Chapter 413: Tasted Eriri’s Flavor by Accident

The old sports equipment storage shed.

Because the school built new sports fields last year, this shed, located quite a distance from both the gymnasium and the new fields and even the school building, gradually got abandoned by the school.

Rarely anyone came here.

Himekoji picked this spot exactly so they wouldn’t run into classmates.

After all, being seen together with a pervert would probably be pretty hard to explain.

Even though Eriri said she didn’t care anymore or whatever, she agreed right away when Himekoji suggested this place.

But really, Eriri liked how quiet it was.

They sat under the shade of the trees. Light filtered through the branches, its sharp edges rubbed off, leaving a heavy, fuzzy warmth gently heating their backs.

The noisy chorus of cicadas and frogs mixed with the indistinct sound of announcements drifting from the distant classroom building’s speakers. The sweltering air carried the damp scent of earth and grass.

No extra people around to bother them.

“It’s been so long…”

The girl’s voice was tiny, barely audible.

“What?”

“Nothing! Eat your bento!”

Saying this, Eriri was the first to open the lunchbox.

What met her eyes was a full box of plain white rice. The grains were pure white, clear, plump, and evenly sized, the unique fragrance of Pandan leaf from the jasmine rice wafting towards her constantly.

It looked very tasty just seeing it, but…

Was there only rice, no side dishes?

Stunned for a second, Eriri quickly guessed—

emmmmm… maybe she opened the box the wrong way?

So she closed the lunchbox again.

Okay, this time she probably wouldn’t make a mistake!

She gave herself some confidence like that, then opened the same lunchbox for the second time.

Like the famous Austrian physicist Schrödinger once said, according to quantum mechanics, the food inside a bento box is always in a “superposition state of existing and not existing.” Only after opening the box can you finally tell if the food is there or not.

Besides, even without bringing that up, Himekoji shouldn’t be so boring as to only give her rice with no side dishes, right?

That would be deliberately starting trouble.

“Ahem… um, it seems like I forgot to put in the side dishes when I packed it. S-sorry.”

Just as Eriri was making up various excuses for Himekoji, Himekoji himself, sitting beside her, had already noticed the problem.

This bento was definitely packed by Hikari!

She only put in rice, no side dishes…

How utterly useless!

Relying on this cat was a mistake from the start!

While complaining inwardly, Himekoji gave Eriri an apologetic look.

“Ha! I get it! You must have hidden the dishes under the rice, right? Acting like it was real, but you think I’d fall for that so easily?”

He was probably waiting for her to be shocked to give her a surprise, right?

Even though it wasn’t romantic at all, and the “surprise” factor was pretty average, for a thick-headed guy like Himekoji, this was practically a miracle, showing he’d suddenly clued in.

Humph, it seems even a pervert can sometimes put some thought into doing things that make her happy.

Too bad these little tricks couldn’t fool my Tsuji Sawamura Spencer Eriri!

No, wait!

Shouldn’t she pretend to be fooled now?

Otherwise, this whole thing the big blockhead worked hard to prepare would be ruined by her!

In the war of love, girls who are too clever are unpopular!

Oh no, she almost forgot that!

Crap!

It’s all because she’s too smart!

Himekoji had no idea about Eriri’s rich inner monologue. Right now, he just shook his head honestly, awkwardly—

“I also wish there really were dishes hidden under the rice, but… anyway, let’s swap our bentos!”

Oh?

So this was his next move?

Here, instead of swapping bentos, wasn’t he really talking about swapping saliva?

Between lovers, swapping bentos that each has eaten from, along with the chopsticks covered with saliva…

Wow… seriously impressive, huge progress!

Fine, she’d satisfy him this once!

As a reward for actually making an effort.

“Alright, alright, I get it. You’re impossible.”

“Here, take it.”

Himekoji handed the bento he was about to open to Eriri.

But the latter showed absolutely no intention of taking it.

