Chapter 8: The Defeated Dog's Lunch Invitation
The next day, the campus of Sobu High was filled with the usual youthful clamor.
However, for Sawamura Eriri of Class 2-B, this daily routine had become somewhat extraordinary.
Her gaze would uncontrollably drift towards the window, across the courtyard, and towards the building where Class 2-F was located. Whenever the image of that figure with cerulean eyes flashed in her mind, an unnatural blush would appear on her cheeks.
Everything that happened last night was etched into her memory like the deepest brand. The invisible "Limitless" barrier, the all-destroying cerulean flash, and... the arm, bleeding, that he had extended to protect her.
Whenever that image surfaced, Eriri's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a small hand—bittersweet, warm, and with a flutter that even she was unwilling to admit.
These complex emotions made her restless all day, and even the art club activities seemed to hold little of her attention.
Finally, the lunch bell rang.
"Do your best again today, Eriri!" a clubmate said with a smile as she bid her farewell.
"Yeah, yeah..." Eriri responded absentmindedly, her eyes fixed on the exquisitely wrapped, luxurious bento box on her desk.
She had gotten up at five in the morning to make it.
"It's-it's not to thank him... It's just... Mom made too much, and I couldn't finish it! Yes, that's it!"
She convinced herself with this clumsy excuse, then took a deep breath, and, like a soldier heading into battle, she clutched the bento box and rushed out of the classroom.
Meanwhile, in Class 2-F.
As usual, Natsume Yu took out his bento, preparing to head to the rooftop for some quiet time alone.
"Yahallo, Natsume-kun!" Yuigahama Yui greeted him energetically. Ever since the incident, her attitude towards Natsume Yu was noticeably more friendly and natural than with any other boy in the class.
"Good afternoon," Natsume Yu nodded politely in response, about to leave.
"Um... Natsume-kun!"
A slightly nervous and shy voice came from the classroom door.
The students of Class 2-F looked over curiously and saw the ace of the art club, the beautiful girl with golden twin-tails known for being tsundere and unapproachable—Sawamura Eriri—standing prettily at the door. Her cheeks were crimson, and her ice-blue eyes darted around, not daring to look directly at a certain person in the classroom.
In her arms, she held what looked like a substantial bento box.
"Whoa..."
A small uproar instantly swept through the class.
"It's Sawamura-san from Class B. Who is she looking for?"
"Judging by her expression... no way, right?"
The popular group, led by Miura Yumiko, looked on with even more amusement.
"Yui, look," Miura Yumiko nudged Yuigahama Yui with her elbow, her voice low and filled with surprise. "That Sawamura girl, she can't be here for that gloomy transfer student, can she?"
Yuigahama Yui's heart skipped a beat. She looked at the beautiful figure at the door, then at Natsume Yu, who was looking calmly towards the entrance, and an unclear, stuffy feeling welled up in her chest.
"I-I don't know..." she mumbled softly.
Under the curious gazes of the entire class, Eriri finally mustered her courage and walked to Natsume Yu's desk.
She placed the bento box in her arms on his desk with a "thud," then turned her head to the side and said in a voice so fast it was almost incomprehensible:
"Here-here, this is for you! D-don't get the wrong idea! It's just... my mom accidentally made too much, and I thought it would be a waste to throw it away! You-you can just treat it as disposing of kitchen waste! It's not like I made it specially for you!"
This textbook tsundere speech, coupled with her ears that were red enough to bleed and her golden pigtails that trembled slightly from nervousness, was utterly unconvincing.
The air in Class 2-F seemed to freeze. Everyone stared with wide eyes, waiting for Natsume Yu's reaction.
A confession? This is definitely a confession, right?! That gloomy transfer student is being confessed to by Sawamura Eriri, one of Sobu High's two top beauties?!
However, Natsume Yu's reaction was surprisingly calm.
He glanced at the clearly meticulously prepared bento on the desk, then at the awkward-to-the-point-of-death Eriri, and simply let out a faint "Mm."
"Let's go eat on the rooftop."
"Eh?!" Eriri whipped her head back, seemingly not expecting him to agree so readily and even extend an invitation.
"I-I'm not eating with you! It's just... the view from the rooftop is nice, that's all!" she said, trying to act tough, but her body honestly followed behind Natsume Yu as they walked out of the classroom together.
After the two left, Class 2-F instantly erupted.
"For real? Are they actually dating?"
"Oh my god, my Eriri..."
"What kind of magic does that transfer student have?"
The discussion among the popular group was even more intense.
"Unbelievable," Miura Yumiko said with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. "Sawamura's taste is really terrible."
Yuigahama Yui, on the other hand, stared blankly at the equally carefully prepared bento in her hands, which she hadn't had a chance to give out, a mix of emotions swirling within her.
The image of Natsume Yu's back as he shielded her from "Hanako," his calm and reliable demeanor in the "clubroom."
No!
I can't let it be like this!
A surge of courage, from who knows where, welled up inside her.
"I-I'm going to the rooftop too!" Yuigahama Yui suddenly stood up and, under the surprised gazes of her friends, grabbed her bento box and announced loudly.
"Eh? Yui, what are you going to do?" Hina Ebina asked curiously, pushing up her glasses.
"I... I have to thank Natsume-kun too! He helped me so much before!" Yui found a random excuse, her cheeks slightly flushed. "A-and we're all classmates, so it's normal to eat lunch together, right!"
With that, under the complex gazes of the crowd, she ran out towards the rooftop like a sunflower chasing the sun.