After My First Love Who is My Classmate Became My Family, My Childhood Friend Became Really Sweet to Me - Chapter 17

Going Out/Shiny Dishwasher/Because We are Family

Then, the weekend came.

The largest electronics retail store in the prefecture is just 20 minutes away from our house by train. The place was very crowded, and people who go there were mostly families.

Hinata was dressed in a long black skirt over a white shirt and blouse. She wore very casual clothes, yet it really fits the image of Hinata.

Honestly, she is so cute that I could look at her for the rest of my life.

“Yuto…? What’s wrong? Your face looks kind of weird.”

“E-Eh!? N-No, it’s nothing.”

I was just trying to keep my face straight so I wouldn’t smirk, but I couldn’t help it. Hinata was very cute.

By the way, I just picked my outfit randomly. I don’t want to be conscious of Hinata as a potential partner, so I deliberately chose an unassuming outfit.

Me and Hinata walk through the store to look at some dishwashers. When we walk around the store, Hinata was looking at some frying pans and meat rollers seriously. She is a serious cook and she paid really close attention to the cooking utensils; she is truly different from me. She really enjoys cooking.

When we reached the dishwasher section, Hinata’s eyes lit up like a child looking for a present.

“There are so many models of dishwashers! A dream machine that washes dishes automatically! Yuto, I can’t stop being impressed by the technological advances of mankind right now!”

“I’m rather impressed that Hinata would be that shocked by a dishwasher.”

Now the question was, which dishwasher should we buy.

I’m not proud of it, but that was the first time in my life that I’ve bought a dishwasher. Both Hinata and I stared at the description of the product with puzzled expressions on our faces.

“There’s only the two of us who will use it, so the smaller one should be enough.”

“But there is still a lot of models to choose. …wow, this is amazing. This one completely sterilized the dishes at a high temperature.”

Hinata read the description of each one with a serious expression on her face.

Eventually, she gave a small nod and pointed to the dishwasher in front of her.

“I’ve made up my mind. I think I’ll go with this one.”

“…hmm?”

Hinata chose the smallest and oldest model of all the dishwashers there.

“Are you sure you want this one? There are more sophisticated ones here.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. After all, I’m still in high school. I don’t know if a really fancy dishwasher would suit me.”

I wonder why, she looked so happy choosing that one just now.

As I wonder, I looked at the dishwasher and noticed something. So that’s why…

Perhaps the reason why Hinata chose that one was because the price.

It was the cheapest dishwasher available there.

“Maybe Hinata didn’t chose this one because she likes it? Tell me honestly, did Hinata just chose this one because it is the cheapest dishwasher available here?”

“Eh!? T-That’s not true.”

“I can tell that you are clearly lying. You don’t need to be concerned of the price, I’m the one who suggested buying it after all.”

“…but I feel bad making Yuto spends his money for me, even Yuto has allowed me to live in his house.”

I see, that’s just how Hinata is.

It’s because Hinata is so kind to everyone, she always puts others first before herself. She is the type of person who is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of others, and that’s just how Hinata is. I even admired her for that.

But…

To tell you the truth, I want to spoil her a little. I want her to be more selfish.

“Don’t mind about how much it will cost and tell me honestly, did it ever occur to you at all that you might want to buy this one?”

“Well, I thought I want to buy that one, but I’m not sure I want to ask Yuto to buy it for me…”

“Let’s just take a look, okay?”

“…over here.”

Hinata pointed to a dishwasher that was only one size larger than the previous one. At first glance, I thought it was a stylish and sophisticated design.

“Hmm, it looks like it has a lot of features.”

“That’s right. This is an enzyme-activated dishwasher! It also has a high temperature sterilization feature. Plus, it’s quiet so it doesn’t make much noise!

The expression on her face was breathtakingly serious, it was as if she was about to declare something.

“Not only can you wash the plates with it, but you also can wash curry pots as well.”

“That’s great!”

That model is really useful. If you have ever made curry, even once, you would know how hard it is to remove that stubborn stain inside the pot.

If you’re Hinata who loves to cook, you would want to get one as well.

With that in mind, I looked at the price tag of that dishwasher and noticed that model is far more expensive than the other models.

“Uhhh…!?”

“I told you right? It is wrong for me to ask Yuto to buy this one for me.”

I kept looking at Hinata who was looking at me bitterly.

I had forgotten about it. It is an unwritten rule of this world that the better the performance of an appliance, the higher the price. But I never thought a dishwasher could be that expensive…!

To put it bluntly, it was half over my budget.

“I’m glad you want to buy me that one Yuto, but we can’t afford that one. So, let’s just buy the one before, okay?”

Hinata smiles at me as if she has no regrets at all. She probably never dreamed that she would be able to buy such an expensive item.

But Hinata said that was the one what she wants most. If that’s the case—.

“I’m sorry, I need to do something. Can you wait here for a minute?”

I left the appliance area and made a phone call.

I made a call to my dad. Luckily, the call was connected right away.

“What’s the matter? Is there any trouble?”

“I have a favor to ask. I want to buy a rather expensive dishwasher, and I don’t think I can afford it with my own wallet. I’m sorry, but can I borrow some money from you dad?”

“Dishwasher? Why do you need such a thing right now? …no wait, or maybe Hinata is the one who wants that dishwasher?”

“That’s right.”

My father seemed to understand the situation.

“Hmm… I see, you don’t have to pay for the dishwasher. Let me pay for the whole thing.”

“I’m glad you want to pay for the whole thing, but I can’t let you do that. It is my intention to give Hinata a gift. All this time Hinata is the one who does all of the housework. I feel like I need to repay her in some way.”

“Well… I’m really glad to see you two are getting along so well.”

Well, there are still moments that I got nervous when I live with Hinata.

“Well then, I’ll lend you the money for the rest of your life. You can keep the money for the rest of your life, but when you feel like it, you can pay me back whenever you want.”

With those words, my father hung up. When my father comes back to Japan, I will have to thank him for it.

When I returned to the dishwasher section, Hinata was staring at the dishwasher.

Apparently, she was so absorbed in it that she didn’t even notice my presence.

“I knew it, you were holding back in front of me, the truth is you really wanted that one right…?”

“What? Y-Yuto! It’s not like that. I just thought the model of this dishwasher is really beautiful!”

“Then you can look at that beautiful dishwasher every day from now on. I just called my father and he agreed to lend me some money.”

“What…? Really?

Hinata seemed really happy, but shortly after, she had a concerned expression on her face.

“But I wonder if it’s all right for you to buy me something this expensive.”

“It’s fine. I think it is a good deal. Because I think I might be living with Hinata for a long time.”

Hinata looked at me in surprise.

“When Hinata graduates from high school, there’s still a chance that she’ll stay at my place, right? If that’s the case, I thought it would be better for us to buy a better dishwasher to make things a little easier for Hinata.”

To cover up my embarrassment, I spoke with a sly grin on my face.

“Hinata and I are family. This is not a reckless purchase at all.”

Hinata was stunned for a moment.

Eventually, she chuckled.

“I see. Yeah, that’s right. …thankyou. I’ll definitely take a good care of this dishwasher.”

“No, I should be the one who is grateful. Hinata always cooks for me.”

I should see Hinata as my sister by now, but I still find myself getting nervous with her smile.

But that was still a lot better than the time I fell in love with Hinata for the first time. I couldn’t have controlled myself if I was still madly in love with Hinata.

“Hey, why don’t we take a tour around the store before we buy this dishwasher?”

That would be great. We won’t be able to walk around the store carrying the dishwasher.