Bento Boxes
Rhyme frowned over at Megumi, leaning heavily on her hand as she watched his desk. He was attentively taking notes, as he always did. However, now that they were on lunch break… he was still taking notes. Or, writing at the very least.
Due to the fact that most students in Japan eat their lunches in the classroom (no cafeterias for these kids) Rhyme had a perfectly made bento box on her desk. Thanks to Beat. Ignoring the grumbling of her stomach, Rhyme got to her feet and walked over to his desk to see what he was writing. As if he’d heard her approach, he moved his hand over the paper automatically.
“Rhyme,” he stated after he’d looked up at her. “Snooping in someone else’s business? Are you sure that you’re the saint all the teachers seem to think you are?” Rhyme ignored the jab. It was something that she’d let slip to him during one of their chess matches, that she was usually held in high standing by the teachers.
“Sorry,” Rhyme giggled, leaning against his desk and crossing her arms behind herself loosely. “I promise I won’t look if you don’t want me to see.”
Megumi grunted, turning his head as if he was looking at something behind her. A frown formed upon his face and Rhyme couldn’t help but turn to look. There were people gathered around her desk. She felt her heart rate increase and her own playful smile curve down into a frown. Rhyme walked over to her desk quickly. “Excuse me.”
The other kids looked at her sharply and backed away, clearing from her desk. There, she saw what they had been doing. Some of them had been eating her food! For a moment, her mouth dropped open before she closed it. She said nothing, opting instead to pick up her bento box and walk back to Megumi silently. Her hand hurt from how hard she was clenching the box.
“Where they…” Megumi started, but trailed off as he glanced down at her box, which had a few pieces missing. “Ah.”
Rhyme felt her ears begin to burn a little from the sounds of laughter behind her, but she did her best to ignore it. She sat down in the chair next to Megumi, back straight, staring evenly at her food. It wouldn’t last long. It never did. Eventually they would get distracted with something else, and that would be that.
“They’re like animals,” she heard Megumi mumble, and she turned to look at him. Rhyme thoughtlessly opened her mouth to argue against that, but… found that she couldn’t find the words to argue with. It alarmed her how much she agreed with that. She didn’t want to. She was Raimu Bito, the one who believed in everyone. She was the optimist.
“They’re children,” Rhyme sighed, picking at some of the defiled food in her box.
“So are we. I don’t find that to be a particularly acceptable excuse for the behavior,” Megumi countered, folding the paper and putting it into his pocket.
“What’s the paper for?” Rhyme asked seeing as her curiosity was piqued.
“Changing the subject?” Megumi chuckled lightly, looking over at her. There was a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Rhyme couldn’t help but smile at that. It looked like he was trying not to smirk, but it wasn’t quite working.
“I prefer not to talk about subjects I don’t care for,” Rhyme nodded, leaning on her elbow now. Absentmindedly, she began eating from her bento box. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Megumi shook his head. “I don’t have a box. Not that it’s any of your business,” he chided her. Rhyme put on a mocking sad face and tilted her head away.
“Oh, dear, snubbed again in my quest for information,” Rhyme sighed, a tiny grin breaking through her façade.
“I told you the information you need to know,” Megumi sighed as well, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You know I don’t particularly care for drama, Rhyme.”
Rhyme shrugged in return, dropping the act all together. “Sorry. And… how about this: to make up for my outburst and intense curiosity, how about I share my bento box with you?”
Megumi shook his head, frowning a little now. “No, you’ve already lost food to our classmates. And it would hardly be far of me to take more from you.”
Rhyme smiled wider. “No, I want to share with you, Megumi. You warned me about them, so… you deserve a reward.”
“The kindness of Raimu Bito knows no bounds, rewarding me like a common dog, mm?” Megumi smirked fully now.
“Oh, don’t say that,” Rhyme frowned playfully at him. “You know just as well as I do that I am not treating you like a dog. I’m treating you like a friend that I want to share my food with. But… if I was treating you like a dog, I’d put a collar on you. It’d have a nice tag shaped like a bone and say: “rabies.”
“Charming,” He replied drolly, looking rather unimpressed with her. But, Rhyme could have sworn she saw the corner of his lip twitch up a little. Mission accomplished… well, more like a sub-mission. Right now, she wanted to share food with him, so amusing him fell into a not-as-important category.
“I try my best to impress the masses,” Rhyme giggled. “Comedy hour always starts at lunch time for me.”
“I’ll be sure to skip then,” he sniped playfully, “I only listen to the highest quality comedians.”
“And you’re saying that I don’t meet your standard?” Rhyme huffed at him, pushing her bento box over to him. “Now eat with me. I can’t finish this all by myself, and I don’t want to waste food.”
“First of all, you could easily take home the food and refrigerate it for tomorrow. Second of all, you should make boxes with less food if that’s going to be a problem. Lastly, you don’t have a second pair of chopsticks. Do you want me to eat with my hands?”
“Well…ummm….” Rhyme sighed, realizing that he was right. Of course, an idea occurred to her a second later. She picked a piece of food up with her chopsticks and held it out for him to eat. “Open up.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Megumi said, his voice a deadpan. “Not even if you were on your death bed.”
“Ouch,” Rhyme giggled, popping the piece into her mouth. “Well, how about tomorrow I bring in an extra pair of chopsticks, just for you?”
