Chapter 36: Shopping Together
"Buzz Buzz Buzz~"
Along with the vibration of his phone, Aragaki Takiya slowly opened his eyes. Hmm... Yesterday, because he didn't have a certain Little one making a fuss, he wasn't quite used to sleeping, but that wouldn't delay today's mission.
Since Aragaki Moeha wasn't home, Aragaki Takiya didn't bother making a complicated breakfast. He didn't even turn on the gas stove; after a simple wash, he just chose bread and milk for his breakfast.
"Ding~"
The phone on the dining table suddenly chimed with a notification. Aragaki Takiya picked it up to check, but he didn't expect the person sending the message to be Eriri.
"Ah~ So it's a photo of their breakfast. It looks very lavish."
The dining table in the photo was covered with food that stimulated the appetite. Aside from what looked like freshly baked bread, Aragaki Takiya couldn't even name the other dishes.
"Hmm... I have to say, it really is the food of a wealthy family. Thinking about it, when Moeha is with me, she can only eat ordinary things."
Looking at the photo on his phone, a faint sense of defeat suddenly welled up in Aragaki Takiya's heart, but he immediately suppressed it. How should he put it? He believed that if he worked hard, he would surely reach that level in the future.
"Alright, time's running out. I should head out early. It would be too rude if Kato is already waiting for me."
After a few simple replies, Aragaki Takiya turned off his phone and prepared to set off. He had already looked up the location of the Rokutenma Shopping Center she mentioned yesterday and had planned which transportation to take... "It should be here, but Kato doesn't seem to have arrived yet. I'll find a place to sit first..."
Half an hour later, Aragaki Takiya had arrived at the agreed-upon shopping center by subway. However, he looked around and didn't see Kato Megumi, so he could only find a bench to sit down on first.
"Papa Papa I want a hug..."
While Aragaki Takiya was spacing out on the bench, he heard a crisp voice coming from not far away. Looking closely, it was a family of three, and the crisp voice came from their daughter.
The Little one looked very small, only about five or six years old. At this moment, she was asking her father for help; she probably couldn't walk anymore after walking for so long.
"Okay, Satomi, wait a moment."
The Little Girl's father immediately bent down upon hearing her and picked her up. Meanwhile, the Little Girl's mother was saying something about her husband spoiling their daughter too much.
"It looks very harmonious. Speaking of which, I'll probably be like this in the future too..."
Watching the family of three nearby, Aragaki Takiya thought back to what had happened to him. A daughter who traveled from the future... but if he successfully ended up with Eriri, would Moeha disappear?
"Uh, but that doesn't seem to be something I should worry about right now. If I remember correctly, Moeha said that I would get a serious illness in the future. That really feels unpleasant..."
While Aragaki Takiya was still lost in thought, a figure was quietly approaching him. Finally... "Sorry to keep you waiting, Aragaki..."
"!"
Hearing the voice from beside him, Aragaki Takiya's whole body jolted, but he immediately returned to normal.
"It's Kato. Actually, I just arrived not long ago myself. Since you're here, let's head out."
Looking at the girl with a puzzled expression before him, Aragaki Takiya tried to change the subject. Fortunately, the girl didn't say anything, and the two walked into the shopping center together.
"Um, Aragaki."
"Hmm?"
"Just now..."
"What happened just now?"
Seeing the young man's reaction beside her, a smile suddenly appeared on Kato Megumi's lips. If she had only suspected it before, she was now certain that the boy in front of her had definitely been startled just now.
"It's nothing. I was just curious, didn't Moeha come along?"
The girl blinked and then changed the subject.
"How should I put it... Moeha is currently at Eriri's house..."
Aragaki Takiya then began to explain the series of events to Kato Megumi, including Eriri's invitation a few days ago and his visit with Moeha.
"I see. It seems Eriri really likes Moeha."
A look of recollection appeared on Kato Megumi's face. Indeed, Aragaki Moeha and Eriri looked very much alike—the same long blonde hair, blue eyes, and exquisite appearance. If Aragaki Takiya hadn't said so beforehand, she would have definitely suspected that Aragaki Moeha was Eriri's younger sister.
"It seems Eriri likes Moeha so much because she looks just like herself."
Kato Megumi mused, but looking at the boy standing with her, a smile appeared on her face again.
"But I quite like this situation too."
It was currently the weekend at the shopping center, so there were many people at the mall. Even though Aragaki Takiya and Kato Megumi had made a plan, they were now squeezed into the rest area. There was no choice; there were too many people, and the weather was very hot, making it impossible to move.
"How about we go to the shops with fewer people first? Kato, you can plan the things you want to buy first, and then we'll decide based on the crowd size."
Looking at the crowded shops in front of them, Aragaki Takiya thought for a moment and said.
"Okay, but in that case, we'll have to take a lot of detours. Can you handle that, Aragaki?"
Kato Megumi checked the list of things to buy on her phone. If they followed Aragaki Takiya's suggestion, they might have to run back and forth several times.
"It's not a big deal. Let's get moving. Don't forget we still have to make the game this afternoon."
...Meanwhile, at the Sawamura Family home.
Currently, Eriri and Aragaki Moeha weren't playing games; they were flipping through a thick photo album.
Reasonably speaking, a photo album is considered a private item by most people, and Eriri was no exception. However, when facing Aragaki Moeha, Eriri rarely shared her album, which contained photos from her kindergarten days all the way to middle school.
"See, I wasn't lying. Moeha, you really looked like me when I was a child."
While flipping through the album, Eriri was also pouring out her thoughts to Aragaki Moeha. However, Eriri would never have imagined that the Little one in front of her was actually her future daughter.
"By the way, Eriri-oneesan, who is this person?"
While flipping through the album, Aragaki Moeha suddenly noticed a photo. It could be vaguely seen that the person standing in the middle was Eriri, but Aragaki Moeha couldn't recognize the two people beside her.
"Ah? This person? Let me see."
Hearing Aragaki Moeha's question, Eriri slowly took the album and began to identify the people in the photo.
"Well, the person in the middle is me. This one with glasses next to me should be Tomoya. Last time, Moeha, you should have... oh right, you were asleep last time. Tomoya can be considered my friend; we might run into him today. As for the one next to him..."
When her finger moved to the last boy, Eriri got stuck.
"This is... Huh? Why don't I have any impression of him at all?"
Searching her memories, Eriri couldn't recall the name of the boy in the photo for a long time. There was clearly a very familiar feeling, but why couldn't she remember his name?
"Hmm... I've forgotten this one too. He's probably just an ordinary classmate. I remember the graduation photo should have the answer, since I wrote everyone's names on it."
As Eriri spoke, she started rummaging through a drawer. After a short while, she found a larger photo. This photo was kept in a frame, showing it had been well-protected.
"Let me see... Eh, why isn't this person here? Could he have transferred schools midway?"
Looking at the group graduation photo, she and Aki Tomoya were clearly both in it, but where was the boy from the photo just now?
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