"Oh, Yuusuke-san, are you awake?"
There was an angel in front of me. Well, not really an angel, it was Lisha.
Lisha in the morning was a heart-stopper. I almost thought she had been summoned to me to be taken away to the heavens.
"Oh, good morning."
"Good morning. You slept well, didn't you?"
I could feel my heart warming as I saw Lisha's smiling face. Saintly healing power, indeed.
"Well, what time is it now?"
"It's almost noon already."
I was about to check the time on my phone when Kanami told me in advance. So, I'd been asleep for about an hour. But I had a strangely nostalgic dream. It was a mix of happiness and loneliness, a feeling I couldn't quite describe.
"Well, now that Yuusuke is awake, shall we have lunch soon?"
"Oh, I've been waiting for this! I'm starving!"
"I'm hungry too... Or should we change seats soon, really."
Matsuda and Hinata popped up from behind. Hinata was still talking, and Kuroi-san following the two of them.
"My bad for making you wait. Let's eat."
"Eating lunch inside a vehicle is quite an experience!"
"I've had lunch during long-distance trips, but it's not a fond memory..."
I totally get it with Lisha and Kanami. Eating portable food during long-distance trips usually involves weird, unidentifiable things like cookies or some strange bread you've stuffed with whatever you could find. Plus, you can't even use fire to heat anything up, so you end up softening it with your saliva.
During trips, I had experimented with how to make portable food taste better due to the shaking vehicle. I once tried to slice it thinly with a sword and accidentally cut Eris's hair, almost slicing myself in the process. It was just a minor slip because of the shaking.
But here we were in modern-day Japan, and there was no need to eat lousy portable food on purpose.
I took out a large three-tiered bento box from my bag. It was heavy, and I couldn't help but feel excited.
Of course, it wasn't just for me. This bento was prepared by our household's meal manager, Kanami-san, and she made enough for three people.
"Wow, that's a huge bento box."
"Kanami made it for us. She woke up at 5 a.m. to prepare it."
"That's quite an effort."
"It's not that big of a deal, really. Once you get used to it... By the way, why are you two using honorific language? I'm younger, you know?"
""Huh? Seriously?""
Seriously, Matsuda and Hinata being rude. She looks fresh as a daisy, like a sixteen-year-old, you know?
But was this bento not a big deal? It looked like Kanami put a lot of effort into it, more than usual.
"Yuusuke-san..."
Oops, it looks like Lisha, who must be quite hungry by now, is reaching her limit. I should open it.
When I lift the lid, it's like the quintessential bento.
There are large pieces of fried chicken, mini hamburgers, tomato and cheese picks, rolled omelet, colorful pickles, and an assortment of other side dishes all tightly packed in. Furthermore, in the lower tier, there are small barrel-shaped rice balls and sandwiches.
At first glance, it might seem like an ordinary bento, but if you look closely, each item is quite elaborate. After all, Kanami is from Asteris, and making a bento using Earth's recipes shouldn't be easy.
This is a very elaborate lunch box.
"Oh, it looks delicious!"
"Yuusuke-san, let's eat quickly!"
When did you become such a foodie, Lisha-san?
Well, come to think of it, she has always been pretty competitive about eating.
As I pondered this, I heard a similarly enthusiastic voice from behind.
"Kanami-san made this bento? Can I have a bite too?"
"Oh, no way."
"Why is Yuusuke answering? It's fine, isn't it, Kanami-san?"
"I don't mind at all."
Sorry, I instinctively rejected Matsuda because it was him. If Kanami says it's okay, then it's fine.
"Oh, I'd like some too. Is it okay, Kanami-san?"
"Of course, I don't mind."
Hinata too? Well, then we better make sure Kuroi-san gets some too. Honestly, even if it's for the three of us, it's still a lot.
I opened the lid and began distributing the bento contents. But was it just my imagination?
"Matsuda, you're really persistent with Kanami."
