Side: Yurika
Yurika’s favorite Kanto seaweed-flavored instant noodles were seventy-eight yen a package. They’d first hit shelves a year ago, and she’d picked them up because she enjoyed the taste for the price. That held true even now, as evidenced by the five packets in her shopping basket.
“Like, didn’t you finish off paying off your debt?” Sanae asked curiously.
“Sanae-chan! Shhh!”
“Don’t worry. Koutarou’s stuck in the sports drink corner right now.”
Even with Sanae’s assurance, Yurika couldn’t help glancing over to make sure of it for herself. She desperately wanted to keep Koutarou from learning of her financial situation at all costs.
“My debt may be gone, sure, but...” she mumbled.
“So why do you keep buying the cheap instant noodles? You could buy these nicer ones instead. You know, the kind that moved you to tears that one time?”
Sanae wanted to know why Yurika was still living like she was dirt poor even though she wasn’t anymore. She understood that Yurika didn’t want Koutarou to know the truth, but she couldn’t understand why Yurika’s diet hadn’t changed.
“You’re being too naive, Sanae-chan!” Yurika objected with a surprisingly serious expression. She had her left hand on her hip as she waved her right in the air.
“What do you mean?” Sanae asked.
“Money can disappear on you in the blink of an eye. You never know a mistake might cost you.”
“That’s eerily convincing coming from you...”
“I can’t even begin to tell you the wretched despair of buying a manga you don’t like in bulk!” Yurika cried, pale-faced as she recalled her past horror.
She’d once bought the entirety of a popular series that turned out not to be to her tastes. She’d then rushed to a used bookstore to offload it, but since it was in such wide circulation, it didn’t sell for much. It was a huge loss for both her and her wallet. So even with her finances stabilized now, she wasn’t about to let her guard down again.
“I buy books one at a time, though,” said Sanae.
“Don’t you want to know what happens next?” asked Yurika.
“Sure I do, but I like going to the bookstore with Koutarou.”
Sanae didn’t just enjoy manga; she loved the whole book-buying experience. She’d been getting a small allowance from Koutarou ever since she was a ghost, and she loved going shopping with him to spend it. Swinging by the bookstore on the way home after school and reading manga together was one of her favorite pastimes.
“That sounds great...” sighed Yurika.
“Then you should give it a try,” suggested Sanae.
“Unlike you, Sanae-chan, Satomi-san and I don’t have the same tastes.”
Sanae read all kinds of manga, whereas Yurika had very girly tastes. There was no way that she and Koutarou would enjoy the same kind of series.
“Then why not do it with ramen? Instead of buying a pack here and there, you can buy a box with Koutarou. Then you can make it together and everything.”
“Hmmmmm...”
Yurika pondered this plan. Instead of buying a little at a time, she could buy a whole box and ask Koutarou to carry it. As thanks for the favor, she could even offer to treat him to some. It was sounding better and better to her.
“What are you thinking about so hard, Yurika?” asked Koutarou, appearing with a basket full of sports drinks. “Did you find some new instant noodles?”
“Hwah?!” Hearing his voice all of a sudden made Yurika jump. She was too surprised to give a proper answer.
“Welcome back, Koutarou. Yurika and I were just talking about how she should buy in bulk instead,” Sanae said for her, making sure to leave out the parts Yurika wouldn’t have wanted her to share.
“You’d probably save money that way, yeah.”
“But carrying a whole box would be heavy. Come on, Yurika, just ask him to do it for you.”
“U-Um, would you mind?”
“Sure. It’s no big deal.”
“Th-Thank you, Satomi-san!”
In the end, Yurika got exactly what she wanted. But she wasn’t the only one who demonstrated growth that day; later, she’d quietly thank Sanae for everything she’d done.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login