Bento!
A staple for people who were away from home during lunchtime, it was a simple, yet pivotal item needed to drive the highly developed economy of Japan!
Students and workers alike would have a bento for lunch. Some brought them from home. Some bought them at the store. Those who did not could simply go to a family restaurant to have their meal.
It could be said that a bento reflected the personality of the maker; and its taste was influenced by their feelings as well.
Even so, most people's homemade bento were not that special. Generally speaking, they would usually consist of leftovers from breakfast, or even yesterday's dinner, packed in the box.
Those that had the privilege of having specially made bento, those were not ordinary people at all!
やはり, 彼らが望む告白は間違っている.
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: ZeroXSEED, Co-Writer/Editor: GoukaRyuu
Chapter 2 - Kaguya wants to eat...
"Aww come on, just one bite!"
"Alright, fine. Say aaah~"
Such scenes, while uncommon, were hardly something that didn't happen in the elite Shuchiin academy, the place where the finest and richest breed of children studied.
A girl and a boy, sharing a lunchtime together, and one of them asking to taste the other's lunch. Such an intimate gesture could only be done by three groups: families, close friends...and lovers!
Indeed, the act of tasting lunch between two unrelated people was very much something that was, in Kaguya's opinion, something that should not be done in public!
"IMPROPER!"
Hachiman's almost jumped out of the sofa when Kaguya suddenly shouted.
"They don't have enough awareness!" Kaguya grit her teeth angrily.
"You're still mad?" Miyuki asked as he sat down on the sofa.
"The students of Shuchiin Academy should hold themselves to a higher standard!" Kaguya argued vehemently, "Coaxing each other in front of other people for food. How vulgar!"
"Aren't you being a bit too harsh?" Miyuki mumbled. There was nothing illegal and improper about lunch sharing, was there? Like, Miyuki wasn't really well versed in the culture of the rich and the nobility.
The couple they had seen on the bench were a bit too intimate perhaps, but still, he thought Kaguya was overreacting.
"Sounds like someone is jealous." Hachiman rolled his eyes, his words practically harpooning themselves through Kaguya's conscience, making her flinch.
Kaguya turned back and send a murderous, dark glare at Hachiman, who shivered in response but did not back away, glaring back at her. It wasn't as if what he said was wrong. Well, he isn't! It's not as if Kaguya NEVER dreamed of sharing a lunch with the person she liked. But even so, doing so in front of public is not acceptable!
"Talking about food made me hungry, so I'll just eat my lunch here," Miyuki said as he pulled a bento box out of a wrap.
"Oh, you brought your own lunch today?" Kaguya's expression turned into curiosity as she walked closer.
"Yeah, Gramps sent me a lot of vegetables from the countryside so I'll be bringing myself lunch for quite a while." Miyuki said, "It may not look great, but I'm confident in the taste."
A revelation hit Kaguya when the seemingly ordinary-looking lunchbox was opened. It was the first time Kaguya had seen such a lunch.
Kaguya's own lunches had always been prepared by a team of world-class chefs and delivered to her during the lunch hour.
Her lunches were always of the utmost nutritional value, of course, with a harmony of perfect balance combining that nutrition with the fresh taste of newly cooked high-quality ingredients as a foundation.
That was the only kind of lunch that Kaguya had ever known!
But this? Boiled vegetables. Pickled plums. Hamburger. A rolled omelet.
OCTOPUS WIENERS!
Time slowed down as Miyuki pulled out a packet of furikake* and ripped it open, pouring dried flakes made of egg and seaweed down onto the pure white sticky rice below.
For Kaguya, it was like seeing snowfall for the first time. It was beautiful sight to behold.
All the food one could want crammed into such a small box, and thinking only about the taste rather than rules of cuisine or health value as well. A symbol of the freedoms of lower class society, not unlike a child's treasure box. That was how Kaguya saw it.
"Wieners sliced to look like octopi." Kaguya thought, "They really exist?! I want to try one but-"
Kaguya was reminded of her own words from mere minutes earlier. Asking to taste another person's lunch in public would be the equivalent of begging!
Kaguya's pride would never allow it!
"You brought your own lunch today? It looks delicious!"
Fujiwara Chika, who had just appeared, peered over and glanced upon the lunch box, avid interest in her eyes.
"It certainly is, I made it myself," Miyuki told her proudly.
"How lucky. Can I have a bite?" Chika asked without a single pause or doubt. Hachiman rolled his eyes aside in response. He just knew this whole situation was going to suck.
