CH 80.1

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.