Chapter 22 Part 2: The Lap Pillow’s Temptation

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.

The chime announced, finally, the end of class. At the same time, it was the sign we could finally start our lunch break. Some sprawled out their lunch boxes while still in their seats, while others left to eat somewhere else with friends. Among the latter, a girl’s happy voice chirped through the room.

“Hi, hello, hen~lo! Yukicchi, I brought the perms~!”

“Hello, Rikka-san.”

Rikka waltzed into my classroom and handed something to Yuki, who bowed while grinning ear-to-ear.

“I heard the story~! Just hand it to me after lunch break. I borrowed it in the council’s name, but it’s fine if you just return it!”

“Thanks for going through the trouble. I’ll take proper care of them, then.”

“Oh, and I already talked with the prez, so just take it easy on today’s lunch, mkay? Well, I’mma grab something from the special menu with Akina today, so see ya later~! C’mon, let’s go, Akina!”

“Okay, Rikka. See you, Haru, Shirahato-san,” Akina said while leaving the classroom with Rikka. Both waved their hands on the way out.

After we saw them off, we went to the council room to borrow the blue sheets, which we needed to take a swell nap on the rooftop. Akina said the sheets in the council office were quite large, enough for us to sleep side-by-side. That’s why we were practically skipping along the way there, and our spirits were high as they could go, knowing a comfortable nap was ahead of us.

The two of us lined up in front of the office door and knocked, only for us to be answered immediately.

“Come in.”

Turning the knob slowly, we walked inside to see the president sitting at the far end of the council room, elegantly sipping a cup of tea. Next to her sat the vice president quietly reading a book.

“Oh~ You two came to visit me. Welcome,” her face lit up when she saw us. She even beckoned Yuki and I to take a seat nearby, but we weren’t here to kill time. Instead, we wanted that blue sheet to take a power nap.

When I was about to open my mouth and explain it all, Yuki beat me to the punch.

“President, we’ve come to borrow a blue sheet today.”

“A blue sheet? Oh, Akina and Rikka told me about it already. Yeah, go ahead, it’s totally fine,” she slowly stood up. “I’m pretty sure the last time we used it was for cherry-blossom viewing… Hmm, oh, here.”

She approached a cardboard box sitting next to a shelf stock full of materials. Inside it was what we looked for, neatly folded, and she handed it to Yuki.

“Yes, is this okay?”

“Thank you very much! You were a big help! Phew, that’s great Haru-kun.”

“Yeah. Thanks a lot,” I added my own words to the mix.

After thanking the president, we were about to head for the rooftop before being stopped.

“Oh, Hinakura-kun, wait a second. The school has a rule that you can’t use the rooftop for napping. I’ve heard from Akina and Rikka that you wanted to do that there, but it’s a school rule not to.”

She then handed me a loaner form. There was no need to write anything difficult, but I couldn’t just scribble “wanna nap” on it for teachers to read. Hence why I scrambled for any good ideas.

With a ballpoint pen in one hand, I stared at the empty application form on the table. I was still unsure on what to write, but then Yuki just yoinked it and jotted down something without hesitating. She managed to come up with a reason while only obscuring the napping part of the story. Watching this unfold made me realize—once again—that Yuki’s really, really resourceful.

As it was, she handed the loaner form back to the president, who skimmed it over before tucking it away in a file.

“Yeah, it’s fine this way. When you’re done using it, fold it up neatly and put it back where it belongs.”

“Thank you very much. Then, we’ll take it,” Yuki bowed and we left the office with what we were looking for. The president waved as we walked away.

After that, we headed straight to the rooftop. I was stoked to take a nap under the perfect weather, just the two of us chilling and getting along. Arriving there, I opened the door and there was no one there as usual.

We then walked over to one of the big, long rooftop benches and spread the sheet over it. Using our shoes as anchors to keep it from flying away with the wind, we both sat down on the cloth’s softness.

Then, we both took out our lunch boxes under blue skies that spread from horizon to horizon. The cloth under us made it feel like a bone fide picnic and smiles naturally crept up our faces.

“Akina was right about the blue sheets,” I said, nodding.

“Yup, it makes all the difference.”

“Just having one makes it feel like I’m on a special field trip or something like that.”

“Hmm, it reminds me of the picnics your mom used to take us, Haru-kun.”

Memories of our elementary school days played softly in the back of my mind as we opened the lids to our lunch. Speaking of which, it looks sooo delicious today!

Filled with her inventive and colorful ideas, side dishes such as fried eggs and fried tofu lined up with the other numerous items inside. In addition to the succulent food before us, the unblemished skies, the tender touch of breeze, and the heart-soothing autumn sunlight tied it all up into a special package—We were in the perfect location for this amazing lunch.

“Shall we dig in?”

“Yup, let’s go in, together.”

Under autumn’s embrace, we both clasped our hands together and thanked the heavens for the banquet before us.