——Hey, am I that invisible? Sure, I know I’m that weird guy who only shines during home economics class, but come on—I’m eating lunch right next to you!
“So much for having a normal high school life… This is hopeless.”
Judging by her words, could this girl be the rumored super-popular model?
Now that I looked closer, her features were stunning. And I’d never seen anyone pull off a short black haircut so perfectly.
“This would certainly appeal to younger people,” I thought. Personally, I judge others more by their wealth than their looks, so I wasn’t particularly interested.
Having an unfamiliar person in front of me during lunch was unsettling, though, so I decided to speak up.
“Hey, can you even see me, girl over there?”
Even though I just casually addressed her, she stiffened as though she’d just encountered a serial killer. Slowly, she turned her gaze toward me.
The moment her eyes locked onto me, she let out a piercing scream, “Eeeek!” and began frantically backing away.
“I-I can’t run anymore! Please, just let me go!”
“No, I’m not interested in you. Don’t lump me in with those maniacs.”
“Huh? You’re… not chasing me?”
“Look at me. I’m literally having lunch right now.”
“…Pfft. Eating alone?”
“Hey, don’t laugh at me! I’m perfectly fine eating alone, thank you very much.”
It was clear that she looked down on me just now.
If I were the law, I would have arrested her on the spot for that.
Eating alone doesn’t bother me, so I was just about to explain its benefits and drag her into the dark side when the hallway suddenly erupted with the sound of countless footsteps and voices.
“Find Miko-chan!”
“Team A, go east! Team B, head west! Fifteen minutes until lunch break ends—move it! Attendance is mandatory for the next class!”
“Broadcast Club, send out a search announcement across the whole school! Hurry!”
“‘Tachibana Miko, Tachibana Miko. Please, let us see you from three meters away. Seeking information.’”
…How serious are these people?
I couldn’t even insult them properly because parts of their approach were oddly well-organized.
In front of me, Tachibana looked visibly flustered.
I couldn’t blame her, but I doubted anything would actually happen if they caught her. At worst, she’d just be subjected to countless stares.
Then again, maybe that’s exactly what she doesn’t want.
“Hey, loner! Is there anywhere around here I can hide?”
“That’s not the tone you should use when asking for a favor.”
“…Please! I just transferred here, so I don’t know my way around this school yet!”
Seeing her desperate plea, a tiny flicker of goodwill stirred in me.
It wasn’t her fault she’d been thrust into such an unreasonable situation, and she didn’t seem to have any control over it. I felt a little sorry for her.
With a deep sigh, I packed up my half-eaten lunch.
“Fine, follow me.”
And so, I decided to lead the school’s most-wanted model to my secret hideout.
* * *
The “secret hideout” was a room in the old club building, now out of use.
A new building had been constructed due to the old one’s age, but the old building still remained as a storage space.
Most of the rooms were locked, but after watching a few tutorials online, I had miraculously managed to pick the lock on one of them. Now it was secretly accessible to me.
(What can I say? I was bored and decided to learn lock-picking. My housekeeping skills are already maxed out, after all.)
“Wow, this feels like something straight out of a drama,” Tachibana said as she wandered around the room-turned-storage space.
Ignoring her, I resumed eating my half-finished lunch.
“…You really aren’t interested in me at all?”
“Not in the slightest. Sure, you’re probably the most stunning girl of our generation, but I’m only interested in rich people.”
“…You’re unbelievable.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
By the way, today’s tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) was a masterpiece. It was so good that even I couldn’t stop eating it. The seasoning was absolutely flawless.
Tachibana stared at my lunch with wide eyes.
“Grrr…”
“…Did your stomach just growl?”
“…I couldn’t eat lunch, okay? So it’s not my fault!”
I’d only pointed it out, but she seemed mortified, as though it were a life-or-death issue.
Unbothered by her embarrassment, I continued eating my lunch.
“H-Hey… could you share some of that with me?”
“…Sure, why not.”
I was curious to hear an objective opinion about my cooking, after all.
“R-Really?!”
“Yeah. Try the tamagoyaki—I really nailed it today.”
“W-Wow, it looks delicious… Okay, give me your chopsticks.”
“I only have mine. Are you okay with that?”
“…Well, you don’t seem like the type to care about indirect kisses, and you’re clearly not interested in me, so I guess it’s fine.”
With that, she casually snatched the chopsticks from me and picked up a piece of tamagoyaki.
The moment she tasted it, her tired face lit up like a blooming flower, and a delighted “Mmm!” escaped her lips.
“This is amazing! Are you really just a high school boy?!”
“I’m a high school boy aiming to be a kept man.”
“A kept man?”
"Yeah. It refers to a guy who gets financially supported by a woman. But since I can’t provide returns in the looks department, I plan to compensate by excelling in housekeeping."
That said, the reality is that appearances seem to yield better rewards, so I haven’t quite achieved the goal of becoming a kept man yet.
Tachibana didn’t seem grossed out by my explanation. Instead, she nodded with interest, saying, “Oh, I see.”
0 Comments