"Sure, I don't mind," Miyuki told her.
And, lo and behold, he was right!
Kaguya immediately turned back to stare at Chika with an extremely shocked look on her face. Kaguya knew Chika could be a little shameless, but not THIS shameless! This was completely unacceptable behavior!
Hachiman squeezed his eyes half shut, his brain moving so fast it was almost like time had gone into a standstill. First of all was Miyuki. Miyuki probably didn't see anything wrong with his actions. After all, he considered Chika a friend. Friends sharing their lunch was usual business, there was nothing wrong with that. Even across the gender divide. Well, if there was something Miyuki had that Hachiman lacked, it would be his peerless confidence!
But would Kaguya share the same sentiment?
NO!
What Kaguya saw, right at this moment, was that the boy she was interested in was going to feed the girl whom she counted as a close friend. No matter how tolerant Kaguya was, that was just not acceptable.
Miyuki was about to commit a grave mistake, and it was up to Hachiman to stop it.
"Fujiwara-"
Too late!
By the time Hachiman tried to interrupt Chika had already bit into the hamburger between Miyuki's chopsticks. As the fatty juices from within the hamburger melted out from the heat in Chika's mouth, she finally found herself tasting true heaven.
Her absolutely delighted expression contrasted with Kaguya's grim expression. If looks could kill, then Fujiwara Chika would have died nine times over!
"Fujiwara-san, I consider you a friend, but...if your life were in danger tomorrow I would not lift a finger to help." Kaguya decided.
But, even Miyuki had noticed the scornful look from Kaguya. That glare was too much to ignore, and Miyuki felt a little unsettled by it. Even now, almost a year since they meet and six months since they started to know each other better, the mystery of Kaguya's glare remains unsolved.
He looked at his bento box and had a realization!
"Do you think my lunch is that miserable?!"
And came to an entirely wrong conclusion!
When it came to social class differences, understanding what was acceptable and what wasn't was rather difficult. From the most important aspects of decorum to the more inane details, the culture clash was real!
Right now, Miyuki simply didn't understand that the problem is not what his lunch, but who was eating it. He thought Kaguya didn't want his lunch, because how could the daughter of a rich family like this kind of lunch?
Miyuki considered Chika an exception to that rule, because of how carefree she had always been. So, when she asked him for his lunch, he easily gave it to her in a heartbeat; there had been no underlying motive in his actions.
It was an act of charity, purely from the kindness of his heart.
"Shinomiya probably wants it too." Hachiman leaned in and quietly whispered.
Miyuki blinked, then looked at Hachiman questioningly. Hachiman nudged his head towards the oblivious Chika and then back at the scornful Kaguya.
Ah.
Crap.
Shirogane immediately realized his mistake. Indeed, the way Kaguya was looking at him, she had the look on her face like that of a woman who just learned she had been cheated on.
Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman, indeed.
He had never entertained the thought that, hypothetically, if Kaguya did like him, she would like to share a lunch with him too. Which meant that he had just squandered a chance to make her confess!
The question was, how could one salvage this situation? Miyuki eyed Hachiman begging for his help.
Like, if it was minor jealousy, then it would be to the advantages of Miyuki in this war. But, Kaguya's expression was simply flat out murderous.
Forget about wasting a confession opportunity, Miyuki might have put Chika's livelihood at stake!
But!
Maybe it was possible to salvage this situation. So, Miyuki picked up a toothpick and then stabbed an octopus wiener with it.
"Shinomiya, do you want to have a taste as well?"
He did it!
In any other situation, him offering Kaguya part of his lunch would be mistaken as an act of flirting. At least Kaguya would see it as such. But here, with Chika being her shameless self and asking to taste it first, there was one excuse left!
Miyuki offering Kaguya a taste would be nothing short of courteous; it was just an example of human decency!
Of course, it wasn't as if Miyuki didn't have an underlying motive. But, even if he didn't, the outcome would be identical. Miyuki was simply sharing his lunch with fellow members of the student council.
Now, how would Kaguya respond?
WIENER!
The word blared through every inch of her nerves like an emergency response alarm in a military complex. Indeed, it was the extreme rarity of octopus-cut fried wieners, something that Kaguya might never have encounter in her entire life.
Furthermore, it was cooked by the President himself!
This position could not be more advantageous. Because, President himself offered it to her, it would be rude for her to reject. That was what it meant to uphold social decorum!
"If the President insists, I will accept it," Kaguya said as she reached for the toothpick.
