Chapter 11: Feeding

She actually dared to call the bento she had made with her own hands “mere.”

Amamiya’s pride had been challenged.

“I will not allow anyone to so lightly dismiss my bento without even understanding it.”

That voice was like the ice surface in the depths of winter, thin and brittle.

Being stared at directly by those eyes, Asano immediately felt a chill climbing up his spine.

Huh, what is this terrifying emotion?

“Asano-san, did you bring chopsticks?”

“Uh, no.”

Amamiya said nothing.

She looked at her own bento again, then looked at him, and sighed as if making some major compromise.

She pulled out her own chopsticks, carefully wiped them once with a tissue, turned them around, and picked up the most tender piece of teriyaki chicken thigh.

“Open your mouth.”

Triggering continuous feeding events after only meeting a few times?

Unfortunately Asano was not the kind of shallow character who floated away the moment he was fed.

“Actually my hands are perfectly fine. I can pick it up myself.”

“I don’t want you touching my chopsticks. Open your mouth already!”

She stared at Asano with those eyes that held almost no temperature.

The faint romantic atmosphere from just now instantly vanished like smoke.

Asano opened his mouth.

The sweet-salty teriyaki sauce melted on the tip of his tongue.

The part of the chicken thigh with the skin had been fried to a fragrant crisp, the meat so tender it barely needed teeth.

The sauce probably contained mirin and sake; the sweetness was not cloying but instead enhanced the freshness.

Even after cooling, there was no fishy smell at all.

“It’s good, right?”

“……It’s good.” Asano could not lie about this matter.

Amamiya said nothing and picked up a piece of dashi thick omelet to hold out.

“Open your mouth.”

With the previous experience, this time Asano obediently opened his mouth.

The umami of the stock and the softness of the egg stacked together, distinct in layers yet perfectly integrated.

Next was the bacon-wrapped asparagus roll.

The smoky saltiness of the bacon perfectly set off the fresh sweetness of the asparagus.

Delicious!

Okra and chikuwa roll.

The sticky-soft okra wrapped in the springy chikuwa, two textures exploding at the same time the moment he bit down.

Delicious!

Asano suddenly understood that orange cat Amamiya had squatted and teased for so long.

Being fed by someone was this comfortable.

He even felt he was starting to get used to this rhythm.

Just when Asano had almost forgotten who was sitting opposite him, Amamiya stopped.

She probably felt Asano’s reaction was very worth observing, a thin smile floating at the edge of her lips.

“How is it? The feeling of being fed isn’t bad, right? Want it to be like this from now on?”

Yes yes yes…… No!

This woman had been calculating from beginning to end.

First the stockings, now the bento.

Asano Toru, ah Asano Toru, you almost fell just now.

You almost became the kind of idiot domesticated by a mere few bites of food.

“Want another piece?”

Relying on his remaining reason, Asano firmly turned his face to the side.

“Thanks for the meal!”

“There’s still the seared bonito furikake rice left.”

“Then…… alright.”

Wasting food is a shameful act!

So obedient, just like a little kitten.

Amamiya Shizuru watched Asano Toru eat the bento bite by bite, a natural sense of accomplishment rising in her heart.

No!

What am I thinking?

Amamiya shifted her gaze away from Asano’s face.

This must be Yaegaki Ruri’s fault.

That day at the school gate she had dropped the line “I believe Shizuru-chan will come,” and three days had passed without any movement.

No, no.

Why should she be disturbed by her?

She felt that after coming into contact with Asano Toru she was becoming more and more irritable.

Forget it, first resolve the matter at hand.

Asano Toru closed his eyes in satisfaction.

It seemed he had not eaten properly for some time.

These past few days she had not done nothing either.

While Asano was collecting student opinions, she had asked Makima Shin to learn about management-level problems from the teachers’ side.

Although Makima Shin had complained verbally that “little Shizuru is exploiting labor,” the next day she still stuffed a stack of materials into her hands.

In addition, the promotional posters had also been prepared.

So Asano Toru was not her only chess piece.

Speaking of which, Yaegaki Ruri’s popularity among the boys was quite high.

Asano was a boy after all, so perhaps he could provide some useful information from his perspective.

Amamiya set down the bento box and looked at the boy opposite who was still immersed in the aftertaste of the meal.

“How does Asano-san feel now?”

“Very satisfied.”

Asano raised a thumbs-up.

When it came to food, he had never been stingy with praise.

“Then the daily bento, do you still want it?”

Asano Toru fell briefly silent.

Without a doubt, if he agreed, then at the very beginning Amamiya Shizuru would properly bring him bento, and then just when he gradually got used to it, she would suddenly interrupt it, thereby creating a withdrawal reaction in him.

Damn it!

Do you think I don’t understand consumer psychology?

First free samples, wait until you’re addicted, then start charging.

This routine had already been used to death in the convenience store era.

But… it really is delicious!

….Whatever, enjoy it first!

“Alright.” Asano agreed.

Amamiya felt a small happiness in her heart.

Asano-san, your sense of caution in this area is far too low.

Through the bento, she could also adjust the composition of the dishes every day, slowly change a person’s eating habits, and once he was used to it, secretly increase the vegetables in the menu and adjust the dietary structure.

How terrifying, Amamiya Shizuru.

Even she herself felt afraid of her own evil.

She put away the bento box and wiped her hands with a wet wipe.

Then, as if suddenly recalling something, she casually spoke. “Speaking of which, does Asano-san know Yaegaki Ruri?”

“That Yaegaki-san from the same grade?” Asano thought for a moment. 

“Calling it an impression isn’t rigorous. I’ve never spoken to her in person at all. But from the evaluations of surrounding friends and school rumors, she’s probably the type popular for her characteristic of treating people gently.”

Amamiya nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“But rumors of this kind are often more accurate when taken the opposite way. In light novels, those characters covered all over with ‘angel’ labels usually have settings that aren’t quite right on the inside.” 

At this point Asano glanced at Amamiya.

Looking at it now, the only person in the entire school whose reality highly matched the rumors was probably Amamiya Shizuru.

Amamiya met his gaze. “Asano-san, you just said bad things about me in your heart, didn’t you?”

No, do you have mind-reading abilities?!

“It’s not mind-reading. You’re just too easy to understand.”

“Actually I did it on purpose.” Asano Toru pretended to be serious.

But seeing that Amamiya Shizuru did not respond, he quickly steered the topic back. “In short, I don’t have any particularly direct memories of Yaegaki-san. Without having met the person herself, it’s hard to evaluate.”

“Without knowing the full picture, one does not evaluate, is that it?” 

Amamiya nodded. “A rather smart answer.”

Hearing Amamiya’s reply, Asano let out a breath of relief.

“But running away cannot solve any problems, you know.” Amamiya curved the corners of her mouth as she looked at him.

Here we go again?

Asano carefully chose his words and asked, “Um, may I ask why Amamiya-san is so concerned about Yaegaki-san?”

Should she tell him?

Those matters between Yaegaki Ruri and herself.

Pouring everything out was not impossible, but after finishing, Asano would probably have a feeling of “are all the girls raised by these big families like this?”

It seemed it would be very troublesome.

“Actually, Yaegaki-san and I have known each other since childhood.”

“So you two are…..”

“Enemies.”

“……”

Asano Toru felt enlightened.

Yes.

He had actually deluded himself into hearing a normal answer from this woman’s mouth.

“So,” Amamiya interlaced her hands and propped her chin, “as compensation for the bento, Asano-san, can you help me investigate Yaegaki Ruri?”