Chapter 17 - The Goddess and The Lunch Box p.1 (リア神とお弁当①)

A large tree grew in the courtyard of the school.

"If you confess under this tree, your love will come true."

That kind of superstition didn't exist here at all.

It was just a big tree that exuded a strong presence in the courtyard. I could clearly picture the tree being used in the commercials.

The area around it was a popular place for students to have their lunch because of the relaxed atmosphere.

However, it was usually couples or a group of friends who came to this courtyard. All of them belonged in A-group and B-group.

Meanwhile, there was a conspicuous group of students who spread their picnic sheet in the shade of trees and had their lunch.

People around them seemed to be interested in the members of that group, watching the situation.

Some were curious about the topic of their conversation. Some couldn't help glancing at them. And some were simply enchanted.

Well, it's only natural that they would catch attention. The four members were the School Goddess, the cool beauty and her boyfriend, and the out-of-place boy.

By the way, the line of sight directed to the out-of-place boy was frosty,

"What is he doing there?"

"He shouldn't be there, right?"

"Who's that?"

And I couldn't feel any favorable gaze. The only harmless one was the curious eye.

As a result, I, as the out-of-place man, positively had an overwhelming stomach pain now. The cause was mostly mental.

Haa, I honestly want to just fade out immediately...

"It's like I'm exposed to ridicule... I'll curse you, Kenichi."

"Oi, oi. Don't curse me! Isn't it good to be surrounded by beautiful girls?"

"It's not really something I will celebrate, though."

Fuji-san, who sat in front of Kenichi, flushed in embarrassment and said, "...Beautiful, you say..." And Wakamiya, who sat beside her, didn't make any change in her expression. She ate her lunch in small bites.

"Anyway, let's eat now. You have a lunch box, right?"

"Ahh, well... right."

"Why do you sound so awkward, Towa? You acted like you wanted to eat that much before!"

"Yeah..."

I stared at the bento at my hands.

Should I eat this now?

I was concerned. I received the lunch box from Wakamiya this morning, and I hadn't confirmed what's inside until this moment.

The lunch box was wrapped in this cloth... But was it really just a lunch box?

You might be wondering what I mean. However, this bento was prepared by that Wakamiya. My intuition told me that there was something here.

Since she was considerate, there was a high chance that she would do something extra.

For example, leaving a memo such as, 'If you eat in this order, the food will taste better.'

And if there was such a thing, Wakamiya's friend, Fuji, would notice. "...Isn't this Rin's handwriting?"

Even if Fuji didn't notice, Kenichi had a sharp intuition. He definitely would realize that something was strange. Then they would naturally find out about us.

The problem was the degree of people's attention to the Goddess. Once there were rumors between Wakamiya and me, it would cause trouble. I had to avoid that no matter what.

So I hesitated to open it.

...Better yet, should I pretend that I have a stomachache and go to the bathroom?

"My stomach hurts, so I'll go to the toilet——"

"Tokiwagi-san, I have some medicine with me, so please have it. This medicine works fast and is very effective."

"Oh, thanks..."

Hey, don't block my way out.

"...Right. I have to wash my hands."

"Feel free to use my wet tissue."

"I forgot my drink——”

"We have tea here. Here."

""......""

Silence flowed between Wakamiya and me. Kenichi and Fuji watched out interactions, clearly taken aback.

However, Kenichi immediately grinned mischievously.

"You two are so in sync~!"

"No, no, you're wrong. It's Wakamiya-san who is fully prepared."

"Well, that's also true! But... huh? Towa, Wakamiya, you guys know each other?"

"There's no way I don't know the celebrity who made a speech as the freshmen representative."

"I'm acquaintanced with him."

"...Rin remembers the faces and names of all first-year students."

"Eh, really? That's crazy! I can only remember half of it~"

"You're also pretty crazy, though," I commented inwardly. By the way, I only remember around thirty percent of my classmates. We were as different as chalk and cheese.

Well, this might be the difference between A-group and D-group.

"By the way, Tokiwagi-san. Won't you eat your lunch?"

"Uh, I'll eat it..."

"Why are you hesitating~? No need to act so reserved, let's get along and eat together!"

"...If you don't eat it soon, the lunch break will end."

All three of them rushed me to quickly eat. I had a cold sweat on my forehead.

Wakamiya would also be troubled if something happened because of this, right? I don't think she would be happy if there were strange rumors about us. It's also the same for me. So we should be on the same side...

That's why, please. Give me a way to escape from here. The smart and perfect Social Goddess, you should've understood my signs.

Sense my feelings!

I stared at Wakamiya.

Wakamiya noticed my line of sight and smiled a little. Then she slightly nodded.

What a relief... Yes, this was the moment my wish came true——

"I'll open it for you."

"...What?"

"If we think about the efficiency, I can give you an explanation of the dishes as I open it. That way, we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Eh, wait!"

I reached out to stop Wakamiya, but she untied the knot of the cloth before I could do that. Then she opened the navy blue lunch box.

All I saw were colorful and healthy dishes. Even with a quick glance, the meat and vegetables were arranged with a good balance. And the carrots were in the shape of flowers. Clearly, she also went into the details. The lunch box truly resembled Wakamiya.

"...Looks delicious."

What reflexively came out of my mouth was my honest impression. With her usual monotonous voice, Wakamiya said, "Thank you very much," as a response. Her facial expression remained the same, but her cheeks were faintly flushed.

But I was so moved that I forgot something important.

Yes, it was not just Wakamiya and me here...

"...Why is your lunch the same as Rin's?"

Ah.

I forgot about that.

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