Chapter
As I finished consuming my meal, the sound of a door opening echoed throughout the room. It was likely just Kimura, so I simply picked up my plate and began to wash it.
"You're making your own food?" Kimura queried as he caught sight of me scrubbing the dishes clean. "Mizuhara, can you make me something too? I paid for the thing too."
"I don't mind, but we're out of ingredients."
"Argh, alright," Kimura grumbled in disappointment.
With that, Kimura turned and walked away from me, his steps indicating that he had something on his mind. As I finished washing the dishes, he opened the door once more, and before he could close it, I hastened my pace to catch up with him.
"Wait, I'm going out too."
"Oh, okay. Close the door."
He responded before striding out of the dormitory.
With a nod, I closed the door behind me and began walking. As I strolled through the hall of the dormitory, memories of a few days prior came flooding back to me. I couldn't help but think about Kamimura, or rather, Matsuoka Rei. Though I hadn't seen her since it didn't seem to affect me much.
Before I knew it, I had made my way out of the dormitory. The schoolyard was now bustling with activity as students milled about in their morning routines. The clock on the wall read 10 am, signalling the start of another day at the school.
As I strolled along the bustling schoolyard, I couldn't help but notice Kinoshita Chitose, who had come to a stop in her tracks. Curious, I paused to see what had caught her attention. Her head was hung low, her eyes fixed on the ground. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to meet mine.
"A-Aya..." she stuttered," Mizuhara, would you like to accompany me to the arcade?"
Without hesitation, I accepted her invitation. I had nothing else planned for the day, and the prospect of some leisurely entertainment sounded appealing. Kinoshita, I knew, was not particularly fond of games that relied on points or tokens, so I suspected she would stick to more traditional arcade activities.
As we walked side by side, Kinoshita turned to me, "Mizuhara, have you been studying for the upcoming midterms?"
I couldn't help but lie again, as Fujiharu had asked me the same question just the other day. It seemed to be the topic of conversation for most students lately.
"Yes, I have." I replied, "Though I don't spend all my time in the library. Sometimes I study in my room, and the exams are still some ways off, so there's no need to study every single day."
"I see." Kinoshita nodded, "Well, we've arrived."
As we entered the arcade, we were greeted by the familiar sounds and sights of students frantically playing games, most of which relied on points or tokens. I couldn't help but shake my head, thinking to myself that it seemed more like a casino than a school.
"What game do you have in mind?"
I asked Kinoshita as we surveyed the rows of machines at the arcade. She seemed uncertain at first, glancing around with a puzzled expression before her gaze settled on a zombie-themed shooting game.
"This one?" I asked, nodding towards the machine.
"Y-Yes."
As I approached the machine and picked up the gun controller, I couldn't help but be impressed by the quality of the game. The weight of the gun felt realistic in my hands, and the theme, while common, was executed well. I grabbed the second gun controller and handed it to Kinoshita.
"Here, it's a little heavy,"
I watched her as she struggled to hold it steady.
"A-ah, thanks, Mizuhara."
Her arms were sagging under the weight of the gun.
"Well, we can play another game if you'd like."
But she insisted on trying the shooting game, so I helped her adjust her grip on the controller.
"You're sure you want to play this game? It's pretty intense."
"Um, no...I just wanted to try it with you." Kinoshita said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
I nodded and aimed my gun at the screen, ready to take on the zombie.
As the day came to a close, Kinoshita and I bid our farewells to one another. We had spent a leisurely afternoon at the arcade, trying our hand at various games and enjoying each other's company.
"Thank you, Mizuhara, for spending time with me."
"It was my pleasure." I replied, "I enjoyed it too."
"..really?" Kinoshita looked at me sceptically; her brow furrowed in confusion.
I nodded, attempting to reassure her.
"Yes, really."
With that, Kinoshita bid me goodbye and took off, leaving me standing at the arcade's entrance. As I watched her go, I couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. This was what a normal student life felt like - spending time with friends and enjoying oneself. And I was lucky to have experienced it.
I realized that the ingredients for my cooking were running low, so I made a decision to visit the local grocery store. Walking through the bustling commercial area, I encountered a crowd of students and patiently waited in line before finally reaching the front and making my way inside the store.
ƥαṇdαηθνε| Navigating the aisles, I carefully selected a variety of basic cooking ingredients, including eggs, milk, and various other necessities. I also picked up some chicken, bread, and cheese to make sandwiches and other meals. The total cost of my purchases came to around 6000 points, but I decided to put some items back in order to reduce the cost to around 4500 points.
As I approached the counter to pay, I felt a tap on my back. I turned to find Fujiharu standing behind me, a curious expression on her face.
"That's quite a lot of things," she said.
"It's for stock. As I said to you many times, I cook my own food," I replied.
"Oh, if only we lived in the same room, I could have free food every day!"
"No, you wouldn't." I interjected her, "Kimura and I bought the ingredients together."
"--um, excuse me, your bags."
The cashier interjected, indicating that my purchases were ready to be taken. As I turned to grab my bags,
"Wait, can I follow you around?"
Fujiharu asked if she could follow me around. I didn't mind, but I was curious as to why she was in the grocery store in the first place.
"I'm fine, but I need to go to my dorm room to put this in the fridge," I said.
"Ah, that's fine. I can wait."
She replied with a smile.
With my bags in hand, we made our way out of the store and towards the dormitory.
"Ayato, I saw that you went to the arcade. If you wanted to play, you could have invited me to join."
She spoke as we walked towards the dormitory. If she saw me enter the arcade, then she must have seen Kinoshita too. Why didn't she mention her?
"Sure, I'll invite you next time."
"Okay. Did you go alone or with someone?"
"I went with someone."
"I see. I can only imagine who that someone is."
"It's not important, just Kinoshita."
"Of course, it's your business who you spend your time with."
"Exactly. And right now, I'm spending my time with you."
I replied, showing no further interest in the conversation. I don't know what she was trying to say.
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