Episode 45 – promise

The Salty Princess Told Me That I Was a ‘Convenient Keep’, so I Tested What Would Happen if I Introduced the Most Beautiful Girl at Another School as My Girlfriend

“Well, I made a lot today, so eat as much as you like!”

It was lunchtime. As promised, we had come to the quiet area behind the school building to have lunch with Koga.

“Then, I’ll help myself.”

Sakaki, who had invited us to eat together, picked up some omelet from the large lunch box Koga had made.

“Hey! I didn’t say you could eat it! I told Ochiha-kun to eat it!”

“Is that so? Well, it’s okay. There’s plenty to go around.”

“Well, that’s true, but… never mind. I’m generous, so I’ll let it slide.”

Sakaki-san and Koga-san glared at each other. …I think they’re actually close, but I didn’t say anything because I thought they might get angry if I did.

By the way, Amane-san said she was going to eat lunch with Miwa-kun and went to look for him. I wonder if Miwa-kun would actually eat lunch with his older sister in front of everyone, but there’s no reason to stop him.

So we came to the back of the school building to avoid drawing attention and ate lunch together.

“…”

While munching on the sandwich Koga made, I glanced sideways at Sakaki.

Despite what happened, Sakaki seems more energetic than usual. …No, maybe it’s because of what happened that she’s acting cheerful to avoid ruining the atmosphere.

After that, I asked Mori and others how the collision looked from their perspective, but it seems that from the outside, it just looked like an accident. Still, it seems that the two of them were warned by the teacher and the sports festival executive committee, but there was no further punishment. I don’t like it, but there’s no way to prove that it was intentional, so I can’t blame them.

“Ochiha-kun, this fried chicken is delicious. Here, eat some.”

Koga offers me some fried chicken. I switch my thoughts and bite into the large piece of fried chicken.

“…Yeah, it’s delicious. I thought fried chicken would be weird when it got cold, but this is really tasty!”

“Hehe, actually, there’s a trick to it. Oh, but it’s a trade secret, so I won’t tell you.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Sakaki-san picks up some fried chicken from Koga-san’s lunch box.

“Oh, you’re eating it again without asking. …It’s fine, but I made too much anyway.”

Koga-san exhales softly and relaxes her lips. Maybe Koga-san is worried about Sakaki-san too? Somehow, her attitude seems less prickly than before.

“Thanks, Koga-san.”

“Huh? For what?”

“No, for making such a delicious lunch, thank you.”

“…It’s okay, it’s for Ochiha-kun!”

Koga-san smiled. I smiled too. …To be honest, I was thinking about something unnecessary. How to get back at the two who bumped into me, and so on. I was thinking about things like that. When I dropped my smartphone, I was thinking about the same thing, and even though I was spinning my wheels, I was about to make the same mistake again.

In order to prevent a recurrence, it may be necessary to say something to them at some point, but there are other things I need to think about right now.

“By the way, Ochiha-kun, you’re popular with girls, aren’t you?”

Koga glares at me with a stern look as she stuffs her sandwich into her mouth.

“Eh, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

I looked up at the sudden remark, and for some reason, Sakaki-san was also glaring at me with a stern expression.

“I thought so too. Every time Sakashima-kun competed, a group of girls would scream and cheer.”

“…No, what are you talking about, Sakaki-san? They were just cheering on, right?”

“To me, it didn’t just look like that.　Ochiha-kun, you wave politely to those girls… They were squealing as if they had caught the eye of an idol.”

“…Sakaishima-kun, you do that to everyone, don’t you? It must be hard being so popular.”

“No, no, why are you saying that? I’m just trying to be careful not to ruin the atmosphere…”

The two of them slowly approached us. Did I really spread my charm around to the girls that much? Am I really that popular? …Maybe it’s because I’m unaware of that kind of thing that something like that happened earlier?

“I’m sorry. I apologize. I was definitely unaware. …I’m sorry.”

When I bowed my head, Koga and Sakaki puffed out their cheeks with the same expression.

“…It’s not that I want you to apologize, though. I’m not Ochiha-kun’s girlfriend or anything yet.”

