MY MUSE, tooru oikawa

chapter seven

(chapter vii)

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After the final class before lunchtime, Hajime turned to Yuna and asked if she'd like to eat their homemade bento boxes together.

Hajime and Yuna settled down at two desks facing each other, each pulling out their homemade bento boxes.

Hajime opened his lunchbox, revealing a meticulously prepared meal of very little grilled meat, overpacked rice, and a variety of colorful side dishes, while a lot of variety it was also very out of balance.

Yuna's bento box mirrored Hajime's, featuring a similarly well-presented meal of miso grilled salmon, perfectly cooked vegetables, egg rolls and a side of fluffy white rice.

The two took their seats, their eyes briefly meeting as they both acknowledged the other's lunch.

When Tooru, who usually ate lunch with Hajime, approached the classroom, he stopped in his tracks upon noticing the unexpected sight. Peeking through the classroom window, he observed the unusual scene unfolding before his eyes—Hajime sitting across from Yuna, the two seemingly enjoying lunch together.

"Trashykawa, get away from the door," Hajime called out without even turning to face his friend, who had been caught off guard and nearly jumped out of his skin at being caught so soon. Tooru had expected Hajime to be oblivious to his presence for a while longer.

"Iwa-chan~ You don't have to be so mean," Tooru complained as he sauntered over to the joined tables. "You could at least have warned me you'd be eating lunch with Suga-chan."

Tooru glanced at Yuna, a cheeky grin on his face as he greeted her. "Why, hello there, Suga-chan~"

Hajime simply hummed in response, not dignifying Tooru with a verbal response. He focused on opening his lunch box, pointedly ignoring the mischievous grin on his friend's face.

Yuna had started to eat her lunch, not acknowledging Tooru's presence. However, she couldn't help but notice that he hadn't brought anything for lunch. Initially, she was inclined to disregard it, but then the thought occurred to her of how detrimental it could be, especially for an athlete like Tooru.

Having witnessed her brother and his friends engage in sports activities, Yuna recognized the importance of stamina in athletic performance. She contemplated the potential consequences of Tooru not eating lunch. Out of concern, she came to the conclusion that offering him some of her lunch would be a considerate gesture.

"Oikawa-san," Yuna addressed, extending a chopstick with an eggroll towards him.

Tooru, visibly confused, tilted his head, but then leaned forward and accepted the offered food. Meanwhile, Hajime silently watched the interaction unfold, choosing to eat his own lunch and simply observe the scene playing out before him.

"Was it good?" Yuna questioned, and Tooru nodded in affirmation. But before he could respond, she had offered another chopstick with a piece of fish. This continued until she had given half of her homemade bento box to Tooru. Feeling satisfied, she turned to finish the remaining half of her own meal.

Tooru leaned down, placing his chin on the desk, and said, "Suga-chan, you're sometimes quite difficult to understand~ However, I can't complain. But anyway, why did you give me half of your homemade lunch?"

"You didn't have any food, and since I usually don't finish my food, I thought it would be better for someone who needs it than wasting it," Yuna confessed, her words punctuated by bites of her food. "You also seem like the type who would rush to grab a snack just before practice."

Hajime was trying not to laugh while simultaneously trying to keep from spitting out his lunch. He managed to swallow his food and then burst into laughter at Yuna's comment.

Meanwhile, Tooru's face turned a deep shade of red, flustered by his childhood friend's laughter but also because what she said was entirely accurate. When he forgot his lunch or failed to receive a lunch from a fan, he would hurriedly grab a snack from the cafeteria and wolf it down on the way to the gym.

"It's not funny, Iwa-chan!" Tooru protested, burying his head in embarrassment.

Yuna lowered her chopsticks, tapping her finger gently on top of Tooru's head, prompting him to look up slowly. "Do you want me to bring you lunch from now on?"

"Sugawara, you don't need—"

"YES! That would be amazing, Suga-chan~!" Tooru interrupted, enthusiastically, and suddenly reached over to grab her hand, which was close to his face. His voice brimmed with excitement as he continued, "Oh, I can already envision the exciting lunches you'll bring me!"

Hajime was left speechless, caught off guard by Tooru's interruption. He leaned on his palm, struggling to find the right words or actions to respond to the unexpected situation. Every time he thought he had a handle on things, Yuna continued to astound him.

While it was clear that Yuna wasn't attracted to Tooru in the same way most girls were, Hajime felt relieved about it. However, at the same time, he had a gut feeling that having her be a part of their friend group wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

As Hajime realized he couldn't be responsible for handling his idiot friend all the time, he pondered the possibilities. Perhaps Yuna could fill those gaps he couldn't.

"Iwaizumi-kun," Yuna's voice called out, pulling him from his reverie.

"Yes?" He responded, his eyes flickering towards Tooru, who was blissfully humming about the prospect of Yuna's lunches.

"I can make some for you as well, since..." Yuna looked down and furrowed her brow at the imbalanced assortment of food in his lunch box. "You have an unwholesome balance of choices."

Hajime glanced down at his own meal—a lunch he had prepared himself—and responded, "Ah, I..."

"You don't have enough meat in your lunch and it's not enough to balance out your required nutrients," Yuna informed him, her tone firm yet filled with genuine concern. "At this rate, you won't be able to finish more than two sets of a game, Iwaizumi-kun."

Tooru couldn't help but smirk at Yuna's remarks. "Ooh, she's spot on, Iwa-chan~," Tooru chimed in, unable to resist joining in on the banter.

Hajime sighed in resignation and took her up on her offer. He was honestly bewildered by how effortlessly she had perceived the two major flaws he and Tooru shared. At this rate, they wouldn't achieve their objective of maximizing their accomplishments during their final year.

As lunchtime winded down, Tooru was still lost in a state of euphoria, practically skipping happily at the prospect of the future lunches Yuna would provide. Tooru gathered his things and whirled around towards Hajime with a cheerful expression.

At this point, Hajime's irritation with Tooru's nonsensical chatter was at its limit. He shot a warning glare at his friend, silently signaling that he was not in the mood for another round of his friend's foolishness.

Tooru, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to Hajime's irritation and persisted with his cheerful demeanor. He continued to hum about the upcoming lunches, seemingly ignorant to the fact that Hajime was slowly but surely reaching his breaking point.

Hajime let out a frustrated grunt and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to keep his patience from snapping. The sound of Tooru's blissfully ignorant humming was like fingernails on a chalkboard to his ears.