Walking into the classroom, before Shido even had the chance to sit at his desk for long, a flurry of hurried footsteps rapidly approached his direction.
"Shido!"
"Shido."
The classroom door was yanked open, and Tohka and Origami rushed over to stand right in front of him.
"Shido, are you okay?!"
"Did Tokisaki Kurumi do anything to you? Do you feel anything wrong with your body?"
Looking at the deep concern written all over their faces, Shido couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. He had left ho early, yet Tohka and Origami had arrived at school at practically the exact sa ti as him. Seeing how slightly out of breath they were, it wasn't hard to guess: the mont they realized he was alone with Kurumi, they had rushed straight to school.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for making you worry."
"Ugh... As long as you are okay."
"There is no need for you to apologize, Shido. As long as you are not in danger."
Seeing that Shido was perfectly unhard, both girls breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
"—Hehe. Good morning, Tohka-san, Origami-san."
Right at this mont, Kurumi strolled over to them, greeting the two girls with impeccable, polite manners.
"Kurumi..."
Instantly, Tohka and Origami's expressions morphed into high alert.
"My, my. To be treated with such caution. I rely wanted to walk to school with Shido-san. Why are the two of you so displeased?"
Kurumi smiled slightly, gracefully brushing off their hostile glares with a relaxed attitude.
"Ah... Are the transfer student, Yatogami-san, and Tobiichi-san fighting over Itsuka-kun?"
"Is this a romantic battlefield?"
"It's definitely a romantic battlefield."
Listening to the gossip spreading throughout the classroom, Shido, trapped right in the middle of the three girls, broke out in an awkward cold sweat.
"Speaking of which, Shido-san, are you free this noon? Would you do the honor of sharing lunch together?"
"Eh?"
Not expecting Kurumi to invite him out right then and there, Shido was montarily caught off guard.
While doing this in front of a watching crowd made him sowhat embarrassed, he had no reason to refuse. After all, sharing lunch with Kurumi was exactly what he had planned to do anyway.
"Um, sure, I'm fine with that. But..."
"I am going too! I am eating lunch with you guys! Shido!"
"I cannot leave you alone with Shido. I am coming along as well!"
Exactly as Shido expected, Tohka and Origami forcefully demanded to join them.
"Mhm, of course, that is fine."
To Shido's surprise, Kurumi didn't make things difficult for Tohka and the others. Instead, she nodded and agreed very readily.
"Are you sure about this, Kurumi?"
"Well, although I personally have no intention of laying a hand on Shido-san before our match is decided, unfortunately, my verbal promise clearly will not put Tohka-san and Origami-san at ease."
Seeming to understand Shido's confusion, Kurumi explained kindly,
"So, rather than refusing, it is better to invite them to stay by your side. It will also prevent unnecessary misunderstandings about . Furthermore—"
At this, Kurumi looked at Tohka and Origami, a aningful, teasing smile forming on her lips.
"Having them press their ears against the door to eavesdrop like yesterday must be quite exhausting."
"What..."
"...Ugh."
Hearing Kurumi's words, both Origami and Tohka visibly flinched. After all, when Shido and Kurumi were talking on the rooftop yesterday, the two of them had indeed been hiding by the door, quietly eavesdropping out of worry.
"Hah— I finally caught up. Seriously, Tohka! Origami! You two ran way too fast. I told you he was fine!"
Just then, Yutsuki arrived at the door of Class 2-4, panting and looking utterly tired.
"Hehe, perfect timing. What do you say,Yutsuki-san? Would you like to join us for lunch as well?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Kurumi's sudden invitation, Yutsuki blinked in surprise. Glancing around the classroom and seeing the male students staring at Shido with gazes that looked ready to chop him into a thousand pieces, she figured out exactly what was going on. She looked at Shido with a gaze tinged with pity and sympathy.
"No, I'll pass. I have my own plans for lunch. Besides, with Tohka and Origami keeping an eye on you, you won't be able to pull any tricks anyway."
"Is that so? What a sha."
Kurumi said, sounding sowhat regretful.
"Shido."
Yutsuki shifted her gaze to Shido.
"Yeah?"
"Do your best to survive."
"...Right."
Shido replied, feeling all the strength leave his body.
