Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 2 Chapter 9 (section)

==Part 3==

Under the expansive, clear autumn sky, Naoto, Raquel, and Haruka had come to the rooftop of Shinkawahama First High School. The morning classes had gone smoothly, and they had a few minutes before the afternoon classes began. In other words, it was lunchtime.

Since there were no student council meetings that morning or afternoon, they were finally able to eat lunch together after a long time.

"I got a little carried away and made a lot, so dig in!" Haruka spread out a small leisure sheet she had brought from home and opened a lavish three-tiered bento box at its center.

The contents were just as extravagant as the bento box itself. Starting with Haruka’s signature tamagoyaki, chunky fried chicken, potato salad, and cherry tomatoes—regulars in the Hayami family’s bento—there were also asparagus wrapped in meat, homemade pickles, stir-fried sausage and potatoes, glazed carrots, fried eggplants, and so on, all packed in with a rich variety of colors.

In addition, each of them was given an onigiri wrapped in nori seaweed: two for Naoto and one each for Raquel and Haruka.

Looking at the large onigiri and the extravagant hanami bento spread out before him, Naoto couldn’t help but make a remark. He propped his chin on his hand as he sat cross-legged.

"You know this is for three people, right? There’s no way we can finish all this..." Despite being a high school boy, Naoto wasn't an exceptionally big eater. Of course, neither were Haruka or Raquel.

Haruka must have realized that she had gone overboard. With a slightly embarrassed but happy smile, she said, "But if we each eat one layer, I think we'll be okay." 

"If we can eat one layer," Naoto replied. 

Considering Haruka and Raquel's usual eating habits, it seemed like quite a stretch. In other words, he would end up eating more than one layer. With that in mind, Naoto accepted the paper plate and chopsticks that Haruka handed him.

A small wet wipe came with it. She was too prepared. It was like a field trip.

"Here you go, Raquel-chan, a plate for you too. Oh, do you want to take something?" Haruka handed Raquel a paper plate and fork with a cheerful smile.

Until then, Raquel had been staring intently at the bento without saying a word. When she was called, she looked up in surprise.

"U-uh, um, anything is... fine, I guess."

"Okay, then I’ll just grab whatever..." Haruka’s serving chopsticks wandered over the bento, nimbly picking up various side dishes. Following her lead, Naoto also took some side dishes for his plate and put his hands together.

"Itadakimasu!"

The first thing Naoto chose was the tamagoyaki. Perfectly round and fluffy, it was subtly sweet. The familiar taste brought him a sense of relief.

"How is it?" Haruka leaned in with a hint of expectation as she passed a plate piled with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables to Raquel. After chewing carefully and swallowing, Naoto nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, it's delicious. Well, it's always good."

"I'm glad! Fufufu, Nao-kun is so good at complimenting people."

"What’s that supposed to mean? And you’re pretty cheerful today," he said, glancing at Raquel beside him.

Raquel, who was holding a piece of carrot gratin with her fork, nodded seriously. "Somehow... it feels like there are flowers blooming all around me." 

Wondering why she was in such a good mood, Raquel bit into the glazed carrot. Immediately, her eyes sparkled.

Although not as obvious as Haruka, Raquel was also very easy to read in situations like this. Naoto couldn't help but smile and took a bite of his onigiri. He didn’t mind the feeling of the nori seaweed stretching as he bit into the rice.

Mimicking him, Haruka took a bite of her rice ball. "Well, I haven't had breakfast or lunch together for about a week."

"But you’ve been eating dinner with us, right?" 

A week was a bit of an exaggeration. Naoto stuffed his mouth with fried chicken, the fragrant ginger warming his stomach.

"Yeah, but... but it's been a long time since we've had breakfast and lunch together, right?"

"I guess so."

It was true. Naoto had felt a little lonely during lunches without Haruka's bento, and the mornings when Haruka didn't come to wake him up had been a rush every minute of every day.

(I need to become more independent)

This was like being a child dependent on his mother. Naoto reached for the meat-wrapped vegetables while reflecting on this.

