During lunch break, Tanaka Masao brought his bento to the Service Club.
He knocked on the door, and only after hearing Yukinoshita Yukino's voice from inside did he push the door open and enter.
Looking at Yukinoshita Yukino already seated by the window, Tanaka Masao couldn't help but complain.
"I rushed here right after class, so why is Xuezhixia Classmate here earlier than me?"
Yukinoshita Yukino placed her bento on the table, opening it as she said, "Of course, it's because Tanaka-kin's walking speed is like a turtle's."
"It's not as exaggerated as you make it sound."
Tanaka Masao first put his bento on the floor, then went to the back of the classroom and moved a desk for himself from a pile of desks and chairs.
He looked around the classroom and placed the desk opposite Yukinoshita Yukino's desk.
Seeing this, Yukinoshita Yukino frowned and said with some displeasure, "Tanaka-kin, could you please not put the desk so close to mine?"
Tanaka Masao put down the desk and explained, "Aren't I supposed to train here this afternoon? If I put it on the other side, it would take up too much space."
Saying this, he moved the desk, which had been right next to Yukinoshita Yukino's, backward, leaving a gap of about one meter in between.
Seeing Tanaka Masao voluntarily move the desk back a bit, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't say anything further.
She nodded and said, "Alright, this is fine. Let's eat lunch quickly."
Tanaka Masao brought a chair and sat down. Because they weren't far apart, he could clearly see what was inside Yukinoshita Yukino's bento box.
Unlike the luxurious bentos of young ladies in two-dimensional anime.
Yukinoshita's bento was quite ordinary; it had no fancy Cooking and wasn't large in portion, but it was very exquisite.
Tanaka Masao felt that this bento must have been made by Yukinoshita Yukino herself and couldn't help but fantasize.
It looks good. I wonder when I'll get to eat a bento made by Yukinoshita Yukino herself.
If Tanaka Masao could see Yukinoshita Yukino's bento, Yukinoshita Yukino naturally could also see Tanaka Masao's bento.
Seeing that the dishes in his bento contained almost no oil and nearly half were vegetables.
Yukinoshita Yukino was quite satisfied; she didn't say much and quietly ate her bento.
Tanaka Masao also remained silent, eating quietly, with only faint chewing sounds in the classroom.
...
Ten minutes later, both finished almost simultaneously.
It was then that Yukinoshita Yukino spoke, "I didn't expect Tanaka-kun to eat quite gracefully."
Masao, who was packing his lunchbox, paused his hands and asked, "What do you mean?"
"When you eat, you not only don't talk, but you also barely make any sound. I was mentally prepared for you to make grunting noises."
Hearing Yukinoshita Yukino's words, Tanaka Masao was a bit speechless.
"I'm just a bit fat, not a pig."
Yukinoshita Yukino nodded, "Hmm, my mistake. I judged a book by its cover."
Although the other party was apologizing, and her attitude was quite sincere, "Xuezhixia Classmate, judging a book by its cover is redundant."
Isn't she clearly saying he looks like a pig? Tanaka Masao stated that he wasn't that fat yet.
Oh, no, actually, pigs have a fairly low body fat percentage, less than twenty percent.
Translated to humans, that means no potbelly.
Looking at the inexplicably dejected Tanaka Masao, Yukinoshita Yukino was a bit puzzled.
"What's wrong with you?"
Although they hadn't known each other long, Yukinoshita Yukino could tell that Tanaka Masao had strong resilience.
He had no problem with sharp-tongued remarks, and even seemed to enjoy them.
He shouldn't be feeling dejected because of this.
"It's nothing." Tanaka Masao waved his hand, and fearing Yukinoshita Yukino might overthink, he added, "I just thought that I might not even be as good as a pig."
Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino became even more puzzled. It wasn't until they were almost at the school building that she finally offered a word of comfort.
"I think you're still a bit more outstanding than a pig."
After she finished speaking, they happened to arrive at Yukinoshita Yukino's classroom, and she walked inside.
Tanaka Masao, who had been immersed in the depressing fact that he was inferior to a pig, looked at Yukinoshita Yukino's retreating figure, somewhat bewildered.
Is Yukinoshita Yukino comforting me?
He felt it was somewhat incredible.
How long have we known each other? And Yukinoshita Yukino is already comforting people.
Could she like me?
"No, no, no."
Tanaka Masao shook his head, quickly shaking that thought out of his mind.
That's Yukinoshita Yukino; how could she fall for a man so easily?
Perhaps it's because she hasn't had friends for a long time, and it's rare to have someone she can talk to, so she's showing a little concern.
In that case, I'm at least her friend.
Thinking of this, Tanaka Masao felt a bit happy.
...
Around two in the afternoon.
It was the time when the sun was most scorching.
And it was already May, so the weather was starting to get hot.
Tanaka Masao's class, quite unfortunately, had PE class at this time.
In such weather, many people naturally complained.
But no one skipped class.
Because here, PE grades are also quite important.
Tanaka Masao was a bit helpless.
With yesterday afternoon's workout and this morning's exercise, his body was still very sore.
And now he had PE class again.
The most important thing was that PE class was the last class of the day, and school would be over afterward.
This also meant that he would have to drag his tired body, fresh from PE class, to the Service Club for an hour of training.
"I'm going to die."
Thinking of that situation, Tanaka Masao felt a sense of despair.
It seems I need to discuss reducing the amount of exercise with Yukinoshita Yukino today.
She should understand, right?
Just as Tanaka Masao was wondering whether Yukinoshita Yukino would reduce his training load.
He had already followed his class to the sports field.
On the field, he saw a familiar figure.
It was Yukinoshita Yukino.
She was also wearing a tracksuit, standing near a group of people, but everyone around her kept some distance.
This created a small vacuum around her, making her quite conspicuous.
Seeing this, Tanaka Masao knew that Yukinoshita Yukino, like him, also had PE class as her last period.
...
On the other side, feeling a familiar gaze.
Yukinoshita Yukino looked over.
Soon, she spotted Tanaka Masao at the edge of the crowd, trying his best to hide his presence.
She understood the situation in an instant.
After Tanaka-kin finishes PE class, if I make him train for another hour, will he die?
Hmm, let's try it. He probably won't die.
After all, he proposed the weight loss plan; he'll understand if it's a bit tough.
Thinking of this, Yukinoshita Yukino's lips unconsciously curved into a happy smile.
Although Yukinoshita Yukino stood there alone, a considerable number of people present were watching her.
Especially the boys, their eyes would constantly glance in her direction.
Yukinoshita Yukino's smile instantly captured everyone's attention.
Because the usually cold and expressionless Yukinoshita Yukino was truly beautiful when she smiled.
Many people's hearts raced, and they all thought in unison.
Did Xuezhixia Classmate just smile at me? Does she like me? I'll send her a love letter tomorrow.
Tanaka Masao's heart also raced.
Oh no, I feel a chill down my spine. I don't think I'll survive today.