Arifureta: Dark Lord

New World

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~Lunch Break~

As the lunch bell resounded through the air, Reiji let out a tired sigh and deftly picked up his lunchbox, eager to indulge in a well-earned meal. The lecture was boring; while reviewing something already learned may be refreshing to some, others would say it's tiring.

Upon opening his lunch box, Reiji was greeted by a delicious aroma that wafted up to his nose. He smiled as he gazed at the neatly arranged food. Reiji was always meticulous in preparing his lunch, and he took pride in it.

"Awww, your lunch is so cute! Did you make it yourself, Reiji?" a sweet voice asked curiously. Turning his head to the right, he recognized her as the girl who helped him earlier in the hallway.

Nodding, Reiji replied, "Yeah, I made my lunch. Though it's a bit childish, huh? I used to make my siblings' lunches when our caretakers were busy, so I kind of did this out of habit."

While the majority of Reiji's lunch looked ordinary, his onigiri had a distinctive koala face shape, and his tamagoyaki had adorable panda faces peeking out of them.

The girl giggled and leaned closer to get a better look at the cute lunch creations. "Childish or not, it's absolutely adorable! I wish I had your talent for making such creative lunches."

Reiji chuckled, thanking her for the compliment. "By the way, I never properly introduced myself. Although you already know this, I'll say it again. I'm Reiji. Reiji Sukehiro. It's a pleasure to meet you..."

"Kaori," she finished with a slight smile. "I'm Kaori Shirisaki. It's also a pleasure meeting you, Reiji."

As they continued their conversation, Reiji noticed a boy approaching them. He was the epitome of an "ikemen" - with short, silky brown hair, piercing light blue eyes, and a slim build that concealed a surprisingly muscular frame. Reiji couldn't help but notice the subtle contractions of his muscles beneath his school uniform.

As the boy approached, he spoke up, "Kaori, we've been looking all over for you. We thought you might have gone to the cafeteria again if you forgot your lunch."

Kaori apologized, "I'm sorry about that, Kouki. I was actually talking to Reiji about our hobbies and such, and I wasn't paying attention. Hey, Reiji, why don't you join us?"

Reiji was taken aback. "Is that okay with you? I don't want to intrude on your group."

Kaori shook her head and assured him that it was fine and that they wanted to get to know him better. Agreeing with her request, Reiji stood up from his seat and grabbed his lunch. Feeling a piercing gaze on him, Reiji looked over and saw Kouki staring at him.

Annoyed by it, Reiji asked, "Is there a problem, Kouki?"

Kouki awkwardly laughed and scraped the back of his head, his gaze shifting towards Kaori who was grabbing her lunch. "No problem at all. Sorry if it creeped you out. It's just that you're new, and, well, I like to observe people before I get to know them," he explained, trying to justify his staring.

Reiji simply replied with an "Uh-huh," suspecting that Kouki was hiding some truth. However, he chose not to call him out on it. Turning towards Kaori, he asked, "Are you ready?"