I was half-asleep, slumped over my desk, my chin resting on my palm as I stared blankly out the window. The lecture droning on behind me had long since faded into white noise. The only thing capturing my attention was the enormous black crow perched on a branch outside, its dark eyes locked onto mine.
We were having a moment—me and the bird.
It tilted its head, judging me with a look that only birds seem capable of pulling off. That condescending, superior look that said, "You humans are all fools." And you know what? Maybe it had a point. After all, here I was, stuck in a classroom, mentally orchestrating a rom-com out of my classmate's life, while this bird got to just... exist. Fly away at any moment. No responsibilities. No embarrassing run-ins with the student council president who'd seen me in bunny slippers. Just freedom.
"What's it like to be a bird?" I found myself wondering. "Do they ever get bored of flying? Do they ever wish they could walk like the rest of us, or are they just laughing at us from above?"
The crow blinked slowly, still watching me. Was this some kind of philosophical showdown? Bird vs. human? The winner gets to avoid awkward social situations for the rest of their life? Because if so, I was totally down for it.
Suddenly, the crow cawed loudly, its beak flaring open, and before I could even blink, it flapped its wings and took off into the sky, leaving me staring at the empty branch like a rejected love interest.
"Traitor," I muttered, snapping out of my avian trance. "We could have been friends, but you flew away so easily."
I sighed, rubbing my face as reality set in. The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break, and the chatter of my classmates pulling out their bento boxes filled the room. I glanced at the clock. Time to set things in motion. I spotted Rika already pulling out his lunch—just the guy I needed.
"Alright, Raven," I told myself, standing up and stretching. "Time to stir up some chaos."
I casually sauntered over to Rika's desk, leaning against the edge with the practiced air of someone who wasn't about to ruin lives for fun. Rika looked up at me, surprised but not entirely wary. Yet.
"Hey, Rika," I said smoothly, "feel like having lunch together? I know a nice, quiet spot."
Rika blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, sure. I don't really feel like eating alone today."
"Perfect." I smiled to myself. He was oblivious, as always, to the gears turning in my head. "Trust me, you won't be eating alone for long."
As Rika stood up, tucking his lunch container under his arm, I grabbed my own bento box. To anyone else, it looked like a regular lunch, but inside it was the meal of a man who took his food seriously: grilled chicken breast with spices, vegetable garnish, brown rice, and a tomato-cucumber salad on the side. Simple, but balanced. I caught Rika eyeing it, curiosity written all over his face.
"Let's go," I said, turning toward the door. It was time for the first step of my plan.
We made our way down the hallway, weaving through students who were either chatting or heading toward the courtyard for lunch. As we walked, I couldn't resist asking, "So, what do you have for lunch today?"
Rika opened his container, revealing boiled sausages, some rice, and a handful of vegetables that looked like they'd been thrown together at the last minute. "Just the usual. What about you?"
I shrugged nonchalantly, lifting the lid of my box to reveal my meticulously prepared meal. "Grilled chicken breast with some spices, brown rice, veggies, salad. Nothing too fancy."
Rika's eyes widened slightly. "Seriously? That looks like something from a restaurant. Did you make all of that?"
"Yeah," I replied, trying not to sound too smug. "I meal prep in bulk. Makes it easier to stay on track with healthy eating."
"Man, I just grab whatever I can find," Rika said, sighing. "I should probably take a page out of your book, Raven-san. But I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
I chuckled. "Trust me, if I didn't go to the gym, I'd probably just live off convenience store food too."
Rika looked genuinely surprised. "You go to the gym?"
I stopped in my tracks, clutching my chest dramatically. "Rika... Is it really that unnoticeable?" I gasped, pretending to spit up imaginary blood. "I've been betrayed! You've hurt me deeply, my friend."
Rika let out an awkward laugh, clearly unsure if I was serious or not. "Well, it's not like it's unnoticeable! I just didn't—uh—pay attention, I guess."
I dropped the act, smirking. "I'll forgive you. But only because we're friends."
Rika visibly relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders as we continued walking. I glanced around, making sure we were still on track to run into the next part of my plan. Miyuki's classroom was just up ahead, and I had a feeling things were about to get interesting.
As we neared Class 1-C, where Miyuki's kingdom of fangirls undoubtedly awaited her, I could feel the tension rising. Normally, I'd relish the chance to throw Rika into one of those awkward rom-com moments with Miyuki, but today, I wasn't in the mood for her teasing.
"I'll grab us something to drink from the vending machine," I said quickly, trying to make a graceful exit. "What do you want?"
Rika blinked, caught off guard by my sudden urgency. "Uh, I'm fine, thanks."
I gave a quick nod and practically darted for the vending machines. As I fumbled with the coins in my pocket, I muttered under my breath, "Phew, dodged a bullet there. Knowing my luck, she's probably already lurking nearby."
The vending machine made its usual whirring noises as I selected two bottles of the infamous Sugar Crush. I wasn't planning on drinking it, but Rika seemed to have a weird emotional connection to the stuff, so I figured I'd play along.