"Hey, Nao-kun, there's something I wanted to ask you, remember?" Haruka began hesitantly, setting her plate aside and poking a small straw into her strawberry milk carton. She smiled shyly, and the pink in her cheeks deepened slightly. Naoto tilted his head, not understanding what she was talking about. 

"Remember what?"

"I mean, the other day, when Saya-chan came to your house."

"Oh, right. I caused a bit of trouble then..." Before Naoto could finish his sentence, Haruka interrupted him in a flustered tone. She leaned forward, almost crushing the juice carton in her lap. 

"No, it's not that! Before that! Before Saya came... um..." She trailed off. But even Naoto, dense as he was, figured out what she was trying to say.

"Ah..." He didn't know how to respond. He looked around, confused. He hadn't meant to, but he was suddenly reminded of that day. It was a cool afternoon, and they had been on the balcony with the laundry flapping in the breeze. They had kissed…

“It’s my first time,” Haruka had said with a smile. Remembering the look on Haruka’s face, Naoto felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He had forgotten. He had lied to Haruka that day. The kiss had probably been very important to her. 

"Y-yeah, I remember, but..." A hint of guilt made Naoto's words falter. He ended up sounding evasive. He took a sip from the café au lait pack to cover his embarrassment.

But Haruka smiled, relieved, and placed her hand on her chest. "I-I'm glad. No, it's not that. I mean, it's nothing… It’s a bit lonely, but it’s not like I want you to do anything about it…"

Haruka's words became tangled and she started to speak faster. Naoto couldn't keep up and opened his mouth in confusion.

Noticing his expression, Haruka closed her mouth as if coming to her senses. After taking a deep breath, she shrugged her shoulders with a shy smile. "Um... so, I just wanted to spend more time with you, Nao-kun. I'm happy that we have even a little time together like this. That's all."

"O-oh, I see," Naoto replied, feeling a little embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head with his chopsticks and took a bite of his onigiri. The taste of the pickled plum was refreshing.

"Haruka really wants to be with you, Naoto," Raquel chimed in, having been quietly listening to their conversation while diligently eating her tamagoyaki.

Haruka jumped slightly, her hand flying to her chest. "Huh? Oh, um… yeah." At first, she was flustered, but then she nodded honestly. She smiled, making Naoto even more unsure of what to do.

Haruka held the strawberry milk carton in her lap and looked up at Raquel with a serious expression. Her kind, big eyes were fixed directly on Raquel. "Of course, I want to be with Raquel-chan too. Family is supposed to be together, right? Raquel-chan is almost like family to me too." She tilted her head and smiled.

Raquel, who was just about to put a piece of tamagoyaki in her mouth, rounded her eyes and looked down, seeming perplexed. 

Naoto, who had grown accustomed to Raquel's expressions, couldn't tell if she was happy or not. But Haruka seemed to take it positively. With the same cheerful expression she had when she spread out the bento, she picked up a piece of cauliflower from the pickles she had made.

(Family...)

Naoto pondered this bitter thought. For Naoto, his family was more like Haruka and Yuki than his blood-related sister. But they weren't his real siblings or mother.

His real sister was Saya. No matter what the circumstances, no matter what grudges he held.

He had lied to Haruka. The first person he had ever kissed was Saya. And it hadn't been a loving kiss. Five years ago, on the day Saya had killed his family with Soul Eater, she had forced herself on him. She had said it was the most efficient way to drain his life force.

"Right! Hey, once the culture festival is over, the student council work will settle down. Why don’t we all go out somewhere together?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Naoto replied, nodding to Haruka's cheerful voice, but his mind wasn't on his friend.

Despite the beautiful weather and delicious lunch, his head was filled with troubling matters. Saya, Spinner, Apostles, and... the “Azure”.

After tomorrow, classes would end early, and the entire student body would be busy preparing for the cultural festival. There was only a week left until the festival. He wanted to take care of these troublesome matters before then.

(And speaking of Saya... I haven't seen her at all since then)

Given his younger sister’s diligent nature, he had expected to be pursued daily, constantly feeling her threat.

(I wonder where she is right now)

A mix of annoyance, worry, and indignation welled up in his chest, making him feel uneasy. To clear his head, Naoto took a big bite of his onigiri, including the pickled plum.