Intro to Sociology

When Chihara said that I might not like it, she definitely wasn't lying.

The first thing I noticed was the lights. It was everywhere, bouncing off the floors and right into my eyes, brighter than even Chihara's usual smile.

And the noise... It never stops.

Shoes scraping, endless chatter, and music leaking out of every store at the same time to create this amorphous blob of sounds.

I stood there for a second, dead in the center of it all, with one big question repeating itself in my head like a broken record.

"Why am I here...? On a school day, no less..."

This is what Chihara had in mind.

The mall.

I admit, it is the ideal place for our task — a one-stop shop to acquire all the supplies and materials on the list that Haruto gave us — but come on... It is way too bright and loud in here. I'll be shocked if I can survive the next hour, let alone the rest of the day.

Suddenly, my phone dinged. I pulled it out and checked the first box on the messenger app.

[Chihara]: "I'm here!"

[Kinoshita]: "Yeah, that's cool and all, but where exactly is here?"

[Chihara]: "Hehe! How about a hint? From where I'm standing, I can see you."

A bunny emoji popped up, its ears covering its eyes.

[Kinoshita]: "Uh-huh... That's totally not creepy at all."

[Chihara]: "Come on! Just look around!"

I glanced left to see a busy corridor lined with shops and people going in and out like a conveyor belt. I glanced right, only to see the same thing. No brown hair in sight.

[Kinoshita]: "I give up. Just tell me where you are so I can go to you. I don't wanna be in this place for any longer than I have to."

[Chihara]: "Aw, don't be like that, Kinoshita! How about one more hint?"

"Hah... What the hell is this?" I mumbled to myself.

[Kinoshita]: "Fine. What's the hint?"

[Chihara]: "Look behind you."

Behind me?

I turned, and the moment I did, I was met with a flashbang only a hair from my face.

"Boo!"

My whole body jolted as I stepped back, raising my arms.

"Gah! What the—?!"

"Haha~! I actually got you! Honestly, I didn't think that would work. I was standing by that planter over there the whole time, and you didn't even think to look behind you."

While she went on and on about how stealthy she was being, and also hinting at my apparent ignorance, I just stood there, staring at her.

People laugh all the time. At school, in the city streets, everywhere. Haruto laughs at me almost every day. I still remember the way Junko laughed when we were together.

It was always such a normal thing... And yet, I found myself completely entranced. Didn't even notice that my hand was out until Chihara spotted it. Before I had time to rationalize it, she ducked underneath and pushed the top of her head onto it without hesitation.

"W-wha—?!"

Panicked, I stumbled back, inviting a pair of pink eyes that seemed way too clueless about what had just happened.

"Oh. My bad, Kinoshita," she said. "I thought that's what you were going for by reaching your hand over like that."

"Yeah— I mean, no! T-that's... Even if I was... Why would you entertain it?"

"Hehe, well, you see... I'm kind of a loose screw sometimes. Don't really think about what I'm doing till I do it, and then it's too late to take it back, so I thought: you know what? I'm just gonna embrace it!"

"...You really are insane."

"I know, right?"

Seriously... How is she expecting me to react? I don't wanna misunderstand, so I thought I'd just go with the flow. But then, something like this happens, crumbling my resolve. And now... I'm stuck in this limbo where I don't know what to think anymore.

Still, I caught myself smiling, because even after that... I felt at ease.

"Hmm... Isn't that the uniform you wore to school today, Kinoshita?" Chihara asked.

"Oh, this? Yeah, I was too lazy to pick out an outfit, not like I had much of a choice, to begin with."

"And here I worked so hard to look good..."

"Well, who's saying that you don't? Not me, that's for sure. Anyway, we're here now. Where to first?"

"Oh! Let me see..."

Chihara pulled the list from her purse and squinted at the notes... despite having glasses.

"Streamers, papercrafts, paper lanterns, lantern wires..."

"Don't look at me. I don't go out much, let alone to the mall. All of this is new to me."

"Hmph. Then what are you even here for?"

"The hell if I know. You're the one who agreed to have me tag along despite all the rumors saying you don't like receiving help."

She flinched.

"Huh? There's a rumor like that?"

"...Did you not know?" I asked.

"Not at all. Hmm... I wonder why a rumor like that is going around. I mean, why would I not like receiving help?"

As she walked off, pondering it, I was left to question if she really didn't know. Then again, it would be unfair for me to say so given how little I knew about her.

After a short walk, we found ourselves standing in front of our first stop of the day.

"And this is...?"

"Huh?! You've never seen one?" Chihara gasped. "It's a stationery store! It sells... Uh... I don't really know what it sells, but it has to have something we need, right?"

"So, in the end, you're just as clueless as I am."

"H-hey! I didn't say that!"

She suddenly snatched my hand.

"Come on!" she exclaimed. "We're on a time crunch!"

"W-wait! Chihara!"

But she didn't listen. With her fingers tightly wrapped around mine, she dragged me in.

At first glance, the theme of this store seemed to be school supplies. Rows of pens, pencils, markers, and erasers filled up one aisle, while another was filled with paper. Particularly, colored paper.

Chihara knelt to pick up a stack.

"There we are! See? I told you we'd find something. Colored paper to make cute little origami with. Or maybe some DIY lanterns. Ah, but we'll probably find some lanterns in another store, so this much should do. Oh! Is that tape? We'll probably need some of those, right?"

While she went around, jumping from item to item, I silently followed behind. At least, until she shoved a small journal in my face.

"Kinoshita! Look! Isn't this one so cute?"

"Yeah, it's nice."

"Right? That means I should get it! Ah! No, no... I shouldn't. We're on a mission, after all. Plus, my bank account is gonna look really depressing after we finish buying everything on the list."

"Then split it with me. We're gonna get reimbursed, anyway."

"Huh? But..."

"And since it's clear that we're splitting the bill now..."—I gently snatched the journal away—"It should be fine if we add one more thing to the list, right? I'll even put it on my tab."

"What? No, Kinoshita... Y-you don't have to—"

But I was already walking toward the cashier, holding a hand behind my ear.

"What was that? Can't hear you from all the way over there."

"W-wha—?! Kinoshita!"

I ended up using my card to pay for not only the journal, but everything else, including a little pen that Chihara was using to scribble as we continued our walk through the mall.

"Whoa... You were right, Kinoshita. This pen really does write well."

"Hah. Were you about to buy it without even testing it out? Imagine you bought it, and it didn't even work."

"I-I was gonna test it! But then you moved on too fast!"

"Mhm. Sure. Anyway, where to next?"

She poked her chin with the pen.

"Uh, let's see... Next up is... Paper lanterns! I think we can find some at the 100-yen store. Maybe we'll find some wires and streamers, too."

"Lead the way, Miss Tour Guide."

"Hehe! With pleasure, my trusty bag carrier!"