Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 22: Nakayama-kun Likes Kinpira Gobo

Chapter 22: Nakayama-kun Likes Kinpira Gobo

This might sound sudden, but…

Sometimes, good things just keep on coming.

“…Wait, are those… meat-wrapped rice balls?!”

Yup. The second I spotted my favorite food nestled neatly inside a bento box overflowing with deliciousness, I knew—

Today was that kind of day.

By the time lunch break rolled around, the classroom was buzzing.

As usual, Natsuse-kun’s little sister had sent him to school with another one of her legendary lunchboxes.

Stacked high like a mini skyscraper.

Naturally, there was no way Natsuse-kun could finish all that on his own.

So, like always, he ended up sharing with the rest of us—aka his perpetually hungry classmates.

Or more accurately, begging for reinforcements to help clean the box out.

Every single thing his sister made was insanely good, so everyone always looked forward to lunch when it was her turn in the kitchen.

And today?

Jackpot.

Right there in the box were my absolute favorite—meat-wrapped onigiri.

Normally, I’d only get the scraps after the boys swarmed the box like piranhas.

But not today.

Today, I was ready.

I weaved through the crowd like a ninja, slipped past the chaos, and managed to snag two.

Victory!

Feeling smug and satisfied, I turned to head over to where Mikoto-chan and the others usually sat—

Only to remember they’d gone to the school store to grab drinks and paper plates.

(Guess I’ll wait at my desk till they get back.)

Besides, with the guys still scrambling to grab whatever they could from the bento free-for-all,

It felt safer to just stay put for now.

The last thing I needed was someone bumping into me and stealing my precious meat onigiri.

“Gulp.”

The second I sat down, that sweet, savory smell hit me right in the face—

And before I knew it, my throat let out an involuntary gulp.

Without even realizing it, my hand was already reaching for my chopsticks.

I knew I should wait.

It’d obviously be more fun to eat with Mikoto-chan and the others—

Sharing reactions, chatting about the flavor, making a little event of it.

But… my teenage body had other plans.

It was practically screaming for deliciousness.

“…Itadakimasu.”

Unable to resist any longer, I quietly clapped my hands together and took a bite of the meat-wrapped onigiri.

“…So good!”

The moment it hit my tongue, that sweet sauce and rich, meaty flavor exploded in my mouth.

I couldn’t hold it in—this was on another level.

No exaggeration—this was hands down the best meat-wrapped rice ball I’d ever had.

And yet… the ingredients didn’t seem fancy at all.

It felt like stuff you could find at any regular supermarket.

Which only made it more amazing.

Could I even recreate something like this at home?

Driven by curiosity—and hunger—I took another bite, trying to break down the flavor.

“This is amazing… seriously, the sauce on this thing is incredible. Nom nom… Hmm, I see now. This sweetness—she must’ve added honey as a secret ingredient. Nakayama-kun, want one?”

As I analyzed the taste, I couldn’t help but be impressed all over again.

Natsuse-kun’s little sister wasn’t just good at cooking—she was next level.

And the fact that this kind of food was her everyday standard?

Honestly, it was kind of exciting.

Wanting to share that happiness, I turned to Nakayama-kun, sitting beside me,

And offered him one with a smile.

“No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Unfortunately, he rejected it. Just like that.

Personally, I really thought he should try it! It was that good!

But no matter how desperately I beamed ‘Eat it! Eat it! It’s amazing!!’ at him with my eyes,

Nakayama-kun didn’t notice my laser stares at all.

Instead, he just glanced over at our group like we were a bunch of noisy kids,

Then went right back to munching on his own lunch—completely unfazed.

That totally uninterested attitude only made me more curious.

Like—why wouldn’t he want to try this heavenly meat-wrapped onigiri?

(Wait… maybe his lunch is actually better?)

If that were the case, then… okay, maybe I’d understand.

So, I leaned a little and peeked over at Nakayama-kun’s bento box.

Inside: plain white rice, a hamburger patty, spinach with sesame, fluffy tamagoyaki with green onions, and a mini croquette.

A totally normal lunch.

But for some reason, thinking it might be tastier than what I’d just eaten…

Actually made it look super appealing.

Before I realized it, I was just sitting there, staring at Nakayama-kun while he ate.

I kept quietly watching his chopsticks—

One bite. Then another. And then…

Hmm?

Suddenly, his chopsticks started doing something weird.

Right to left. Then left to right.

They weren’t heading for his mouth anymore.

They were just… aimlessly waving in the air?

At first, I didn’t think much of it.

