17 Feelings as Seasoning
“No, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to eat it, Riri-chan.”
I smoothly dodged Riri-chan’s hand as she tried to take the bento box.
“No way, it’s unacceptable for Suzuna to eat another girl’s cooking.”
“…Girlfriend, much?”
What’s with that line?
I thought she didn’t get along with Kokona-chan, but there’s no need to be so dramatic.
This assertive pushiness, forcing her opinion on others, is typical Hinase Riri.
This aggressiveness should be directed at Shindo-kun…
What went wrong to cause this?
…Ah, it was my fault.
“Girlfriend? Me?”
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Riri-chan blinked.
Yeah, I know it’s absurd, but…
It’s Riri-chan’s fault for making such a suggestive remark.
“I’m kidding, but getting so worked up about someone else’s bento is like a girlfriend’s reaction.”
It’s like a maiden consumed by jealousy.
I know Riri-chan didn’t mean it that way, but that’s how it sounded.
“Eh, so you’re saying Suzuna is the “boyfriend”?”
“I said I was kidding.”
“I’m talking about the joke.”
This conversation is ridiculous, but if we had to choose who’s the boyfriend and who’s the girlfriend…
“…Well, it feels the other way around.”
“Why?”
“Because you take the lead, Riri-chan.”
“Ehehe… do you think so?”
Riri-chan seemed happy for some reason.
“So, Suzuna is the girlfriend, huh…”
“…Well, I’m more of a pet than a girlfriend, aren’t I?”
And I proceeded to dismantle the premise of our own conversation.
I’m not worthy of being a girlfriend, being treated like a pet suits me better.
Happily receiving food and then going to sleep.
That kind of life isn’t bad.
“Suzuna is a pet…?!”
And for some reason, Riri-chan’s breathing grew ragged.
“That sounds nice, I’m envious. The pet life.”
“What?! Do you have some kind of kink?!”
“…No, it’s much simpler than that.”
Apparently, she thought I had some warped fetish.
“S-So you want to be kept by someone…?”
Well… if I had to answer that question directly…
“Yeah, that might be nice. So don’t take my food.”
I hugged the bento box protectively, hiding it with my body.
“G-Gladly…”
Riri-chan gave a strange reply.
◇◇◇
“Ah, welcome back, Amatsuki Suzuna.”
Back in the classroom, Kokona-chan was waiting for me.
…In my seat.
I’m not even going to ask why anymore.
“I-I’m back…”
“So, how was it? How did the bento taste?”
Kokona-chan looked at me expectantly.
I think she was fairly confident.
The taste had certainly improved a lot.
“It was… so-so.”
Riri-chan, next to me, immediately replied.
(I begged her not to follow me, but she insisted on being there for this.)
“Hinase Riri…, I wasn’t asking you.”
“I ate some too.”
“Huh…? I didn’t make it for you.”
“The goal was to get feedback on the taste, right? Then it’s better to have more opinions. Or is there some reason why only Suzuna is allowed to eat it?”
What’s with these two…?
Why are they being so combative?
“Are you delusional…? That doesn’t give you the right to eat it.”
“Can’t you appreciate my generosity in allowing Suzuna to eat it? I could have taken it all away…”
She said that, but Riri-chan barely touched the bento.
She only ate the heart-shaped tamagoyaki, saying, “I just can’t forgive this.”
I didn’t understand why she was so fixated on it.
“Hey, Amatsuki Suzuna, why did you let her eat it?”
“S-Sorry…”
The spear of her anger turned towards me.
I bowed my head to the displeased Kokona-chan.
“…And, um, I’ve been meaning to ask… why are you talking so informally?”
…And next to me was a gal radiating even more displeasure.
“Are you telling me to use honorifics?”
“That’s common courtesy.”
W-Well… Kokona-chan’s attitude towards her upperclassmen isn’t exactly polite.
I understand that she doesn’t feel the age difference because she has an older brother, and I understand that she’s friendly with Amatsuki Suzuna, whom she’s known since childhood.
But it’s not appropriate with Hinase Riri, who’s at the top of the social hierarchy.
“Heh… Hinase Riri, with your rule-breaking makeup and uniform, is lecturing me about courtesy? You can’t even follow the school rules, and you’re talking about courtesy? That’s a new one.”
“…Gah.”
Ah, Riri-chan was so stunned by that perfect counterattack that she was speechless…
“There are people like that, you know, who impose their narrow-minded views of common sense and courtesy on others. You should try to see the bigger picture.”
“I just care a little about my appearance. And what about you? Barging into an upperclassman’s classroom and bringing your brother lunch… Couldn’t you just give it to him at home?!”
No, don’t say that, Riri-chan.
If you do that, you’ll completely miss the Kokona-chan events.
It’s due to circumstances beyond our control. Please understand… well, that’s probably impossible.
“Th-That’s true…”
Kokona-chan seemed surprised, as if she’d just realized something.
Y-Yeah… well, there are things like that.
Things you do without thinking that don’t actually make sense.
“So, you don’t have to give Suzuna a bento anymore. Suzuna said she doesn’t need one!”
I had no idea what that “so” was supposed to mean, but Riri-chan was resorting to brute force.
“What’s that supposed to mean…? I don’t need Hinase Riri’s permission.”
“B-But, Kokona-chan, I also feel bad about receiving a bento. It tasted good, so I think you’ll be fine from now on.”
Or rather, since the Shindo-kun bento event is gone, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Anyway, all the gears are starting to turn in the wrong direction, so I don’t want any more complicated settings added.
“…Fine. If it tasted good, then it’s fine.”
Kokona-chan agreed more readily than I expected.
“So, how about Kokona-chan goes back to her class, and Riri-chan goes back to her seat?”
It’s strange for these two to be gathered around me.
Originally, the heroines were supposed to gather around Shindo Minato, who sits in front of me.
If that’s not possible, then let’s at least separate.
Let’s separate and rethink our strategies.
“No, I’m not going back until I hear specifically what Amatsuki Suzuna liked about the bento.”
“Huh? You don’t need to hear that.”
…Please.
Please go back, both of you.
A plain girl with glasses surrounded by her childhood friend’s younger sister and a high-ranking gal.
This composition is just wrong!
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