The Beautiful Girl With a Kind Personality and Good Looks, Who Happens to Be My Childhood Friend, Seems to Have Eyes Only for Me
The morning entrance ceremony ended, and the lunch bell rang.
The classroom, quiet just moments ago, instantly erupted into noise. Some pushed desks together to form groups, others dashed to the school store, and still others headed out into the hallway with their lunchboxes. The usual scene.
I was about to take out my lunchbox when it happened.
“Excuse me. Yamato, are you here?”
A clear voice echoed from the classroom entrance.
Naturally, the eyes of the entire classroom turned toward it.
Standing there was Hayase Maho, the basketball club manager. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and instead of her usual jersey, she wore her uniform today. Her appearance, different from club activities, caused a brief stir among those around her.
Apparently, she had business with my best friend—Yamato.
“…Ah, yes. What is it?”
Yamato stood up, looking slightly awkward.
Hayase walked straight over to Yamato without hesitation. Along the way, several boys tried to call out to her, but they were intimidated by her sharp demeanor and ultimately didn’t speak up.
“I just got word from the advisor. The after-school practice menu is changing, so I wanted to talk to you about it during lunch.”
“…Now?”
“Yeah. Bring your lunch. Outside, okay?”
“Do I have the right to refuse…?”
“Probably not.”
“…I guess not.”
With a wry smile, Yamato grabbed his lunchbox and followed Hayase-san out of the classroom.
As soon as the door closed, the tense atmosphere instantly relaxed, and the classroom returned to its usual noisy chaos.
“Wow, Yamato, you’re lucky.”
“Getting called out by the manager? You’re the main character or something?”
“And Hayase-san’s wearing her uniform today, huh?”
Such voices could be heard from all around.
Indeed, Hayase Maho was a standout figure. In club activities, she was efficient, caring, and beautiful. She was also very popular with the boys.
…And now, of all people, she’d come to call on Yamato.
(Well, he is the basketball team’s ace, after all.)
Even if it was club-related, there was no way the others would just let it go.
I was about to open my lunch box myself when I felt a steady gaze.
Looking up, my eyes met Haru’s from a distant seat.
She was surrounded by friends, but her lunchbox lid was still closed. She was clearly waiting for me to make the first move.
“……”
“……”
We hadn’t been eating lunch together much lately.
I sighed lightly and beckoned to Haru.
Her expression brightened instantly, and she practically jogged over to me.
“What is it, Yuma?”
“You know what it is.”
“Ehh? You have to tell me!”
Like she didn’t already know.
I pushed the desks together so we faced each other. Then I pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit.
Haru happily sat down, smiling at me.
“Let’s eat together.”
“Okay!”
Just that reply made me feel like lunch break had somehow become a little special.
While eating my bento, I caught myself glancing at Haru’s lunch. It was a proper bento, carefully considered for both color and nutrition.
“…Looks delicious.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I mean, it looks really well-made.”
Hearing that, Haru looked surprised for a moment, then smiled shyly.
“…Well then, here.”
Saying that, she picked up a piece of rolled omelet with her chopsticks and offered it to me.
The classic “Aaahn” thing.
“…We’re in the classroom, though.”
“Is that a no?”
When a beautiful girl looks up at you like that and says something like that, there’s no way you can refuse.
“…Here goes.”
As the rolled omelet entered my mouth, a faint sweetness spread, followed by the flavor of dashi broth.
“Delicious.”
“…I’m glad.”
Haru smiled with relief.
Just an ordinary lunch break.
Yet, simply sitting across from each other eating lunch like this made a small warmth spread deep within my chest.
“…Hey, Yuma.”
“Hm?”
“We haven’t eaten together like this much lately. I was really happy you asked me.”
“…I see.”
“Yeah.”
Haru said that and lowered her gaze slightly.
I felt a vague sense of embarrassment and returned my gaze to my lunch.
“…Then, let’s eat together sometimes from now on too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Haru’s expression brightened again instantly.
Seeing that smile, I suddenly remembered the scene I’d glimpsed in the classroom earlier.
“…Come to think of it…”
“What is it?”
“Yamato, this is his last year for the high school championships, right? It must be tough.”
It was just a casual remark.
I meant it as nothing more than a simple encouragement for my friend working hard in club activities.
But.
Haru’s expression instantly turned cold.
The softness from just moments ago vanished as if it had been a lie, and her lips pressed tightly together.
“…You’re with me right now.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t talk about other people!!”
Her voice was sharp.
“No, no, no. I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Even if you didn’t mean it like that, it still counts.”
Still holding her chopsticks, Haru stared intently at me.
“You’re having lunch with me, right? Yet you’re thinking about someone else…”
“…No, that’s like saying someone with a girlfriend shouldn’t talk about other women, right?”
“It’s the same thing.”
Her reply was immediate.
“Besides, Yamato is your childhood friend, isn’t he?”
“…Irrelevant.”
Saying that, Haru puffed out her cheeks.
She looked completely sulky.
“…Huh? Really?”
“What is?”
“No… Haru, do you really—”
Like him?
I started to say it, but swallowed the words.
Instead, I murmured inside my head.
(…Does Haru really like Yamato?)
Childhood friends, always together, the kind of pair people say “look perfect together.”
Haru’s feelings should naturally be directed at Yamato—they should be.
Because of that incident, it should be certain.
But this reaction right now? No matter how I look at it, it can only be seen as “jealous of another girl.”
“…Yuma.”
“Hm?”
“When you’re with me, please only look at me.”
She said it with a direct gaze.
If it had been said jokingly, I might have laughed it off.
But Haru’s voice was unnervingly serious, like she was cutting off any escape route.
“…Alright.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I won’t talk about anything else when I’m with Haru.”
When I answered like that, the puffiness in Haru’s cheeks gradually faded, and she finally smiled, looking relieved.
“…It’s a promise, you know.”
Seeing that smile, a sharp pain stabbed deep in my chest.
(…What am I doing?)
Normally, Haru’s feelings should be directed towards Yamato.
I was just a “friend,” meant to watch over her from the sidelines.
Yet—
Here we were, facing each other. Haru looked only at me, sulking, smiling.
(…Is it Yamato who likes her?)
Holding that unanswerable question in my chest, I fell silent and ate the rest of my lunch.
Maiasa