Chapter 111: The Girl Stays Stubborn
These two are really tricky to deal with…
Sakamoto Ken felt himself caught between two gazes from front and back.
He stepped aside half a step, turning the gazes focused on him into a confrontation between the two girls.
Sakamoto Ken said at the right moment, “Mio-chan, come on in.”
He didn’t mention at all that Mikazuki Haruna was at home, as if it hadn’t happened or as if it was too normal.
Mio-chan moved her feet forward a bit, her gaze still fixed on Mikazuki Haruna.
At this moment, Mikazuki Haruna walked forward and directly extended her hand to her.
“Mio-chan～” Mikazuki Haruna said with a hey-hey smile, “Come on, come in.”
Natsume Mio rubbed her feet together, took off her shoes, and was already pulled into the house by Mikazuki Haruna, to the point that her shoes were kicked over, her little white socks pattering on the wooden floor.
Sakamoto Ken watched from behind as the two girls entered the lobby, especially this Mikazuki Haruna, who had clearly added her own drama just now.
Acting like the lady of the house.
Only then did Sakamoto Ken explain, “Haruna knew I moved to the new studio, so she came to visit, and the timing just coincided.”
Natsume Mio’s attention was completely focused on the first two words of that sentence, Haruna? He called her directly by name?!
Sakamoto Ken clearly saw Natsume Mio’s chest rise as she inhaled, and he quickly continued, “Mio-chan, don’t overthink it, she just came to visit the studio.”
Thoughts flashed through Natsume Mio’s mind: if he had called that girl Haruna just now but called her something like Natsume-san, she would have been angry.
But… she also calls me directly by name.
Does this girl do that with everyone?
Calling a girl directly by name can lead to misunderstandings!
So, she didn’t continue to dwell on the name issue.
On the contrary, Mikazuki Haruna felt a bit surprised, since Sakamoto Ken had always called her “Miyuki Haru Sensei” before.
Is this an upgrade?
Natsume Mio put the canvas bag on the table and walked directly in front of Mikazuki Haruna.
The two girls stared closely at each other, and Natsume Mio said, “When did you arrange with A Jian to come to the studio?”
“I didn’t arrange anything.” Mikazuki Haruna said with a smile on her face, “I wanted to come, so I just came. Is there a problem?”
Sakamoto Ken chimed in at this point, “But that said, Haruna, next time you want to come, tell me in advance. What if I’m not home, or it’s inconvenient?”
“Exactly, how can you just barge into someone else’s home uninvited!” After learning that Mikazuki Haruna wasn’t invited by Sakamoto Ken, Natsume Mio felt much better.
See, A Jian is also a victim. This girl suddenly showing up must have troubled A Jian.
This bad woman is so awful, not polite at all!
“Eh?” Mikazuki Haruna realized she indeed hadn’t told Sakamoto Ken in advance. She wanted to retort but was in the wrong, so she changed the subject directly, “I just came to call Sak… A Jian to eat lunch. It’s already noon now. Did you have to come at this time?”
She had originally planned to say “Sakamoto Sensei,” but since he was calling her Haruna now, she should call him A Jian too.
Natsume Mio had an “I knew you had designs on A Jian” expression and lightly huffed, walking to the table and placing her hands on the canvas bag.
“Tch, who comes to someone’s home empty-handed like you.”
With that, she opened the canvas bag.
Inside was another zipped insulated bag.
Opening the insulated bag revealed two stacked bento boxes.
Natsume Mio smiled brightly at Sakamoto Ken and said, “A Jian, come eat. It’ll cool down if we take it out.”
She first opened her own bento box, which contained omelet rice squeezed with ketchup, along with broccoli, corn kernels, and green peas on the side.
“How is it, not worse than the store’s, right.” Natsume Mio pulled over a chair and sat down.
She was a bit taller than Mikazuki Haruna. Sitting in the ergonomic chair that Haruna’s tiptoes couldn’t reach earlier, her feet could touch the wooden floor.
Sakamoto Ken walked to the table and looked at the omelet rice in the bento box.
A perfectly spindle-shaped form, with the raised surface golden yellow, drizzled with wavy red ketchup.
Natsume Mio quickly adjusted her chair and pulled one over for Sakamoto Ken too.
She completely ignored Mikazuki Haruna and said to Sakamoto Ken, “Come on, A Jian, let’s eat together～”
Sakamoto Ken sat down directly. Of course, he didn’t ignore Mikazuki Haruna and said to her, “Mio-chan only made two portions, so you…”
“Me?!” Mikazuki Haruna pouted and said, “I don’t want to eat…”
Sakamoto Ken then opened the bento box in front of him. Though it was also omelet rice, his portion had ketchup poured in a centered heart shape instead of waves.
Natsume Mio glanced sideways at Sakamoto Ken, chuckled, and offered no explanation.
Sakamoto Ken picked up a spoon and gently sliced across the surface of the omelet rice.
The egg skin split open from the middle, and the half-cooked egg liquid flowed down, covering the beef rice below.
“Making two such bentos must take a lot of time,” Sakamoto Ken said.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. As long as A Jian likes it,” Natsume Mio said with a bright smile, her gaze glancing intentionally or not toward Mikazuki Haruna.
Mikazuki Haruna felt completely superfluous now. She sat across from Sakamoto Ken and Natsume Mio, reached out to fiddle with the height adjustment lever, but didn’t press it.
If she adjusted it to her height, she’d be looked down upon by this girl!
Mikazuki Haruna crossed her arms and stared straight at the two across the table.
Natsume Mio chewed on fried rice wrapped in egg liquid, narrowed her eyes at Mikazuki Haruna, and only after swallowing said, “Haruna-senpai, do you want some too?”
“I don’t…”
Before Mikazuki Haruna finished, Natsume Mio continued, “Too bad I only made two portions this morning. If you’d told me earlier, I could have prepared one for you too.”
“I’m not hungry…” Mikazuki Haruna turned her chair to look out the window on the other side, “I ate lunch before coming…”
“Is that so?” Sakamoto Ken asked.
This girl had clearly said earlier she was coming to eat BBQ together.
Mikazuki Haruna’s eyes darted, throwing Sakamoto Ken a “please” look.
Sakamoto Ken shrugged and didn’t expose her little scheme.
This girl, being stubborn even now?
Natsume Mio continued, “Then you didn’t think to bring a portion for A Jian? At least coming to A Jian’s home at this hour, he definitely hasn’t eaten yet.”
Mikazuki Haruna bit her lip and didn’t respond.
She casually picked up a paintbrush from the table and twirled it in her hand.
She had clearly come to take A Jian to eat Wagyu Beef BBQ, and she was paying to treat him.
But this girl suddenly appeared with two bentos…
Though Wagyu Beef BBQ was definitely more expensive than the bento she made herself, the sentiment was different.
She had completely lost this round…
This Mio underclassman is so skilled!
While silently eating her omelet rice, Natsume Mio’s eyes kept glancing at Sakamoto Ken beside her.
When she saw that Sakamoto Ken’s bento box was completely empty of omelet rice, a smug smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“Oh right, Haruna-senpai～” Natsume Mio smiled brightly at Mikazuki Haruna.
“What?” Mikazuki Haruna asked doubtfully.
“I saw a vending machine next to the house just now.”
“There is one…”
“Hey, can you help buy a beverage?” Natsume Mio said without reservation.
Mikazuki Haruna: “?”
Natsume Mio continued, “I’ll have oolong tea. A Jian, what do you want?”
“Cola for me,” Sakamoto Ken said.
Natsume Mio nodded and turned her gaze back to Mikazuki Haruna: “Haruna-senpai, please～”
