Once we reached the courtyard, we grabbed an empty bench.
The sun was beating down so hard that the area was almost deserted. It was a lucky break for us, but man, it was sweltering out there.
"Ryouta-senpai, shall we dig in?"
"Ah, sure."
Himesaki looked quite pleased with herself as she began unwrapping her lunch. I couldn't help but wonder—it was boiling hot, so how was she not breaking a single drop of sweat?
"...Wait, what is that?"
I’d expected a normal lunch box, but when she pulled back the cloth, a monstrous black box appeared. She popped the lid to reveal huge, hand-sized sandwiches packed tightly inside.
"Ta-da! It’s sandwiches for lunch today! I woke up early this morning to make them."
"...Those are way too big."
The fillings, like egg and ham, were practically bursting out of their plastic wrap. Was this what they considered a normal serving size overseas?
"Is something wrong? Do you have a food allergy or something, Ryouta-senpai?"
"No, nothing like that... but isn't the size a bit overkill?"
"You think so? If you think these are big, you must be a surprisingly light eater, senpai."
"I'm the normal one here! Seriously, what is wrong with you?"
Despite my complaining, I took one of the massive sandwiches in both hands and took a bite.
"Oh. These are actually pretty good."
"What do you mean, 'actually'?! How rude!"
"Well, you have this image of being a cute girl who’s a bit of a klutz on the inside. Plus, you haven't given me a single perverted command yet."
"What’s that supposed to mean?! For your information, I’m the top student in the first year! I don’t really get what you mean by 'perverted commands,' but I’ll have you know I’m very capable!"
Himesaki puffed out her chest, looking smug as she huffed with pride.
"If you're so capable, why'd you go through the trouble of blackmailing me just to have lunch? Surely there was something else you really wanted to do."
"...I-I'm fine with this. This is what I wanted."
"If you say so. If I were in your shoes, I’d be making you do 'this' and 'that.'"
"'This' and 'that'? Like... playing Monopoly?"
"How is your head so wholesome?"
I shook my head in disbelief as I finished the first sandwich.
"I have three more left, so please have another, Ryouta-senpai."
"O-Oh..."
I was already getting full from just one... but there was no way I could turn down a meal made by a beautiful girl. Hang in there, stomach!
"...Ryouta-senpai, is Rui-senpai really that important to you?"
"What?! Where’d that come from?"
"Well, you’re following my orders for her sake, and to be honest, I didn't think you'd actually show up today."
"You thought I’d bail?"
"I already deleted the photo, after all. I didn't think you'd be afraid of breaking a promise to be my 'dog.'"
"Look, keeping a promise is just common sense, isn't it? Or were you hoping I’d break it?"
"Of course not...! But don't you actually hate being here, Ryouta-senpai?"
Himesaki pressed her lips together and frowned. I wasn't sure why she was suddenly getting serious, but I figured I should be honest with her.
"Well, to be blunt, I don't really care about the promise. It’s just... food tastes better when you’re eating with a cute junior like you than it does when you're alone. That’s why I came. Nothing more to it."
"Th-There you go again!"
"Think of it as a pick-up line if you want, but I'm actually having a good time right now."
"Ryouta-senpai..."
Himesaki set her sandwich down and stared at me. Her gaze felt even hotter than the midday sun.
"Though, it’d be even more fun if you gave me some perverted commands."
"I'm telling you, what does that even mean?! I don't even know what the word 'perverted' is supposed to imply!"
Is she for real? To not even know the meaning of the word... Himesaki has clearly lived a very sheltered life.
"Honestly! You completely ruined the mood..."
"Wait... was something perverted going to happen if the mood stayed good?!"
"I'm asking you, what do you mean by perverted!?"
The rest of our lunch break vanished in a flash as we went back and forth like that.