COTE: Honami Ichinose Childhood Friend

Chapter 5: It Tasted Somewhat Bitter

The next morning, Miyano Makoto crawled out of bed.

The reason was not only his own habit but also the message Ichinose Honami sent him on his phone.

"I'll be there at 7 o'clock."

It wasn't a question but a notification, but Miyano Makoto had already prepared for it last night.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, refreshing it with the facial cleanser Ichinose Honami bought him, Miyano Makoto took out the leftover vegetables from the refrigerator and started preparing them.

When he said 'preparing', he really just meant simply washing them and cutting them into appropriate sizes.

The door opened, and Ichinose Honami's beautiful face came into view.

"Good morning, Honami."

"Good morning, Makoto."

The two greeted each other familiarly, as if this scene had played out thousands of times before.

"Makoto has already prepared the ingredients for me? That's a great help!"

Ichinose Honami skillfully heated the wok and oil, then added the ingredients in order from those that take longer to cook to those that cook faster...

"Speaking of which, where's the rice?"

It was absolutely impossible to not have rice.

"Oh, that, I've already cooked it in my own dorm and brought it over."

Ichinose Honami took out two bento boxes from a plastic bag.

One was pink and one was blue; Miyano Makoto didn't know if they were a couple's set.

"The blue one is Makoto's, and the pink one is mine."

"That's very much Honami's style."

"What are you talking about? It's always been like this, hasn't it?"

It was embarrassing to admit, but Miyano Makoto had been fed by Ichinose Honami for six years; she had been bringing her own lunch since middle school, and she always brought his share too.

"I didn't expect it to continue here."

Miyano Makoto sighed with emotion, "Ichinose Honami, she's truly a terrifying girl... a young girl."

"I'm willing to do it myself. Actually, I've always known, Makoto, all the things you do where I can't see them."

"Have I? How come I don't know?"

Miyano Makoto tilted his head in confusion.

"No, no, one-sided effort isn't allowed. Makoto, you're really like that; that's the only bad thing about you."

Ichinose Honami puffed out her cheeks, stood on her tiptoes, and lightly tapped the back of Miyano Makoto's head with her knuckles.

"I thought my biggest flaw was not knowing how to speak."

When Ichinose Honami lightly tapped Miyano Makoto like that, something seemed to stir in his heart.

"This school is really good; even if we're not in the same class, we can still spend so much time together."

"That sounds like we're a couple..."

"Idiot! We're not in that kind of relationship yet."

"..."

Miyano Makoto rubbed his head; he was completely confused now.

...

...

Arriving at the Class B classroom for first-years, everyone except him had already arrived. Miyano Makoto briefly scanned the situation.

Some people were quietly reading in their seats, while others were enjoying the leisurely time before class with friends.

Hamaguchi Tetsuya was a representative of the former, while Befu Ryota was a representative of the latter.

"Ahem, well, before class starts, I have something I'd like to tell everyone."

Miyano Makoto cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"What is it that you need to say?"

Amikura Asako didn't seem inclined to give Miyano Makoto any face.

"Alright, alright... let's just hear what he has to say."

Baibo Qianxun, sitting next to Amikura Asako, weakly advised.

Miyano Makoto merely sighed lightly at this.

"Actually, it's nothing important. I just hope that within these three years, everyone can properly uphold the image of a student. Try to avoid tardiness, leaving early, or even absences as much as possible. That's all."

After Miyano Makoto finished speaking, he returned to his seat.

"What did you mean by what you just said?"

Ryuji Kanzaki, sitting to Miyano Makoto's right, asked.

"Literally. I want everyone to act like good students."

...That's true; we are still just students, after all, so we naturally have to do our part as students."

Ryuji Kanzaki approved of Miyano Makoto, feeling that he was quite good; beneath his cold exterior was a passionate heart that cared for the class.

"Yes, I'm going to start studying seriously."

Although he said that, Miyano Makoto was already looking at advanced knowledge.

"You've already studied this far?"

Ryuji Kanzaki noticed the unusually thick right side of the book on his neighbor's desk and couldn't help but feel surprised.

"Yeah, the knowledge before this is too boring. It's really a torture for me to concentrate in class."

Miyano Makoto said helplessly, "Why do I hate classes so much in both my past and present lives? And the reasons are even different."

...It seems you're much stronger than me."

Ryuji Kanzaki admitted the fact that he was inferior to Miyano Makoto in terms of academic ability.

"The teacher is here."

Miyano Makoto reminded him, having already flipped the page back to the first one.

Ryuji Kanzaki didn't answer. Even if the class bell hadn't rung yet, when the teacher arrived, it was class time.

The morning passed quickly.

"Ah, it's finally over~"

Miyano Makoto stretched with a big yawn; pretending to listen attentively was truly torturing him.

