"Shinobu." Yoizumi held Shinobu's hand and softly called her name, his sapphire eyes looking down quietly at the girl beside him who always wore a faint smile.
Yoizumi was clearly aware of it.
Shinobu was in a good mood... It seemed she wasn't angry anymore.
"Hmm?" A pleasant voice let out a soft sound in response to Yoizumi. She tilted her head slightly, her magnificent purple eyes meeting his. The light purple butterfly ribbon at the back of her head swayed gently with her movement.
"Shinobu, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"Yeah."
Speaking of which, only now did Shinobu feel a hint of hunger from her stomach. The fact that Yoizumi had taken the initiative to invite her was such a rare occurrence that she had spent the whole morning dressing up, barely eating a few bites of breakfast.
Last night, she had even dragged her elder sister along to look at several outfits.
Although her sister would only say "Cute~" for every single one...
"Xiao Shinobu looks so cute no matter what she wears~"
While sitting in front of the vanity mirror applying lip glaze this morning, Shinobu was still wondering if a blockhead like Yoizumi would even notice.
Unexpectedly, the first thing Yoizumi said upon seeing her today was a compliment.
Even if it was just a simple "You look nice."
Shinobu looked at Yoizumi beside her; for this blockhead...
...it was practically a miracle, like a withered tree blooming in spring.
"I looked it up; they say there's a very delicious shop nearby."
Yoizumi found the shop according to the address and suddenly fell silent.
"Ah... It's not open..."
He stared at the words posted on the tightly closed door.
[Closed Today]
Yoizumi turned his head and looked at Shinobu in silence until she let out a soft giggle, breaking the quiet atmosphere.
"Then let's just find any place to eat."
"I'm hungry."
Yoizumi nodded, his gaze searching the surroundings, when the figure of a bald man suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Yo! Young man."
"Want a bowl of Udon?"
It was an excessively conspicuous bald head that even reflected the sunlight. The man stood at the entrance of the Udon shop, smiling as he solicited customers.
"Shinobu, how about Udon?"
After asking Shinobu and receiving an affirmative answer, Yoizumi and Shinobu walked into the shop. The equipment was very new; it was a newly opened establishment.
The man enthusiastically handed over the menu, his face full of passion for Udon.
"Mine is a legacy passed down for over a hundred years!"
Facing the bald man's fanaticism, the two of them simply ordered two servings of the signature Udon.
It's just... Yoizumi felt that this bald man... had an inexplicable sense of familiarity?
"Please come again!"
After leaving the Udon shop, they walked along the path leading to Moon Lake Park. Perhaps because it was the weekend, it was exceptionally lively, with many vendors along the street.
"Shinobu, here."
Seeing the dango that Shinobu liked, Yoizumi bought some and held them out to her. The white dango, coated in brown sugar, shimmered with a beautiful luster under the sun.
Shinobu gave Yoizumi a helpless look; who feeds someone right after they've just eaten their fill?
"No thanks, you eat them, Yoizumi."
Blankly withdrawing his hand, Yoizumi remembered the message his sister sent yesterday.
[Xiao Shinobu has been in a bad mood lately; even her favorite dango can't cheer her up.]
It's true... Taking a bite of a dango, the sweet brown sugar flavor combined with the taste of the dango itself was quite good.
The hand holding the dango was suddenly grabbed. Yoizumi looked toward the source of the force and saw Shinobu's face leaning in slightly. Worried that her hair would get stained with brown sugar, she tucked a strand behind her ear with her slender fingers and tilted her head to bite off a dango.
"..."
His sapphire eyes widened, and he blinked in bewilderment.
Her beautiful lips were stained with glossy brown sugar. Shinobu covered her mouth with her hand as she chewed. After meeting Yoizumi's eyes, she looked away and spoke softly.
"I'll just have one."
"...Okay." Having finished the last bite, Yoizumi licked the remaining brown sugar off his lips and answered in a low voice... "Shinobu, do you want a goldfish?"
Seeing Shinobu's gaze linger on the goldfish scooping stall for a few seconds, Yoizumi took out money and bought several paper nets.
"Which one do you want, Shinobu?"
"Can Yoizumi catch the one I want~?" Shinobu said with a smile.
"I'll... try my best."
Shinobu stood beside Yoizumi, her eyes quietly resting on him as he seriously tried to catch goldfish. She knew that Yoizumi had initially wanted her to catch them, but his outstretched hand had stopped. Was it because she was wearing a skirt? A gentle smile appeared on her face as she said in a soft voice.
"Any of them is fine."
Since it's from you anyway.
By the time all the paper nets were used up, Yoizumi had only managed to catch two goldfish.
"Yoizumi, let's give them names."
Poking the carefree goldfish blowing bubbles inside the transparent plastic bag with her finger, Shinobu spoke with a smile.
"Whatever you say, Shinobu."
"Then..." Staring at the bulge-eyed goldfish, Shinobu pondered for a moment, a playful smile flashing in her purple eyes.
"How about calling it fugu?"
fugu?
Although he didn't understand why Shinobu gave the goldfish the name of another fish, Yoizumi accepted it.
"As for the other one..." Shinobu walked in circles around Yoizumi with her hands behind her back, her finger poking him from time to time.
"xiao yang~"
"...Mm."
Was this a response to Shinobu, or an acceptance of the name she had chosen?
Only Yoizumi knew.
Taking Shinobu's hand again, Yoizumi looked at Shinobu beside him. His clear sapphire eyes reflected her face as he carefully observed her expression.
Is Shinobu's mood any better... Seeing her beautiful eyes curved in a smile, Yoizumi looked straight ahead and couldn't help but let out a smile as well.
Shinobu is in a good mood... That's great...
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