About the Cool Beauty in My Class Declaring She Won’t Eat Anything Except My Bento - 17-18

Chapter 17: The Cheerful Child

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With my conversation with Aoi-san as a trigger, I ended up remembering things from long ago.

“Everyone! Let’s decide what to do on the next sports day!”

I was a cheerful child. The kind who was at the center of the class, pulling everyone along. Ever since I was little, I was a child who loved to stand at the front. Because of that, I believed it was my mission to lead.

“Sumika-chan is seriously so cute!”

“Hey, hey, what kind of skincare routine do you have!?”

From the time I was in elementary school, I never neglected the effort to become cute and beautiful. From the day my mother first taught me, I didn’t slack off even once. I did my skincare meticulously every day and worked hard at exercising to maintain my figure. There were many days when I thought it was tough, but I believed that there was nothing to lose by polishing myself.

“Hey! I don’t get this part at all!”

It was the same with studying. By the time I graduated elementary school, I had finished almost all of the middle school curriculum. I thought that looks and athletics weren’t enough. I thought I had to become the kind of person who anyone and everyone could rely on for anything.

If you look at it that way, perhaps I didn’t have any time for myself. But it wasn’t that it was painful. Rather, I was incredibly happy to become a person recognized by everyone. For that sake, I didn’t even mind how much effort I had to put in. 

A woman of wit and beauty. A graceful figure. Excellence in both literary and military arts. I believe those words became my descriptors shortly after I entered middle school.

“Hey, Sumika-chan! Listen to this!”

“Ayano-san, can you help me with this?”

“You’re amazing… I really respect you.”

That effort bore fruit. Friends… seniors, juniors, and even teachers. I think I could say with pride that I was a person loved by everyone.

“I like you. Please go out with me!”

It seemed inevitable that such love would turn into romance.

Around the time I entered my second year of middle school. The number of confessions I received from boys increased. Classmates, seniors from club activities, and even same-year students whose faces I didn’t know. I was happy that people liked me. There was no way I could feel bad being the recipient of someone’s affection.

But… I felt as though everyone was only looking at the superficial “Sumika Ayano.” No, in reality, that was the case. Their gazes and attitudes… they likely didn’t realize it, but everything was transparent to me, and it made me feel sick.

Therefore, I turned them all down.

I did feel sorry. I couldn’t exactly explain a reason like that to them. Even so, they seemed to know that I kept turning down confessions, so they tried to accept it immediately, saying things like “I see” or “Please stay my friend.”

That made me happy, and yet it was painful. Still, I couldn’t nod. However, it seemed that this tightened their hearts more than I had imagined.

“…It’s because Sumika is here.”

“Because of you, I got dumped by xxx!”

“Just date at least one of them. Stop causing trouble for the rest of us.”

I learned of this from the girls I had believed were my close friends. Since I was liked by many men, there was no way all of them would just give up with my “I’m sorry.” That could also be phrased as: there were few men who had feelings for girls other than me. In the end, anything I said was useless. The effort I had put in only served to fuel the anger of the female students. I was distanced, hated, and shut out by all the friends I had trusted.

But… I didn’t think anyone was to blame. My friends, the male students who confessed to me, and even I myself were not in the wrong. I believed with absolute certainty that this much was true. Precisely because I believed that, I became afraid of associating with people.

I finished a middle school life where I didn’t feel alive. I insisted on being allowed to attend a private high school several prefectures away. This time, I was the one who built a wall against others.

The only thing I hated was the idea of stopping my self-improvement. But I also hated the idea of that causing my human relationships to turn for the worst again. Though it was embarrassing, it couldn’t be helped that I came to be called the “cool beauty.”

That was my high school life. That was me… “Sumika Ayano.”

“This is my place, so stop by on your way home. I only have leftovers, but I’ll share some with you.”

