Lunch break. Second floor. Third-year Class 2. The smell of homemade soy sauce and shame fills the air.
Yuuya:Okay. This time for real. I'm going to do it.
Yuuya (narrating):My name is Yuuya Kanzaki, seventeen, emotionally average, and tragically weak to well-prepared side dishes.
Two weeks ago, I made a stupid joke and asked Nanami Arisaka out.She said yes.I thought she was joking back.She wasn't.Now I'm trapped in a relationship I don't deserve……powered entirely by food.
Yuuya:Nanami. We need to talk.
Nanami:Before that—today's lunch. Ta-da~!
Yuuya:Please don't distract me with—wait, is that grilled mackerel with yuzu?
Nanami:Caught fresh this morning. My grandpa sent it from the coast.
Yuuya:You have coastal grandparents?! What the hell kind of cooking dynasty did I stumble into?!
Nanami:I also made lotus root stir-fry. It's got that nice crunch you like.
Yuuya:You remember that? I mentioned that once during midterms!
Nanami:You were very passionate about texture. It was cute.
Yuuya:Listen! You can't just… cook your way through a breakup conversation!
Nanami (calmly opening a thermos):Hot miso soup. With heart-shaped tofu.
Yuuya (visibly shaking):...You used a cookie cutter, didn't you?
Nanami:It's very precise. The knife doesn't do them justice.
Yuuya:Dammit, woman, stop being adorable with your culinary craft!
Nanami:Are you breaking up with me?
Yuuya:Yes. No. Maybe. I'm trying to! I just—this isn't fair!
Nanami:Because I bring you lunch?
Yuuya:Because you bring me everything! Joy. Comfort. Tamagoyaki with just the right amount of sugar!
Nanami (smiling):I like you, Yuuya. That's why I make lunch for you.
Yuuya (panicking):But I thought it was a joke at first! I said, "Hey, wanna date me?" after gym class, sweaty and disgusting!
Nanami:You looked oddly confident in that moment. I respected it.
Yuuya:I had heatstroke!!
Nanami:Romantic. Like a shoujo manga, but stupid.
Yuuya:Exactly!! That's what I'm saying!! This whole relationship is built on a misunderstanding!!
Nanami (gently placing pickled radish into his bento):Then let's keep misunderstanding each other for a little longer.
Yuuya (staring at his bento):...That's emotional blackmail.
Nanami:I'm the daughter of a chef. We specialize in emotional blackmail.
Across the room, a pair of nosy ears twitch.
Kai (Yuuya's best friend):Pssst. Hey. Hey, Riku.He's trying to break up again.
Riku (currently eating plain convenience store bread):Did she bring him fish today?
Kai:Yup. With yuzu. And heart tofu.
Riku:He's got no chance.
Kai:Wanna bet on how many more failed attempts until graduation?
Riku:He'll propose by summer.
Back at the battlefield of love and soy sauce.
Yuuya (pouting, defeated):...You know I'm just going to eat this whole thing, right?
Nanami:That's the idea. I added extra rice today. I figured you'd need energy for all the emotional spiraling.
Yuuya:You planned my emotional breakdown into your lunchbox?
Nanami:Of course. I care about your nutrition and your mental health.
Yuuya (quietly):Why are you like this...
Nanami (softly):Because you're worth it. Even if you don't think so.
Yuuya (eyes wide):...You can't just say stuff like that out of nowhere.
Nanami:You looked like you needed to hear it.
Yuuya (blushing furiously):Stop. You're weaponizing sincerity. That's not fair!
Nanami:Eat your lunch, Kanzaki-kun.
Yuuya (muttering):I swear I'm breaking up with you next week...
Nanami:Then I'll bring you curry.
Later that day, Yuuya stares at the empty bento box like it holds the key to his soul.
Yuuya (narrating):I've read stories about being trapped in relationships...But no one warned me I'd fall for the trap this hard.
Next week…I'll definitely break up with her.
...Probably.