I Reincarnated as the Villain of an NTR Game, But I Don't Want to Make the Main Heroine Unhappy so I'll Live Earnestly - Chapter 156-157

Chapter 156: Getting Ready to Cheer (Masato & Saeki’s Perspective)

A few days later, on Friday evening.

I stopped by the supermarket near the station on my way home from school. The reason, of course, was to buy ingredients for the lunch I was making tomorrow.

(It’s been a while since I made lunch, so I’m kind of excited!)

With that feeling, I began my shopping, feeling very thrilled.

Before my reincarnation, I would occasionally make lunch, but since coming here, I hadn’t made one yet. So, the idea of making lunch again after a long time was lifting my spirits.

Besides, this time, I wasn’t making the lunch for myself but for Yukimura. Of course, making lunch for someone important gets you more motivated. I even asked Yukimura beforehand for a request on what she wanted for her lunch.

So, I recalled the request Yukimura had made a while ago. Hmm, if I remember correctly, she wanted…

“U-Um…well…maybe…after all…something with meat, I guess.”

Yeah, Yukimura said she wanted a meat dish. Alright, that settles it—I’ll make that the main dish for her lunch!

“Okay, so I’ll need this, and this…Oh! Since it’s a special occasion, maybe I’ll make this for her too!”

Excited, I grabbed one ingredient after another and tossed them into the shopping basket. But as expected…

“Uh-oh…I think I overfilled the basket…”

Caught up in the excitement of making lunch after so long, I kept adding ingredients to the basket. But, oh well. It’s a fun event, so I should enjoy it too!

(Alright, time to check out quickly!)

Without removing any of the ingredients, I paid and left the supermarket. Now, with these ingredients, I’m going to make Yukimura a delicious lunch!

“Oh, right. I should probably remind Yukimura about tomorrow.”

Worried that she might forget about the lunch, I immediately pulled out my phone and sent her a message.

—Masato: I’ll bring the lunch tomorrow. Don’t forget, okay?
—Masato: Ping (A stamp of a bowing cat)

“That should do it.”

I sent the message to Yukimura along with a stamp I bought for the first time.

A while back, Yukimura had told me, “You always send such plain messages.” So today, I decided to use the stamp function for the first time. But…

(Hmm…maybe the stamp I picked is a bit too cute for a guy like me…)

Since Yukimura always used cute stamps, I thought I’d try using the same style. But this one might be a bit too cute, considering I used to be a rebellious type. Oh well, no big deal.

Ping

While I was thinking that, a notification rang on my phone

—Saeki: Of course, I remember. I’m looking forward to the lunch you make.
—Saeki: Ping (A stamp of a hungry panda)

Yukimura replied with a happy message on LIME. Haha, I’m honored that she’s looking forward to it.

“Alright! I’ll do my best tomorrow for Yukimura!”

With renewed determination, I headed home.

—

(Saeki’s Perspective)

That evening.

“Good work, Saeki!”

“Yeah, good work, Yukiko.”

I had tennis practice until just a little while ago. Now that practice was over, I was in the changing room with Yukiko, getting dressed.

“Tomorrow’s the practice match, so we’ve got to do our best! Oh, by the way, how about we have lunch together tomorrow?”

“Huh? Oh, um…sorry. I already have plans to eat with some other friends.”

“Oh, really? Got it. Then I’ll eat with someone else tomorrow!”

“Okay, sounds good. Huh?”

Ping

Just as I was chatting with Yukiko, my phone suddenly buzzed. It looked like someone sent me a message.

When I opened it, I saw it was from Kuzuhara.

—Masato: I’ll bring the lunch tomorrow. Don’t forget, okay?
—Masato: Ping (A stamp of a bowing cat)

“…Hehe.”

As usual, Kuzuhara’s message was simple, but today, for the first time, he also sent a stamp. It was a cute, deformed cat stamp.

