Chapter 1

On the way down the hallway to the clubroom, I decided to double-check with Yanami.

"Yanami-san, are you sure about this? I mean, it's kind of a low-key club. It might not be your thing."

I had only been there yesterday, but I could already sense the club's…unique vibe. Bringing one of the class's most extroverted students there might be a questionable idea.

"It's fine. I used to do needle felting back in the day, you know? The one where you poke wool into shapes."

"That's…the DIY Club. We're going to the Literature Club."

Yeah, let's stop worrying about her. I opened the door to the clubroom.

"Oh, hello there."

"Hello, Nukumizu-kun."

Tsukinoki-senpai raised her hand in greeting without looking up from her book, brushing her hair back as she spoke.

"…Huh?"

Komari raised her face reluctantly, freezing in place as her gaze landed on an unfamiliar girl.

"Uh, she's here as a visitor."

"Excuse me. I'm Yanami, from the same class as Nukumizu-kun."

"Ara, welcome. I'll brew some tea, so go ahead and have a seat."

Adjusting her glasses with a quick push, Tsukinoki-senpai brushed past me and gave me a light nudge.

"Nice going, Nukumizu-kun. Bringing such a cute girl along?"

"Huh? Uh, I mean…"

"Don't tell me- she's your girlfriend?"

What is this person even saying?

"N-No, I mean, it's not like that-"

"Oh, no, we're not like that. We're just in the same class."

Yanami's reaction was completely neutral. No blushing, no displeasure- just as if she were being asked about today's weather.

She curiously glanced around the clubroom.

"This club has a lot of books. What kind of activities do you do?"

"Huh?" (x2)

…For some reason, both senpai and Komari are staring at me. Hard. And with dead-serious expressions.

Before the awkward tension could suffocate me, the clubroom door swung open.

"Wow, it's lively in here today."

A tall guy stepped into the room. He's probably Tamaki-senpai, the club president, right? Honestly, his timing was a relief.

"Shintaro, what kind of club president acts like a ghost member?"

Tsukinoki-senpai glared at him with a mock-serious expression, though the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

"Sorry, sorry. Been busy with entrance exam prep lately."

Prez casually tapped her shoulder.

"You? Studying? Yeah, right."

"I totally am. Oh, hey, Nukumizu! Long time no see. And…is she a new member?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yanami. I'm just here for a tour."

Prez flashed a friendly smile as he approached us, but Komari suddenly stood up, as if summoning her courage, and stepped between us.

"U-Uh, P-Prez! The book y-you lent me the other day was r-really interesting!"

"You already finished it? That's awesome. Koto here always mocks me for liking sci-fi and won't even give it a chance."

He shot a quick glance at Tsukinoki-senpai, who stared back at him as if daring him to continue.

"I don't mock it. You're the one who won't touch anything by Haruki." [TL: Haruki Murakami.]

"Wait, are you a Harukist?"

"Not exactly, but still. And you haven't even read that Usami Rin book I lent you the other day, have you?"

"I did, I did. Peak character. Absolute fire."

…Hmm, what's going on here? Are these two…together?

As I watched their exchange with mild exasperation, Komari fearlessly inserted herself into their conversation.

"Um, I, uh, I really like Egan! Even though, uh, I don't really get what he's writing about!"

"Really? Well, Komari-chan, you've got great taste!"

Prez beamed and gave Komari's head an affectionate ruffle.

"F-Fwah!"

Tsukinoki-senpai swatted Prez's hand away with a sharp smack.

"Hey, you. That's totally a #MeToo moment. Komari-chan, if you're uncomfortable, I'll make sure to tell him off for you."

"W-Wait, I…!"

Komari, startled by the sound of her own voice, quickly looked down.

"I-It's not that. I… um… don't dislike it… or anything…"

Her face turned bright red as she mumbled the words.

"You're so cute, Komari-chan. Koto, you should take a page from her book."

"Oh, please. Komari-chan, don't spoil him too much. He gets carried away so easily."

Prez glanced at his watch, and a hurried expression crossed his face.

"Crap, I've got a club presidents' meeting. I should get going. I can't wait to brag about how we had a visitor today."

