~Ms. Joke's POV~

I couldn't wait until lunchtime to try the bento Inki had made, but the morning dragged on for what felt like centuries. My morning probably would have gone by faster if I actually paid attention to what I was doing, I'd accidentally shredded several of my lesson plans when I'd gone to make copies. Then I locked myself out of my classroom which resulted in a stern scolding from Gaia as I had to go to the library to get the spare master key. Gaia's lectures always took forever.

My thoughts were plagued by Inki. For some reason, seeing her with that young hotshot Pro Hero, I felt odd. But after hearing how she described him and realizing their relationship wasn't romantic, I felt relieved. And I couldn't stop thinking about what she could have possibly made for lunch.

By the time lunch finally rolled around, I was ravenous with hunger and excited to see the adorable scaredy cat head of security. When I made it to the faculty lounge, I spotted the monochromatic girl pacing nervously in the middle of the room, muttering softly to herself about the lighting at each table and how none of them were right as she clutched the bento she'd made tightly in her hands.

"What ya doing?" I asked loudly and smiled as she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She spun around abruptly, her sleek black hair fanning out around her in perfect silken sheets. "I didn't know what table to sit at." Her voice was soft and morose.

I plopped down at the nearest one, "this one."

She looked as if she were making a mental note, cataloging it very carefully in her brain before slowly taking a seat. Her hands were shaking, she was gripping the bento so tight. Worrying that she might hurt herself, or our lunch with her death grip, I reached across the table for the bento but paused as I noticed her paper white fingers covered in various black and white bandaids. The tips of her fingers looked singed.

"What happened there?" I asked, worried as I looked at her maimed hands.

Her silver eyes glanced down at her trembling fingers, "I'm bad at cooking." She bit her lip nervously before abruptly getting to her feet. "We shouldn't eat this, it's going to be bad. I'm not good at anything." She rambled before quickly zipping toward the garbage can.

As she was about to slip past me, I reached out and swiped the bag from her hands, "oh no you don't! I've been looking forward to this all day!"

"No, it's probably poison." She protested and attempted to take it back as I quickly unwrapped it.

"I don't care if it is!" I declared dramatically, scooting my chair across the floor away from her. The chair gave a loud shriek as I shoved away from her.

"N-No!" Inki cried as I freed the bento from its wrapping and tossed aside the lid. The bento was arranged cutely, she'd even gone through the trouble of cutting carrots into cute little flowers.

I deftly swiped a flower carrot, scooped up some rice and a piece of fried chicken and popped all three in my mouth at once.

"No!" Inki panicked as I began to chew. She ran at me as I prepared to scoot away again. However, when I shoved off from the floor, the back legs of my chair got caught in the grout of the tile and I didn't budge. Inki, not realizing I hadn't actually moved, barreled right into me.The chair tipped over and the two of us and the beautiful bento went hurtling toward the floor.

Since Inki was a thin waif of a girl, I managed to catch her with one arm looped around her waist and keep the bento safe with my other hand as I fell, landing flat on my back. I laid there for a moment so I could taste my bite of food. The bento was quite possibly one of the best things I'd ever tasted. It definitely wasn't' the best cooked dish but I could tell how much effort she put into it and that made it taste like one of the best things I'd ever had.

Inki's entire face was covered in a strange gray blush and she hurriedly buried her face in her maimed hands.

"What on earth is all the racket?!" The door to the lounge flew open and Gaia stormed in. She paused, her eyes growing wide as she took in the scene of me lying flat on my back on the floor, with Inki on top of me. From her vantage point she wasn't able to see the glorious bento. Her cheeks reddened and she immediately left the room without a word, which seemed very strange for her. I was sure I was going to get the lecture to rule all lectures later.

"Yum!" I declared as I finally finished my bite of food.

Inki slowly peeled her fingers away from her face as I sat upright, placing her on the floor next to me. She watched me quietly as I took another much bigger bite of food. A small ghost of a smile spread across her gray lips as I devoured the entire bento.

"I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life." I declared with a grin as I finished the bento.

Inki's small ghost of a smile turned to a teeny tiny grin before she buried her face once more. She quietly shoved her own bento at me before fleeing the lounge.