Chapter 103: Compared to Sakayanagi, Horikita Suzune is Definitely More Cost-Effective
First-Year Class C
It was lunchtime.
The previous class had been math, a subject that required brainpower, and students quickly digested the material.
So, as soon as class ended, most students rushed to the cafeteria for their daily meal.
Since the class's evaluation points had been maintained, their monthly allowance of just over 50,000 yen was enough for regular expenses. As a result, they still had the freedom to choose their meals.
In fact, having once experienced the awful free vegetable set meal, simply having points to buy decent food was something to be grateful for.
Naturally, that meant it was time to spend.
However—
Hikigaya Hachiman remained in his seat.
He had confirmed it this morning—Horikita Suzune had specially prepared a bento for him.
So all he had to do was wait.
But—
Among the students heading out for lunch, a girl chatting with her friends suddenly glanced toward him as she passed by the back door.
That girl had beautiful golden hair tied in a ponytail—Karuizawa Kei.
Wait, Karuizawa, why are you looking over here?
When he first got involved with Karuizawa, she had occasionally looked back at him during class. But after he sent her a message telling her to stop, she obeyed without question.
Yet—
Today, during class, she had looked back at him multiple times.
Then again, most of the students were like that, so it wasn't particularly strange.
But now, there was no reason for her to stare.
"Kei—"
Her friend quickly called her away.
Meanwhile, Hachiman stayed in the classroom.
Finally, all the other students had left.
Now, only Hikigaya Hachiman and Horikita Suzune remained.
However—
Two minutes passed, and Horikita, seated next to him, still hadn't spoken.
Her gaze was somewhat unsteady, occasionally shifting toward him as she bit her lip.
For Horikita, whose relationship with her only sibling was that bad, preparing food for someone else—even if she was being reimbursed for ingredients—was likely a first.
She had no experience in inviting someone to eat with her.
Luckily, Hikigaya Hachiman was a master observer of human behavior.
He picked up on her hesitation.
"Alright then, I guess I'll head to the cafeteria—"
Finally, Hachiman couldn't take it anymore. He pretended to stand up, making sure to drag his chair with an exaggerated noise—deliberately giving Horikita an opening to speak up.
He was handing her a lifeline.
One second, two seconds… Around the sixth second—
Just as Hachiman thought his action had been obvious enough—
"Can I take up a little of your time?"
Horikita Suzune finally spoke.
See?
Horikita's experience with social interactions was painfully low.
Even when given the perfect opportunity to invite him, just listen to how she phrased it:
"Can I take up a little of your time?"
So formal.
But that politeness only lasted a brief moment—she looked truly troubled.
Her hands weren't resting on the desk but instead placed stiffly on her lap, as if nervous.
"You didn't bring any rice balls today, did you?"
No sh*t.
She had seen it countless times before. He had deliberately eaten convenience store rice balls in front of her on multiple occasions—and she ignored it every single time.
That's why he had labeled her as a genuine, 100% oblivious straight-laced girl.
"Mm…"
Since Horikita was making an effort, Hachiman decided to play along.
"Just rice balls would be pretty plain, wouldn't it?" Horikita said.
From her tone, it was clear she was forcing herself to say this.
"And yesterday, you mentioned wanting to have lunch together with a partner, didn't you?"
Mm.
Hachiman nodded.
"I did say that. And I also said I'd pay for the ingredients."
Hearing him confirm this, Horikita seemed visibly relieved.
"I mean—"
She suddenly took a small package out of her cabinet.
"I did make a bento."
"..."
Mm.
She finally took it out.
He had already noticed in the morning—she had been hiding it the whole time.
And now, at last, she brought it out.
It hadn't been easy to trick her into willingly handing over the bento.
Hachiman was beginning to understand Horikita Manabu—why, on that night, Horikita's older brother had been willing to pay one million points for his sister's lessons.
Because—
She was difficult.
Really difficult to get along with, and even harder to make friends with.
