Episode 32 – Lunch together, Saara’s NG

(NG = No good, it’s like a “no no” thing)

After the play was over at the arcade, the six of us went to lunch as planned.

“As with the game, it’s hard to get everyone’s opinions on the same thing when there are six of us. What do we do?”

Sato-san took the lead in the discussion.

“Who has a rule against this? Shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, hot spices, and crunchy foods.”
“Oh, I can’t eat crunchy mushrooms.”
“Me neither.”
“Oh, so it’s true that men don’t like it. Well, there are only a few places that serve it, so I’ll leave that out.”

Seiichi and Shun said no to the pakuchi, followed by Nagase san who said no to the ramen.
Well, it seems like it would be hard to eat with that hair, like Saara, and the idea of inviting girls to eat ramen.

“What remained was …… a steak family restaurant! Are you okay with that kind of restaurant?”
“Yeah. Basically, I don’t have anything I don’t like, and I’ll eat anything.”

Let’s not go into it with insects….
There are only a few people who are okay with that in the first place.

“Considering I have to go to school tomorrow, I’d rather avoid garlic.”
“Nice assist, Iida-kun! I was completely out of my mind! I wish every day was Sunday!”

Thinking that this comment was very Sato-san-like, the six of us took our seats.

“Well, do you eat this kind of Western food too, Sora?”
“No, I usually eat them, why?”
“Because Sora’s lunch box is always Japanese food. So I thought maybe you are particular about it.”
“I’m not particular about it, but it’s simply my preference and also because it’s hard to manage more seasonings. ……”

Saara nods at my words, and Nagase says, “Ayado-san also has a Japanese bento.”
In terms of ease of management, well, we use the same soy sauce.

So we all ask for the menu.
We have become accustomed to using the touch panel in the restaurant and order without calling the waiter.
After deciding what to order, we all get up from our seats.

“Well, what shall we mix today?”
“What’s Seiichi up to ……?”

We gathered at the attached drink bar and each of us took what we wanted.
Shun takes his coffee and Nagase san takes her milk cocoa without hesitation and takes her seat.
They are a group of sensible people.

“Today, I’ll have this oolong tea and orange juice.
“Sato-san, you’re pretty good. I’ll have a melon soda and coffee.”
On the other hand, the Sato/Odawara pair over here are completely playful.
How about that for high school students? ……

“Hmmm …….”

I looked over and saw Saara groaning at the corner with the tea leaves in it.

“What’s up?”
“I’m in this corner with Assam, Ceylon, and Darjeeling, and I was wondering what …… would be good?”
“Yeah, it’s hard to decide, isn’t it?”

Although they come from different regions, I don’t know the specific difference between them when I add sugar and milk, and I don’t have the habit of drinking much.
That said, I do enjoy looking at the corner with the tea leaves.

“How do you drink it, for reference?”
“Well, I’ve got some …… dishes, so I guess straight.”
“Then Darjeeling is fine, right? Yes, but be careful, the hot water in the store is very hot and the water comes out quite thick.”
“I see. Thanks.”

I watched as Saara put in a teaspoon of tea and went to the shelf next to hers.

“What about you, Sora kun?”
“Green tea?”
“Are there……?”

I pick one from the tea bag section, which is hidden from view by the glitz and glamour of the tea leaves section.

“I-I didn’t know it was in a place like that. ……!”
“I’m surprised you missed it, the top of the straw. The letters are hidden.”
“Ugh, I’ll remember that next time. ……”

The food arrived around the time Saara and I took our seats.
Seiichi had steak, Shun had pasta, and Sato san had dice steak.　
I had chicken steak and Saara had hamburger steak.
Finally, Nagase-san, who ordered the same dice steak as Shun for the two of them, scratched her head in embarrassment when she saw Shun.

Once the menu was complete, the boys and girls faced each other for lunch.

“Here’s to meeting today! Well, that’s still a coincidence, isn’t it? We usually only meet in class, so it’s refreshing.”
“I’m the one who should said I didn’t expect to see a group of girls at the arcade.”

Sato-san is in the center of Seiichi’s front and looks around at us, the group of boys.

