{The Distance Between Us 1}

There was no one else in the park except for the two of us.

That doesn’t mean it was quiet, though. Cars were constantly driving down the main street in front of the park, and the chirping sound from the traffic signal echoed from a distance. Looking up at the trees planted around us, I could see even taller buildings, reminding me that we were in the middle of a city full of skyscrapers.

Still, none of that affected our pleasant lunch.

We picked the bench farthest in, from a wide selection, and sat down side by side.

“I bought two types, so pick whichever one you like.”

Miyu said as she opened the lids of the lunchboxes.

One was the croquette bento that she had sent me a picture of the other day. Today’s croquettes were fried to a nice golden brown, and the white potato salad on the side looked delicious. The rice was covered with seaweed, which was a nice touch.

The other was the classic fried chicken bento. This one also had a good color, and the side dish of kinpira gobo (stir-fried burdock root) caught my attention.

But in the end, I chose the croquette bento. Ever since she showed me the picture, I’d been curious about its taste.

“Are you sure you want that one?”

“Yeah, since you had it before, I just really wanted to try it.”

When I nodded at her question, Miyu looked a little pleased.

“I thought that picture came out really well.”

“It really did look delicious.”

“I asked someone at work for tips—they said close-up shots are the best. The angle is also important…”

Taking pictures of important products is probably not uncommon at a bento shop, and it might even be the key to successful promotion. As she talked about that at work, she seemed more and more like a responsible adult, which made me admire her even more.

It’s not that I wasn’t interested. In fact, I was. I’ve imagined what Miyu’s work life might be like.

But until today, I had never asked.

Today, I came here on impulse. Honestly, I’m feeling a bit nervous.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Miyu, in her work uniform, was her usual self. She handed me a pair of chopsticks and a bottle of roasted green tea.

“Let’s eat!”

“…Let’s eat.”

We put our hands together in a small gesture of gratitude before eating.

Sitting next to her felt somewhat nostalgic, like it had been a while.

The croquette bento was just as tasty as I imagined from the picture.

Even though it had cooled down, the coating was still crispy, and the slightly spicy seasoning made the rice go down easily. It was delicious with or without sauce. The potato salad, filled with ingredients like carrots and edamame, was more filling than it looked and went well with the rice, too.

Miyu gave me one of her fried chicken pieces, so I cut a croquette with my chopsticks and traded her. The fried chicken was well-seasoned, and it was also delicious. I thought I might go for the fried chicken bento next time.

Even though the traffic outside was still busy, inside the park, all I could smell was the fresh greenery of the trees and grass. When I looked up, there was a clear blue sky above the tops of the buildings, and the warm sunlight bathed the area in a gentle glow.

It was the perfect day for a picnic.

We finished lunch in about fifteen minutes and sipped the still-cold roasted tea, taking a breather.

“Thanks for the meal, it was really delicious.”

When I said that, Miyu’s face lit up as if she had just been praised for her own cooking.

“Thank you. I’ll let everyone know.”

Then, with a slight hesitation, she continued.

“Actually, everyone knows that you’re here. I explained it before I came.”

“Explained what?”

“Um… that… my boyfriend is here…”

Even though we’ve been dating for more than two years and are now living together, she still struggled to say that word. She could’ve just said it more casually.

But I understood. I had met some of her coworkers once—just by chance at an izakaya (a Japanese pub) where we bumped into them, and I saw her getting teased. So I could imagine what it’s like. After she goes back, I’m sure they’ll ask her about how things went and tease her again when she blushes.

“Sorry for inviting you so suddenly. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

As I said that, Miyu quickly shook her head.

“No, I was really happy.”

“I’ve always wanted to see where you work at least once.”

“There’s really nothing interesting about it, though. It’s just a regular office job.”

She laughed as she said that, but I have yet to experience even a “regular office job.” Though I do handle invoices in my convenience store job, for now, I’m just following what I’ve been taught.