Sota Kirihara-san stepped into my frozen heart with his shoes still on. While everyone at high school also saw only my superficial self, he looked at me as a single girl… no, as a human being, and reached out his hand to me in his blunt way. That treatment, like that of an “ordinary friend,” soaked deep into my heart and felt warm.

“I’ve always loved Shu-kun.”

Aoi-san was honest with her feelings to the very end. She was the complete opposite of the middle school me, and she shone brilliantly. I think she was a star of hope for me.

(That is why… I, too, must face what my feelings toward Kirihara-san are. I feel as though… it’s okay for me to face them now…)

(..In order to understand this emotion.)

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Chapter 18: The Sports Festival Begins and Bento Time

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“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen you with your hair styled, Sota-kun, but you really give off a completely different impression.”

We finally arrived at school. Since there was a little time left before the start of the sports festival, we were huddled together under the pretext of being people with seats near one another. Ordinarily, even now, we had no involvement beyond greetings. Ayano’s stance of not getting deeply involved with anyone remained entirely unchanged, and at school, I was the same way.

Besides, just being with Ayano drew the eyes of the entire class. Shu and Kurumi were fine thanks to their naturally sociable personalities, but the looks directed at me were filled with more than a fair share of envy… Well, I guess it couldn’t be helped.

“I feel… kind of restless.”

“Rest assured. You’re more of a heartthrob than usual.”

“You look so cool!”

“No, you guys are the ones who did this for me, so I wasn’t worried about that part.”

My hair was arranged into a see-through center part right around the inner corners of my eyes. It had been a while since I’d used hairspray to hold it firmly in place, and I couldn’t quite get used to my vision being so clear.

“Oh my, look at you, actually being able to express your feelings honestly!”

“Big brother is so moved…!”

“Who are you supposed to be? That’s creepy.”

“But really, it suits you very well.”

“That… thanks.”

“Don’t be shy now!”

“Shut up.”

Whenever Ayano praised me, I lost my composure. I was happy, of course, but unlike when it came from Shu or Kurumi, it made me feel embarrassed.

“Is anyone doing an event during the morning session?”

“I think it’s just me.”

As if suddenly remembering it, she tossed the question out. The schedule for the Kiritani High sports festival was set up so that many events took place in the morning, followed by a lunch break, and then popular events like the relays served as the grand finale.

The three of them besides me were in the mixed-gender relay, and Shu and Kurumi were also scheduled to appear in the block-versus-block relay. Both of those were events for the afternoon session.

“Struggle to your heart’s content, young man.”

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“We’re looking forward to your lunch too.”

“At least cheer for me.”

Ayano chuckled at Shu’s non-stop antics. Just then, the chime rang, and we headed toward the field.

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“A sports festival is a wonderful thing. Even without participating, there is a certain charm just in watching…”

It was lunch break after the morning session ended. The four of us brought our chairs together to huddle around Shu’s desk.

“Seriously, who are you? Also, don’t use words like ‘charm.'”

“I see, I see. So you’re the type who just wants to use cool-sounding words.”

“Kurumi, you don’t need to imitate the ‘Hero of Literature’ from class.”

“Um, well…”

“Ayano, you don’t have to force yourself to play the straight man.”

“Hey, aren’t you being way too soft only toward Ayano-san?”

“Down with gender discrimination!”

“Kurumi, you’re a girl too… It’s just that Shu and Kurumi are fooling around way too much.”

Tiring of playing the straight man to their jokes, I took my lunch box out of my bag. The sight of the three of them spreading out lunches with the same contents—except for the portion sizes—on their desks was quite amusing. I wondered if parents felt this way too.

“Whoa, seeing it again, this looks way too delicious. I’ve had a piece here and there before, but this is the first time I’m eating a full meal… though I guess Ayano-san is different.”

“This is a total first-time reveal for me… though Su-chan is different.”

“…Please don’t go out of your way to say that. I mean, yes, I have received plenty of them, but still.”

Once the target of the teasing shifted away from me, Ayano confirmed it in a slightly sulky tone.

