Satoru shook off the last droplets and strolled out of the bathroom.
Water flicked from his hands onto Akane's face as she waited outside. She flinched at the cool sensation.
"Can't you dry your hands after washing?" Akane grumbled, pulling a pack of tissues from her skirt pocket.
Satoru took one, wiped, and said blankly, "Huh? I didn't wash."
Didn't wash?
Akane froze. Then what's on my face… urine?! She glared, cheeks puffing. "Don't make gross jokes like that!"
"Alright." Satoru stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking ahead. Akane trailed behind. "What's up?"
"You haven't eaten lunch, right?"
No shit. "You ambushed me right after class. When would I have time?" Satoru said.
"Then let's eat together?" Akane raised a pink cloth-wrapped bento. "Somewhere private."
"Bento?"
"Yup."
"Nice…" Satoru sighed. Japan's high schools lacked cafeterias—some hit convenience stores, but most brought bentos. He recalled real-world Japan was starting to adopt cafeterias, but this 2D world followed anime logic.
Seeking reality in a fictional world? Brain damage.jpg.
"What?" Akane didn't get his "nice" comment, but a loud voice interrupted.
"Yo, Aibo! There you are!"
Satoru looked up. They'd looped back past Class F, and Anji Seiji was hollering. "Catch!"
Whoosh!
A packet flew. Satoru caught it—yakisoba bread. Then…
Whoosh! Round two.
He caught Tonight, My Sister-in-Law Loves Me manga.
And then, whoosh!
Anji himself launched forward, ecstatic. "Got your stuff! Let's find a spot, and I'll school you on this manga's genius, yeah?"
Anji slapped Satoru's shoulder, about to hook his arm, when he noticed Satoru glance back.
Following his gaze, Anji saw a stunning girl in a purple cap trailing his bro, shrinking nervously and hiding behind Satoru's frame.
"Join us?" Satoru asked.
"Hahahahaha!" Anji let out a booming laugh, spinning 180 degrees on his left foot. "Hahaha, great weather today! Perfect for a piss! Yup, time for a bathroom adventure!"
He strode off, cackling.
Out of Satoru's sight, Anji's eyes glistened with manly tears, fists clenched.
Kobayashi, you dog!! Another one?!
As a proud Reiwa man, Anji wouldn't block his bro's happiness… but damn, too much happiness! Teach me, Kobayashi! You don't want your bro single forever, right?!
He left Akane with a carefree back. "What's with him?" she asked.
"Crazy. Ignore him."
"Oh…"
"Where to? Courtyard?"
"Didn't I say 'private'?" Akane mumbled.
The courtyard was a normie couple's haven—lunch breaks, after school, filled with flirting and pink bubbles.
Satoru reconsidered. It didn't suit his lone-wolf vibe. "True, courtyard's too lively. Unlike you lot, I've got no partner…"
"…" Soon I won't either, Akane muttered, too quiet for Satoru to hear.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing!" Akane said firmly, unclear if she meant "no partner" or "didn't say anything." "Rooftop. Let's go there."
Satoru didn't know why she picked a place where Makoto had battled, but every school spot was practically a battlefield in that story. The rooftop was just famous. He nodded. "Fine."
The rooftop wasn't pristine—usually a dusty mess—but since the new term started, the student council had cleaned it. It was decent enough not to kill appetite.
Satoru plopped on a step, opening the manga while tearing the yakisoba bread wrapper with his teeth. "Bullied again?"
Akane quietly unwrapped her bento, revealing rice balls and octopus sausages. She bit one, holding it between her lips, nodding faintly without speaking.
A chill crept into Satoru's dark eyes. "Higashi again?"
"…" Not quite.
Akane stayed silent. Higashi, sure… but not just him. This time, the hurt cut deeper.
She sniffed, fighting tears, keeping quiet to hide her trembling voice.
Shono's words from last night's call echoed like a roaring crowd.
"Higashi… that beast… he tried to assault me." Akane had forced calm into her voice, but after a long pause, Shono replied:
"Akane, we messed up. Don't slander Coach Higashi. Apologize to him. He's big-hearted; he'll forgive you. Stop being stubborn."
She couldn't recall how she hung up or slept. Maybe she cried. Maybe not.
This morning, she half-thought it was a dream. But her call log confirmed reality.
"Oh! You're here!"
As Akane opened her mouth to speak, a voice broke the silence, shattering the moment.
…
…