"Holy shit!"
It's lunchtime and I'm in one of the multi-purpose meeting rooms. I let out a cry as soon as I saw my meal. I felt so compelled to yell because the spectacle that was laid out before my eyes as I removed the lid was so fantastic.
On one side was a rolled-up egg, pure gold in color. On the other side, was a burdock root, bamboo, and chive rice dish glazed with honey mustard. I was literally in a cold sweat seeing this burdock and bamboo rice dish. I literally can not wait to eat this.
"You're not a child, it would be great if you decided to stop yelling randomly."
While her words might be tinged with thorniness through and through, Rin's face is bright red. She has her fists clenched, but probably not because she wants to hit me, but because she's so happy. That definitely is the truth and totally not me substituting in my own reality...
"It's fine, besides, it's only us here."
"Even so, why do we need to go somewhere else and hide?"
"If we eat in the classroom, I'm sure people will be calling us "The Queen and the Slave" again..."
"You really are disgusting if you have delusions like that, Tohru-kun."
"And that's why people call you the Queen."
"Sh-shut up. At least acknowledge the fact that you're disgusting."
"Ugh... I get chills just thinking about that, no way I'll say it."
"I really hope those chills are suspicious ones."
"Are you a masochist?
"I sure am."
"Alright fine, I'll stop. Anyways, do you hate these weird rumors about you Rin?"
Rin starts to say something, but stops and gives me a pout instead.
"Whatever, I don't really care about them."
"Well yeah, that's what I expected. Regardless, when it's just the two of us, it's a lot more fun. There's definitely a reason why!"
"Y-you really enjoying saying stupid stuff. You better watch your calorie intake."
Rin quickly puts her hands together and digs into the honey mustard dish.
"Mmm!"
It's so warm! As I bring it up to my mouth, it's pretty obvious that this fried food will be hot. With a crunch, my teeth penetrate the crispy surface, and the juicy liquid spills all over my mouth, The honey mustard compliments the rice well and I can taste some soy sauce mixed in as well. I feel the scent of ginger hit my nose. I gulp down the rice and vegetable dish in an instant and that raises a question in my head.
"Aren't Bentos usually cold?"
"This is a special Thermos bento box. It tastes better warm, so I like it this way."
I can feel my heart melting, Rin is so considerate.
"So, how's the taste?"
She takes a nervous glance at me, her face kind of anxious. I give her a big thumbs up.
"It's the best!"
I can see her chest deflate a bit and she clenches her fists even harder. She's definitely happy that I praised her. She's so cute. And so, we continue eating our delicious lunch.
"I will say, this has to be one of the best lunches I ever had."
The large omelet has a nice subtle sweetness to it and the bonito stock adds some necessary flavor. The egg wouldn't be complete without the chives complementing it, adding freshness and a bit of crunch, it really is essential. The burdock and bamboo in the rice helps complete the dish and adds a wonderful texture to the meal.
The flavor really is such an amazing one, I can't stop myself from constantly yearning for it. Rin put so much time and effort into creating this dish, no words could ever express my deep gratitude towards Rin.
"Yep, that was delicious, the best I dare say!"
"Please stop repeating that over and over please."
"Why?"
"It's embarrassing..."
She averts her gaze and uses her fist to cover up her mouth. This is how she usually acts when she is embarrassed.
Ahhh, she's so cute!!!
I can feel my heart beating quickly.
"Well, this has all my favorite foods, I'm surprised. I remember your mom making this rice dish when we were small."
I see Rin trembling, probably due to my words. I see her begin to speak.
"Well, we are childhood friends after all. Of course, I'd take notice of the things you enjoyed a lot."
I can't take this anymore. Before I can really process what's happening, I find my hand on Rin's cheek.
"Hua..."
The wind is knocked right out of her.
"Thank you so much, Rin."
Just like that, my palm falls down her cheek. It feels so soft, but just then my hand feels the texture of hair. I smell the sweet scent of peaches. Like with Syrup, I want to brush her gently.
"Wha... What's going on?"
I remove my hand, but her voice, getting caught with her breath, sounds more sexy than usual.
"Sorry, sorry. I just didn't know how to thank you otherwise."
"You must. Do you really think rubbing someone's face is the best way to thank them!?"
With her hands on her face, she glares at me with her piercing eyes. The way she pouts her cheeks, it looks so much like a hamster eating sunflower seeds.
"You know, those words aren't that harsh at all."
"You better watch your tone, or you'll piss people off."
"Yeah, sorry."
Her fists look like they want to punch me, but I continue eating and smack my lips after finishing my bento. Admittedly, I like the fact that Rin and I are getting closer. It's been so long since we had lunch together.
When we were in elementary school, I would come over to Rin's house to play and her mom would cook for us. Once middle school hit, that would decrease and now in high school, it basically became non-existent. It's not like our relationship got worse, but there definitely was some sort of mental block separating us.
After I realized my feelings for Rin, I haven't been able to get back to that innocent childhood friendliness we had back then. Now that I'm eating lunch with Rin now, I'm beyond elated. I'm still shocked that Rin made a bento for me, of all people.
"You're staring at me and it's gross."
"Haha, it's been a while since we had lunch together. It really is a nice feeling."
Rin's next words end up being pretty short.
"I see..."
Rin hides her mouth with her mouth again as she whispers that. Despite that, I still noticed the corners of her mouth rising up before she covered it.
____________________
"H-hey, Rin."
After we're done lunch, Rin for whatever reason is examining my face, which leaves me in a confused state. Her clean and well-shaped nose is right in my eyes. Under her beautiful eyebrows, her black pupils stare right into me. A sweet aroma hits my nose. I know that smell.
"Uhh..."
I'm not used to Rin being close to me at all. I avert my gaze because it's getting pretty awkward like this. However, in my line of sight lies two perfectly shaped breasts and the situation is getting even worse for me. Wherever I look, I'm screwed. I anticipate her words, but what she says...
"I'm right."
Is different from what I was expecting.
"Tohru-kun you aren't feeling well at all today, aren't you?" "Huh?"