PART 9
I crack open my lunchbox and let the smells flow over me. I've never been much of a cook myself, so I had Sayori come over yesterday and prepare one for me. It's important that my lunch today is especially great, since it's the Literature Club's first daily Lunch Meeting.
The idea started after I took a trip to the school roof during lunch one day. Natsuki and I had read a chapter of Parfait Girls together involving a dramatic encounter on a school's roof and I guess the idea kind of inspired me to eat lunch up there, if only to say that I had. I didn't expect to see Natsuki up there, alone. Nor did I expect to see that she was eating plain rice and nothing else.
So I proposed daily lunch meetings for the Literature Club. Each member would bring a side dish and then we'd all mix them together like a potluck. I suggested it as a fun way for the club members to grow closer together over a meal, but my real motivation was to ensure Natsuki could have a full meal at least once a day.
Today I have beef and bell peppers. It's not a terribly complicated meal, and it's something easy that Sayori could teach me to make. We made enough for a few weeks and froze the rest so I could have something to bring for the rest of the week as well. The lunchbox I brought is great for insulation, so the beef is still sizzling, bits of grease bubbling up and popping, coating the sliced peppers with a thin layer of flavor.
My mouth starts to water, but I hold out for the other members to unveil their lunches before I start to dig in. Yuri opens her box to reveal a sliced pork-cutlet on top of a nest of lettuce. A section of her box has some sort of brown-orange sauce and attached to the roof is a pouch with western silverware.
Monika sets two bags on the desks we've pushed together to form a table. "Sorry I didn't make anything myself. I was busy yesterday, so I got something from the store on the way over." She pulls out five premade lunches in plastic containers and sets them in front of her in a stack. "There should be enough for everybody, so don't be afraid to dig in!"
Sayori sets her box in front of her and pulls off the lid to reveal that she, too brought beef and bell peppers. "Ehehe... sorry MC-kun. I couldn't help myself."
"Sayori, the whole point of this was to get some variety in our lunches." I point at her nearly identical box. "That doesn't work when we bring the same thing!"
"I know, It's just..." Sayori picks up her pair of chopsticks. "After cooking with you last night, I was really craving some so I made a meal for myself. And I guess I had leftovers..."
I roll my eyes. At least Monika has enough to cover for all of us. It's not like I really mind, anyways.
Finally, Natsuki sets her box on the table. She undoes the latch on the front and opens it up. It's full of plain white rice, enough for everybody. She pushes it into the middle of the table, grinning.
Normally, Natsuki's lunch would be pretty pitiful, but in this case she's now bringing the most important part of the meal, so there's no judging her for bringing something cheap. Now, she can have a simple and cheap meal, while still getting a good lunch and feeling like she isn't mooching off of us. Exactly like I planned.
Monika produces five small ceramic bowls and hands them out alongside a pair of chopsticks for everybody. I break mine apart and start taking some rice from the box in the middle, as well as a slice of Yuri's pork and some of my own bell peppers. I also take a couple of sausages from Monika's boxes and a bit of fried chicken. All in all, it's a real feast compared to usual, and eating with my friends makes it even better.
"Ah, Natsuki," Monika sets down her chopsticks across her bowl "When I was buying lunch today, I saw something I think you'd like."
She reaches into one of the bags and pulls out a small cake wrapped in plastic. The cake is covered in white frosting and is in the shape of a Christmas tree.
"Really?" Natsuki takes the cake in her hands. "Can I really have this?"
Monika nods her head and Natsuki's eyes light up. She unwraps the cake right there and takes a bite.
"It's so good!" Natsuki says, mouth full.
"You sure you don't want to save that for dessert?" I ask.
"Back off, it's mine!" Natsuki pulls the cake behind her and gives me a friendly grin.
We continue eating lunch together for the next weeks. Some days Yuri makes tea for everybody. Some days Natsuki brings noodles instead of rice. Some days I bring some sauces from my fridge. But every day Monika gives Natsuki another small Christmas cake.
