"Hachiman... did Hiroshi just hand those lunch boxes to Rikka?"
"Even you're awake now, huh, energy saver?"
Hachiman Hikigaya shot a glance at Houtarou Oreki with his signature dead-fish stare. Truth be told, he was struggling to process what he'd just seen.
Houtarou scratched at his bangs and cast a curious look at Hiroshi's bag, slung over his chair.
Normally, he'd let something like this slide as it was too much effort but curiosity got the better of him this time.
As one of Hiroshi's rare close friends, Houtarou had watched him pine after Sawamura Eriri for two solid years. Now, out of nowhere, he was giving food to another girl.
No warning, no hints. Just yesterday, Houtarou had spotted Hiroshi leaving Class F, business as usual. Today, he was like a stranger.
'Possessed, maybe?' Houtarou's mind drifted to those trending isekai anime where souls swap bodies, picturing Hiroshi caught up in one.
"Could be a hassle, though..."
True to his words, it might complicate things, but Houtarou still reached for Hiroshi's bag. Before he could grab it, Hachiman swooped in, snatching it first.
Hiroshi set his book down and gave Hachiman a sidelong glance.
"You skip breakfast or something?"
It was the only reason he could think of for Hachiman to nab his bag.
Hachiman's logic was different: he was convinced more lunch boxes were stashed inside, and the ones for Rikka were just extras.
Houtarou, hand still hovering midair, looked at Hiroshi.
"Hiroshi, aren't you going to bring food to Sawamura-san?"
"Why would I?"
"Because..."
Hiroshi's flat response threw Houtarou off. Why? Why did he have to? The only answer was that Hiroshi had been doing it for two years.
But was that enough of a reason?
Houtarou scratched his bangs again. For two years, he'd never grasped why Hiroshi bothered with all that effort.
Now that he'd stopped out of the blue, it made even less sense.
"Way too much trouble..."
Unable to puzzle it out, Houtarou gave up. Better to save his energy for P.E. later.
As they talked, Hachiman unzipped Hiroshi's bag.
Inside, he found only snacks, some everyday items, and books, nothing more. His dead-fish eyes stretched wider.
'Nothing... seriously nothing?'
Recalling their exchange, Hachiman turned to Hiroshi, his gaze practically bursting with disbelief.
"You're acting off today."
"What, you really didn't eat breakfast?"
Hachiman didn't reply, just stared into space, lost in thought.
Hiroshi quirked an eyebrow, retrieved his bag, pulled out a piece of bread, and dropped it onto Hachiman's lap.
"No energy to talk?"
"Hey, Houtarou, want one too?"
Over at Rikka's desk, she'd just bitten into a rice ball when a handful of classmates crowded around.
Instinctively, she shielded her lunch box and slid it back into her drawer.
"The Evil King's True Eye doesn't share her energy supply."
With a rice ball stuffed in her mouth, she crossed her arms in a big X, making her stance clear.
But they weren't after her food. Peering at her stern expression, they asked in unison, "Rikka, what's your deal with Hiroshi?"
Rikka blinked, caught off guard.
"?!"
Realizing they weren't eyeing her meal, she eased up and pulled the lunch box back out.
"What deal?"
"The Evil King's True Eye is bound to the Hero by contract!"
She proclaimed it with conviction, then grabbed another rice ball, munching away.
Her answer left them baffled. They knew "Evil King's True Eye" was her usual self-title.
But... "Hero"?
"Is this what chuunibyou looks like? Kinda freaky."
"Does 'Hero' mean Hiroshi?"
"Is Hiroshi a chuunibyou too? He doesn't act like it."
They couldn't decode her talk of a "contract," but it probably meant friendship, right?
Hold on, what kind of friend hand-makes breakfast and lunch, and such generous ones at that?
"Rikka... this breakfast?"
"You mean the energy supply? It's part of the contract!"
"If I don't recharge fast, I can't handle emergencies!"
Her chuunibyou jargon still flew over their heads. Talking to her was exhausting.
…..
Meanwhile, in Sawamura Eriri's classroom, Hiroshi's absence didn't stir much notice.
High schoolers were too caught up in their own worlds; homework, gossip, to pay attention to someone else's routine.
