The girl across the way was none other than Ichinose Honami, his official girlfriend.
At this moment, Horikita Suzune was standing gracefully at the door of his dorm and he was holding her lunchbox in his hands making them look like childhood friends or a couple in the midst of a passionate romance.
If this scene were to unfold in front of his girlfriend, most people would probably break out in a cold sweat on the spot.
In reality, Horikita Suzune was even more flustered inside.
Although she knew there was no particular relationship between her and Kaoru Mitoma and that they were completely innocent, personally delivering a bento to a man was utterly embarrassing.
She had originally planned to leave early to avoid being seen by anyone, but who could have guessed that an unfamiliar person would show up today?
Just thinking about the possibility of this person spreading the story made Horikita Suzune feel that things had become troublesome.
She needed to seriously warn her.
"First, this isn't what you think. There's absolutely no improper relationship between me and this man" Horikita Suzune said with a cold expression.
"Second, don't tell anyone about this, or I'll hold you accountable."
Kaoru Mitoma, standing nearby, couldn't help but remain silent. Not only did the first statement feel like a case of "protesting too much," but what exactly was she going to hold her accountable for? Violating privacy rights?
"That's not a problem, but there's something I'm curious about" Ichinose Honami smiled gently.
"If there's no improper relationship, then what exactly is the nature of your relationship?"
"None of your business" Horikita Suzune replied indifferently.
"Ahaha, Horikita-san really is as aloof as the rumors say" Ichinose Honami didn't seem the least bit bothered, her smile still intact though her gaze occasionally drifted to Kaoru Mitoma.
Seeing this, Kaoru Mitoma casually greeted her "Good morning, Ichinose-san."
"Good morning, Mitoma-kun," Ichinose Honami walked up to the two of them.
"I bought a lot of ingredients yesterday and got up early to prepare a bento. Since I wasn't sure about your preferences, I just made some tonkatsu, rice balls, and tempura..."
As she spoke, her eyes finally noticed the bento in Kaoru Mitoma hand. Her expression shifted slightly, but she quickly forced a relaxed smile.
"It seems I came a bit late today. I'll have to get up even earlier next time."
Ichinose-san, what's with that subtly sarcastic tone of yours?
"Who are you? How do you know me?" Horikita Suzune frowned, sensing something strange in the atmosphere.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B" Ichinose Honami introduced herself.
"For now, I'm just an ordinary friend of Mitoma-kun, and like you, there's no improper relationship between us."
Horikita Suzune was a bit confused. It seemed this girl was targeting her?
"Stop messing around, she's not like you" Kaoru Mitoma reached over and took the bento from Ichinose Honami hands, then swapped it with Horikita Suzune bento.
Seeing this move, both Ichinose Honami and Horikita Suzune were stunned.
After a moment, Ichinose Honami fell silent.
"She's broke, so she makes bentos herself and then sells them to me" Kaoru Mitoma bluntly exposed the truth.
"Mitoma!" Horikita Suzune face turned red. Even though what he said was true, why did she feel so embarrassed?
Ichinose Honami blinked. She had originally thought Horikita Suzune was another girl about to fall victim to Kaoru Mitoma schemes, so she had tried to push her out even using a very intimate form of address.
But now, it seemed things weren't as she had imagined?
However, Kaoru Mitoma shattered her illusions in the very next moment.
"Looks like I won't be short on bentos from now on. Suzune, what should we do about this?"
Hinata Ichinose expression stiffened. She called Kaoru Mitoma "Mitoma-kun," while he addressed her as "Ichinose-san" only to turn around and call another girl "Suzune."
Who exactly is your real girlfriend?
"None of your business!" Suzune Horikita gritted her teeth.
"What's your relationship with her?"
No one would make a lunchbox for a guy without a reason unless they were a couple. And even if they weren't officially together, they were likely on the verge of becoming one.
"My answer is the same as Ichinose-san earlier response."
Kaoru Mitoma skillfully avoided a direct answer, which left both girls dissatisfied.
"Cunning guy" Suzune Horikita snorted.
However, she wasn't particularly interested in Kaoru Mitoma personal life. Even if he were to fool around, it had nothing to do with her.
With that, she walked away on her own. For some reason, her steps were faster than usual, as if she were fleeing in a panic.
Kaoru Mitoma, on the other hand, remained calm. He knew that the next time they met, she might truly have to serve him with a face full of shame.
"You always seem to have beautiful girls around you" Honami Ichinose suddenly remarked.
"Is that an indirect way of admitting you're beautiful too?"
"You're more of a womanizer than Nagumo-senpai."
"He has a childhood friend, I don't. I'm not as good as him."
"Are you talking about Asahina-senpai?" Honami Ichinose thought for a moment.
"Nagumo-senpai has been bothering her a lot lately, and it's really annoyed Asahina-senpai."
"No wonder I haven't seen much of Nagumo-senpai recently" Kaoru Mitoma mused.
Had he finally realized the joy of having a childhood friend?
Honami Ichinose hesitated for a while, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
The actual situation was even stranger, to the point where she suspected it might just be a rumor.
"Why did you decide to make me a lunchbox today?" Kaoru Mitoma asked abruptly.
"Isn't it normal for a girlfriend to prepare a lunchbox for her boyfriend?" Honami Ichinose lowered her head.
"I've never been in a relationship before, so I searched a lot of things online last night. Some people said that if a boyfriend eats a lunchbox made by his girlfriend, he'll feel incredibly happy."
Kaoru Mitoma looked at her calmly. If she had put a heart-shaped fried egg in the lunchbox, the whole class would have known he had a girlfriend.
Sometimes, a girl little schemes seemed to come naturally.
"Did I cause you any trouble?" Honami Ichinose glanced up at him.
Suzune Horikita had clearly arrived earlier than her, and their relationship was definitely not ordinary.
"No, not at all. It's a nice change of pace" Kaoru Mitoma smiled at her.
If they were a normal couple, the earlier scene would have been a classic case of getting caught cheating.
However, he and Hinata Ichinose had only been a couple for a few months, and it was only under his threat that she had reluctantly agreed to date him.
Given this, even if Kaoru Mitoma flirted with another woman right in front of her, she wouldn't feel jealous.
Yet, Kaoru Mitoma could use this status to continue pushing Hinata Ichinose into more extreme situations. Their relationship was incredibly unequal and deeply twisted.
"If Kaoru-kun likes it, I can continue making lunchboxes for you in the future" Honami Ichinose said.
She wouldn't feel jealous, but she wanted certain people to realize that Kaoru Mitoma wasn't the ideal boyfriend they imagined.
Kaoru Mitoma kindly corrected her. "You can only call me that in private."
To this, his official little girlfriend could only nod obediently.
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