Episode 3 – School’s Madonna Withdraw Her Hand

The fun weekend is over and Monday is coming.

No matter how much time I spend at school, I can never get used to the change of mindset that comes with this discrepancy.

The students who came to school also looked listless, indicating that they must have enjoyed the weekend.

Then, a presence appeared that caught my attention.

I don’t know if she came to school with the other students or joined them on the way, but the one who passed through the school gates while having a friendly conversation with the two girls was Watanabe san, the madonna of this school.

She has become a popular person at the school in less than two weeks since her enrollment and has made several close friends.

(I fished with Watanabe san the other day though.)

Her happy smile when she catches a fish, and her serious appearance when she is fishing. I never got tired of watching her expression change from one moment to the next.

When I remember such an appearance of hers…….

“Good morning, Aikawa. I wonder why it’s Monday already.”

A man with the most languid expression on his face spoke to me.

“Good morning, Aizawa.”

A well-trained body with a well-equipped face. Aizawa is a member of the soccer club and is popular with the girls because of his cheerful personality.

He was the first boy I became friends with after I entered the school because we were seated in the same order at the time of admission.

“For me, it’s a practice match. I was playing against a pretty strong opponent, so I’m still tired.”

Aizawa was a well-known middle school athlete, but for some reason he turned down the recommendation and entered this school.

He is an ace at this school, and most of the conversation is about soccer.

“So, how was your weekend?”

“……Yeah, I had a good weekend. Well, I caught a few fish.

“Seriously, then, can I expect today’s lunch?”

Another reason why Aizawa and I became friends is because of lunch.

I go fishing most weekends, and I cook and eat the fish I catch, but my father is a light eater and doesn’t eat much, so I can’t consume enough for dinner alone.

I used to deep fry the fish and bring it in my lunch box the next day, but Aizawa found out about it.

He liked it so much that he started asking me about my fishing hobby, and at the end of the week he would always ask me how my fishing was going.

“Even so, there was a pause just now, right? Did something happen?”

He was a very sharp guy, I didn’t miss the image of Watanabe san that flashed through my mind and I was at a loss for words.

“……Well, sort of.”

If I talk here, I’m bound to be asked a lot of questions. I’m not going to use my energy on a Monday morning. I kept dodging Aizawa’s attacks.

“It’s a beautiful day, so let’s eat in the courtyard.”

I accepted Aizawa’s invitation and headed to the courtyard first.

In my hands I have a lunch box filled with white rice and a larger lunch box filled with fried food.

Aizawa went to the cafeteria to buy drinks for me, so I secured a bench first. It’s a win-win situation, I provide the food and he buys the drinks.

As I wait, feeling the gentle breeze, other students are gathering in the courtyard.

It seems that everyone wants to be outside when the weather is nice.

“Thanks for waiting. I bought your usual tea.”

After waiting for a while, Aizawa appeared. In his hand was a plastic bottle of a well-known brand of tea and a bottle of sparkling water for himself.

“Come to think of it, it seems like a superstition that drinking soda will melt your bones, right?”

I casually mentioned the knowledge I had heard while receiving the tea. The knowledge I acquire is what people who talk to me at the fishing spot mutter to me in between conversations. I don’t have anything to back it up, but it’s a conversation that comes up in my spare time, and it’s a good way to eat lunch without being bland.

“Yeah, in manga and so on, I’ve seen people drink it without carbonation. Seriously, I’ll tell my senpai next time.”

After confirming that Aizawa has sat down on the bench, I open the lid of the lunch box that was placed between us.

“Oh ! Looks delicious !”

The golden batter, the open inverted triangles, the barb-shaped squares, the whole fish deep fried, the fish I caught the other day, the horse mackerel, sardine and mackerel, all fried.

“Don’t you ever get tired of deep-fried food every week?”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m a growing high school boy. There’s no better dish than this.”

Deep-fried fish is suitable as a bento because it keeps well for a long time, but fresh fish is also delicious as sashimi or simmered fish. Personally, I couldn’t help but think that I would like to see him try more flavors.

“Well, your cooking is really the best.”

Aizawa eats fried fish one after another at a tremendous rate. I wondered if this guy would eventually eat up all the fish in the sea.

Thinking this, I was chomping down on white rice and fried horse mackerels at my own pace,

“Oh, it’s Aizawa. It’s rare to see you eating in the courtyard.”

A male student from a different class called out.

Behind him, there were a few other students of mixed gender, and among them was Watanabe san.

“Well, it’s a nice day today. I’m just taking a little nourishment to take away the fatigue from yesterday’s game.”

“Yesterday, we competed until the very end, so it was a bit chilly until Aizawa scored the fourth goal.”

From the sound of their conversation, it seems that they are members of the same soccer club.

“By the way, what is this big bento box? Is it all fried food?”

The lunch box placed between Aizawa and me seemed to stand out and attracted a lot of attention.

“Yeah, Aikawa made it for me every week.”

“Wow, that’s amazing……”

For some reason, Aizawa looks proud of himself.

“This guy’s deep-fried food is amazing. The meat is juicy, the batter is crispy, and there is no fishy smell at all.”

No wonder, since I take great care in the preparation of my food. I used vinegar to remove the sliminess of the fish, drain the blood, and quickly remove the internal organs to prevent the fishy smell from lingering on the meat.

I’m confident that I’m second to none when it comes to handling fish.

“It sure looks tasty.”

A male student clears his throat. I suddenly noticed Watanabe san standing behind him.

I thought about it and realized that she had caught several of the fish in this deep fried food.

If it’s a fishshe caught, of course she wants to eat it, or at least I would. Isn’t this a chance?

“Would you like to try it?”

“You don’t mind?”

The boy confirmed to me as his eyes widened.

“I’ve got plenty of them, so I don’t mind.”

“Thanks, Aikawa, right? Nice guy.”

“Well, of course he is.”

Aizawa, for some reason, proudly folded his arms and stomped his feet.

“What’s this? It’s completely different from the food we eat at home !”

“Seriously, Aikawa. Can I have some too?”

“Me too !”

“Don’t eat too much, you guys. It’s mine !”

The boys are swarming around the fried food. This is to be expected.

“You girls should try some of this. It’s really good.”

A member of the soccer team turns around and recommends fried food to the girls as well. If they do that, Watanabe san will be able to eat it too.

“Erm……then–“

Watanabe san was about to reach out her hand in a reserved manner,

“Sorry, I don’t like fried food at noon.”

“Yeah, I’m not like you boys.”

When the other two girls said so, Watanabe san also withdrew her hand.

“Don’t mind us, you guys should just eat it.”

With that single word, the contents of the lunch box were consumed at an ever greater rate.

It was difficult to even get my own portion because Aizawa and the other two soccer team members were eating as if they were competing with each other.

After being devoured like piranhas, an empty lunch box with fried crumbs was left on the bench.