Why is it that today, of all days, I keep getting interrupted? I have to go! Akane was tremendously frustrated.
“Um, I have to go, Shisei-san. I have something important to do!”
“Ah—”
Before Shisei knew it, Akane burst forward at full speed, slipping right past Shisei’s completely unguarded stance. Shisei tumbled to the floor and immediately began rolling after her.
It was horrifying—she moved like one of those haunted porcelain dolls from a ghost story. But, fortunately for Akane, Shisei was way too slow to catch up.
Akane changed her shoes at the entrance, carefully weaving through the shadows of trees to avoid drawing attention from other students. Only when she reached the back gate could she finally exhale in relief.
Saito hadn’t gotten there yet.
Why did I say it was “something important”…? Akane was stunned. As the realization hit her, embarrassment flooded in. She almost made it sound like…a date. Like she was actually looking forward to going shopping with Saito.
No, no, no! It’s not a date! It’s household chores. We’re just buying essentials. That’s all. She forcefully drilled the thought into her head. Yet…she couldn’t ignore the strange fluttering in her chest. She found herself straightening her clothes, checking her bangs in her reflection, and making sure she didn’t look too messy.
It’s not a date…but I should at least look presentable. Right? It’s not a date. It’s. Not. A. Date. Akane pulled out her lip balm from her pouch and lightly applied it to her lips.
Taking his usual route would have meant risking encounters with other students at the entrance—a potential interference he could not risk. So, during the class-cleaning-duty time at the end of the day, Saito had preemptively retrieved his shoes from the entrance. That way, he could slip out smoothly through the outdoor hallway and head straight for the back gate.
The sky was a brilliant blue, stretching endlessly above him and lifting Saito’s spirits. The art club members in the schoolyard were absorbed in capturing the scenery, holding their sketchbooks. The vibrant blue of their gym uniforms shone brightly against the warm sunlight.
But as Saito walked along the side of the school building, uncertainty crept in. They had made a promise, but…would Akane actually be there, waiting? Had she changed her mind, deciding she hated the idea of their joint errand after all? Had she just gone home?
Well, even if that was the case, it shouldn’t be an issue, right? Why should that bother me? Saito thought to himself. After all, it wasn’t like he was looking forward to shopping with his least favorite classmate… They’d probably bicker the whole time. It was going to be exhausting. Logically, it’d be much easier to just take care of it himself. So why did he want her to be there with him? He didn’t have an answer. Saito passed through the staff parking lot, approaching the back gate—
And there she was. Akane stood there, clutching her school bag, her fingers anxiously fidgeting with her bangs.
An unexpected relief settled in Saito’s chest.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“O-oh…no, it’s fine.” Akane nodded, a little stiffly.
So together, they stepped out through the back gate. Since it wasn’t an official school entrance, the back gate was poorly maintained. The chain-link fence was rusty, and the pavement was littered with fallen leaves and petals. Saito glanced back just in case. No other students seemed to have seen them. As long as they stayed away from the usual commuter routes, they should be safe from unwanted attention.
“Where are we going to go?” Saito asked Akane.
“I usually go to this one shop near our house.”
“Ah, okay.”
“…”
“…”
After that initial exchange of words, the air around the two was dense with awkward silence. Even though they were walking together, there was a full meter of space between them. Akane had her head down, ears flushing red, refusing to meet Saito’s eyes.
This was the first time they had ever gone anywhere alone together. They had spent countless hours stuck in the same classroom, arguing up until the point of exhaustion. But outside school? They had never once tried to interact. Saito wasn’t quite sure how to act.
As they walked along the tree-lined path and emerged onto the busy main street, the pair had to navigate much larger crowds. Keeping a full meter of space between them wasn’t possible anymore. Now walking side by side, their shoulders accidentally brushed.
“Hey, you! Don’t get so close!” Akane exclaimed.
“You bumped into me first,” Saito replied.
“Huh?! You were the one who bumped into me!”
“And don’t say, ‘Hey, you!’ You know my name, don’t you?”
“You say that to me too, you know!”
“Fine, I’ll say it properly then—hey, Saito, you were the one who bumped into me!”
“No, Akane! You were the one who bumped into me!”
“Good! Great!”
“Now what?”
As their petty argument continued, passing pedestrians glanced curiously at the bickering pair. Saito felt oddly relieved. If Akane had stayed silent with that serious look on her face, he would have started feeling out of place.
The supermarket Akane frequented was about five minutes from their home. The building was old, and its exterior was showing signs of age. Even the nameplate on the store’s wall had faded. It may not have been aesthetically pleasing, but the parking lot was surprisingly busy, and the bike racks near the entrance were overflowing. Stacks of toilet paper and bottles of detergent lined the automatic doors, as parents hustled their children inside, grabbing items as they passed by. As someone with an interest in business management, Saito couldn’t help but analyze the store’s customer base.
“The supermarket is kind of grimy, but it looks like business is booming,” said Saito.
“That’s rude of you, Saito! They may not spend much on renovations, but they always keep the store clean! The prices are low too, so it’s really popular with the local housewives,” Akane asserted, as if defending the store.
“You’ve been chatting with the customers?” Saito questioned.
Akane vehemently shook her head, as if the very idea was ridiculous.
“I don’t randomly talk to strangers. I just looked up reviews online after we moved here.”
“Huh. Smart.”
Saito nodded at Akane, genuinely impressed. Saito had never considered looking up supermarket reviews before shopping. If this was a common practice, then running a business would mean devoting attention to review management as well. He’d have to consider that more in the future.
Grabbing a shopping basket, Saito and Akane stepped into the store. Rows of fruits and vegetables were displayed on the aisles, while along the walls, shelves were stocked with tofu, natto, and konjac.
“All right, we’re out of green onions, natto, and eggs…”
Saito casually tossed items into the basket—until Akane’s shriek interrupted him.
“Don’t just throw things in without checking the prices!”
“Prices…?” asked Saito.
“Look, these eggs are twenty yen more expensive than the others! And the expiration date is sooner!”
Akane thrust a different carton of eggs at him, her eyes stern.
“Eggs don’t go bad that easily, though. We can still eat them just fine,” Saito protested.
“No, we can’t. You’ll get food poisoning,” Akane scolded.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Saito retorted.
“No! You’ll cross that bridge now!”
Akane let out an exasperated sigh.
“Listen, eggs are considered the model citizen of grocery stores. They’re always affordable and a great budget-friendly staple. So why on earth waste money buying pricier ones?!”
Without waiting for his response, she put back the eggs Saito had picked and swapped them for another carton. Then, she did the same for the green onions and natto, switching them for cheaper options. She also neatly reorganized the shelves where other customers had left products out of place, as if it were second nature.
“I chose those on purpose, you know,” said Saito.
“No, you didn’t. You just grabbed things at random,” Akane replied.
Akane stopped in front of the condiments aisle and picked up two different bottles of soy sauce She stared intensely at each label to compare the two, practically burning a hole through them with her gaze.
“This one is 450 milliliters for 398 yen…and this one is 500 milliliters for 442 yen… The price per milliliter would be…” Akane mumbled with a frowning face, struggling to calculate it in her head.