"Today in class, I actually did something foolish. After that, the resistance you encounter when integrating will likely increase..."
Satoru opened his lunchbox and began eating to himself.
Mirai looked at him with surprise. He seemed to be in a bad mood. She had been looking forward to praying together before the meal and then sharing food in a sweet scene.
"I feel a bit overwhelmed. And they already advised me not to do it."
"Don't say that. I'm really grateful to Yagami-san!!!"
Mirai knelt in front of him, leaning forward with her forehead against his, her eyes shining brightly.
She didn't want to hear him blame himself like this. He had already done so much and done it well enough.
"I actually don't really care about whether I fit in with them, but I still hope that when I'm alone, someone like Yagami-san will lend a helping hand..."
"For me, none of them together are as good as a single hair of Yagami-san's~ I was really happy and moved in today's cooking class..."
"Afterwards, I will also try my best to cooperate with Miura-san, and even if it gets even more difficult, it will be okay, right?"
She spoke incessantly, pouring out everything she had to say.
He had been listening all along, and when her voice fell silent in the empty warehouse, the atmosphere suddenly became quiet, making Mirai even more anxious.
She rarely spoke so much at once, except at home.
"Anyway, I will work very hard!"
She clenched her right fist and cheered herself up again.
Satoru looked at her thoughtfully. Mirai's self-doubt seemed to be directed only at himself. When she sat alone in the corner of the cooking classroom, she may have been lonely, but her eyes were still bright, and her tone when talking about her classmates was ordinary and natural.
Perhaps the informant said Mirai is "cool" was not wrong. The girl who came all the way herself from Otaru, Hokkaido naturally possesses extraordinary courage and temperament!
"Oh, by the way... is it pretty?"
He remained silent, making her heartbeat accelerate and her mind go into a panic, so she stumbled back to her own position, anxiously searching for a new topic. The conversation shifted to the private photos she sent him in cooking class.
Her face turned red, her body straightened up, and she knelt with her hands tightly pressed against the lunchbox, afraid of displeasing him.
"It's very pretty."
Satoru nodded calmly.
"But it's better not to do such things at school in the future. If you're discovered, it will spread rumors that are not good for you."
Mirai breathed a sigh of relief. He finally spoke, and the heavy atmosphere immediately dissipated. She showed a cheerful expression on her face again.
"It's only for Yagami-san to see~ It won't be discovered. I'm very careful."
To divert her shy attention, Mirai picked up a piece of chicken leg and put it in his bowl.
She only heard that he liked it, and the rest didn't matter.
"It's unnecessary for the risk."
"I really hope Mirai can have a normal school life."
Satoru smiled in reply.
He felt even more pity for her now. When he first noticed her during the cooking class, it was already near the end, so he didn't witness and fully understand her situation. But now, he had a deep understanding.
"With Yagami-san, it's already very normal... even dreamlike!!"
She muttered with her head down, her voice so low that even though they were the only two people, he couldn't hear it clearly.
The dialect of the Japanese language spoken in Otaru, Hokkaido left Satoru feeling confused.
"I will do my best!"
She adjusted her mood, smiled brightly, and answered his puzzled gaze.
The atmosphere became more relaxed and warm. Mirai looked at his lunchbox and remembered the Omurice she tasted when he cooked. She only had a small part, and the rest was shared among others, and even students from other groups came over to join in the fun.
The gymnasium warehouse, with both dimness and brightness, was a rare cool paradise on a hot summer day.
"Yagami-san, can you lend me the key to the warehouse? I want to make a copy, and then I can come here for lunch!"
She suddenly said.
"Okay."
Satoru nodded.
"Um... can we switch and eat each other's food?"
He noticed her gaze shifting.
Satoru didn't hesitate to show his tenderness as he wanted to continue adhering to his nurturing methods. He did not want to end up locked in a basement. Each time he thought of the damp and musty basement, with shackles and iron chains clanging in the dark corners, it strengthened his resolve!
And Mirai was indeed really great, getting better and better!
"The taste is really amazing! I can't believe how skilled Yagami-san is at cooking!" exclaimed Mirai, filled with excitement as she began to taste his food.
"And, oh, Yagami-san you mentioned before not to do 'that' at school for fear of being discovered. But if it's just the two of us or outside of school, does that mean it's okay?"
Every bit of sweetness made her savor it like a precious treasure. The more insecure a person is, the more they tend to have a sense of self-worth and become meticulous in seeking reciprocity for others' kindness and goodness. They feel the need to repay the other person in equal measure!
"Don't spend your whole day thinking about these things!" Satoru rolled his eyes and lightly tapped her forehead. "Whatever I want you to do, you'll just do it? Should I ask you to dress up as a bunny girl, and you'll do it? There's no need to constantly think about repaying me. And there's no need to do it in this manner!"
Of course, he had to say this now so that she would repay him with even more sincerity.
Bunny girl? Mirai's eyes shimmered with understanding. She seems got it! Indeed, a simple school uniform and knee-high socks were quite ordinary~
Bunny Mirai is currently in the planning stage!