Vol 2 Chapter 6 (1/2)

VOLUME 1-1

Chapter 6

The s.h.i.+nryoku Festival was three days away.

To the partic.i.p.ants in the [Boxed Lunch Contest] who had to buy their ingredients beforehand and prepare the day before the contest, it already felt like it was tomorrow.

On the other hand, the posters of the festival’s main project, the “Yamato Nades.h.i.+ko Contest”, had been upgraded for some reason, with pictures of the partic.i.p.ating female students affixed to them.

It increased the atmosphere of a beauty contest even further.

“So they do these kinds of preparatory measures…” Homura mumbled as she leaned forward to gaze at a Yamato Nades.h.i.+ko poster.

“They just put them up on their own. Actually, did they even get the person’s permission for this one…? Ouch.”

Beside her, Touya frowned as he gazed at the same poster.

The pictures that had been chaotically affixed to the posters included both portraits that seemed to have been self-taken and print-outs of photos that had clearly been taken without asking consent. Since the contest winner had the right to double their club’s budget as the grand prize, everyone was using every means available to win, as expected.

“Should I also take a picture of myself!? Like, a picture of me wearing a hat like that of a strong man and crossing my arms proudly with the heading [I’ll make your boxed lunch!].”

“There’s no point in that. The exhibited boxed lunches are judged anonymously—ouch.”

“Right. Yeah, I understand.”

“I wonder if they’re advertising themselves with their clubs—geh.”

Standing next to Homura, Touya was knocked on the back of the head and received a jab to his flank by the boys walking through the hallway as they pa.s.sed by.

He had already gotten used to it and become resigned to it. Homura didn’t dare make any quips about it either.

Speaking of which, what was the prize for winning the [Boxed Lunch Contest]? She had only been concerned about the conditions for entering the Exploration Club and hadn’t paid any attention to that part.

As she was about to move on down the hallway, Homura suddenly caught sight of a certain picture.

“Cosplay like this is still popular, huh…”

As Homura spoke in admiration, Touya followed her gaze.

“Cosplay? Which one… Ah, eh?”

Touya spurted out in shock.

Homura wasn’t knowledgeable about it, but it was probably a costume of a character from some anime or game. The signature pose towards the camera was also perfect.

“……”

Touya’s eyes were glued to the picture.

“Hoh, so your tastes lean this way, Touya-kun? Actually, which cla.s.s is this girl from?”

It was a girl that Homura had no memory of as far as she knew.

Since she was partic.i.p.ating in this contest, she should be a first-year. She was quite a cute girl with an exotic atmosphere, someone Homura would definitely carve into her memory.

“Do you know something about her? Hmm~, why are you averting your face?”

“No… it’s just… you know…”

Touya was fl.u.s.tered as he faltered to speak.

It was rare to see a guy who was so bad at keeping secrets.

“This girl is a transfer student.”

An arm suddenly stretched out and tore off the picture from the wall.

Ah, how cruel. What’s this person doing?

“…Sensei?”

The one standing behind them was, once again, Professor Fujimori.

Homura nodded in comprehension.

“A tran

sfer student, huh? I see, no wonder I don’t recall seeing her before. What cla.s.s is she in?”

“Don’t inquire any further about her.”

“Haah, okay…”

Touya patted his chest in relief. Well, she could just question him about it later.

“Sensei, what a coincidence to meet you here. Are we really being monitored?”

“What are you talking about? In the first place, the staff room is right over there, you know?”

“Don’t mind Hinooka. She seems to be a bit of a day-dreamer.”

As Homura became miffed at those words, Fujimori questioned her.

“So, Hinooka, how’s your prospects for winning the contest?”

“I’m sure to win.”

Homura responded with the signature pose she had learned just now.

“…You really are a day-dreamer, aren’t you?”

As Fujimori glared at her with scornful eyes, Homura nestled up to her.

“Sensei, could you let me use the Exploration Club’s cooking room? It’s such an impressive facility, so it has at least one portable cooking stove, right?”

“Well, we do have one. But what are you going to use it for?”

“To cook, of course. I can’t use the home economics room, after all.”

“Huh? Isn’t it open for student-use after school?”

Fujimori looked over at Touya.

“It’s not like I can’t go in, but that place is full of enemies. It’d be hard to cook there, and it basically makes the secret information battle completely exposed…”

However, Fujimori curtly refused the greedy-sounding Homura.

“Rejected.”

“Come on, don’t say that.”

“No. And don’t get carried away dozing off in cla.s.s either.”

Fujimori lightly smacked Homura with a curled-up textbook.

“It is general rule that only club members and authorized staff can enter the clubroom. Do your recipe experimentation at your own home.”

After saying just that, Fujimori promptly left to return to the staff room.

Homura vented her frustration at the teacher’s retreating back.