After offering her heartfelt warning, Yutsuki turned around and headed to her own classroom.
————————————
When the bell marking the end of the fourth period rang, true to their agreent, the three of them, along with Kurumi, arrived at the rooftop. They found a clean spot and sat down together.
"Ugh— Shido's bento is giving off a really delicious sll today."
Looking at the bento box Shido pulled out, Tohka's nose twitched, and a look of surprise crossed her face.
"Oh, as expected of Tohka, your nose is as sharp as ever."
"Compared to the bento box Shido usually carries, the volu has increased by 145.6 cubic centiters. The interior of the box features partitioned structures to prevent the dishes from mixing. Initial deduction: it is highly likely a visually crafted bento designed with decorative elents..."
Origami analyzed with a completely blank expression.
"Stop! A-As expected of Origami, but you don't need to deduce things in that much detail!"
Seeing Origami nearly spoil the very conquering item he had worked so hard to prepare, Shido hurriedly called for a stop.
"Oh? Is there sothing special about Shido-san's bento today?"
Seemingly intrigued by Tohka and Origami's words, Kurumi asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Well, you'll see once you look."
Wanting to build up a bit of suspense, Shido opened the bento box.
However, upon seeing the food inside, Shido himself froze in shock.
The reason was simple: the cat thed bento he had so ticulously prepared was completely ruined. The originally cute, round cat rice balls were either missing their seaweed eyes and noses or were shattered into multiple pieces, leaving them entirely unrecognizable.
(Why did it turn out like this?!)
Just as this question popped into his mind, Shido imdiately realized the truth. It must have happened this morning. When he tackled Kurumi to the ground to dodge that speeding truck, the impact of hitting the pavent must have smashed the contents of his bento.
"Wow, the bento is a total ss inside."
"It was likely subjected to intense shaking. Highly decorative bentos easily lose their shape from external force."
"I see... Are you alright, Shido? Do you want to share half of my bento with you?"
"Haha... Thanks, Tohka. But it's fine. Even though it looks like this, the taste hasn't been affected."
Shido answered with a bitter smile.
But despite saying that, it was still a bento he had woken up incredibly early to prepare. Seeing that it couldn't serve its intended purpose, Shido couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointnt.
"Could it be... cats?"
Looking closely at the ruined food inside Shido's bento, Kurumi spoke up hesitantly.
A look of surprise flashed across Shido's face.
"Eh, you can actually tell, Kurumi?"
Kurumi nodded gently.
"Mhm, the remaining outlines vaguely give off that impression. Could it be that this morning..."
Seeming to realize the reason behind the ss, Kurumi fell silent for a mont, then smiled and said,
"Say, Shido-san. Would you like to trade bentos with ?"
"Eh, you don't have to do that. This one is a failed product, after all."
"But you can guarantee the taste, correct? I have always wanted to try Shido-san's cooking."
Without waiting for Shido to refuse, Kurumi took Shido's bento and placed her own bento directly into his hands.
"Hey, Kurumi."
"Thanks for the food."
Ignoring Shido's protests, Kurumi brought her hands together in a quick prayer, then picked up her chopsticks.
She picked up a relatively intact piece—a black cat rice ball made of seaweed and rice. After admiring it closely for a few seconds, she brought it to her lips.
Smooch~
Like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface, Kurumi's cherry lips planted a light kiss onto the face of the black cat rice ball. Only then did she elegantly place it into her mouth.
Because this scene was inexplicably alluring, Shido secretly swallowed hard.
"Ugh... Shido, your eyes are glued to Kurumi."
"Breathing rate has increased by two percent. Heart rate has increased by six beats per minute."
"Ack."
Feeling Tohka and Origami's intensely dissatisfied glares, Shido hurriedly averted his head.
[Shido... just a quick reminder. Don't end up getting conquered by Kurumi before you even manage to conquer her.]
Kotori's deadpan voice buzzed through his earpiece.
"Haha..."
"Mhm... Not only does the seaweed provide a refreshing crispness, but the atball hidden inside is incredibly tender and juicy. The teriyaki sauce keeps all three elents in perfect balance... To achieve such a delicate and masterful design in just a single bite, as expected of Shido-san."