Today's cake was shaped like a snowman. Monika holds it in front of her to give to Natsuki, who leans forwards in her chair to take it. But when she does there's a loud ripping noise.
Natsuki jerks backwards in her chair, grabbing at her sides.
"A-ahhh... that was, uhm..." Natsuki stammers.
We pretend we didn't hear anything. Natsuki stands up and takes the cake, one hand covering the back of her uniform where the blazer is ripped.
The following day, Natsuki shows up in a brand-new uniform. She confidently stretches around the room, showing off her flexibility. It's as if she wants us to know that her uniform won't tear today.
We push some desks together again and go about unveiling our lunches, one by one. When Natsuki takes the lid off her rice box, she immediately turns to Monika.
"Hey, Monika, Hey!" She holds out her hands in front of her. "Do you have another one of those cakes? Come on, I've been thinking about it all day!"
"I've got something even better." Monika smiles. "Instead of a cake, why not have two?"
She sets one on the table and hands the other to Natsuki, who snatches it out of her hands. Natsuki also picks up the cake from the table and takes it with her. She hardly makes it to her desk before finishing the first one, and she scarfs down the second in a single bite.
Despite having two cakes to herself, Natsuki's appetite is still not satisfied. She pulls a bit of food from everybody and eats it all. Within minutes, we're completely out. Natsuki sits at the table, eying everybody else's bowls like a hungry dog.
Today, I'm the second to last one in the clubroom. Natsuki still hasn't shown up yet. We decide to start without her, partially because the smell of all the food is filling the room and our empty stomachs, partially because if we don't get a head start over Natsuki, there likely won't be much left for us.
I break my chopsticks apart and reach over to grab a piece of meat from Monika's tray when I hear a slam. Natsuki is standing in the doorway, her lunch in one hand.
"What the hell? You started without me?" Natsuki rumbles forwards, breathing heavily and slams her box on the table. She heads towards Monika and grabs one of her bags off the floor. "Come on, you gotta give me another of those cakes today!"
The bag's contents spill out on the ground and Natsuki's eyes light up. Dozens of cakes scatter across the floor. Natsuki dives to her knees with a mighty thud and starts to gather them up in her arms.
I bend down and reach for a cake that slid near me. "Here, let me help y-"
Natsuki snarls and bites down, almost taking my fingers. She grabs the cake in front of me and shoots a dirty look in my direction.
"Damn, there must be like 20 in here." Natsuki says, unwrapping the first.
Monika chimes in. "Natsuki, I only meant to give you a few today, the rest of them are for later this week."
Natsuki ignores her, stuffing her face. With each bite, her stomach bulges out underneath her shirt a little bit more. I can't help but stare.
"Whadda fug're you loogin ad?" Natsuki says, spitting crumbs in front of her.
With every cake she eats, Natsuki grows a little bit larger. Her gut finally spills out of her shirt, slamming into the table legs. I catch my bowl before it flies away, but the rest of the food isn't so lucky.
"MONIKA!" Natsuki booms. "Why didn't you bring more? I'm still hungry!"
There are bits of plastic wrap all over the floor and not a single cake remains. Natsuki slumps down on the ground, her fat legs sticking out in front of her. She tries to lift her arms to grab the bowl out of my hand, but can't extend her body enough to reach me and ends up tipping over. I barely make it out of the way in time before she slams onto the ground.
Natsuki moans as she starts to close her eyes, then her body goes limp and she begins to snore.
"Should we take her to the nurse or something?" Yuri asks.
"There's no way we could possibly carry her there. Not even with all four of us." I reply.
"I think we should leave her here." Monika chimes in. "I mean, we barely got to eat and now our lunch is kind of ruined. Why don't we all go to the cafeteria?"
Sayori looks worried. "Can we really just leave her alone?" But her stomach growls, revealing her true feelings.
"I guess that decides it." I say, setting my bowl by Natsuki's face. At the sound of the bowl clinking against the ground, Natsuki twitches a little bit and hangs her mouth open.
The remains of the Literature Club head out of the room.