“That’s right. Besides, I don’t dislike Sakashima-kun for being kind to everyone.”

“Hey, what are you doing, trying to get ahead of me? I like Ochiha-kun too, no matter what he’s like!”

The two of them glared at each other again. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, anyway, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

When I said that, the two of them reluctantly nodded. And for a while, the three of us enjoyed a delicious lunch…

“Oh, right. I was invited by my classmates to do a cheer dance at the end of lunch break.”

Saying that, Sakaki-san stood up.

“Oh, okay. Then go ahead. I’ll join you as soon as I finish eating.”

“Okay. I’ll go ahead then… Just so you know, don’t try to sneak off or anything, okay?”

With that, Sakaki quickly leaves the scene. Despite everything, it seems like Sakaki is starting to fit in with the class, and I feel a little happy about that.

“You were unlucky, weren’t you?”

After waiting for Sakaki to leave, Koga spoke in a slightly quiet tone.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Anyway, I’m glad Sakaki doesn’t seem to be depressed.”

“…Ochiha-kun, you still have a lot to learn.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“She hardly ate anything for lunch. Not only did she bring her own lunch, but she only took one fried egg and one piece of fried chicken from my lunch box.”

…I didn’t notice that at all. Sakaki may have been more hurt than I thought.

“No matter what you say, Ochiha-kun, you’re used to other people’s malice, aren’t you?　I’m sure your father has said many things to you, but you’ve always been strong in that regard. You even picked fights with the upperclassmen who were occupying the playground all by yourself.”

“…I can’t deny that.”

“So, I don’t know if what happened earlier was an accident or intentional, but that girl must have been pretty scary, right? People’s malice is usually a scary thing.”

“…”

Scary. That was a feeling I had never experienced before. I was angry and frustrated at losing, but I didn’t feel scared at all.

“Well, I was happy that Ochiha-kun enjoyed my lunch!”

“…When you put it that way, it makes me sound like a really insensitive person, so please don’t say that…”

“Hehe. Just kidding, just kidding.”

Koga closed her lunch box with a cheerful laugh. Koga’s lunch box was quite large, but before I knew it, it was empty. …I guess I was thinking about something while eating it all up.

“Ochiha-kun.”

“Huh? What?”

Koga called me, and I looked at her. It was a bit sweaty despite the shade. Koga-san smiled with her usual carefree expression and then… hugged me.

“Hey, Koga-san! What are you doing all of a sudden?”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? There’s no one around right now. Besides, this is also part of preparing for fairness.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying…”

Not knowing what to do, I peered into Koga-san’s face. The soft feel of her skin was something I couldn’t get used to no matter how many times I touched it.

Koga-san buried her face in my chest and said,

“You made a promise with that girl, right? If you won, you’d give her a hug.”

“…Wait, were you listening, Koga-san?”

“Well, you know, I have ears like a bat.”

“That’s a bit too much, even for hell…”

I thought we were alone at the time, but when did Koga get so close? This girl is really unpredictable.

“But unfortunately, I couldn’t keep my promise. We lost the race.”

“No, that’s not it. There’s no rule that says you can only make one promise.”

“Well…”

“I broke my promise to Ochiha-kun in the past. But Ochiha-kun made a new promise with me, didn’t he? To do fun things together. It’s the same thing.”

“…”

That’s certainly true. I was thinking about unnecessary things and didn’t realize that.

“Phew, fully charged!”

Koga let go of my hand. Even though it was so hot, I felt a little sad to let go of her warm hand.

“Ochiha-kun, you’re going to participate in the class relay race, right?”

“…Koga, you really know everything.”

“My dream for the future is to be a bride or a spy.”

“Those are two extreme choices.”

I stand up and put on my shoes. It’s time for me to go too. Thanks to Koga-san, I can see what I need to do.

“Koga-san, thanks for lunch. I’ll be going now.”

“Okay. Next time, show me something cool, okay?”

I raise one hand in response to Koga-san’s words and start running toward Sakaki-san.
　

Maiban

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