The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 2: Mikami Hina Wants To Repay A Favor.

Mikami Hina Wants To Repay A Favor.

This was supposed to be my usual, uneventful lunchtime in my usual spot… except now I had the beautiful girl I helped out the other day sitting next to me.

How did it come to this?

“Kirishima-san, you got bread, huh? Is that from the convenience store?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I always stop by the one along my route to school and grab some.”

She’s… close. Really close.

Mikami-san is leaning in to peek at the contents of my bag, and the sweet scent of her shampoo or perfume—or maybe it’s just her—wafts over. Unintentionally, her innocent actions are seriously messing with my head.

In the end, I couldn’t resist her persistence and ended up sitting beside her. And now that I have a proper look… I realize she’s genuinely stunning. It’s easy to see why that guy fell for her at first sight.

She has short, sleek black hair that frames her face perfectly, and those big, bright eyes that seem to sparkle.

“What are you looking at? Oh, are you interested in my lunch, by any chance?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. It… it looks delicious.”

It seems like she noticed I was staring. Luckily, she assumed my attention was on her lunch rather than, well, her, so I went along with it, nodding in agreement. Her lunch, resting on her lap, is colorful and clearly nutritious—nothing like my simple bread.

“I’m flattered, but I’m not giving you any!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t take it. Go ahead and enjoy.”

“Alright, then.” She gave me a playful look, wrapping her hands protectively around her lunchbox, as if shielding it from a potential thief.

As she began eating, I unwrapped my bread and took a bite, though I felt so nervous I could hardly swallow. Sharing lunch with someone—especially a girl—was a new experience for me. It must have been the unusual situation, I reasoned, that was making my throat go dry. I reached into the bag beside me, hoping to grab my tea bottle and take a sip.

But my nervous hand fumbled, knocking the bottle out of the bag and sending it rolling down the bench. Ugh, embarrassing. I reached out quickly to grab it, but before I could, a warm hand lightly brushed against mine.

“Ah!”

“Oh! Sorry!” Mikami-san immediately pulled her hand back, her cheeks tinged with a slight blush.

Realizing we’d both gone for the bottle at the same time, I felt heat rising in my face. I must have looked like a tomato.

Trying to regain my composure, I downed the rest of my bread in a hurry and took a long drink from my tea. “Thanks for… well, everything. I’ll be going now.”

“Wait! We’re not finished talking!” Mikami-san called after me.

But I didn’t stop. I ignored the sound of her voice behind me, convincing myself that this warm feeling in my face was only from the sun. Holding my still-trembling hand with the other, I quickly walked away, hoping my heart would eventually settle down.

I hurried back to the classroom, almost fleeing from Mikami Hina, who had suddenly appeared in my favorite spot. Arriving earlier than usual, I was met with curious stares and whispers that had apparently circulated from Mikami-san’s account of her search for me. Ignoring them, I slumped over my desk, pretending to nap to escape the awkwardness.

Once lunchtime passed, the second half of the school day began. With bellies full, most of the class seemed ready to drift off, and students were nodding off, their heads bobbing or even openly dozing on their desks, much to the frustration of the teachers.

Normally, I’d focus on staying attentive to avoid joining that half-asleep crowd, but today my mind was too alert, though not in a focused way. Everything felt surreal as I took notes, my thoughts still floating.

The final bell rang, marking the start of after-school hours. Some classmates left for their clubs, while others stayed behind to chat. As for me, I wasted no time leaving the classroom, moving quickly as I usually did.

Today had been anything but ordinary. Yet tomorrow, things would go back to normal. I’d be on my own again, just like before. Convincing myself of this, I changed my shoes at the entrance and headed home.

***

The day after being ambushed by Mikami Hina.

Yesterday had been filled with unusual events, but I was sure that things would return to normal today.

Or so I thought.

“Why are you here?”

“Am I bothering you by being here?”

“No, not at all…”

“We still haven’t finished our conversation from yesterday, you know?”

When I reached my usual spot at lunch, I found Mikami-san there, looking slightly annoyed. I’d assumed she’d have no interest in associating with a loner like me, but it seemed I was wrong. Perhaps she was upset that I had run off yesterday without hearing her out.

“The thank-you… right? Really, I didn’t do much, so there’s no need.”

“No, I insist on properly thanking you.”

“S-sure.”

“Yes. Today, I won’t let you get away. Let’s have a proper talk.”

With that, she patted the seat next to her, just like yesterday. Resigned, I scratched my head and sat down beside her.

“Look! I brought sandwiches today!”

“Wow, what a coincidence. I brought sandwiches too.”

She seemed genuinely excited to share the contents of her lunch. Strangely enough, she’d chosen the same lunch as me.

“Did you match yours to mine because I always have bread?”

“No, that’s not it. Yesterday, I had my lunch box on my lap with chopsticks, so I couldn’t stand up quickly to follow when you left. Today, I brought something easy to carry so I could chase after you if you tried to escape again.”

“…I won’t run, probably.”

Dang, I’d been overthinking it. Was I actually happy about having the same lunch? That made it sound like I wanted to eat lunch with her, which I definitely didn’t… or so I told myself, tearing open the sandwich wrapper and taking a big bite.

“Are you sure that’s enough food for you? You had a small lunch yesterday too.”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Are you trying to eat less on purpose so you won’t get sleepy during afternoon classes?”

“No, not really. I’ve never thought about preventing drowsiness for class.”

Honestly, the amount I eat doesn’t matter much. I’ll fall asleep if I’m sleepy, and if I’m not, I won’t. My lunch size has nothing to do with it.

While we chatted about nothing in particular, I finished my sandwich. Normally, I’d spend the remaining time zoning out or stretching out across the bench. But with Mikami-san here, I couldn’t do that.

She was still chewing happily on her sandwich, taking her time.

“Hey, can I go back?”

“No way. I still haven’t properly thanked you.”

“Then as a thank-you, could you let me leave? Or you could go back to the classroom and leave me alone.”

“…No. That wouldn’t make me feel like I’ve properly expressed my gratitude.”

Maybe I was too used to being alone, but having someone beside me, especially someone like the beautiful Mikami-san, made me feel incredibly restless and on edge.

I just wanted to be by myself again.

Even the small request of having some solitude would have sufficed as a thank-you, but Mikami-san pouted, puffing out her cheeks.

It seemed my wish wouldn’t be granted.

“Then how about this: treat me to tomorrow’s bread. That would settle things.”

“Is that all you want? Don’t you have a cooler request or something?”

“I don’t. This is as good as it gets for me.”

With that, I stood up from the bench.

The reason she was holding me back was to figure out how to express her thanks. But I had just told her what I wanted.

She might be saying it was just that, but the truth is, I’d only called out the name of a teacher who wasn’t even there at the time. It was really nothing.

A fair trade. It should be perfectly balanced.

“Alright, so that’s the deal.”

Without waiting for her response, I started walking away.

Mikami-san didn’t chase after me.