Boba Run

For the next hour, Chihara dragged me from one store to another. We alternated who paid, even though it didn't matter because we were gonna get reimbursed anyway.

First up was the 100-yen store.

"Bowls? Plates?" I mumbled. "And the next row over is... Is that toilet paper?"

"Never been to a 100-yen store? People literally come here for everything that isn't groceries. Think of that stationery store, but expanded with a bunch of random necessities."

"I've never been anywhere. Period. Anyway, paper lanterns."

"Oh, right."

After that, we stopped at an electronics store.

"Here it is," I said, snatching something from the bottom of a shelf. "Extension cords."

"We're gonna need a lot of these."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, with all the lights we're gonna have to set up, right?"

"That makes sense. Let's just grab a decent amount, and if Haruto says it's not enough, we'll just come back. These things are heavy, anyway."

"Sounds good!"

Next up was a craft store.

"Kinoshita! Look! I found the spray paint."

"Oh, nice. But... That wasn't one of the highlighted items, was it?"

"No, but we might as well, right? Wouldn't hurt to grab a few just in case. There are more colors, too. Or we could buy paint buckets instead, but that one might require a second trip."

"Let's stick with spray paint for now. Since we're working with plywood, it'll be easy to apply. And, as you said, it'll be harder to walk around with a bunch of paint buckets."

"Right, right. Spray paint, it is."

By the end of the hour, I was carrying bags upon bags of random items. I didn't mind, though, but Chihara clearly did. Despite my insistence, she managed to get a hold of one bag — the one with all the colored papers.

"Phew! What a productive day," Chihara exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree. It's... a different experience, that's for sure. Around this time is usually when I take a nap — after classes, while the sun's going down, with no more responsibilities for the rest of the day."

"And how was it? Do you feel like a new man?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"Oh, come on. You're doing something productive for once. It was fun, wasn't it?"

Fun? Was today fun? Yet, as I asked myself that question, Chihara's smile became my answer. For some reason, it wasn't as blinding as before.

"Yeah," I scoffed. "It was fun."

"Hehe."

"And how about you, Chihara? Don't you also take a nap around this time? Any more of this, and I might not see you in the courtyard tonight."

"Oh. Huh... Well, you're right that I normally nap around this time, but now that you mention it, I'm not really that tired. Maybe it's because I'm also having fun."

Suddenly, her eyes went wide.

"Ah! Kinoshita! Look!"

"Hmm?"

I followed her gaze, and... What I saw didn't come as a surprise. Right at the edge of an intersection was a boba shop with a decent line in front of it.

"Hey, hey, remember when you said to buy you boba as payment for the favor you did me the other day?" she asked.

"Pfft. Is it time already?"

"Yep! I wanna get some, too."

"Then let's go."

She dashed past me, but she could only go a couple of steps before she fumbled over her untied shoelace. With a yelp, she skipped two steps on just one leg, managing to regain her balance just barely in the end.

"C-Chihara?"

"Kinoshita!" she quickly exclaimed. "Y-you didn't see that, right?"

I froze.

Everything felt off. From her tone just then to the way she was turned away, face red and lips trembling.

With a sigh, I glanced away.

"See what?"

She didn't say anything after that. While she knelt to tie her shoes, I remained close by, making sure to avert my eyes the entire time.

"Kinoshita..."

I turned around again to meet her gentle eyes, folded unnaturally. Once again, it felt like I was looking at a completely different shade of the same person. Sure, she was embarrassed, but it seemed like way more than just that.

For now, though, I should play along. She's clearly uncomfortable. No need for me to make it worse.

"Hey," I said, bending my knees enough to meet her at eye level. "Don't get all tripped up now. You still owe me boba, remember?"

That might've been the wrong choice of words, because her face grew visibly redder.

"O-or we can save that for later!" I quickly added in. "We can do something else instead. Maybe we can find a spot somewhere to sit down for a bit. Or we can—"

"Pfft... Hehe~"

What started as a small huff of breath became a giggle, and that giggle then turned into a wholehearted laugh. Chihara hovered a hand over her mouth, but the smile underneath was far too apparent to fully hide.

"Thanks, Kinoshita. I... I'm feeling a lot better now."

"...Is that... so?"

"Mhm! And a promise is a promise. I said I was gonna buy you boba, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do."

Without hesitation, she snatched the sleeve of my jacket, pulling me forward.

"Let's go!"

"Hah... I'm coming."

While Chihara and I were waiting in line, she gently placed her one bag next to her feet. Then, she threw her arms up for a stretch.

I caught myself staring for only a fraction of a second, so I quickly turned to look at something else. Anything that wasn't directly at her.

"Eugh~ Ah... This might not be the best time to bring this up, Kinoshita, but... I'm kind of feeling the drowsiness now."

"It wasn't even that long ago when you proudly proclaimed you weren't tired."

"Yeah, well, this is a different kind of tired. If I were tired like I usually am, I'd knock out the moment my face hits something soft. But this kind of 'tired' is like..."—she pinched her chin—"How should I say it... Have you ever had so much fun that you just wanna sit down and rot somewhere quiet?"

"The former? No. But the latter? All the damn time."

Suddenly, her lips curled into something between a smirk and a pout.

"Huh~? Are you saying you didn't have fun hanging out with me today? That hurts, Kinoshita."

"What the... That is nowhere close to what I mean, and you know it."

"Pfft, I know. I'm just teasing you."

"Next!" said the guy running the boba shop.

"Ah! It's our turn. Come on, Kinoshita!"

Just like that, her entire demeanor shifted. Her tone was clear, and her eyes were sharp. Even when she was humming to herself while scanning the menu, she was back in her element.

And now, it's got me thinking... Why did she react so harshly to something as simple as stumbling on an untied shoelace? That happens to everyone, even me. I stop, I acknowledge, I tie it back up, then go along my day and never think about it again.

Chihara, on the other hand, felt more than just shame. It was almost like... fear.

"Hey, Kinoshita!"

I glanced up.

"Yeah?"

"And here you are, making fun of me for getting tired while you're over there spacing out. I called your name three times, and you didn't answer me till now."

"O-oh. My bad. I was just thinking about something."

"No worries. Anyway, what do you want?"

"Hmm... I'll have a roasted oolong milk tea."

"Gotcha."

Yeah, she seems fine now. Then... Was it just my imagination? Maybe I shouldn't question it.