After enduring this first month of school, he would start hiding extracurricular books in his textbooks during class.

"You've worked hard."

Ryuji Kanzaki's words felt strange; was the context a little odd?

"Yes, I certainly have worked hard."

Miyano Makoto nodded, accepting Ryuji Kanzaki's comfort.

"Aren't you going to the cafeteria to eat?"

"I'm going right now. What about you?"

"I have a bento made by someone else, with a heating function too~"

Miyano Makoto took out the blue bento box.

"You don't actually have a girlfriend, do you?"

"I told you, we're just childhood friends."

Miyano Makoto plugged in the bento box; it would be ready in a moment.

"I really envy you. Well then, I'll go to the cafeteria to eat first."

The classroom was quickly empty.

"Eh heh, am I coming at the right time?"

Ichinose Honami walked into the Class B classroom with light steps, placing her pink bento box near the blue one to heat.

"I didn't expect the classroom to be empty."

Miyano Makoto complained, "Why doesn't anyone bring a bento? Won't it be weird if I'm the only one eating bento in the classroom later?"

"Perhaps it's because it's the beginning of the school year, and everyone wants to try the cafeteria food."

Ichinose Honami offered a reasonable explanation.

"Speaking of which, how is Kamuro-san?"

"Why are you so concerned about her?"

"Just asking..."

Ichinose Honami looked at Miyano Makoto's eyes suspiciously, finding no signs that he was lying.

"As for her... it might be due to her family situation; her personality is a bit strange, but I'll make friends with her!"

"Perhaps she's under a lot of stress; she needs to be properly relieved."

Miyano Makoto thought that kleptomania wasn't that easy to cure.

"Don't worry, I have some confidence."

Ichinose Honami ended the topic.

"The bento seems to be heated. Let's eat together quickly."

"Mhm."

The two ate face-to-face at Miyano Makoto's seat.

"..."

This was the scene Hamaguchi Tetsuya saw when he entered.

Miyano Makoto and someone who looked like a beautiful girl were eating face-to-face, and the beautiful girl was sitting in his seat.

"It seems the owner of Honami's seat is back; you can turn around and look at him."

"Ah, really?"

Ichinose Honami turned her head slightly and saw Hamaguchi Tetsuya standing at the front door of the classroom.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll leave right away."

"It's fine, I just didn't expect..."

Hamaguchi Tetsuya opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say.

He had just gone to the convenience store to buy some sandwiches for lunch, and when he came back, it was like this.

What Miyano Makoto said yesterday was actually true!

He was green with envy.

"You didn't expect that everything I said yesterday was true?"

Miyano Makoto finished Hamaguchi Tetsuya's unfinished sentence.

"What did Makoto tell him yesterday?"

Ichinose Honami returned to her seat; she was very curious.

"Something about having a super beautiful girl childhood friend."

"Ugh, that's so cheesy. No wonder he didn't believe Makoto."

"Anyway, that's how it is. Isn't Honami a super beautiful girl?"

"Mhm, mhm, hearing Makoto say that makes me feel much better!"

"Oh, was Honami in a bad mood?"

Makoto complained; he hadn't noticed at all.

"You could say my mood is even better than before!"

Ichinose Honami stuck out her tongue, her rosy appearance making Miyano Makoto want to know what it tasted like.

"Then I'm relieved. If Honami is ever in a bad mood, you absolutely mustn't keep it bottled up. Just come to me to let it all out."

"It's a deal, okay? Come on, pinky promise."

Miyano Makoto: "..."

"Is that necessary?"

"Very necessary. If we don't do this, I won't feel at ease."

"So, in Honami's eyes, am I such an untrustworthy person?"

Miyano Makoto felt his heart take a direct hit.

"It's not like that! Anyway, Makoto, hurry up and put out your hand for a pinky promise."

"Alright, alright."

Miyano Makoto compromised; whatever the beautiful girl said was right.

"The bento is almost finished; I feel like I could eat a little more."

"Huh? It's my fault for not noticing the change in Makoto's appetite. How about I give you what's left of mine?"

Ichinose Honami pushed her bento box in front of Miyano Makoto.

"No need. Honami is also at an age where she's still growing, so you should eat more."

Miyano Makoto pushed the bento box back in front of Ichinose Honami.

"I'll just go to the convenience store and buy some bread."

"Wait for me, I'll go with you."

Ichinose Honami wolfed down the rest of her bento, stuffing her entire mouth until it was bulging.

"Pfft—Honami, you look so cute right now."

"Mmm~"

Ichinose Honami slowly chewed the food in her mouth. Miyano Makoto put away the two bento boxes, and the two of them left the classroom hand in hand.

"Whew—"

Hamaguchi Tetsuya patted his chest, letting out a long sigh; he had just finished his sandwich.

It tasted somewhat bitter.