Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051598917319858
“Rintaro, I don’t have enough clothes, so I want to go shopping. Is that okay?”
The next morning.
Elis, who woke up a little late due to jet lag, finished eating the breakfast I’d prepared with sparkling eyes, then said that.
“I didn’t bring much with me—like clothes to wear to college or cute loungewear.”
“Oh, right. What fits in your carry-on probably isn’t enough. Sure, let’s go.”
Unlike high school, where all you needed was a uniform, college requires you to wear casual clothes. I’d just recently bought some extra clothes myself in preparation for starting.
Even putting together a safe, unobtrusive wardrobe required quite a few items, so Elis would probably need about twice as much.
“Well, there’s a large shopping center a short train ride away. Why don’t we go shopping while I show you around the neighborhood?”
When I said that, Elis’s face lit up instantly.
“So, this is a date, then.”
“…It’s shopping.”
“Yeah, a shopping date.”
“Shopping.”
When I corrected her, Elis pouted and protested silently, but I ignored her and decided to get ready to go.
After I finished getting ready and waited for a while, Elis, who had finished getting ready, returned to the living room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Rintaro.”
Elis was dressed quite simply in a white shirt and slim-fit jeans.
However, the fabric of the shirt was a bit thin, and the black undershirt she was wearing underneath was clearly visible through it. Perhaps because of that, even though the outfit was simple, it was strangely hard to know where to look.
“…Was it weird?”
“No, I think it looks good on you.”
“Hehe, I’m glad.”
Perhaps satisfied, Elis slipped on the beige trench coat she was holding and began humming cheerfully.
Having been practically begged for a compliment, I headed toward the front door with a tinge of unease about what lay ahead.
Just then, as if she’d just remembered, Ellis spoke up.
“Come to think of it, should I go say hello to the neighbors?”
“No need.”
“But we’ll be relying on them from now on.”
“In Japan, people hardly ever interact with their neighbors.”
Even if that weren’t the case, if I went around the neighborhood with a beautiful blonde girl in tow, saying things like “We’ll be counting on you from now on,” weird rumors would start spreading that very same day, so I really wanted her to stop.
★ ☆ ★
We took a short train ride to an area lined with large shopping centers.
Since it was a holiday, every place was bustling with people.
Normally, I’d just blend into the flowing crowd and move along, but today was different. That’s because Elis was right next to me.
We stand out—we really stand out.
Unlike usual, I keep making eye contact with everyone we pass.
This is the world a beauty lives in—I can’t handle this. Normal is best.
Even though I feel that way, I can’t just leave Ellis alone since she’s not used to Japan.
Just as I was feeling uncomfortable, wondering what to do,
“Rintaro. It’s so crowded, I feel like we’re going to get separated.”
“……Yeah, you’re right.”
Suddenly, Ellis, walking beside me, spoke to me in German.
She’s grinning with the corners of her mouth turned up, so I have a feeling she’s up to no good.
“Then, is it okay if I ask you to hold my hand?”
“Absolutely not.”
I answered immediately.
Why on earth would she go out of her way to say something like that…?
If she said something like that in a crowd, there’s no telling how people around us would look at us.
A beauty and a background character. A background character who’s supposed to blend in would instantly become an odd, out-of-place presence just by standing next to a beauty.
“But it’d be a problem if we got separated, right?”
“That’s true, but we don’t need to hold hands.”
If we get separated, we can just contact each other on our phones.
If I give in here, I’ll be playing right into Elis’s hands.
“Rintaro, you cheapskate.”
Elis said that with a pout, but she actually looked like she was having a lot of fun. So, this girl is planning to do whatever she wants, taking advantage of the fact that the people around us don’t understand German, isn’t she?
I let out a sigh.
Back in the day, she used to be so nervous about getting in trouble that she’d tremble at the thought of even the smallest prank with everyone else… but somehow, she has turned into quite the prankster herself…
That said, if she’s having more fun than she used to, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Deciding to think of it that way, I headed toward the shop Elis had her eye on, my gaze pelted by the rain.
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