The train arrived at our destination station.
We stepped out through the ticket gates.
“Which way?”
“That way.”
Like two travelers out of a Nordic picture book, we exchanged short words and roughly decided on a direction.
“What’s there?”
“Basically, a huge shopping mall. It’s got all kinds of stores, so it’s perfect for spending the whole day just wandering around.”
“Heh.”
From the tone of Minase’s voice, I could tell she was interested. If I could get her hooked this early, the rest of the day would go smoothly.
“So, what kind of shops are you taking me to?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Wait, after all that, you’re just gonna leave it to me!?”
Minase’s eyes widened.
“Well, all the places I know are guy-oriented. What would we even do there?”
“Fair point.”
“So yeah, just go wherever you want. I’ll tag along.”
So far, everything was going according to plan. Not that this plan was mine to begin with.
We walked side by side.
This area was lined with department stores and commercial complexes, all connected to each other. If you weren’t paying attention, you could easily end up in a completely different building without even noticing.
“What else is around here?”
Minase asked curiously.
“There’s an amusement zone too. Arcade, bowling, karaoke, multipurpose courts…”
“Ooh, that sounds fun.”
Apparently something struck a chord with her.
“Nah, those are better for big groups.”
“Come on, you could teach me soccer. Girls play it in PE too, you know.”
Of all things, she had to pick that. Bowling would’ve been fine for two people, but why would we rent a whole multipurpose court just for the two of us?
“You serious?”
“Pretty much. But maybe next time. I’d wanna bring a towel and a change of clothes at least.”
“Yeah, fair enough.”
I nodded in agreement, though internally I was thinking, *Is that really necessary?* When guys go to those places, sure, a towel’s normal—but a full change of clothes? I’d never even considered it.
Still, I was relieved she didn’t plan to go today. I only knew about that place by name; if she’d insisted, I’d have no idea how to guide her properly.
“And besides, I’m not really dressed for exercise today.”
“Really?”
Minase was wearing shorts. She looked plenty ready to move around.
“Yeah. Jumping around and stuff makes… well, things bounce.”
“*Cough!*”
I choked.
“Wow, look at all these stores!”
When we finally arrived at the mall, Minase let out a voice of awe as she stared at the floor directory.
“So many choices, I don’t even know where to start.”
“You sound like an old man. Anyway, why not just start from the bottom floor and work our way up?”
That worked well enough yesterday, and it was probably the most efficient way.
Immediately, Minase glanced at me and tilted her head.
I looked back at her.
“Ah, my bad. I’m the one who said you could go wherever you want.”
I was getting too pushy again.
But Minase just smiled brightly and said,
“Approved.”
Then she started walking toward the escalator.
We went up one floor and checked another floor guide. This one was more detailed—it didn’t just list store names but also categories like “Accessories” or “Home Goods.” There was even a map.
“Which one do you think we should check out first?”
“Well, I…”
“Come on, give me at least a little guidance.”
I had planned to just stay quiet and follow her lead, but she insisted. So I pointed to a few spots on the map.
“These ones here are pretty popular with girls, I think.”
“Got it. Then I’ll make sure to stop by those.”
Minase studied the directory for a few seconds, then turned on her heel and began walking again. She stopped at whatever store caught her eye, and I simply followed.
Watching her back, I remembered what Koreda Yukari had told me yesterday—*‘Don’t try too hard to do something for her.’* I repeated those words in my head like a mantra.
“Hey, look at this! Isn’t it cute?”
She said that while browsing a small general goods store. She must’ve found something she liked. I considered maybe buying it for her—if it wasn’t too expensive—but then realized that exact thought was what Yukari meant by “trying too hard.”
I looked at what Minase was holding.
“That’s for tying up hair, right?”
“Yeah, it’s called a scrunchie.”
Right, that’s what they were called. The one she had was honey-colored.
“See, this one looks like a ribbon—it’s cute, isn’t it?”
Now that she mentioned it, it wasn’t just a simple fabric ring. The design made it look like a tied ribbon. The ends didn’t spread out sideways but pointed upward, kind of like cat ears—or maybe rabbit ears, since they were longer.
“It’s cute, but… do you even need one?”
Her hair only reached to about her collarbone. I wasn’t sure she could even use it properly.
“Do you like girls with long hair? Like Koreda-san?”
“Never really thought about it.”
Honestly, hair length and style are personal preferences. It’s not something that decides whether I like someone or not.
“I see. Well, scrunchies aren’t just for tying hair, you know.”
She slipped the scrunchie over her wrist. The “ears” pointed up from the back of her hand like a tiny decoration.
“See? Cute, right?”
She proudly held it up for me to see. …Okay, I had to admit, it did look kind of nice that way.
“This one suits you, Sakur—”
Before I could finish, she grabbed a denim-blue scrunchie from the rack.
“Here, like this.”
She took my hand and slipped the scrunchie onto my wrist. I stayed still and watched her quietly as she adjusted it. When she finished, a pair of blue “rabbit ears” now sat on my wrist.
I stared at it as if it belonged to someone else. My first-ever wrist accessory.
“Now we match!”
Minase held her hand beside mine—honey-yellow next to denim blue. Same design, different colors.
It looked oddly charming. Strange, but… not bad.
“Wanna buy them?”
I found myself saying that before I even realized.
“Huh?”
Minase blinked in surprise.
“I dunno. I just think it’s kind of cool, that’s all.”
I couldn’t really explain why.
She blinked again, watching me.
“Sorry. That sounded weird. Forget it.”
“No, I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you’d say something like that.”
She smiled brightly.
“Okay, let’s buy them. Which color do you want?”
“This one’s fine.”
The denim-blue one. I didn’t dislike it—and besides, she’d picked it out for me. Even if it wasn’t my taste, I’d still go with it.
Minase seemed happy with the honey-colored one she already had.
“I’ll pay for it. It was my idea, after all.”
I’d seen the price tag earlier—it wasn’t expensive.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s each buy our own.”
“But—”
I stopped mid-sentence. I remembered Yukari’s second piece of advice—*‘If you buy something, make sure it doesn’t feel like a burden.’*
If I insisted on paying for hers, she probably wouldn’t be genuinely happy. It wasn’t about money—it was about the balance between us. So I decided to back off.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
In the end, we each bought our own scrunchie—the same design, different colors.
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