Chapter 50: Winning His Heart Through His Stomach!

“Tsuguo-kun~ Hehe~”

“Huh…?”

Yuuma Tsugumu was still sitting at his seat, chopsticks in hand, eating lunch.

His cheeks were puffed out with a half mouthful of rice when Akiba Sakura suddenly sidled up to him with a mysterious expression.

Her voice was soft and deliberately coy, the trailing end drawn out long enough to make his skin prickle.

‘What the…’

A bad premonition surged straight into Yuuma’s heart.

‘What is this girl up to? Yesterday she said we wouldn’t talk all day… This morning she ignored me too. And now at lunch she comes over like this—I can tell something’s fishy!’

The chopsticks in Yuuma’s hand paused, his chewing slowed, and he stared warily at the approaching Sakura, his eyes screaming ‘What trick are you playing now?’

Sakura saw Yuuma’s expression and her smile became even more brazen, which only heightened Yuuma’s sense of doom.

“What are you doing?”

Yuuma instinctively scooted aside, putting some distance between them.

“I’m telling you, I’ve seen through all your tricks. Don’t mess with me…”

As he spoke, he sneaked a glance at Sakura.

She had a sweet smile on her face, her eyes curved into crescent moons, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush, and she was holding a small lunchbox—a completely different person from the angry little hamster of yesterday.

This abnormal behavior made Yuuma’s heart even more uneasy.

His intuition told him that Sakura was definitely up to no good.

“Oh, Tsuguo-kun~ I was wrong yesterday. I shouldn’t have lost my temper and ignored you. Can you forgive me~?”

Yuuma stiffened all over.

Looking at her coquettish appearance, his suspicion grew even stronger—

‘Something’s wrong, very wrong! Why is she acting so strange today? Did her leg injury make her dumb? Or is there some conspiracy?’

He instinctively wanted to avoid her gaze, but when he saw her sparkling eyes and her hesitant demeanor, the words he was about to say died in his throat.

He could only ask with a bewildered, wary look—

“What exactly do you want? Just say it. Don’t be like this. I’m not used to it.”

Momoka Aoi, hiding at a nearby seat, peeked over the edge of the desk, watching the scene and stamping her feet in anxiety.

In her mind she was shouting wildly:

‘Go, Sakura! You can do it! Be more proactive! Use your momentum to win him over! Don’t chicken out!’

“…”

‘Damn it, Tsuguo, I can’t guarantee you won’t die after eating my cooking…’

Sakura glanced at Momoka, who was already on the verge of tears, then bit her lower lip, mustered her courage, and pushed the lunchbox toward Yuuma.

“Um… Tsuguo-kun, I actually made a bento today. I specially saved a portion for you. Why don’t you try it and see if it’s good? I learned to make it just for you…”

Actually, this bento was something she had made early in the morning, half-heartedly following a recipe.

Momoka had told her that the first step to winning Yuuma back was to win a man’s heart through his stomach.

The taste didn’t have to be great; it was all about the sincerity.

That would surely move Yuuma.

But now, thinking calmly, she realized she had never cooked a day in her life.

Her confidence evaporated completely, and she was even starting to regret listening to Momoka’s terrible advice.

Yuuma looked at the lunchbox she offered, then at the smile on her face.

His wariness only increased—

‘Bento? Made specially? Since when could she cook? Is she putting something weird in it? Like super spicy peppers or extremely salty salt?’

He couldn’t bring himself to take it, his eyes darting back and forth between Sakura and the lunchbox.

“No, no, I have my own lunch. You eat it yourself…”

Sakura’s smile froze for a moment, and anger flared inside her.

‘Seriously, I know my cooking isn’t great, but at least take a bite?!’

Thinking this, her tone couldn’t help but turn a bit dark—

“Are you eating or not?!”

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

She quickly switched back to a sweet smile and even reached out to tug at his sleeve, shaking it—

“Oh, Tsuguo-kun~ Just have a taste, just one bite, okay~?”

Yuuma was getting dizzy from her shaking.

Seeing her act both sweet and fierce, although his bad feeling grew stronger, he couldn’t refuse.

He steeled himself and reached out to take the lunchbox, giving in.

“Alright, alright, I’ll try it, I’ll try it, okay? I love trying… So can you stop shaking? If you keep shaking, my rice will spill!”

Seeing Yuuma take the lunchbox, Sakura secretly sighed in relief, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes.

‘Hmph, Yuuma Tsugumu, not so tough now, are you? Momoka’s idea might actually be working.’

Yuuma opened the lunchbox and looked at the mediocre-looking, even slightly lopsided rice balls and side dishes.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

He became even more convinced that something was definitely wrong.

“Um… I mean, I’m a bit full. Although the food looks pretty good, but…”

“Stop making excuses, Tsuguo-kun. I know the appearance is mediocre.”

“…”

‘If you know it’s mediocre, why are you still forcing me to eat? Do I really have to die for this?’

Yuuma looked up at Sakura’s eyes, which held a mix of threat and expectation.

He could only let out a long sigh, then steeled himself again, picked up his chopsticks, and slowly put a small piece of rice ball into his mouth.

‘He ate it!’

Momoka, hiding behind, saw this and almost jumped up in excitement.

‘Success! Sakura, keep it up! Strike while the iron is hot! Get Yuuma-kun firmly in your grasp!’

Yuuma chewed the rice ball.

His expression went from stiff to surprised, then returned to calm—actually, the taste wasn’t bad.

It was even a little delicious, completely different from what he had imagined.

He looked up at Sakura and saw that she was staring at him with wide eyes, full of expectation, her cheeks lightly flushed.

His heart skipped a beat.

But he still had a hard mouth, and said vaguely—

“It’s okay. Not bad, but not great either.”

When Sakura heard this, her smile instantly brightened.

She quickly leaned in and pressed—

“Really? Then try this side dish too! It’s also delicious!”

Seeing her face come so close, Yuuma’s cheeks felt slightly hot.

He instinctively shifted aside but didn’t refuse again.

He picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of the side dish into his mouth.

‘This girl… she’s surprisingly talented at cooking… Is she a talent freak?’

‘Exactly! One look and you can tell that Yuuma-kun is already completely in Sakura’s palm! My idea, from me, the greatest “love expert” of this century, works like a charm! Zaolai Qianxiao, is it? Just you wait and see what else you’ve got! Your opponent is here!’

Momoka watched their interaction, a smug smile curving at the corners of her mouth.

She pushed up the ‘Holmes’ glasses on the bridge of her nose, looking proud.