"I'm coming with you. Otherwise, you'll just fall asleep halfway through."

"Then you can wake me up, Koto."

"Like I would bother. I'll just recommend you as the new errand boy instead."

The two left the room, still bickering playfully. Honestly, what was the president even here for?

"C-Cute… Prez said I'm…cute… hehe."

Komari muttered to herself, grinning from ear to ear. I hate to burst her bubble, but she has been used more as a foil than anything else.

Yanami tapped my shoulder and leaned in close, her face uncomfortably near. She smells kind of nice, though.

"So, the president and the vice president, huh? Are those two dating?"

"Who knows? They do seem like it, though."

Komari, who apparently has excellent hearing, shoved her smartphone toward us.

Yanami's eyes narrowed into slits.

"…Childhood friends?"

Komari, her breathing heavy with conviction, didn't bother sticking around for further discussion. She plugged in her earbuds, which were leaking sound everywhere, and began reading a book as if nothing had happened. What incredible single-mindedness.

Yanami rattled her chair as she scooted closer.

"Hey, why does she use her smartphone to talk?"

I would like to know that too.

"Oh, by the way, Nukumizu-kun. So the president and the vice president are childhood friends, huh?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah, seems like it."

"…Why is there such a gap between childhood friends?"

Yanami muttered, her tone strained as if squeezing out the words.

"Uh, Yanami-san. The president and vice president haven't done anything wrong here, okay?"

"Hold on. That means…"

Yanami suddenly raised her head as if realizing something and fixed her gaze on Komari.

"…A homewrecker?"

She muttered in a low voice. Komari flinched as if startled.

"N-No, no, no! Prez and Vice Prez aren't even dating. There's no wrecking to speak of!"

"That's not the point. Any girl who shows up despite there being a childhood friend is automatically a homewrecker. Don't you get that?"

Oh. Is this like when a guy barges into a yuri story? I get it now. Die.

"I get what you're saying, but maybe let's not have this conversation here. Komari-san's still here."

"But she can't hear us with the music playing."

Feeling our stares, Komari hunched over like a frightened animal. Hmm. Something about this feels…off.

"...Wait a second, Komari-san might not actually be listening to any music."

"What? But she has her earphones on."

"She's wearing them but pretending not to hear us."

"Then what about earlier? She was leaking sound like crazy!"

"She isn't now. That was just a fake to throw us off."

Sweat began dripping down Komari's face as she read her book. Finally, she removed her earphones and glared at me while holding something out.

"Nukumizu, h-here. The c-clubroom key."

"Oh? Thanks."

"I-I-I-I'm heading out f-first!"

Komari stumbled as she hurried out of the room.

…The once-bustling clubroom fell completely silent. All that remains are an outsider and, well, someone who might as well be an outsider.

So, what am I supposed to do now? I don't even know much about this club to begin with.

"For now, I'll make some tea. Write your name in the guest log, okay?"

"Thanks. Oh, I'll have green tea."

"Wow, there have been quite a few visitors. Oh, look, Nukumizu-kun, your name's here. And the girl just now was Komari-san, right?"

Yanami, apparently already bored, stared absentmindedly at the bookshelf. It would be a hassle, so let's hope she doesn't touch the shelves with Dazai or Mishima.

"Here's your tea."

"Thanks. Hey, Nukumizu-kun."

Sipping her tea, Yanami looked at me with clear, earnest eyes.

"So, what exactly does this club do again?"

*

After returning home, I lay sprawled on the living room sofa and muttered to myself, deep in thought.

"I'm like a normal high school student for once…"

I stared at my LINE app, which was installed only to collect stamps of my favorite character but was otherwise untouched until now. Tsukinoki-senpai's "Welcome to the club!" message sat in the chat window.

Indeed, I have joined the Literature Club's LINE group.

This might just be the peak of my high school life. After this, I could live quietly, like a humble clam.

Oh, right. I have been asked to lend out a book. Riding the momentum, I decided to send my first-ever message.

As I typed, I found myself mumbling the words aloud. So this is what old men feel like when they do the same thing.

Now, would I actually get a reply? I have heard of people leaving messages on read, and worse, what if everyone just blocks me?