So in a way, Horikita Manabu had been trying to push her onto him.
At the very least, he must have hoped she would change.
Otherwise, dealing with her would be pure suffering.
Ah—
What a calculating older brother.
Even though he thought that, Hachiman's opinion of Horikita Manabu actually rose.
Of course, he sincerely hoped Komachi would never have to deal with someone like himself.
But for now—
Horikita had taken out the bento.
Hachiman figured he might as well lighten the mood.
So—
"Mm…" Hachiman nodded. "Alright then, you eat it."
"…Huh?"
Horikita Suzune immediately looked up. "Hikigaya, are you serious?"
Of course not.
If he were really serious, he wouldn't have stayed in the classroom after class—he would've just gone straight to the third-floor cafeteria.
Sakayanagi had even messaged him during second period, saying she could treat him to lunch again today.
But he hadn't gone.
Now, seeing Horikita's face looking like she was about to cry, Hachiman quickly said, "Sorry, I was just thinking it through, and it didn't seem likely… but this bento is for me, isn't it?"
"…It's not like I made it especially for you."
Horikita let out a small breath, as if relieved. "It's just that you said you wanted to eat it yesterday."
With that, Hachiman finally took the bento and placed it on his desk.
He unwrapped it and lifted the lid.
Although the optimal eating time had passed, the colors and presentation still clearly showed that this was a handmade bento from a girl.
Horikita's gaze did not waver the entire time.
She was probably eagerly waiting for feedback.
So—
Even if it tasted bad, she clearly didn't want to be hurt by criticism.
That was probably it.
Hachiman prided himself on being a gentleman.
After all, if someone handed him a charred cookie, he could still force himself to say it was good.
"…There's not much meat or oil, but visually, it looks nice."
He commented.
But when he picked up his chopsticks, he realized Horikita was still watching him.
She wouldn't feel at ease until he gave her a definitive answer.
So Hachiman said, "Mm… it's pretty good."
Suddenly, he realized—tasting Horikita's cooking was a lot more stressful than expected.
"You haven't even eaten it yet."
"…Horikita, can't you just read the room?"
Hachiman picked up a piece of fried tofu fish with his chopsticks and took a bite.
Horikita usually ate her lunch with zero expression.
But from the look and aroma alone, it didn't seem bad.
"Mmm… it's really good."
The moment he bit into it, a sense of satisfaction hit him.
He wasn't a picky eater, but even so, this meal felt fulfilling.
He had to admit—Horikita Suzune actually had cooking skills.
Her ability might even be higher than his own.
As someone who planned to become a househusband after graduation, Hachiman's opinion of Horikita Suzune improved.
"…I see. Considering you usually like strong flavors, I made it a bit saltier."
Horikita seemed relieved.
Uh…
Horikita, making food saltier is something people do for their in-laws.
Could you not use that technique on him?
Even though he was mentally complaining, Hachiman still expressed his gratitude.
"There's tea, too. Do you want some?"
Horikita pulled out a thermos.
The lid was detachable.
She poured some tea into the lid—
And held it out.
Wait.
Isn't that the lid she normally drinks from?!
Horikita Suzune, do you even realize what you're doing?!
The phrase indirect kiss instantly popped into his mind.
No, no, no.
I can't think like that.
Because this was Horikita Suzune.
She had no friends, no romantic experiences, and barely any understanding of relationships.
So she probably hadn't even considered that possibility.
But now that she had already prepared it, outright refusing her would seem a bit cruel.
"..."
After a brief consideration, Hachiman decided to push aside any thoughts of romantic implications.
And so, he chose to accept Horikita's lid.
But—
When Hachiman reached out, he noticed something odd.
Horikita was holding the lid, but she had barely moved it forward, showing no intention of handing it over.
"…I mean, I can't reach it like this."
The distance across the desk was 40 centimeters, and since Horikita refused to stretch her hand out, he simply couldn't reach.
"..."
