Sunday.
Today, Sara-san, Natsumi-senpai, and I had come to a large furniture specialty store. Now that Sara-san and I were living together, we had decided to buy the various pieces of furniture we felt were still missing.
Since the store was a bit far, we had to take the train to get there. According to Sara-san, the shop was famous for its vast selection, reasonable prices, and stylish Western-style furniture. Combined with Sara-san's cute pleading, the decision to go was made instantly.
As for why we were suddenly buying furniture… it all started this morning when Mayumi-san called us, and the two of us stopped by Sara-san's family home.
"Kazunari-kun, I'm giving this to you."
With those words, Mayumi-san handed me a perfectly ordinary brown envelope.
I accepted it for the time being, though I debated whether I should check the contents right then and there. Mayumi-san offered a brief explanation.
"Use that money to buy new furniture or add whatever else you might need for the house."
Money?!
Surprised, I took a quick peek inside the envelope. Even with just a glance, there were clearly at least ten bills inside.
I couldn't possibly accept such a large sum, so I tried to hand the envelope back to Mayumi-san. I could afford a few pieces of furniture on my own; I still had my earnings from my part-time job, and thanks to Sara-san, I had been able to pool together a significant amount of living expenses.
"Mayumi-san, I really can't take this..."
Despite my attempt to return the envelope, Mayumi-san made no move to take it back.
"You must accept it. Sara-chan, if there's anything left over, you can put it toward your living expenses."
"Understood. Kazunari-san, please accept it."
With Sara-san being persuaded first, there was no longer any way for me to refuse. It couldn't be helped. Though I felt deeply apologetic, I decided to humbly accept her kindness.
"…Thank you very much. I appreciate it."
After thanking Mayumi-san, I decided to entrust the money to Sara-san since it concerned our household finances. Sara-san took the envelope from me, tucked it into her bag, and thanked her mother as well.
"You can use every bit of it, you know? If you find yourself in trouble with anything else, you must contact your mother-in-law at any time, okay?"
Mayumi-san gave a gentle smile as she began to slowly edge closer to me. Sara-san, of course, noticed this immediately and stepped in front of me to block her.
"Aaaah, honestly, Sara-chan. You shouldn't get in the way of physical intimacy between a mother-in-law and her cute son."
"There is no need for such a thing. Physical intimacy with Kazunari-san is my privilege."
Mayumi-san was surely just teasing us. And because she was dealing with her mother, Sara-san’s energy was a bit different than usual. Seeing them like that made me smile in spite of myself.
"We'll have to have a showdown over this eventually. If I win, you have to let me flirt with Kazunari-kun."
"Save your sleep-talking for when you're actually asleep. There is no need for a contest; I am the only one who will be close with Kazunari-san."
…She’s just teasing, right?
She isn’t actually serious, is she?
Following that exchange, we decided to take Mayumi-san up on her offer and expand our furniture collection. Our main goals were a Sara-san's dresser, a dressing table, and some new dishes.
Sara-san had insisted that she didn't need a dressing table, but I had already secretly decided to buy one anyway once we were at the store. I believed it was an absolute necessity for a woman, and I was certain she was only holding back out of modesty. If I took a firm stand and insisted, I knew Sara-san would eventually give in.
On the other hand, the one thing Sara-san had strongly requested was a futon. It wasn't that she had any complaints about our current one; Sara-san was far too polite to ever say something like that.
As for why she wanted a new one, the answer was simple…
"Let's take this opportunity to get a double-sized futon. It's going to be getting colder soon, and I want something large so that Kazunari-san doesn't catch a cold."
That was her reasoning.
Because of that, I was even considering going all out and buying a double-sized bed if the budget allowed it. I was perfectly fine sleeping on the floor, but I really wanted Sara-san to be able to sleep in a proper bed. If the money held out, that is.
Just as our plans for the day were coming together, Natsumi-senpai happened to get in touch and ended up joining us.
She was hesitant at first, but I was the one who invited her. Since Sara-san was always stuck by my side, I thought she needed a chance to relax with her best friend for a change.
"Sorry for crashing~ I've wanted to check this place out for a while. I won't get in your way, so feel free to just dump me somewhere once we arrive."
That would defeat the purpose, so I had no intention of doing that. Since we had decided to come as a trio, Sara-san also felt it was only natural for the three of us to enjoy ourselves together.
And that brought us to the present…
I found myself completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the store. With this much furniture to see, the day would be over in the blink of an eye if we just wandered aimlessly. The store even had a stylish cafe inside, and Natsumi-senpai, whose hobby was visiting cafes, was already eager to stop by.
"It seems they've renovated. There wasn't a cafe here the last time I came…"
"We're definitely stopping there later, okay?"
"I know, I know. Natsumi, you really do love your cafes."
"It's my life work, after all~"
"That's quite a massive life work you've got there."
"Hmph, what's that supposed to mean? Well, if that's the case, then your life… actually, never mind. You only have Takanashi-kun."
"Fufu… Kazunari-san is everything to me."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure he is."
Listening to them talk, I could sense the effortless ease that existed between them as best friends. It felt like Sara was relaxing in a way that was different from when she was just with me. Having Natsumi-senpai come along had definitely been the right move.
"Alright… how about we split up for a bit? I'll look around on my own, so you two take your time."
"You don't have to force yourself to go off alone; we're fine together, you know?"
"Ehh… but I don't really want to watch you two picking out the double-sized futon you're going to be sleeping in together."
