Hearing this, Ran's cheeks couldn't help but flush with a shy blush. She gritted her teeth and immediately launched a counterattack: "What about you? Haven't you always liked Yuusheng-san? How's your progress now?"
"Come on, let's hurt each other. Let's see who breaks first."
Facing Ran's sudden retort, Sonoko instantly lost her earlier smugness, her eyes flickering, seemingly at a loss.
She glanced around, mumbling, "Don't mind me, I have my own pace..."
"Hahaha..."
Seeing Sonoko like this, Ran immediately burst into loud laughter.
Sticking by her sister through thick and thin, but stabbing her in the back for a man... Hanyu Nan stretched, tidied his schoolbag, and prepared to head to the cafeteria for lunch.
Now that the system has started, he doesn't have to be so tired with school anymore, right?
As he stepped out of the classroom door, his peripheral vision caught two figures following closely behind.
Without even looking back, he knew it had to be Sonoko and Ran. He just smiled slightly at these little tag-alongs and deliberately slowed his pace.
"Ran, what if Yuusheng-san rejects me?" Sonoko whispered to Ran beside her.
"He probably won't, right? Didn't you successfully invite him to the amusement park last time?" Ran thought about it, and the more she thought, the more she felt she was right.
"Sonoko, go for it, I'll back you up."
Usually, Sonoko was her strategist, so Ran decided to be Sonoko's strategist this time.
Two novices with absolutely no romantic experience huddled together, starting to give each other advice.
After Ran's encouragement, Sonoko took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to walk towards Hanyu Nan.
"Ran, how about we come back tomorrow?"
Halfway there, Sonoko couldn't resist her shyness again and scurried back.
Hearing this, Ran couldn't help but rub her forehead. "You want to invite him to lunch, but Yuusheng-san is almost at the cafeteria entrance! If you don't hurry, you'll really miss the perfect opportunity!"
"...But I'm still a little afraid of him rejecting me..." Sonoko, who was usually bold, carefree, and outgoing, became timid and hesitant at this moment.
"Don't be afraid, Sonoko! It's just delivering a bento, what's the big deal! Hurry up and cheer up, show off your usual boldness, go for it!" Ran stood by, constantly cheering Sonoko on.
Encouraged by Ran, Sonoko finally steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and decided to go all out:
"Okay! Alright! Then I, this young lady, will listen to you this once! Let's go—"
Before she finished speaking, Sonoko grabbed Ran's hand, and the two of them, like arrows released from a bow, dashed towards Yuusheng-san.
"Hey, hey, hey, Sonoko, what are you doing? Don't drag me along!" Ran was caught off guard by Sonoko's tug, stumbled, and was pulled to Hanyu Nan's side.
"Oh, it's Mouri-san and Suzuki-san. Is there something you need?" Hanyu Nan looked at the two people who suddenly appeared in front of him and asked in a very gentle tone.
At this moment, Ran's face was full of embarrassment. She greeted Hanyu Nan somewhat stiffly: "Good afternoon, Yuusheng-san."
At the same time, she secretly complained in her heart: "Sonoko! You were the one who asked me for advice, but now you're backing down at the last minute and even dragged me along..."
In contrast, Sonoko seemed much more relaxed at this moment. She enthusiastically invited: "Yuusheng-san, would you like to have lunch together? I brought too much bento today, so if you don't mind, we can share our lunches."
As she said this, a few glistening beads of sweat hung on Sonoko's forehead, and her gaze was fixed on Hanyu Nan, while Ran, beside her, was pulling on Sonoko's sleeve, her face bright red.
Hanyu Nan noticed the fine sweat on Sonoko's forehead and her expectant gaze, then glanced at Ran's embarrassed yet trying-to-smile expression, and couldn't help but reply with a slight smile:
"Sure, then where would be a good place for us to have lunch now?"
"Eh, eh, eh? He agreed."
Seeing Hanyu Nan agree so readily, Sonoko's cheeks instantly flushed, and the stone hanging in her heart finally dropped, making her whole person feel relaxed and at ease.
She had prepared herself to be rejected, but it turned out to be for nothing... Sonoko and Ran led Hanyu Nan to their usual lunch spot.
Ran and Sonoko sat side by side, with Hanyu Nan sitting in front of them.
Hanyu Nan's gaze first fell on Sonoko, who was smiling and fumbling to open her bento box, then shifted to Ran, who was sitting quietly with a gentle smile on her face.
Sonoko placed her lunch on the table and said, "Yuusheng-san, from now on, you can just call me Sonoko. As for Ran... you can just call her Ran."
"Alright, then you two can just call me 'Nan' from now on," Hanyu Nan also took the opportunity to bridge their relationship.
"Really? Nan," Hearing Hanyu Nan's words, Sonoko immediately looked at him with anticipation. Although her body was still resisting, her mouth obediently spoke the name.
After receiving Hanyu Nan's affirmative nod, a wonderfully cute smile instantly bloomed on Sonoko's face.
Ran, standing by, looked at the happy Sonoko and gently nodded.
After all, it was an important opportunity for her best friend, and she couldn't ruin it for her.
"Then let's eat!"
As the words fell, all three opened their lunch boxes.
Hanyu Nan's cooking skills in his previous life were quite excellent, but after coming to Japan, he could only say that he was completely unfamiliar with the local cuisine—his box only contained a few sandwiches and some convenience foods.
The sharp-eyed Sonoko immediately noticed this and unhesitatingly shared a large portion of her lunch with Hanyu Nan.
Watching Sonoko chatter incessantly around Hanyu Nan, Hanyu Nan patiently answered her questions.
Ran was happy for her best friend at first, but then she thought of the vanished Shinichi Kudo, and her mood became somewhat downcast.
Hanyu Nan, who had been paying attention to Ran, immediately understood what she was thinking and took the initiative to chat with her.
The three of them sat together, enjoying their lunch, eating and chatting, in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. A gentle breeze brought wafts of floral fragrance. In this beautiful scene, the joyful laughter of the three young people seemed to become the most melodious notes, intertwining into a vibrant symphony of youth.