Chapter 28: The Battle of the Bento

The rest of the day is a blur.

The entire school is whispering.

"Twilight... and Deception?"

"Fuji-sama... looked so mad!"

"Is 'Twilight' two-timing them?"

"She's so... cool!"

I am not cool.

I am hiding in the library.

Lunchtime.

I know I cannot go to the cafeteria.

But Rika and Toujo are texting me.

Rika: Aoi-chan! Where are you?

Toujo: AOI! THE DRAMA! IT'S SO GOOD!

Toujo: FUJI IS HERE. HE LOOKS MURDEROUS.

Toujo: WAIT.

Toujo: NO.

Toujo: NO WAY.

Toujo: HE'S BACK.

I sigh.

I get up.

I have to save my friends.

I walk into the cafeteria.

It is silent.

Again.

At our usual table.

Rika looks terrified.

Toujo looks like it's his birthday.

Fuji is sitting there. His face is unreadable. He has a standard school-issue tray.

And standing next to the table.

Is Daiki Hanata.

He is still here.

He is holding a massive bag from 'Ginza Sushi'.

The most expensive sushi place in town.

"Twilight-chan!" Daiki grins, his mood totally recovered. "You missed the bell! I got you lunch. School slop is bad for your health."

He starts unloading boxes of high-grade otoro tuna.

My stomach rumbles.

I love otoro.

"Isuzu-san," Fuji says, his voice calm.

He pushes the school tray toward my seat.

"I already got your lunch," he says. "It's the 'A' Set. Your favorite."

He remembered.

The stupid 'A' Set.

I am standing between high-grade sushi and lukewarm pork cutlet.

"Daiki-sama," Toujo whispers, drooling. "Is that sea urchin?"

"Eat up, Toujo," Daiki says, sliding a box to him. "I got extra."

Toujo weeps with joy.

"Hanata-san," Fuji says, standing up. "You are disrupting our lunch. And stop feeding my friends."

"He's my friend, Prince-kun," Daiki smirks. "And I am feeding my future girlfriend."

THUD.

Toujo faints again.

Right into his sea urchin.

"I AM NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" I yell.

"Fuji-sama brought her lunch..." a girl whispers.

"But Daiki-sama brought her SUSHI!" her friend gasps.

Fuji looks at the sushi.

He looks at his 'A' Set.

He looks at me.

His face is tight.

He picks up his miso soup.

"You really shouldn't be here, Hanata-san," Fuji says. "The floors are so dirty."

"What?" Daiki says.

Fuji stumbles.

He 'trips'.

His hand slips.

A full bowl of hot miso soup flies through the air.

SLOOOOOW MOTION.

It arches.

It splashes.

SPLAT.

All over Daiki's designer hoodie.

All over the high-grade otoro.

Silence.

Daiki looks down.

He is drenched in tofu and seaweed.

Fuji stands up straight.

He pulls out a handkerchief.

"Oh my goodness," Fuji says, his voice dripping with fake concern.

"My hand slipped. I am so sorry. You should get cleaned up."

Sabotage.

Complete.

Daiki's lazy eyes are twitching.

His hands are clenched.

He is covered in soup.

Fuji is perfectly clean.

He smiles.

A tiny, princely smirk.

He won.

I am surrounded by idiots.

And now I have no lunch.