There were Yuji and Natsumi-senpai.
And Hayato and Todo-san.
The relationships of my dear friends were beginning to take on new forms of connection...
I honestly felt that if everyone could find their own happiness, there could be nothing more wonderful.
My own world had completely changed the moment I met Sara-san. I never would have imagined that I, who once thought I was in hell, would ever be able to feel this much happiness.
Being able to have people dear to you was a truly fortunate thing.
That was why, if my best friends could grasp that same happiness, I wanted to actively cooperate if there was anything I could do to help.
They might have thought it was none of my business... but even so, I couldn't help but feel that way.
“Yeah, it’s delicious, Todo-san.”
“Ah, I’m so glad... You see...”
Watching Hayato eat with gusto, Todo-san let a beaming smile overflow.
She still seemed to lack a bit of confidence, but she appeared to understand that Hayato’s words weren't a lie. Gradually, she began to show her smile more often.
“How is it? My bento?”
“Ugh... I didn't think Natsumi-san’s cooking was this good.”
“Fufun. Well then... you understand, right?”
“...I, I surrender.”
Over there, those two seemed to be having some sort of incomprehensible exchange.
Well, they looked like they were having fun, so I suppose it was fine.
“That is wonderful, Kazunari-san.”
“Sara-san?”
“I knew that you were worried about your friends.”
“Well... yeah. If everyone is happy, there’s nothing better than that.”
“Kazunari is kind.”
“Fufu... it is very like you, Kazunari-san. It’s lovely.”
Sara-san and Hanako-san always praised me like this, even for the most trivial things.
It wasn't like I was doing anything special; I was just thinking normal thoughts.
But when they gazed at me with such gentle eyes, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
“Kazunari-san, you’re so cute♪ Here, say aahn...”
Chomp.
Munch, munch...
“Kazunari, cute. Next is this. Aahn...”
Chomp.
Munch, munch...
The two of them wore gentle smiles as they resumed the “aahn” festival.
However, since we were being watched with lukewarm looks by everyone around us, I really wished they would stop repeatedly calling me “cute.”
“Kazunari-san, aahn...”
Chomp.
Munch, munch...
As always, Sara-san’s bento... her cooking was truly delicious.
It was high-level culinary skill cultivated under Mayumi-san.
It carried the flavors of both the Satsukawa and Takanashi families.
Moreover, she had researched my preferences in detail and further refined the tastes of both houses.
I felt like I had to bow my head in gratitude for Sara-san’s thoughtfulness.
That was why I...
“Haa... it’s delicious.”
“Yes, I am happy to hear that♪”
I made sure to always convey my impression that it was “delicious” with all my gratitude.
That was the one thing I would never forget to do.
“Kazunari, aahn.”
Chomp.
Munch, munch...
In Hanako-san’s bento, the shapes were unique in places, and some parts were a bit burnt.
However, that was also proof that Hanako-san had worked hard to make it by hand, and for me, it was nothing but a plus.
Even the taste—and I wasn't just being polite—was genuinely delicious.
“Kazunari, how is it?”
“Yeah, it’s delicious.”
“I’m glad. It makes me really happy to hear you say that, Kazunari.”
When I honestly told her my thoughts, Hanako-san wore a truly joyful smile.
She had been saying for a while that she was studying cooking, and I knew it was for my sake...
The smile she made the moment I ate her food was something I wanted to capture in a photograph.
“Here, Kazunari-san, aahn.”
“Kazunari, aahn.”
But... you see.
I was truly happy for Sara-san and Hanako-san’s feelings.
That was why as a man—no, as a “kan”—my determination to finish everything, even if the portions were large, didn't waver in the slightest.
However, no matter how much I pumped myself up or showed some spine, it was still difficult to overturn physical limits.
In other words, what I wanted to say was...
I was reaching my limit.
“I don't know... it’s starting to look like Takanashi-kun is being fed like a pet...”
“Ahaha... or rather, Takanashi-san, aren't you reaching your limit soon...?”
Nishikawa-san was sharp!
I didn't even have the leeway to think of a joke like, “The person who got it right wins a...”
The amount of rice shouldn't have been that much, so why was I so full... Ah, maybe it was that thing where eating slowly makes you feel fuller?
“Um, Takanashi-san? While you can still eat, please, have some of my bento too...”
“Ah, then eat my bento too!!”
“Takanashi-kun, it’s nowhere near Satsukawa-senpai’s bento... but if you’d like...”
“That’s right, I was determined to make Takanashi-kun eat mine this time for sure. I’ve been blocked by Sara ever since the three of us started eating together.”
Whoa... for a bento rush to start in this situation... this was trouble.
I might have been in a serious pinch...
“Ah... my stomach...”
“Kazunari-san, are you alright?”
After moving to a bench (with the entire tent brought along), I was currently taking a post-meal rest with a lap pillow from Sara-san.
I didn't care about the superstition that lying down right after eating would turn you into a cow.
I didn't even have the mental leeway to think about trivial things anymore.
By the way, according to Sara-san, “It is good to lie down with your right side facing down.”
