The Beautiful Senpai from the Archery Club Is Sleeping in My Room with Her Stomach Exposed. - Chapter 32: The Hidden Siscon's Lunch Break.

The Hidden Siscon’s Lunch Break.

The Monday after my outing with Senpai.

As soon as fourth period ended and lunch break began, the girl sitting next to me, Watanuki Shion, spoke up.

“Amemoto Touya. Let’s go eat.”

So, she approached me here, huh?

Not in the early morning, but at noon—and in front of our classmates, no less.

A brief conversation would’ve been one thing, but for Shion to invite someone to lunch? That was definitely a first. Even those few words were enough to draw attention from everyone around us.

“Ah, lunch, huh.”

“You don’t have anyone to eat with, right? I saw you eating alone in the cafeteria before. Say goodbye to lonely lunches—I’ll be your company.”

That also means she was eating alone in the cafeteria too, doesn’t it? I wonder if she even realizes that herself.

With a certain air that suggested eating together was already a done deal, Shion turned on her heel. She clutched a rather large bundle in both hands, walking at a slow, almost sluggish pace.

“……”

I suddenly wondered: what would happen if I didn’t follow her?

I mean, she was acting like it was a given we’d eat together. The mischievous gamer side of me couldn’t help but wonder how she’d react if I disrupted that assumption.

I stayed standing, silently watching her go. When Shion noticed she was alone, she came striding back, face expressionless and her pace much quicker.

“…Huh? Why aren’t you following me?”
“Ah, sorry. I needed a moment to get ready. Didn’t mean to make you wait.”
“…Let’s just go already.”

She only moved again after confirming I’d pulled out my lunchbox from my bag. Then, carrying her own lunch in one hand, she headed out.

I paused again—wondering what would happen this time if I didn’t follow.

Ah, yep. This time she came back even faster.

“Hmph… So you won’t go down so easily, huh? Is this a clumsy segue into Act 2? As expected… as expected of you, Amemoto Touya…!”

Seeing the slight twitch in her otherwise composed expression, I figured this was my limit.

I mean, I was supposed to be helping her patch things up with her sister. What was I doing teasing her like this? Probably acting out because I’d been marked as a rival.

“Okay, sorry. I’m coming. Really. I swear I wasn’t trying to mess with you—it was a momentary lapse in judgment.”

I bowed my head and gave a proper apology, but Shion just glared at me.

Is that really the face of someone about to share lunch with a classmate?

“Enough. I can’t trust your words… I knew you were this kind of person. I’ll take you there myself.”

She grabbed the sleeve of my blazer and started dragging me out of the classroom.

On the way, I overheard some hushed comments from the back:

“Yo, Amemoto’s screwed…”
“He’s totally messing with Watanuki…”

No, really—you guys just don’t know. Shion’s actually a very approachable person. Compared to how she acts in the early mornings, this is practically tame.

Maybe I should try to help her not only reconcile with her sister, but also blend into the class better.

It feels like a waste for someone like her to be so misunderstood.

***

The place Shion brought me to was the school cafeteria.

Our school is pretty big, so there are always seats available. Still, eating alone here always felt a bit isolating.

So, having lunch with Shion… honestly, might not be so bad—

“I made lunch for you, too.”
“…Huh?”

With a dull thud, she placed down a large bundle. Out came a massive bento box. Uhh… even if the vibe is pleasant, my stomach might not survive this. There’s no way I can finish this and the “Big Sister’s Love-Filled Bento” I brought from home.

“Uh, Shion-san, I actually already brought my own—”
“I read online that high school boys have bottomless stomachs. You’ll be fine. You, especially, can totally handle it.”
“…There’s individual variation even among high school boys. My physique’s definitely on the frail side. Sorry, I can’t.”
“…I got up early… and made this for you…”
“…Okay, fine. Thank you for the food.”

I gave in to her sad expression. Sorry, Mei—I’ll eat your lunch after I get home. I stashed the “Big Sis’s (etc.) Bento” away.

Shion handed me a rugged aluminum bento box. When I opened it, the first thing that caught my eye was how many different dishes there were.

Colorful and well-prepared, it was clearly the work of someone skilled in cooking. Mostly traditional Japanese dishes. Eating simmered fish at school? That’s pretty luxurious.

“Wow… this looks amazing. You really made this just for me?”

“Of course. Winning a guy’s heart starts with food. Amemoto Touya, this is the first great step toward melting you.”

Even stoic Shion looked rather pleased with herself, proudly clicking her chopsticks together.