"Oh, Yuusuke, noticed that, huh?"
Matsuda answered in a low voice as he accept the bento he had received.
"My sensors are going off like crazy. She must be the genuine dominatrix queen I've been looking for. I've never felt like this before."
"Oh, really... Weren't you all about Lisha just the other day?"
"Lisha-chan is beautiful, of course, but because she's beautiful, I feel like I want her to step on me with her feet. Kanami-san, on the other hand, seems like she exists solely for stepping on me. She has an aura of a true queen."
That's practically blasphemous praise.
But when it comes to that aura of a queen, he's not wrong at all, which is frightening.
"Since it's a special occasion, can I have some too? Convenience store onigiri and bread just don't have the same appeal."
"Of course, help yourself."
While I was losing my sanity to Matsuda, Souji and Kanami were having that conversation. Souji thanked her and took a convenience store bag out of his backpack. Inside were onigiri, bread, and other assorted snacks.
Souji should be capable of cooking normally, but I guess it was too much trouble. It's Souji-like to opt for convenience store food, even if he could have just bought ekiben (train station bento) instead.
Suddenly, Souji raised his head.
"Hmm, is something wrong?"
"Well, is it okay for me to eat that?"
"Huh? Well, I bought it today, so why not?"
"R-really."
Kanami seemed a bit off. She was fidgety as she stared at the convenience store bag in Souji's hand.
"Do you want to try it?"
"W-what? No, it's not that!"
Kanami waved her hands in a fluster. She usually keeps her composure, so this was an unusual reaction.
Oh, she wants to try convenience store bread, huh? That's kind of cute.
Naturally, Souji realized it too and opened the bag.
"Well, if it's okay with something like this, you can eat it. The exchange rate is a bit off, though."
"I've never eaten it before. It's been a while since I came here."
I'm pretty sure there should have been opportunities for her to eat something like this before meeting me, given that she's been on Earth for a while.
"I can't eat something when I don't know who made it or what's inside..."
"Ah, right. To us, this is just ordinary convenience store food, but I guess there's nothing like that in Asteris."
Kanami answered in a hushed voice.
Oh, I see. For us, things like convenience store bread and onigiri are commonplace, but in Asteris, they don't have those.
For Kanami, all these uniformly packaged foods wrapped in transparent packaging must have been unfamiliar and mysterious.
"Why don't you give it a try? It's not poisoned, and it's not a significant amount."
"Y-yes, you're right. They say everything is a learning experience, and compared to the eight-eye scorpions I had during a mission..."
"Comparing it to that is a bit complicated."
You shouldn't count food as an experience.
After hesitating for a while, Kanami chose the "king of buns," the yakisoba pan (fried noodle bun). I wonder if it's okay to feed the royal family of another world a carb-loaded bomb favored by male students on Earth, but it should have a relatively easy-to-accept taste.
"Is this... noodles in bread?"
"Is this your first time seeing a yakisoba pan?"
"Yes, we didn't have this in my homeland."
"Indeed, yakisoba pan probably isn't sold in America."
"The trick is to take big bites to keep the noodles from falling out."
As we chatted carefreely, Kanami unwrapped the package. Then, after pausing for a good five seconds, she took her first bite with determination.
"――!"
Kanami chewed with her eyes wide open. Even though Kanami usually acts mature, seeing her puff up her cheeks made her seem her age.
"How was it?"
"It's... how should I put it... violently flavorful. It's not poisonous, but it's quite stimulating."
"Hahaha, you don't have to force yourself to eat it. I'll finish it for you."
"I can't accept that. This is also a valuable experience in its own way."
It seems that modern-day food loaded with chemical seasonings was quite intense for Kanami. As I looked at the ingredients listed on the packaging, I could hear a voice that seemed on the verge of tears coming from the front.
"...Yuusuke-san, when can I eat this?"
Oh, sorry, I forgot.
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