Chapter 11 – I’m Envious of Whoever Marries You

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Th-thanks for the meal.”

When I put my hands together and said that, Yui hurriedly followed along in a nervous manner, putting her hands together as well.

“Mine’s from the cafeteria, but who made your bento? Your mom?”

“I-I made it myself. I have a younger sister, so I made hers too.”

…If Yui’s in middle school, wouldn’t her sister be in elementary school? …Wait, but elementary schoolers don’t need bentos, so maybe she has a sister who’s a first-year here?

If that’s the case, then I guess it makes sense.

“You made it yourself? That’s amazing. And your sister’s too.”

“I-it’s not a big deal. It’s totally normal.”

Blushing, Yui denied it.

“That’s not true at all. I’m honestly envious of whoever gets to marry someone like you who can cook like this in the morning.”

“I-I didn’t make everything in the morning, so i-it’s not like that, but d-do you really think so?”

“Yeah. Of course I do.”

After hearing my words, Yui’s face turned even redder and she looked down.

Mana’s obviously cute too, but Yui really is cute in a completely different way.

I thought this when I first talked to her this morning too, but the gap between her edgy appearance and how incredibly shy she is makes her cuteness multiply several times over.

“Thanks for the meal.”

While using Yui as eye candy, I finished eating the food I’d brought from the cafeteria and put my hands together.

I could’ve asked Yui something like “Can I have a bite of that?” but she seemed so embarrassed that I figured I’d skip it for today at least.

Making her even more embarrassed to the point where she couldn’t finish eating lunch during this period would just be mean.

“Th-thanks for the meal.”

While I was thinking about that, it seemed like Yui had finished her bento, because I heard her voice.

At the same time, the bell rang.

Oh yeah, I’m glad I didn’t ask for a bite. We were already cutting it this close, so if I’d said something like that, she definitely wouldn’t have finished in time.

“What am I supposed to do with these dishes when I’m done?”

Normally I should probably know this, but I don’t know what I don’t know, so I asked.

If only my memories weren’t so hazy, I probably would’ve known, I thought.

“Normally people eat at the cafeteria, so you just return them there. …D-do you want me to go return it for you?”

“…No, I’ll just take the thought. I’m the one who ate it, after all.”

“O-oh, okay.”

“Yeah. But thanks anyway.”

“I-it’s nothing.”

After that exchange, the bell had already rung and lunch break was over, so I stood up with the dishes.

“I’ll go return these then.”

“O-okay. Be careful.”

And with just those words to Yui, I left the classroom.

Chapter 12 – Now That I Think About It, That Makes Sense

After returning the dishes to the cafeteria, I came back to the classroom without incident.

Maybe because lunch break is short at this middle school, Mana hadn’t come to the classroom either.

She said she’d come every break, so I thought she would, but well, the bell’s about to ring anyway, so whatever.

“Oh, welcome back, Yuuto-kun.”

“…I’m back. …It’s kind of like we’re a married couple, huh?”

“Huh? M-married couple… hehe.”

She was acting normal when I came back, but the moment she heard my words, Yui’s face turned bright red again and she gave off this happy vibe.

So cute… I was thinking that when the bell rang.

After that, I just attended classes normally, and then it was after school.

…When I think about how I have a date with Mana now, I’m getting a little nervous.

【Should we meet at the school gate?】

I sent Mana that message.

Just because I’m nervous doesn’t mean I can break my promise, and I want to go on a date with Mana too.

【Got it. Of course that’s fine! I’ll be waiting!】

【I’ll be right there.】

After that exchange, I stood up from my seat to head to the meeting spot.

“Yui, see you tomorrow.”

“O-okay. See you tomorrow.”

And so, after saying just that to Yui, I was about to leave the classroom when I realized something.

Wait—I haven’t exchanged contact info with Yui yet.

“Oh, Yui, do you want to exchange contact info?”

“Huh? Y-yeah, o-of course that’s fine, but I don’t have my phone with me right now…”

“Huh? You don’t?”

“…Yeah. I tried not to look, but you’re not actually supposed to bring phones to this school, you know?”

Seriously?

Wait, but now that I think about it, that makes sense.

I’m still in middle school. Of course I wouldn’t be allowed to bring a phone.

Yeah. So then why does Mana have her phone? Because Mana has hers, I just assumed it was fine.

“Um, can you keep this a secret from now on too?”

To be honest, I’m a modern person. I can’t stand not having my phone nearby even just during school hours, and I plan to keep bringing it normally.

Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m a guy that I’m getting special treatment in that regard.

I’ve been messing with my phone quite a bit, and it’s impossible that only Yui noticed.

“Y-yeah. Of course.”

“Then here’s my contact info. I’ll leave it here, so feel free to message me anytime, okay?”

“Th-thank you very much.”

When I quickly wrote down my contact info and left it on Yui’s desk, she switched to formal speech and thanked me.

…With my memories from my previous world, I totally understand how she feels, so without saying anything more, I finally left the classroom for real this time.

I said I’d be right there in my message, but it took a little longer than expected, so I should hurry.