Reviewing the food like a professional food critic, Kurumi held her cheeks, a deeply satisfied smile blooming on her face.
Shido didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he could practically see a background effect of blooming flowers appearing right behind Kurumi.
"Well, as long as you're satisfied."
Seeing Kurumi look so intoxicated by the food, Shido's gloomy mood lifted considerably.
"Now then, Shido-san, please try my bento as well."
"Yeah, then I'll dig in."
Shido nodded and began tasting Kurumi's cooking.
"How is it?"
Kurumi asked curiously.
"Mhm, it's really good."
Shido nodded in genuine praise.
"This fried chicken, you used so pretty high-grade at, right? And you prepped it very carefully. For the seasoning, you didn't just use standard garlic, but you also added ginger to warm the body. Using it like this for flavor, that's amazing."
They were currently in the transitional season between winter and spring. Although the temperature was slightly warr than in January, people weren't bundled up in thick winter coats anymore. Without paying attention, it was incredibly easy to catch a cold. Because of this, Shido and Yutsuki often incorporated ginger into their cooking for its warming properties.
Precisely because he understood this, he realized just how much ti and effort Kurumi had poured into preparing this bento.
"I see... Thank you for the praise, Shido-san."
Kurumi replied with a smile. Shido wasn't sure if he was just imagining things, but he felt Kurumi sounded a tiny bit disappointed.
Gulp... "Is it really that delicious, Shido?"
Watching Shido's glowing review, Tohka asked, her mouth practically watering.
"How is your physical condition, Shido? Do you feel sick anywhere?"
Origami stared at Shido, secretly preparing herself to administer CPR at a mont's notice.
"Rest assured. I would not mix strange things into food. If you do not believe , Tohka-san and Origami-san can try a bite and see for yourselves."
Hearing Kurumi's offer, Tohka and Origami exchanged a glance. After hesitating for a mont, they each picked up a piece of food from Kurumi's bento.
The mont the food entered their mouths, both girls' eyes widened in unison.
"How is it?"
Kurumi asked the two of them with a smile.
"T-The taste is not bad. You are quite skilled, Kurumi! B-But, Shido's cooking is still tastier!"
As if trying to convince herself, Tohka declared loudly. Although her reaction was a bit exaggerated, to Shido, this was Tohka's way of giving Kurumi's cooking a seal of approval.
"Tokisaki Kurumi. Can you tell the recipe for this tamagoyaki?"
Origami went straight to asking Kurumi for culinary advice.
And just like that, the group's lunch break ca to a close in a surprisingly peaceful atmosphere.
"Kurumi, are you free after school?"
Right before they prepared to return to the classroom, Shido asked Kurumi.
"Mhm, I do not have any other plans after school." Nodding gently, Kurumi showed a slight smile. "What is it? Is Shido-san planning to ask out on a date?"
"Well, yeah. That's the plan."
Shido didn't deny it. Since Kurumi had taken the initiative to ask him to walk to school and eat lunch together today, he had been placed in a very passive position in terms of conquering her. If he wanted to flip the script, Shido had to take the offensive.
"Would you—"
In that exact instant, the world Itsuka Shido inhabited suddenly froze, as if soone had hit the pause button on reality.
Fear, biting cold, powerlessness—a familiar yet foreign agony instantly eroded Shido's consciousness, causing everything before his eyes to gradually be swallowed by darkness.
No, more accurately, the world didn't vanish from his sight. Rather, it was his very existence—his consciousness and physical body—that was slowly fading away, returning to the absolute void known as "death."
"Shido-san?"
"—!?"
Kurumi's voice violently snapped Shido back to his senses.
He looked around frantically. Both the scenery and the people were exactly the sa as in his mories from a split second ago. This left Shido completely bewildered.
"Did... sothing just happen?"
"Hm?"
Kurumi gave him a confused look.
"...No, it looks like I just spaced out."
Probably lack of sleep from staying up late last night, Shido told himself, accepting the excuse. He took a deep breath, collected himself, and looked back at Kurumi.
"Kurumi, if you're free this afternoon, could you give your ti to ?"
Hearing Shido's invitation, Kurumi looked slightly surprised. Then, she smiled, nodded, and answered.
"Of course. It would be my pleasure."
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