Sure enough, when I returned to where I'd left Rika, there she was. Miyuki Tomioka, in all her sparkling, carefree glory, bouncing out of her classroom with a pink lunch container clutched in her hands. She spotted Rika instantly, and her eyes lit up as if fate had personally orchestrated this reunion.
"Rika-kun!" she called out, skipping over with a wide smile. "We meet again! Were you waiting for me?"
Rika's face turned the color of a tomato, and he immediately fumbled for words. "Uh, well, actually, we were—"
"It doesn't matter!" Miyuki interrupted, her eyes wide and full of that familiar teasing glint. "Do you want to have lunch together?"
This was my cue. I stepped in before Rika could make things even more awkward for himself.
"Good afternoon, Tomioka-san," I said smoothly, giving her a polite nod. "Rika and I were already planning to have lunch together, but I don't think he'd mind if you joined us. Right, Rika?"
"N-no, I don't mind," Rika stammered, his blush deepening.
"Great!" Miyuki clapped her hands together, practically bouncing on her heels.
And just like that, the trap was set. Now, all that was left was to steer things toward our next stop.
We headed to the back of the school, where a quiet bench awaited us under the shade of a large tree. The perfect setting for an impromptu group lunch. As we rounded the corner, however, I spotted someone sitting there already.
Asuka.
She hadn't started eating yet and was sitting with her lunch container unopened in her lap. When she saw us approaching, her eyes flickered to Rika and Miyuki walking side by side, and for a split second, her smile faltered.
"Oh boy," I thought, feeling the subtle tension in the air. "Here we go."
Asuka stood up, clearly about to make her exit. "Hello, Rika-kun, Miyuki-san. You're here to have lunch? I'll leave—"
Before I could intervene, Rika did something unexpected.
"Wait, Asuka-san!" he blurted out, his voice slightly shaky but sincere. "I-I'd like it if you had lunch with us. If you don't mind."
Asuka blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. Miyuki grinned, clearly loving the sudden twist.
"Yes! Asuka-chan, join us!" Miyuki chimed in, bouncing on her toes again.
Asuka hesitated for a moment, but then she smiled—a genuine, soft smile that lit up her entire face. "W-well, if you're inviting me, I don't mind."
I stood there, momentarily stunned. Had Rika just... initiated a moment like that? Without me forcing it? My boy was growing up before my very eyes. I wiped away an imaginary tear of pride.
We all settled down on the benches, with Rika sitting between Miyuki and Asuka, and me across from them. Perfect positioning. I could observe everything.
"This is my friend, Raven-san," Rika said, introducing me to the girls. "Originally, we were just going to have lunch together, but now it's the four of us."
I nodded politely at Asuka. "Nice to meet you. We're in the same class, so I'm sure you already know me."
Asuka smiled shyly. "Yes, I've seen you around. Take care of Rika-kun, okay?"
I smirked. "Don't worry. I always do."
We all opened our lunch containers, the smell of food quickly filling the air. As expected, Rika's boiled sausages and rice looked pretty basic next to my gourmet spread. Miyuki eyed my food enviously but turned her head with a huff, muttering something about only eating food made by Rika.
I wasn't about to let this opportunity pass by.
"Want to try some?" I asked, offering a small piece of chicken to Rika.
He accepted it gratefully, eating it right off the fork. For a moment, everything went silent. Both Asuka and Miyuki stared at him, their eyes widening as if they'd just witnessed something scandalous. Blood started trickling from their noses in true over-the-top shojo manga style.
"I'm in heaven..." they muttered in unison, completely oblivious to each other's reactions.
I blinked, glancing between the two of them. "Did I just enter a shojo manga?" I wondered, feeling both amused and slightly horrified. Meanwhile, Rika continued eating, completely unaware of the havoc he'd just caused.
As we ate, the conversation drifted to more casual topics, and I decided to steer things in a direction that would help me gather more information about Rika's past.
"So, how long have you two known Rika?" I asked, taking a bite of my salad.
Asuka smiled warmly, clearly reminiscing. "We've been friends since we were around five or six. Rika stood up for me when some girls were bullying me back in elementary school."
Miyuki chimed in with her own story. "I met him when we were eight! He helped me after I fell off my bike, and we've been friends ever since."
Internally, I was taking notes. Rika was shaping up to be even more of a classic rom-com protagonist than I'd originally thought. Kind, dependable, always helping people... No wonder these girls were so attached to him.
"Not bad, Rika," I thought, giving him an approving glance. "You're living the dream without even realizing it."
As lunch drew to a close, Rika shifted awkwardly in his seat, clearly embarrassed by all the praise he'd received.
"Anyone would have done the same thing," he mumbled, his face still red.
I shook my head, leaning back with a wise smile. "Not everyone would. Don't downplay your actions."
The others nodded in agreement, and Rika's blush deepened. But before he could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.
"Well, I guess we'd better get going before we're late for class," Rika said, standing up and brushing off his pants.
Miyuki and Asuka followed suit, each giving him a lingering smile as we gathered our things and headed back toward the school building.
As we walked, I couldn't help but feel satisfied. The plan was unfolding perfectly. Rika's relationships with the girls were developing nicely, and I was in the perfect position to guide things along.
"As you wish, Rika," I thought with a light smirk.