I SLIPPED INTO MY casual clothes, which I hadn't worn in a while, and began to pour hot water into a cup. As I did so, I noticed the light streaming in from the window and decided to open the curtain.
"It's piled up quite a bit..."
The rain that had been falling until it got dark had turned into snow and continued to fall throughout the night.
At the moment, the snowfall was sporadic and appeared to cease by the afternoon, but a snowstorm was forecasted to start in the evening and continue onward.
The TV reported that the snowy days would persist for a while.
"No wonder it's gotten colder."
It was the season when hot coffee tasted the best—truly the real deal.
Standing in the kitchen, I held a cup of freshly brewed coffee in my right hand.
In my other hand, I held my cell phone, its screen displaying items and prices.
Until recently, I was unaware that Keyaki Mall had been running web advertisements for those living in ANHS. Today marked the end of the Christmas sales rush, and they were holding a major sale to commemorate the occasion.
I discovered this information last night, quite unexpectedly.
The class group chat was abuzz with excitement as everyone shared their plans and experiences, and that's when I stumbled upon it.
The first ones to divert the topic in the group chat were Ike and Shinohara.
Even though they were both in the group chat, neither of them had read any messages since the chat started at around 9 p.m., and the conversation among the classmates was incredibly lively.
Was it a coincidence, or were they together?
Naturally, most people assumed the latter.
Some even tried calling them, half envious and half teasing, but since their phones were switched off, none of the calls connected.
However, no one believed that the switched-off phones were merely a coincidence, and the chat log continued to progress.
The chat continued to buzz with activity as the topics shifted, and I was amazed that the conversation never dwindled for hours on end.
Among the various subjects, what caught my attention was the big sale.
"Wow... even home appliances are this affordable?"
Being careful not to burn myself, I slowly sipped my coffee while scrolling through the screen with my finger.
From popular items for boys, like game consoles and games, to daily necessities like hair dryers and electric toothbrushes, as well as an extensive selection of kitchen gadgets, like mixers and slicers, were present.
Lately, I had been cooking more frequently, and several items piqued my interest.
For some reason, I found myself drawn to a yogurt maker, which was also listed as a limited-stock special offer in the online advertisement.
This felt like a sign that it was time to buy it. While it was best to minimize the use of private points. I could justify the expense by using the yogurt maker in the future.
However, I wondered how many times I would eat yogurt during the remainder of my school life and whether it would be more cost-effective to simply buy it—no, that was a pointless thought.
I just wanted this yogurt maker.
And I wanted to try using it.
That was probably all there was to it.
If I only considered the cost-performance ratio, it was obvious that I wouldn't buy it. The more I thought about it, the less likely I was to purchase the yogurt maker.
So I stopped thinking about it.
They were offering it at a special discount, so I would buy it. That was all.
The only remaining factor to consider was the "limited stock" aspect.
Since Keyaki Mall's primary target audience was students, it was unlikely that they would have a large inventory.
There was a good chance that they only had a few units in stock.
Besides, this big sale was rumored to be popular among the students.
While I hadn't paid much attention to it the previous year, apparently, it had gained popularity and sold out without me realizing it (according to the class group chat).
"Shall I go and check it out...?"
Honestly, I had no experience with this kind of sale, so I didn't know how it worked.
Should I participate or just observe?
As I pondered this, a message popped up on my phone.
[Good morning. Is it okay if I call you later? Will it bother you?]
It was from Ichinose, who I'd been with at the gym yesterday. Was she being cautious, considering the possibility that Kei might be around if she was feeling better?
No, that wasn't it. Ichinose already knew about the flu. She wouldn't assume it had been cured in just a day.
It was probably just a formality.
I decided to call her directly, implying that it was fine.
"Good morning. Are you free right now?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Um, do you have any plans for today, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"Plans? No, I haven't scheduled anything special."
"As I thought, Karuizawa-san hasn't recovered yet, right?"
"It's the flu, so it'll probably take a while longer."
"I see... I'd like to visit her, but the school issued a cautionary notice, didn't it?"
"It seems so. They advised against unnecessary contact."
The school sent emails to students and school staff advising them not to visit patients, or go out unnecessarily while the flu was rampant.
"I'm keeping an eye on the situation, just in case."
"Oh, that's good to know."
She seemed relieved, not just on the surface, but genuinely from the bottom of her heart.
"By the way, are you planning to go to Keyaki Mall today?"
"Well... I was thinking of going out later, but if there's something you want to talk about, we can set a time and meet at Keyaki Mall?"
"No, that's not necessary. It might sound like a lame excuse, but I wasn't asking if you had a date or appointment. I just wanted to know if you're going to Keyaki Mall today."
"Should I just answer that I'll probably go then?"
"Yes, that's enough. Thank you."
After that, Ichinose added one more thing.
"If you ever need help, just let me know. I want to support you and Karuizawa-san."
The phone call ended soon, and I never found out what Ichinose wanted. Anyways, I checked the time and made up my mind.
"Alright..."
The time was 9:45 AM.
It was the perfect time to leave the dormitory, as it matched the time that Keyaki Mall opened.
Considering Ichinose's words, I decided to take a bold step and make a surprise visit.
I'll go straight to the mall, targeting the electronics retail store.
Then, I'll grab a yogurt maker, not looking at anything else. It will only make me a victim of the store's consumer strategy if I end up buying more things than I require.
I left the empty coffee cup on the sink and headed for the door.
It was time for "Mission Start."