And the stamp he sent was from the same cute animal series I always use. Maybe Kuzuhara saw me using it and decided to buy the same one.

(Hehe, who would’ve thought that the scary, delinquent-looking Kuzuhara would use such a cute stamp…It’s kind of adorable.)

I couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected cuteness of Kuzuhara’s behavior.

And that cute side of him…Yeah, that’s another reason I like Kuzuhara, with all those surprising traits.

“What’s up, Saeki? Your face is a bit red.”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing!”

“Really? Well, if you say so.”

Yukiko looked at me suspiciously, but I quickly brushed it off. Then, I hurriedly sent a reply to Kuzuhara on LIME.

—Saeki: Of course, I remember. I’m looking forward to the lunch you make.
—Saeki: Ping (A stamp of a hungry panda)

(That should do it.)

After sending the message, I closed my phone.

Ever since I started recognizing my feelings for Kuzuhara, I feel like I’m growing more and more fond of him every day.

(Which is why…Yeah, that’s why tomorrow…I have to tell Kuzuhara how I really feel…)

With that determination, I eagerly looked forward to seeing Kuzuhara tomorrow.

—

Chapter 157: Going to Cheer for Yukimura

The next day, Saturday.

Today is the day of the girls’ tennis team practice match.

“Alright, let’s get cooking!”

So, I woke up early to prepare the side dishes for the lunchbox. Right now, I’m in the middle of mixing the ingredients for the main dish.

“It’s been a really long time since I made a lunchbox. This is the first time I’ve done it since coming to this world.”

Since I came to this world, I’ve mostly been eating convenience store pastries or deli bread for lunch. After all, waking up early to make your own lunch can be a hassle.

But today, I’m making lunch not for myself, but for Yukimura. There’s no way this could be a hassle. In fact, the fun of it is bound to outweigh everything else.

“Alright, the ingredients are mixed, so let’s start cooking!”

With that, I began frying the main dish for the lunchbox in a pan. Then, I carefully prepared the rest of the side dishes one by one.

Before long…

“Alright, done!”

I carefully packed the colorful side dishes into the lunchbox. Even if I say so myself, it looked pretty delicious.

“Haha, I hope she likes it.”

Imagining Yukimura, who is always doing her best, I couldn’t help but smile as I muttered those words.

I then placed the lunchbox I made for Yukimura into a thermal bag and quickly got ready to head to school.

◇◇◇◇

A few hours later.

I arrived at school to cheer for Yukimura and the girls’ tennis team. Since it’s a Saturday off, I decided to wear my uniform.

“Oh, the match has already started. The atmosphere is great too.”

As I moved towards the tennis courts, the practice match with another school had already begun. The energy was high, and it was very intense.

There were also other students’ friends and families here cheering, so even though I was a male student, it didn’t feel out of place for me to be there. That was a relief.

(Alright, I’ll cheer just like the other students around here.)

Even though it’s a practice match, it’s still a match, so I didn’t want to get too close and distract the players.

So, I decided to cheer quietly from outside the court fence, just like the other students.

“Okay, now where’s Yukimura…Oh, there she is!”

I spotted Yukimura wearing her tennis outfit, doing some thorough warm-up exercises on the far side of the court.

She was stretching and doing a light run to warm up.

I was so used to seeing Yukimura sitting at her desk, studying seriously, that seeing her now, as a tennis player warming up, felt really fresh. And also…

(Yup, Yukimura really is a sporty girl. And her waist is so slim…Wait, what am I thinking!?)

I caught glimpses of her slender waist from her tennis outfit and couldn’t help but have those thoughts.

But thinking that way is definitely crossing the line, so I need to be careful not to stare too much at Yukimura’s bare skin…

“Ah, look! There’s Sakaki-senpai over there!”

“Huh? Oh, you’re right! She looks so beautiful today too!”

“Totally! I wish I could be as cute as her!”

(…Huh?)

The students near me suddenly started talking like that. It seemed like this famous Sakaki-senpai was currently playing a match.