But the longer I watched, the stranger it seemed.

Why wasn’t he eating?

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I finally looked up, turned toward his face—

And that’s when I saw it.

Reflected crystal-clear in Nakayama-kun’s dark eyes…

Was me.

(~~!?)

And that’s when it hit me—I’d just made a complete fool of myself.

Instantly, my whole body felt like it was boiling over with embarrassment.

“Ah! No, wait—it’s not what you think, okay!? I was just curious, that’s all! Like, why wouldn’t Nakayama-kun want some of Natsuse-san’s food, right? I was just investigating! I wasn’t thinking like, ‘Ooh, I wanna try it too!’ or anything like that!!”

“Pfft!”

I tried to explain myself at lightning speed—

But Nakayama-kun turned away, shoulders shaking.

Yep.

Too late.

Not only did I fail to save face—I’d just made it worse.

So much worse.

I’m such an idiot.

A total clown.

Why am I like this?

As I buried my face in my hands, wallowing in shame, I suddenly heard:

“…If you’re gonna make that big a deal about it… Wanna try some? I’ve got half left.”

Nakayama-kun, casually offering me a taste.

I almost blurted out “Yes, please!!” on reflex.

“!! N-No, it’s your precious lunch, Nakayama-kun. I couldn’t possibly take it.”

But then I remembered—his bento was way smaller than the one Natsuse-san brought.

Way smaller.

There was no way I could accept it without feeling bad.

“Then how about a trade? You give me something from yours, and I’ll give you this.”

“O-Oh… Really? In that case… I’ll take you up on that.”

With just that one gentle push,

Nakayama-kun quietly nudged away my hesitation.

And just like that, I gave in—

Smiling before I even realized it.

“Take whatever you like!”

“Alright, I’ll go for the karaa—no, wait. The tamago-yaki—actually… kinpira gobo.”

“Sure, here you go.”

I held out my lunchbox, and Nakayama-kun, after what looked like a whole inner debate, kept zigzagging with his chopsticks.

In the end, he went for the kinpira gobo—a total curveball, considering there was a juicy hamburger steak sitting right next to it.

(Huh? Maybe Nakayama-kun prefers lighter, healthier food?)

I always assumed boys were all about oily, greasy stuff, but… I guess not everyone fits the stereotype.

While I was mulling that over, I reached for the hamburger steak in his bento and popped it into my mouth.

“Mmmm~! Sho goood!!”

To get straight to the point:

Nakayama-kun’s hamburger steak was amazing.

The second it touched my tongue, it practically fell apart—melting with a rich, savory sweetness that filled my entire mouth.

Pure bliss.

Just like Natsuse-san’s lunches, this could easily be sold at a restaurant.

But his had a gentler, café-style vibe to it—

The kind of flavor that warms you from the inside out.

Exactly my kind of comfort food.

(To think something this complex and tasty is homemade… Nakayama-kun’s mom must be a genius!)

Compared to that, I’d only packed something super plain like kinpira gobo and—

wait… oh no.

Just as I was happily munching on the hamburger steak, it suddenly hit me—

The food Nakayama-kun picked wasn’t made by my amazing mom.

It was mine.

I made that kinpira gobo.

And the realization smacked me square in the face.

(Wait, what!? He’s eating my food?!)

That tender, juicy hamburger steak and my beginner-level side dish weren’t even in the same league.

What if he thought it was gross?

What if he hated it?

What if he started avoiding me forever because of it?!

Panicking, I whipped my head toward him, ready to swap it out with something—anything—else.

But of course, that’s exactly when fate decided to be cruel.

Right as I looked, Nakayama-kun was already bringing my kinpira gobo to his mouth.

(Noooo, stop! Don’t eat it!)

Naturally, my frantic brainwaves didn’t reach him in time.

His lips closed.

He started chewing.

One second.

That’s all it took.

But to me? It felt like an eternity.

I nearly clamped my hands over my ears, bracing for the verdict—

And then I heard it.

“…Whoa. That’s good.”

In that instant, every ounce of anxiety in my chest popped like a balloon,

And something warm and sparkly bubbled up from deep inside me.

Nakayama-kun said it was good.

He actually liked it.

That means…

My cooking stood up against Natsuse-san’s gourmet-tier lunches and Nakayama-kun’s mom’s home-cooked masterpieces.

Just thinking about that made me feel like I could fly.

“…Yes!!”

I turned away with lightning speed and threw a tiny victory fist-pump behind my back where he couldn’t see.

Absolute win.