"It's indigestion again, indeed."
Inside the infirmary, the white-haired, golden-eyed nurse made her diagnosis and tilted her head in confusion.
The way she looked at me seemed to ask:
Why is it the same reason as last time again?
Feeling the fullness in my stomach, I fell silent, pondering the same question myself.
In my effort to spread my attention as evenly as possible, I had even declined invitations from Trinity students who were currently on break and instead ran all the way to Gehenna. Could that have been a mistake?
But who could possibly have imagined that Akari's slender yet curvy figure could actually devour over forty giant hamburgers in one sitting while still looking completely at ease?
Even though the burgers she prepared for me were all bite-sized, my perfectly ordinary appetite still could not withstand the overwhelming quantity.
Thus, after declining Akari's proposal to go celebrate together afterward and finding an excuse to escape, I hurried over to the Medical Emergency Club.
"So, could I trouble you for some stomach medicine again?"
"…I can, but…"
Sena paused before saying seriously,
"Please understand, Sensei, medicine can only alleviate symptoms. If you continue overeating without restraint on a regular basis, it will cause irreversible damage to your body."
At that moment, Sena glanced to the side, seemingly noticing someone nearby who looked completely absent-minded, and added:
"Of course, it hasn't developed to that stage yet. Still, please be more careful from now on, Sensei."
However, the red-haired girl still immersed in some painful memory failed to realize that those words were mainly directed at her.
Which was only natural.
After all, the reason Junko was upset, despite merely happening to pass by and kindly escorting me to the infirmary, was probably completely different from what Sena imagined.
I still clearly remembered it.
When Junko discovered me, she had hurried over in concern and asked why I looked uncomfortable while carrying a fragrant bag, the one containing the mini hamburgers Akari had forcefully stuffed into my hands as souvenirs.
After that, Junko's gaze repeatedly drifted toward the bag while she swallowed unconsciously, looking extremely tempted.
And when I, troubled over what to do with the burgers, cautiously asked whether she wanted one, the girl's ruby-like eyes instantly sparkled.
"R-really? You're giving this to me? Sensei, I love you so much…"
As a member of the Gourmet Research Society, Junko naturally was not desperate enough to confess to someone just because they bought her food.
Therefore, it was obvious that the tsundere girl had merely used this opportunity to express the affection she secretly hid in her heart. She might even have deliberately pretended to look greedy when in reality she was simply a hopeless maiden.
I felt my deduction skills was extremely thorough, but C&C still refused to acknowledge it.
However, after unconsciously blurting those words out, Junko suddenly seemed to realize something. Her face flushed red as she stubbornly added:
"M-my point was that if you're willing to keep treating me to delicious food regularly, then m-maybe liking you wouldn't be impossible... or something..."
She wanted more opportunities to spend time with me. I completely understood.
Perhaps annoyed by the teasingly affectionate smile on my face, Junko stomped her foot, snatched the bag from my hand, and while saying, "You already said you'd give it to me, so no taking it back," impatiently pulled out a burger and brought it toward her mouth.
However, perhaps because she did not hold it properly, at the exact moment the red-haired girl happily bit down, the beef patty tucked between the buns heroically slid away in the complete opposite direction from Junko's tiny mouth.
With a splat, the meat patty fell onto the dirty ground, and Junko, who had bitten into nothing but bread, vegetables, and sauce, instantly lost her smile.
The next moment, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked toward me with hopeful eyes and asked whether I had any extras left.
Naturally, the answer was no.
After that, although she still escorted me to the infirmary as promised, the red-haired girl seemed to remain haunted by that fallen beef patty the entire time.
After receiving the medicine and thanking Sena, I called for Junko to leave together with me. Seeing that she still looked gloomy, I could not help asking:
"Junko, are you really that bothered about not getting to eat it?"
Could it be... she really cared that much about food I gave her?
"Sigh."
The red-haired girl let out a deep sigh.
"Do you remember what happened at our last Beach event last month?"
What she referred to was the chain of incidents during the Prefect Team's summer training camp.
Ako had tried to make Hina temporarily put down her burdens and rest, only for a battle to break out between the Helmet Gang and the swimsuit delinquents, followed by numerous Gehenna clubs barging into the chaos.
And if I remembered correctly, the Gourmet Research Society had been...
"The grilled corn we brought there! We barely sold any at all!"
Junko complained dejectedly.
"We worked so hard transporting them there, and it still turned out like that. To keep the corn from spoiling, we even rented this super-powerful refrigerator from Millennium's Engineering Department called the 'Future Express,' and with Akari and Izumi around, we still needed over half a month to finish eating everything..."
That really was a catastrophic disaster.
But once I remembered that they had deliberately chosen to sell grilled corn in the middle of a battlefield, beat up anyone who got in their way, and even drove there in Fuuka's vehicle, the sympathy rising in my heart quickly vanished.
"But if that's the case," I asked in confusion, "then shouldn't you at least have stopped being forced to eat corn these past few days?"
"…You're right."
Junko's expression became even heavier.
"But all my allowance and part-time wages got spent on buying corn and renting the refrigerator, so lately all I can afford for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is cafeteria bulk meals. And the café where I work has been doing really well recently, so all the desserts sell out super early every day..."
In short, according to Junko, she had not eaten anything truly delicious in quite a long time.
"It's almost lunchtime anyway."
I smiled.
"Let me treat you to something else to eat."
"Eh? Really?"
At once, Junko's eyes brightened again, and innocent delight appeared across her face.
"Then I won't hold back! Thank you very much! As thanks, let me recommend a restaurant I visit often too!"
I smiled and nodded, though my mind was occupied by something else entirely.
If Akari from the same club could afford to buy that many hamburgers, was Junko really so fixated over this just because of food?
Perhaps it was all a scheme. Or perhaps, just as I had guessed earlier, the person offering the food held special meaning to her.
Whichever it was, afterward, Junko and I spent a leisurely stretch of time together.
And my pleasant mood lasted all the way until I returned to Schale.