As I fretted over these possibilities, a reply came in from Tsukinoki-senpai. Ah, thank goodness. I haven't been blocked.

…Permission granted. Though seriously, can't senpai do something about her weird account name?

As I rolled lazily on the sofa, my sister Kaju quietly sat down across the table.

"You're such a wonderful person, onii-sama."

She suddenly said this out of nowhere.

"Uh, thanks…?"

"You always listen to Kaju's stories with a smile and never deny what Kaju says."

"I call you out constantly, though."

Like just now, for instance.

"You even patiently put up with Kaju's selfishness without ever making a fuss."

"If you know you're being selfish, maybe try fixing it."

Ignoring my retort, Kaju cleared her throat with an exaggerated "ahem".

"And that's why, onii-sama, you need to make a character bento."

She went way past the realm of logic with that one.

"...Uh, could you elaborate a bit?"

"Kaju is worried about you, onii-sama, grinning at your phone while staring at your favorite characters."

Ah, so that's where the character bento comes in.

"Sorry, I'm not following at all."

"Use the character bento to win everyone over and start conversations. Then you can bond over your shared love of manga and anime!"

"Why is this limited to manga and anime?"

"Onii-sama, that's the only topic you can talk about."

Rude, coming from my own sister. But she's not entirely wrong…

"But who would I even show it to if I had one?"

"Onii-sama, even if you don't have any friends, you're not eating lunch entirely alone, are you?"

"...Uh, I eat alone all the time, actually."

"Huh? How could that be?"

Kaju's eyes widened in shock, and she covered her mouth like she had just heard the most tragic news.

"But…all you have to do is ask someone to eat with you!"

I wouldn't be a loner in the first place if I could do that.

"Onii-sama, should Kaju come to your school? Kaju will ask everyone to eat lunch with you!"

"No, no, think about how that would make your older brother look."

"Then it has to be the character bento. Kaju already made a test version- please take a look."

She already made one? Kaju pulled out a bento box from somewhere.

"Onii-sama, consider this for your self-introduction, Kaju decided to make a portrait of you for the first attempt."

Wait, wait, wait, that's terrifying.

The design is hyper-realistic- more of a dramatic seaweed portrait than a cute character bento.

"Kaju even wrote your profile in black sesame seeds! This will let your classmates see your charm, onii-sama."

Classmates don't want to know my height, weight, or, heaven forbid, my first love.

"And why is my first love listed as you?"

"Well, onii-sama, ever since Kaju was old enough to remember, you've always said Kaju is cute!"

Well, that's because you're my little sister.

"Anyway, I don't even need a bento. Someone has already agreed to make me lunch for a while."

"…A bento? …Wait, what? What?"

Kaju froze, her brain seemingly refusing to process the information.

"Hey, Kaju? You okay?"

"Onii-sama! You have a girlfriend making lunch for you even though you don't have any friends? Without even consulting Kaju first!?"

"No, no, no! I don't have a girlfriend! No friends, no girlfriend, nothing like that!"

"Ah, of course. Someone without friends can't have a girlfriend, after all."

Why does my own little sister feel the need to constantly remind me that I have no friends?

"Kaju has heard that your circles sometimes have a thing called an imaginary girlfriend. However, an imaginary bento is calorie-free, so you would still need snacks to survive."

"Who do you even think I am? Don't worry- it's real food."

After all, it's just stuff from a convenience store.

"But normally, people who aren't friends or dating don't make each other lunch, do they?"

"She's being paid for it, okay?"

"Ah, so it's a professional service."

Kaju nodded as if she had figured it out, clapping her hands in understanding.

"Like a bento add-on service, right? Kaju has heard of those from my friends."

"Please get better friends."

As my gaze wandered, I accidentally locked eyes with the bento portrait of myself.

We're both going through a lot, aren't we?

*

The next day, Wednesday. As promised, Yanami showed up at the emergency staircase during lunch. It seems she's dead serious about repaying her debt through bento deliveries.

Sitting on a handkerchief she had spread out on the stairs, the girl, neither a girlfriend nor a friend, let out a heavy sigh next to me.

"They invited me again today. They want to study at Karen-chan's house together after school."

"Just say no."

