“Izumi-kun’s lunch was made by a girl, you know~?”
“H-Hey—!”
Meina’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Wow~ How enviable~”
She said it without a shred of shame.
(Jeez, she didn’t have to say that… Wait—?)
Opening the lunchbox Shiragiku had prepared, Izumi froze.
It was unusually extravagant—
packed with premium ingredients like a New Year’s feast.
Nanao and Meina peered in, eyes wide.
“Whoa, is that… Ise lobster?”
“Amazing~ And this looks like simmered abalone~”
A spread fit for a celebration.
But Izumi had no idea why. As a high schooler, eating like this on a random weekday felt like tempting fate.
(Wh-Why is it so fancy today…?)
Of course—this was Shiragiku’s way of marking her territory.
Hakua’s Supreme Lunchbox
With the pride of a legal wife declaring, “I won’t lose to some mere attendant!” Shiragiku had spent all morning crafting the ultimate lunchbox. Though, in truth, it was just her wealthy upbringing showing its spoiled side.
Meanwhile, unseen observers lurked in the shadows—
Naturally, it was the trio of girls: Shiragiku and her two companions.
Peeking from behind the staircase leading to the rooftop, they stealthily—no, supportively—watched the scene unfold.
Amane: “Whoa… Shiragiku-san, that’s brutal…”
Haru: “I’ve only seen stuff like that on TV…”
Shiragiku smirked, basking in their awestruck reactions.
Shiragiku: “Fufu. Meina, even you would lose the will to fight in the face of such a lunchbox, wouldn’t—”
But where her gaze landed—
Meina, confronted with the extravagant meal, simply…
Meina: “Ah, can I try some too~? ♪”
Izumi: “Huh? Oh, sure.”
—asked to eat it like it was nothing!
And since Meina only had bread (meaning no utensils), the outcome was inevitable.
Izumi used his chopsticks to gently pick apart the simmered sea bream and fed it to her!
Izumi: “Well?”
Meina: “Mm~! So delicious~! ♪”
——Shiragiku collapsed to her knees, utterly crushed!
What a disaster.
Her lunchbox was so overwhelmingly luxurious that it had backfired—giving Meina the perfect excuse for a “Say ‘ahh~’” moment. Her efforts had completely missed the mark.
Amane & Haru: “Shiragiku-san… Shiragiku-senpai…”
Shiragiku: “Stop! Don’t look at me like that!”
Meanwhile, under the trio’s stares, Nanao cheerfully chatted with Meina.
Nanao: “Meina-chan, do you cook?”
Meina: “Not at all~. I’ve always been clumsy~.”
Nanao: “Huh~. That’s surprising.”
Meina: “What about you, Nanao-san~?”
Nanao: “Hmm. I can make simple stuff, but I usually rely on my mom.”
Then she suddenly poked Izumi’s cheek with her finger.
Nanao: “Oh, but I have mastered sweet tamagoyaki, Izumi-kun’s favorite! So don’t worry~.”
Izumi: “Why would I be worried…?”
Nanao: “Fufu~. You know exactly why~. You’re so cute, Izumi-kun. ♡”
Izumi: “Please stop smoothly flirting with me…”
—And he really wished she’d stop rubbing her knee against his too.
Meina: “Tamagoyaki sounds nice~.”
Nanao: “If you made Izumi-kun a lunchbox, what would you put in it?”
Izumi: “Why am I the default here…?”
His weak protest went unheard as the two girls vibed perfectly, leaving Izumi mildly despairing.
Meina: “Hmm~. If it were me, I’d probably make unagi-don~.”
Izumi: “Unagi in a lunchbox? Why? Do you like eel?”
Meina laughed brightly.
Meina: “Kufufu~. When a fox gives a gift, it has to be eel—that’s just how it works~.”
Izumi: “Ah. That…”
It was a reference to a famous folktale, the kind everyone reads in elementary school.
(Though Izumi privately thought, “Wouldn’t that make me the guy who shoots the fox with a gun?”—but he wisely kept that to himself. He’d learned from Nanao that nitpicking would only drag him deeper into their pace.)
Nanao tilted her head.
Nanao: “Fox? What do you mean?”
