Part 281: The two

Music: Tender Scenery



Tohsaka ponders as she eats my lunch.
She came to the rooftop empty-handed.
Which, of course, meant that she didn't have her lunch.
Then it was only natural for her to target mine.

"Just eat. …Man, why do you have chopsticks when you don't have your own lunch? Do you always carry them around?"


"…? I just brought these with me when I left my classroom. You had your lunch last time, so I thought I'd have you share some of yours. I came prepared just in case you had boxed lunch."

"…Hey now. I think you're putting thought into the wrong areas."
Bring some food before you bring chopsticks.


"Don't worry about minor details. You brought two people's worth of food, so it turned out fine."

"……"
No, this isn't two people's worth of food.
It's just that Sakura made too much.

"…Oh well. It's true that I won't be able to finish it by myself. Oh, don't just eat the vegetables. Eat some meat as well. I'll get an upset stomach if I just eat meat."


"What? I don't want it because that's too sweet.
Don't tell a girl to eat meat. I'm keeping track of how much I've eaten, so if I'm not eating it, that's a sign that I've had my share."


"Liar. I bet you're the type that doesn't hold back when you go eat yakiniku. I'm suuuuuure of it. You'll be scarfing down beef ribs while I'll be munching on my salted fish.
You won't show any consideration for my money. In fact, you'll try to bankrupt me. And after you're satisfied, you're going to tell me, 'Heh, I went easy this time.'"



I try to get back at her for what she said earlier.

Music: Stop



""
…No.
You're the scary one, Tohsaka.

Music: Tender Scenery


"But this lunch sure is strange. There's a lot of food here, but the wrapping and all is really feminine. Do you like to cook, Emiya-kun?"
What a coincidence.
I think I heard the same exact thing this morning.

"…Well, it's not like I hate cooking, but Sakura made today's lunch.
Oh, Sakura is"



"…Tohsaka? What's wrong? Did you bite on a lump of sugar?"


"…Oh geez… I did it…"
Tohsaka sighs and puts away her chopsticks.


"Thanks. You can eat the rest by yourself."
Tohsaka gets away awkwardly.

"…?"
Well, it's fine if she's full already.
I was nervous eating lunch next to Tohsaka. Now I can enjoy a little peace of mind.

Music: Stop



In contrast, the stairs are quiet and empty.
Not many students go to a different floor to eat.
There…



I bump into Sakura.



"…?"
What could be wrong with her?
She was so energetic this morning, but she looks depressed now.

"Sakura"
I call out to her.
But before I can say anything else…


"I'm sorry, Sakura. It was bad timing on my part."
…Tohsaka steps forward.


"Eh… No, you didn't do anything wrong. Even if Senpai and Tohsaka-Senpai are together, it has nothing to do with"


"You're misunderstanding. I went and invited him because I had to talk to him about something. And he didn't skip out on you, either. He just didn't realize it."
"…Hmmm? What do you mean? It's not like I made a promise with Sakura"



"You idiot. She made lunch for you, so that means she wanted to eat with you. It's natural for Sakura to be mad."



"What?"
H-Hold on.
We never made any promise to eat together





…When I look, I see that Sakura's lunch is untouched.


""
…That's right.
What was I thinking!? Tohsaka's absolutely right to call me an idiot…!

"I-I'm sorry, Sakura! I'm so stupid…!"




"N-No, it's fine! See, it's not like we made a promise, and I just thought it might be good if we could eat together"

"It's not good! Let's go, Sakura! We'll still make it!
We can eat quickly in the archery range and"



I grab Sakura's hand and start running.

But.


"There's no way you'll make it. What can you do in three minutes?"

"!"
Tohsaka's calm analysis stops me.
…I panicked because I felt guilty for breaking the promise, but Tohsaka is one-hundred-percent right.



"It's fine, Senpai. We have to go back to our classrooms, just like Tohsaka-Senpai says."
"Ugh… But Sakura…"


"Please don't worry too much about it. That was enough for me. Thank you."


""
I don't know what to say when she makes a face like that.



Sakura goes up the stairs with her lunch in her hand.


"I'd better get going too.


Go to the Chinese restaurant in the shopping district after school. Wait there, okay?"

Then.
Tohsaka leaves a strange message before she leaves for her classroom.