VII / [The Ice Princess], Revolution
It is the first morning of the week.
As Izumi left her apartment for school, the door of the neighboring room opened just as she stepped out.
Naturally, it was Hakua.
When she noticed Izumi, she stiffened slightly. After a brief hesitation, she forced an awkward smile.
From the bag on her arm, she pulled out a pouch—the lunchbox she always prepared for Izumi. Then, in a slightly trembling voice, she spoke.
“Um… today’s lunch is…”
“…………”
Izumi took it.
For a moment, a flicker of emotion passed through Hakua’s eyes—
“Miss Shiragiku.”
“Huh?”
At the unfamiliar name, Hakua’s expression froze.
Izumi hesitated briefly before speaking.
“I know it’s been a lot of work for you, but… I’ll prepare my own lunches from now on. Thank you for everything.”
“……Right.”
Izumi turned and walked to the elevator alone.
Hakua watched him go.
And from behind the door, Meina observed everything with a soft sigh, muttering under her breath—so quietly it couldn’t be heard.
“Tsk… I told you this would happen.”
Late May
After midterm exams, the school was buzzing with anticipation for the next major event.
“Alright, let’s decide what competitions we’re entering!”
The Sports Festival.
It was during times like these that Sato’s hidden leadership skills shone. Officially, he was a class representative, after all.
“How about the inter-class relay?”
“Why not have Izumi run?”
“For now, stop suggesting my name…”
Once the events were decided, lunchtime arrived.
As they ate on the rooftop, Amane Amasaki approached.
“Izumi! Let’s eat together!”
“Oh, sure.”
Amane plopped down on the bench and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, handed Izumi her lunchbox.
“You made this again?”
“Yeah! Actually, I used one of the recipes from that cookbook you gave me~”
Izumi relaxed at the cheerful reply. Peace and harmony.
However, Amane noticed the untouched lunchbox on Izumi’s lap.
“Oh no… Did I make too much?”
“Ah… no, it’s just…”
Hesitating, Izumi placed the still-sealed lunchbox back into its pouch.
“I don’t have much of an appetite today.”
“Hmm~? Is Izumi feeling sick?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
I can’t bring myself to eat it.
Ever since the incident the other day, just thinking about Hakua made Izumi’s chest tighten.
Nanao spoke up.
“Want me to take care of it before club activities?”
“No… it’s fine. Lately, the weather’s been getting hotter. It’s better not to leave it sitting around.”
“I see… That makes sense.”
Nanao didn’t seem to suspect anything in Izumi’s excuse.
“Well, I’ll handle this. Anyway, here—try my bento!
Izumi, prepare to be amazed by how delicious it is~!”
“Hey, hey. Aren’t you setting the bar too high? …Huh?”
Izumi’s eyes widened as she lifted the lid.
Asparagus rolls. Butter-sautéed spinach. Pasta. …Certainly, the selection was impressive.
But why?
Every single side dish was drenched in a suspiciously bright red sauce.
“…What is this?”
Amane grinned excitedly.
“Ahaha! Mom said the recipe book’s seasoning wouldn’t be enough for a high schooler, so I kicked it up a notch with my dad’s favorite habanero sauce!”
“…………”
This is hereditary.
This girl’s taste buds were broken—a true victim of her upbringing.
Izumi wasn’t good with spicy food.
Professionally balanced spices, like the curry she’d had recently, were fine. But this? This was just amateur-level chili overload.
“…………”
There’s still time to turn back.
Luckily, he still had Hakua’s lunchbox…
(……But right now, I just can’t bring myself to eat it.)
With a heavy sigh, Izumi picked up a bite from Amane’s bento with his chopsticks.
“…………”
The result?
“……Amane. From now on, keep the sauce in a separate container.”
“Oh! Yeah, that makes sense. I didn’t think of that!”
Amane replied cheerfully, while Izumi clutched his stomach in agony.
Nanao opened a water bottle with a wry smile.
“Izumi. Here, some tea.”
“Thanks, Nanao.”
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The tea soothed the inferno in his stomach—slightly.
(……If I don’t fix this soon, I’m actually going to die.)
