“It’s been a long time since I buy a bento huh……..alright, ever since I started living alone I always cook for myself so let’s grab some luxury Karaage bento today!”
I normally make my own bento.
One of the reasons was that to live alone, I thought that I should be able to cook for myself but the actual reason was that cooking seems very connected to the word ordinary.
By the way, since my constitution is not agreeable with cup ramen, I try to cook for myself so that I don’t have to waste money to buy a proper meal.
The first thing I thought about when I started making bento was [Eh? Isn’t this kinda like a mob factor?].
The thing that I should be careful about is that when a good looking guy or a cute girl can cook, you won’t be a mob anymore and will turn into a popular kid instead.
Since a mob doesn’t have many strong points like an Ikemen or a Beauty, it is easy for one to change class.
First is when your friend is gone and you change class into a loner.
This path will lead to a bad end for me.
Think about it. What is the setting for a loner to be active in society? It’s the start of the conversation and the moment the conversation is paused. Nothing more.
Moreover, even if you join the conversation, you won’t become a popular kid or anything, what you will become is the cheerful tryhard type instead.
You could say that these guys are dying to join the top caste.
They never miss a topic.
Not even one.
They are those who will never let the conversation end.
Unlike the top caste, they can not survive by ruling above others. After all, one king is enough to hear these reports called the conversation topics.
However, it doesn’t mean that their storage of topics is endless nor does it is neatly organized.
Eh? There’s nothing to talk about anymore?
The moment that thought came to someone’s mind! Suddenly! Even if he is unwilling! A wild loner appeared!
“Hmm? Loner-kun is still a lonely loner as usual today huh?”
“Hey, that’s rude, isn’t it? KyaHaHaHA!”
“Loner-kun is so pitiful since there’s no one he can talk to so let’s invite him to join us~”
“No, no, what are you saying~?”
While hearing these monkey-like conversations, the processing speed of your brain would turn into that of a supercomputer.
(Shit, what to do? Yesterday’s show…….no, I already talked about that! Then anime…….that was already in the past! I am no longer such a weak human being anymore! What to do? Calm down me. I am a cheerful guy, I am that guy with dyed brown hair! Yes! I can start a conversation! That’s right, I can become the center of attention…….Alright! You heard it this morning right! That thing that sounds like a conversation topic! As expected of me, the protagonist!)
“I heard a story about Kamishiro Kousei this morning but isn’t Asakura Asuka totally a babe?”
In such a case, I will just be used and that’s it.
The second is the elite mob who is being the center of attention. This class change is also a bad end because it contradicts with the peaceful environment I am looking for.
Now, what exactly is an elite mob? Elite mob is an existence that without the person himself doing anything, he will be brought up in conversations albeit with only his name.
Such existence of these elite mobs is uncertain since before they were elites, they were mobs. It is like a guy you know the name of but you have never seen his face.
“I heard that Tanaka took the first place on the exam again you know?”
“Eh? It wasn’t Nakata?”
“Hmm…..rather than a guy I don’t know, I think that Nikaidou who placed second is more amazing you know, he’s good at sport too.”
“Absolutely! I don’t even know which class Nakayama is in you know!”
That’s right, these elite mobs also play the role of the rumored guy.
They are an existence that fights off the monsters that are invading the town while the protagonist is busy fighting the mastermind.
In such a case, the credit will not go to the elite mob for defending the town from monsters as it will be overshadowed by the protagonist who defeated the mastermind instead.
“I defeated the mastermind! Was the town okay!?”
“Yes! Elitemob-san protected us! The town is saved because of you, Protagonist-san! All hail Protagonist!”
“ “ “OHHHH! All hail Protagonist! All hail Protagonist!” “ “
The elite mob only showed up in one line but he is definitely an existence that attracts attention somewhere else.
In other words, it is a class that is unsuitable for me since I do not want to stand out in any way at school. After all, I feel more comfortable playing a supporting role.
Well, the story has been going on for a while but how does this relate to making bento? It is the link where making it is necessary for me to avoid the bad end on the same level of losing friends and becoming a loner character.
No matter how much I want to be a mob, I haven’t missed out on my studies so going to school without a bento and risking my stomach interfering with my afternoon class is not an option.
In such a case, my only option when I do not bring my own bento is to buy bread at the cafeteria.
However, when you go to the cafeteria, you will get a lot of attention the moment you open the door. If that action is to be repeated many times then…….
“Hey, that guy is off to buy bread again!”
“Guess I will go together with him next time!”
“Nice! I will tag along too!”
But what would happen if you have a bento? One should surely be able to understand using a little imagination.
“Bento huh, aren’t you quite girly!”
“Eh? Cheerful-kun, you can’t cook?”
“Nope, I always go to the cafeteria for lunch!”
“I have a handmade bento with me so…….”
Probably something along that line. Cheerful-kun’s casual comment would make him the target of the conversation of the girls who cook and he will be able to bond with them.
I will be a part of Cheerful-kun’s plan to change class into that bright guy in the class! Thus with only one bento, you can mostly cut down on getting involved with others during your lunch break.
“Alright, do I have anything left to buy……none I guess?”
Well, even with various thoughts floating in my mind, I didn’t forget to put a new notebook and spare post-it notes in the shopping basket. Once I put in my dinner, the Karaage bento, and ingredients like eggs and frozen foods to make my own bento tomorrow, I was ready to go.
I don’t know whether the cashier noticed that I am Kamishiro Kousei or not but she is sneaking glances at me while managing the cash register. It made me think that it might be better for me to use the self-service cashier.
I’ve gotten used to it after a year but on my way back, I can’t help but make a bitter smile at the 180 degrees of attitude changes between Hiura Seiya and Kamishiro Kousei.
It seems that the professional makeup artist made it easier for me to be spotted as Kamishiro Kousei today. Since I am attracting more eyes than usual I decided to use a different path home today.
The bag is not that heavy but it is still big. Still, it is better than being conspicuous so I decided to take a little detour on a narrow street instead of using the main road I usually traverse.
At this time, if I choose to take the same path as usual, no, if I haven’t gone shopping today, my daily life might never have to change.
“……….st–p!”
“…..Nn? What’s going on?”
I can faintly hear a woman’s voice from a distance.
“Please stop! I will call the police!”
This time I heard it clearly. It must have come from further down this street.
“Aah damn it! This looks like trouble…….!”
For a mob, pretending not to hear the voice would be the correct answer but right now I am Kamishiro Kousei. In other words, the me right now is as far as I can be from the word Mob.
With no reason not to go and help her, I rushed to the direction I heard the voice from.