As I Know Anything About You, I'll Be The One To Your Girlfriend, Aren't I? - Volume 1 Chapter 4.3

Just Like You Did for Me 3

Or perhaps she’s trying to cheer me up, Suika smiles brightly. From under her feet, she lifts two bags into her hands. I had thought she was carrying something when she entered the room…

“I also picked up yours from the classroom! Hatsuse-senpai handed it to me.”

“Thanks, I’ll thank Yuuji later. Let’s eat at that table.”

It seems I’m already okay

I slowly getting off the bed and standing on the floor.

“You seem fine, that’s good.”

Kujo-san, still seated on the adjacent bed, said that with a smile.

“Ah, sorry Kujo-san, for making noise over here.”

“I’m sorry Kujo-senpai…! Ah, if senpai is here, perhaps we should eat somewhere else. We’ll be too noisy.”

“No, don’t mind me.”

Kujo-san gracefully got off the bed and left the infirmary.

It felt like we had driven her out. I had done something terrible.

“…Could you apologize to her later?”

“I will.”

After such a conversation, the two of us sat opposite each other at the table, spreading out our lunch boxes.

Suika’s was homemade too, as was mine, sort of. I just packed leftovers from dinner.

“…Kuuya.”

“Don’t say it.”

“No, I have to say this! This is important! You go to school every day, do household chores, draw pictures, you’re really admirable, Kuuya. But, because of that… there are things you can’t do. …Let’s stop with the cooking…!”

“Is it that bad?”

“It’s two-toned…! White rice or the black of burnt side dishes! Monochrome…!”

“Come to think of it, maybe.”

I had gotten used to it, so it didn’t bother me much. Well, of course, it’s not delicious.

“When I eat it in class, everyone says, ‘Let’s exchange side dishes!’ Probably that’s…”

“Your friends are all such nice people… Then, today I will…”

“Ah, hold on.”

Suika swiftly swapped our lunch boxes entirely.

“Suika!”

“Maybe there’s not enough rice for a guy, let’s adjust the amount.”

“Hey hey hey, listen to me, Suika-chan.”

With astonishing skill, Suika adjusted the amount of white rice in both lunch boxes. Then, gracefully joining her hands, she said, “Let’s eat.”

“Are you really going to eat something that burnt?”

“The person who eats it every day says what? …Mmm.”

Biting into the burnt meat, Suika laughed. For some reason, her smile was very satisfied.

“I’m eating a side dish made by Kuuya.”

“That’s right. It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“What do you think? Hehe, …hehehe!”

Suika is a very kind, cute, and exceptional girl, but a bit odd.

I felt that trying to take back my (poorly made) lunch from her seemed like a terribly cruel act, so in the end, I said, “Let’s eat,” and started with the meal placed in front of me.

“…Delicious.”

Suika’s lunch was perfect in color, nutritional balance, and taste. Especially, the egg omelet was exquisite.

“Is that so? I’m glad…”

“No, really, it’s amazing. Feels like a luxury to be eating something this delicious at school.”

“My lunch isn’t anything grand… But, Kuuya.”

Turning towards me, Suika softly smiled, suddenly changing the topic.

“Let’s go on a trip during the summer break. You know about my father’s passion for photography, right? He’s found several places he wants to shoot, and he’s fully intent on taking you along.”

“I always feel bad joining you every year.”

“Not at all. There’s nothing bad about it. It’s the summer, after all, lots of fun is waiting for us. A new pool is opening in the next town, let’s go together. The movie you wanted to see is also showing.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Yes. …Eat lots of delicious things, see many beautiful things, and go to fun places.”

You will have more wonderful experiences than anyone else.

Suika said that very clearly.

“Because otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.”

“Unfair?”

“You always draw such beautiful things, protecting someone’s heart. That’s a wonderful thing. So, in return, you must also have lots of wonderful experiences. Otherwise, it would be a lie.”

“…”

I carefully exhale the breath I had been holding.

I say to the girl in front of me.

“Hey Suika, I’ve… never bought a lottery ticket.”

“…? Is that so? I’ve never heard you talk about buying one.”

“Yeah, because it won’t win. But I’ve already had luck better than winning the lottery.”

“…Eh?”

I tell Suika, who doesn’t get the point.

“After everything that happened back then, being able to live somewhat normally now, thanks to people like Daisuke-san , Ran-san, Kinue-sama, and especially more than anyone, thanks to Suika… Sometimes I think, if Suika wasn’t by my side, my life would have been pretty much over.”

“…”

“Im the luckiest guy to anyone, anywhere. I’m Suika’s childhood friend, right? You couldn’t replace that for five thousand trillion yen.”

There’s no falsehood or boasting, this is my honest feeling.

“So, if you’re talking about having wonderful experiences, I’m having plenty. Every day.”

“…Me.”

Suika, looking at me, …if I’m not mistaken, seems like she’s about to cry.

“Suika? Sorry, I said something weird…”

“No, no, …Kuuya, I am…”

Suika bit her lip hard. It looked like she was holding back her words or trying to force them out.

“I am, I… am not the kind of girl Kuuya thinks I am──”

“Excuse me.”

The infirmary door opened with a burst. The person who entered was someone who had just been here a little while ago.

“Kujo-san? What’s up, did you forget something?”

“No.”

She, Kujo-san, briskly approached us with her belongings in hand.

And then──sat down next to me and spread out her lunch on the table.

“…Kujo-san?”

“I’m going to eat here too.”

Word by word, clearly, Kujo-san declared.

I couldn’t keep up with the sudden turn of events, but Suika immediately spoke up.

“Kujo-senpai.”

Suika smiled.

“Thank you for worrying about Kuuya. But, I’m with him, so it’s okay.”

“That is”

With a certain firmness, Kujo-san replied to Suika.

“It’s not something for you to say anything about.”

“…Kujo-san?”

“Moreover, I don’t need to be thanked by you.”

Ignoring my call, Kujo-san smiled thinly at Suika and said that.

Eh, wait, this is…

The atmosphere became so tense it felt like it was piercing the skin.

“I’m sorry for being presumptuous.”

Suika apologized smoothly, but really, even though she apologized, there wasn’t even a hint of her backing down.

“…”

“…”

Without a word, the two remained silent.

I accidently “saw” the colour they harbored for each other with my eyes.

“…!”

I catch my breath.

The haze that appeared bore the same color for both of them.

It was… the purple of hostility, lying between the red of affection and the blue of aversion.

“Kuuya, let’s continue with our meal. Was the omelet good?”

“W-what, Ah of course…”

“I’m glad, it’s my specialty! By the way, I think that fried dish over there turned out well too. I thought it might be a taste that men would like.”

Suika speaks in exactly the same tone as before Kujo-san appeared. Her expression, tone, and atmosphere, as if the previous scene was an illusion. It was an overwhelming display of self-control, making one feel accustomed to it.

“I see, yeah, it’s delicious.”

“Miyashiro-kun, but that alone might not be enough for you. How about this as well? Let’s exchange side dishes, like we always do in the classroom. No, but I don’t need anything in return, I eat little.”

Kujo-san, with an insistence that brooks no refusal, adds some of her side dishes into my (technically Suika’s) lunch box.

“Thank you… That helps.”

Incidentally, while it’s true that we often exchange side dishes in the classroom, Kujo-san has never participated in it.

After that, Suika only conversed with me, and Kujo-san did the same.

Honestly, I couldn’t really taste the food.