Volume 1 Chapter 2

Volume 1 + Chapter 2: An Encounter With Otoha.

[Author’s Note: It’s a Smut-free Chapter!]

About a month has passed since my university life began.

I had finally gotten used to words like “syllabus,” and while everyone else was probably dreaming of a rosy campus life, I felt quite disillusioned.

Frankly, I was just attending university to get a degree, and I planned to go back home after graduating, so I didn’t need to make friends here anyway.

I was brooding over such thoughts, thinking I had already come to terms with it.

The orientation session for our cohort, led by the student affairs department, I mostly got through in silence, except for the self-introduction.

After that, I pretended not to notice the casual, party-like atmosphere of the social mixer. Besides, I was still underage.

Naturally, I paid no mind to club recruitments either.

But still, I guess I was a little lonely.

Everyone else seemed to form convenient groups with similarly jaded people.

There was no reason for anyone to bother approaching someone like me, living such a contradictory university life.

So, it was completely unexpected when she spoke to me.

—

The bell rang, signaling the end of the second period.

The professor, whose enthusiasm was always questionable, muttered, “Okay, that’s it for today,” and left the classroom.

Without a moment to see him off, I desperately copied down the notes left on the board after the abruptly ended lecture and let out a sigh, “Phew…”

Usually, after this, I’d head straight home or to my part-time job.

But unfortunately, today was a day when I had a chosen class until the third period.

Which meant it was a day I had to eat lunch on campus.

Most of the students who had been listening to the lecture hurried out, probably to eat at the cafeteria or something.

In an instant, the classroom became sparse and settled into a pleasant, hushed silence, which somehow felt relieving.

Glancing around, the people who remained were each unpacking their lunches.

Among them were some eating alone, and I felt a bit reassured to see fellow loners.

Feeling a tiny bit of strength from these kindred spirits, I thought, “Alright, me too,” and pulled out today’s lunch from my bag.

However, even though there were others like me, eating a convenience store bento alone felt somewhat embarrassing.

So, what I had chosen was a complete nutritional food—things like jellies and blocks. That kind of thing.

Today’s item was a two-pack of chocolate-flavored blocks.

I ripped open the box and tore the aluminum bag, releasing a faint, sweet aroma.

Since I really like chocolate to begin with, I had to try hard to suppress a smile.

“Nijo-san, is that all you’re having for lunch…?”

“Pyeh!?”

It was the very moment I was about to take a bite of the block I was holding between my fingers.

Being suddenly called by name from the seat next to me, I let out a strange sound.

My absurdly weird voice seemed to echo quite noticeably in the quiet lunchtime classroom.

I wanted to think it was my imagination, but I could feel prickly, curious glances from around me.

I really didn’t want to stand out…

With a hint of protest in my heart, I cautiously turned to look at the person who had spoken to me.

And then I froze, as if spellbound.

Because there, sitting next to me, was a stunning beauty who radiated a distinctly “extrovert” vibe.

Her eyes, looking at me with interest, had lovely, distinct double eyelids.

Her glossy, plump lips looked like sugar-preserved fruit.

Even her hair was soft, voluminous, and curly—completely different from my own frizzy, split-ended hair.

Despite being perfectly and charmingly made up, she didn’t seem overly made-up—was this what they call natural makeup?

When had she sat down next to me? She had paused unwrapping her own lunch bento and was tilting her head slightly.

But even that gesture, which could seem a bit contrived, suited her remarkably well.

“Is that tasty?”

“Ha, eh? Um, ahhh… Ye-Yes…?”

I was, in short, massively flustered.

After all, since starting university, I could count the number of times someone had initiated a conversation with me.

Meaning, I had zero resistance to dealing with people, regardless of gender.

And if that person was a strikingly beautiful girl, I became even more nervous.

I realized I was panicking quite a bit, incredibly, I was still holding out the block I had pinched with my fingers towards her.

The moment I came to my senses, I regretted my actions. I should have at least offered her the one still in the aluminum bag.

“Is it okay for me? Thank you.”

“Pyy…?”

But it was too late for regrets.

What was even harder to understand was probably the “extrovert’s sense of distance.”

The beauty gave a sweet smile and, for some reason, leaned her face closer to the block I was still holding out.

Before I could think, “No way,” her dewy lips parted, giving a glimpse of her pure white teeth and a glistening, peach-colored tongue.

And then, unbelievably, she took a delicate bite directly from my hand.

I felt the sensation through my fingers as the firmly set, moist block was broken by her front teeth, sending a shiver down my spine.

The surreal scene of an introvert like me feeding a quintessential extrovert beauty from my own hand.

It felt downright taboo, like feeding a wild, endangered species.

Ignoring my inner turmoil, she covered her mouth with her hand and chewed thoughtfully.

“Mmm… nn… It’s pretty good, actually.”

“R-Really? That’s good… right?”

She seemed to savor it fully, gave a soft, satisfied swallow, and murmured as if convinced.

Then, she went back to unwrapping her own bento.

While I stood there dumbfounded, unable to recover from the shocking event, she picked up her chopsticks, murmured, “Now, which one should I pick?” and lifted a piece of yellow tamagoyaki omelette.

She then gently offered it to me, and I just watched dimly, as if it had nothing to do with me.

“Nijo-san. Here, something in return.”

“Eh? Eh……? Ah, um? Mmm, mph.”

Holding her left hand underneath like a plate, she brought the yellow tamagoyaki to my lips.

Human reflexes are a frightening thing.

The moment I realized what was being offered to my mouth was food, I instinctively opened up and took a bite.

The sweet, gentle flavor spread instantly in my mouth.

Although, I was so tense I couldn’t really taste anything beyond the sweetness, but I could tell it was incredibly high quality.

And the guys who had been stealing glances at us since before looked like they were about to cry tears of blood…

I bet they’re aiming for her…

“I made it myself. Is it good?”

“…Sweet.”

When she asked for my thoughts, I blurted that out without thinking, and I even thought, “That’s not a proper review!”

But she, while making a slightly troubled face at my one-word assessment, patiently tried to keep the conversation going, gently prompting me for more.

“You don’t like sweet tamagoyaki?”

“Sweet… I like it.”

“I see. Good.”

Clearly, our conversation had devolved into me speaking in broken phrases, but she seemed to get the gist of my feelings.

She gave me a bright smile, and then finally started eating her own bento.

I still hadn’t recovered from the sudden, impactful event. Staring blankly, I alternated my gaze between the half-eaten block she’d bitten, still in my right hand, and the chopsticks she used to eat her bento.

Various thoughts swirled endlessly in my head: Even though there were plenty of empty seats, why did she sit next to me? Isn’t this an indirect kiss for both of us? How does she know my name? I just don’t understand the distance sense of extroverts. The tamagoyaki was sweet and delicious…

I was so thoroughly bewildered that I knew there was no way I’d be able to concentrate on the afternoon classes.

[Author’s Note: I’ll do my best to post sets up to the Smut parts…!]