It’s a date at the amusement park for us.
After the incident in the haunted house… Iccha said this.
“Kouhei-kun, isn’t it about time we got lunch?”
Glancing at my watch, I saw it had just past twelve o’clock. My stomach was indeed starting to growl. “Yeah, that’s true.”
This amusement park has a food court for visitors.
They sell light meals like hamburgers, and they’ve also set up space where you can bring in outside food and eat it. “So… um…”
Iccha fidgeted nervously as she spoke.
“If it’s okay with you… I made a bento. I was hoping… maybe you’d like to eat it?”
She had deposited some luggage into a locker.
I assumed it must have been the bento, and indeed, that’s what it was.
“Please do allow me to share in your company.”
”! Thank you so much! I’ll go grab the bento!”
“Then I’ll just hold the spot for you.”
Ichika rushed toward the coin lockers at high speed.
Had she made this bento for me? That’s kind of hard to stand by, but… I’m looking forward to it.
During college, I used to eat quite a bit of the bentos he made…
There were several white round tables lined up in front of the food court. I sat on a chair and waited for her. “Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Ichika placed the lunch box in front of me.
Some were… onigiri, fried chicken, tamagoyaki…
It was a pretty standard assortment.
“S-sorry… it’s not as elaborate as Akari-chan’s.” Ichiha dropped her shoulders with a shun.
Akari certainly was good at cooking. But…
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. She’s got her own strengths, and you’ve got yours too. No need to compare the two.” “Teruhiko…”
I picked up a large rice ball and started eating it.
Handcrafted nori, with that distinct slightly damp texture.
And ume rice balls, seasoned to the perfect level of saltiness. “Mm… delicious.” “Really?”
Ichika leaned in to ask.
I finished it off in three bites. “Oh, very much so.”
After Ichika let out a breath of relief—phew—she smiled happily.
She must have put a lot of effort into making these.
The rice balls… were truly delicious. “Try the fried chicken too♡” “Okay.”
This was well-seasoned as well, and despite the time that had passed, the coating was still crispy. “Have some tamagoyaki too♡”
Sweet… it was the kind of sweet omelet I liked.
In fact, everything was seasoned exactly to my taste… “Ah.”
It wasn’t until then that I realized, somewhat belatedly.
This bento from Ichika… wasn’t the first time today I was eating it. “What’s wrong?”
“No… it just struck me as surprisingly familiar. Oh, wait. It must have been back in college.”
Ichika, Oji, and I had all attended the same university, taking the same Yabusawa seminar.
Whenever we got together for seminar sessions, Ichika would always bring a bento box and share it with me and Oji. For those four years at university, that’s what I was eating—her cooking.
“You remembered… I’m happy…”
Ichika placed a hand over her chest, smiling quietly.
“It was worth the effort. Ten years, huh…”
“Were you making it just for me all this time? Even back then?”
During seminar days, I have a vague memory of her emphasizing that she made it for everyone… But I see now…
“Yes, I was. Good of you to finally realize.” “Is that so… My bad…”
I had assumed he was making them to feed Oji. God, I’m such an idiot.
“It’s fine. It’s in the past now. What matters is that you find my cooking delicious right now. That’s all I ask; I don’t want anything else.”
She placed a glass of barley tea in front of me with a “Here you go.”
Apparently, she’d put the barley tea in a thermos and chilled it to the bone.
I swallowed, and I felt the heat leaving my body.
The rumble of the roller coaster echoed from afar. A quiet moment, just for the two of us.
Ichika had been watching me this whole time, smiling softly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nah… I was just thinking… how happy I am.” Ichika beamed with joy.
“Having you by my side has always been a dream of mine.”
“Is it enough to just stay by your side?” “Yes. I ask for nothing else.” Ichika reached out her hand to me.
I picked a grain of rice off the corner of her mouth and popped it into my own.
Ichika isn’t as domineering as Akari.
Nor is she like Nana, someone who feels dangerous if left unsupervised.
Before you know it, she’s right there next to you, smiling quietly.
It’s a given that she’s always there, the kind of girl who makes you feel safe just knowing she’s around… “You should eat too?”
“I’ll wait for Hikohiko to finish eating.”
“No, since we’re just the two of us now… here.”
Using my chopsticks, I picked up a piece of karaage and offered it to Ichika.
“W-what!? R-really? This is so… like a couple’s thing…”
Her face turned bright red as she fidgeted nervously, mumbling to herself.
“Like a couple? But we are a couple, aren’t we?”
“That’s right… yeah. That’s true too…”
She nodded repeatedly, as if reassuring herself, trying to convince herself of the fact.
“T-then… ah, here you go… ahn”
Ichika closed her eyes and pressed her lips toward me.
I popped it in with a munch sound and chewed. “Mmm… best taste ever!” “Yeah, totally agree.”
We ended up feeding each other back and forth, going “ahn” to one another.
“I’m so happy my chest feels full. I… might just die…”
“You’re such an idiot. People don’t die from being happy.”
“Even if I died right here, right now, I wouldn’t have any regrets.” “You’re always so dramatic.” I laughed at Ichika’s joke. She smiled and laughed back.
Pleasant time flowed between us.
Before I knew it, our hands were intertwined.
It was simply… just feeling each other’s presence made me feel incredibly comfortable.