My perfectly reasonable suggestion was met with a look of protest from Yanami.

"But they will be alone together if I don't go."

"They are already dating. Maybe it's time to let it go?"

All I was supposed to do was pick up the bento, but somehow, things spiraled into something bizarre again.

"…Of course, Karen-chan is out to crush me completely. She must have noticed how I've been looking at Sosuke in, you know, that way."

Yanami, keep those thoughts to yourself, okay?

"Maybe stop thinking about everything in the worst possible way. What if they are just still a little awkward being alone and want you there to help smooth things over?"

"…So basically, I'm just the bait to lure Sosuke into her house."

Wait, did I just say something really bad?

"N-No, I think you're reading too much into it…"

"She's lowering the psychological barriers to having him over. And eventually-"

Yanami suddenly turned to look at me, her tone abruptly shifting.

"...Oh no, Anna-chan suddenly can't make it today."

"Huh?"

There she goes, saying something weird again.

"It's a simulation. I'm imagining what would happen if Karen-chan and Sosuke ended up alone together."

"Uh-huh."

Can you run this simulation without involving me?

"Okay, let's try again from the beginning. Oh no, Anna-chan suddenly can't make it today. Nukumizu-kun, you play Sosuke. Come on, hurry!"

"Uh, okay… Oh, is that so? Then it's just the two of us."

What even is this skit?

"...What if I say I didn't invite her on purpose?"

Yanami continued, lowering her eyes slightly and leaning toward me.

What would a rom-com MC say at a time like this? Think.

"If I knew that and still came, what would you do?"

"Sosuke…"

"Karen…"

A fleeting moment of silence as we gazed into each other's eyes. Yanami suddenly pulled back, slapping her knee hard.

"See? That's it! That woman is totally after Sosuke's body!"

That's 100% just your imagination.

"More importantly, where's my bento?"

"…You know, Nukumizu-kun, maybe this is why you don't have any friends."

Mind your own business.

Yanami pulled out a single aluminum bento box. Wait, only one?

"Here, hold the lid for me."

Handing me the bento lid, Yanami stabbed her chopsticks into the rice.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you yesterday, didn't I? I can only use one bento box."

With her arm trembling, she hoisted up a chunk of rice and dropped it onto the lid with a plop.

It's heavy. On closer inspection, the rice grains are so compressed they look more like mochi.

"So, I crammed two portions into one bento box as tightly as I could. Okay, now for the side dishes."

Two more chunks dropped, one stir-fried and one stewed. Both are molded into the shape of the bento box, solid as bricks, and utterly unappetizing.

"Well, let's eat."

"…Uh, yeah. Let's eat."

Now, how am I supposed to tackle Yanami's masterpiece of a rice block? Despairing at how useless chopsticks were, I tried breaking it apart with the broth seeping from the stewed dish.

"So, is it good?"

Wait, does she seriously think this is the time to ask about flavor?

"Did you make the side dishes, too?"

"Of course! I worked really hard on them. How much do you think it's worth?"

Ah, I see. Thank goodness Yanami didn't grow up eating this stuff herself.

Oh, look- a frozen croquette hidden in the middle of the stir-fry block.

"...Uh, let's say 400 yen."

"Nice! Not bad."

Yanami happily bit into her own rice block. Just so you know, that price is pretty generous, considering the circumstances. Also, this bento is huge.

"At this rate, I might pay off my debt before summer vacation."

Right, once she's repaid what she owes, these lunches will end. Still, if it's only temporary, this isn't so bad. Of course, I'm making sure I get every yen back.

"Hey, wanna go upstairs? You can see the field from the fourth-floor landing."

By the time we finished eating, Yanami stood up, tucking the now-empty bento box away. I didn't really have a reason to refuse.

Under the clear July sky, the athletic field stretched out before us, with the track team hard at practice.

"Hey, isn't that Remon-chan over there?"

Leaning against the railing, Yanami stretched out her hand.

Even from a distance, the sun-bronzed figure is unmistakably Remon Yakishio. At the starter's signal, she shot off, leaving the others behind in the blink of an eye.

"Remon-chan is really fast, huh?"