“And yet you call yourself a teacher~? You look the worst in jeans in this entire school, you know! It’s because I can’t do that that I’m asking you! And I brought all my tools from home too…”

Touya’s shoulders drooped.

“Can’t be helped. How about you come over to my place?”

“Oh, is that really all right?”

Touya reluctantly nodded.

“I also bear some responsibility for this—ack.”

A boy pa.s.sing by once more smacked Touya’s head from behind.

After school.

Touya’s home was in a set of apartments erected on a hill.

It was one station away from the nearest station to the Hinooka home.

Touya was pus.h.i.+ng his bike up the hill. Homura grumbled as she walked next to him.

“Tsuyu rebelling against me was completely unplanned for…”

“Well, don’t begrudge your little sister too much.”

“I know, but…”

What had happened was that Homura’s younger sister Tsuyu, having been dumbstruck by Touya’s daily visits, rose up in revolt and leaked the details and circ.u.mstances of Homura’s entry into the [Boxed Lunch Contest] to their father.

As a result, Homura’s father, who was still against her joining the Exploration Club, would extract the kitchen stove’s gas pipes after supper every night.

Though she somehow managed to continue her morning running, practicing her cooking at home had been made difficult for her.

“Can’t I ride on this?”

Homura pointed at the bike.

“Think about it, you’re wearing a skirt. It’d be dangerous.”

“I see… d.a.m.n, how inconvenient…”

As she sustained the conversation by stating something obvious, Homura felt uneasy inside.

Since Touya wasn’t bringing up the very crucial problem here, Homura asked him as nonchalantly as possible.

“By the way, are your parents at home, Touya-kun?”

“Ah? No, they’re not there. Don’t worry about it.”

Ugh, Homura groaned inwardly. The situation seemed to be escalating even further.

“Do you live alone, Touya-kun? Ah, or do both your parents work for a living…?”

“I don’t technically live alone, but it’s pretty much the same thing. My dad got a job transfer away from home. My mom is currently running away from home.”

“Running away from home!?”

Touya calmly nodded.

A heavy topic suddenly had come out. Homura’s polite and controlled expression quickly collapsed.

“T-T-T-Then, you’re the only one at your house, Touya-kun?”

“I just said that, didn’t I?”

The second stage alarm fiercely rang in her head.

Just what kind of nerves did this guy have to be able to easily “Come over to my house” under such circ.u.mstances?

Homura suddenly became hyper-aware of the public gaze and started looking around restlessly, while the boy in question called out to her without reservation.

After Touya put his bike in the bicycle parking lot, Touya ignored the elevator and led Homura up the stairs until they reached the entrance to Touya’s apartment.

As expected, this amount of stairs wasn’t enough to make Homura out of breath anymore. It seemed that the fruits of her running were having some effect on her body.

“I’m home.”

“Pardon me for the intrusion…”

After Touya unlocked the door, Homura followed him in through the entranceway.

After giving a polite greeting even though she knew no one was home, Homura was a bit taken aback by the neat and tidy entranceway and the bright and colorful interior of the apartment.

“Go ahead and make yourself at home.”

“R-Roger. Don’t mind if I do…”

There was a wooden sword placed in the umbrella stand next to the front door.

“What’s with this souvenir wooden sword here?”

Next to it, there was a short bamboo sword that she didn’t recognize.

When she tried grasping its well-used handle, she was surprised by the weight.

“Heavy!”

Touya’s voice rang through the hallway from his room, where he had headed to for a moment.

“That one’s for practice swinging. You can use it even in the middle of the living room. Maybe I should teach you some practice swings while you’re here.”

“No, before that, I’d like you to teach me cooking…”

“The kitchen is over there. You can wash your hands there.”

After Touya returned to the living room and began giving directions, Homura peeked at his room over his shoulder.

“Now then, let’s check where the lewd books are—”

“Just what did you come here to do? You don’t have much time left, you know!”

“Now, now, isn’t just a little peek fine?”

Pus.h.i.+ng onto Touya the cooking tools and ingredients she had brought, Homura casually trespa.s.sed into Touya’s room.

Though she expected him to desperately stop her, the room’s owner merely shrugged in exasperation, betraying her expectations once again.

“Wow… It’s cleaner than my room.”

“Really? Is your room that dirty?”

“Tsuyu is always getting angry at me about it—”

The six-tatami-sized room felt very s.p.a.cious due to the lack of a bed. The only furniture present was a writing desk and bookshelf.

“Ooh, is this for kendo?”

There were trophies and badges lined up neatly on the top bookshelf. A picture of him with his dojo comrades was also placed there. Besides that, the bookshelf contained things like serial historical novels and bike magazines.

The desk was simple as well, with only things like reference books, a laptop and a small audio player placed on top of it.

“Are all kendo boys this stoic…? What about manga? Or lewd books?”

“You’re so nosy. I hid the things I didn’t want you to see just now.”