As her teeth nibbled at it, the chewy feel of the sausage held her away from fully savoring it. But, as she put forward a little more force, her teeth sunk in.
It tastes...MEDIOCRE!
It wasn't as if Kaguya was expecting high-class sausage or anything. But even so, this wiener's taste was a little strong while retaining no delicious aroma of actual meat.
In fact, Kaguya would like to question how much actual meat was in the wiener as opposed to cheap bulk additives like flour or starches?
Still, she fully enjoyed the authentic experience of a peasant lunch. After all, food didn't always need to be incredibly delicious to be enjoyed.
"So, how was it?"
"It was..." Kaguya was about to insult it, but she could not bear to. Her heart and mind were filled by the taste of President's wiener!
But, if she were to praise his cooking, then it would surely disrespect all the loyal staff and chefs that cooked high-level dishes for her every day.
Her pride and standards for cuisine were thoroughly warped to the core. So, Kaguya decided to compromise on the answer, "It was acceptable."
Wrong answer!
The sheer depths of Shirogane Miyuki's pride as a cook were being underestimated, and that was unacceptable. Forget placating Kaguya's selfishness, Miyuki would have none of that. If Kaguya was dissatisfied, then it was on her.
"Is that so? I guess Shinomiya is more accustomed to more delicious bento. My homemade food simply doesn't compare." Miyuki grinned wickedly, then picked up another wiener. "Fujiwara, you want it too?"
"YES!"
Using the fact that Kaguya was dismissive of his hard-earned, self-made food, Miyuki pretty much dispensed with the effort of trying to please her anymore.
Instead, the love battle resumed, right on schedule, and Miyuki was simply trying to make Kaguya jealous.
Delicious!
Unlike Kaguya, Fujiwara Chika had a lot more experience with non-luxurious cuisine; some of which had been unique, others simply horrible. Her standards for food acceptability were broader. And for her, Miyuki's peasant lunch was precious enough that it would be foolish to reject.
Well, Hachiman couldn't really blame Miyuki. After all, his hard work had gone unappreciated this time. If Kaguya felt jealous now, it was her own fault.
And boy, did she feel jealous!
Kaguya looked like she was about to stab Chika in the back as she loomed over her. Chika, unsuspecting of the whole ordeal, simply chewed it happily and quickly gulped it down. Miyuki treading a dangerous line, or so Hachiman decided.
"I don't even want to get involved." He muttered as he opened his own lunch box...or boxes to be exact.
"Hiki-san also brought a lunch too?" Chika approached him, "Did you make it? Can I have a bite?"
This gluttonous cow sure has no sense of shame. Hachiman remarked mentally.
"Yeah, I made it myself...what about YOUR lunch, Secretary Fujiwara?" Hachiman asked a pointed question in return.
The way Chika whistled in fake innocence, whatever had happened to her lunch, it probably wasn't good. So Hachiman just ignored her.
"That's right, Fujiwara-san." Kaguya said in utter contempt, "You shouldn't bother them."
The sounds of a propeller spinning at high speed caught everyone's attention. Kaguya opened the windows and was greeted by the sight of a delivery drone carrying an extravagant lunch box.
"Delivery drone," Miyuki remarked in pure disbelief.
"It could be worse, she could have had one of her servants deliver it to her just to prove how rich and old fashioned she is." Hachiman snorted.
Meanwhile, right under the drone, Hayasaka stood with a drone beacon turned up to signal where the drone should stay afloat so Kaguya could fetch the cargo.
She sneezed.
It must be the pollen in the air, she decided.
"But really, even the boys made their own lunches, huh. My father wouldn't even let me learn to cook without supervision because I could hurt my fingers."
Hachiman could hardly imagine having such a suffocatingly, attentive father. He might have legit run away. Like, it was true that his own father could be neglectful, but the opposite extreme was just as bad.
"Well, it's not as if I cook because I want to," Hachiman said.
"Someone saying that while enjoying meat jelly, I am kind of angry now." Chika popped veins angrily in response.
Miyuki and Kaguya both looked inside Hachiman's box to find brownish jelly in it. Inside the jelly minced meat strands could be seen.
"Meat jelly?" Miyuki and Kaguya questioned.
"Meat jelly exists in many cultures, but they're mostly associated with Europe." Chika said, "You make it by boiling the feet or wings of animals to make a gelatinous broth that will solidify into savory jelly. This process can take anywhere from five to eight hours!"
As expected of the multilingual Secretary, even her knowledge of foreign cuisine was impeccable.
