With the ever-cheerful Kasumi beside me, we made our way to the nearest grocery store.
Mission objective:
Acquire ingredients for tonkatsu.
A simple mission.
One that any competent adult should be able to complete without incident.
…Probably.
The moment we entered the store, something immediately caught my attention.
The trolleys.
There were two types.
The first looked normal… except someone had attached a tablet to the handle, as if the shopping cart had recently graduated from engineering school.
The second trolley looked… incomplete.
It had wheels.
It had a frame.
But it had no basket.
Just two empty platforms.
'Did someone forget to finish building this?' I muttered.
Kasumi leaned over.
'Oh! That's the basket trolley!'
'The what now?'
'You're supposed to add the basket yourself.'
A DIY trolley.
Japan truly was an advanced nation.
'Let's take this one.' I said.
'Okay!'
I pulled the empty trolley out while Kasumi added two shopping baskets to it like she was assembling IKEA furniture.
'There!' She said proudly.
'You look very proud of that.'
'I helped.'
Fair enough.
There was also a digital trolley, which had a barcode scanner attached so you could scan items as you shopped and pay directly from the cart.
A futuristic concept.
Unfortunately, the process still required an employee to check your cart afterwards.
Which meant the system basically translated to:
"Do the cashier's job yourself, then wait for the cashier anyway."
Humanity truly has evolved.
The real reason I chose the basket trolley was simple.
Kasumi could grab a basket and run around grabbing things while I focused on the main ingredients.
Strategic division of labour.
Also known as damage control.
————————
'The vibes feel different.' I said.
Back in Australia, grocery stores played shitty pop music in the background.
Here?
Soft traditional Japanese music floated through the aisles.
It felt like the vegetables were about to start reciting poetry.
'Wow! They changed everything since the last time I came here!' Kasumi said excitedly.
She pointed around like an enthusiastic tour guide.
'That used to be the freezers!'
'That used to be the bakery!'
'That used to be the seafood section!'
'So you went to a different store?' I said.
She ignored me.
While Kasumi ran around like an excited puppy, I began gathering ingredients.
'So what are you making, Ku-reiji san?' She asked.
'Tonkatsu.'
Her eyes lit up instantly.
'Tonkatsu, tonkatsu, tonkatsu.' She pumped her fist.
'…Okay.'
Sometimes her innocence reminded me of a child.
Then again—
She was a child.
We grabbed the dry ingredients first.
'I found the breadcrumbs!' Kasumi announced proudly.
The shelf was filled with options:
Panko.
Spicy panko.
Cereal flakes.
Mystery option.
I grabbed the regular one.
Reliable.
Dependable.
The Saitama of breadcrumbs.
Now for the sauce.
The store sold pre-made tonkatsu sauce, but making it from scratch wasn't difficult.
'What else do we need, Ku-reiji san?' Kasumi asked while placing a lemon in the basket.
'Cabbage and meat.' I said.' But is there anything you want?'
She froze.
'…Hmm.' She rubbed her chin.
Her brain clearly entered critical thinking mode.
Ten seconds passed.
Still loading.
I decided to save her.
'How about we just walk around and see what we find?'
Her face lit up.
'Sure!'
Kasumi led the way.
She picked up snacks, examined them seriously… then placed them back.
Occasionally she'd point at something.
'I used to eat this when I was little.'
Each time she said that, she smiled softly.
But once or twice, she lingered a little longer before putting the snack back.
As if she wanted it…
But decided against it.
'Those were good days.' She murmured quietly.
But thanks to my hearing, I caught it.
'If something's bothering you… don't bottle it up, it just makes things worse.' I said. 'You can tell me.'
Kasumi froze.
Then she turned away from me.
'Sniff…okay.'
Chad Prince.
I think I messed up again.
Why was I so bad with women?
The rest of the snack hunt continued in silence.
I avoided speaking.
If I said something wrong again, she might cry.
But strangely…
Kasumi was smiling.
A small smile.
Like someone who had just been told something they had wanted to hear for a long time.
Eventually, she spoke.
'Ku-reiji.'
She dropped the honorific.
'Do you promise… that when the time comes… you'll be there for me?'
'…Yeah.'
I nodded.
Phew.
She didn't cry.
Miracles do happen.
—————————
We eventually reached the meat section.
Kasumi held up a package proudly.
'This one looks good!'
I examined it.
'…The colour's off.'
'Oh…okay…' She said sadly.
Seeing that expression, I decided to teach her something.
'The colour needs to be a light pinkish colour with the fat being white.' I explained. 'The one you chose had a colour that looked like cooked chicken.'
I pointed at another cut.
'This one.'
'Is the colour you are looking for.'
Her eyes widened.
'Oooo.'
Let's take this one.'
'Is that everything?' She asked.
'Unless you want something, we can grab the cabbage, drinks and dessert on the way out.'
I then remembered something.
'You were staring at a snack earlier.'
Her eyes immediately darted around.
'I-I wasn't.'
'You were.'
'I—'
'My treat.'
She hesitated.
Then said quietly.
'…I want to get them.'
'…but you'll tease me for being a kid.'
'Aren't you a kid?'
'I'm almost seventeen!'
She stomped her foot.
'Isn't that still a kid?'
She tried to argue.
Failed.
'Fine,' She said, 'but you're paying.'
—————————
At the self-checkout, there was no line.
Victory.
'Scanning or packing?' I asked.
'Scanning!'
She grabbed the scanner like she had just been promoted to CEO of scanners.
*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
She was scanning items with terrifying enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, the machine requires the scanned item to be placed down on the pressure plate before you can scan again.
'Kasumi.' I said calmly. 'I need to put the items down first.'
She kept scanning.
*Beep*
*Beep*
Nothing happened.
She tried again.
*Beep*
Her face slowly turned red.
'Is it me or did technology evolve too fast. Hahaha.' She tried to laugh it off.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
'Don't worry.' I said. 'Everyone makes mistakes.'
Together we finished packing the groceries.
When it came time to pay, I used the card I had found in my house.
Although it had little money inside.
With the system, I topped up my bank account to a healthy balance.
*Ding*
The receipt was printed.
Mission complete.
When I grabbed both bags, Kasumi spoke up.
'Can I carry one?'
'You sure?'
'Yeah.'
I handed her the lighter bag.
She held it carefully.
She was oddly proud of contributing.
We stepped outside together.
Groceries secured.
And Kasumi had survived her battle against the self-checkout machine.
Phase two of the mission awaited.
Cooking.