BENTO.

Two weeks since Shuu's departure.

"Oi! Don't forget your bag orange hair!" Yuuma yelled from the kitchen.

"And your lunch! Hide-kun!" Aliza said in a hurry. She had already taken a liking to Hide and started to see him as her younger brother.

"Alright, Aliza-Oneesan!" Hide said cheerfully, packed his lunch in his bag, and entered a luxurious car.

"Remember to show restraint in school. You are basically a superhuman compared to your peers. I don't want to hear any reports of you breaking Olympic records in any of the sports you play is that understood!" Matsumae admonished Hide while Hide nodded his head with a sheepish smile.

"It is fine, he has his weighted bracelets on." Mairo added as he walked up to the car Hide entered.

"Isn't this a little too much? I mean the expensive car dropping me at school is already bringing unwanted attention to me and now these expensive-looking bracelets. My bullies are now becoming my friends with each passing day and my teachers are even nicer to me than before! I hope Shuu didn't threaten anyone?" Hide complained but made everyone around him flick their tongues in pain because they were ordered not to enforce any act of discipline on the boy. They acted like that because he addressed their young master so casually.

Mairo quickly stepped in before Matsumae lost her cool.

"Your means of transportation is of course important and mandatory, your weighted bracelets are in fact expensive not expensive looking. And SHUU-SAMA doesn't need to belittle himself in threatening mere teachers to know how to behave. Off you go." Mairo concluded and tapped the top of the car as the driver started the engine and drove out of the estate.

"That boy!" Matsumae almost popped a vein when she remembered Hide's careless convo earlier.

"Hey! It is alright why don't we spar a little to take our minds off things." Mairo suggested. Matsumae smiled at that suggestion and followed Mairo to Shuu's gym.

Hide soon arrived at school and walked out of the sleek-looking car that had just stopped in front of the gate. Hide immediately got out of the car before the driver came out to open the door again like last time. He didn't hear the end of it when the physical education teacher at the gate saw that and lectured him on humility and responsibility. Hide wanted to argue that he could get the door just fine on his own but sat through it all.

"Oh, glad to see you are taking my advice Hide." A man of average height and decent build in a black tracksuit said as he saw Hide hurry inside. Hide smiled with his eyes closed and rushed in.

'I still can't believe it though even though I am seeing it.' Hide thought. He could almost see trails of different scents belonging to different people but it was very faint and easily transparent. He picked up Kaneki's trail and followed it to a playground with swings where Kaneki sat alone and was reading a book.

"Oi!" Hide yelled as he ran up to Kaneki.

Kaneki Ken who was engrossed in a book earlier and shut off the surrounding sounds and noise looked u from his book.

'Of course, it's only him that can break my concentration.' Ken thought as he smiled warmly at the thought.

"Hide-kun you shouldn't be shouting so early in the morning before assembly." Kaaneki got u from his swing and walked to greet his friend.

Hide walked up to his childhood friend and hugged him.

"Hide, I know from the car that dropped you a few times now in school that your new foster family is quite rich. But I hope you are okay?" Ken asked with true concern for his friend they were both orphaned early but still had people taking care of them for the time being.

On Ken's side, His mother's sister (His aunt had contributed to the stress and overworking on his late mother by making up excuses and requesting financial aid frequently. Still, even after helping his aunt continuously, his aunt never treated Ken with affection or care. If anything, she felt obligated to take in Ken and take care of him until he turned eighteen at least. She also trampled on his hobby of reading by throwing away his books sometimes under the guise of cleaning.

There was a time Hide lent Ken a magazine but his aunt also threw that away and Ken found it hard to tell his one true friend this so as not to lose his trust but decided to tell him in the end since he had been silent about it for some time. But Hide being too mature and understanding for his age understood Ken's troubles.

Now that Hide was living somewhat comfortably amongst mankind's natural predators, he could pack extra helpings in his lunch pack inside his bag.

"Do you really think anyone can mess with Red Ranger Hide!" Hide said as he made a pose.

Ken looked at him with a deadpan expression and was sure now that his worries were for not.

"Anyway I brought extra food for us why don't we go to the roof and eat some." Hide said as he grabbed Ken in an armlock and rubbed his head with a knuckle.

"Stop that! You know assembly will soon start and the seniors are probably there to make sure no student disobeys or goes there." Ken said as he freed himself from Hide's hold but didn't fail to notice the shine on Hide's black bracelet that had a golden rose inscription on it.

"Hmm, I can see your new family really loves you to spend so much on you." Ken smiled as he pointed at Hides bracelets. Hide sighed internally at that but smiled at Ken.

"C'mon let us go you scardey cat!" Hide said as he began pushing Ken forward into the school building.

Hide and Ken eventually made their way to the roof. A few students were on the roof doing different things. There was a couple that had just finished making out, a male student smoking and minding his business, and two burly boys that had unbuttoned shirts standing at the door that led to the roof.

Apparently, the seniors didn't need to worry about any teacher coming to check or barge in for some reason. The boys in front of the door saw Hide and nodded as Hide and Ken were let through.

Ken was surprised that he wasn't scolded or given a beating but was just let through like that.

"Let's go there. These guys were so kind as to keep a good spot for me that overlooked the city." Hide said and let Ken to a secluded art of the roof that gave a view of the other side of the school.

The sunlight touched everywhere nook and crevice in the streets, birds were chirping cheerfully and others looking for their mates.

Hide and Ken sat down and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. The cold season(Winter) had just ended but the atmosphere was still cold anyway the sun bathed them in its light and warmed them a little.

Hide brought his bag in front of him and brought two black rectangular boxes that had the same golden inscription of a rose on his bracelet on it. He passed a box to Ken who looked at him and declined politely. Hide just dropped it on his lap and laid the other in front of him.

"Here." Hide passed a pair of chopsticks to Ken who accepted this time and smiled.

Hide clasped his hands with his chopstick in the middle and said a quick prayer, the same act was mirrored by Ken as well.

"Itadakimasu(I humbly receive)!" Ken said happily.

"Douzo(Go on/help yourself)." Hide relied.

"Woah! It's been a long time since I had steak! I remember one Christmas when I was little and my mom was given a bonus… We went out and had steak." Ken was surprised to see the assortment in his box. There were prime cuts of steak and rice with egg and salad on the side. Ken was lost for words and immersed himself in eating.

"OH! The steak is delicately seasoned as if the chef is handling a rare item and it is cooked to right the texture that it just melts in your mouth after the first bite. What is this?! The combined taste of the sunny side egg and the steak compliments the rice so well." Ken paused as he closed his eyes to appreciate the art that Aliza created in a bento box. He placed a palm on his right cheek and took a moment to savour that experience.

"How can someone so good insult themselves into making this into a bento box? Wars could be fought over this, Kings would do anything to make this chef theirs. This Chef should be out there sharing their art with the world!" Ken exclaimed but calmed down when some of the seniors looked at him.

Hide looked at his bento box as if he was looking for something but remembered what Shuu told him. He remembered him saying something about ghouls trying to live amongst humans and trying to behave and conduct themselves in a human-like way.

'Ghouls trying to live as humans, hmph!' Hide thought and took a eat from his bento box.

"Ah!" Hide exclaimed but reduced his voice.

'I have eaten Aliza's food most of the time but something is different about this one. Her food is normally top tier but it feels and tastes like it was made for me.' Hide thought as his eyes were widened. He soon resumed eating and skipped assembly with Ken as they talked on the roof and dozed off.

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Thanks for reading. Empty those power stones.

Just because you didn't see Shuus workout being mentioned does not mean you shouldn't workout as well. Enjoy this read and have a lovely Friday.

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