How could someone who didn't enjoy cooking spend that much time cooking just so they could eat niche foreign cuisine?!
"Pfft, as if I have that much time and money to waste." Hachiman snorted.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Chika asked.
"The hours of boiling is needed to extract gelatine from the animal parts." Hachiman described, "You can use minced lean meat of your choice, boil that for an hour and twenty minutes with herbs and spices, and then add gelatine powder until you get the broth thick enough. Then you can cool the whole thing in a fridge until it solidifies."
That was right. For Hikigaya Hachiman, every minute spent cooking was a minute he spent on things he didn't have fun with. The faster he could make a dish without harming the taste the better!
"Such ingenuity is admirable indeed," Kaguya remarked.
Though it had not been her intention, Kaguya realized that her praise for Hachiman had made Miyuki jealous. Well, serves him right!
"Coming from an ordinary family, we either have to conserve money or conserve time. I'm sure even President has his own secret methods."
Miyuki blinked in realization. Hachiman was giving him a chance to shine again!
"Indeed, that's right." Miyuki's faced form a grin, brimming with confidence, "Would you like to try, Shinomiya?"
"Oh." Kaguya haughtily responded as she slammed her lunch box on the table and opened it, revealing an exquisitely prepared set of seafood made of the most expensive ingredients purchased that morning from a Tokyo Bay fishery. "I'd like to try if you insist. Perhaps it'll be worthy to even trade our lunches if that's the case."
Challenge accepted!
Technically speaking, this situation should have been a win-win situation, if they were just willing to trade without any fuss. However, their personal pride simply would not allow that.
Even in a lunchtime filled with love, the cold hard logic of the battlefield should prevail! One of them must submit!
"So, what kind of surprise have you prepared for me, President?" Kaguya seductively walked closer and then sat beside Miyuki, who was completely unfazed by her slow approach.
He pulled out a thermos and the poured the contents into the cap, which could also be used as a glass. It was seemingly ordinary miso soup, though not entirely plain looking either.
Filled with cubes of tofu and shredded herbs, its golden color looked fairly beautiful for a poor man's lunch companion.
"Miso?"
Shirogane presented his lunch box and then offered her the chopsticks, "Feel free to try the rice."
Kaguya took a small portion of the rice with the chopsticks, though somewhat awkwardly because she knew it had already been used by the President before.
That meant an indirect kiss!
However, Kaguya was simply unable to back down, since she had already gone this far.
As she put the rice in her mouth, she felt it's cold, sticky texture. Flakes of the furikake felt rather harsh in her delicate mouth, and the concentrated taste of salt and glutamate stung her tongue.
Hardly delicious, Kaguya felt rather uncomfortable.
Then, Miyuki offered the miso.
As she took a sip, she could feel it.
An explosion!
The flakes of the furikake softened and melted with the miso soup, enriching its taste by magnitudes. Like a volcano, the clumped rice in her mouth shattered apart, delivering delicious sensations to every corner of her mouth and throat. The sudden spike of savory taste stimulated Kaguya so much that she began to drool as soon as she gulped it down.
Kaguya lost her mind!
"How does it taste?"
"...More." Kaguya begged, her eyes teary. "You can have my lunch."
Miyuki was itching to pump his fist up, however, he decided it would be more frugal to hide his excitement. "How about we trade some of our lunches instead."
"Yes." Her eyes were blurry and her cheeks were flushed red. "The white stuff, it's melting inside of me. I want more!"
"...What is this, I don't even." Hachiman shruddered in terror and decided to ignore the disturbing scene that was unfolding right beside him.
He moved to the other sofa and sat beside a drooling Chika, who had been continually eyeing the two lunchboxes in front of him all this time. One was filled with meat jelly, and the other one was filled with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut.**
You couldn't get more stereotypically Eastern European than that. Well, not unless you added booze to the equation.
"...Alright, I'll share some of my lunch. However, tell me how you lost your lunch today?"
Chika pouted and quietly answered, "I was attacked by a flock of pigeons this morning."
Hachiman legit wanted to kill himself at that moment for agreeing.
That day, Shirogane Miyuki managed to enjoy the taste of rare oyster. And Kaguya's mind did not return until it was the time for dinner at home.
The result of Today's battle: Hachiman's Loss (of peaceful lunch)
* Furikake is a dried seasoning made of various ingredient and have different taste, used to enhance the taste of plain rice.
** Sauerkraut is sour pickle made of cabbage