Favour

"No offense, but there have been too many uninvited guests lately," Midori remarked, aggressively puffing her rice without even looking up.

I turned back to Akari to gauge her reaction. Her sweet smile had vanished, replaced by a blank expression. Though she maintained a composed demeanor, it was clear from the intensity of her gaze that she was annoyed. 

"None taken. However, I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself, as you are not the reason for my coming here," Akari replied. Her eyes flicked briefly at Midori before looking away, clearly uninterested in furthering the conversation.

"Also, I'd like to remind you that the world doesn't revolve around you," she added, shooting Midori a sharp, piercing look.

"I'm simply pointing out that Eric-kun's girlfriend might not appreciate your presence here," Midori replied, finally looking up. Her voice held a firm resolve; she wasn't about to yield.

"That matter will be settled between Eric-kun's girlfriend and me, which you are not. And if our presence bothers you so much, Eric-kun and I can move to a more private area," Akari replied, her hostility towards Midori palpable.

I don't really care if you two go back and forth, but I feel like I got caught in the crossfire when you dragged me into this argument.

Midori shot Akari a venomous glare. "Hmph," she grunted, snatching up her lunch and storming out of the classroom, with Souma following close behind.

It seemed Akari came to our class prepared for battle, and it looked like she had emerged victorious.

Throughout the entire argument, the whole class, including me, remained silent. Even some neighboring students, who had come to eavesdrop, watched in hushed anticipation. The tension in the air was palpable, and no one dared to interrupt.

"I brought onigiri today," Akari announced, breaking the silence. Her smile had returned, as if the heated exchange with Midori had never happened.

"Thank you for your hard work," I replied, opening the lunch box. By this point, I had given up on refusing her offers; each attempt only added to my mounting failures.

"It was no trouble at all," she replied, grabbing a chair and sitting on it backwards to face me. "In fact, I enjoyed it," she added, a satisfied smile playing on her lips and a gleam of pride in her eyes.

I finished lunch while engaging in small talk with Akari.

"By the way, I promised you an after-school date, right?" I asked casually, my tone neutral and betraying no reaction.

My question snapped Akari out of her thoughts. She had been sitting in front of me with her head resting on her hand, a small smile playing on her lips, clearly enjoying the moment.

"No, silly," she corrected me with a playful smile. "You promised to come over to my house after school so I could teach you how to make beef curry."

Truth be told, I already knew that I hadn't promised her an after-school date. It was a calculated move on my part to uncover any mention of the promise without raising suspicion or making her feel insecure.

In my previous life, I used to spend my spare time tinkering with C++ and Python just for fun.

Whenever I had an error in my code, I'd turn to Reddit, tossing my buggy snippets out there for help. To spice things up a bit, I'd occasionally switch over to an alternate account and throw in some intentionally incorrect answers to my own questions.

It was always a laugh to see how quickly others would swoop in to set the record straight.

What I'm trying to say is that while people often assist others out of goodwill, their true enjoyment comes from the satisfaction of correcting someone else's errors.

"That's all?" I asked, seeking confirmation that there wasn't anything more to it.

Suddenly, she stood up and leaned over the table, bringing her mouth close to my ear to whisper. Her unexpected action surprised both me and everyone in the class.

"You promised me a favor in return, no matter what it may be, and I won't accept any takebacks," she whispered in a seductive tone.

"Don't worry, I won't," I replied calmly, maintaining a nonchalant expression to avoid reacting to her playful antics.

"Hmm, perfect," she smiled contentedly, stepping back with a satisfied expression.

"Then I'll be leaving. See you after school," she said, rising with the lunch box in hand. It marked the first time she hadn't stayed for the entire lunch break.

_____

So, here's what I figured out: I didn't explicitly promise to have sex; it was just a favor granted to her. However, considering the earlier incident, it's likely that Akari would choose a sexual route for that favor.

And after seeing her nudes, I'm even more conflicted. I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. The situation is complicated, blurring the lines between desire and doubt, making it harder to understand what I truly feel about her intentions.

Well, let's set that aside for now. Maybe the solution will reveal itself when the time comes.

A few moments later, the bell signaling the end of the lunch break rang. Students who had come to eat in our class and those who had gone outside for lunch began streaming in and out of the classroom.

Among them, Midori entered with a pronounced pout on her cheeks, making it obvious she was upset about something, Maybe she had an argument with Souma, or perhaps she was still mad about her earlier argument with Akari. Who knows?

Let's hope her anger subsides with time. I'm not about to pry and ask her what's wrong; it's best to give her space to cool down naturally. Besides, it just seems like too much of a hassle right now.

____________

Hi author here

I have a question for you

Why is 'abbreviation' such a long word?

Also thanks for reading it ^∆^