(If I remember correctly…Sakaki-senpai is the one who’s supposed to be as cute as a TV idol, right?)

I think Kuroki mentioned something like that to me a while ago. So, I got a little curious about just how cute this Sakaki-senpai really was.

Since it’s a rare opportunity, I decided to take a look at her too.

(Alright, let’s see…Whoa, seriously!?)

When I looked over to where the students were pointing, I saw a truly idol-level cute girl holding a racket and playing in a match. That must be the famous Sakaki-senpai…!

(No, seriously, she’s incredible…She looks like she could really be in showbiz or something. She’s so cute!)

I couldn’t help but keep staring at Sakaki-senpai, as those were the kinds of thoughts running through my head. She was just that cute.

But then, realizing that staring at an unfamiliar girl was definitely not okay, I quickly averted my gaze. However, at that moment…

“Ah…”

“……”

When I turned my gaze, there was Yukimura, standing with a sullen expression. Judging by her stare, it seemed she had been watching me the entire time.

Which meant…Yukimura had seen me looking at Sakaki-senpai. That’s why she was glaring at me with such sharp eyes…

“Ah, haha…”

“……”

It was a situation where I had no excuses, but for now, I gave her a sheepish smile and waved at her.

“Hmph.”

Yukimura turned her face away from me. But…

—She waved.

Even though she turned away, she waved back at me. Ah, thank goodness…It seems she wasn’t really angry.

After that, I focused entirely on cheering for Yukimura with all my might.

◇◇◇◇

A few hours later, it was finally lunchtime.

The other team members were also taking a lunch break, either eating with friends and family or among themselves. Everyone was relaxing and enjoying their break.

Of course, I had made plans to eat lunch with Yukimura. So, she quickly came over to me, but…

“You…were staring at Sakaki-senpai, weren’t you?”

“Uh…wait, what? Well, yeah, I did look at her, but I wasn’t staring that much…”

Yukimura approached me, but immediately spoke with those accusing eyes. Maybe she was a little angry after all.

“Hmph. I wonder about that. You must have been really happy to see such a beautiful senpai up close, right?”

“N-no, I wasn’t…well, okay, I won’t lie. I was a little impressed.”

To be honest, it was the first time I’d seen such an idol-like aura from a girl in real life, and my eyes were naturally drawn to her. So, I admitted it honestly.

“See, I knew it. Hmph, so I guess you were staring at Sakaki-senpai even during my match, right?”

“No, I wasn’t! I only looked at her for a moment. During the match, I was watching you the whole time!”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you’re the girl I like, and you were doing your best out there. Of course, I was going to cheer for you with all my heart! So, really, congratulations. I’m so glad you won your match.”

“Oh, um…t-thanks. It was close, but I’m glad I managed to win.”

So, I praised Yukimura for her efforts during the match and made sure she knew I had been seriously cheering for her.

Yukimura’s sullen expression turned into a happy smile. Yeah, her smile really is the best.

“Alright, lunchtime is limited, so let’s dig in. Here’s the lunch I made for you.”

“Oh, um, thanks…hehe…”

“Hm? What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I was just thinking that this is the first time I’ve ever received a lunchbox from someone other than my family. And it’s also the first time I don’t know what’s inside the lunchbox, so I’m kind of excited.”

“Ah, I see. Not knowing what’s inside could be pretty exciting. Haha, then someday, you can make me a lunchbox too. I want to experience that kind of excitement.”

“Eh!? N-no, well…you know I’m not good at cooking. So maybe that’s not such a good idea…”

“Even so, I’d still want to eat it. So…make one for me someday, okay?”

“Uh…w-well, if you insist…maybe someday…”

Yukimura replied, her face slightly red.

(Someday, I want to try Yukimura’s homemade lunch, just like in the game.)

Remembering that heartwarming event scene, I dreamed of the day that promise would be fulfilled, as we sat down to eat lunch together.