At lunch break, Anri Hitomi once again brought her luxury bento and, in full view of everyone, came over to ask Kuroba Akira to eat with her.
This time, Akira couldn't even be bothered to put on any act or make explanations.
At this point it was already mud on the crotch of your pants—even if it's nothing, it's something. Might as well just give up resisting entirely.
If the Class Rep didn't care about being misunderstood, then Akira definitely cared even less.
After greeting Fujiyoshi Michio, Akira got up and followed the head of the cooking squad to go eat.
On the way, the Class Rep said, a little surprised,
"I thought you'd invite Fujiyoshi-kun too. He always eats alone, and you might be his first friend in class… It feels a bit like I'm stealing you from him, which makes me feel bad."
Akira spread his hands.
"Ha, I did think about bringing him—he's probably the only one in class who knows we're not dating—but if I brought him, it'd only cause him trouble."
"That's true. If we invited him, people would definitely start asking him about us. With his personality, he'd just dodge the question to cover for us, and then people would think he's boring. That'd make it even harder for him to fit in."
She didn't need it explained—she instantly got what Akira meant. Conversations like this were comfortable.
"Exactly. Class Rep, wise as always."
"What a shame… I thought maybe you just wanted to be alone with me. Guess I was flattering myself."
"Haha, well, there's some of that too. Seeing the envy, jealousy, and resentment in the others' eyes does make me feel a certain… bodily and spiritual satisfaction."
"So Kuroba-kun sees me as his beloved toy to show off?"
"Your humble servant wouldn't dare defile the sacred Class Rep. I'm just the type who enjoys watching others eat dirt."
If a guy really had a perfect, top-student, school-beauty girlfriend like the Class Rep, of course he'd want to brag about it—like a fisherman who finally landed a huge catch after countless empty days, wanting the whole world to know.
"And besides, you don't need to worry about Fujiyoshi-kun. Sumitomo Ryouta will probably bring him into his little circle. Judging from how persistent he was about you, he values friendship. He's already calling Fujiyoshi by his first name—probably not just for show. He'd definitely invite him at lunch."
"True… but I worry whether Fujiyoshi-kun can adapt to that group. Ryouta's circle is built around him as the core."
"What's the problem with that?"
"Simply put—the people in that group all like Ryouta a lot, but they're not necessarily good friends with each other."
"Ohh… so that guy really is a textbook normie."
In other words, all their arrows pointed to Ryouta, but not to each other.
Without Ryouta around, the liveliness would probably drop to zero—maybe even dissolve on the spot.
That kind of circle, formed around one person, wasn't built to last. After high school, they'd likely never contact each other again.
But for the three years of high school, having fun together was still better than living the lonely myth of a solo act.
"It's because Ryouta's so straightforward. Whether it's guys or girls, he can deal with them openly. That's why he's so popular."
"A straight guy, and still popular… my eyes are tearing up."
Though really, it was mostly because Ryouta was lively, fun, and, well, good-looking.
Today's lunch spot the Class Rep chose was a bench in the school courtyard—second only to the rooftop as a popular couple's lunch spot. By the time they arrived, two couples were already eating there.
But for some reason, as soon as they saw Akira and Anri Hitomi, the nearby couples got shy and quickly left.
"Why are they avoiding us?"
While laying out a cloth on the bench, the Class Rep answered,
"Maybe, in their eyes, we're out of their league."
"Out of their league?"
"To them, we've already reached stage four and made it to home base—gone all the way. Even for couples who successfully confess and get together, only a small fraction make it through all four stages. Statistically, the breakup rate for high school couples is seventy percent."
Akira knew the "four stages" baseball analogy:
First base—holding hands.
Second base—kissing.
Third base—petting and touching.
And home base—a full-on pi-pa.
The Class Rep sat down, patted the spot beside her, and kept talking.
"Also, graduating each other in the school nurse's office is pretty bold. If a teacher caught you, you'd definitely get suspended, maybe even expelled. So for active couples, that's a pretty amazing achievement—only dumb couples can't control themselves enough to keep from producing love hearts in the wrong setting."
"So we've been burned away by the 'couple aura' that rumors stuck on us… childish."
Akira sat, and the Class Rep opened her bento. He noticed today's menu had changed again.
Was she planning to change it every day? That was some serious thoughtfulness.
"You knew going to the nurse's office with me would cause this, but you came anyway…"
Anri Hitomi nodded honestly, handing him the bento and chopsticks while pouring him tea.
"Yes. This time, I actually thought it was fine to be seen as a couple with you. It cuts down on troublesome social obligations. My school life's gotten much easier."
She smiled and picked up a piece of tamagoyaki, feeding it to him.
"So I'm grateful, Kuroba-kun. You've become my safe harbor in class. Let me reward you properly. Here—ah~"
Akira didn't hesitate—he opened his mouth and ate the offered food. Oh—sweet tamagoyaki. The Class Rep was in the sweet camp.
"And I think talking with you is way more fun than talking with anyone else. I get to spend more time with a good friend. That's all gain, no loss, right?"
"There is one loss—Class Rep, you won't be able to get a boyfriend like this."
"I never planned on getting a boyfriend in high school."
"Oh? So you're in the 'high schoolers shouldn't date' camp?"
"I just thought about it carefully and decided it's pointless."
And then the Class Rep laid out her counterargument.
"Like I just said—high school breakup rate is seventy percent. Of the thirty percent who stay together, another twenty percent break up after graduation for various reasons.
"And in the remaining ten percent, the number who actually make it to marriage is tiny. Parents might object, feelings might change. Even without those problems, fresh graduates don't have the economic stability to make each other happy.
"In the end, most high school couples are just acting on impulse. They can't maintain it for life. So why bother starting something destined to leave regrets?"
Akira had no rebuttal—she was completely right.
But… damn, she was realistic!
Class Rep, you're too realistic! This was realism gone too far!
What would the people who thought romance was an essential part of youth say to this?
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