I thought she was probably joking, but she had hit the mark so perfectly that I found myself at a loss for words. Sara-san, however, took it in stride, merely tilting her head in confusion.
"Oh, how did you know?"
"Ugh… I-I was just kidding… Are you really buying one?"
"Yes. Even though we're already used to a hug, a normal futon is still a bit small, isn't it? And since it's going to get cold, I want to make sure Kazunari-san doesn't catch a cold…"
Natsumi-senpai listened to the explanation with an exhausted expression. Her gaze shifted toward me, looking as if she had a mountain of things she wanted to say.
"Now that I've heard that, I am absolutely going to act separately. I don't want to be anywhere near you two while you're picking that out."
She was being quite blunt, but since I knew we were prone to being overly affectionate, I couldn't really argue…
"W-Well then, I'll be somewhere in the store, so call me if anything happens…"
Natsumi-senpai tried to beat a hasty retreat as if fleeing a disaster zone. However, because she was looking back at us while moving, it was a classic case of forward inattentiveness. At that exact moment, a figure emerged from behind a display. Sara-san and I both noticed, but by the time the thought crossed our minds, it was already too late. Before we could shout a warning, she collided with the person, and both of them staggered back.
"Ah, I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay—"
"S-Sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going—"
Both of them hurriedly began to apologize, but the moment they saw each other's faces, they froze. Sara-san and I were equally stunned by the appearance of this unexpected person. For it was…
"Tachibana-kun!?"
"Natsumi-san!?"
To my shock, the person Natsumi-senpai had run into was Yuji. I never would have expected to run into him here.
"Yuji? What are you doing here?"
"Kazunari!? N-No, I was just brought along as an escort… What about you guys?"
"Well, we're here to look at furniture, obviously. You said you're an escort, but are you alone right now?"
"No, we just got separated for a second…"
As he spoke, he scanned the area, clearly in the middle of searching for his companion. In a store this size, it was easy to lose track of someone.
"Tachibana-kun, why don't you try calling them?"
"I tried a few times, but they won't pick up—"
"Aaaah!! I finally found you!!"
Startled by the sudden shout, I looked toward the voice to see a girl heading our way.
She had a distinctive hairstyle that looked like an odango was perched on her head. She was wearing a sporty mini-skirt, and her legs moved in a frantic pitter-patter as she jogged toward us.
In terms of age… she looked younger than us.
"Geez, Yu-kun! You shouldn't just run off like that!!"
"You're the one who vanished into thin air!! You didn't even answer your phone! Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?!"
"Yu-kun" was a very familiar way to address him.
And Yuji's tone was remarkably informal for talking to a girl; it was clear they were on very close terms.
"Wait, are you hitting on someone?! Even though you already have me!!"
"Heh… Tachibana-kun, you certainly seem to be on good terms with that girl, don't you?"
Natsumi-senpai, who had been frozen by the sudden development, slowly lifted her head. She turned a truly brilliant smile toward Yuji—the kind where the eyes don't reach the expression at all. I made a mental note of it; that's what a terrifying smile looks like.
"Eh!? N-No, she's—"
"That's right! He's always grumpy, but Yu-kun is actually really kind, so I love him!! ……Wait, huh? Are you big sisters friends of Yu-kun?"
Since Natsumi-senpai was radiating pure hostility, I decided to step in. For some reason, Sara-san was also exuding a bit of a dark aura… Why?
"Uh, nice to meet you. I'm Kazunari Takanashi. Yuji and I are…"
"Ah!! I know Takanashi-kun! You're Yu-kun's Number One Friend, right!?"
It seemed she knew who I was. She had probably heard about me from Yuji. His Number One Friend… I was genuinely happy that Yuji had described me that way.
"A-Ah, yeah. Yuji is my Number One Friend, too… he’s my best friend."
"I knew it! That's great, Yu-kun!"
"Y-Yeah."
Even if it was something we both knew, having it stated so bluntly made both Yuji and me feel incredibly embarrassed. Still, the girl's carefree laughter was genuinely heartwarming.
Wait, this isn't the time to be feeling warm and fuzzy. Who exactly is this girl?
"By the way… um."
As if sensing my question, she made an "Ah" face and slapped her open left palm with her right fist.
This girl is a character.
"Sorry about that. I'm Asami Kishiyama!"
"Kishiyama-san, I see. Uh, you and Yuji seem to be quite close…"
"Yu-kun and I are love-love!!"
"Love-love… heh… so you're love-love, are you…?"
Meanwhile, Natsumi-senpai began to close in on Yuji, an eerie aura billowing around her.
Yuji noticed her state immediately and began to cower.
"Hey, don't go saying 'love-love' so recklessly!! In the first place, you—"
"Ehh… that's so mean!! Even my mother said she was happy for us!"
Wait a minute… could it be…?
I was certain Yuji liked Natsumi-senpai, but was I wrong?
From the look of it, these two seemed to have a very intimate relationship.
"Um, excuse me, Big Sister?"
To actually speak to Natsumi-senpai in her current state…
Either Asami-san had nerves of steel, or she simply couldn't read the room at all. Either way, she was fearless.
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm leaving right now. Kazunari-kun, call me if anything happens."
"Y-Yes. Understood."
With that, Natsumi-senpai fixed her greatest fake smile on her face and loomed over Yuji.
"Stay happy with Kishiyama-san, won't you?"
"Eh!? Wait!?"
Leaving those words behind, she ignored the panicked Yuji and marched away with brisk, determined steps.