“I’ll just bring my own food,” Megumi sighed.
Due to the fact that most students in Japan eat their lunches in the classroom (no cafeterias for these kids) Rhyme had a perfectly made bento box on her desk. Thanks to Beat. Ignoring the grumbling of her stomach, Rhyme got to her feet and walked over to his desk to see what he was writing. As if he’d heard her approach, he moved his hand over the paper automatically.
“Rhyme,” he stated after he’d looked up at her. “Snooping in someone else’s business? Are you sure that you’re the saint all the teachers seem to think you are?” Rhyme ignored the jab. It was something that she’d let slip to him during one of their chess matches, that she was usually held in high standing by the teachers.
“Sorry,” Rhyme giggled, leaning against his desk and crossing her arms behind herself loosely. “I promise I won’t look if you don’t want me to see.”
Megumi grunted, turning his head as if he was looking at something behind her. A frown formed upon his face and Rhyme couldn’t help but turn to look. There were people gathered around her desk. She felt her heart rate increase and her own playful smile curve down into a frown. Rhyme walked over to her desk quickly. “Excuse me.”
The other kids looked at her sharply and backed away, clearing from her desk. There, she saw what they had been doing. Some of them had been eating her food! For a moment, her mouth dropped open before she closed it. She said nothing, opting instead to pick up her bento box and walk back to Megumi silently. Her hand hurt from how hard she was clenching the box.
“Where they…” Megumi started, but trailed off as he glanced down at her box, which had a few pieces missing. “Ah.”
Rhyme felt her ears begin to burn a little from the sounds of laughter behind her, but she did her best to ignore it. She sat down in the chair next to Megumi, back straight, staring evenly at her food. It wouldn’t last long. It never did. Eventually they would get distracted with something else, and that would be that.
“They’re like animals,” she heard Megumi mumble, and she turned to look at him. Rhyme thoughtlessly opened her mouth to argue against that, but… found that she couldn’t find the words to argue with. It alarmed her how much she agreed with that. She didn’t want to. She was Raimu Bito, the one who believed in everyone. She was the optimist.
“They’re children,” Rhyme sighed, picking at some of the defiled food in her box.
“So are we. I don’t find that to be a particularly acceptable excuse for the behavior,” Megumi countered, folding the paper and putting it into his pocket.
“What’s the paper for?” Rhyme asked seeing as her curiosity was piqued.
“Changing the subject?” Megumi chuckled lightly, looking over at her. There was a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Rhyme couldn’t help but smile at that. It looked like he was trying not to smirk, but it wasn’t quite working.
“I prefer not to talk about subjects I don’t care for,” Rhyme nodded, leaning on her elbow now. Absentmindedly, she began eating from her bento box. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Megumi shook his head. “I don’t have a box. Not that it’s any of your business,” he chided her. Rhyme put on a mocking sad face and tilted her head away.
“Oh, dear, snubbed again in my quest for information,” Rhyme sighed, a tiny grin breaking through her façade.
“I told you the information you need to know,” Megumi sighed as well, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You know I don’t particularly care for drama, Rhyme.”
Rhyme shrugged in return, dropping the act all together. “Sorry. And… how about this: to make up for my outburst and intense curiosity, how about I share my bento box with you?”
Megumi shook his head, frowning a little now. “No, you’ve already lost food to our classmates. And it would hardly be far of me to take more from you.”
Rhyme smiled wider. “No, I want to share with you, Megumi. You warned me about them, so… you deserve a reward.”
“The kindness of Raimu Bito knows no bounds, rewarding me like a common dog, mm?” Megumi smirked fully now.
“Oh, don’t say that,” Rhyme frowned playfully at him. “You know just as well as I do that I am not treating you like a dog. I’m treating you like a friend that I want to share my food with. But… if I was treating you like a dog, I’d put a collar on you. It’d have a nice tag shaped like a bone and say: “rabies.”
“Charming,” He replied drolly, looking rather unimpressed with her. But, Rhyme could have sworn she saw the corner of his lip twitch up a little. Mission accomplished… well, more like a sub-mission. Right now, she wanted to share food with him, so amusing him fell into a not-as-important category.
“I try my best to impress the masses,” Rhyme giggled. “Comedy hour always starts at lunch time for me.”
“I’ll be sure to skip then,” he sniped playfully, “I only listen to the highest quality comedians.”
“And you’re saying that I don’t meet your standard?” Rhyme huffed at him, pushing her bento box over to him. “Now eat with me. I can’t finish this all by myself, and I don’t want to waste food.”
“First of all, you could easily take home the food and refrigerate it for tomorrow. Second of all, you should make boxes with less food if that’s going to be a problem. Lastly, you don’t have a second pair of chopsticks. Do you want me to eat with my hands?”
“Well…ummm….” Rhyme sighed, realizing that he was right. Of course, an idea occurred to her a second later. She picked a piece of food up with her chopsticks and held it out for him to eat. “Open up.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Megumi said, his voice a deadpan. “Not even if you were on your death bed.”
“Ouch,” Rhyme giggled, popping the piece into her mouth. “Well, how about tomorrow I bring in an extra pair of chopsticks, just for you?”
“I’ll just bring my own food,” Megumi sighed.