The fact that her expression didn’t change much was probably because we were at school, but since I knew the emotionally expressive Ayano, it felt a little lacking. Even if I thought that, there was nothing to be done about it.

“Well then, let’s dive in… Let’s eat.”

After dutifully putting his hands together, he picked up a piece of fried chicken with his chopsticks. It was packed in to the maximum size that would fit in the box. It had a slightly bold flavor, seasoned with soy sauce and garlic. Like me, Shu preferred rich flavors, so these were made specifically for him. When I asked him over the phone, he said, “I want to eat that!” If he wanted to eat it that badly, then I was happy to provide.

Even for Shu, the piece of meat was too big to fit in one bite, and he bit into it. After tearing a piece off and chewing… Shu’s eyes sparkled in a very obvious way.

“…………So good.”

“Don’t say it so soulfully. But thanks.”

That made me much happier than him shouting it in an exaggerated way. To avoid looking embarrassed, I fired back with a blunt remark.

“I’m digging in too!”

Kurumi started with the potato salad. Since it was a dish with Ayano’s seal of approval, I felt confident she would enjoy it, and then—

“Wait, this is delicious… Sota-kun, are you a pro?”

“Don’t underestimate the pros. But Ayano told me it was good too, so I had confidence in it.”

“That’s so cute.”

“Even if it’s you, Kurumi, I’m capable of throwing one punch.”

“That’s scary, and I literally just learned that first-hand this morning! But this really is delicious!”

Keeping their comments brief, the two of them continued to eat heartily.

(This really makes the effort of cooking worthwhile.)

“I’m glad, Kirihara-san.”

“Hm? About what?”

“You have a very happy look on your face.”

For a brief moment, Ayano wore the gentle smile she usually showed at home. When I lightly touched my own face, I did feel like the corners of my mouth were turned up. I opened my mouth to say, “It’s just your imagination,” but I closed it before the air could even vibrate.

“..Yeah, I’m really happy.”

By the time I realized it, I had thrown my honest feelings into a whirlpool of happiness. Ahead of me were Shu and Kurumi, and when our eyes met…

“Look at you being all honest and cute!”

“Whoa, you like us way too much.”

“Shut up…”

They teased me with smirks. I knew they were just making sure I didn’t suffer in silent embarrassment, so I didn’t say anything more. While we were spending that happy time together…

“Is this the infamous ‘Kirihara Lunch’ everyone’s talking about?”

Several boys from the class approached and peered over. They were people I had hardly ever spoken to. Ayano’s expression shifted in an instant, returning to her usual blank look.

“Whoa! Everyone has the same thing! Does that mean you made all of these?”

“Amazing, so it wasn’t a lie! Is it also true that Ayano-san eats these all the time?”

“Yep, yep! Sota made all of them for us!”

Giving me a brief glance, Shu joined the boys’ conversation in his usual tone. Kurumi joined in after him. On the surface, it was just ordinary small talk. However, the glance Shu gave me was a sharp one.

A slightly unpleasant atmosphere could be felt in their words along with a certain pushiness as they tried to drag Ayano into the conversation. To be honest, their intentions were transparent.

“Hey Ayano-san, let me have a little too!”

“Whoa there. This is ours. We’re definitely not giving any away!”

“Hehe… we had to bow our heads properly to get these.”

“No way~”

I felt the intention from Shu and Kurumi to subtly keep them from getting close to Ayano and to try and drive them away. However, in the midst of that─

“Ayano-san, if it’s just a bento box like that, I can make it too. So why don’t you have some of mine next time?”

Those were the words of one male student who took a step forward. Unable to stop him, Shu and Kurumi started to speak up to decline while making a joke of it, but—

“Just like that, you say?”

They were cut off by the voice of the “Cool Beauty” who had turned freezing cold. It was a voice I was hearing for the first time. But, I knew immediately.

(Ah, she’s pissed.)

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