Late-Night Foodie (1)

Arata-kun sat on the bench.

The same one that Hiro-kun and Yua-san shared this morning.

Sato Arata tilted his head down and stared at the ground.

“…Why the heck did I sound so… cringe…” he muttered to himself.

Arata-kun, however, knew the answer to that question.

‘You know too well that the only reason you stepped in when Ryoken-kun was bullying others for clout was that you couldn’t stand the bad acting and not for some noble cause.’

Arata pressed his thumb against the bench's ridge.

‘Miyu-san standing up for herself wasn’t my intention at all,’ he reminded himself bitterly.

‘I was just mad at how the one being bullied wasn’t even aware that it was all an act.’

He exhaled slowly, watching the leaves fall from the tree in front of the bench.

“If they knew it was just because I couldn’t stand how dumb the scene looked…” he muttered.

“That the ‘hero’ they’re talking about couldn’t even control his own temper…”

Arata let his hand drop.

Leaves rustled overhead. A small shape hopped along the high branch above him.

When he finally tilted his head up again, he saw it.

The same tit bird.

The same tiny, round body he had traumatized with his acting this morning in front of Yua-san and Hiro-kun.

Its black-bead eyes were fixed straight on him, head angled just enough to scream suspicious in a way no human expression ever could.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Arata-kun said dryly.

As if understanding it had been caught, the bird jerked its head to the side instantly.

Like a kid pretending they hadn’t just been staring.

He leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment.

‘I just didn’t want to watch that cheap performance anymore,’ he thought.

The image of Ryoken-kun grabbing Arata’s collar in front of Miyu-san and the crowd flashed through his mind.

His jaw tightened.

A subtle sensation interrupted his downward spiral.

‘Someone is definitely behind me..isn’t it?’ Arata-kun’s thoughts spiralled more.

A smooth, pale hand touched his shoulder.

Fingers, slender and steady, curled lightly.

A few strands of brown hair slipped down into view, catching the sunlight.

Arata’s eyes opened.

He blinked once, then tilted his head up.

Fuyumi Kujo stood over him, leaning forward slightly, her face framed by those familiar brown locks. Just pure concern.

“Arata-kun,” she said softly.

“You look like you just lost a fight with your own thoughts,” Kujo-san said softly.

The tit bird overhead gave a soft, indignant chirp as if in agreement, whilst still perched up on the tree.

Arata stared at her for a heartbeat longer, then glanced aside.

“…I think the thoughts won,” he replied, his voice dry but lacking its usual lazy edge.

Kujo’s fingers tightened just a fraction against the bench.

“Mind if I sit beside?” she asked.

Arata-kun nodded back.

“Were you meditating just now, Arata-kun?” asked Kujo-san.

Arata couldn’t explain that he was mentally exhausted and instead just nodded in reply.

Kujo-san studied his face for a moment before speaking again.

“You know, for someone who got into Kyousei the hard way… you aren’t as happy as I thought you’d be,” she said.

“Why’s that?” Arata replied.

“You’ve already made your parents proud just by getting admitted here,” Kujo added casually, speaking her mind.

“And yet, you still look like you’ve got hundreds of problems to solve all by yourself,” she added.

She leaned back slightly, eyes still on him.

 "Trying to fix everything on your own. The bullying, the rumors, other people’s messes… It’s like you refuse to just be a normal student.”

Arata didn’t respond.

Kujo-san’s tone softened.

“Relax a little,” she said.

“You don’t have to carry the whole school on your shoulders. You’re allowed to just enjoy your time here, you know? Eat lunch, skip a problem or two, complain about exams like the rest of us.”

She gave a small, teasing smile.

“Do you remember the entrance ceremony? When you just… froze?”

Arata’s shoulders twitched.

“Everyone thought you were nervous about the result or didn’t believe you actually got admitted.”

Her gaze softened.

“But I figured it wasn’t just stage fright. You looked like someone who’d suddenly realized he didn’t know what to do with the place he’d finally reached.”

Sato Arata froze for a second.

‘Made your parents proud…’ That line caught him off guard.

“You’re right,” he replied at last, keeping his tone even. He decided it was best not to overshare.

‘If anyone figures out I’m secretly living in the attic of an old-age facility, I’m done for.’

Kujo-san watched him out of the corner of her eye, then turned her attention to the trees in front of them.

“So,” she said gently,

“It’s nice that you’ve at least decided to come out here and enjoy the nature instead of chasing trouble for once.”

As if on cue, the tit bird perched above them let out a sharp, indignant chirp, clearly displeased with the man’s continued presence beneath its tree.

Arata glanced up.

“…Apparently, not everyone agrees,” he muttered.

Kujo-san laughed quietly, the sound blending with the rustling leaves.

"And let me ask you this.." Kujo-san perked up curiously.

"Why did you decide to help Rei-senpai with her duties?" she asked Arata.

Arata-kun froze in response. 

'I wasn't expecting that question,'  he thought.

"She just looked tired and wanted me to change the notice board. That's all," Arata replied.

'She knows what she's talking about... If I had answered casually. It would have been clear that I put up the notice board myself without consulting the president.'

Arata-kun sighed in relief.

Kujo-san got up gently.

"I just hope someone as good-hearted as you doesn't get into more trouble," she said.

'Good-hearted?... me?' Arata blinked in confusion.

"I know you might have seen Rei-senpai's exhaustion and offered to help her yourself," Kujo-san added with a soft smile as she thought she had guessed what happened correctly.

Sato Arata smiled in response.

"You caught me". He added dryly.

Kujo-san left to talk with some of her friends nearby, and upon turning her head to see Arata-kun again.

Arata's smile turned vile as he got up from the bench in determination.

'I might have guessed everything wrong..' muttered Fuyumi Kujo to herself.

"Guessed what wrong, Kujo-san?" asked one of her friends.

"Oh. It's nothing," she replied dismissively.

Yet she knew. She had underestimated the thoughts of Arata-kun.

'There was a subtle longing in his voice. I don't know if I'm just overthinking, but... Does he remember when I said those childish words at the bridge the first time we met?'

'There's no way, right?... Surely if he heard it. He made a promise not to tell anyone.'

Kujo-san sighed internally.

'I'm just glad neither Bertha nor my Father knows how I feel just yet,' she thought.

On the way home.

[ New notification from Grandpa ]

'Eh, what’s this?. Did he eat something and get an upset stomach?'

Arata thought instantly, clearly used to his Grandpa’s antics by now.

[ Grandpa: I’ll be home late tonight. We’re celebrating an old pal’s birthday at Shizuko's restaurant. You could uh…. Maybe buy something to eat on your way back. ]

“Great.. Now I need to figure out what to buy,” Arata murmured to himself.

He searched his pockets and bag. He found only a single rusty 10 yen coin.

‘Guess I’ll be looking for food for a long time.’