Then, the three of them took their seats in turn.
It is worth mentioning that Bai Xian and Anon Chihaya tacitly sat opposite Takamatsu Tomori. This wasn't to bully Takamatsu Tomori, but rather because they were worried she might not be comfortable with such close social distances.
After all, the little penguin was quite fragile, even though she probably didn't think so herself.
Once seated, Anon and Tomori pressed their hands together. "It's time to eat."
Although Bai Xian grew up in Japan, because his family was entirely Chinese, he didn't have this habit.
Even so, he silently said to himself: *Itadakimasu…*
Then the three of them opened their bento boxes.
Takamatsu Tomori's bento was utterly adorable, featuring a variety of dishes including octopus-shaped sausages, rolled omelets, broccoli, fried shrimp, and fried chicken nuggets. Her rice was topped with a sheet of seaweed, and a little smiling face had been drawn on the seaweed with mayonnaise.
(^_^)
Anon Chihaya's bento contained three sandwiches filled with eggs, chicken thigh meat, sliced ham, lettuce, and corn. It looked very healthy and appetizing!
Both of their bentos had a strong homemade feel, no doubt infused with the love of their families.
Bai Xian's bento, on the other hand, looked quite distinct—it was a three-tiered box.
On the lid of the black bento box, a gilded insect was carved, its dual claws clutching a glowing red insect pearl, looking remarkably lifelike.
Opening the first tier, it held a set of jade chopsticks. They were a solid, translucent green, and unlike Japanese chopsticks, Bai Xian's pair had square heads and round tips.
Anon Chihaya looked at Bai Xian's chopsticks in amazement and asked curiously, "Your chopsticks look so different, Shiro-chan! They aren't sharp and long like ours."
"Hahaha, of course. Our Chinese chopsticks are always like this—square at the head and round at the tip. As the saying goes, 'The people regard food as their heaven, and toil upon the earth.' This is what we call 'heaven is round, and earth is square.'" Bai Xian explained with a smile.
As for the jade material, that was just a small personal preference of his.
Opening the second tier, rays of golden light shot straight into the sky!
Whoa! A legendary golden drop!
The light inside the bento gradually dissipated, allowing everyone to see the dishes inside:
Seven dumplings of various colors, eight plump and glossy red-braised large prawns, and nine juicy beef meatballs coated in a light starch glaze.
The third tier of the bento held a generous portion of Yangzhou fried rice, where one could faintly make out shredded egg, sea cucumber, and shrimp among the ingredients, along with the subtle aroma of rich broth.
It was quite the Chinese-style boxed meal.
Both girls widened their eyes. Is this what you'd expect from a Chinese person? The food is so unique!
After all, for an ordinary Japanese household, bento styles tended to be quite uniform, with the common foods limited to a predictable few—dishes that were convenient to make and, most importantly, tasted fine even when cold.
Meanwhile, Bai Xian's bento box seemed to have undergone special processing, offering exceptional heat retention, which allowed for a lot more creative freedom in the dishes.
Bai Xian smiled slightly. In truth, preparing all of this had taken quite a bit of effort, but to reward himself, it was all worth it.
Looking at the two of them, Bai Xian asked with a confident grin: "I made all of this myself. Give it a try."
"Eh? Is it really okay?" Anon Chihaya asked somewhat shyly.
"We agreed on it, right? Don't be polite."
Among Japanese students, sharing and exchanging bentos was a very common practice.
It served as a symbol of good friendship.
However, as for boys and girls exchanging them...
It was bound to feel at least a little embarrassing.
"Then I won't hold back~"
Without thinking too much, Anon Chihaya reached out with her chopsticks, trying to pick up a beef meatball. But no matter how hard she tried, the meatball kept slipping away like a slick loach, escaping her chopsticks time and time again.
Ngh! That's it! Anon Chihaya puffed out her cheeks, her delicate and lovely face swelling with annoyance.
Hahahahaha...
Seeing her like this, Bai Xian couldn't stop smiling. He picked up his jade chopsticks, steady and sure, picked up a meatball, and brought it right to Anon's mouth.
"There, open up."
Seeing that hateful beef meatball right in front of her, Anon Chihaya fiercely took a bite.
In an instant, delicious juices burst forth from within. The chewy texture of the beef meatball felt like it was bouncing around in her mouth, *thump, thump!*
"Whoa, this is so good!"
"Your cooking skills are amazing, Shiro-chan! Are you a Master Chef or something?!"
Anon Chihaya's eyes sparkled as she offered unsparing praise.
"Not at all, not at all. In our country, you wouldn't survive without cooking skills like this~" Bai Xian boasted shamelessly.
Anon Chihaya: "Eh, really~"
Takamatsu Tomori: *Stare~*
Just as the atmosphere was heating up...
Feeling Takamatsu Tomori's intense gaze, Anon Chihaya scratched her head in a panic, not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, it dawned on her. Looking at the chopsticks still in Bai Xian's hand, steam suddenly started puffing from the top of her head like a steam engine.
...Eh?
Eh-eh-eh-eh!
...That was Shiro-chan's chopstick, wasn't it?! I-I-I-I just went ahead and used it like that...
"What's wrong, Anon?"
Bai Xian looked at her with a puzzled expression, his innocent demeanor entirely genuine.
Seeing how unfazed Bai Xian was, Anon Chihaya finally calmed down, though a lingering blush remained on her cheeks.
"N-n-nothing."
Takamatsu Tomori watched all of this silently, then summoned the courage to share her own bento with the others.
"Bai Xian-kun..."
Tomori picked up a piece of fried chicken nugget, supporting the bottom of her chopsticks with her other hand as she carefully stretched out her arm to offer it to Bai Xian, looking as though it took a great deal of effort.
Takamatsu Tomori, who wasn't great at expressing herself, was nevertheless maxed out in action?
Seeing this, Bai Xian leaned in and took a bite.
...Mm, delicious.
...It has a mother's touch...
...How long has it been since I last ate a home-cooked meal made by family?
Bai Xian chewed quietly, unable to help the thought.
"H-h-how is it?" Tomori asked anxiously.
Bai Xian: "Mm, it's delicious. I'm so envious that Takamatsu-san gets to eat home-cooked meals every day."
Tomori: "Tomori... just call me Tomori..."
Bai Xian: "Mm, thank you, Tomori~"
Tomori: "Bai Xian-kun..."
...
"Hey, that's not fair, I want to eat too!" Anon Chihaya interrupted the two of them as they were getting cozy, pretending to be angry.
Takamatsu Tomori: Anon can have some too.
Anon Chihaya: Yay!
Stealthy yuri love~
Through the shared meal, Anon Chihaya and Takamatsu Tomori—who had previously been complete strangers—rapidly warmed up to each other. They started calling each other by their given names, and even coming up with nicknames went smoothly. That was only natural, of course~
Just like that, the lunch trio's circle was successfully established. Barring any unexpected turns, the three of them would be eating lunch together at school from now on.
...
While eating...
"Speaking of which, Shiro-chan's cooking is really good. Could it be that Shiro-chan is living alone right now?"
"Bai Xian-kun is amazing." Tomori nodded in approval.
Faced with the girls' curiosity, Bai Xian admitted: "Yeah, I am living alone. As for my cooking, I actually learned it online from an older guy."
"Eh? You can get cooking skills this good just by learning online?!"
"Sugoi na! *Sugoi~*"
amidst laughter and chatter, their pleasant lunch break came to an end.
...
Who played this round poorly? No one played poorly! *Ganbatte! Ganbatte!* (Do your best! Do your best!)
...
...