Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Go ahead and ask."

"Can I get my kimono dirty?"

"You brat! You've gone too far with your freedom! Wash your hands clean now that you've gotten them dirty!"

"Okay! I'll wash it clean!"

Kuroo also complained.

"I'm really impressed by you, meow..."

So it was decided that after the winter CM ceremony at the end of the year, everyone would go to the shrine together for the New Year.

Chapter 332 The School Turns into a Gravity-Induced Battlefield

It was Monday again, and the Kobayashi family had breakfast together. Hijikata Isamu and Nishimura Ryu quickly finished eating and rushed off to the company. After getting ready, Kouka changed into her office lady uniform and took Shion to the Shiki Agency. Kuroba Akira also went to school earlier than usual.

I heard that Mirai will also start school today, but since Akiko won't be coming to Kobayashi's house today, Mirai will still be going to school from her own home today.

Yesterday, after talking with Grandma Kobayashi, Kuroba Akira told Akiko about Grandma Kobayashi's permission to hire a nanny on his way back to his room. Akiko said that was great and that she would do her best. She also told Kuroba Akira that she was very excited about the future and that she would start to overcome her problem of waking up early from tomorrow and that her mother should definitely wake her up.

However, it seems that she only learned this morning that Akiko would not be coming to Kobayashi's house at the beginning of this week, but would come after Kobayashi's grandmother made a copy of the key, so that she wouldn't have to bother someone else to open the door for her.

So on his way to school, Kuroba Akira received a text message from the future complaining that he had gotten up early for nothing, and then told Kuroba Akira that he would wait for him at the school gate.

Even if it's just a short walk together, she wants to experience being the younger sister who goes to school with Kuroba Akira as soon as possible.

Kuroba Akira replied that if she arrived earlier, she could chat with the class monitor first, since the class monitor would most likely be waiting for him at the school gate.

If the message is not replied to in the future, and only shows as read, it's possible that the class monitor has already run into the student.

Then Kuroba Akira received a polite greeting from Shinichi. It was really polite, even with a format, and it was very long, like a letter.

The main content is that Makoto has already asked her father about transferring schools, but it seems that she is being obstructed by her mother, including her resignation as student council president... because her mother is the principal of Shirayuri Girls' High School.

　Seeing this, Kuroba Akira was a little confused. Isn't Makoto's mother the same as Makoto's mother? Twins must have the same mother, right?

But Makoto said her mother works very hard and her family is struggling financially... How could a school principal's mother be in financial difficulty?

Oh... wait, not necessarily. It should be that Zhencheng's current mother is her stepmother, and this stepmother is the principal.

Is that why she prevented Makoto from transferring to the school Makoto attends...? She must also know that the other daughter her ex-wife took is at Hibiya High School.

Then, Zhencheng said that her father had agreed, and she would try to persuade her stepmother.

Up to this point, it was all a proper update, but at the end, Makoto subtly expressed her hope that Akira Kuroba wouldn't have too much "intimate contact" with his sister at school. She didn't give a reason, only saying that "it would bother her."

Kuroba Akira was a little puzzled. Was she jealous of herself? Or was she jealous of her sister?

The key to this question is whether Makoto likes herself more or her sister more... Kuroba Akira instantly came to the answer. Was there even a need to think about it?

Zhencheng definitely prefers her older sister!

But if that's the case, she shouldn't have said that to herself; she should have sent a message to Makoto to remind her, right?

Or perhaps, she simply didn't want the two of them to be secretly intimate behind her back... "You're not allowed to sneak around behind my back! You have to include me!" Is that the feeling she was going through?

In short, Akira Kuroba has promised to take responsibility for the lives of these twin sisters, so Makoto's thoughts also need to be considered.

However, Kuroba Akira thought that Makoto was overthinking it. Although he and Makoto would play duo queue together, it was mainly outside of school. If it were inside school... not to mention the teachers, how to keep it from the class president would be a problem. Besides, Kuroba Akira didn't want to hide his affair with Makoto from the class president.

Besides, no matter what, Makoto probably wouldn't openly confront the class president, right?

However, Akira Kuroba was wrong again, or rather, he forgot that the saying "time is merciless" applies not only to him, but to everyone.

Even close friends from the past, or a first love you once had a crush on, will become strangers whose names you can hardly remember as time goes by, or you will become estranged.

The same principle applies to Hitomi Anri and her childhood friends.

This is especially noticeable when one is 'alone'.

When Kuroba Akira first went to Takanashi's house with the class president, he didn't quite see the rift between him and the class president because Akiko was there.

But when Kuroba Akira found the class president and Mirai having an awkward conversation at the school gate, he realized that the class president and Mirai probably wouldn't be able to get along as well as before, and definitely not as close as Shiori and Moe are now.

If Kuroba Akira hadn't appeared in time, the two of them would probably have fallen into silence soon after, which would have been even more awkward.

It's a pity that the class monitor has drifted apart from her future friend, but Akira Kuroba thinks there's still a chance to mend their relationship once the class monitor formally apologizes to her childhood friend.

But between Makoto and the class president... it's not just a matter of estrangement anymore.

When it was lunch break time, Hikawa Makoto forcefully intervened in 'hitomi Anri's lunch time,' and Kuroba Akira finally realized the seriousness of the situation and broke out in a cold sweat.

Holy crap, the school's turned into a chaotic battlefield! My stomach's starting to hurt!

The rift between the class monitor and her childhood sweetheart was bigger than she had imagined!

Moreover, because of Akira Kuroba, it has become even bigger than before!

Last Friday, in front of everyone, Makoto Hikawa linked arms with Akira Kuroba and even provoked Hitomi Anri with a comment. It turned out that was the signal that the two had become enemies!

