Under the envious gazes of her classmates, Hinami finished the bento.
Being watched throughout the meal had made her feel rather awkward.
Now that she'd finally finished, Hinami first took the bento box outside to the sink to wash it clean, then carefully repackaged it.
"Hinami really treasures the bento that Amaha-senpai personally delivered~"
"Of course she does! Our cute and kind Hinami would definitely cherish a bento made by her beloved Byakuya-niichan."
"So adorable! Come on, Hinami, confess—are you and Amaha-senpai already dating?"
"..."
Seeing this, the girls couldn't help but tease her.
"Not yet..."
Hinami smiled awkwardly.
"Not yet? So that means you're about to be?"
"That's not what I mean."
Hinami lowered her head slightly as she explained. "Byakuya-niichan has always seen me as a younger sister, so..."
Hearing this, the girls exchanged glances.
"I see..."
"So Amaha-senpai only sees Hinami as a little sister. That does make things a bit difficult."
"I'm not so sure about that. Amaha-senpai is obviously very attentive to Hinami, and it's not like they're actual siblings. Wouldn't this 'close to the moon gets the moonlight first' situation make things easier?"
"..."
As they discussed, the girls started offering Hinami advice on how to win over Byakuya.
One after another, they taught Hinami strategies to capture Amaha Byakuya's heart.
Hinami couldn't bring herself to refuse them outright, so she could only nod with a smile.
Seeing they weren't going to stop anytime soon, Hinami finally spoke up. "It's already getting so late—aren't you hungry? If you don't go eat soon, class is about to start."
Only then did the girls let up.
Some had brought bentos from home for lunch; others went to the cafeteria with friends.
The crowd around Hinami finally thinned out.
But those girls eating bentos in the classroom still came over to chat with Hinami about her and Byakuya-niichan.
...
After school that afternoon.
Hinami specifically brought the bento box to the study to return it to Byakuya-niichan before heading home.
"I already washed the box. Thank you, Byakuya-niichan—the bento was delicious."
Hinami gave a small bow.
"I'm glad you liked it. From now on, I can bring you bentos regularly too."
Byakuya smiled.
"Um... I feel like Byakuya-niichan doesn't need to go to all that trouble for me..."
Hinami scratched her cheek.
"I don't think it's any trouble at all. Didn't Hinami feel the same way when making bentos for me?"
Byakuya countered.
"That's true, but..."
Halfway through, Hinami's voice trailed off, a conflicted expression on her face.
"...But what?"
Byakuya asked.
After hesitating for quite a while, Hinami finally decided to just go for it. Her eyes suddenly became resolute, her mind filled only with what she wanted to say.
"My feelings are different!"
Hinami's voice grew increasingly passionate. "Because..."
"Because I like Byakuya-niichan... no, I like you the most, Byakuya!"