As soon
as entering the principal's office, Chihiro heard a voice from the opposite
side of the room.
He
closed the door and turned around with Aika's homemade lunch box in his hand.
「I
didn't expect to be called here」
Even
though trying to be as normal as possible, Chihiro's reply was stiff.
After
all, he has no good memories of this situation.
It
seemed to be the same for the other party, too.
「...It
occurs sometimes...」
Principal
Ootori, the principal of the school, a man in his thirties with a rather
well-dressed body and a well-tailored suit, looked slightly away from Chihiro
as he said.
He had
just finished his work, he said, and stood up, closing the drawer of his desk.
Chihiro,
who stood near the entrance, stiffened reflexively.
But as
he walks away, Principal Ootori simply approaches the table and sofa set for
the reception.
**a
「Lunch
break is not long. Why don't you sit down?」
「Uh, yes」
Chihiro
nodded at the blunt voice.
He sat
down quietly across from Principal Ootori and placed his lunch box on the
table.
But
then, something that was already on the table caught his eyes.
A
katsudon covered with a lid and a colander of soba noodles, Sawan (Japanese
herring) and Mentsuyu (Japanese noodle soup) in a simple box, and a set of
disposable chopsticks.
「Are
your lunch delivered?」
「Yes,
sometimes」
The
same reply as before.
Perhaps
he felt that he was criticized for his poor diet, as he seemed to be a bit
upset. Anyway, Chihiro did not intend it that way.
Still,
communication between men is difficult.
Unlike
women who tend to prefer mutual understanding, men, surprisingly, are sometimes
fine without conversation. Moreover, age difference and differences in ways of
thinking make it even more complicated.
Principal
Ootori splits his chopsticks as he exhales.
「I
sometimes eat at the cafeteria or purchase at the store, but I don't want the
students to be intimidated by the presence of adults」
As much
as possible, Principal Ootori says he prepares ready-made food in a different
way.
「You are
very considerate. By another way, do you mean a convenience store or something
like that?」
「Yes.
Bread, boxed lunches, and instant food in some cases」
Come to
think of it, there is an electric kettle in a corner of the room, out of sight.
So whenever Principal Ootori have a spare moment between work, he takes a quick
bite of a cup of noodles or a loaf of bread, huh?
As
there seems to be no microwave oven in the room, the food is probably
store-bought or food that doesn't need to be heated up.
As
Chihiro was satisfied with the situation, Principal Ootori frowned at him.
「When I
talk to you, it seems like when Suzu and Yotsuba are in trouble」
「Trouble?」
「You can
say "nagging" if you like」
Chihiro's
heart was pierced by the sound of his voice.
He
wonder if he is talking with girls so much that his pace has shifted from
theirs to his own.
But the
basis of conversation is catch, question and answer, isn't it?
（I don't
think Nii-san needs to worry about this）
（Hmm.
Thank you, Chisato）
While
answering his sister in his mind, he opens his lunch box.
There
was an egg omelet, a mini hamburger steak with minced sardine and ground beef,
a potato salad with a little mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes, and rice with a layer
of nori seaweed.
As
usual, the meal was well balanced and colorful.
He has
told Aika several times that simple meals are fine for him, but each time he
has said to her, she is enjoying herself enough.
Really,
he hs nothing but gratitude to Aika.
「...nice
lunch box...」
When
Principal Ootori opened the lid of the bowl, he too was muttering to himself.
Steam
was rising from the bowl. It seemed that it had not been too long since the
delivery, and the katsudon inside the bowl was in good condition.
Chihiro
had never been to a soba restaurant in this area, but the katsu-don was well
fried and the batter was moist. It was also worth mentioning that there was a
lot of onion with the cutlet, which was boiled with egg.
「That
katsudon looks delicious, too」
「Well,
you want a bite?」
「Is it
okay?」
「I
ordered a little extra so I can share it with you」
Is it a
lie or is it true?
Well,
Principal Ootori hands him a piece of katsu with chopsticks he has not yet
used, and Chihiro offer him a ground hamburger instead.
Upon
taking a bite of the hamburger, Principal Ootori's mouth falls open.
**b
「It's
delicious」
「Thank
you」
When
Aika was praised, it made Chihiro as happy as if it were his own.
However,
thinking that it might have been a bit much to express the gratitude, he shyly
eat the katsu. As expected, it tasted good.
However,
the taste was a little strong.
Perhaps
it is because he was used to Riko's, Maria's, and Aika's cooking.
「By the
way, Principal can cook, can't he?」
「...There
is nothing I can't do. But I don't have time to make lunch boxes」
「Hmm.
Suzu-san said you took care of her a lot」
As one
would expect from that Suzu.
Not
only cleaning and laundry, but also cooking would have been taken care of.
Although
Suzu can cook, too.
However,
when it comes to her own meals, she cuts corners endlessly because she thinks
it is too much trouble.
Sigh…
Principal
Ootori let out a sigh.
「She's a
pain in the ass. No matter how many times I tell her, she doesn't listen to me.
Well, it seems someone is taking care of her now」
「Eh...
umm, yes. Well...」
Is he
being sarcastic?
It was
hard to tell, and Chihiro laughed as he ate his lunch.
Then,
Principal Ootori said to him with a surprisingly calm expression.
「...Okay.
I am grateful to you, in a manner of speaking」
His
voice sounded somewhat reluctant, though.
（...thanks?）
（...it
seems, just in case）
Chihiro
mumbled a few words to Chisato.
Meanwhile,
Principal Ootori continued to say more.
He kept
his eyes on the katsu served on top of a bowl of pork cutlet and soba noodles.
「You
convinced Suzu to go back to work, didn't you? Thanks to you, I didn't have to
look for another examiner. It almost interfered with my next decision」
「No, no,
not at all」
Chihiro
shakes his head hurriedly, not expecting to be thanked and he continued.
「You
see, I was just talking to her for a while. But Suzu-san agreed to work again
for beer」
「T-that's
it?」
「Eh?」
Maybe
it was a snake in the bushes.
Chihiro
saw Principal Ootori's eyes sparkle, a complete change from his earlier
auspicious attitude.
He
picks up the soba noodles with disposable chopsticks and says to Chihiro as if
he were complaining.
