The next day, Sobu High's campus was as noisy and lively as ever, full of youthful energy.
But for Sawamura Eriri of Class 2-B, that everyday scene felt just a little different now.
Her gaze kept drifting out the window on its own, past the courtyard, toward the building where Class F was. Every time that figure with pale blue eyes flashed across her mind, a faint, unnatural blush crept over her cheeks.
Everything that had happened last night had etched itself deeply into her memory. That invisible wall of "infinity," the blue flash that erased everything, and... the arm that reached out at the very end, bleeding, just to protect her.
Whenever she thought of that moment, Eriri's heart felt like it was being lightly squeezed by a small, invisible hand. It stung a little, yet was strangely warm, and there was also a flicker of something she herself refused to name.
Those tangled emotions left her restless the entire day. Even during art club activities, she found herself constantly distracted, her pen hovering over the page without moving.
Finally, the lunch bell rang.
"Let us both do our best today too, Eriri!" A clubmate smiled as she called out to her.
"Y... yeah..." Eriri answered absentmindedly. Her eyes, however, were locked tightly onto the luxurious bento box sitting on her desk, wrapped in elegant packaging.
She had gotten up at five in the morning to make it.
I-it is not like this is to thank him... I just... my mom cooked too much, that is all. I cannot finish it alone. Yes, that is it.
She fed herself that flimsy excuse in her heart, then took a deep breath.
Like a soldier, steeling herself before a charge, she grabbed the bento box and dashed out of the classroom.
...
At the same time, in Class 2-F.
Natsume picked up his own lunch as usual, ready to head up to the rooftop to enjoy a quiet break by himself.
"Yahallo, Natsume-kun!" Yui greeted him energetically. Ever since what had happened before, she was clearly more relaxed and friendly with him than with any other boy in class.
"Good afternoon." Natsume nodded politely in response and was about to leave.
"Um... Natsume-kun!"
A slightly tense, shy voice drifted in from the doorway.
The students of Class F looked over curiously.
Standing there in the doorway was the art club's ace, the famous golden twin tailed tsundere beauty who was known for being prickly and hard to approach... Sawamura Eriri.
She stood there, petite and poised, cheeks flushed pink, her ice blue eyes flitting around nervously, never quite daring to look at the person she had come for.
In her arms she held a bento box that looked heavy just from the size of it, all wrapped up in pretty cloth.
"Whoa..."
A small commotion spread through the classroom.
"It is Sawamura from Class B. Who is she here for?"
"Looking like that... no way, right?"
Yumiko and the rest of the popular group all had expressions like they were about to watch some great drama.
"Yui, look," Yumiko nudged Yuigahama with her elbow and lowered her voice, her tone full of disbelief. "Do you think Sawamura is here for that gloomy transfer student?"
Yui's heart gave a hard thump. She glanced at the beautiful figure in the doorway, then at Natsume, who was looking at the door with his usual calm expression.
A dull, inexplicable feeling welled up in her chest.
"H-how would I know..." she muttered under her breath.
Under the curious stares of the entire class, Eriri finally mustered the courage to walk over to Natsume's desk.
She thumped the bento down on his tabletop, then turned her face sharply to the side, speaking so fast it was almost hard to catch.
"T-this is for you. D-do not get the wrong idea. This is just... just because my mom accidentally made too much. It would be a waste to throw it away. You, you can think of it as... as taking care of kitchen scraps or something. It is not like I made it especially for you."
The textbook perfect tsundere lines, paired with ears that had turned red enough to drip blood and twin tails that trembled just slightly with how tense she was, completely destroyed any credibility those words might have had.
The air in Class F seemed to freeze.
Everyone stared, eyes wide, waiting for Natsume's reaction.
He just got confessed to, right? That is a confession, right? The gloomy transfer student, confessed to by one of Sobu High's two top goddess tier beauties, Sawamura Eriri?!
But Natsume's reaction was far calmer than anyone expected.
He glanced at the carefully prepared bento on his desk, then at Eriri, who looked like she was about to die from embarrassment and stubborn pride, and simply gave a short hum of acknowledgment.
"Come eat on the roof with me."
"Eh?!"
Eriri's head whipped around so fast her twin tails swished. She clearly had not expected him to accept so easily, much less casually invite her along.
"I-it is not like I want to eat with you. I just... the view on the rooftop is not bad, that is all!" she insisted, still putting up a front.
Her mouth resisted, but her legs were far more honest. She followed him out of the classroom without a second of hesitation.
The moment the two of them stepped out, Class F exploded.
"Are you kidding me? Are they actually dating?"
"No way. My Eriri..."
"What kind of magic does that transfer student have?"
The popular group's commentary got even louder.
"Incredible," Yumiko frowned, arms folded tight. "Sawamura's taste is way worse than I thought."
Yui, on the other hand, was staring down at the bento box in her own hands. It was also something she had put a lot of effort into... and had not managed to give away.
Her heart twisted into a complicated knot.
She remembered Natsume's back as he shielded her from Hanako, remembered how calm and reliable he had been at the office.
No.
She could not just leave it like this.
From somewhere deep inside, a courage she did not know she had bubbled up.
"I... I am going to the rooftop too!"
Yui shot to her feet. Under the surprised eyes of her friends, she grabbed her bento box and declared loudly.
"Eh? Yui, what are you going to do up there?" Ebina pushed up her glasses, curious.
"I... I want to thank Natsume-kun too. He helped me so much before." Yui blurted out the first excuse she could grab, her cheeks flushing pink. "And besides, we are all classmates. It is totally normal to eat lunch together, right?"
Before anyone could respond, she clutched her bento tighter and hurried out of the classroom, running toward the rooftop like a sunflower chasing after the sun.