So, I was following her instructions and doing as I was told, but that meant...
“Kazunari-san, if you do not lean more this way, your body will fall off.”
“No, well...”
“Hesitation is... a no-no.”
“Yes...”
After being cute-ly scolded, I hurriedly pressed my body against Sara-san.
When that happened, my face naturally pressed against Sara-san’s stomach, and a soft, squishy sensation spread across my entire face.
And then there was that “sweet” scent... I didn't know if I just felt that way or if it actually was, but regardless, I was enveloped in the wonderful scent of my beloved Sara-san.
As always, for a wholesome high school boy like me, it was a certain kind of dangerous “something”...
Furthermore, if Sara-san so much as leaned her body forward a little, my face would be sandwiched between Sara-san’s thighs and Heaven. There was even the possibility of a direct, one-way trip to paradise.
“...Should I say I’m envious of that, or should I pity him?”
“...Kazunari has it tough too. Though, I think it’s worthy of praise that he’s endured this much even though they’re engaged and living together.”
“...True. As a fellow man, I can't help but sympathize.”
“...Well, I suppose it just means he treasures her that much. Even if Satsukawa-senpai’s affection looks extraordinary, Kazunari’s feelings for her are probably just as strong, if not stronger.”
“Kazunari... are you okay?”
When I heard Hanako-san’s worried voice, the hands stroking my head increased by one.
Since Sara-san’s hands were on my stomach and my head... that meant Hanako-san’s hand had been added.
By the way, the trick was that they had divided the positions so their stroking didn't overlap.
Well, that aside.
“Sorry, it might take a little longer...”
“We still have time, so please stay lying down like this for a while.”
Saying that, Sara-san moved her body slightly to adjust her posture.
When that happened, a heaven and hell-like heaven (mystery) came to my face... This was bad, I had to keep my composure.
Furthermore, Sara-san took my head, which had shifted slightly due to that movement, and hugged it tightly as if to press it against her stomach.
“I don't know if I should say it’s the same as always or what... but Takanashi-kun and Satsukawa-senpai don't change at all even at school... and this time, Hanako-san is there too.”
“Ahaha, well, I’ve finally started getting used to that lately...”
“But Satsukawa-senpai is the Student Council President and Takanashi-kun is the Vice President, right? Is the Student Council okay when they’re always like that?”
“Well... in a way, you could say they are united... perhaps?”
“What’s with that vague way of putting it... Oh, but I feel like I kind of understand somehow.”
Wait a second, she could kind of understand from that explanation?
Even for me, that was a bit much...
But that movement this morning when they formed that human wall-like barricade—come to think of it now, I felt like that symbolized it.
It couldn't be that they had actually discussed that beforehand... right?
“Well, setting that aside, what are we doing after this?”
“Let’s see... Sara, what’s the patrol schedule like after this?”
“Our main responsibility is patrolling the classroom wing. The outdoor areas like the grounds and the club room wing are handled by a different team.”
“I see, I see. Then the plan for after this is decided: we’ll go around looking at the exhibits of each class.”
“Yes. The club-related areas will be tomorrow.”
By the way...
In each classroom, there were the exhibits of each class.
In the club room wing and the practice building, it was mainly club-related things. In the gymnasium and on the schoolyard special stage, there were various things scheduled at different times, like the Drama Club, Choir Club, Brass Band Club, Light Music Club, and volunteer bands.
And for tomorrow’s Miss Con...
“Yes, yes! Where is the Miss Con that Satsukawa-senpai is entering tomorrow being held!?”
“That will be on the schoolyard special stage.”
So that was it.
I had thought it would be in the gymnasium at first, but apparently, it would be too cramped because there would be so many people. It was a popular annual event, so many people from outside this school came to watch it too.
Nearby schools, neighbors, and so on... I wondered just how large the scale would be.
“Man, but if Satsukawa-senpai is entering, then her victory is already as good as decided.”
“No, I wonder. Sara does have a weakness, after all.”
“Eeeeh, Satsukawa-senpai has a weakness!?”
“She just has no social grace. She doesn't smile, her conversation is the bare minimum, and she bluntly says whatever she doesn't like without hesitation, so she’s quite toxic and gives a lot of lectures. She definitely won’t flatter anyone for the sake of votes.”
Hmm...
I thought Natsumi-senpai’s comment just now was quite toxic too.
But since that was a fact that Sara-san herself acknowledged, even I couldn't offer a clear rebuttal.
Moreover, the person in question, Sara-san, didn't seem to care at all, as if it were no concern of hers.
As proof of that, even now, she was humming a tune—it might have been a lullaby—in a good mood while stroking my head and stomach.
“I hear that often, but I haven't seen ‘that’ Satsukawa-senpai yet. I know Takanashi-kun is special, but I can't really imagine a Satsukawa-senpai like that.”
“From mine and Eririn’s perspective, the Sara over there who’s giving Takanashi-kun a lap pillow and humming is far more unbelievable.”
