Chapter 80 Shopping Date
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
On Sunday, Chihiro and Aika went to the city for shopping
They met at the nearest station at ten in the morning and took the train. The destination is the same station where he went with Maria and Riko before
Incidentally, it was the same city where they went out together during the summer vacation
[You don’t have to go far]
But Aika insists when he said so
Aika is also interested in clothes like a girl, though not as much as Riko who is fussy about fashion… or rather, has her own ideas about fashion
However, she is more interested in comfortable to wear, easy to wash, and price
[Cheap and good is the top priority, and it’s better to choose something that I like. That’s why I’m not interested in brand name stores]
She has a very strong financial sense
Well, her family is not poor. Rather, from what she told, her family was blessed, but it seems that both of her parents were not the type to spend more than necessary
Aika herself is trying to be as economical as possible because she is aiming to study nursing or medicine
Well, the bracelet Chihiro is planning to buy this time is a gift for Aika, that is to say, it’s Chihiro’s purchase, so she’s agreed that the price will be a little higher
But then again, it’s a present for a high school student, and he can’t afford a full-fledged luxury item
Besides, unlike Chihiro, who can recover after a good night’s sleep, Aika must be exhausted from her daily activities. Chihiro was worried about going to a place where it would take several hours to get there, so this was an ideal choice
On the train, they talked about yesterday’s student council meeting
Although they had talked about it briefly on the phone last night, the details had been saved for today
”…Hmm. So the student council is all girls except Chihiro?”
”Eh, yeah…”
That is what caught Aika’s attention the first time she heard the story
Well, her boyfriend was spending time with other girls out of her sight, so it was natural for her to wonder if something was going on
Especially with Chihiro
If it was with Maria, Riko, or Hana, Aika wouldn’t mind… or rather, she’d give up on the assumption that something was going on, but if it was with other girls, she’d have to be jealous
It would be a different story if Chihiro declared that he would never do anything to them
…But with Suzu’s situation, it would sound like a lie even if he said that since he has Maria and the others by his side
”Well, it’s not like a complete girl’s family”
”Is that so?”
”Yeah. Senpai said “they got a proper man in their midst””
This statement was made during the studying time on the report after the introductions
Well, he tried to interrupt Lucille’s conversation to ask that, but she warned him, “I don’t have time for that”. So, he didn’t ask her any in-depth questions, but there was no mistake about what she said
”…Hmm. Maybe it’s because some of the class members help them sometimes? Like Maisaka-kun?”
”I guess so”
While answering that question, Chihiro could guess the meaning of the conversation to some extent
However, he didn’t tell Aika because he didn’t have any proof and it was a rather ridiculous guess
”So, that being said… I don’t think things will turn out so strange. Lucille-senpai seems to be the type who hates waste”
”Lucille-senpai, right?”
”A-Aika”
Aika laughed in a small voice, “Haha”, and she said
”I’m kidding. I believe you. Chihiro, you’re not the kind of person who would try to hurt a girl without a second thought”
”…Yeah”
Not trust that he wouldn’t cheat on her, but trust that even if he did, there would be no malicious intent and the girl would be satisfied with the result
Although he hasn’t confirmed it yet, Aika is probably aware of the relationship between Riko and him before
She is aware of it and tolerates it
Well, this is a great generosity and he is grateful for it
And around eleven o’clock, they arrived at their destination station
At any rate, they decided to have an early lunch, and entered a family restaurant in a large electronics store in front of the station
When Chihiro opened the menu, he found reasonably priced dishes such as “somehow-style Doria (Rice Gratin)”. The menu is quite extensive
”Mmm… if I order a drink bar and eat a full meal, I’ll end up paying close to a thousand yen”
”Haha. But there aren’t many places cheaper than this”
”That’s not true. Maybe a beef bowl restaurant”
”Nah, I thought that would be a bit tasteless for a date”
If Aika is okay with it, it’s fine
But she would rather dress up a little than have a big bowl of beef for a date
That’s how she feels
”Yeah, I know. We’re on a date, aren’t we?”
”Fufu”, Aika smiles
(…It seems my face turns red when I say it)
This is the second time that the two of them have had a date that their classmates would approve of. So, this experience is still new and fresh
No, going out with Aika would always be fresh and fun
”Okay, I think I’ll go all out and order Doria with eggs. But I’m going to skip the drink bar and have water instead”
”I’ll pay for the drink bar…”
”No thanks. We’re not going to be here long anyway”
And so, they decided to pay separately
They ordered Doria, pasta, bread, salad, etc., and ate them all
After the meal, they chatted for a while and then left the restaurant
In order of convenience, they went through the stores
Although the main shopping is for bracelets, they also look around for other clothes and daily necessities. Buying will come later, but first they’ll have a look
”Oh, by the way. There’s a big park nearby, we could have lunch there”
”Oh, that’s right”
This park is a national park. There’s a pool, a plaza, and playground facilities for children
It’s a popular spot for fireworks and outdoor concerts too
”Isn’t it hard to pack a lunch on Sunday?”
”Not at all. I do it all the time”
”Thanks for everything”
”No problem. And thank you, too, for being with me”
On the way, there was talk of stopping by, but not today
Chihiro said he would come back with Maria and the others if he had the chance, because it would be fun to come here with a lot of people instead of just the two of them
As for shopping, in anticipation of it getting colder and colder, they also decided to pick up some warm things
For now, it’s mainly socks, gloves, and other small items
”Chihiro-kun. Do you have a coat or a scarf?”
”Yes, I have one that I’ve been using since middle school. I have to go back to my parents’ house to get them, though”
When he thought it, he felt that Riko would disapprove of him using his middle school clothes in high school
Also, let’s hope Maria doesn’t ask him to buy a cool black coat
”Oh, if you don’t mind. I can weave one for you if you want. It’s a standard thing, and it’s cheap, right?”
A pair of hand-knit, scarves or gloves
”Are you sure?”
”Yeah. I’d rather make one. I don’t know if I can do it well”
Chihiro smiled at Aika as she said this, perhaps to hide her embarrassment
”If you can make it, that’s great. …Oh, but… Don’t make anything with a heart pattern, that would be too embarrassing”
”I-I won’t make something like that. It’s embarrassing for me too”
Finally, Aika closed the topic by saying that she would discuss with Riko and the others to decide what to make
She said that it would be a big problem if they wore the same thing, and if Riko and the others were willing to make it, they might be able to adjust the whole body
It would be embarrassing, but if Riko and the others were willing to make it, it would be a great thing for him
And then
The unexpectedly difficult part was to find a bracelet, which was the main purpose of the trip
The reason for this was that cheap and good quality chain clothing stores do not have many accessories
So, inevitably, they went to grocery stores, as Riko had done before
The rest was a matter of Aika choosing and Chihiro buying
”…These things are pretty expensive, aren’t they?”
”Don’t worry about the price. It won’t break easily, and I want you to choose the one you like”
”You say that, but…”
Either a discerning eye, or simply poor
It seems that the price is not reasonable. It would be different if there was a design that she thought was perfect, but it seems she couldn’t find such a design
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