The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 15: Reunion – Part 1

Reunion – Part 1

(The eggs… 10 for 98 yen!? Were they really that cheap!?)

The time was 4:20 PM. Despite not compromising on time and putting in effort to prepare materials for the home visit, Sora arrived at the sale 20 minutes late. He stood before an empty shelf, staring at a price card with the price written in red, utterly surprised.

(Th-they were this cheap? They must have sold out in no time… even in just 20 minutes…)

Although he desired the eggs at such an affordable price, if they were sold out, there was nothing he could do. Sora’s ability to avoid regretting the situation despite being only 20 minutes late was commendable.

“Well, under normal circumstances, they’re around 200 yen, so even this is a good deal.”

Sora picked up a carton of eggs priced at 150 yen from a nearby shelf and placed it in his basket. While it was only a 50-yen difference, considering that he bought groceries almost every day, this conscious approach to shopping helped him save on food expenses.

“Haha, it’s fun to browse for discounted items like this…”

Many people could relate to this sentiment. Sora muttered to himself and strolled leisurely through the supermarket.

Some might argue that he should hurry during a sale, but he expected that the items labeled as “big discounts” would have already sold out. So, he was focusing on food that was likely still in stock and had a reduced price.

(With the lower prices on vegetables and meat today, I wonder what I should make… Tomorrow’s a day off too, so I’ll buy plenty…)

With ingredients on hand, he could whip up something to eat. This casual approach was typical for people living alone.

Sora continued to add budget-friendly vegetables to his basket as he moved through the store.

“Now, I just need to find some meat…”

***

“Huh, eggs for 98 yen? That’s way too cheap… These must be what Mom was aiming for.”

Sakurai Nanase widened her sharp purple eyes and fixated on the sold-out eggs. She reacted with an “Ah…” while adjusting her hat.

“As expected, being 30 minutes late for the time sale led to this…”

After finishing her class at university and rushing to the supermarket, she still couldn’t find what she wanted.

“Well, for now, I’ll just grab these 10 eggs for 150 yen.”

Even though she understood the logic, she preferred it when someone specified what they wanted.

“I’ll definitely get asparagus and tomatoes, too.”

Utilizing the privilege of going shopping herself, Nanase decided to head to the vegetable section.

“But first, I should check out the meat section. There’s no way these two items are sold out, and discounted meat is a better deal than discounted vegetables, right?”

Since she came during the sale, she also wanted to be able to boast to her mother, saying, “Look at how much I saved!” She had mixed feelings of wanting her mother to be pleased and wanting to be praised.

“Now then…”

Nanase walked briskly to the meat section, looking around for the products. Fortunately, she found it: a pack of steak meat originally priced at 2000 yen with a 50% discount sticker.

“Oh, this is the last one!”

She reached out to grab it, thinking it was a good deal.

At the same time, another hand grasped the same item.

“Eh…”

Both of them pulled their hands back reflexively. The other person was a tall man in a suit, wearing leather shoes.

Feeling the gaze from above, Nanase, her face hidden beneath her hat, quickly let go of the item.

“Sorry, please, go ahead.”

(I kind of wanted it, but it’s probably better to give it to someone who has their menu planned…)

As if seeing through her thoughts, the man said, “No, no, I didn’t really have a menu in mind. I just reached out because it was on sale…”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I didn’t specifically plan a menu or anything like that, so please take it. Thank you for being considerate.”

“Huh… Sensei?”

Without mistaking the voice she knew so well, Nanase asked as she looked up at the man and their eyes met.

“What?”

The man’s expression froze in an instant. It was an unmistakable look of astonishment. He let go of the steak meat he was holding, and it dropped into his own shopping basket.

“Wait… N-n-nanase-san!?”

“Sensei, right!? It’s really you! I knew it was you when I heard your voice! But the moment you realized it was me, you dropped the meat!”

“N-No! It was just an uncontrollable reaction…”

A chance reunion due to the timing of the sale. At this moment, Nanase’s bracelet on her left hand was gleaming as if reflecting the lights.