The Heroines Want to Confess

Sakurai waited on the student council room sofa for a bit.

Soon enough, Fujiwara Chika, with her signature black ribbon atop her head, pushed open the door.

"Ugh~ Give me your bento, Sakurai-kun~ I'm starving~" Despite her dramatic plea, Fujiwara handed over her bento box without hesitation.

"Beg me," Sakurai teased, taking her bento from her hands.

"Pretty please~" Fujiwara blinked her big, pleading eyes.

["Aww! So cute~ Observer-chan wants to become Fujiwara-chan's dog! I'll love her forever!"]

That's not love. That's lust. You're shameless.

["But Fujiwara-chan's chest is huge! Look, look—tilt your gaze down a bit. See? She's bending forward, so full and bouncy, right? What a sinful body!"]

Sakurai silently averted his gaze.

"Half for you."

Even though the bento was originally hers.

The portion was huge—designed for a boy with a big appetite, likely someone in a sports club.

Sakurai's appetite wasn't that large.

Sharing with Fujiwara wasn't a problem.

He opened the three-tiered bento.

The top layer: premium ingredients—Wagyu beef, sashimi, sea urchin, and lobster.

The middle layer: classic side dishes—tamago-yaki, fried chicken, tempura.

The bottom layer: rice.

"Fujiwara-san… do you think I'm a pig?" Sakurai asked curiously.

["Idiot! She was planning to share it with you from the start! You really didn't realize?"]

I didn't realize, and I don't want to.

Sakurai was a master of playing dumb.

He could even fool himself.

That was the highest level of playing dumb—not even a lie detector could catch him.

Shirogane glanced down at his own bento—modest and homemade, but the octopus-shaped sausages were cut perfectly.

His little sister Kei's bento was more decorative, with cute shapes that would stand out even in Shuchiin's middle school division.

"President, want to try some?" Sakurai offered, glancing at Shirogane.

["Are you an idiot?! This is your chance to eat with Chika-chan! If you let Shirogane join, the mood will be ruined!"]

Didn't you say Shirogane was nice just now?

["Well… that was… before Chika-chan got here~"]

Careful, superpower-chan.

"Really?" Shirogane hesitated.

"Just sharing my spoils of war. You took care of me last year, so think of this as payback."

Besides, this wasn't the first time Sakurai had eaten Fujiwara's food.

["Eating soft rice is great! Woohoo! Sakura-chan's weak stomach can only handle soft things~ Hehehe~"]

Sure, sure. You know why?

Because when a one-day superpower says something, it's like hearing a terminal cancer patient speak—just agree with them.

["Sakura-chan~ Last night, playing games… was it frustrating that you couldn't type 'die' in chat because of the Death Note?"]

I want to die.

For the first time in his sixteen years, Sakurai truly wanted to die.

Shirogane still seemed hesitant, so Sakurai grabbed a few pieces of lobster from Fujiwara's bento and swapped them for two of Shirogane's octopus sausages.

"This looks good—I'll take it."

"Sure, try it. I'm pretty confident in my seasoning," Shirogane said, warming up to the trade.

Sakurai took a bite and nodded.

"Not bad. Tastes great."

No surprise—Shirogane cooked every day.

Though, to be fair, Sakurai's own cooking skills weren't bad either.

Fujiwara watched Shirogane's bento, clearly eyeing the last octopus sausage.

Cute.

"Ah~"

Shirogane, oblivious, popped the last one into his mouth.

"What's wrong, Fujiwara-san?"

Sakurai, reading the situation, silently picked up the octopus sausage from his own bento and handed it to her.

If she couldn't get what she wanted, she'd make a scene.

That was experience talking.

"Hehe~ So good~"

Fujiwara happily chomped down on the sausage.

"President, did you make your bento yourself?"

"Yeah," Shirogane nodded. "It's a little hobby of mine."

He glanced at the two of them, who had just finished their playful feeding session.

A question lingered in his mind.

'These two are so close… why aren't they dating yet?'

But judging from Fujiwara's obliviousness, she hadn't realized anything.

As for Sakurai… sorry, Shirogane couldn't picture him making the first move.

Just as Shirogane couldn't picture himself falling for someone, imagining his best friend actively pursuing someone seemed equally absurd.

"You're amazing," Fujiwara praised Shirogane.

["Chika-chan's super happy right now! Not because of the food—but because the one feeding her was Sakurai! Aww~ So cute, right?"]

["Now that you know this little secret, Sakura-chan, aren't you touched?"]

No.

["There's still so much time left in lunch! Why not play a game with Chika-chan? With Observer-chan's help, your win rate will be 1000%! Isn't that amazing?! Don't praise me too much, okay? I'm just that awesome!"]

["Invincible! Strongest! Cutest!"]

Annoying, stupid, the worst.

Sakurai and Fujiwara finished their bentos and packed up their chopsticks.

As for Observer-chan's suggestion… Sakurai ignored it completely.

Taking the initiative? Not in this lifetime.

Afternoon.

The last class was P.E.

After changing into their gym clothes, Sakurai and some classmates headed to the field.

The class was playing ping-pong today.

After warming up outside, the 2-A students moved to the indoor gym.

In the ping-pong room, Sakurai and Hayasaka stood in the corner.

"Forehand's weak, backhand's sloppy, legs are loose, reflexes are slow… To think these people might represent Japan in table tennis someday—I fear for our nation's future," Sakurai commented dryly.

"…They can hear you," Hayasaka reminded him.

["Sodayo~ They totally want to beat you up right now, Sakura-chan~"]

"Classroom harmony isn't built through avoidance—it's built with strength!" Sakurai declared, completely unfazed.

["Pfft~ You sound like such a middle school edgelord right now. I'm dying."]

["But with Observer-chan's help, this match is as good as won!"]

As if I need your help.

Silly.

"Shinomiya-san, let's play a round!" Sakurai picked up a paddle, smiling warmly.

His handsome face seemed to make the entire ping-pong room freeze for a moment.

Shinomiya Kaguya glanced at Hayasaka, then decided she'd go a little harder this time.

The dignity of the Shinomiya family wasn't something anyone could challenge.

And Sakurai… was about to learn that the hard way.