The youthful romantic comedy between my “commuting wife” and me is too sweet!! - Chapter 3

Episode 3

“Here, Souma-san. Today’s lunch for you.”

During lunch break, Miu approached my desk, placing a lunch bag on top of it.

“I forgot to give it to you this morning.”

“Sorry about that,” Miu added with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Normally, she hands me the lunch in the morning when she comes to wake me up, so I had assumed there wouldn’t be one today.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the absence of her lunch felt like a small, lonely void in my day.

“Oh, thank goodness. I was worried I’d have to go without today. Thanks, as always!”

Exaggerating my gratitude, I clasped my hands together in mock worship as though before a deity.

In truth, I was that thankful and happy.

Miu giggled, clearly amused by my antics.

“If I left you alone, you’d just end up eating bread from the school shop again, wouldn’t you?”

“Ugh… you know me too well.”

I groaned and slumped my shoulders in mock defeat.

It was all an act, of course.

Miu seemed to enjoy seeing my exaggerated reactions, and I liked making her laugh.

That said, if she hadn’t made me lunch, I really would have made do with whatever bread I could grab.

“I know everything about you, Souma-san. For example, I can even guess what side dish you’re craving today.”

“Really? Now that’s interesting. Go ahead, impress me!”

Feigning arrogance, I challenged her with a smirk.

Here I was, receiving a lovingly prepared lunch and still acting cheeky. It’s no wonder the other guys in the class resented me.

“That’s for you to find out when you open it. Oh, and I made sure to include something you like today as well.”

“Eh, what is it?”

“That’s something to look forward to after seeing it.”

Miu smiled happily and said, “Please return the lunchbox when you go home,” before returning to her seat.

It seemed like the other girls in our class who witnessed the exchange were teasing her, but she looked somewhat pleased.

Miu was usually with me, but during lunch breaks, she seemed to eat with her friends.

Of course, I had no intention of complaining about it.

In women’s social circles, there are their own rules and communities.

I think it’s important to maintain communication with them to make high school life run smoothly.

As for me──

“Oi, move your arm off the desk.”

When I reached my friend’s desk, he had sprawled himself across it, blocking me from setting down my lunch.

“Shut it! Like hell I’m sharing a meal with the guy who gets handmade lunches from Miu Amaya! Get lost, you jerk!”

“How many times have we had this conversation now?”

“As long as my eyes are still black, I’ll keep doing this, damn youuu! You heartless bastard! Traitor!”

The one hurling dramatic insults at me in a thick Kansai accent was my friend, Yuuta Majima.

With his light brown two-block hairstyle, he had the looks of a pretty-boy type—until he opened his mouth.

His goofy personality guaranteed he’d stay single for the foreseeable future.

Though we’d only become friends after starting high school, Yuuta was my closest buddy and partner in crime.

These days, however, every lunchtime was like this.

“Alright, alright, traitor, traitor. Now, move your hand.”

While he lay unguarded, I jabbed my thumb into the crown of his head and twisted.

Here is the translation:

“UWAHHH! What are you doing!? The crown—don’t mess with the crown! My grandpa’s totally bald, and even my dad is starting to lose his hair, even though he’s still young!?”

Ignoring his protests, I kept grinding his crown.

Oops, looks like I pulled out a hair.

Root and all.

“Fine! Fine, I’ll move! Just lay off the crown already! I don’t want to go bald early!”

Only after this well-practiced routine did YUuta finally make space for me to sit.

“Geez, your violent problem-solving methods are way over the top, you know that?”

“You wouldn’t have to deal with them if you didn’t start anything.”

Our daily pointless banter had become a staple of my lunchtime routine, all thanks to Yuuta’s endless whining.

“Like hell you’d get it! Someone who’s had a girlfriend for two months doesn’t understand what it’s like to be single for life!”

“I was also, until two months ago, someone who had never had a girlfriend in my entire life.”

“Gu-bora-ga-ba-hah!”

Yuuta flailed dramatically, pretending to take a mortal blow.

I sighed, ignoring his theatrics, only to notice Miu watching us from her seat, smiling to herself.

When our eyes met, she waved shyly. I waved back, and her friends immediately teased her again.

“Damn it… just that tiny interaction makes me want to kill you.”

“Sure, sure. My bad.”

To avoid further unnecessary drama, I brushed off his words, set my lunch on the desk, and opened the lid.

Inside, the lunchbox was packed with colorful, delicious-looking side dishes—all my favorites.

Well, with this much variety, she was bound to guess what I’d want today.

Miu beamed happily from her seat as I looked over the food, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

I mouthed a quiet “thank you,” and she responded in kind with a silent, “you’re welcome.”

“Damn it… I’m gonna kill you for real this time!”

Yuuta’s muttered death threats didn’t faze me as I bit into a piece of tamagoyaki.

Man, that’s good.

It was as delicious as ever.

Honestly, it didn’t matter what she made.

Anything Miu cooked for me was something I’d love.

Her lunches had become one of the little joys that transformed my everyday life.