Episode 103: Shopping with Sara-senpai

Chop, chop, chop…

🎵~

「Nn…」

Today as well, the background music for waking up was Sara-senpai’s humming and the sound of a kitchen knife.

Unless she has some specific business, Sara-senpai comes to my house before I wake up and starts by making breakfast like this.

「Good morning, Kazunari-san. It’s another beautiful day today.」

She opens the curtains and looks out the window.

It’s what you’d call a perfectly clear day. And it looks like it’s going to be hot.

「Now, let’s change your clothes and wash your face.」

She takes out a shirt from the change of clothes she’d already prepared and helps me change my top.

After washing my face in the bathroom and coming back after changing my pants, breakfast was ready on the table.

Actually, I think my right wrist is already fine enough for things like changing or eating.

But when I said that yesterday,

「…Um, I suppose I’d like to be the one to do it… am I being a nuisance to you, Kazunari-san?」

She said that while looking down slightly and peeking up at me… is there any man who could refuse a woman as cute as her when she says it like that?

That being said, instead of「everything」like before, we settled on her doing it「to a certain extent.」

To be honest, I’m happy to have her do it for me, but I felt like I’d become a useless person if I pampered myself too much.

「I shall go grocery shopping after this.」

Sara-senpai said that just after putting all my laundry into the washing machine and starting it.

Apparently, Sara-senpai is good at using ingredients, and even though she makes meals every day, it didn’t seem to cost that much for groceries.

If that’s the case, we should have a little bit of leeway, so I thought about getting a cake for Sara-senpai, who looks after me all the time…

「Wasting money is no good. If a cake is fine, I will make one for you.」

No, I’d be happy to eat a cake made by Sara-senpai, but it’s not that I want one for myself.

But since Sara-senpai is the one holding the wallet, I can’t exactly force a purchase…

Regardless of that, I’ll help with the shopping. Even if it’s just my left hand, I can carry bags.

「Sara-senpai, I’ll go too.」

「Kazunari-san, you should stay at home…」

「I’m fine with just my left hand. I don’t just want to carry the bags, I want to go out with you, Sara-senpai.」

Saying that, I look straight into Sara-senpai’s eyes.

「…Y, yes. In that case… um, I understand.」

Sara-senpai gave a small, embarrassed nod.

I’ve started to understand lately that while Senpai feels like a composed, caring Onee-san when she’s initiating things, she seems to be weak when I tell her things directly.

She starts acting shy or embarrassed more often.

Though, when I push her on purpose just to see that, I get a「You’re mean…」in return, so in the end, I’m the one who gets dealt a blow.

I had assumed we would finish everything at the supermarket, but unexpectedly, she said we would stop by some specialty stores.

So, right now we are at a fishmonger.

Wow… it’s amazing because it’s so unfamiliar to me.

Sara-senpai is quite unfazed, isn’t she?

But shopping with such particularity is just like the domestic Sara-senpai.

「Oh, welcome, Sara-chan.」

「Hello.」

Apparently, they are acquaintances.

Or maybe she’s a regular…

「What will it be today?」

「Let’s see…」

The flounder is probably for the meunière I like. It looks like she bought mackerel too.

「Thanks as always. By the way, Sara-chan, that older brother there, by any chance…」

The fishmonger lady is talking to Sara-senpai while looking at me.

「Ah, he is… well…」

The lady, who seemed to have guessed the atmosphere somehow, made a slightly disappointed face.

「That’s right, isn’t it? There’s no way a girl like Sara-chan wouldn’t have someone nice. If you were still single, I wanted to introduce you to my son.」

Hey, hey, are you saying that in front of me?

That doesn’t feel good.

When Sara-senpai glanced at me with a slightly troubled expression, she looked at my face and for some reason, her expression turned happy.

「Fufu… I am sorry. I already have someone precious to me…」

While saying that, she approached me and gently placed her hand on my arm, lining up as if snuggling against me.

I’m about to grin from happiness…

「To win Sara-chan over, he must be a good man. Young man, there’s no other girl as good as this one, you know?」

I know that even without the lady telling me.

I’m sure I’ve used up all the luck in my life just by being able to meet Sara-senpai… but that’s exactly what I want.

「I know. I only have Sara-senpai…」

When I meet eyes with Sara-senpai, who is looking up at me a bit, she smiles happily as expected.

「A lottery?」

They do it sometimes for shopping district events, and since we have the bonus tickets from the fishmonger and supermarket we went to earlier, we can do the lottery.

I’ve done it before… though there’s no way I’d win.

「With the bonus tickets we have… it seems we can go three times.」

I don’t think I’ll win even if I do it, but I feel like Sara-senpai might win something.

She is a Goddess, after all.

「Sara-senpai, I never win these things, so can I leave it to you?」

「I understand. But please pull first. I want us to try together.」

Sara-senpai is cute for saying that even for such a small thing…

So, first is me.

The special prize is a yellow ball for a hot spring trip.

A trip with just Sara-senpai sounds fun.

Well, there’s no way I’m winning.

Rattle rattle rattle rattle…

Plop…

White, just as planned.

「Here are some tissues~」

I receive the pocket tissues I knew were coming.

Next is Sara-senpai.

「I will do my best.」

Sara-senpai, who looks like she’s having a bit of fun, puts her hand on the lottery handle.

Rattle rattle rattle rattle…

Plop…

Red!?

Clang clang clang

The handbell they ring when a prize comes out echoes around.

「Congratulations! It’s a pair of invitation tickets for the Marine Garden Pool!」

A resort pool… and a pair of invitation tickets.

Incredible… as expected of a Goddess… to win it right away.

「I did it! Kazunari-san, it seems they are invitation tickets for the pool.」

Sara-senpai is also frolicking happily.

With this, isn’t a pool date with Sara-senpai decided?

「Kazunari-san… with this ticket, with me…」

「Sara-senpai, won’t you go to the pool with me? Let’s go on a date.」

Since I’m not the one who won the tickets, I feel a bit uncool, but I think the guy should be the one to invite in times like this.

「Yes! I am happy…」

While saying that, Sara-senpai comes to my side and leans her body close as if snuggling while looking down slightly; she’s so cute that my hand instinctively…

「You two, sorry to interrupt while the mood is so good, but please pull one more time.」

The man in charge told us with a cramped smile. Oh right, that was it.

「Sara-senpai, there’s one more time.」

「I understand. I will do my best.」

A swimsuit will be necessary… a swimsuit… Sara-senpai’s swimsuit…

Just as I was starting up the thought process of a healthy young man like that.

Clang clang clang

The sound of the handbell went off again.

No way!?

「C… Congratulations. Marine Garden Pool came out again!」

…Eh?

A second pair of tickets!?

「Kazunari-san, what shall we do…」

What should we do…