The following day, Yuka showed up with a homemade lunch, specially prepared just for me. With a shy gesture, she declared that she'd be making my lunch every day from now on. But there was no way I could just accept that so easily. Even though she insisted it wasn't a big deal since she was already making her own, I couldn't possibly bring myself to just leech off her kindness like that.
But it seemed she had no intention of taking no for an answer, going so far as to plead to me to let her make my lunch. Girl, you've got it all wrong. It's not that I find it a bother—if anything, it should be the other way around. Most guys would be the ones begging you to make lunch for them.
I let out a sigh, feeling a bit guilty at this point. If making my lunch made her happy, then who was I to refuse? In the end, I decided to let her do as she pleased—but not without setting a condition. If she was going to keep this up, then I would at least pay for my share of the ingredients.
For the first time, Yuka, Misaki, and I sat together for lunch, completely ignoring the attention our small group was drawing. Not that it mattered—I had long since stopped caring about my classmates' stares, probably ever since the incident with Sudo.
Misaki, too, had changed. After the betrayal of her three so-called friends, she stopped being overly friendly with everyone. These days, she mostly talked to me and occasionally interacted with other classmates, but when it came to those three, it was as if they never existed. She handled it better than I expected.
As for Yuka—well, Yuka was still Yuka. She never cared about others to begin with. But lately, from what I could see, there was one person she did care about in this class.
Me.
I ate the lunch Yuka had brought for me, and for some reason, it tasted awfully similar to her grandmother's cooking. Well, considering she learned how to cook from her, it wasn't all that surprising.
"H-How is it?" Yuka asked nervously, her eyes fixed on me with anticipation.
Girl, why are you so nervous? It's not like I'm some judge from a master chef competition.
"Of course, it was delicious. I expected nothing less from your handmade lunch," I replied honestly, a gentle smile on my lips.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the best Japanese food I've ever had—it was just that good.
"T-Then…" she hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers shyly. "A-After a rough day of work, if you could come home to this kind of food for the rest of your life… I-I mean, of course, I'll get even better. But if that were to happen… how would you feel?"
She looked up at me, her head slightly lowered, eyes filled with anticipation—clearly waiting for an answer.
She isn't holding back at all, is she?! Just a few days ago, she confessed her love to me, and now she's already thinking about after–marriage? Girl, we're not even dating!
I mean, she's the kind of innocent girl who believes that if you love someone, you're supposed to marry them—but still… is she really that determined to make me fall for her?
"Come on, what are you waiting for? Give Yuka your answer," Misaki urged me from the side, a mischievous grin on her face.
A vein popped on my forehead. This girl… I just know she's the one putting these ideas into Yuka's head. And on top of that, she's the one enjoying this situation the most.
He gritted his teeth and glanced at Yuka, who was still waiting for an answer, her eyes filled with anticipation. Clearing his throat, he felt a warm heat creeping up his face as a faint blush tinted his cheeks.
"T-That's more than I deserve… B-But, hypothetically, i-if that were to be the case… i-it would feel like I'm in heaven."
I decided to answer honestly, though I spun it a little. Lying here didn't seem like an option
"Why are you acting like a tsundere?" Misaki snickered at me, clearly enjoying my reaction.
Before I could say anything, she immediately turned to Yuka with an excited smile. "You heard that, Yuka? This guy really loves your cooking! I'm so happy for you!"
Yuka, her face completely flushed, simply kept her head down in embarrassment and gave a small nod.
I sighed. Now I was feeling embarrassed too.
Just like that, while "bonding" our friendship three days passed.
As usual, I arrived at school and took my seat. Glancing out the window, I noticed the sky was slightly cloudy—there was a good chance of rain later. Good thing I brought my umbrella.
But seeing the cloudy sky made me remember that girl—Sanae.
That day, when I returned home, she was already gone. The only thing left behind was a simple note on the dining table. Just two words—"Thank you."
After that, there was no trace of her. She did mentioned that she wasn't from this part of the city, so the chances of us meeting again were slim. In the end, we were just two strangers who crossed paths before returning to our own respective lives.
Either way, i could only hope that she managed to solve her problems and was now living happily with her mother.
Soon, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom, placed his notes on the desk, and made an announcement.
"Everyone, from today onwards, we have a new transfer student joining us."
The moment those words left his mouth, my eyes widened. I had seen this kind of event way too many times before, in anime of course. So I already had a bad feeling about where this was going. But it can't be… right?
"Come in," the teacher said, and immediately, a girl stepped into the classroom, wearing the same uniform as us.
Long, dark brown hair. Lively blue eyes that once held nothing but exhaustion and depression. Her slumped posture was now straight, and instead of staring at the ground, she was looking ahead. There was still some nervousness in her movements, that reserved air about her hadn't completely vanished—but it was clear she was trying to change.
But none of that is important right now.
The bigger question is—What are you doing here, Sanae?!
"M-My name is Yamada Sanae. I hope to get along with everyone here."
Her introduction was short but enough. So, Yamada, huh? I finally learned her surname… but why didn't she mention it before? Well, not that it really mattered now.
As soon as she finished speaking, cheers erupted from the boys—typical high school behavior. Not that I could blame them. Sanae was really cute, the kind of girl who instinctively triggered a protective desire in people, like a small, defenseless rabbit.
However, amidst the cheers, as Sanae's gaze swept across the classroom… our eyes met.
In that instant, I visibly saw her face light up. But what she did next was something I never expected.
Without a single word, she suddenly ran straight toward me. Ignoring everyone else, she threw herself into my arms, wrapping me in a tight embrace.
Instinctively, I stood up to catch her—because if I hadn't, we both would have ended up crashing to the floor.
"I missed you! It must be fate that we met again like this!"
She said it loud enough for everyone in the class to hear—clear as day. I know this is a "rom-com" world, but isn't this a bit too much?!
"E-Excuse me, Mrs. Sanae, do you know Mr. Hayato?"
Misaki's voice came from the side, carrying the question that everyone in the class—especially the boys—desperately wanted to ask. Even she was so shocked by what just happened, so shocked that she unconsciously started speaking formally.
Sanae glanced at Misaki and then at the rest of the class, but even then, she still didn't let go of me.
"O-On the previous Sunday… when I ran away from home, he saved me from some guys… T-Then he took me to his home, and that rainy night… w-we shared his bed together." She said it with a shy voice, her face turning bashful.
Don't say it like that! People will misunderstand! Or… are you doing this on purpose?!
The classroom fell into complete silence—followed by a loud, unified shout:
"WHAT?!"
I glanced around with a troubled expression. The boys were glaring at me with pure hatred, as if I had just stolen their collective dream girl, again. The girls were staring at me like we were in the middle of some dramatic love triangle straight out of a soap opera.
Then there was Misaki… I couldn't even see her face because her head was down, her hair covering her expression. But—wait… is that water on her desk?
And Yuka… she simply gave me a cold side-eye before turning her head away. Don't look at me like that—as if I'm some scumbag. That hurts more than words…
"Everyone, stop. I will be beginning the homeroom," the teacher finally stepped in, bringing much-needed order to the chaos. "Yamada, you can take the seat at the back of the right row. And also, you and Amane meet me in the staff room during the lunch break."
Thankfully, the teacher intervened before things got even more out of hand. But—why am I being called out?!
I swear, we didn't do anything!