“But this sight feels more natural to me. Oh, but the Satsukawa-senpai who snapped when Takanashi-kun was hit was super scary.”
“Ah~... even I saw her like that for the first time then. Anyway, when it comes to men other than Takanashi-kun, Sara is beyond just being harsh. It’s at the level of a different person or a split personality.”
“Is that so... But if that’s the case, the Miss Con stage...”
“Well, her looks are top-tier. Besides, the guys who are crazy about Sara are mostly people who’ve never even spoken to her. There are many idiots who’ve convinced themselves that Sara is an ideal existence, and even if she does nothing, I think she’ll get a decent number of votes.”
As expected of Natsumi-senpai. She had a firm grasp on the thought processes of those fools.
In the end, the problem was that there were just too many people making a fuss as they pleased based solely on Sara-san’s looks, rumors, and assumptions...
“Haa... how should I put it... it’s complicated. But since she’s participating, I’d still like to see Satsukawa-senpai win...”
“I have no interest in the Miss Contest. No matter what the result may be, it is all trivial to me. Evaluations from the masses are the same as rubbish.”
“Ru, rubbish... well, I knew that. I guess boys other than Takanashi-kun really don't matter to you...”
“Of course. Kazunari-san is everything to me.”
“Thanks for the treat. Takanashi-kun is truly happy, isn't he?”
That part went without saying.
I truly believed that I, who was loved this much by Sara-san, was the luckiest man in the world.
So, for my part, I wanted those feelings to reach Sara-san even a little.
To express how happy I was, I tried to strengthen my hug just a little.
Squeeze...
“Fufu... Kazunari— my stomach tickles a little♪”
“Eh!? S-Sorry.”
I was reflexively flustered by Sara-san’s unexpected reaction.
It wasn't that I had done anything indecent, but Sara-san’s voice... was just a little... well, you know what I mean?
“Kazunari-san, it is alright to do it even more strongly, you know?”
“No, that’s...”
If I hugged her any more forcefully in this situation, I might have ended up in serious trouble.
“...Um... in this current flow, why did you two suddenly start flirting...?”
“...It’s been happening all the time lately.”
“...Ahaha, they’ve been a bit excessive with the physical intimacy lately... But it’s Takanashi-kun and Satsukawa-senpai, after all.”
“............Stupid couple...”
“...Ni-Nishikawa-san is... starting again...”
“Kazunari, how is your stomach?”
“E-Err... a little more, I think.”
Since I had taken some stomach medicine that Sara-san happened to have, I felt like it had calmed down somewhat. But the honest truth was that it was still a bit difficult.
So, this was definitely not for some impure reason like wanting to be spoiled by Sara-san a little longer. It definitely wasn't.
“Then, let’s start moving once Takanashi-kun can move.”
“I agree! I’m looking forward to seeing what’s there... Come to think of it, Marina’s class was fortune-telling, right?”
“Yeah, it’s a fortune-teller shop. They’ve gathered various types of divination.”
“Heh... that sounds interesting.”
“Yes, it sounds interesting.”
“Yeah, sounds interesting.”
The voices that sounded strangely enthusiastic probably belonged to Natsumi-senpai, Yuji, and Hayato.
Well, they probably had something in mind... I was sure of it.
Come to think of it, what about Sara-san?
“What about you, Sara-san?”
“Let’s see... I am the type who does not care much for fortune-telling, but...”
“I’m the same.”
To begin with, we had never talked about fortune-telling before.
Sara-san’s answer was as I expected.
If Sara-san were interested in fortune-telling, I would have considered having us get our fortunes told together... but I might not have liked it if a strange result came out.
“But since we are here, shall the two of us have our fortunes told?”
“Yes, that sounds interesting!”
Was I saying something different from before?
I had already forgotten about such things of the past.
If Sara-san said so, then that was the top priority.
“Personally, I’m curious about Takanashi-kun’s class’s cafe. Since Sara even held a cooking class and all.”
“Ah, me too. Plus, I’ve never been to a maid cafe, so I think it might be kind of interesting.”
“Hey, Takanashi-kun, would it be okay if this many people went?”
I wondered...
I could only say it depended on how crowded the shop was, but it would probably be fine.
I should just contact Yamakawa and the others.
“I’ll try to contact my class to check, although it won't exactly be a reservation. They might be able to call us once seats open up.”
I had a feeling there would be a huge commotion again if we went with this group. But at least with my class, Sara-san would probably be fine... and Todo-san and Hayato were always coming and going... yeah, we could probably manage.
“That would be helpful. By the way, Takanashi-san?”
“Yes.”
“How long do you intend to continue talking in that position?”
“Ugh...”
I knew it... I thought I’d be called out on it eventually.
Why? Because I had been conversing with my back to them the whole time.
But this couldn't be helped.
Because whenever I tried to move away or adjust my position...
Squeeze...
Yes, I was not allowed to move yet.
“...Kuuu... flirting... flirting right in front of me...”
Nishikawa-san’s mysterious mutterings and aura felt like thorns piercing my back.
Or rather, she was actually getting a little scary... Nishikawa-san.