Fifty minutes of lunch break- enough time to eat, change, practice, and change again. There's no way I could pull that off.

It's not envy or anything like that. It's more like the strange feeling of watching something dazzling and out of reach.

"She won the 100m in the city's rookie meet, right? And I think she placed in the prefectural prelims for the inter-highs, too."

"Wow, you really know a lot."

Leave it to me to absorb every piece of posted information.

"Remon-chan's amazing."

Just a casual comment. I was about to respond just as casually, but the words caught in my throat.

Yanami's eyes are brimming with tears.

The drops spilled over, glittering in the sunlight before being carried off by the wind.

Her profile still holds a trace of childlike innocence. Until recently, we hadn't even exchanged words, and now here she is, beside me, showing her tears. This scene feels unreal as if it is slipping through my fingers.

"Uh, Yanami-san? Are you okay?"

"I've really been dumped, huh?"

You don't say.

"You're thinking, 'You don't say', aren't you?"

"Eh, how did you know that?"

Reading people's thoughts without permission is a bad habit.

"It's like…it's sinking in now."

"Sinking in…?"

"Watching Remon-chan running, I just thought, wow, she's amazing. And then it hit me- I've been dumped, huh?"

The tears on her lashes sparkled, catching the light.

"I mean, I knew it in my head. But, like, my body hadn't caught up yet."

On the field, Yakishio started her second run, this time with the boys. Under our watchful eyes, she was overtaken at the very end by a tall guy.

"Nukumizu-kun, maybe you'll understand once you've been dumped really hard."

"Is that how it works?"

"Getting dumped doesn't change anything. It doesn't even make you feel better."

Yanami stretched her arms wide as if trying to shake off the heaviness of her words.

"But you know, the world keeps moving forward anyway, so you don't have much choice but to go along with it."

Like a forced event in a video game, I suppose.

"I've never been dumped, so I wouldn't really know."

"Ohh, that's what a popular guy would say."

My desperate attempt at self-deprecating humor was met with a soft, relaxed smile from Yanami.

If I were the protagonist of a light novel, this would be the moment to say something clever and win her heart. But for me, this is as good as it gets.

Time marches on, even for a losing heroine. While couples carve out memories together, her everyday life continues.

Without exchanging a word, the two of us simply watched the running students, letting the wind carry our silence.

Intermission: No, Even When She's Hungry, She's Still as Good as a God

The soft beep of the rice cooker echoed through the dim kitchen. Dressed in her pajamas, Anna Yanami yawned as she peeked into the fridge.

"Hmm, looks like we've only got eggs…"

Opening the vegetable drawer, she found a wilted yellow bunch of mustard spinach and a half-used pack of ham. As for the freezer, it's packed with frozen pasta and Garigari-kun popsicles. Digging deeper, she finally unearthed an open bag of mixed vegetables.

"What can I even make with this…?"

Eggs, ham, mixed vegetables, and some yellowing mustard spinach.

As she munched on a Garigari-kun popsicle, Yanami gazed at her spoils laid out on the table.

Now, what to do about tomorrow's lunch? She wouldn't call herself a skilled cook, but something about his reaction today had gotten under her skin.

"It's like he's saying my cooking isn't good enough…"

On a sudden whim, she opened the cupboard. Inside, a haphazard pile of gift-packaged canned goods greeted her. From the very back, she pulled out a dusty can.

The label read: "Supervised by Imperial Hotel: Secret White Sauce Recipe".

Yes, perfect. This feels like something incredible. With this, he'll have no choice but to admit my cooking.

Smirking to herself, Yanami read the label carefully, only for her eyes to land on the printed expiration date.

Wait, what year is it now? Let's see… Reiwa started in 2019, so-

Yanami promptly stopped her train of thought and placed the can on the table.

She vaguely remembered hearing that canned food was invented or eaten by Napoleon. If people in such ancient times could eat it, surely a year or two past its expiration date is just a rounding error.

Satisfied with her internal logic, she took a big bite of her Garigari-kun popsicle with her front teeth.

(...Owwwww!)

She doubled over alone in the dim kitchen, clutching her mouth in pain.

Anna Yanami, 15 years old, suffers from sensitive teeth. And so, another summer night quietly passed.