ruthless impact of a market economy on a planned economy, causing the stimulus of hunger to pound her nerves like a tide.
"Kuse-san."
A voice suddenly sounded beside her, and Shizuka's body trembled violently.
Nohara Yi walked over with his bento, his tone normal: "If you don't mind... eat this."
He pushed the bento in front of her; inside were white rice, golden tamagoyaki, glistening fried pork cutlets, and bright red cherry tomatoes and vibrant green broccoli.
"Ah! No, no need!" Shizuka suddenly waved her hand, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "I... I've already eaten!"
Nohara Yi's gaze swept over her bento box, which was so empty it had no traces and reflected the light.
Unless she brought her pet dog, Chabi, to the school cafeteria to eat, how could it be "eaten" so spotlessly clean?
Silently complaining in his mind, Nohara Yi didn't expose her, but changed his reason: "Just think of it as... helping me out?"
He shrugged, showing a troubled expression, "I really can't eat this bento. But it would be too wasteful to throw it away, please?"
After speaking, without waiting for Shizuka to refuse, Nohara Yi had already turned and left, his back carrying a deliberate air of ease.
Shizuka stood frozen, her amber eyes gazing at the fragrant bento.
So hungry... the cramping in her stomach intensified, almost making her vision go black.
But the food was within reach, yet she didn't dare to move.
Accustomed to a stagnant life, she had begun to question unexpected kindness.
And what was the use? Her mother was still the same, life was still a gray quagmire, no one could help!
The stronger the light, the darker the shadow would be.
Clearly, Nohara Yi's kindness, on the contrary, made Shizuka feel her own lowliness exposed.
Thus, Shizuka stared at the bento, a symbol of family warmth, and a sourness mixed with jealousy rushed to her nasal cavity.
A violent rage overwhelmed her reason, and Shizuka didn't even realize when she had moved her hand.
When the inexplicable extreme emotions receded and consciousness slowly returned—the nutritious lunch inside the bento box had gone into the trash can.