The two of them eventually arrived at the cafeteria, bustling with students buying lunch and chatting animatedly over their meals.
"Hm, I think we should just grab some food and eat outside," Haruno suggested, glancing around at the crowded room.
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Yui agreed with a nod, feeling more comfortable with the idea of a quieter spot.
Without wasting time, they lined up and picked out some simple lunch items — sweet and savory buns, a few onigiri, and drinks like strawberry milk and tea. Haruno, however, bought more food than Yui expected, filling his tray with enough to feed at least three people.
"You sure eat a lot, huh?" Yui commented, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise as she watched Haruno balance his tray.
"Ah, this isn't all for me…" Haruno replied, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "I bought some extra. It's for someone I know. She's... not really used to Earth's food yet, so I thought I'd get a variety for her to try."
"I see…" Yui murmured, feeling a small pang of disappointment that their quiet lunch wouldn't be just the two of them. Still, she quickly brushed the thought away, scolding herself internally.
As they walked toward the exit, Haruno continued, "You'll meet her too. She's new to Japan and still figuring things out, so... if it's okay, could you help her? I'd be really grateful."
Yui blinked, surprised at the sudden request. Seeing the earnest look on his face, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
"Well… if you're asking like that, I'll do my best," she said, smiling softly. Somehow, even if her heart felt a bit complicated, she wanted to support Haruno's wishes.
By asking Yui for help, Haruno unintentionally altered the course of the original To-Love-Ru story. In the original timeline, it was Haruna who first became Lala's closest female friend on Earth, forming a strong bond that played a central role in the story. However, with Yui stepping in earlier through Haruno's request, the dynamic was set to change. Now, Yui had the chance to become Lala's first true friend, subtly shifting the relationships and setting a new future in motion.
Either way, Haruno simply decided to roll with everything happening around him, rather than stubbornly trying to follow the original story he knew. Things had already changed the moment he made his wish, after all.
"Thanks, Kotegawa-san. I'm really grateful to have met such a good girl," Haruno said with a wide, sincere smile.
Yui's cheeks immediately flushed at the unexpected praise, her heart beating faster. 'He's so kind… helping a new abroad student like this.' She hugged that thought tightly inside her, feeling even happier to know this small but important side of Haruno.
The two of them continued down the hallway, eventually arriving at the infirmary. Haruno knocked gently on the door and called out,
"Ryouko-sensei, it's me! Can I come in?"
"Haruno-kun, of course! Come inside," came Ryouko's casual reply from within.
Opening the door, Haruno stepped inside—and before he could say anything, Lala launched herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug.
"Haruno! I missed you! And just like you said, the principal agreed! I can start school today after lunch! And guess what? We'll be in the same class!" Lala announced excitedly, pressing her face against his with no concept of personal space.
"Hey, hey! You can't just jump on me like that!" Haruno panicked, struggling to keep the bags of food and drinks from falling to the floor.
Meanwhile, beside him, Yui stood frozen with a horrified expression, her mind short-circuiting. She had barely processed the sight of a stunningly beautiful girl in a bizarre outfit—and now she was watching that same girl cling to Haruno like a lover in public.
'Who is this girl…? How can she be so shameless, hugging my Haruno like that… Wait, no, it's not like I'm jealous or anything!' Yui thought frantically, her heart twisting with emotions she refused to name. Still, as she watched Haruno gently interact with the mysterious girl, she remembered his earlier words about someone new to Japan.
'Maybe… it's part of her culture to greet people like that?' Yui tried to reason, desperately clinging to the excuse.
"Hehehe, I can't help it," Lala giggled as she finally released Haruno from her tight hug, though she still casually held onto his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. Only then did she notice Yui's intense gaze.
"Ah, you noticed her?" Haruno smiled awkwardly. "This is Kotegawa-san, our class rep. I hope you two can become friends."
Lala immediately brightened up and let go of Haruno, stepping forward with a big, innocent smile.
"Hello! I'm Lala Satalin Deviluke. Nice to meet you! I hope we'll get along!"
Yui blinked at the strange yet adorable introduction, before quickly bowing politely.
"Yes, I'm Yui Kotegawa. Nice to meet you too… Let's get along."
Inside, she was still a little shaken—but Lala's pure, cheerful energy made it hard to stay upset.
Meanwhile, Haruno turned toward Ryouko.
"Sorry, Sensei. We'll have lunch here. Is that alright?"
"It's fine," Ryouko said with a wave of her hand. "There's no sick students right now anyway. Feel free to use the space."