Faced with this uninvited guest who had barged into the couples' lunch break time, Hitomi Anri gave Makoto a terrifying business-like smile and said...

"I didn't prepare chopsticks for you, did I?"

"It's okay, I brought my own chopsticks."

Hikawa Makoto took out two pairs of chopsticks, handed one pair to Kuroba Akira, and scolded Anri Hitomi.

"Honestly, Xiaotong, why don't you ever prepare chopsticks for your boyfriend?"

Before Kuroba Akira could even take the chopsticks, Anri Hitomi snatched them away, her smile becoming even more stiff as she spoke.

"That's because Mingjun doesn't need to use chopsticks to pick things up himself. I can feed him. If he doesn't want to chew, I can chew it for him and feed it to him. He doesn't need to use his hands at all. Mingjun's hands can just rest on my shoulders. So please don't meddle, 'Bingchuan'."

The fact that she used the most distant and polite form of address indicates that Anri Hitomi was a little angry.

Kuroba Akira felt like he was being talked about as a useless person or an infant, but at this point he could only nod to indicate that it was true.

Seeing Hitomi Anri's 'stress response', Makoto Hikawa's smile widened, and she came to Akira Kuroba's right and urged him on.

"Ming, move to the middle and make some room for me."

Before Kuroba Akira could even move, Anri Hitomi once again pressed down on Kuroba Akira's thigh, telling him not to move, and asked Hikawa Makoto a question in return.

"Hikari, I don't think I invited you to lunch, did I?"

"Although you didn't invite me, your boyfriend and I are really good friends. We used to be 'good friends' too, right? It's not a problem to have lunch together, is it? Besides, you never said that other people weren't allowed to come over."

"..."

Anri Hitomi's lips turned down, her smile quickly turning back into a blank expression.

The main point is that Makoto Hikawa's statement is correct; she indeed had no reason to drive the other party away.

She is indeed a mutual friend of theirs and deserves to have lunch together.

Hitomi Anri has many close friends at school, but none of them would disturb the couple's sweet afternoon nap. Even the male classmates who complained a lot about Akira Kuroba wouldn't come to be annoying flies in their way. Even Shiori and Moe, who were good friends with the couple, wouldn't come over to be third wheels.

But then Hikawa Makoto came, and she had an even more irresistible reason.

"I don't have many friends at school. The only ones I can call friends are you, Xiaotong, and Mingliao. You two wouldn't be so heartless as to kick me out, would you?"

This is a fact.

Like Akira Kuroba from the previous semester, Makoto Hikawa is a loner, so she really doesn't have any friends at school.

Even in the future, today, after starting school, her former bandmates came to welcome her, and she is having dinner with them right now.

Seeing that Anri Hitomi didn't speak but just moved to the edge, Kuroba Akira understood what the class monitor meant and consciously sat in the middle, leaving the other side for Hikawa Makoto.

With a big smile, Hikawa Makoto sat down next to Kuroba Akira and opened the bento box as she spoke.

"I made a bento box today, which is unusual for me. How about we exchange bento boxes?"

"No need, let's each eat our own food."

"Heh, I never said I wanted to switch with you, Xiaotong."

Anri Hitomi gave her a look as if she were an idiot, because she was the one who made the bento box. If she said she wouldn't exchange it, who would she exchange it with? Air?

"Akira, let's exchange lunch boxes."

"?"

Kuroba Akira, who dared not speak loudly, wore a puzzled expression on his face.

At this moment, Makoto, like a good buddy, put his elbow on Akira Kuroba's shoulder and said.

"Oh, Akira, didn't you tell me about your 'commission' with Hitomi before? Even though Hitomi made the bento, it was made for you, Akira, right? That means the 'ownership' of the bento is in your hands, Akira... I just need to exchange it for the portion he ate, right?"

The last question was directed at Hitomi Anri.

It's another argument that's hard to fault.

Because she wanted to invite Hikawa Makoto to join the Literature Club, she naturally asked Kuroba Akira for his reasons for helping with the recruitment. This was her strongest point of entry today. She knew that Anri Hitomi and Kuroba Akira eating lunch together during lunch break was not a date between lovers, but rather 'paying a reward'!

I want to swap bento boxes with the man you like, Xiaotong! Even though you made this bento yourself, you can't refuse!

The pressure then fell on Akira Kuroba.

Logically, if you don't want to upset the class president, you should refuse Makoto's suggestion, but if you refuse, Makoto will definitely get angry too...

Damn! This is the most disgusting part of a chaotic battlefield!

I hate multiple-choice questions with only two options!

What the hell is the difference between this and the trolley problem?!

Nothing is clearer than the pupil.

Anri Hitomi sighed. She knew that continuing the stalemate would only result in mutual destruction, so she chose to back down and try to gain Kuroba Akira's favor.

"Alright, let's make a trade... but first, I'll trade you my portion. If it's not tasty, I won't give it to Mingjun."

"That's strict, but since this is your turf, let's do it this way. Anyway, I'm quite confident in my cooking."

Makoto also helps her mother cook at home, so she is quite good at cooking. The dishes she makes are mostly home-style, but they taste very good.

Kuroba Akira was stuck in the middle, watching the two beauties exchange bento boxes and eat... Hey! You guys should eat some too!

After the 'poison test' was completed, Anri Hitomi, under Hikawa Makoto's smug gaze, began to feed Kuroba Akira as usual, including the dishes Makoto had made. Her cooking assessment was successful.

As Kuroba Akira ate, he compared the two in his mind. They were both delicious, but if he had to choose, the class president's bento was the best.

It's not a matter of ingredients or luxury, but rather that the class monitor's bento has undergone multiple optimizations to suit Kuroba Akira's taste.

These are all foods that Akira Kuroba loves to eat and never gets tired of, so they can be considered Akira Kuroba's "preferred selection".