Chapter 9Sandwiches
I offered my bag to Shindo, who was about to sit on a log in the pavilion.
The half-sitting Shindo remained frozen, but slowly stood upright and soon became immobile.
"Hey, Rei. You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. No physical problems."
Do you have it mentally ......?
Shindo compared the bag to my face.
"Ko, what the hell is this?"
"You look surprised as if you've found an alien. ...Here. I brought it for Rei, so take it."
"I'll take it."
It's amazing how you can feel the tension of an unknown kind, even though it's almost expressionless.
I thought I was so expressive, but they say I don't socialize as much as Shindo.
Maybe it's not so much the way people communicate, but the way they want to communicate.
With trembling hands, Shindo accepted the bag I held out to her — a well-worn cold storage bag.
"I accepted it...."
"You don't have to report every time you do something."
"What am I supposed to do now,...?"
"Just open it."
People are like UFO catchers.
Inside the bag, there is a sandwich I made this morning.
This, of course, was my feeling about the misunderstanding incident on the top floor of the tower apartment, and also a follow-up to Shindo's apology.
Shindo stared at the open bag.
"It's a sandwich! There's a sandwich!"
"Did you find a new continent...?"
"It's got ham and cucumber!"
"You've never seen it before,...?"
"I wonder if I can eat this."
"Sure. I made it for Rei to lunch."
"You made this lunch for me?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Well, it's just a feeling. Mai has been very kind to me. That's how people get to know each other, isn't it? It's like we have it in common."
"You've thought that far, but you don't have any friends, do you...?"
"Mind your own business."
I mean, even Shindo recognizes the narrowness of my friendships?
I wonder how I've been living up to now...
"I get it."
Shindo nodded firmly.
"I'm going to freeze these. I'll eat them on my birthday."
"Eat it now."
"......, That's a tough choice."
"I'll make you something for your birthday, so eat it...."
"Really?"
Shindo looked up.
For some reason, she looked stern.
Is she not happy?
"It's true. I promise to make you something for your birthday."
"My birthday is in November."
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."
"Don't people say Jin-kun is forgetful?"
"What? No, but..."
Sometimes my little sister says, "It's the same story again.".
Sometimes Riyo says, "You should write down your plans with me on your forehead."
Sometimes Teru-nee says, "Why don't you just remember to pay the rent?"
I'm not called forgetful at all.
Shindo coughed, somewhat reluctant to say anything.
"Then I'll tell you. Jin-kun, you are forgetful. Don't forget this time."
"Oh, yeah? Is that so...?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
"Oh. Oh."
"If you forget, I'll hit you with one of my frozen sandwiches."
"You're scaring me!"
I mean, eat them now!
"I'm so nervous... ...I can't grab a piece of bread."
"Hey, why were you so nervous earlier?"
"Because it's been a long time since I've had someone make me lunch like this."
"What?"
"I live alone."
"At that apartment?"
"Yeah, at that apartment."
That's a pretty big house, I'd say.
It looks like a lot of work to clean.
"What about the food?"
"Lunch is in the cafeteria. At night I go to a bento shop, convenience store, or delivery service. I don't cook."
"I see."
"I lied..., I'm not good at cooking......, please forgive me..."
"No, no, just calm down -- by the way, are you eating alone? Dinner."
"Yeah. I have the maid finish everything while I'm at school. It's easier for me to be alone."
"You have a maid..."
That's a rich-sounding word out of nowhere.
"I'm not cleaning up. I'm in a position where I don't have to."
"I see."
"I'm lying..., I'm really not good at housework..., I usually break the jar..."
I wonder if there are that many pressure points at home...
"You don't have to be depressed every single time."
"Yes..., thanks..., that's why I haven't had lunch in a very, very long time. That's why I was so moved."
"I see."
I am reminded of the time I walked with Mai.
The inorganic and cold impression of the building.
I felt a little guilty for thinking of it as a castle where only the rich live.
I thought that just because I couldn't reach the top floor of the apartment building I looked up from the ground, but I couldn't reach the feelings of the people who lived there either.
But now I am talking to one of them face to face.
In her somber contemplation, Shindo put her hands together.
She finally eats it.
"Time to eat."
"Oh, here's a hand towel. It's wet, so put it in this case after you use them. And here is a paper napkin to wipe your mouth, and here is your drink."
"...It's so well prepared. I'm shaking."
"There's no poison in it."
"I'm afraid of you. There are many moments when I am ashamed to be a girl."
"...? You're that beautiful? You can't be mad at me for being confident."
"I want to be mad at you in a different way."
"Why?"
"Fufu, nothing."
Shindo put her hand to her mouth in a funny way.
The heart is within reach if you reach for it.
The feelings of a person living in a too-high tower apartment are thus right in front of his eyes.
I dropped my words with a plop.
"...It's tough being a princess."
Shindo glanced at me as she happily tucked into her sandwich.
"It's nuot luike thuat."
"Swallow before you speak."
She may be like a young lady, but she's also surprisingly crude.
She's not good at housework either, and everyone has their traits.
Let's remember that it's rude to lump them all together as princesses or idols.
Shindo, whose mouth was covered with a paper napkin, blushed with embarrassment.
"I am not a princess. And without a prince, a princess can't escape tragedy. In the stories - but this one."
But this is real – that was the line that seemed to follow, but there was no end to it.
Because.
Not a princess there.
Not the idol of the school.
Because there was only a cool, beautiful girl who was pleased with herself, saying, "It's yummy...♪.".
I'm still expressionless, though.
Strangely, I can feel his happy mood.
TL: Reeze27, ディープル
ED: Reeze27, Guremeri-sensei
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