Chapter 9: Bento Box
A few days later.
On this day, Yui, who had come to school in the morning, was talking with her close female friends. The topics ranged from what they saw on TV yesterday to their studies and personal matters. However, among all the topics, the most frequent one that came up was Yui’s active career as a popular actress. After all, she had even worked with actors that her classmates admired directly, which naturally piqued the curiosity of the girls during this sensitive period of adolescence.
Even apart from that, Yui, who has been referred to as a “pure and innocent” actress on TV and has even been called an angel, is often admired with longing eyes. People frequently ask her how she manages to look so beautiful.
Yui, who was happily engaged in such conversations with her friends as usual, caught a glimpse of Yuu entering the school grounds. For a brief moment, her smile faltered. However, it happened so quickly that none of the people she was talking to noticed.
◇◇◇
“ Did you have a fight? ”
“ Ah? ”
Yui, who was eating lunch with Takuya in an empty classroom, didn’t understand what it meant when she was suddenly asked that.
“ Yui, I’ve been hearing that you and Yuu have been acting distant lately, or at least there seems to be some tension between you. Is it just my imagination? ”
I’ve been avoiding having any meaningful conversations with Yuu these past few days, given that they were the one who forced me into giving them a blowjob against my will on a holiday. Crossing that line makes it impossible for us to get along.
“ Fight… Is it a fight? I think it’s more like a misunderstanding or a misalignment, to be more accurate… ”
Despite the incident of being forced, as time passed, Yui’s desire to reconcile had become stronger. Despite the risk of being attacked again, the person in question was someone she had known for several years, and she had trusted them after Takuya. There was also an emotional connection involved. Yui hadn’t accumulated enough life experience to easily detach herself from the situation, and she wasn’t a cold-hearted person either. She acknowledged her own shortcomings in crisis management, but still, if possible, Yui wanted things to go back to how they were before.
“ Can I ask for the reason? ”
“ “…That’s not possible. Even with Takkun… No, especially because it’s Takkun, I don’t want to talk about this. ”
“ I see. ”
Takuya couldn’t help but feel a sense of sympathy at Yui’s words.
“ Oh, it’s not about you being unreliable or anything like that. It’s just that, well, I want to solve this issue myself, or rather, I don’t want to share it with anyone. ”
“ I understand. Then I’ll make sure not to interfere. But if you ever find yourself in trouble, don’t hesitate to let me know. Both of you are important friends to me. ”
“ Friends? ”
“ Yuu… well, Yuu is a friend. But of course, Yui is not just a friend, you are someone special to me, my girlfriend. ”
Interpreting it as a mere play on words, he quickly captures the intention behind the statement. He appears embarrassed, likely due to the slightly embarrassing line he just uttered.
“ Hehe, thank you. I’m happy. ”
“ You said it even though you knew, huh? ”
“ Well, because I wanted to hear it from you, Takkun ♪ ”
Knowing what had happened, I intentionally asked in order to feel a little happier. For Takkun, it was just a slightly embarrassing moment, and seeing Yui’s happy expression was worth the cheap cost, or so he thought.
“ Oh, that tamagoyaki looks delicious. Would you like to trade it for this sausage? ”
Upon hearing that, Yui extends her own bento box. Yui had opportunities to cook in the past, and through repeated practice, she became skillful at it without even realizing. Now, she has developed a love for cooking and enjoys it.
Due to her busy work schedule, Yui doesn’t have much time for cooking on a regular basis. However, whenever she has free time, she enjoys preparing homemade bento boxes like this.
“ Handmade? ”
“ Yeah. It’s my special dish. Please try it and tell me how it is. ”
The fact that they can have a peaceful meal together like this brings joy to both of them. Taking the tamagoyaki in her chopsticks, Yui extends her arm towards Takuya saying: “ Aaahhhh~~ ”
“ Ehh?… ”
“ Come on, I feel embarrassed too. Eat it, Takkun, say ‘ aaahh ’. ”
Having a beautiful girl feed you is a dream come true for many guys. And to make it even better, that beautiful girl is eagerly reaching out with her chopsticks. It’s as if she made the food specifically for Takuya to eat from the start.
