Let's eat♪
Let's eat.
...
(I need to ask how they're doing. But very carefully...)
Still, I'm glad we did this.
Hanasato and the others helped us realize something important.
We need to learn more about the people we're giving our gifts to. It's simple, but really important.
We might need to subtly ask during our regular conversations what they'd really enjoy receiving or if anything has been on their minds lately...
(I want to get them gifts that they'll really enjoy, so I need to do my best here.)
Oh, Saki, you brought a lunch today?
Hehe. We had these really yummy croquettes for dinner last night, so I decided to bring some that were left over♪
Oh, what's in them?
Not so fast, Shiho! I saw you looking right at them! We can trade other parts of our lunches, but you're not getting any of these!
That wasn't my plan...
Hehe.
(Be patient. Look for the right time to ask...)
(Actually, now might be my chance.)
(But how do I phrase my question...?
I'm trying to keep their gifts a surprise—)
Aren't you gonna eat, Ichika?
Huh?
You opened the packet for your yakisoba bun, but you haven't taken a bite.
Oh, um... I was wondering where to start.
Where to start...?
From either end, right?
Shiho, you just don't get it.
Don't you ever feel the urge to go from the middle?
I feel like that also applies to taiyaki.
I-It does.
Haha...
...
Is something on your mind, Ichika?
What?! How did you know...?
I had an inkling...
I mean, you're the one who said we should all have lunch together...
Oh, then...!
Does this mean you wanna ask us something?
Um...
(I do, but...)
So, it's about Classical Japanese...
I remembered that I'm probably going to get called on today!
Oh, that's right...
The girls in the column next to yours got called on last time.
Exactly! Which is why I'm pretty sure it's my column's turn today.
Classical Japanese... Giving the meaning of individual words isn't too hard, but being asked to read full passages is a different story...
Really? I actually really like reading those passages!
Especially stuff from “The Tale of Genji” or “Tsurezuregusa”.
(That was close...)
(And after telling Kanade that we need to be discreet... I was being the opposite of that.)
(But I should still have plenty of opportunities to ask.)
(So, I should think a little more later about how to be more subtle.)
(No, wait... They just asked me if something was on my mind. That sort of opened the door for me...)
(If only I'd asked them then...)
Thanks for listening to my problem, everyone!
So, in return, let me help you!
I'll ask the same question back!
Has anything been on your minds lately?
(Yeah...
That might've been the way to go...)
Ichika, are you still deciding where to start?
Oh, are you thinking about eating all of the yakisoba first?!
Then the bun would lose all purpose...
Haha! True♪
(I should just eat for now...
I'd rather not raise their suspicions any further.)
I'll start here.
Mmm. So good.