When I Was Rejected and Returned Home, My Childhood Friend, Who Should Have Been Distant, Was in My Room

Chapter 18: The Haves and the Have Nots

“Can I join you?” Hoshino asked.

Hoshino coming with Shogo was unexpected, but Masamune had no reason to refuse.

“Sure, that’s fine,” Masamune said.

“Four people at one table is cramped, so we’ll sit over here,” Shogo said.

Shogo said this, and they sat in the next row, leaving a row of desks between them. It formed two pairs perfectly.

“I ran into Hoshino at the school store, and when I mentioned eating with you guys, she asked if she could join, so I invited her,” Shogo explained.

“Sorry for intruding on your group of three,” Hoshino apologized.

“It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it,” Masamune reassured.

Hoshino apologized with a small hand gesture and placed the bread she bought at the store on the desk. It looked like an ordinary round bread.

“What did you buy, Hoshino? A cream bun?” Masamune asked.

“Oh, this?” Hoshino responded.

“Heh, good question, Masamune…” Shogo interjected gleefully.

Masamune had asked Hoshino, but Shogo answered excitedly for some reason.

“I wasn’t asking you,” Masamune said.

“This bread Hoshino has may look ordinary, but it’s not just any bread…” Shogo continued.

“Not just any bread, you say…” Masamune echoed.

“Exactly! This is the legendary dark pool cream bun, limited to five per month, said to be a once-in-a-lifetime treat!” Shogo declared.

“Wow…!” Masamune exclaimed.

Shogo’s explanation made Hoshino’s bread seem extraordinary. The fact that it was limited and its contents were invisible was thrilling.

“That’s impressive, Hoshino. Isn’t it hard to get the limited ones?” Masamune asked.

“Maybe I was just lucky. I ended up buying it without realizing,” Hoshino said.

“Beginner’s luck, huh? Maybe I’ll try for it next month,” Masamune said.

“Actually, I’m kind of interested now too,” Manaki added.

“Too naive! You’re both too naive, Masamune and Himuro!” Shogo exclaimed.

“Naive?” Masamune asked.

Masamune questioned, and Shogo crossed his arms, nodding meaningfully.

“Yeah, as naive as strawberries with condensed milk,” Shogo said.

“That is sweet, but…” Masamune replied.

Manaki, who didn’t use condensed milk, calmly interjected. Seriously, Manaki was in the no-condensed-milk camp? Meanwhile, Shogo nodded with a knowing look.

“Do you guys realize who you’re dealing with here?” Shogo asked.

“Who? Hoshino, obviously,” Masamune said.

“No, you don’t get it. Sure, she’s usually Hoshino Ozasa from Class 3, Year 2, but during lunch break, she changes her name…” Shogo said.

“Hey, Kimura-kun, we agreed not to talk about that…” Hoshino protested.

“No, let me tell them, Hoshino. I want Masamune and the others to know how amazing you are,” Shogo insisted.

“Ugh, it’s embarrassing…” Hoshino said.

Masamune and Hoshino mumbled something, and Hoshino clearly furrowed her brows.

“Is Hoshino, like, famous or something?” Masamune asked.

“Anyone who uses the school store has heard of her at least once. She appears only when the monthly limited bread goes on sale, buying it at lightning speed. The only known fact is that she’s a girl. She appears, and the next moment, she’s gone, leaving only one fewer bread. People fearfully call her…” Shogo explained.

“Please, really, don’t say it!” Hoshino pleaded.

Hoshino tried desperately to stop him, but Shogo, caught up in his storytelling, didn’t stop. He raised his fist high and declared…

“The lone female of the School Store Four Heavenly Kings, the Swift Cream Battle Maiden Valkyrie!” Shogo proclaimed.

Shogo raised his fist triumphantly, basking in the moment, while Masamune and the others were stunned. Hoshino covered her face with both hands, visibly embarrassed.

“It’s not like that. I just love cream buns and wanted to eat them quickly, so I hurried. Before I knew it, people hyped it up like this…” Hoshino mumbled.

Hoshino spoke softly, barely audible, with her hands covering her face. Guys loved making up titles like Four Heavenly Kings, so it was kind of pitiful.

“But to think the Swift Cream Battle Maiden Valkyrie was Hoshino. Now we finally know all the Four Heavenly Kings,” Shogo said.

“I’m telling you, don’t tell anyone else! If this got out, I could never go to the store again…” Hoshino begged.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret,” Masamune assured.

“Ugh, I thought I could pass it off as a regular cream bun and eat lunch with you guys, but that was my mistake…” Hoshino sighed.

Hoshino sighed deeply, and Masamune and Manaki looked at her with pity.

“Well, we won’t spread it around, so relax, Hoshino,” Masamune said.

“Really…?” Hoshino asked.

Hoshino leaned forward, looking up at Masamune with teary eyes. Manaki, sitting across, nodded in agreement.

“It’s fine. We may not look it, but we’re tight-lipped, so don’t worry, Cream Valkyrie-san,” Manaki said.

“Hey, what did you just call me?” Hoshino asked.

“Oh, I thought I’d use your nickname as a sign of affection, but… was that bad?” Manaki asked.

“Of course it’s bad!” Hoshino exclaimed.

Manaki immediately teased Hoshino with her nickname, covering her mouth and looking genuinely amused. She had quite a personality. Hoshino argued back heatedly. Were these two really meeting for the first time this morning?

“Anyway, jokes aside,” Masamune said.

“That was a pretty bad joke…” Hoshino muttered.

Hoshino blushed even more and snapped at Manaki, who remained unfazed with a calm expression.

“By the way, is just bread enough for lunch, Cream Valkyrie-san?” Manaki asked.

“Don’t shorten it!” Hoshino shouted.

“Oh, sorry, sorry, Valkyrie-san. Want some of my bento?” Manaki offered.

“Stop with that name!” Hoshino yelled.

It was the worst possible abbreviation, like some kind of insecticide.

“But seriously, Manaki’s right. Is one bread enough?” Masamune asked.

“I’m fine with that,” Hoshino said.

Hoshino stood up, went to her desk, and returned with a large bento box in hand.

“The bread is just dessert. This is my lunch,” Hoshino said.

She placed an impressive bento box on the desk.

“I see, that’s why you only buy cream buns…” Shogo said.

Shogo nodded in understanding. Hoshino opened the bento’s drawstring bag, took out the bento, and opened the lid. It was a single-tier bento, but it was packed full. She said grace politely and started eating.

“I eat a lot, but my height doesn’t grow at all,” Hoshino said.

“Really?” Masamune asked.

“Yeah, since I was little. My height barely grows, but my weight keeps increasing, which is such a hassle,” Hoshino said.

“Well, that’s…” Masamune said.

Masamune and Shogo gave vague agreement. Their gazes shifted from Hoshino’s face, eagerly eating, to her breast. The tightly stretched fabric at her breast clearly showed where her nutrition was going.

“I wish I didn’t have to deal with not growing taller…” Manaki said.

Masamune glanced at Manaki, who was touching her breast and looking at Hoshino resentfully. Manaki, with her tall, slender model figure, didn’t lack entirely, but she didn’t have enough to stretch her clothes. Noticing Masamune’s gaze, she glared at him sharply.

“What, Masamune?” Manaki asked.

“Just contemplating the fairness of the world,” Masamune said.

Height and breast size—God didn’t give them to those who wanted them. It was equally unfair, Masamune thought, eating a tamagoyaki that tasted oddly salty.