Chapter 9: The Angel’s Leftovers

“Please come again♪”

The shop clerk sent us off with a bright smile as we left the store.

I couldn’t help but wave back, and when the clerk returned the gesture, I thought again what a genuinely nice person they were.

“Once they start stocking swimsuits, let’s come back together, okay?”

When Koharu-chan said that to me, I found myself nodding without thinking.

Summer clothes, and then swimsuits… huh.
If I wore something like a bikini, I feel like Murakumo-kun would lose control and never let me go. Hmm… I really don’t want to imagine that.

Anyway, time to reset my mood—it’s lunchtime.

That said, we’re high schoolers. There’s no way we can afford the specialty restaurants in the shopping center’s dining area. So, as usual, we grabbed seats in the food court and each headed off to the place we wanted.

What should I eat… I walked a loop around the food court.

One of the things that hit me hard after turning into a girl was how much less I could eat in one sitting.

Back when I was a guy, I could go for seconds and thirds easily, but now two bowls of rice are my limit. A third bowl just won’t fit, and even trying makes me feel sick. It was honestly heartbreaking.

For a male high school student, free large portions were a blessing, and I always went for them. Now, though, I’m sure I couldn’t handle that anymore.

Having an appetite but being physically unable to eat… I never thought it’d be this frustrating.

And now, standing in front of the stall I wanted, I was stuck.

I’ve always loved sashimi and seafood. And this place specialized in rice bowls.

Apparently, they had a limited-time special called the Five-Color Seafood Bowl, topped with luxurious ingredients like sea urchin, salmon roe, squid, tuna, and yellowtail. Just looking at it had me captivated.

It was a bit pricey, but I really wanted to try it. Good timing, honestly.

I quickly lined up to order.

But then… it happened.

Someone ahead of me ordered the Five-Color Seafood Bowl. And when I saw it served… a different problem appeared.

You’ve probably guessed already, but yeah—it was bigger than I expected.

If I were still a guy, I could’ve handled it no problem. But now, there’s no way. I absolutely wouldn’t be able to finish it. I’d definitely leave leftovers. And that just felt wrong, somehow.

So, I stepped out of line, back to square one, agonizing over what to do.

I wanted it. But I’d definitely leave some. Should I settle for something else? But this Five-Color Seafood Bowl was a limited-time item. If I didn’t eat it now, it might be gone next time. I want it so badly!!

I couldn’t give up on it. But finishing it was impossible. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to choose something else either.
So I stood there alone, arms crossed, completely stuck.

“How long do you plan to keep agonizing over it?”

A voice came from above me.

Murakumo-kun. Since when was he here?

“Since when?”

“From the start.”

…Huh? I didn’t notice at all.

“So? What’re you gonna do?”

“Well, that’s the thing…”

I explained my dilemma to Murakumo-kun.

He responded easily, like it was nothing.

“Then I’ll buy it. Haru, you eat. I’ll take the leftovers.”

He’d buy it? No way. He’d just bought me clothes earlier. At the very least, I wanted to pay for my own lunch.

“No. I’ll buy my own lunch.”

“…Fine. Then give me the leftovers.”

Hmm… well… that’d work?
But wait. Wouldn’t he hate eating someone’s leftovers?

“I mean… aren’t leftovers gross? I can’t let you do that.”

“What’re you talking about? Feed me.”

…Uh. I instinctively recoiled a little.

It’s my leftovers, you know? Who’d be happy about—oh, right. It’s Murakumo-kun.

Thinking calmly, there are plenty of guys who’d happily eat something from the girl they like, seeing it as an indirect kiss or whatever. He was one of them.

Not that we’re at the stage of indirect kisses—normal kisses aren’t exactly rare between us anymore.

Once I thought about it that way, it didn’t bother me anymore.

“…Alright. But I’m paying, okay?”

“Yeah. Then I’ll order here too.”

And so, I settled on getting the Five-Color Seafood Bowl.

Murakumo-kun ordered a large tuna bowl, of course. Somehow, that felt so like him.

