After school the next day, I left my things in the classroom and followed Tanaka out.
The festival committee members were working on the columns out front. We moved past them, exited through the front gates, and left the school behind.
Saigou High’s campus was quite large. To acquire that amount of land, they’d built it in a fairly remote location. The main road leading to school was flanked by ordinary houses, and beyond those were creeks and rice paddies.
There were no office buildings, no stores—just a great view of the sky above. But today, thick clouds were gathered in the heavens, and you couldn’t see a single patch of blue. The newscasters had sworn the rainy season was over, but there were no signs of the skies clearing up.
“Where are we shopping, Tanaka? I doubt they sell those paints at the one hundred–yen shop.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s a bit of a trek, but it should be within range of your train pass.”
We continued down the main road, passing few other pedestrians. Eventually, we reached the nearest station and climbed up the stairs. After tapping our commuter passes at the gate, we moved to the platform.
The train was just pulling in. It was a local—the kind that made every stop. The air-conditioning kept the interior nice and cool.
We found two empty seats and let the train jostle us for fifteen minutes. Just as we were running out of small talk, Tanaka said, “This is our stop,” and we got off. It was the same terminal where I always switched trains.
There were far more people going in and out of the gates at this station. We left through the west entrance and were soon surrounded by pedestrian overpasses and multi-tenant buildings.
By this time, I knew where we were headed.
“Are we going to the stationery store on the sixth floor of the mall?”
“Oh, yes. Exactly. You know the place?”
I thought so. I recognized this route. It was the same store where Kurumi and I had gone to buy eraser stamp supplies.
“Do you buy art supplies often, Natsume? Do you draw for fun?”
“No, nothing like that. I just happened to pass by it once, and it stuck in my mind.”
“Wow. I didn’t peg you for the type of kid who hangs out at the mall.”
Well, I was making that story up. I was no mall rat. I was just a liar. But I figured if I tried to elaborate, I’d only wind up in trouble later, so I held my tongue.
We wove through the crowds, crossing several streets.
The mall hadn’t changed much since last time. I looked up at the glass-encased seven-story building.
“Doesn’t seem too packed,” said Tanaka. “Let’s get what we need and go.”
We stepped through the front doors, passed by several cafés, and took the elevator up.
We got off at the sixth floor, turned right, and made our way to the stationery store near the center of the building. The mall was spacious and airy, but the shop’s interior was cramped. Well-stocked shelves filled every inch, like a maze.
We grabbed shopping baskets, then stopped in one corner to catch our breath.
“What are we here for?” I asked.
“The girls on the painting crew said they wanted some big, wide brushes.”
“Okay… This area’s more for fine arts painting, so let’s check over there.”
“Oh, but we also need more paint. I’ve got a list here, so…” Tanaka froze, one hand in her shirt pocket.
“What? If you give me the list, I’ll go grab what we need.”
“Oh, um. Thanks, but that’s okay. Let’s just go around together.” She smiled and stuffed the list back in her pocket.
It didn’t seem to me like she’d deemed me incapable of carrying out the task. So why had she changed her mind? I was happy to do my part. Oh well, whatever.
“Looks like the big brushes are over here. Let’s go check it out.”
She led the way farther into the store, and I followed, like I was in the hero’s party in some retro JRPG. We threaded our way through the narrow gaps between shelves, piling what we needed into our baskets. The brushes weren’t where we expected, and we had to wander around a little, but we had fun.
“Tanaka, are these the brushes we’re looking for?” I asked.
“Ha-ha-ha, those are for painting walls. They’re too thick!”
“Oh, really? Okay, I’m officially clueless.”
I was at the mall with a classmate, laughing and shopping. It was a totally normal activity, but I’d never done anything like this before.
The two of us wandered through the store’s labyrinthine aisles, filling our baskets.
“Natsume, grab that tape, would you? The chunky one.”
“This one? Okay. Anything else?”
“Um… We’ve got the brushes and the paint… I think that’s everything.”
In under half an hour, we’d gotten all the items on the list.
“Excuse me? We’re ready to go!” Tanaka called, moving to the register.
Luckily, the employee on duty wasn’t the one who checked us out during my previous visit.
Tanaka paid from a brown envelope containing the class funds, and we exited the maze of stationery.
“Sorry to make you carry everything, Natsume.”
“I don’t mind. That’s what I’m here for.”
I lifted our purchases as a show of strength. Everything we’d bought fit in one bag—it wasn’t exactly a lot.
“Let’s hurry back to school. The others are waiting on us.”
Tanaka and I retraced our steps. Down the elevators, past the cafés and the information center, through the sliding doors, and back out into the heat and humidity.
Our route cut through the same urban area as before. On the way to the station, Tanaka suddenly said, “I’ve been meaning to ask—what were you like last year?”
“Last year? What do you mean? It’s only been a year, I didn’t change that much.”
“No, I mean… Did you have friends?”