Chapter 73: The Daily Lives of Everyone at School
"Kato, want to come along?"
The boy who stood up had originally intended to leave alone, but when he noticed the girl in front of him also stand up, there was no need for much verbal communication. With just a brief clash of their gazes, he understood the message in her eyes.
"Sure, let's go together."
Kato Megumi really liked the rapport Aragaki Takiya had just shown her. How should she describe it? After all, Kato Megumi hadn't even had friends before, let alone this kind of rapport between friends. Regardless, the girl, experiencing this feeling for the first time, felt a sense of addiction.
After receiving Kato Megumi's affirmative response, Aragaki Takiya naturally took the lead. After all, it was currently lunch break, and there were many students heading to the cafeteria. As a boy, he naturally took on the task of clearing the way.
Well, rather than clearing a path, it was more like Aragaki Takiya was leading Kato Megumi directly onto a side path. Usually, the side path was a bit longer than the main road, but since most students were taking the main road, the slightly longer but nearly empty side path became a shortcut to the cafeteria.
"Aragaki, do you come this way often?"
Looking at the boy ahead seriously leading the way, Kato Megumi was still a bit surprised. After all, she had never walked some of the paths he was taking, and hardly any students came this way. However, under Aragaki Takiya's lead, Kato Megumi could feel the distance to the cafeteria shortening rapidly.
"Yeah. It's because Hachiman and I used to look for places to eat lunch. There are some normie groups in the classroom. Not that they're doing anything wrong—it's okay to chat during breaks—but they can be quite loud. So, Hachiman and I would find quiet spots to eat, and over time, we discovered these places."
Aragaki Takiya patiently explained as he listened to Kato Megumi's question. Unfortunately, he and Hachiman Hikigaya were placed in different classes after the last school year ended. He had to admit it was a bit of a shame.
"I see..."
Hearing Aragaki Takiya's answer, Kato Megumi nodded seriously. Her gaze then fell upon the surroundings. There were very few people, and the scenery outside was beautiful. Aside from the slight accumulation of dust due to the lack of foot traffic, everything else was perfect.
While observing her surroundings, Kato Megumi also silently memorized the route the boy was taking. Her doing so signified one thing: she intended to take this path for lunch in the future—with Aragaki Takiya, of course... "As expected, there are still quite a lot of people~"
The cafeteria at Kyoto High School was large, and most students dined in groups of three to five. Aragaki Takiya rarely came to the cafeteria, and the few times he did, it was usually with Hachiman Hikigaya. He hadn't expected that this time, his companion would be a girl.
After agreeing on a meeting spot with Kato Megumi, Aragaki Takiya began to look over the menu. His deliberation didn't even last a minute; he decided the moment he saw his choice.
"As expected, it's better to have rice for lunch..."
Aragaki Takiya chose the pork cutlet bowl, paired with a side of fried gyoza. Although this combination felt like a carb-on-carb situation, he had to admit the taste was quite good.
Just as Aragaki Takiya was about to head back with his lunch, he spotted several familiar faces in the bustling crowd of students.
Needless to say, the most eye-catching thing was that brilliant flash of blonde. It was Eriri, not far away. Even though she was just sitting at a nearby table with a simple bowl of udon in front of her, her elegant dining etiquette made it feel as if she were eating high-end Western cuisine.
Aragaki Takiya only gave her a brief glance. He had no intention of going over to talk. After all, they weren't that close, and Eriri was surrounded by a group of girls. If he went over... Sorry, Aragaki Takiya didn't plan on overthinking that.
Arriving at the spot he had agreed upon with Kato Megumi, Aragaki Takiya placed his lunch on the table. However, Kato Megumi was nowhere to be seen; she was likely still making her choice. Thus, Aragaki Takiya's gaze began to wander again.
Because of his position, he could no longer see Eriri. As for anyone else... "Kasumigaoka Utaha?"
She should be resting in the classroom right now, or perhaps out buying bread and milk. Given her quiet nature, she rarely came to the cafeteria.
"Shiina Mahiru?"
For some reason, Aragaki Takiya thought of the girl who had cooked at his house yesterday and the way she looked when she cried. However... The boy tried scanning around and finally spotted Shiina Mahiru's figure in the distance on the other side.
Although she was a highly popular girl just like Eriri, there were few students around Shiina Mahiru. Perhaps because her "Angel" halo was too dazzling, Aragaki Takiya even saw a few boys who wanted to sit near her but hesitated and eventually chose to leave.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~"
While Aragaki Takiya was lost in thought, a familiar voice sounded in his ear. When he came to, Kato Megumi was already sitting across from him.
The girl had chosen tonkotsu ramen. Hmm... no chili, very much in line with her personality.
"What were you thinking about just now, Aragaki?"
Kato Megumi asked curiously.
"Me? I was just thinking about people I know and seeing if they were in the cafeteria, what they were doing, and things like that."
Seeing Kato Megumi sit down opposite him, Aragaki Takiya also started using his chopsticks. At the same time, he pushed his plate of fried gyoza to the middle.
"If you're interested, Kato, you can try some. The school's gyoza are actually quite good."
"Ah... thank you."
Kato Megumi was taken aback for a moment, then agreed. Aragaki Takiya's sudden, somewhat intimate gesture surprised her, but she didn't dislike it.
"It would be nice if it could always be like this."
Someone thought to themselves... "Um, Classmate Shiina, may I sit here?"
While Shiina Mahiru was quietly eating the lunch she had bought, a nervous voice reached her ears.
It was a girl carrying a tray, looking a bit nervous. It seemed that because the surrounding seats were full, she had no choice but to pick a spot next to Shiina Mahiru. Seeing her nervous look, it was likely a last resort.
"No problem, please feel free."
Shiina Mahiru replied flatly. Her attention wasn't on the girl in front of her; after all, she was just an ordinary classmate. As her gaze shifted, she vaguely saw a familiar figure.
"That person seems to be..."
"Aragaki?"
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