Chapter 30: Epilogue

The school festival was over, and it was shortly after December began. That day, Daikichi Sakoda, having no school requests and some extra time during lunch, decided to go out for a meal.

There were places to eat on campus, but they were generally expensive. When pressed for time, Daikichi would grab something from a convenience store; otherwise, he’d opt for a cheap set-meal restaurant—in short, he always chose to eat offsite.

With that in mind, Daikichi left the classroom and headed toward the main entrance. There, waiting at the entrance, was Hanakumori Sakurazaki clutching a cute pink bag.

Sakurazaki stood before Daikichi and, with a duck-like expression, looked down happily. Noticing that she clearly had something to say, Daikichi addressed her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been meaning to call out to you at lunch every day, Daichan, but while I was trying to figure out how to say it, you went out!”

“I always eat lunch outside.”

“Y-yeah, right! I thought so too!”

“So, what do you need from me?”

When Daikichi said that, Sakurazaki fidgeted and took two bento boxes out of her pink bag.

“Th-this… you see, I always make my own bento for lunch…”

“Two? Do you really eat that much by yourself?”

“N-no! It’s normally just one portion! It’s not that—I just want to eat together, and I want you to try what I made… so I made two portions today!”

It seems that Sakurazaki truly wanted Daikichi to try her homemade bento and enjoy lunch together.

Whether it was Sakurazaki or Sazanka Tsubaki, why are they both so pushy?

Daikichi held his head in his hands.

But since he had freed himself from that self-imposed barrier of distance, he simply accepted the bento.

“Thanks.”

“I even worked hard frying up some shrimp tempura and everything.”

“Impressive.”

“Hehe… then, let’s eat together in the courtyard. Since you’re like a baby, I’ll do the ‘aah’ for you.”

“I don’t need the ‘aah’.”

“You do because you’re a baby! Oh, and by the way, about the clothes I borrowed from the zoo… I’d like to return them on a day off, so come over to my place.”

“Clothes? Ah… now that you mention it, I remember them. If you want them back, you could just bring them to school. Why do I have to go to your place, Sakurazaki…?”

“Because I want to return them! Daichan, you’re coming to my house!”

It was a rather forceful approach, but that was so like Sakurazaki, and stubbornly refusing would only be troublesome, so Daikichi accepted both the ‘aah’ and the promise to visit her house.

By the way—Sazanka Tsubaki was watching their exchange from a short distance away. With a dead, vacant gaze and a forced smile, her expression clearly revealed her hostility toward Sakurazaki.

――Kii‑kun, even though we kissed…

――You say “even though we kissed,” but didn’t you mention that I did it on my own while senpai was asleep? Didn’t you say something like that?

――Senpai was so kind, and you just couldn’t say no… or something like that?

――Before it’s taken away from you, you should go and take it yourself, Tsubaki.

And so, what will become of Daikichi Sakoda’s love life…? Well, no one can say for sure.

It’s still a bit too early to reveal the ending. There simply isn’t enough time woven together yet to deliver an answer.

～～～～～～～～～

【Afterword.】

That being said, this marks a pause in the story. I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, regarding this work—the published book version, which includes proofreading and minor text adjustments, will be released by Fantasia Bunko on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

It’s coming out this month.

As for the additional information… at specialty retailers and such, there are sometimes SS bonuses included.

If you’re interested, please either wait for the official announcement by Fantasia Bunko summarizing the bonus information (it hadn’t been released at the time of writing this afterword, but it probably will be), or simply search for the work on the specialty store sites and you should be able to find it.

This is a slice-of-life scene featuring the daily interactions of characters like Daikichi, Sakurazaki, and Tsubaki.

With that said, thank you very much for your support. I hope each and every one of you will lend your strength.

Now then, please allow me to take my leave for now.

P.S.:
Recently, I’ve been listening to Mimukau wa Nice Try.