As Izumi nodded to himself, Nanao and Amane chatted about the homeroom announcements earlier.
“Which events are you joining, Amane?”
“Probably the class relay and the all-grade Swedish relay…”
“Really~? So you’re fast?”
“Hmm~! I did track in middle school!”
Then she turned to Izumi.
“Oh, Izumi’s in the inter-class relay too, right?”
“That so?”
Izumi shrugged when the topic landed on him.
“Just filling in the numbers.”
“But still, it’s impressive~ Our class is full of soccer and basketball club members.”
“We don’t have the strength to begin with. …What about you, Nanao?”
Nanao puffed up her chest proudly.
“Scavenger hunt.”
“Ah. Sounds perfect for you.”
Izumi wasn’t surprised.
Nanao’s pushiness… Whoever got stuck with her as a partner would have no choice but to collect every last item. If she’d been born during the Sword Hunt era, she’d have been a legendary enforcer.
Nanao laughed in protest.
“Why does everyone in class say the same thing, Izumi?”
“It’s your daily behavior.”
Amid the lighthearted atmosphere—
A shadow suddenly loomed from behind the bench.
“Kuhuhu~ Looks like you’re all having fun. Mind if I join…?”
“Gah—!?”
It was Meina.
Izumi hurriedly packed his lunch and stood up.
“Sorry. I need to stop by the faculty office.”
“Wait, Izumi!”
Nanao tried to stop him, but Izumi was already speed-walking toward the stairs.
As he disappeared, Meina shrugged and took a seat on the bench.
“Tch. Got away again~”
She pulled out a bag of bread as she spoke.
Amane hesitated before asking,
“Something’s been off since this morning, huh? Izumi keeps avoiding you, Meina…”
But Meina answered nonchalantly.
“Seems like Izumi-sama has figured out my true identity~”
“Eh? Wait, you mean…?”
Amane’s face suddenly turned red.
“That kind of sexual monster?!”
“Sadly, I’m not hiding those kinds of secrets~”
Munching on a nut-studded bread roll, she continued.
“Apparently, he had his sister look into me~”
“Izumi’s sister?”
Amane glanced at Nanao for confirmation.
Nanao nodded thoughtfully.
“You mean the one taking over Izumi’s family business?”
“Yep~ Nanao-chan and the others already knew, huh?”
Meina smirked.
“Well, if you search my name, it’s easy to find out. I never used a fake identity or anything~”
“But why would Izumi avoid you just because of that?”
“Rich families have complicated connections~”
With a dramatic sigh, Meina gave a simple explanation.
“Izumi-sama wants to stay out of his family’s troubles, so when he found out I’m related to the Shiragiku family, he decided to keep his distance. Sigh… Thanks to Miss’s meddling, our love is on the verge of ruin~”
“Hakua-san? What did she do?”
“Hmm… Well, since it’s come to this, no point hiding it.”
On the night of the sleepover, Meina had told Hakua the same thing Izumi had said—
The reason Hakua had earned Izumi’s trust until now was precisely because she had approached him outside the Shirakikugiku family’s influence.
But when Meina—someone connected to the family—got close, the scent of “family interests” inevitably followed. And that made Izumi suspicious of Hakua.
Hearing this, Amane frowned.
“But… wouldn’t it be fine if Hakua just explained properly?”
“Well, logically, yes~ But even if Hakua-san swears the family has nothing to do with it, the human heart isn’t something you can convince so easily~”
“……Huh? Meina, you sound kinda smart right now…?”
“Kuhuhu~ Not smart. Just using fancy words~”
As she said this, she glanced at Nanao. Her eyes narrowed knowingly.
“Nanao-chan, you get it, right? How the part of the mind that isn’t logic can change a person.”
“…………”
Those words triggered something in Nanao.
A month ago.
Before she transferred.
The hallway at sunset.
The glimmering phone strap.
……Her cheeks tinted slightly as she looked away, taking a bite of plain rice from her lunchbox.
“Well, that’s why we’re taking a break for now~”
Meina smiled meaningfully, and the others could only nod in understanding.
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