Implemented Childhood [ DDLC fanfiction ]

Chapter Three

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can you make me two lunch boxes?" Monika sat at the dining table eating her toasted bread with eggs and bacon.

"Are you sure you can finish it all? Two lunch boxes might be a little too much for my little Monix." Monika's mother giggled.

"Please, mom?" Monika pout with her little cheeks flustering. "I have a classmate to share my bento with, so one wouldn't be enough for the both of us since their parents don't seem to prepare any food."

Her mother glanced over her shoulder and she smiled sweetly. "Alright, alright. I'll make you two box lunches, but make sure your friend thank you. It wouldn't be kind for them to not appreciate the effort someone else's mother is putting in."

"Uh-huh!" Monika nods in excitement. "I'll make sure of that!"

And so Monika proceeds her morning routine, she prepared for school stacking the bento into her backpack, and exit her apartment heading to school. Just when Haruhi exits his house he sees Monika passing by the crosswalk.

"Heeeeeey!" Haruhi calls out. Monika idles at the crosswalk, he runs to catch up to her. "You're forgetting that I exist!"

Monika smiled. "Aww, I'm sorry for not waiting up for you. I thought you had already head to school before me."

Monika continues to walk, Haruhi follows her from behind. Scrutinizing her backpack he noticed the unusual lump on it. Curious enough he asks, "What do you have in your backpack? It seems awfully large."

With that question Haruhi finds Monika blushing, or rather she felt embarrassed--a really unusual reaction to his questions. She still smirks even with that obvious face. "I-I just thought it would be nice... t-to have a little extra food since my apatite has flourished over the past months." She said with bated breath.

"Alright." Haruhi averts his eyes from her cute reaction. He couldn't ask more questions worrying that Monika might avoid him.

Monika successfully arrived at school, she sees Yasuki entering the school still hunching like yesterday when he went home. Someone tap on Monika's backpack.

"Oh? Your bag looks more packed than yesterday." Asked a girl.

"Ah, it's just a little extra stuff I had to give for the--" Monika accidentally bit her tongue in the middle of her word.

"Eh? Are you alright?" Worried the girl.

Monika shook her head. "N-no, I'm alright. I just bit my tongue, that's all. I'll meet you in class, I have to go use the restroom!"

Monika rushed to the bathroom, setting her backpack on the floor she opens her mouth to look at her tongue. It's bleeding, fortunately, she can hide the bite mark, but it pains her mouth. She made sure to rinse her mouth and washed her hands before leaving the bathroom.

Entering the classroom Monika sees Yasuki sitting at his usual spot. She sighs and puts her backpack down next to her before she sits down.

"So..." Monika leans her arms against the table. "Do you have any hobbies you do at home?"

Yasuki gave her a tentative blank stare, Monika breaks the silence with a genuine response to his awkwardness. "I guess I'll share my hobbies instead, and I won't mind if you don't want to talk about it." She slowly averts her eyes gazing in a random direction.

"I don't actually have many hobbies, but I do love reading books that are poetry and I love writing poems as well. I know, I don't really have that much of a hobby." Monika giggled to herself. "I mean, people do like to play video games as a hobby, sometimes even to the extreme where their hobbies become an addiction. They just simply can't put it down."

"I..." Yasuki tries to say something but he kept his mouth shut.

Monika blinked. "Yes?" She said, slowly.

Yasuki plays with his fingers as if he's trying really hard to talk, she kept gazing at his parted lips still waiting for him to say something. As soon as he does say something the school bell rings and the teacher starts the class. Monika pouts due to the fact that he's struggling to socialize, but she still has more opportunities especially with her two bento waiting to be open. Monika grins.

*  *  *

Yasuki once again sits there with no food in front of him. Monika places a bento in front of him then she places the second bento in front of her. Without asking she unwraps the boxes and opens their lids. 

"Well, dig in." Said Monika as she gives him a really long and silent smile until he decides to pick up the chopsticks. 

Suddenly Monika caught Haruhi glancing in their direction from the corner of her eyes. She glanced at Yasuki as he consumes the food in the bento, and she can clearly tell that he tries to eat with manners, unlike yesterday's lunch. 

Haruhi comes up to them with a bewildered expression. "I thought you said it's just for you!" 

Monika caught herself filling her mouth with food, making both of her cheeks swelled up so she couldn't open her mouth to reply. To kill time she slowly chewed the food with the both of them making eye contact. Haruhi waits for her to swallow her food.    

"He didn't even do anything to even deserve that bento, Monika." He added. 

With his presence and unwelcoming words, Yasuki slowly stops eating after finishing a quarter of the way. Swallowing the food to clear her mouth she inhales loudly and released it, "GO AWAY! Honestly, you're such a pest sometimes!" 

Haruhi was startled by her sudden angry loud voice. "Tsk." He said as he quickly walks away from the table. 

"Sorry." Yasuki felt guilty for being the center of their attention. 

"No, it's not your fault. I wasn't pessimistic enough. I let him said something horrible to you." Not to mention the fact that the whole class is like that toward him. "Besides, I kind of lied to him this morning, I should be the one to apologize. So, I'm very sorry."

Yasuki gently smiled at Monika. Suddenly her heart banged against her chest making it an uncomfortable and unfamiliar feeling. She quickly stands up turning her head away, "S-sorry! I have to go use the bathroom badly!" And dashed out of the classroom. 

Shutting the bathroom door she could still feel her heartbeat beating uncontrollably, covering her face with her hands she began to feel her head also heating up. Monika waits for herself to be calm and goes back to the classroom before lunch break ends.