His actress girlfriend has played the role of a lovestruck maiden in multiple dramas. That means she has delivered lines of affection and flashed smiles at men countless times.
Takuya has watched a few of the dramas featuring Yui, but the current Yui is even more adorable and beautiful than any smile she has ever portrayed in a drama. And it seems that her self-proclaimed embarrassment is not a lie.
“ Even though she did something similar in the drama… ”
Though it was meant as a muttered soliloquy, it managed to reach Yui’s ears clearly.
“ That was acting, but now it’s my true feelings. They’re completely different. ”
“ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. Even though I said something similar, I still feel that they’re different. It’s like a gap, you know? The Yui in the drama was cute enough, but the current Yui feels more like her true self, if that makes sense. I know it’s weird for me to say this, but I think I’m falling in love… ”
“ Uhh… Yeah, I know! I love you too, Takkun! … Mouuu~, just open up and say ‘ aah ’ already!… ”
Blushing deeply, Yui forcefully stuffed a piece of tamagoyaki into Takkun’s mouth as a way to hide her embarrassment.
“ Mm, mmm… Delicious… It’s delicious, Yui. ”
Having savored it slowly and swallowed, Takuya expresses his thoughts directly.
“ Really? I’m glad… ”
Relieved by those words, Yui, despite having said it was her confident creation, still had some doubts lingering in her mind.
“ It’s really true, I swear. It’s so delicious that I could eat it every day. ”, he reassured her.
“ Ehhh?!… Everyday?!… ”
“ Oh? … Ah, no, I didn’t mean it like that… ”
It was just a casual remark, but seeing how flustered Yui was, he quickly realized how it could be interpreted.
“ No, it’s okay… I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. ”
Her face drooped, like a wilted flower, losing the happiness it once had.
“ No, it’s not like I don’t have those feelings or anything. Even though we’re not exactly at that age yet… ”
The two of them blushed and gazed into each other’s eyes, occasionally feeling embarrassed and looking away. They repeated such sweet moments multiple times.
And after losing track of how much time had passed, Yui began to speak.
“ I… um… it’s… fine. Because I… I want to be with you forever, Takkun. So, um, marriage… or something like that. ”
“ Wha-! But, you know… Well, regardless of you, I still feel like I’m too young for that. ”
“ That means… You’ll do it when you’re old enough?”
“ If my parents approve, yeah. Because I also want to be with you forever, Yui. I’d even prefer it if I were the one asking for it ”
“ I’m glad… ”
They are still second-year high school students and have only been dating for a short while. From an adult perspective, it may seem early for them to be having such discussions, or perhaps it could be seen as the folly of young love.
But neither Takuya nor Yui intended their words to be jokes or based on fleeting emotions. That’s why they feel so nervous and excited. They both feel the same way, and knowing that fills them with an indescribable joy.
“ ……Let’s just dig in already. ”
Takuya, who could no longer stand the sweet air, began to advance his chopsticks at a faster pace than usual.
“ Hehe. You’re right, if we take too long, someone else notice. ”
Yui, who finds Takuya cute in moments like this, smiles. Indeed, talking with Takuya and enjoying ordinary moments like eating lunch together, just the two of them, is the most enjoyable thing. As an actress, Yui’s job doesn’t always allow her to experience these everyday situations, so she can easily appreciate their value. Often, the most precious things are right there, so close that we can’t see them.
“ Takkun… ”
“ ? ”
Midway through chewing, Takuya, who had been called by Yui, looked at her and asked: “ What’s up? ”
“ Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to call your name. ”, Yui replied with a smile.
Even though he wondered what it was about, seeing Yui smiling happily made him forget about it. Her smile was so captivating and had the power to attract people’s hearts. While he had never explicitly said it, he believed that being an actress was Yui’s true calling, considering how well-suited she was for the job.
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