"Thanks!" Haruno grinned. He pulled two chairs over to one of the infirmary beds, setting up a little lunch spot.
"Alright, Lala, Kotegawa-san—let's eat!" he said cheerfully, and the three of them sat together, sharing the food Haruno had prepared.
After settling down, Haruno handed out the food he had bought. Lala immediately gravitated toward the strawberry milk and sweet buns, her preference for sweet things clear from her sparkling expression. The three of them enjoyed a leisurely lunch, chatting about light topics. However, Yui slowly began to pick up on the strangeness of some of their conversations, especially when Haruno and Lala casually mentioned something called "Deviluke." It sounded like a place, yet Yui had never heard of it before.
"So, where exactly are you from, Lala? You look like you're from abroad," Yui finally asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
Lala beamed at the question. "I'm from Deviluke! It's really, really far away from Earth, you know?"
"Far from Earth…?" Yui repeated, confused. "Deviluke? I've never heard of a country with that name."
Lala tilted her head innocently, then giggled. "It's not a country! Deviluke is a planet, you know—"
Realizing her slip, Lala quickly glanced at Haruno. He gave a slight nod, signaling her to be honest. In the original manga, Lala's alien identity was carefully hidden for fear of causing chaos. However, Haruno trusted Yui. He knew she was a good person who would keep the secret without hesitation.
"Well, actually, I'm not from this planet," Lala admitted with a proud smile. "In your terms, you would call me an alien!"
To prove her point, she flicked her tail into view, letting it wave slightly in the air.
"See? I don't think any Earthling has something like this!" she added cheerfully.
Yui could only stare, her mind struggling to process the surreal sight before her.
"...Ahahaha, there's no way, right? You two must be joking!" Yui said with a stiff laugh, waving her hands in denial. "This must be just a very, very good costume." She tried to rationalize it, refusing to believe something so outrageous.
Haruno only smiled at her reaction.
"Well, that's a reasonable way to think. I don't think I would have believed it either if I hadn't seen it myself. But the universe is vast, and meeting Lala really opened my eyes. She's also the reason I started thinking about creating a new club."
"Even so…" Yui mumbled, still skeptical. Lala looked so human aside from her strange tail and bizarre outfit. It was hard to connect her to the image of an alien.
"Hm, maybe if I show you this... Peke, change into the school uniform!" Lala declared proudly.
"Yes, Lala-sama," came a sudden mechanical voice.
"Eh—!?" Yui's eyes widened in shock as Lala's clothing abruptly vanished, revealing her bare skin for a split second.
"Hyaaahh! Shameless!!" Yui squealed, quickly covering Haruno's eyes with both hands to protect his innocence.
Fortunately, just as quickly, a new uniform materialized around Lala's body—a proper Sainan High School uniform.
"See? Isn't it amazing!?" Lala twirled once, showing off her outfit. "Earth doesn't have this kind of technology, right? This is my all-costume robot, Peke! Say hello to Yui!"
Still frozen in place, Yui could only stare, her mind torn between disbelief and the creeping realization that maybe—just maybe—Haruno and Lala were telling the truth after all.
"Hello, Yui-sama," the voice of Peke echoed politely.
"Hahaha… This is probably just some advanced robot tech. Maybe from America or Germany," Yui muttered, still stubbornly denying the truth right in front of her.
"Geez! What do I have to do to make you believe me?" Lala pouted, puffing her cheeks in frustration.
"Well, there's an easy way," Haruno said with a chuckle. "We'll just let her meet some other people from Deviluke. Like Zastin, for example."
"Ah! That's a great idea! But... will she be okay with that?" Lala asked, tilting her head.
Haruno turned to Yui with a sincere smile, clasping his hands together as if pleading. "Please, Kotegawa-san. I know it sounds crazy, but I really hope Lala can have a friend here. I think you're someone kind enough to help her."
Yui let out a long sigh, feeling both overwhelmed and oddly responsible. "Haaah... Fine. I'll come along."
"Great! After school, you can come to my house. And don't worry—Ryouko-sensei will be there too," Haruno added quickly, trying to ease any worries she might have.
Haruno still hadn't found the right way to confess his feelings to Yui. Reflecting on the lessons he picked up from The 100 Girlfriends manga, he knew that sometimes a special event or sudden twist was needed to move a relationship forward. That's why he decided to invite Yui to his house after school—hoping that by letting her witness Zastin's appearance and the truth about Deviluke, it might create the perfect chance for their bond to deepen.
Author Note :
You can read 10 chapter at patr*on.com/Iam_HaremLover123