The lunch bell rang across Sakurai Middle School, signalling the start of recess. Students immediately flooded the hallways. Some headed toward the cafeteria, some gathered in classrooms, while others rushed outside to enjoy the pleasant weather.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the school, three familiar figures sat together with their lunch boxes open.
Mineta sat between Himiko and Toru while eating his bento. Or rather...Sulking while eating his bento.
His cheeks were puffed out as he aggressively stuffed rice into his mouth while refusing to look at either girl.
On his right, Himiko was trying—and failing—to suppress her laughter. On his left, Toru wasn't doing much better.
Both girls were giggling so much that their shoulders kept shaking.
Mineta's eyebrow twitched. "This is bullying."
The girls instantly burst into another fit of laughter.
"Ahahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
Mineta pointed his chopsticks accusingly. "See!? You're doing it again!"
That only made Himiko laugh harder. The blonde girl wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Mineta-kun! Ahahaha! I'm really trying to stop!"
"You've been saying that for ten minutes!" Himiko immediately failed again.
The reason for Mineta's suffering was simple.
Earlier, Himiko had happily recounted the entire story of his accidental flight from Saitama to Mie Prefecture to Toru.
Every.
Single.
Detail.
And to make matters worse, she had also shown Toru the actual video.
A very cursed video.
A video that Mineta wished would disappear from existence forever.
A video Mineta hadn't even known existed until this morning.
Apparently, Mei had secretly installed a camera on the jetpack. Because of course she had.
The camera had been directly connected to Mei's phone, which meant that even after the jetpack exploded into a giant fireball against the villain's face, the footage itself survived perfectly.
Every second was recorded.
Every scream was recorded.
Every panic-filled reaction was recorded.
Every moment of pure suffering was recorded.
And somehow...It looked absolutely hilarious.
And because Mei Hatsume was a menace to society disguised as a twelve-year-old inventor...She had immediately sent the recording to Himiko.
Who had proceeded to laugh at it for nearly an hour straight.
Mineta still remembered her rolling around on the couch while clutching her stomach and wheezing for air, then falling off the couch while still laughing.
Now Toru had seen it too.
The worst part? The video genuinely made him look ridiculous.
Watching himself scream while flying through the air, nearly crash into buildings, accidentally dive into the ocean, and panic every five seconds made him look less like a future hero and more like a cartoon character.
'I've become a comedy side character...' Mineta stared blankly at his lunch.
'This is exactly like those crack fanfictions I used to read on Webnovel in my previous life.'
The video made him look less like a future hero and more like a Looney Tunes character. A very unlucky Looney Tunes character.
His father had laughed.
His mother had laughed.
Himiko had laughed.
And now Toru was laughing too.
Mineta shoved another mouthful of rice into his mouth. "This is bullying, I'm telling you."
That only made them laugh harder.
"Hahaha!"
"Hihihi!"
Himiko wiped her eyes. "Okay, okay." She took a deep breath. "I'm done laughing."
Mineta gave her a suspicious look.
"Really?"
"Really."
The moment their eyes met, Himiko remembered the scene where Mineta accidentally flew underwater while screaming.
Her shoulders immediately started shaking again.
Mineta deadpanned.
"...You're impossible."
"Sorry!"
Mineta immediately stuffed more rice into his mouth in protest. "I almost died!"
"You didn't almost die," Himiko replied between laughs. "You were just flying a little fast."
"A little fast!?" Mineta almost choked. "I flew across multiple prefectures!"
Toru covered her mouth as another giggle escaped her. "The part where you flew into the ocean was really funny though."
"It wasn't funny!"
"It looked funny."
"It was traumatic!"
Himiko rubbed tears from the corners of her eyes before finally calming down. "Okay, okay."
She raised both hands. "I'm sorry."
Mineta crossed his arms. "Hmph."
To prove her apology was genuine, Himiko picked up a piece of pork chop from her lunchbox.
As a peace offering, she held it toward his mouth.
"Here."
Mineta continued pouting.
"Hmph."
"It's an apology."
"Hmph"
"Come on."
"Hmph."
"It's delicious."
"Hmph."
"It's your favorite seasoning."
"Hmph."
Himiko rolled her eyes as she pushed the pork chop against his lips.
"Open your mouth."
Mineta lasted exactly two seconds before surrendering. "...Fine."
He took a bite. The pork chop was delicious. His resistance immediately dropped by fifty percent.
A victorious smile appeared on Himiko's face. "There. Much better."
Mineta grumbled while chewing. "You bribed me with food."
"And it worked."
"It did."
Himiko giggled and picked up another piece. Before Mineta could protest, she fed him again.
Then another.
And another.
Mineta kept grumbling the entire time but still accepted every piece she offered.
Toru watched the exchange quietly. For some reason, her grip on her chopsticks tightened slightly.
The invisible girl's smile remained on her face, but her thoughts were becoming increasingly complicated.
Neither Himiko nor Mineta noticed Toru's sudden quiteness.
A second later, Toru realized what she was doing and relaxed her grip.
Then she quietly lowered her gaze and continued eating her lunch as if nothing had happened.
Himiko suddenly clapped her hands together as if she had just come up with a brilliant idea.
"Since Mineta-kun is being so pouty, we should refresh his mood." she asked cheerfully.
Before Mineta could even protest, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a five hundred yen coin and placed it in his hand.
