CH 10

Chapter 10: Lunch Break

Translated by Hikaru

Edited by VampireKnight

Just as the academy is about to start its lunch break.

“Nishinari. What are you going to do for lunch?”

“We’re going to the cafeteria…”

As I am putting away my textbooks in my bag, Taisho and Asahi-san approach me.

“I’m sorry. I have a little business to attend to at lunch…”

“Stuff to do?”

I explained to Taisho, who tilted his head. “During lunch break, I’m supposed to keep in touch with my parents. So I’ll just eat the lunch I brought with me.”

“So that’s how it is. Are Nishinari’s parents… rather overprotective?”

“Yes, they are.”

This is another part of my backstory that Shizune-san had thought of beforehand. When I first heard about it, I wondered if they could be deceived for that reason, but judging from the look on their faces, my fears were unfounded. I am sure there were other students out there who were doing something similar.

“Come to think of it, Konohana-san seems to be the same way, doesn’t she? She always goes away at lunchtime.”

“Oh…rumor has it that she is helping out with the family business during her lunch break. I’ve heard she’s on a conference call or something.”

Asahi-san and Taisho were discussing with each other. As I listened to their conversation, I caught a glimpse of Hinako sitting in front of me.

“Konohana-san. If you don’t mind, would you like to come with us to the cafeteria?”

“I’m sorry. I have to do some office work at lunch…”

“Oh, well, that’s alright. I’m sorry.”

After politely declining her classmate’s invitation, Hinako took her lunch out of her bag and left the classroom. Seeing this, I pull out my chair and stand up too.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

“Whenever you want to go to the cafeteria, just let me know.”

After parting from the two, I walked out of the classroom and immediately looked for Hinako. Hinako was walking alone in the hallway so keeping a certain distance from her, I followed her.

Hinako had been called out many times when she was walking near the classrooms, but by the time she passed through the crossing corridor, the stares from the people around her had decreased. It seemed that most of the students at the Imperial Academy were either in the cafeteria or in the classrooms during lunchtime. It was the same in every school.

The old student hall across the garden. The building was no longer in use due to its age and other factors. However, in consideration of the school’s appearance, it was cleaned on a regular basis.

I walked up the stairs to the rooftop. After confirming that there was no one around, I opened the door.

“Good work~.”

Hinako sat on the floor and greeted me with a relaxed expression.

“……thank you for your hard work.”

“Tone.”

“Yes yes.”

I sat down next to Hinako, giving her a proper greeting.

“You always have lunch here, don’t you?”

“Hmm. There is no one here.”

As the caretaker, I had to be by Hinako’s side at all times. It looked like I would be spending my lunch break on this rooftop every day from now on.

“How was the academy…?”

“As expected, it’s a prestigious school. I thought I’d done a lot of preparation yesterday, but I’m having a hard time keeping up with the class.”

“Do your best… If your grades are bad, you might be dismissed as a caretaker.”

“…… That’s not good.”

I lived in the house, had three meals a day, and was paid 20,000 yen a day. What was more, I was somehow able to go to school. If I hadn’t met Hinako, I would have lost my home and wouldn’t have been able to go to school. Considering this, I was now in a very blessed environment. I had to make an effort not to get kicked out of this environment.

“Eat your lunch?”

“… Oh.”

Together with Hinako, I opened the lid of the lunch box. The bento, prepared by the servants of the Konohana family, was a gorgeous one, made with an abundance of rare ingredients.

“It’s amazing… I’ve never seen such a high-quality bento.”

“Hmm, but the food in the cafeteria is more luxurious.”

“Is that so…Then why don’t you eat at the cafeteria?”

“It’s annoying to worry about the people’s eyes around me.”

So that was it. I guessed she didn’t like the celebrity tag.

“And if I’m looking for… lunches, it’s just my favorite food.”

“Are there any foods you don’t like? For example, what are you not comfortable to eat?”

“Carrots, peppers, green peas, shiitake mushrooms, dried plums, tomatoes, pumpkins…”

“That’s a lot. You just don’t like vegetables.”

“I’ve been found out!” Hinako said with a wry smile on her face.

She really had a completely different image than when she’s in the classroom. If Taisho or Asahi were to see her like this, they might be so surprised that their hearts would jump out of their chests. Hinako stretched out her chopsticks to her lunch box and began to eat. However, the food between her chopsticks was spilling out in a mess.

“You’re spilling…”

“Hmm?”

“No, hmm? Not…”

I was starting to understand the significance of the caretaker existence… This was more of a nursing than a caretaker. For some reason, Hinako could behave perfectly while standing in front of people, but she was fatally incapable of doing anything else otherwise. By the way, I remembered even when I was kidnapped, she was spilling PET bottled beverages.