With the buzzer in hand, I returned to where Koharu-chan and Nozomu-kun were waiting. They already had their trays, with udon and chilled soba ready to go.

“You guys are slow! Our noodles are gonna get soggy, y’know!”

“Sorry, I was stuck deciding.”

“That’s rare. You usually pick fast.”

“It happens.”

That exchange. He didn’t mention that I was the reason we were late, acting like it was his fault instead.

Why’s he covering for me? I wondered, but deep down, I knew why. From everything Murakumo-kun’s done so far, it’s obvious.

He doesn’t want to embarrass me—not that that’s all there is to it, though.

But that’s not right. I can’t let him lie to our friends over something like this.

“No, it’s not that. Actually… I was the one who kept hesitating. Murakumo-kun just stuck around waiting for me. It’s not his fault. It’s mine. Sorry.”

When I said that, Koharu-chan and Nozomu-kun looked at each other, then smiled.

“Yeah, figured as much. Don’t worry, we’re not mad. Besides, we got to see something nice.”

“Exactly. Watching you two cover for each other… what a beautiful thing. Thanks for the meal~”

“This is bad, Koharu. Those two might be a closer couple than we are. We can’t get complacent.”

“Well, well. Let’s just go at our own pace. No need to rush.”

And just like that, as if nothing had happened, the two of them launched into their usual couple comedy routine, and the mood softened.

Honestly, I can’t compete with those two. That’s what I thought.

The buzzer from the Five-Color Seafood Bowl shop went off.

Both mine and Murakumo-kun’s buzzers rang almost simultaneously.

“I’ll go get them.”

Murakumo-kun grabbed both his buzzer and mine, standing up.

“Wait! I’ll come too!”

It wasn’t that I was worried something might happen. It just felt wrong to make Murakumo-kun carry both of our orders—especially since both were large-sized rice bowls. I wanted to carry my own. That’s all it was.

I hurried to stand up and followed after him.

When we picked up our trays at the shop, I was shocked.

The Five-Color Seafood Bowl was even bigger than I’d imagined. Sure, I knew it would be large, but I didn’t think it’d come in the same size bowl as Murakumo-kun’s large tuna bowl.

…Haha. Yeah, it was definitely the right call to let him eat the leftovers. I probably wouldn’t even manage half.

Actually, come to think of it, can Murakumo-kun really handle both his large tuna bowl and whatever I leave behind?

“Hey, are you really okay? I’ll probably leave half. Can you finish it?”

“Easily.”

He answered without hesitation, calm as ever.

But seriously? That’s a lot. Even back when I was a guy, I think I’d have struggled.

I should at least try to eat as much as I can, to help him out.

When we got back to where Koharu-chan and Nozomu-kun were waiting and set down the trays, both of them looked surprised.

“Haru-chan, you can eat that much? Are you sure?”

“Looks amazing, but that’s a crazy amount. Haru-chan, you’re impressive.”

“Heh…”

I gave a weak laugh.

No way I could admit that I was planning to leave half of it for Murakumo-kun from the start.

Murakumo-kun said nothing, simply sitting down and starting on his tuna bowl like it was nothing.

I sat too, pressed my hands together, and said:

“Thanks for the meal!”

In any case, this was the Five-Color Seafood Bowl I’d been looking forward to for so long.

Tuna, sea urchin, salmon roe. I was especially excited for those three.

I felt a little guilty towards Murakumo-kun, but I might just polish those off myself.

I mixed some wasabi into the soy sauce, drizzled it over the seafood bowl. Ah, it looked so good.

I picked up some salmon roe and rice with my chopsticks and brought it to my mouth.

Whoa. Delicious. Seriously good. The texture of salmon roe is amazing. That popping sensation as it bursts in your mouth—it’s just fun.

My cheeks felt like they might fall off, so I pressed a hand to them, savoring both the flavor and the texture.

Balancing seafood and rice, I steadily worked my way through it.

The sea urchin wasn’t that great, but the salmon roe was ridiculously delicious.

I suddenly noticed their gazes.

