Lunch With A Stranger

During lunchtime, Nigiri Restaurant is almost packed with business and classy types of people who might probably work closer here. Sakura darts a look around the exceptional interior design of the restaurant she and Alan had walked in and was suddenly anxious about being here. This restaurant, she thought to herself, looks like the type of establishment to serve people in the higher class. And yet, she's here….with a guy she barely knows at all.

A tall, scrawny waiter now leads both of them to an area where most pairs are being placed. Once they have settled down, the waiter then hands them over both of their menus and fishes out a notepad and a pen from his pocket.

Sakura's eyes almost bulge out of her sockets the moment she witnesses how expensive their foods and beverages in this restaurant are, much more expensive than the ones they have at the La la land Cafe. She looked at the guy seated in front of him almost wide-eyed, which he didn't seem to notice because his nose was buried right at the menu.

They aren't even friends, to begin with, yet why the heck did this guy suddenly decide to bring her to this kind of restaurant?

When Alan was able to choose what to order, he now lifted his head up and met the waiter's waiting gaze, who now prepares himself to write down his order. "I'll have one set of fried chili pork dumplings, a teriyaki chicken, and deep-fried basa rice, please. And oh, for the drink, I'll have one large iced tea "

To Sakura, he says, "So, have you already chosen what to order?"

Sakura is still in awe with all the price ranges of the dishes in this restaurant. She is already okay with fast-food chains such as McDonald's since it is cheap and very much affordable, rather than having this.

She leans her head a little bit closer so that she could whisper something to Alan without the waiter hearing it. Alan, on the other hand, looks a bit confused by this sudden notion and also leans his head a bit forward to hear her better.

"Don't you think it's a little bit expensive here? I don't have much money to pay." Even though she is a little bit embarrassed to admit it, but that's the truth. She just deducted her salary for paying the study table she ordered online, and Sakura couldn't afford to have a luxurious lunch after that.

Alan's face was filled with much amusement as he tried to stifle a laugh but ended up chuckling at Sakura's words. "You're funny."

"I am being serious here!" One more laugh from this guy and Sakura would walk out from here.

The guy must have sensed her genuine seriousness across her seat so he immediately stopped laughing. With a reassuring smile painted on his reddish lips, he says, "I said it's my treat, so don't you worry a thing and choose anything from the menu."

Sakura carefully examined first if the guy is really serious about this and ended up being convinced with his sincerity. Sighing, she admits, "Fine." and started scrolling over the menu.

"Then I will have fried tuna dumplings, chicken rice, and also one large iced tea, please," she said to the waiter as she looked at him. The waiter immediately wrote her order down on his notepad.

The waiter repeated their orders for confirmation. Once Alan gives a satisfying response, the waiter then scurries away towards their kitchen to get their orders down in a jiffy.

Once the waiter was gone to get their orders, it's time for Sakura to get down to business. She eyes the guy across her seat with suspicion with the inquiring look plastered on her face.

"So what is it that you want from me?"

Ever since that unpleasant incident involving his ex-boyfriend Yamamoto Ryuuji, Hayashi Sakura had become more hostile and anxious towards other people than she had already been. Every time someone, like Alan himself, suddenly becomes friendly with her out of the blue like this, she would instantly think that person has some pure motive behind that act. Mori Ken has also started to reach out to her in school and even sees him at work. She had spent enough time thinking about what his motives are but only ended up not knowing it at all.

And that's what she wants to know from this person seated across her.

On the other hand, Alan was genuinely fazed by her question. He finds it quite amusing for him to see this girl being hostile around him, when all he really wanted to do is to befriend her. For the first time since he saw her in school, Alan found a girl with a unique character such as her.

"Hayashi Sakura is your name, am I right?" he suddenly recalls while silently hoping that he got it correct. Alan could be sometimes bad with remembering names.

Annoyed that her question was not immediately answered, Sakura replies, "Yes, that's right."

"To answer your question earlier, Hayashi-san…" Alan said. "I just wanted to be friends with you, that is if it's okay with you. I don't have many friends in school, to be honest."

Sakura darts a skeptical look at the guy. With his natural good looks and charm, how could this guy claim that he has fewer friends in school?

Alan became self-conscious with her sudden look and asked, "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing. Just curious about something." Sakura won't give him satisfaction by answering his question directly, making Alan more anxious than before.

"So…?"

"Alright." Sakura finally agrees. "Since you're being genuinely kind to me, I think I'll consider you as my friend."

To her surprise, Alan did seem to be in really high spirits as soon as she said that. Their conversation ended there when the waiter from earlier has finally returned with a cart where their orders are placed.

They clapped their hands together and said in unison, "Itadakimasu!" before they finally started eating.

And just like that, Sakura has yet earned a nice, good-looking friend in the form of Yamaguchi Alan.