Eriri rubbed the dark circles under her eyes and yawned, looking drained.
"Finally... done..."
Yesterday's talk with her mom had thrown her off, leaving her too distracted to tackle homework. She'd spent the day online, only finishing just now.
Glancing at the clock, she muttered, "Almost class time..."
With minutes to spare, hunger hit her hard.
She reached into her desk drawer, but all she found were textbooks. There was no sign of what she wanted.
"Huh? Where'd it go?"
Eriri rummaged through her drawer, but her search came up empty. She even crouched down to double-check, still finding nothing.
"How? How's it not here? Did I leave it somewhere else?" She scanned her desk and dug through her bag, but it was nowhere to be found.
Then it clicked, and her hand froze on her bag. Hiroshi hadn't brought her food this morning...
She thought back, confirming it. After a moment, she set her bag aside and glanced toward the classroom door.
"Eriri, looking for something?"
A girl behind her noticed her puzzled look and spoke up.
Eriri snapped out of it and shook her head.
"No..."
"By the way, I didn't see Hiroshi drop off food today. Did something happen?"
The mention of Hiroshi brought a flush to Eriri's cheeks, though she quickly hid it.
"Probably."
She placed her bag down and sank back into her chair, her eyes flicking between the clock and the door.
"Eriri! What's with you? If he doesn't show, who cares? You've always told him to stop, haven't you?"
Sensing her own odd mood, she slapped her cheeks to shake it off. Even so, her gaze kept drifting to the door, half-expecting that familiar figure to step through any second.
But class started, and he never appeared. Eriri sat there, blank-faced, lost in her thoughts.
For the first time in two years, Hiroshi hadn't brought her breakfast at school. Rain or shine, that pink lunch box had always been waiting in her drawer.
After hundreds of days, its sudden absence threw her off. Yet, after a while, she let out a relieved breath.
She'd never liked Hiroshi. He'd stuck to her like glue, impossible to shake. Maybe this was the break she'd wanted.
Perhaps he'd given up. It was just breakfast, but Eriri knew what it meant to him.
To the boy who'd followed her every word, shielding her from the slightest trouble. With that thought, relief washed over her. If he was done, it'd be better for them both.
Still, her morning felt off. Between classes, her eyes kept wandering to the door.
Old habits die hard, like chewing gum or sipping tea; not because they're great, but because they stick with you.
Speaking of which, Eriri's fingers brushed the two empty lunch boxes in her drawer from yesterday.
She'd washed them after eating, and normally, Hiroshi would swap them out for full ones the next day.
He'd always grin like it was the highlight of his day, delivering her meals.
Staring at the boxes, a thought struck her: 'Did something happen to him?'
"I'll ask him when I return these boxes..." She nodded to herself. She didn't like him, but she didn't hate him either. If he stopped chasing her, they could be best friends.
"As a friend, I should at least check on him." That's what she told herself, though her real reasons stayed murky.
…..
Back in Hiroshi's classroom, mid-lesson, he got a note from Hachiman. He stared at it, baffled. 'We're right next to each other. Why a note?'
He shot Hachiman a look and whispered, "Can't you just say it?"
Hachiman glanced at Shizuka Hiratsuka up front, then back at Hiroshi.
A month into the term, Hachiman had already felt her iron grip. He wasn't about to risk it in her class.
Hiroshi, apparently, had no such qualms.
Since he'd spoken up, Hachiman ditched the note.
"What's going on with you and Sawamura Eriri?"
Hiroshi raised an eyebrow. Today's break from routine had clearly rattled his friend.
He didn't dodge the question, answering plainly, "I'm not chasing her anymore."
Those few words jolted Hachiman, his voice escaping louder than intended.
"Huh!?"
The outburst shattered the classroom's calm, drawing every eye, including Shizuka Hiratsuka's "kind" stare.
"Hikigaya, something in my lesson shocking you?"
"No, sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei..." The class's stares pinned Hachiman, the self-proclaimed loner, in an awkward spotlight.
Shizuka Hiratsuka wasn't letting it slide. "Come to my office at noon."
Hearing Hachiman's fate, Hiroshi couldn't hold it in.
"Pfft~"
"Forget it, you're off the hook."
"But the one who laughed, you're coming instead."