Koharu-chan and Nozomu-kun, sitting across from me, had already finished their meals. For some reason, they were just watching me eat with warm, gentle smiles.

“What is it?”

“Ah, nothing. I just thought… Haru-chan, you really do eat so happily.”

“Yeah. Your expressions keep changing while you’re eating. Watching you never gets boring. It’s like watching a tiny animal working hard to eat its meal. Kind of adorable, honestly. Just watching you eat feels relaxing.”

My parents had always told me it was fun cooking for me because I ate so well. I never expected my friends to say something like that, though. It made me a little embarrassed.

And… hmm. I was starting to feel full. From here on, it’d probably get tough.

But more than half was still left. It was way more than I’d expected.

I thought I’d eaten quite a bit, but with my bites so small now, it wasn’t disappearing as fast as I thought.

I glanced sideways at Murakumo-kun.

He’d already finished most of his meal. I knew from school lunches that he ate quickly, but seeing it again reminded me just how fast he was.

And with a final bite, he polished off the last of his tuna bowl.

“All done.”

Just that, a single comment.

Then, he looked at me.

It wasn’t his usual sharp gaze—it was softer, almost as if he was checking on me, worried about how I was doing.

Though, the moment our eyes met, he quickly shifted back to his usual sharp stare.

“…Murakumo-kun… think you can handle it?”

“Leave it to me.”

Just those words.

We swapped trays, and I started eating the Five-Color Seafood Bowl—well, technically a Four-Color now, since I’d already eaten all the salmon roe.

“Ah, so that’s what’s going on?”

“Hmm, no wonder it seemed like an unusually large portion. I see now. Smart move, Kirya.”

Koharu-chan and the others immediately understood and nodded.

“I paid properly, so don’t get the wrong idea.”

I made sure to say that firmly—I didn’t want any misunderstandings.

“As expected of Haru-chan, that’s just like you~”

“You’re starting to show your good sides, Kirya. Such a good kid.”

“Nozomu, what were you looking at all this time? Haru-chan is obviously a good kid. She’s so cute and beautiful; you won’t find many like her.”

“Sorry, sorry, you’re right. Since Koharu and Kirya like her, she must be good. Sorry about that.”

For some reason, Nozomu apologized to me.

“Huh? It’s fine, I’m not bothered. No need to apologize.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

As for Murakumo-kun, even though more than half of the Four-Color Seafood Bowl was still left, he finished it easily.

His bites were big, just like his body—completely incomparable to mine.

His pace never faltered; he ate steadily and calmly, which was reassuring.

“Phew, that was absolutely delicious.”

He gulped down water and said that with satisfaction.

“Well, that’s because it’s Kirya’s leftovers, after all.”

“Yeah, it was amazing.”

Nozomu’s teasing words were met head-on by Murakumo-kun.

“Damn, Kirya really changes a lot when Haru-chan’s involved.”

Nozomu muttered.

“Thanks, Murakumo-kun.”

“No big deal.”

When I expressed my gratitude, he just replied like it was nothing.

…Still not a cute guy, as always.

At the same time, I thought maybe he was showing some care in his own way.

“Kirya probably could eat anything Haru-chan makes.”

“Yeah, Haru-chan. Why don’t you try cooking something for him?”

They said stuff like that.

That’s unreasonable. I’m only good at eating—I’ve never actually cooked before.

“No way!! I’ve never cooked anything before!!”

“Oh, really? You kind of seemed like someone who’d cook. Well, I haven’t cooked either.”

That made me feel a little relieved.

I didn’t want the conversation to turn into me teaching him how to cook.

But seriously—how did it even come to me cooking for Murakumo-kun?

I never said a word about that.

“Anyway! There’s no way that’s happening, and I have no intention of starting now or in the future!”

I declared that clearly.

So, after finishing lunch in the food court and chatting for a bit to pass the time, we wandered around some shops selling sundries, accessories, and books, and then broke up just before evening.

To put it simply, from here on out it was couple time. That seemed to be the plan.

But I’m not like that, you know?