Still seated, Horikita spoke calmly.
"What, do you expect me to stand up just to hand it to you?"
…Uh.
Yeah, that's so like Horikita Suzune.
But—
Horikita, you're going to have no friends like this.
Just imagine—
You finally make a friend.
You even make them a bento, bringing you closer.
That friend starts thinking, Wow, Horikita is actually really nice to get along with.
And then, you even prepare tea—
Only to suddenly say, Hah? You're not going to come get it yourself? What, do you expect me to bring it to you?
That's practically tossing food at a beggar.
Friendship terminated on the spot.
With no other choice, Hachiman stood up and walked over to her.
"Here."
Now that he was in front of her, she actually handed over the tea.
Most bentos were cold, but pairing cold food with hot tea actually improved the taste.
And maybe because watching Hachiman eat alone was boring, Horikita took out her own bento as well.
At that moment, Hachiman had a thought.
The tea was in a single thermos, and once he returned the lid…
Would she still drink from it?
No, no, no.
I can't overthink things with Horikita.
She had zero understanding of these kinds of implications.
But still, he was curious.
Would she really drink from it?
As he pondered—
Horikita moved.
She reached into her bag—
And pulled out a bottle of juice.
"..."
…Huh.
So that was an option?
"…Do you want more?"
Maybe because Hachiman was staring too intently, still holding the empty lid, she asked again.
"Mm… just a little more."
Hachiman responded.
Even if he had been thinking about something absurd, having tea was always a plus.
And so—
After paying 400 points for the cost of ingredients, Hachiman finished lunch.
Then, the two of them went to wash the bento boxes together.
Since it was homemade, the containers needed cleaning after use.
Of course—
Hachiman started wondering if he was supposed to pay for the bento box itself.
After all, the one he used was brand new.
But—
Aside from the cost of the container, today's ingredients only cost 300 points.
Cheap, but delicious.
Hachiman didn't mind it at all.
Sure, Sakayanagi could treat him to meals, but he couldn't always rely on that.
So, right now, Hachiman was more inclined to eat with Horikita.
If she was already making one for herself, then adding an extra portion wouldn't be that much trouble.
And as long as he paid for the ingredients, it was a fair deal.
Convenience store rice balls weren't bad, but—
A homemade bento was far more appealing.
After some thought—
Hachiman came to a decision.
"Hey, Horikita, can you start making an extra portion for me when you make your bento?"
"..."
Horikita turned to look at him.
"Not happening."
…Yeah.
Makes sense.
Even though preparing an extra portion wasn't too difficult, it was still extra work.
Refusing was natural.
But—
Horikita's expression wasn't entirely neutral.
Her gaze shifted slightly.
"…Well, depending on your performance, it's not impossible for me to keep making them for you."
"So basically, it's performance-based compensation?" Hachiman said.
"To put it simply—yes."
Horikita didn't deny it.
Then there was no issue.
Because for Hikigaya Hachiman, there was only one mission:
Get into Class A.
Get into Class A.
And still—get into Class A.
So Horikita's condition was practically a freebie.
In other words—
Aside from Sakayanagi treating him to meals, he could now get a decent, cheap meal from Horikita.
Even during lunch breaks, he had another option now.
And since he was eating her food, occasional praise was necessary.
People like receiving compliments.
And praise costs nothing—just words.
So Hachiman said—
"You know, you're in a pretty good mood today. Why don't you act like this all the time?"
Sure, she still said things like Hah? You expect me to bring it to you?—but aside from that, she was fine.
"Not happening."
She rejected him instantly.
"I've told you before—I prefer being alone, and I don't see the point in acting differently."
…Is that so?
But, Horikita—do you realize?
Whether it's actively making a partner or willingly fulfilling a request to make someone a bento,
You are changing.
You're gradually transforming.
Do you understand that?
And then—
Because of Horikita Suzune's change,
The next day after school—
Hikigaya Hachiman was approached by someone completely unexpected.