“Feed me.”

Hinako opened her mouth as she held out her lunch box. It’s a shame to have your lunchbox spilled all over the place. But, there’s no one else around, well…that’s alright then.

“…here.” I picked up a random side dish and brought it to Hinako’s mouth.

“Mmmー not bad.” Hinako said, looking satisfied.

“Why don’t you eat too, Itsuki?”

“Yeah.”

At Hinako’s suggestion, I too extended my chopsticks to my own lunch box. For the time being, I decided to try the roll egg, a standard dish on a lunch box.

“Yum! What is this!? Yummy!”

一Once I moved my chopsticks, I couldn’t stop until the end. The meat, the fish, the salad, everything tasted unimaginably good.

“Which one is your favorite?”

“My favorite… All of them are good, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the roll egg I had first.”

“Then, you can have it.”

“Eh?”

“In return. Aah!”

Hinako held a roll egg between her chopsticks and brought it to my mouth. I felt a little embarrassed and resisted when she did this to me, but Hinako didn’t seem embarrassed at all. I had no choice but to open my mouth and eat the egg roll.

“…delicious?”

“It’s delicious…, but was it alright to give it?”

“Because I’m the master of Itsuki. I have to feed you.”

“Feeding…”

“If you get tired of me, I’ll be in trouble.”

Her voice sounded just a little more serious than usual. It might have been my imagination, but I couldn’t ignore it, and I suddenly spoke up with a question.

“Come to think of it, there used to be a different caretaker than me, right?　Why did that person quit?”

“Don’t know,” Hinako tilted her neck.

Kagen-san said she quitted because of stress, but I didn’t know why she was stressed in the first place.

“How long did your old caretaker last, before she quitted?”

“Maybe, about two weeks…”

“Eh.”

It was shorter than I expected.

“Before that, I think it was three weeks. And it was a month at the longest..”.

“… Do you have any idea why you quit so soon…?”

“I don’t know.”

Just like before, Hinako tilted her head. She did not look like she was fond of him, but she did not seem to care as well. Maybe Hinako did not care much about the caretakers that had been taking care of her.

“I don’t think there is any other job with such good conditions.”

“… Good conditions?”

“Yeah. Because it’s a live-in job with three meals a day and 20,000 yen a day salary. It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s a pretty good job. The studies at the academy are also extremely difficult, but it is not bad if you think that you will be educated…”

There are many people in this world who want to study but can’t. I, in particular, was on the verge of becoming one of them. Even when I was in my previous high school, I was able to earn good grades because I had this sense of crisis.

“And me?”

“Eh…?”

“Good conditions… what about me?”

I was not sure I understood the question.

“What do you mean…?”

“Mmm.” With her cheeks bulging, Hinako made a dissatisfied face.

“Being a gold digger, are you not interested?”

“No… that’s a bit…”

Did she mean a wedding as a gold digger? It was a wish that was unworthy of me, whether I was interested in it or not. In the first place, I was just a caretaker who happened to catch Hinako’s eye, and the reason I was here at the academy was because of my false identity. I was not really in a position to talk to the Konohana family’s daughter like this, shoulder to shoulder.

“Don’t quit, Itsuki.”

“At the moment, I have no intention of doing so.”

When I answered, Hinako smiled softly and rolled over.

“Sleep.”

“…a pillow?”

“Hmm.”

I had a similar exchange when I was kidnapped, so I immediately understood what she was trying to do next. I had just finished eating my lunch, so I put it away and cleared my lap. As soon as I did, Hinako’s head was on my lap.

“Eheー … exceptional, comfortable to sleep…”

“Thanks for that…”

Putting her head on my lap, Hinako immediately began to sigh in her sleep. Looking at her like this, I realized that Hinako’s face was in perfect condition. She still has a bit of innocence in her face, but she was far more beautiful than most models. A healthy male student might be excited about this situation. But why, instead of getting excited, I felt calm.

“Somehow, there is no sense of distance…”

I did not think there was a distance like something between a man and a woman. Sometimes I was conscious of her as a member of the opposite sex, but I was sure Hinako was not so I could control myself. I was given the simple title of caretaker, but in reality, the relationship seemed more mysterious. But… I was not as uncomfortable as I expected.

“Hmm…?”

Suddenly, I felt a vibration from the base of my right leg. The smart phone in my pocket seemed to be reporting an incoming call.

At the Imperial Academy, the use of smartphones and computers are allowed only during breaks. Apparently some of the millionaire children were students and at the same time already involved in the work of the company, and this seemed to be the reason for this measure. Certainly, when it was time for a break, I felt like I’ve heard the topic of “day trading” from somewhere.

“Shizune-san…?”

I muttered the name on the screen then picked up the call.