Ignoring Himekoji’s actions completely, Eriri picked up a mouthful of rice and put it into her mouth herself. For some reason, her cheeks were flushed red and dewy.

After swallowing the rice small bite, she seemed to see grains still stuck to her chopsticks. Himekoji watched as she put the chopsticks back into her mouth again, carefully licking off the pure white, sticky residue left on the ends.

Was she just being very meticulous?

So that when the chopsticks came out of her little mouth, there was even a silvery string of saliva stretching out.

Eriri seemed to notice this herself too, because her face flushed even redder, all the way from her ears down to her neck.

Could it be that Eriri, born into a wealthy family, was also this careful about not wasting food?

He was only noticing this for the first time.

Himekoji felt like he’d found another one of Eriri’s good points.

“Eriri, you should eat this one. Anyway, just plain rice is too…”

Seeing that Eriri wasn’t taking it, Himekoji practically shoved his own bento right in front of her face.

“Wait a sec. Just one more bite.”

That was her reply.

Unlike before, this time Eriri leaned down to eat directly off the bento box.

Her lips softly, almost imperceptibly, touched it.

……

Two minutes later—

“Yah! Seriously, why am I here with you just chewing plain white rice?!”

It was not what she imagined!

Under the rice, there was still rice!

There really was no food!

Eriri couldn’t hold it back anymore and complained aloud.

“Sorry… I’m sorry…”

Himekoji had to apologize, feeling really embarrassed.

He hadn’t expected his luck to be so bad; the two Bentos he brought were both only rice without any dishes…

So, even after swapping them, it was still the same…

He felt really bad toward Eriri and was very sorry.

This was the first time he invited her to eat Bento since starting high school, yet it turned into such an embarrassment.

“Still, the rice actually tastes pretty good, it has a bit of sweetness.”

With no choice, he had to say some nice things.

“Where is it sweet? It’s so bland in my mouth!”

But Eriri didn’t agree at all.

“Eh? Not sweet? But mine was sweet…”

“Hmph!”

Eriri looked like she didn’t want to bother arguing, giving Himekoji a sideways glare.

“It really is sweet! Sweet and nice, this texture, you can eat plain rice… saying that myself sounds like an excuse… anyway, if you don’t believe it, try eating it again!”

“The one who should try eating again should be you, right?”

Eriri said in a bad mood.

“I was going to do that even if you didn’t say it, and I’m not just trying it, I’ll finish this rice!”

I don’t need any dishes at all!

The rice’s own taste is already good enough!

In the thick and sticky feel, it had a sweet flavor like a girl’s scent.

Himekoji remembered the earlier taste, picked up another bite of rice, and put it in his mouth.

He chewed it carefully with hope…

“Eh?!”

“Sweet? Is it sweet? Can you honestly tell me?”

Eriri questioned him right then.

“Sweet… the sweetness disappeared…”

Himekoji looked very shocked.

“But, but before it really was sweet! Absolutely true!”

“Why did the sweetness disappear?”

Himekoji stared puzzled at the chopsticks; the rice grains on them were bright, plump, and shiny.

Wait!

Chopsticks?

Himekoji suddenly remembered!

When they swapped Bentos, they also switched their chopsticks as well…

So, that so-called lost sweetness was…

Himekoji instinctively looked toward Eriri, and just then, Eriri was also looking at him.

Their eyes met, and as if by magic, both turned red in the face.

Then, the next moment, they both quickly looked away at the same time.

“I, I’m full!”

Eriri quickly stood up, holding the Lunchbox.

“Ah… I, I am too.”

Himekoji followed right after.

As he stood up, a wind suddenly blew; the breeze brushed the branches, making a rustling sound.

Eriri’s skirt and her signature, like an art piece, golden Twin Tails both fluttered in the wind.

Himekoji instinctively reached out to catch it.

This was a game they played countless times as kids.

But now, they were grown up.

…