I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine - Chapter 17

Episode 17: Lunch with the Picky Eater Heiress, A Sticky Situation

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The transformation was nothing short of a complete change.

And whose story is it? It’s about Imazato-san, the mysterious girl with the explosive personality whom I met in the classroom.

She said she needed to go to the restroom before eating, so while Aoba and I waited outside, a different person emerged.

“…Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go then?”

Her manner of speaking and voice were indeed hers.

However, her appearance was completely different.

Her hair, which had been exploding just moments ago, was now gently curled into voluminous long hair. Her sleepy expression had transformed into a dignified almond-shaped gaze.

Aoba and I exchanged glances.

“That’s quite a transformation, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I was pretty surprised.”

As we walked towards the cafeteria, unable to help but express our thoughts aloud, she once again bowed politely.

“I apologize for showing you such an unsightly side earlier.”

As I was about to return the gesture, Aoba lightly tapped my head.

“Come on, you’ve done that already. How many times are you going to do it?! Anyway, it’s amazing, really. Seira-chan, it’s like a complete transformation!”

“It’s not like that at all. I just had a bad bedhead, so I fixed it.”

“It was really bad, indeed. Hey, why were you sleeping so much?”

“I couldn’t finish the game, so I stayed up late last night.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be into gaming…!”
While listening to the girls’ conversation behind me, I once again glanced at Imazato-san’s back.

She was probably around 150 centimeters tall.

Although she was considerably shorter than me, her posture exudes elegance, and I even felt an aura around her.

Like a precious traditional Japanese doll.

As I observed her with this in mind, everything she wore, from her clothes to her watch and bag, seemed a notch above those of the other university students around.

It couldn’t simply be attributed to good taste.

It felt more like authenticity, as if the quality itself was different.

What you might call an “heiress” vibe.

“Could it be that she’s an insider?”

I decided to subtly inquire.

If she had attended the prestigious Keido High School, it was highly likely that she came from a wealthy background.

While Keio University was a massive institution, Keido High School was a renowned private school that only a select few could attend. I’ve heard that its tuition fees were quite high.

“…Yes. You seem unfamiliar, so you must be different.”

And indeed, my assumption was correct.

“Haha, we’re from the countryside, more or less.”

“The bus only comes once an hour, or not at all.”

Having participated in various orientation events, I knew that the talk about country life versus city life had become a standard topic. While listening to their conversation, I secretly felt uneasy.

Was it really a good idea to invite such an heiress to the university cafeteria?

The cafeteria was a friend to poor students like me. It offered affordable food with decent taste.

Perhaps she wouldn’t find anything she wanted to eat here.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else for lunch, like a café or something?”

I was about to suggest this, but…

“Then, let’s go after paying. I already have something in mind, so let’s secure our seats first.”

Imazato-san was quicker to act.

She swiftly picked up a tray placed at the entrance and bypassed the line waiting to order dishes, heading straight for the noodle section at the back.

It seemed like my concern was unnecessary.

Feeling relieved, I watched her back as she went, when I heard a murmuring voice from beside me.

“Wow, I was totally in the mood for a pork cutlet bowl with fried egg, but curry sounds good too. Oh, they even have curry soba…! I’m torn…”

This was quite a common dilemma.

Although it was just a university cafeteria, she was staring intently at the menu with a serious expression, which tempted me to tease her.

“Oh, they have chicken cutlet set for 380 yen!”

“A chicken cutlet set for 380 yen?!?”

Upon Aoba’s discovery, we ended up deliberating together again.

After much deliberation, I settled on the curry set while Aoba chose the oyakodon. We paid and then looked for Imazato-san amidst the spacious cafeteria.

She was a small figure, and amidst the crowd, I thought she might be hard to find. However…

Her distinctive appearance made her easy to spot.

Why? Because she stood out like a sore thumb.

Despite the cafeteria being crowded, no one seemed to want to sit near her.

“Hey, Seira-chan, she’s surrounded by a ton of small dishes!?”

“…Yeah. And if you remove the udon in the middle, it’s all okra and soft-boiled eggs, I think.”
There were at least ten of them. Although we had our seats secured in front, most of the table was covered in okra.

In the center of it all, she was stirring a pack of natto.

She was clearly being treated as someone you shouldn’t approach.

“If you look at her, you’re doomed. I know because I’m an insider, she’s a weirdo. Beautiful though.”

While whispers circulated around us, they didn’t seem to bother her. With her eyes closed, she steadily rotated her chopsticks.

“Should we… go over?”

“Yeah! It’s no use worrying about people’s stares too much, right?”

After exchanging glances with Aoba, I approached Imazato-san and took my seat.

“Um, do you like sticky foods?”

I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to ask.

I hesitated to ask, but Aoba easily jumped in.

“Yes, it’s my favorite. I can eat as much as I want. This isn’t even enough for me.”

“Well, it’s certainly delicious. I have natto for breakfast every day.”

“That’s good. Natto has a good effect on digestion and is good for the skin.”

“Yeah, I eat it for those reasons. And it’s surprisingly cheap, too.”

Honestly, I couldn’t keep up with their conversation.

Whether at home or at school, natto was rarely served, and I hardly had any experience eating it.

Quietly folding my hands, I began to eat my curry, but soon…

“You should try it too.”

Imazato-san brought up the topic again.

“What, natto?”
“Natto, yes, but we were discussing sticky foods in general.”

…That’s not something you say with such a serious tone, usually.

“I’ll give you one of these okra nests. It’s guaranteed to go well with your curry.”

“Certainly, there are some restaurants that offer it as a topping for curry. I haven’t tried it though.”

“Oh, that restaurant knows what they’re doing. Now, why don’t you try it here?”

Imazato-san urged, offering me one of the small dishes.

It felt like a hard sell, no, more like a hard indoctrination.

“Well, it’s delicious! I might get addicted to this. Plus, it enhances the richness of the egg!”

And Aoba had already been indoctrinated.

She put the okra nest with soft-boiled egg on top of her oyakodon and began to eat happily.

“…Alright, I’ll try one. Thanks.”

Feeling perplexed, I took one of the small dishes and tried it with my curry.

Indeed, it paired well.

The stickiness of the egg and the refreshing taste of the okra were quite to my liking.

“This is delicious. It’s a great topping.”

As I expressed my opinion, Imazato-san finished one small dish after another.

Thus, the three of us unexpectedly finished a lunch covered in stickiness.

But still, what an eccentric heiress she was.

I was already overwhelmed by her…

“After eating, this is a must. I like the feeling of crushing it with my teeth. How about you two?”

When she started crunching on a sugar cube she had brought with her, I felt like surrendering.

Her eating habits were terrifying.