“I don’t get a chance to gather much information outside of the school, so give me something interesting to talk about, boys!”
“Well, I don’t have any interesting topics to talk about. We just started playing together for the first time today.”
“Even though the three of you are so close that you’re eating lunch together?”
“That’s special. We can’t do that twice. Cafeterias are all kinds of fun.”

I guess what Sato-san brought up as a topic was the fact that Seiichi and Shun made lunch boxes the other day.
As expected or whatever, Sato-san is really getting information before you know it. ……

“I don’t know if I can do it anymore either. I made it with only frozen foods, so it was really simple. But Iida-kun’s …… what was it, simmered dish?”
“Chikuzen-ni.”
“Yes yes. Chikuzen-ni. I thought it was delicious.”

On the other side of the room, across from Seiichi, I also receive words from Shun.
When I get that much praise, I’m happy, but at the same time I feel sorry that I’ve been a ghost club member for a while. ……

Sato-san heard our conversation and turned her gaze towards me.

“The omelette was also amazing.”
“….. Ah, the dashimaki tamago.”

The moment I said those words, Saara’s gaze turned to me.

–I understand, I’ll make it tonight.

I don’t know if my eye contact with her was understood, but she turned up the corner of her mouth for a moment and started cutting her own hamburger again.

Come to think of it, Sato-san is looking at me strangely without saying a word.
That’s unusual for a chatterbox.

“…… What’s the matter, Sato-san? I’m not the kind of character who can provide you with interesting stories.”
“No, no, any story is super interesting. Keep talking.”

Sato-san looked at Saara’s profile for a moment, then quickly went back to his own meal.
I wondered if she had talked to Saara as well, but in the end she didn’t prompt me.
I still don’t understand the point of Sato-san’s interest …….

“I wonder, Ayado-san, do you often hang out around here?”
“Ah, Odawara-kun, this is the first time I’ve been to the arcade since I moved here today.”
“Yay, that’s super rare! I’m glad you came out today.”
“I got to see something good, too.”

Seiichi broaches the subject to Saara as well, and Shun joins in the conversation.
The two seem to be enjoying each other’s company, as they are not the kind of guys who can actively get involved in class under the watchful eyes of the other boys.
Saara also seems more relaxed than in the classroom.

When everyone has finished eating, Saara suddenly says

“When you can use a drink bar like this, you want to stay a little longer, don’t you?”
“Yes, yes, I understand. When the bar is crowded without taking orders, I don’t want to stay longer.”
“Oh, in that case…”

In the conversation of the girls’ group, Nagase san tries to say something.
Immediately after that–.

“The item you ordered is the Strawberry Parfait Mountain. I will take down your plate now.”

A huge red parfait appeared on Nagase san’s table.
Shun, who represents a small appetite, is completely overwhelmed.

“I see you eat a lot …….”
“I’m embarrassed to say ……”
“Ah, um, …… I think it’s great that you eat a lot. I’m a total …… eater.”

Nagase-san laughed a little at Shun’s follow-up, which I don’t know if he was following up on, and started to put her hand on the parfait.
Even just the amount of food was too much, but on top of that, this? ……
No, come to think of it, from the very beginning, only Nagase-san’s drink was also a sweet thing with a lot of guts.

“Yahaha, Yuki chi ordered a lot of drinks, so I’m going to play at the drink bar again!”
“All right, me too.”
“—Wait”

As Sato-san and Seiichi were about to get up, Saara stopped them.

“You two still have some drinks left over from that drink you made earlier, don’t you?”
“Ah, no. …… well that one is.”
“You have some left over you know?”

Saara, smiling and silent pressure.
It’s rare to see Saara like this.

However, it’s not a very good feeling for the food preparation group to waste even a cheap drink bar with a low cost.

“Seiichi, give it up. If you’re a man, you should shut up and drink up.”
“Iida-kun, I am though?!”
“Sato-san, give it up. Drink up your childish games like a man.”
“Treat me like a man!?”

They ended up picking their noses and chugging it all down.
I am sure that this will be the last time they will ever play at the drink bar.
I think I saw a side of Saara that I never thought I would see.

By the way, Nagase san finished the giant parfait in the time it took me and Saara to have another drink.