Even Today, the Genius High School Programmer Cashes In on Day Trades, Completely Flustered by Beautiful Girls' Growing Affection. - Chapter 9: “Would You Let Me Make You a Bento?”

“Would You Let Me Make You a Bento?”

“Since we’re in the same year, you can drop the polite speech.”

“Yes.”

“That’s still polite.”

“Huh? Oh—right. Got it. Looking forward to getting along from now on too, Ooyama…-kun?”

“Yeah.”

I’d become friends with a beauty.

The old me could never have imagined it.

“You three are pretty close, huh?”

“Yeah. Hina and I have been together since middle school. Now Aoi and Hina are in the same class, so that’s how the three of us got tight.”

So Sakuraba was the only one in a different class.

“You always eat bread for lunch, Ooyama-kun?”

“Hm? Pretty much. No mom at home, so yeah.”

“No mom? Hina’s the opposite—Papa’s the one who’s gone.”

Yamano jumped in.

“Your mom… passed away?”

“Aoi-chan.”

Shingo quickly tried to stop her.

No, it’s really not that big a deal.

“She ran off with another guy when I was in second year of middle school.”

For a single instant the air froze solid.

Yeah… I screwed up.

“Sorry. Just forget I said anything.”

“Ah—well, at Hina’s place, Papa made a mistress outside and got kicked out by Mama. Pretty common story, right~?”

Yamano smoothly picked up the thread, reading the room perfectly.

This girl… might actually be a decent person.

“A-Anyway, what kind of sandwich is that?”

Sakuraba forcefully changed the subject.

“Hm? Vegemite sandwich.”

“Eww, the one with those rabbit-poop-looking bits in it?”

“I’m about to eat it, you know.”

Vegemite is technically food.

Everyone in the UK and Oceania, I apologize on her behalf.

“I got to the store late today. This was the only thing left.”

“Hmm. In that case… how about starting tomorrow, Yukina makes bentos for Ooyama-kun?”

“Huh?”

Sakuraba’s head snapped up, caught completely off guard.

“I mean, you already make bentos for yourself and your little sister every day, right? Adding one more person isn’t going to change much~”

Yamano grinned wickedly.

Ryuusenji muttered something like “Hina, nice assist.”

“Eh? But…”

Sakuraba hesitated.

“Hold on. I really don’t think I did anything worth all this. If you go that far, it’s going to throw off the balance.”

“B-But…”

She turned those tawny eyes straight toward me.

“But… if it’s not too much trouble… would you let me make you a bento?”

“Look, I said—”

“I really want to thank you properly. And it’s all simple stuff anyway—like Hina said, two or three people doesn’t make any difference.”

I glanced down at her bento.

Neatly rolled tamagoyaki, sausages.

Stir-fried paprika and broccoli for color.

Bite-sized pieces of napolitan spaghetti, vibrant and appetizing.

“That doesn’t look very ‘simple’ to me…”

“Kousuke, why not just accept Sakuraba-san’s kindness this once?”

The handsome guy cut in.

Those beautiful tawny eyes were still fixed on me, quietly waiting for my answer.

I couldn’t hold up under that gaze.

“…Then… just this once. Would that be okay?”

Her eyes widened for a split second—then bloomed into a radiant, full-faced smile.

“Yes!!” she answered, nodding vigorously.

Was this really okay…?

A faint twinge of guilt stirred in my chest.