Izumi: “Meina claims she’s a baby fox I saved as a kid, now repaying the debt as a human.”
He explained with a wry smile, referencing The Grateful Fox. Nanao nodded.
Nanao: “Oh, I see!”
Izumi: “You’re just accepting that…?”
Her dead-serious expression made him flustered instead.
Meina: “But I’m struggling~. Izumi-sama won’t let me do anything for him~.”
Nanao: “Ah~. He really doesn’t ask for much, huh~?”
Meina: “Exactly~! I’m ready to offer my body and soul anytime, yet…”
Nanao: “Right? I feel the same way.”
As their conversation threatened to spiral forever, Izumi desperately cut in.
Izumi: “Seriously, stop saying this stuff in public. People are staring at me like i’m a walking garbage.”
(And indeed, the rooftop had classmates nearby.
By lunch’s end, Sato & Co. would undoubtedly hear every word.)
Izumi: “Wait, Meina—why are you so hung up on repaying me? I swear I don’t remember any of this.”
Instead of answering,
Meina formed a fox shape with her right hand.
Meina: “Riddle me this: What do a grateful fox girl and souvenir eel have in common?”
Izumi: “Huh? Uh…”
The sudden riddle stumped him.
Was the answer a clue? He racked his brain but came up empty.
Then Meina wiggled her fox hand and “Kon~! ♪”-ed playfully
before delivering the punchline—
Meina: “They both boost stamina~! ♪”
Izumi: “THE WORST! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT WHILE I’M EATING?!”
It was just a crass joke.
As Izumi reeled, Meina giggled innocently.
Meina: “Oh? Did it not appeal to you~?”
Izumi: “Nobody wants food-based innuendo at lunch!”
(Nanao, meanwhile, tilted her head in confusion.)
Nanao: “Izumi-kun, what does that mean?”
Izumi: “You don’t need to know!”
Sighing, he turned back to Meina.
Izumi: “Meina. You’re cute, so please stop saying this stuff where people can hear.”
Meina: “……!”
Her cheeks flushed, and she turned away with a hmph!
Meina: “…You’re always joking, yet you say things like that? That’s cheating~.”
Izumi: “Huh? What?”
She dodged with a sing-song “Who knowsss~?”
As the trio watched this chaotic lunch unfold—
Amane and Haru gulped audibly.
“T-This is the Shiragiku family’s [All-Knowing Brain]…?”
“Incredible…”
Shiragiku, red-faced, sat in stunned silence.
Somehow, in the few years since she’d last seen her, the retainer she’d entrusted her fate to had evolved into a full-fledged sexual harassment master—utterly shameless!
“I can’t take this anymore! Amane, Haru—let’s go!”
She pulled out her phone and messaged her “eyes.”
Simultaneously, the school intercom crackled to life:
[Attention: Gardening duty students, please water the flower beds immediately.]
Meina’s ears perked up.
As Izumi and Nanao puzzled over the unfamiliar announcement—
Meina: “Ah, I just remembered something~! Izumi-sama, Nanao-san, see you later~!”
Izumi: “Oh, sure. Later.”
Leaving them bewildered, Meina descended the rooftop stairs.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The Student Council Room
Meina arrived, pulling a sleek case from her pocket. She donned sharp glasses and knocked—
Meina: “Pardon the intrusion~.”
—but entered without waiting for a reply.
Inside, Shiragiku and her two lackeys stood waiting. Meina sighed, recalling the intercom message.
“Milady, was that cryptic summons really necessary? You could’ve just called~.”
“Our connection to you must stay hidden from Izumi-kun. More importantly—”
She slammed the table.
“Meina! You’ve gone too far this time!”
“Eh~? With what~?”
“Your advances on Izumi-kun! As the newcomer, you should respect your seniors—yet you trample all over tradition!”
Amane and Haru nodded vigorously, playing the part of stern executives.
“But you tried to one-up me first~?”
“I recall no such thing.”
Her memory was conveniently selective.
“And your lewd tactics are unacceptable! They tarnish the Shiragiku’s dignity, and given Izumi-kun’s personality, they’re counterproductive. All you’re doing is making him more guarded!”
Amane and Haru nodded again.
But Meina—
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