"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?" Hiratsuka Ryosuke asked sincerely.
He was a little surprised. He hadn't noticed when the girl had come up behind him.
"Oh, I'm fine," the girl said, her voice flat as if it wasn't her foot he had stepped on. She calmly picked up her beret, put it back in its place, and slowly walked away. Before she left, she glanced at the hat again, as if she were debating whether or not to buy it.
Ryosuke, seeing that she seemed to really like the hat, made a decision. Chasing after her to apologize would look suspicious, so he had to find another way. A girl's mind is very sensitive; sometimes they say they're fine when they're thinking something else. He had accidentally stepped on her, even if she was a stranger, and it was his responsibility to apologize properly.
He took the white beret to the cashier, pointed to the girl who was still browsing, and said, "Hi, can you please ring this up for me? Could you give this hat to that girl over there later?"
The cashier smiled when she saw the handsome young man. "Of course, young man. I'll make sure to give it to her." She looked in the direction Ryosuke was pointing and frowned. Do all the handsome guys like this kind of girl now? The girl looked so ordinary, like she could be a background character in a crowd.
"Ryosuke! We've made our choice. Just these few," Nishimiya Shoko said, walking up to the counter with an armful of clothes. She smiled brightly at him.
The cashier's frown softened as she took in the cute girl. This makes much more sense. A guy like him should like a cute girl like her.
After paying, the three of them left the clothing store.
A moment later, the girl walked up to the counter. "Hello, I'd like this outfit," she said, her voice still without emotion, as she handed the cashier a red vest.
The cashier was startled. When did this girl get here? I didn't even notice her.Wait, did I forget something?Doesn't matter. I'll just check her out first.
"Megumi! Where did you go? I've been looking for you all morning," a middle-aged woman said, walking up to the counter, her face full of worry.
The girl named Megumi pouted slightly, an emotion rarely seen on her face. Mom was the one who got lost. She told me to wait here. But she quickly returned to her normal state. This wasn't the first time this had happened.
Just as she was leaving the store with her bag, the cashier remembered the young man's request. "Oh, wait!"
Megumi turned around, looking a little confused. Is she talking to me? She must have the wrong person. She started to walk away again, but the cashier ran out from behind the counter and stopped her. She held out the beret. "You forgot this. A handsome young man said it's a gift for you."
Megumi looked at the white beret, still with its tag on. She rested her finger on her chin, thinking. Then she realized it was the same hat she had been looking at. A handsome young man... was she talking about my 'Guardian Knight?'He's a very popular person at school.Oh, besides him, I think I've seen that girl with the flaxen hair at school before, too.
"Thank you." Megumi took the hat and looked around outside, but the young man was nowhere to be found. She knew that the hat was probably his way of apologizing for stepping on her.
Megumi shook her head, not thinking too much about it. She would probably be forgotten soon anyway. She didn't get very good grades, wasn't a class representative, and didn't have many friends. She was just an ordinary girl who occasionally watched TV and went shopping. A popular person like him would probably never cross paths with a plain girl like her in the future.
Megumi put on the white beret and looked at her reflection in the window. A faint smile, almost imperceptible, appeared on her lips. This hat really suits me.
"Mom, let's go," she said calmly, taking her mother's hand and leaving the store.
August 30th
It was the second to last day of summer vacation and Nibutani Shinka's birthday. Shizuka had already gone to her school to prepare for the start of the year. Ryosuke was home alone and planned on baking a cake.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang. Ryosuke opened the door, and the first thing he saw was a large bag of strawberries. The bag was lowered, and a small head with light brown hair peeked out from behind it.
"Ryosuke, I came early. I thought you might need these," Nishimiya Shoko said shyly. In Japan, it was considered impolite to visit without an invitation. They had planned to meet in the evening, but she couldn't wait until after lunch. I just want to see him as soon as possible. That was the only thought in her mind.
"Come on in," Ryosuke said with a smile, not minding her early arrival. Shoko followed him into the kitchen.
"The cake is already baked, Shoko. Could you wash the strawberries for me?" Ryosuke asked, returning to what he was doing.
Shoko took a bowl and filled it with water. The plump, red strawberries tumbled into the bowl one by one. She secretly glanced at Ryosuke, who was focused on his task, his knife moving with practiced ease as he cut the cake into a perfect circle.
Shoko smelled the scent of the cake and inched a tiny bit closer to him, a slight smile on her face. Now I'm a little closer to him. Hehe! She smiled to herself, her fair fingers moving quickly in the water. She washed the strawberries and placed them in a white porcelain bowl. The water made the red strawberries look even more luscious.
Just like Shoko's cheeks at that moment.
"Ryosuke, eat this strawberry!" Shoko said, holding a strawberry out to him like a precious gem.
Her smile grew when he ate it.
Ryosuke, thinking she was just drawn in by the cake's scent, took a small piece of cake and held it to her mouth. Shoko leaned forward and opened her mouth to take a bite, but her tongue accidentally brushed his finger.
She froze as if she had been electrocuted, then turned away with the piece of cake in her mouth. Her heart pounded as she covered the bottom half of her face with her hands. Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster hoarding food.
This is the best cake I've ever had.
"Shoko?" Ryosuke was confused by her reaction. Did she really have such a strong reaction to fresh, homemade cake? He thought to himself, I should make her more desserts when I have time.
"It's delicious!" Shoko said, her voice muffled by the food in her mouth. She stood with her back to him, her face flushed.
Her eyes were like autumn water, clear and bright. Her rosy cheeks were even more beautiful than the fresh strawberries in the white bowl.