I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!?

Chapter 7.2: Being Surrounded by Classmates in Good and Bad Ways

“Whoa, so you’re experienced?”

“A bit. What about you?”

“I’m in tennis. I’m pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

“Nice. I’d love to see one of your matches sometime.”

“Come cheer for me when I’m in a game.”

The first break of my school life passed like that.

Classes went smoothly after that, and then it was lunch break.

The usual two came to me.

“What’re you doing for lunch, Ryu?”

“I was thinking of checking out the cafeteria.”

“Let’s go together. I’ll show you the way.”

“Thanks, that helps—”

“Hiragi-san! Sumeragi-san!”

As we were about to head to the cafeteria, the class’s top handsome guy, Koki Nishino, called out.

“If you’re free, want to have lunch together? To bond, maybe in the courtyard?”

“Uh, sorry, we’re planning to eat with Ryu.”

“Then how about you join us too, Minase?”

Normally, there’d be no reason to say no, but I didn’t bring a bento today.

“Sorry, I was planning to go to the cafeteria, so I didn’t bring a bento.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Another time then.”

“Yeah, invite me then.”

No choice, I’d go to the cafeteria alone this time.

I wanted to eat with them, but Makoto and Kanade probably wanted to bond with their new friends too.

“Alright, let’s go, Hiragi-san, Sumeragi-san.”

“Uh, no… we…”

“We’re going with Ryu.”

“Huh?”

That caught me off guard.

I thought they’d go with Nishino.

“You probably don’t know how to use the cafeteria…”

“Besides, we promised to go with you first, so we want to prioritize that.”

A promise… did we make one?

Well, they were always looking out for me, so it was probably just them being considerate. I felt bad but also happy they prioritized me, so it was complicated.

Saying we had a prior promise was a polite way to decline without causing a scene.

I felt bad for Nishino, but I’d let them guide me this time.

“Oh, I see. Another time then.”

Nishino left with a wry smile.

He must’ve really wanted to eat with us.

I felt bad for him.

Since I’d be living alone, I couldn’t avoid cooking. Maybe I’d make a bento sometimes.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

“Right? There are so many menu options, it’s like a restaurant.”

“Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

Kanade grabbed my and Makoto’s hands and pulled us to the cafeteria counter.

I thought we should secure seats first, but the cafeteria was so spacious that despite the crowd, there seemed to be plenty of seats.

No problem ordering food first then.

There were so many menu options, it’d be hard to choose.

“I’ll have this seafood bowl.”

“That looks good! But I’m in the mood for something heavy, so I’ll go with ramen! What about you, Ryu?”

“I’ll take the ginger pork set meal.”

I handed the meal voucher to the lady in an apron, and she gave me a buzzer. It’d buzz when my order was ready.

Let’s find a seat in the meantime.

“Hey, how about over there?”

“It’s got nice sunlight, perfect spot.”

They secured a window-side seat.

Facing the garden, the view was great.

“Mm, this feels nice. I could fall asleep.”

“If you sleep now, you’ll miss your delicious seafood bowl.”

“I’ll stay awake. No matter what.”

“That’s some serious dedication to a seafood bowl.”

Amazing. We hadn’t known each other long, but I’d never seen Kanade’s eyes so wide. The power of a seafood bowl was incredible…!

Then, the buzzer in my hand went off. Time to eat.

We grabbed our trays and returned to our seats.

Our ordered dishes lined up on the table, and both the look and smell were beyond cafeteria level.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Yeah! Let’s dig in! I’m starving!”

“Me too. I’m practically drooling.”

“Here we go. Thanks for the food.”

“Thanks for the food!”

I took a bite of the ginger pork, and rich fat spread in my mouth.

But it wasn’t heavy. The rich sauce mixed with it, doubling the pork’s flavor. This was the kind of deliciousness that made you want more rice. And it was affordable for students—unbelievable.

Looking across, both their faces were melting with delight.

Next time I used the cafeteria, maybe I’d try their choices.

When we returned to the classroom, the questions we avoided before class hit us like a storm.

“How did he protect you two? Did he shield you with his back or hug you?”

“What was it like facing that attacker? Were you scared?”

“You three seem super close. Was the incident the start, or did you know each other before?”

The enthusiasm was intense. They must’ve been holding it in all morning.

“Hold on, I’ll answer one at a time…”

“We only have one mouth. It’s hard if you all talk at once.”

“C-Calm down… okay…?”

The two tried to calm everyone, but the momentum was unstoppable.

As I wondered what to do, I spotted Nishino in the corner of my eye. I thought he might step in again, but another guy cut in between us.