Do You Like Romantic-Comedy Protagonists? - Chapter 21: Do You Like Suda Toki? 1

Chapter 21: Do You Like Suda Toki? 1

A few days after Akaishi and Hachiya parted at the station, school started again as usual.

“Alright, sit down, you lot~ Morning homeroom’s starting~”

Their homeroom teacher, Kanna, entered the classroom listlessly, and another unchanged day began.

Hachiya sat at her desk, fidgeting and stealing glances at Akaishi.

Akaishi, as usual, was flipping through a classical Japanese vocab book, not talking to anyone, leaving Hachiya unable to find a moment to speak.

“What’s with him…”

Hachiya muttered softly under her breath.

She was growing irritated and anxious about Akaishi.

※

Morning homeroom with Kanna ended, and first period was about to begin.

“That’s it for homeroom~ First period’s English, so we’ll keep going~ Get your English textbooks ready~ Let’s get through another annoying day together~”

“Don’t say stuff that’ll corrupt the students, Miho-nee! You’re supposed to be a teacher!”

“Hey, Sousuke, don’t call me Miho-nee at school~”

“You brought it on yourself!”

Sakurai raised his voice in response to Kanna’s unmotivated remark.

In the classroom, filled only with the rustle of textbooks, his voice suddenly carried.

“Damn it… Why’s Sakurai the only one who knows all these gorgeous girls!”

“Even Kanna-sensei’s close to him? What’s with that guy!”

“Ugh!”

Since Sakurai was seated far from Kanna’s podium, his voice echoed through the room.

Classmates envied and grumbled about Sakurai’s connections with glamorous women.

But Akaishi watched the scene with cold eyes.

Was there any point in correcting Kanna’s comment just now?

Sakurai’s seat was far from the podium, so speaking up meant most of the class would hear their conversation.

Had Sakurai calculated that, engaging in an unnecessary exchange to flaunt his closeness with Kanna, calling her “Miho-nee” and being called “Sousuke”?

The truth was unclear.

But Akaishi could only interpret it that way.

※

Ding-dong-dang-dong.

The bell rang again today.

Pushing the daily chime out of mind, Akaishi glanced at Sakurai and Hachiya.

Fourth period ended, and it was lunch break.

Lunch lasted 50 minutes, a time when a relaxed atmosphere spread among students.

“Sousuke, Sousuke! I made a bento for you today! Eat it!”

“W-What… You made a bento? It’s not gonna be bad, is it?”

“What’re you saying! It’s obviously delicious! Just eat it!”

Hachiya and the other entourage gathered around Sakurai, joined by his friend Kirishima, forming a group of two guys and five girls.

Borrowing nearby desks, the seven sat together in a corner of the classroom.

Hearing Hachiya say she made a bento for Sakurai, Takanashi made a sour face.

“My, Hachiya-san. You’ve got some nerve, ignoring me, the main wife.”

“No one’s dating Sousuke, though.”

Treating Takanashi’s comment as nonsense, Hachiya laughed.

“Wow, Kyouko-chi, you can make bentos~!? Show me, show me~ Wow, cute~!”

“N-No big deal! Arai-san’s bento is nice too!”

“Mine’s nothing special~”

Arai peeked into Hachiya’s bento, openly showing off.

Akaishi idly watched their antics.

He noticed Hachiya called Sakurai “Sousuke” but Takanashi and Arai “Takanashi-san” and “Arai-san.”

Despite their fight-like parting the day before, Akaishi was curious about Hachiya’s progress and quietly observed.

“Come on, eat it, So-u-su-ke!”

“Hey, stop, stop! I’ll eat, I’ll eat, just don’t shove chopsticks at me!”

Hachiya grabbed ginger pork and Sakurai’s shoulder, trying to force-feed him.

Sakurai took his own chopsticks and picked ginger pork from her bento.

“Ah…”

Hachiya blushed when Sakurai suddenly took a piece.

Savoring the pork, he swallowed and said,

“Whoa! It’s actually good, Kyouko! You’ve got some talent! Making a bento alone is impressive!”

“R-Really~? Hehe…”

The bento suited Sakurai’s taste, and he praised it.

Hachiya, red up to her ears, squirmed.

Not alone, though, Akaishi thought to himself.

“Really, it’s good~? Let me try!”

“If it’s that good, I’d like a taste.”

“Kyouko-chan, I wanna try too. Can I?”

“O-Of course!”

Starting with Sakurai’s comment, the entourage jumped in, as if refusing to let Hachiya and Sakurai talk alone.

Looks like her rom-com plan worked, Akaishi noted, watching Hachiya’s triumph before leaving the classroom with his bento.

Hachiya, chatting noisily with Sakurai, glanced at Akaishi’s back as he left.

Sakurai watched Hachiya with narrowed eyes.

※

“Hey, you’re late, Yuu! Lunch break’s gonna end!”

“Sorry, sorry. Got caught up admiring some flowers.”

“Hah… Flowers? Pfft, didn’t know you were that type!”

Akaishi, from second-year class two, arrived at his friend’s class four.

Tanned, embodying health itself, was Suda Toki.

A swimmer with a toned body, muscles balanced across his frame, tall with short hair, and a friendly, rugged charm, Suda was everything a friend could be.

The quintessential handsome guy, he was the swim team’s ace.

“Let’s hit our usual spot!”

“Yeah.”

Akaishi and Suda raced down the stairs.

“Hey, Yuu, slow down! I’ve got soup in my bento! I can’t go fast!”

“Use your swim team skills to move fast without spilling! Looks like I’m better at that!”

“Get back here!”

Laughing, Akaishi and Suda dashed down the stairs.

They’d been friends since kindergarten.

Reaching the entrance, they changed shoes and went to a courtyard with cherry trees.

“April’s cherry blossom season, huh~”

“Stating the obvious.”

All the chairs near the trees were taken, so they found a spot to sit.

In April, students gathered here, enjoying the cherry blossoms.

Since their first year, Akaishi and Suda ate here together, in the shade during hot days and with hand warmers in cold ones.

Akaishi could’ve eaten in Suda’s classroom, but he lacked the nerve to linger in another class.