Alright, let’s try one bite. The rolled omelet was well-seasoned, with a subtle sweetness. The rest of the dishes were delicate in flavor, too. This was… really good. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you like it? If we start dating, I’ll make it for you every day.”

“…Wait, what?”

That sudden bombshell froze my smile. It didn’t sound like she was joking either—her eyes were dead serious.

“Uh, what exactly did you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. You failed at hitting on my sister in the archery club, right? And it’s not like you two are dating, correct?”

“Well… I mean, we’re close, but yeah, we’re not in a relationship.”

“Then just settle for me instead. If it means you’ll stop messing with my sister, I’m fine with being in a relationship with you.”

Wait… was this… my first-ever confession?

It sure didn’t have any romantic mood to it. With Shion’s cold tone, anyone nearby probably thought she was just lecturing me. Nobody was even paying attention.

“Uh, wait a sec… do you even like me romantically?”

“Huh? What’s there to like about a guy who kept lying and dodging about his relationship with my sister?”

“Yeah, that’s… fair.”

In other words, she was dead serious.

She was willing to date someone she didn’t even like just to protect her sister.

“You really want to separate me and your sister that badly?”

“Because it’s obvious you’re the reason she’s been slacking lately. If I can make her emotionally dependent on me and distract her from you, she’ll be fine. I’m easy on the eyes and would make a great girlfriend. I’d spoil you a ton.”

Shion smiled with a mischievous glint, showing off her small fang.

She had a mature air, but her vibe still carried hints of youth—definitely different from her older sister.

And honestly, I was starting to feel like we got along well.

It was easy to talk to her without putting up a front. Maybe… if we were a couple, things might actually be fun.

——That said, dating without mutual romantic feelings is a no-go for me.

I’m not cut out for that kind of advanced relationship. I’m not even a beginner.

“By the way, when you say you’ll spoil me, what exactly does that entail?”

“Besides making your lunch every day? Hugs, whenever you want. I’ll pet your head, too. We can start there.”

“Hmm. Well, Mei already does that kind of stuff without me even asking…”

“…Who’s Mei?”

“My sister.”

“…!?”

I could see Shion freeze across from me. What? I just stated a fact.

But it didn’t seem like she was giving up on winning me over. In fact, her tone grew more passionate.

“Then! I’ll feed you meals! Say ‘ahh’ as many times as you want! I’ll even give you juice—”

“Hmm… Mei did that the other day too, so that’s not a very strong bargaining chip…”

“It is strong! …Amemoto Touya, you really need to reconsider your relationship with your sister…!!”

And now I was getting scolded.

Wait, seriously? I’m being labeled a siscon by someone who might be a siscon herself? Isn’t Mei’s level of closeness totally normal?

…Yeah, I’m clearly at a disadvantage here. Might as well ask what I originally wanted to know.

“Look, I’m not a siscon or anything. But you really love your sister, right? So why do you two seem to be on bad terms?”

“You keep dodging the topic… It’s because I don’t want to get in the way of the person I admire.”

When I prodded her gently, she surprisingly gave an honest answer right away—though with a short, annoyed “tch.”

Well, I suppose it means we’ve reached a point where there’s no need to keep secrets anymore.

“My sister has always worked incredibly hard… chasing her ideals… she’s someone I can truly support. I just don’t want to get in the way of what she’s accomplishing. And I don’t want you to, either.”

Her stance of not wanting to be a hindrance, stemming from a childhood falling out, doesn’t seem to have changed. That said, her feelings toward her sister now seem to have intensified in a rather distorted way.

If I want to help mend their relationship, the best approach might be to gradually unravel those rigid thoughts of hers.

A rough plan is starting to take shape. I’ll share it with her the next time I meet with her sister, and then we can arrange a time for a proper conversation.

“Umm, it’s not like we’re exchanging contact info because we’re dating or anything… but should we, just in case?”

“…Sure. I’ll need to keep trying to win you over from here on out—it’d be a pain not to be able to reach you. I wasn’t expecting it to work out on the first day anyway.”

Shion-san pulled out her plain, unadorned phone, and we exchanged IDs.

I might be the only student in school with her contact information right now. It’s rare at the moment, but I hope more people will get the chance as time goes on.

After that, since we couldn’t just keep talking about Watanuki-senpai forever, I asked her about the books she often reads.

It wasn’t like the conversation really took off—if anything, the mood stayed rather subdued.

Even so, the fact that I could now casually chat with Shion—someone I’d thought I’d never get close to before graduation—made me genuinely happy.