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Lunch break at Furin High School was always noisy — filled with students shouting, the clatter of shoes echoing down the halls, and doors slamming open and shut. But for Sugishita, lunch break was time to head to the rooftop and escape all of it.
Today was no different. With a small cloth-wrapped lunch bag in hand, Sugishita walked slowly up the stairwell leading to the rooftop. That lunch was specially prepared by an elderly grandmother who never missed a day.
Reaching the rooftop, Sugishita headed toward a usual spot — where lunch was often shared with Umemiya.
But the area was empty.
Sugishita paused and glanced around. The soft breeze brushed across the face, and the gentle rustling of tomato leaves filled the quiet space.
“He said we’d eat together…” Sugishita murmured quietly. Still, there was no sign of disappointment in the voice. For Sugishita, this kind of situation wasn’t unusual. Umemiya had a habit of disappearing randomly, and Sugishita never minded. If it were someone else, maybe there’d be annoyance. But for Umemiya, anything was forgivable.
Settling into a cross-legged position, Sugishita opened the lunch box. Inside, everything was carefully arranged — golden tamagoyaki, grilled mackerel, and neatly packed pickled vegetables. All favorites. The kind of lunch made with love and habit.
Just as the chopsticks were about to be picked up—
Voices echoed from the stairway.
“I’M REALLY ANGRY, NIREI!”
“Wait! Don’t yell at me! It’s not my fault Umemiya-san’s not up here!”
Sugishita froze. Eyes blinked slowly, and the face remained expressionless — but there was a subtle shift in the air. An annoyed silence.
The rooftop door slammed open.
Two students from his class appeared: Sakura and Nirei.
Sakura was clearly annoyed, holding a bag of bread from the cafeteria. Nirei followed behind, looking like someone trying to keep peace while carrying snacks.
They stopped the moment Sugishita came into view.
“Oh,” Sakura pointed. “You’re… Sugishita, right?”
A small nod.
“Don’t tell me… you got tricked by Umemiya too?”
Sugishita placed the chopsticks down. Eyes narrowed just slightly.
“He said we’d have lunch up here. Maybe he’s running late.”
The voice was calm, but there was something firm — unshaken loyalty behind every word.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. “Late? He told me to leave my bread in class because he wanted to talk about something. And now he’s not even—”
“Don’t.”
Sakura stopped mid-sentence. Sugishita’s gaze was sharp.
“Don’t talk like that about Umemiya-san,” said Sugishita. Still calm. Still cold.
Sakura blinked, taken aback. But Nirei quickly jumped in, laughing nervously.
“Haha… let’s just eat, okay? Is it alright if we join you?”
Sugishita took a quiet breath. “Sit.”
No further explanation needed.
⸻
A few minutes later, the small table on the rooftop was shared by three students with completely different energies.
Sakura — still talking a little too much.
Nirei — trying to keep the mood light.
And Sugishita — silent, chewing slowly, occasionally casting a sideways glare if Sakura said anything remotely rude about Umemiya again.
At one point, Sugishita slid a piece of tamagoyaki toward Sakura.
Sakura blinked.
“Huh?”
“My grandmother made that. Try it.”
Sakura accepted it cautiously. But after a bite, expression softened immediately.
“This is… actually amazing. Feels like the kind of childhood I never had…”
Nirei chuckled softly. “Didn’t expect that kind of line from you, Sakura-san.”
Sugishita didn’t say anything. Just kept eating. But deep down — this wasn’t so bad. Even if it was noisy. Even if it wasn’t the peaceful lunch originally planned.
Maybe… this kind of chaos was okay.
⸻
Behind them, the tomato plants swayed gently in the wind.
And at that little rooftop corner, an almost-finished bento became proof of a new kind of “chaotic friendship” beginning to bloom at Furin High.