Lunch Together
“H-Hey, Shuhei-kun? Um, so, I mean, only if you're okay with it, but… I was wondering if maybe I could make you a bento for the sports festival? N-Not that it means anything weird, okay? It’s just, you’ve helped me out a lot, like with those delinquents, and during the school festival with the guitar thing, and just… in general, you know? So I thought maybe it was time I said thank you. I’ve kind of been thinking about it for a while, actually. N-Not that there’s any deeper meaning behind it or anything! So… what do you think?”
That’s what Hasumin said to me—rapid-fire and flustered—a little before the sports festival.
“Wait, seriously? I mean, I’d love that, but… wouldn’t it be a lot of trouble for you to make two lunches? Guys usually eat way more than girls, and depending on how much you usually make for yourself, it might end up being like four or five Hasumin-sized portions.”
To be honest, it was such a kind offer, I had absolutely no reason to turn it down.
I mean, she said it was a thank-you gift. Refusing something like that would almost make me look like the rude one.
Still, it did cross my mind—boys eat a lot when they’re growing, and making that much food must be a pain.
“Y-You’re really happy about it…?”
“Of course! I mean, if a cute girl like you makes a guy a homemade lunch, what guy wouldn’t be thrilled?”
“R-Really? Then… look forward to it, okay? It’s a promise!”
“Definitely. I’ll be counting the days.”
——That was the exchange we had.
(Eating a handmade lunch with a girl at the sports festival… If someone told my gloomy, introverted past self this would happen, I wouldn’t have believed them. This really is the sparkling high school life I’d only dreamed of.)
Hasumin and I returned to the school field carrying a leisure sheet, and after finding an empty spot, we spread it out and sat down to eat.
“Oh, karaage bento? Looks amazing.”
“Um… I heard boys really like fried chicken, so…”
“They do. I do. I could eat this stuff forever. The mini hamburgers, the sausages, even the potato salad—they all look great. Alright, let’s dig in… Mmm. This is seriously good.”
“I’m so glad…”
To be honest, back when I was a Hero in the other world, I’d often end up camping with Riena, so eating food made by a girl—by her—wasn’t exactly a rare experience.
But Riena’s cooking skills leaned more toward:
—Simple tricks to make bland travel rations slightly more palatable.
—Fire-free cooking methods.
—Survival techniques for removing bitterness from wild herbs to make them just barely edible.
—How to tell which mushrooms are safe to eat.
Basically, all of it was practical knowledge meant to support our journey—niche survival skills, not culinary ones.
So this—the experience of being served a delicious, lovingly made homemade lunch by a girl—was actually a first for me.
“This is seriously amazing. Huh? This piece tastes different… Wait—is that yuzu pepper? Don’t tell me… did you season the fried chicken with a few different marinades?”
“Oh, um, yeah. I thought it might be more fun to eat if the flavor changed every few bites.”
“Are you kidding? That’s incredibly thoughtful. Must’ve taken a lot of effort.”
“N-Not really… I just wanted to make something you’d really enjoy, Shuhei-kun.”
“Well, you nailed it. Oh—this one’s plum-flavored? I’ve never had karaage like this before. Everything’s delicious.”
“That one’s marinated in ume vinegar. It’s hot today, and we’re all moving around a lot, right? So I figured something light and refreshing might go down easier.”
“You really thought of everything… Thanks, Hasumin. Honestly, this is the best meal I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Geez… flattery won’t get you anything, you know?”
“I’m not flattering you. I mean it. Thanks to you, I’m all fired up for the Swedish relay this afternoon.”
“If it made you that happy, then I’m really glad. I worked hard on it, so… it was totally worth it. Ehehe.”
As I ate, I shared my impressions and my thanks with her—savoring every bite of Hasumin’s carefully crafted, delicious karaage bento to my heart’s content.