"Get drinks for all three of us."
Mineta stared at the coin, then at Himiko, then back at the coin again.
"Why do I have to get drinks to refresh my mood and somehow also get drinks for both of you?" he muttered with a pout.
Himiko simply grinned. Instead of answering immediately, she pointed toward her own bento box. Then she pointed toward Toru's.
Both lunch boxes were still half-full. Meanwhile Mineta's bento was completely empty. Not a single grain of rice remained.
Himiko gave him a smug look. "Because by the time you come back, Toru-chan and I will be done eating."
She rested her chin on her palm. "And then we can all enjoy our drinks together."
Mineta narrowed his eyes. "That sounds suspiciously convenient for you."
"It is."
"You planned this."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You absolutely planned this."
"You have no evidence."
"That's not how that works."
Toru giggled softly. The banter between the two felt so natural now that it almost seemed routine.
Himiko proudly puffed out her chest. "See? Even Toru-chan agrees with me."
"No I don't," Toru laughed. "I'm just enjoying watching you bully Mineta."
"Traitor."
"Victim."
"Hey!"
The two girls burst out laughing again. Mineta looked toward the sky as if praying for patience.
'This is what my life has become. At this point someone is going to animate my suffering and put background music over it.'
With one final grumble, Mineta stood up. "This is oppression."
"No, this is delegation."
"Fine. I'll get the drinks." He pointed a finger at Himiko. "But I get to choose the flavors."
The moment he said that, Himiko gave him the flattest deadpan look imaginable. The kind of stare that said she wasn't even remotely fooled.
"You are definitely buying grape juice."
Mineta almost tripped over his own feet. "I like things besides grapes!"
"No you don't."
"I do!"
"No."
"Yes!"
Himiko crossed her arms. "Name three."
Mineta opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
"..."
"..."
"...Rice?"
Himiko's deadpan stare intensified.
"That's food."
"...Shrimp?"
"Food."
"...Purple flavored candy?"
"That is literally grape."
Mineta looked away."Okay maybe I walked into that one, but I like things besides grapes!"
"Sure."
"I do!"
"Sure."
"I genuinely do!"
"Sure."
Mineta pointed dramatically. "You have no faith in me!"
"Because your room literally has grape-themed colour and design."
"..."
"And grape-themed pajamas and slippers."
"..."
"And a grape-shaped pillow besides the sexy Midnight one."
"..."
"And grape wallpaper."
"..."
"And-"
"STOP!"
Himiko looked extremely satisfied. Toru laughed so hard she nearly dropped her chopsticks.
Mineta pointed accusingly at her. "You too?"
"Sorry!" Toru said between giggles. "You make it too easy!"
Mineta shook his head dramatically. "I am surrounded by enemies."
"Friends," Himiko corrected.
"Enemies."
"Friends."
"Enemies."
"Friends."
Mineta sighed in defeat. "Whatever."
As he began walking toward the rooftop exit, Himiko called after him.
"Three grape juices please!"
"I heard that!"
"You were supposed to!"
For a moment Toru simply watched them. Or rather, watched Mineta disappear through the doorway while Himiko happily waved after him.
The smile on Toru's face slowly faded. Her chopsticks lowered slightly.
'When will I be able to get close enough to someone to have conversations like that?'
The easy teasing. The comfortable conversations. The natural smiles. The effortless closeness.
It made something uncomfortable stir inside her chest. Not anger. Not jealousy. At least...Not entirely. It was something else. Something she couldn't quite put into words.
She had been Mineta's first friend. The very first person he had talked to at school. The first person who sat beside him. The first person who shared lunch with him.
So why...Why did it feel like she was still standing farther away than everyone else?
Why did it feel like she was falling behind?
Himiko lived with Mineta. They walked to school together. Ate together. Spent evenings together. People were already spreading rumors that they were dating.
Meanwhile Mei spent nearly every day with him after school. Mineta trained while she watched. He visited her house constantly, helped test her inventions. The two were always working on something together. They had their own inside jokes and stories.
And Toru? What did she have? Lunch breaks. Some conversations during class. A walk together before they separated to go home.
And the next day would repeat.
That was it.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
She quietly poked at her food. Himiko was talking about something now. Probably one of the dozens of funny things Mineta had done recently.
Toru nodded along automatically.
"Mhm."
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"Right?"
"Mhm."
She wasn't even paying attention anymore. Her thoughts had drifted elsewhere. 'I'm the first friend he made.'
Her invisible fingers tightened around her chopsticks. 'So why does it feel like I'm still stuck at the acquaintance line?'
Himiko and Mei felt like they had already crossed into the territory of close friends. While Toru remained standing at the entrance.
Watching.
Waiting.
Unsure how to move forward.
The realization hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Not because Mineta was abandoning her.
He wasn't. He was still kind. Still friendly. Still happy to talk to her.
But there was a difference between being someone's friend and being one of the people they truly relied on.
And lately...It felt like Himiko and Mei had reached that place before she could.
Toru lowered her gaze. The rooftop breeze gently rustled her invisible hair.
Nobody could see her expression. Nobody ever could. Nobody ever will.
A small sad smile appeared on her face. 'I wish I wasn't invisible...'
Her fingers tightened slightly around her chopsticks. '...so that people would notice how lonely I truly am.'