Click
"Huh?"
Hinata was woken up by the sudden sound of a camera makes when taking a photo.
"I love taking photos of your dumb looking face." Koizumi said as she chuckled and looked at the photo in her digital camera. She then chuckled again.
"At least give me a warning next time, jeez." Hajime sat up.
Koizumi sat next to him and put down the lunch box on the stone bench.
"Oh, don't get grumpy. I brought lunch." Koizumi said and then looked around.
"Sato, still hasn't come?" Koizumi asked.
Hinata looked down on the ground and sighed.
"She won't be coming today." Hajime sadly said. Koizumi looked disappointed.
"What happened?" Koizumi asked calmly.
This is the first time Sato ever missed out on a lunch break with Hajime and Koizumi. Hajime, Koizumi and Sato were all good friends during middle school. It was a surprise that all there of them would end up at Hope's Peak Academy, albeit under different...circumstances.
Hinata and Sato didn't have a talent. Koizumi did however. It was being the Ultimate Photographer. Hinata and Sato however are students of the Reserve Course, which is different from Hope's Peak in a way that it accepts students without talent, with a large fee.
That made them feel apart.
"I don't know. She told me that she won't come today and I asked her why, but she didn't want to explain." Hajime explained. Koizumi looked down as well.
"I really wish I could be with you guys right now at your school..." Koizumi said melancholically.
"Huh? Don't you like it there?" Hajime asked as he looked at her with a sad look.
"No, it's not that. I actually somewhat enjoy being there. I've made friends with some of my classmates and our teacher is really something." Koizumi said as she smiled on that thought.
"Let me guess, your homeroom teacher is Chisa Yukizome?" Hajime said proudly.
"That's right. How'd you know?" Koizumi gasped and was surprised that he got their teacher's name right.
"Oh, she spoke to me not long ago. About that Reserve Course and all that." Hinata said smiling.
Koizumi then realized something.
"Wait...that's how she knew where I was going. You told her that we are friends, didn't you?" Koizumi deducted. She then stared at him with a somewhat scary look.
"Hey, don't look at me like that, she asked me." Hajime said, as he backed away from Koizumi's scary stare.
"I see." Koizumi then returned looking at the ground.
"Hey, Hajime? Do you really think I should be a student at Hope's Peak?" Koizumi asked the question.
Hinata has heard her ask that question a lot of times, even at the beginning when she was invited into the school. Hinata knew how she felt like.
"What kind of question is that? Of course you should. I mean, it's too late to ask that now." Hajime comforted her with his words as best he could. He was a little jealous to say the least of Koizumi for having a chance to be a student at Hope's Peak. To feel proud that she had talent of some sort.
"I mean, my talent isn't worth anything. Anyone can be the Ultimate Photographer." Koizumi said quietly this time, but Hajime could still hear her.
He was also a little mad at the fact, that she didn't appreciate her talent. She had something, while Hajime had...nothing. One of the reasons he joined Hope's Peak Reserve Course was because he wanted to be a confident member of society and confident in himself.
"Don't say that. Mahiru, whether you like your talent or not, it doesn't matter. It's that your talent is what makes you uniquely you. I mean, I'm pretty sure me and Sato wouldn't be be friends with you now, if you didn't take that one photo in middle school of us trying to steal some stuff and try to blackmail us into being friends." Hinata said.
Koizumi looked at him, she was embarrassed at that fact he just said of how they became friends, but he was right. She had no reason to doubt her talent, as it does make her special in a sense.
"Don't say cool stuff like that in from of me again, ok?" Koizumi looked away and blushed a little.
In all honesty, she really liked Hajime. He helped her go through a lot of difficult moments in her life. She didn't really have hope in boys or men, because of her lazy father, but Hajime proved to be different and that's what made him unique in her eyes.
"I just don't want you two to suffer like this with the Reserve Course." Koizumi said out of sympathy.
One time she decided to visit Hajime and Sato on her own, but was greeted with evil and disgusted looks from other students from the Reserve Course. None of them let her inside the school. Some of them even tried to use force to shoo her out.
After that, they were only meeting up at the fountain place. Rarely though, sometimes, Koizumi gets a lucky break and gets to see both of them inside the school and hang out at the school's rooftop to eat lunch, just like any typical friends would do.
Hinata looked away and had a somber expression. Koizumi instantly regretted what she said and tried to change the subject.
"Ah, we should eat the lunch I prepared!" Koizumi then started unpacking the lunch box.
Hajime then nodded in agreement.
After unpacking the lunch box, both of them starting eating the lunch.
For the most part, they were eating without talking too much. It was just silence.
Out of the three of the group, only Sato liked to talk about stuff. Whether it'd be weather or personal problems, they never had a silent lunch, like this one.
As both of them, without noticing, try to take the same piece of food with their chopsticks they look at it, and then they looked at each other. In a few seconds, they turn away and blush of what just happened.
"You can take it if you want." Hajime offered.
"No, you can take it!" Koizumi bashfully declined.
"No, I mean, this this your lunch after all, so take it." Hajime modestly declined.
"I made this lunch just for you, so you better eat it!" Koizumi said in a panic.
After hearing that, Hajime then looked at her again, still blushing.
"Huh? Just for me?" Hajime was surprised.
Realizing again that she had a slip of her tongue, she tried to cover up with an excuse.
"I meant that a plural of the "you, Sato and me"!" Koizumi blushed even harder and tried to laugh it off.
Then they stared at each other for another couple of seconds.
After that, Hinata took the piece and...ate it.
"Thank you, Mahiru. It was delicious." Hinata said as he smiled.
With her inadvertently spilling the beans, then trying to make up an excuse, now Koizumi was completely red just to see Hajime, smiling and saying her lunch was delicious and not to mention thanking her. That couldn't make her any more happier.
"W-what are you saying, idiot!" Koizumi said with a small stutter and then bashfully turned away, while still blushing. It was kind of another special trait of hers to be bashful if someone complements her. Especially boys.
Hinata didn't say anything, because he didn't know what to say next.
After an awkward silence, Koizumi quietly said.
"You're welcome." and then smiled as well, albeit a little crooked.
"Welp, the classes are almost gonna start again. I gotta go. Thank you for your time, Mahiru." Hajime said, as he waved goodbye to Koizumi and she waved back, while still having a little bit of red on her cheeks.
"If only you knew, how much I liked you...Hajime."