If you asked Shuya to name anime girls with long ash-brown hair, the first one that would pop into his head would be Asuna from Sword Art Online—the Lightning Flash herself.
He quickly shot that idea down, though. This wasn't the Sword Art Online world. There was no way Asuna would be here.
It was the girl sitting behind him: Rei Miyamoto.
She was also one of the main heroines of this anime.
Even though she was both his classmate and a canon girl, Shuya wasn't close to her at all.
Originally, Rei had been in the same year as Saeko Busujima. For some reason, she'd gotten held back this year, landing her in his class.
Her storyline in the anime was pretty wild too, so Shuya's impression of her wasn't the best.
Since she used to be a year above him and their classrooms were in completely different buildings, he'd never seen any reason to approach her like some desperate simp.
Besides, when it came to popular ash-brown-haired anime heroines, Asuna's popularity was off the charts across the entire anime community.
As for Rei Miyamoto?
Her popularity was barely above average at best.
She couldn't compare to Saeko Busujima—the true breakout star whose personal fame actually eclipsed the anime itself. Hell, even Shizuka...
Actually, the airheaded blonde school nurse with the huge chest had pretty solid popularity. Rei was probably even less popular than Saya Takagi, the pink-haired tsundere with the least presence in the main group.
A big part of Saya's popularity came from having a ridiculously attractive mom, Yuriko Takagi.
Still, the fact was that Rei just wasn't that big of a fan favorite.
That was understandable, though. As one of the female leads with the most screen time, her plot developments were way too over-the-top.
She'd been childhood friends with the male lead since they were kids and even promised to become his bride one day. Then, right before the story started, she got herself a boyfriend—who happened to be the MC's best buddy.
And you thought that was it?
Not long into the outbreak, her boyfriend gets bitten and dies. Rei falls apart, the MC slaps her out of it (and somehow cures her Stockholm syndrome in the process), and suddenly she's into the main character.
So when Shuya realized the person quietly crying in the corner was Rei Miyamoto, his first reaction was simple:
Oh, it's her. No big deal.
He returned to his spot, opened the bento he'd prepared that morning, and started digging in.
Strictly speaking, Japanese high schools didn't have a designated nap time. After morning classes ended, you only got about an hour for lunch and rest. Afternoon classes ran until around three o'clock.
Club activities usually lasted until five. Students not in any clubs were part of the "going-home club" and could leave right away.
High schoolers were even allowed to get part-time jobs after school, as long as they got school approval and didn't exceed 28 hours a week or work past eight at night.
But Shuya—currently being sugar-babied by a rich older woman named Shizuka Marikawa—didn't need to worry about any of that.
His plan was to head to the kendo club after school, check if Saeko had signed the contract, and start teaching her the basics of Nen training.
"Sniff... sniff~"
Rei Miyamoto, who had been crying not far away, suddenly caught the scent of something delicious in the air.
It was an incredible aroma she'd never smelled before.
Thanks to recent events, she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. She also hadn't brought a bento and had been too busy finding a place to hide, so she'd skipped lunch too.
Her stomach immediately betrayed her as the smell hit.
Drawn by the aroma, Rei momentarily forgot about crying. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and she instinctively lifted her head to find the source.
The second she looked up, she locked eyes with Shuya, who was busy wolfing down his food.
Right on cue, her stomach let out a loud, mortifying grumble.
Kill me now! World, just explode already!
Rei's face burned bright red. Like an ostrich, she quickly hugged her knees and buried her face between them.
She knew exactly who Shuya was—the guy who sat in front of her and one of the notable students at school.
But she never imagined someone would catch her crying alone on the rooftop, and that her stomach would pick that exact moment to growl while he was eating.
If there was a crack in the ground right now, she would have crawled into it without hesitation.
After a while, she peeked up again, hoping Shuya had already left.
He was still sitting there, eating like nothing had happened.
She buried her face again.
A few more minutes passed.
He has to be gone now, right?
She looked up.
Shuya hadn't moved at all. He was still in the same spot, eating as if she didn't exist.
The embarrassment vanished, replaced by a surge of anger.
What the hell is this guy's problem?
I'm already humiliated, and he's still screwing with me?
Rei puffed out her cheeks and glared at him.
Shuya responded by eating even faster.
She didn't know whether to laugh or get even madder.
Does he think I'm going to steal his half-eaten bento or something?
She wanted to stand up and curse him out, but they weren't close, and he sat right in front of her every day in class.
Rei swallowed her frustration.
Fine. If you won't leave, I will.
There might still be some bread left in the cafeteria.
"Wait."
Just as she stood up to leave, Shuya called after her.
He picked up the extra bento he'd made for Shizuka. "Miyamoto, you haven't eaten lunch yet, have you?"
Rei stopped and turned around. She noticed the still-sealed bento in his hand.
Is this guy... offering to share his lunch with me?
Maybe... he really is a good person?
She mentally handed Shuya a "good guy card."
But his next words nearly made her take it right back.
With a mischievous grin, Shuya said, "Tell me why you were hiding up here crying all alone. If you make it entertaining, this extra bento is yours. How about it?"
Like hell he is!
Rei immediately snatched back that good guy card in her mind.