Ben-to

On the evening of April 6, 2011, I died.

Mom, this guy's not moving.

I wonder what time it is.

Bento...

Huh?

"#01: Stick with It, Natto Okra Rice Bowl with Cheese Topping Bento 440kcal"

The moon is dyed red tonight

The hungry beasts gather

They lick their chops at the delicious aroma

They glare at each other, dead or alive

Everyone has something he can't part with

Knock him down, and he'll keep getting back up

This world's survival of the fittest, so don't let them feed you

Go fight and get your own

Risk your pride, wolves until we die

I don't plan on being a loser

Sweat is spice, our scars glisten

Savor the taste of victory, and go on to the next stage

What was my life all about, anyway?

I was born fifteen years ago,

and Sega's been part of my life for fourteen of those years.

My parents are both alive and well.

The only sticking points were when I was little

and I nearly got blown up where my dad works,

and how I was in junior high before I realized

you're supposed to buy a ticket to get through a ticket gate.

Otherwise, I led an extremely normal life.

Well, there was that time in ninth grade when I sold

three million DVDs of prime time TV shows to my classmate Ishioka.

Another one?

Well, I guess I can't be dead if I'm this hungry.

Hey, he's bleeding...

He looks surprisingly fine, though.

Still, what was I doing on the floor back there?

Well...

Cup Noodles Corner

They're out.

Chikuwa

Thank you!

Sure thing.

What'd she say, then?

"Like"? "Love"?

It couldn't be!

Take me!

Oh, wow! I'm not even out of high school yet!

Oh no!

Hey! Somebody call an ambulance!

That's the story of my first day of high school.

Man, now my second day starts out in an emergency hospital?

And I can't remember what happened yesterday...

S-Saito...

Uh, Saito!

Me? I'm Sato... Yo Sato.

Oh, that's right! It's Sato!

Sato, Sato...

I beg your pardon.

It's a relief to see you're okay, though, Saito!

Wow, bruises!

Contusions in 28 places, and a sprained left arm and right ankle!

That's amazing! Did you have any broken ribs or anything?

No, nothing that bad...

Oh, I see. Then you didn't sneak out of the hospital.

The hospital asked my parents,

"Should we keep him here, to be safe?"

They said, "If he's breathing, kick him out." Then they hung up.

That translates to "We won't pay the bill!"

The hospital was kind enough to let me stay one night.

But that doesn't change the fact that you're injured.

I'll make do!

Uh, okay...

I'd rather it were something I could see more easily...

It's strange, though. I remember

being hungry yesterday and going to the supermarket to buy a bento,

but the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital.

Are you saying you don't remember yesterday?

You don't remember me, either?!

Huh? Did I meet you?

C-Crap!

- You don't remember me! - Slow down, Yo Sato!

- That's so mean! - Making a girl cry the moment you enter senior high is a bit much!

- It's enough to make me cry! - Making a girl cry the moment you enter senior high is a bit much!

If you don't remember, you must have lost your memory!

In other words, you're a man who's thrown away his past!

Yeah, yeah, yeah! This could work, Saito!

By the way, if you were at that supermarket yesterday,

tell me what happened.

You don't need to know! It's not important!

Morning!

Hi!

Huh? She looks familiar.

Umm, where've I seen her...?

Oh yeah, that was when!

She was at the supermarket yesterday, staring at me.

It must mean she likes me!

Huh?

Wha...?

Um, yes?

What, weren't you going to help carry these?

Red means she's in eleventh grade, so she's my upperclassman.

Are these all bento containers?

Today is plastic trash day.

Still, there sure are a lot of them.

I forgot to take out the trash before spring break.

Today's the first plastic trash day since break ended.

How much had piled up before spring break?

Why not throw some of it out before this much piles up?

You don't separate your trash?

Are you Americanized?

Plastic trash is once a week.

Um, well...

Besides, there's no one in the club who'll throw out the trash but me.

What club are you in?

You were watching me from outside the supermarket yesterday.

- What did you... - Stay away from the supermarket.

Food time!

What're you doing for lunch?

This chikuwa spent the night in a hospital refrigerator,

- but even it's lukewarm come lunchtime. - Look. What is that?

It has a hole, it's chikuwa!

- I vaguely remember buying this for dinner last night, - It has a hole, it's chikuwa!

but I don't remember anything before that.

Oh?

Huh?

Um, who are you?

I'm Shiraume.

Shiraume?

That's right!

Yesterday, on our very first day of school, our homeroom teacher

forced our class of strangers to choose a class president.

Me.

She immediately nominated herself, and won!

President: Ume Shiraume

Nice to meet you.

Right, right, Ume Shiraume!

Correct.

Ume Ume, like a plum. Yum.

Ume (Bai)

"Ume" can be read as "bai,"

Ume Ume (Bai Bai)

so people must say "bye-bye" to you a lot.

What? I'll get angry if you're screwing around.

You're already angry.

You're to keep your distance from Hana Oshiroi.

Oshiroi?

You were with her at the supermarket yesterday.

And didn't you come to school with her this morning?

This morning?

Oh, so that girl's name is Hana Oshiroi.

Hey, what'd I do with her yesterday?

Did you... do something?

Huh?

Uchimoto, what's up?

I enrolled in Karasuda Private Senior High this spring.

It has its own dorms, and now I live in one of them.

"Karasuda Senior High School Boys Dormitory"

The dorm provides breakfast, but not lunch or dinner.

I get the educational policy of pushing students to be independent,

but cooking for one person or buying ready-made stuff is just wasteful!

Deducting daily expenses from my monthly war funds of ¥25,000,

then subtracting lunch costs, means for dinner I can spend...

"Hokey Mart"

Stay away from the supermarket.

That's easy for her to say.

I knew you'd come here again, Saito.

Oh, please don't mind me.

I'm not about to get in the way of a man's passionate world!

Huh?

Excuse me!

Um, well... You should go that way.

I told you not to come here.

Oh, awesome!