Please Do Not Say “I Love You” To Me - 4 - To The Mall
“I’m so boooorrred…”
Here I find myself, sprawled out on my bed in the middle of the day, with absolutely nothing to do. It’s been a week since our Christmas break kicked off, and for the past seven days, I’ve just been immersed in games and whatnot. Initially entertaining, but now it’s starting to feel like a one-way ticket to becoming a NEET.
“What on earth should I do…”
Almost like a response to my silent plea, there’s a knock on my door, and it starts to creak open.
“Hey, Big Bro, Mom and I are heading out for some shopping. Wanna join?”
“Hell yeah! I need some fresh air, my little sis!”
“Uh, okay? Anyway, go freshen up and change.”
And so, I did just that.
We find ourselves at this massive, bustling mall. Remember our school? Just hop on a train for three stops, and you hit Umi City, situated right by the sea. If you drive from my place, well, it’s a good half-hour trek to reach the city.
“Hiroki, you’re on grocery duty.” my mom declares, handing me a white sheet with a laundry list of items to pick up. I did say I’d tag along, but being the designated baggage boy wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.
“Here’s the cash for the groceries. Whatever’s left, treat yourself to something. Your sister and I are going to do a bit of ‘girl’ shopping.” she adds, slipping me the money with a wink. Well, she did say I could use the change for whatever I want, so heck yeah, new game here I come.
“Alright then, I’ll catch you later with Mayu.”
“Thanks, sweetie. Oh, and here’s the car key. I’ll ring you up when we’re done with your sister, okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Enjoy, you two.”
They head off in their direction, and I make my way to the supermarket area. The place is bustling with people, loading up their carts, mostly with food. Christmas is looming, and with the prices expected to skyrocket on Christmas Eve, it’s no wonder that many are tackling their grocery lists today.
“Let’s see, chicken meat, fruit cocktails, condensed milk, and all-purpose cream?” I understand the chicken part, but I’m curious about the other items.
“Ehhh, let’s start with the meat. It might run out if I’m not there early.” And so, my first mission is to grab the chicken meat and move on to the next item.
“Huff, huff, huff. I didn’t expect so many people there.”
Surprisingly, the meat section is crowded, with folks grabbing their share. Fortunately, being tall and slender, I navigate through the gaps with ease. But goodness, these people are really determined.
“At least I got what I need.” I glance at the small plastic bag in my hand, containing drumsticks, wings, and thighs. The list specifies five kilos of it.
“Now, let’s snag the other items on the list.” With the small basket in hand, I head to the section where the remaining items are. First, fruit cocktails—check. Next, condensed milk—another check. Finally, all-purpose cream—all checked.
“Okay, got what I need. Let’s hit the counter.” I head to the checkout, only to be met with a sight.
“That’s one heck of a line.” The queue is impressively long, and the other counters are no different.
“Well, this will take a while.”
A few hours later
“Finally. With that, and sent.” I’ve managed to purchase the groceries, along with the game I picked up on the way. Now, all that’s left is to wait here in the parking lot. Mom should get the text I sent her.
notification sound
“‘We’ll be there now,’ it says. Guess I’ll just wait here.”
While waiting for the two girls’ arrival from their shopping, I kill some time with my phone, browsing in the internet. Suddenly, I felt a sudden shiver throught my body. I scanned the area to see the source of it. Nothing. Everywhere I see is full of empty cars in the parking lot.
“What the hell was that?”
I’ve never felt that kind of thing before. It felt like someone would try to murder me.
Whilst looking around, the two girls have arrived from the distance, carrying lots of bags. I don’t even want to question them on what’s inside.
“Uhh, that’s a lot of bags you got there.” I said with a concerned look in my face.
“Just a bit of a shopping spree, you see.”
I take a look at Mayu and she looks like soul has been drained out from her body.
“I… I wanna go home…” she says while carrying more bags than Mom. Just what the heck did happened while I was gone?
“Hiroki, can you pass me the flour and black pepper?”
“Yeah, hold on a second. Here you go, Mom.”
“Thank you, Hiroki.”
I returned to watching some TV in the living room while Mom prepared dinner for tonight. Mayu, on the other hand, seemed exhausted from the shopping trip and took a break in her room.
Since I didn’t feel like staying in my room, I opted to chill in the living room. My game is there, but I didn’t want any interruptions to my gaming immersion. Curious about the game? I don’t know exactly the plot of the game but I do know it’s an open-world sci-fi city one with loads of content to explore and grind. Open-world games are my jam, by the way.
An hour passed, and Mom had finished making dinner while I set the table with rice bowls and the delicious spread. We’ll have a delightful meal tonight. I’d already informed Mayu about dinner, and she quickly made her way downstairs, sporting a casual loose outfit that had a touch of feminine flair. If any guy were to catch a glimpse of her, they’d probably lose their minds. Well, I’d smack some sense into them if that ever happened.
As we enjoyed our dinner, a sudden doorbell interrupted the evening.
“Could you check who’s outside, Hiroki?” Mom asked.
“Sure, no problem.” I went to the door to see who would be visiting at this time.
“Hello there, Hiroki-kun.” A silver-haired girl stood on our doorstep in the cold, dark night. It was none other than Shiori herself.