Can I brag about my very devoted wife to you?

The right way for high school couples to spend their time (weekends) ③

In the end, we ended up buying what she wanted, but after the checkout, a new problem surfaced.

“Riko, really, I’ll hold onto this.”

“No, you can’t. I can’t have Minato-kun as my luggage handler.”

That’s right. Just like when we went shopping in the shopping mall, we once again had a dispute over who should carry the luggage.

The circulator that Riko chose was a solid product with a variety of functions, so it had a certain weight to it. If I were a man, I would have no problem with it, but for Riko, a girl, to hold it with one hand would be too much of a burden.

“Hmm, so how about we at least hold it together like we did in the shopping district?”

“… But that means I won’t be able to hold hands with Minato-kun…”

That’s true. Of course, I don’t want to let go of Riko’s hand, but I also don’t want her to carry a heavy load.

“… Fine. We can either decide to hold it together and stop holding hands, or we can keep holding hands and let me hold the circulator, and Riko can choose.”

“…! It’s not fair to choose between those two…”

Riko groaned and crouched down on the spot. I was quite surprised because I didn’t expect her to be that distressed. As for me, I was quite surprised because I didn’t think she would be bothered that much.

“How about having Minato-kun take it to Ofuna Station and I’ll take over from there?”

She looked up at me and suggested me this, which made me feel happy, but I have to keep my mind clear…

“No, you can’t. Either we’ll both have it, or I’ll have it.”

“Ugh.”

“Hey, Riko. Really I’m fine, so you can count on me this time.”

“But that’s heavy, isn’t it!”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“Don’t worry, it’s not heavy at all. I’m a guy, after all.”

“It’s not heavy? Really?”

“Yeah.”

“… What should I do? He’s so cool…”

“Huh?”

“Ah! I can’t believe I’ve said that…!”

Riko hurriedly pressed her mouth.

“But that’s amazing, Minato-kun. I can’t believe you can carry something that heavy so lightly.”

She said it with a sense of full admiration, which made me feel embarrassed.

“At times like this, I feel like Minato-kun is a boy after all, and it makes me nervous. Ehehe.”

Ah. Ah, God. She’s too cute. If the difference in strength between men and women can make Riko more aware of me, I should start muscle training today.

◇◇◇

We took our time shopping, and when we left the electronics store, it was about time for lunch.

“Do you want to go somewhere for lunch?”

I asked that without thinking too much, and Riko nodded vigorously. Is she hungry? I thought it was kind of cute and naturally smiled.

When I was with Riko, I often felt nervous, but I also felt calm and gentle like now, and I smiled more often than usual. Riko’s angelic presence changed me in such a way.

“Riko, where should we go in? What do you want to eat?”

“To which store do you always go to, Minato-kun?”

“Hmm, I’m not the one who’s picky about food. The restaurants I go to are all cheap and easy to enter, even when alone.”

“Then I’d like to go there too.”

“But it’s like a noodle shop or a beef bowl restaurant, you know?” [TN: A restaurant which serves simple/quick dishes, mostly noodles, with beef.]

“Yes. I want to eat at a restaurant that Minato-kun likes.”

Riko told me so, but as expected, I couldn’t take her to a beef bowl restaurant. After much deliberation, I chose a relatively fashionable hamburger store among the ones I often visit.

Translator & Editor: Riciel