After leaving the gym, I contemplated my plans for the rest of the day. I had decided in advance to pick up some items at a shop and then explore Keyaki Mall before returning home.
In line with Mashima-sensei's advice, I intended to take my time and carefully handle his request. As I pondered on the best approach, I hoped that they would resolve the matter by themselves in the meantime.
It's still early in the afternoon. Heading home now would leave me with an excess of idle time in my room.
I took out my phone and scrolled through my contacts.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to call up a male friend and hang out.
"...No one comes to mind."
I skimmed through the list and quietly turned off my phone screen.
Without thinking about it too much, I realized I had almost no experience of spontaneously calling up a friend of the same gender to hang out.
"Are you free? Why don't we hang out for a while?"
The thought of saying that and being rejected with a simple "I'm busy" was disheartening.
Yōsuke might've understood my feelings and accepted my invitation, but I didn't want him to feel obligated to do so.
In other words, inviting someone to hang out could be quite challenging and demanding.
Ultimately, it was better for me to remain alone rather than inconveniencing others.
"What even is a friend, I wonder?"
As I progressed through the second half of my second year, I once again recognized my struggle with the social aspect of life.
I descended to the first floor on the escalator.
It was still daytime, and the number of students there had increased considerably.
If initiating a conversation was difficult, could there be an alternate approach? For example, a chance encounter?
It would be great to be unexpectedly discovered and invited to hang out. I looked around, but at times like these, my classmates were nowhere to be found.
No students from my year were in sight either.
If I continued searching around for someone, I might come across as suspicious.
For that reason, I abandoned the idea of meeting someone and chose to enjoy my solo time instead.
I stopped in front of one of the floor maps placed throughout the mall.
Although I had an understanding of the shops and their locations, I decided to check if anything new had opened.
No major changes were apparent, and I didn't find anything new. However, one store did pique my interest.
Should I give it a try? I wondered.
It was a rental shop – a place I rarely visit. This shop offered an array of DVDs and BDs featuring movies and anime, both old and new. They also had music CDs.
But the demand for such a shop wasn't very high, since we could watch video content anytime and anywhere through a monthly online streaming service if we got permission from the school.
Only those seeking to watch specific titles visited the shop, resulting in a limited customer base.
This made me decide to pay the shop a visit during the winter break.
With ample time on my hands, it was good to have such an experience every once in a while.
I felt like I was making excuses, but I wasn't lonely at all.
Just to be sure, I mentally repeated this to myself.
After gathering a few items at the shop, I headed to the rental place.
It was a small, somewhat cramped space, and its walls were lined with an extensive selection of discs. While discs were typically stored in boxes or cases, this shop placed them in black and transparent OPP protective bags with printed papers showing what seemed to be the back of each package. This made it easy to identify the kind of films at a glance.
When using a computer or tablet, I typically judge whether a title looks interesting or not based on its thumbnail.
However, being in an environment where I could physically pick up each item led me to consider options I might typically overlook.
So, I found myself reading the plot summaries carefully.
Though countless works are easily accessible nowadays, it was also easy to miss some hidden gems.
That was why I thought it wasn't a bad idea to search for them like this occasionally.
I might even start visiting rental shops more often. Still, the problem remained—even if I found something interesting, there was no need to rent it here. I could watch it for free and without a return deadline back at the dorm.
I figured that running such rental shops would become increasingly difficult in the future. The same went for electronics retail stores.
I'd heard that people frequently visit stores to inspect items in person, only to purchase them at lower prices online.
After enjoying the video section for a while, I moved on to the music corner. I don't usually listen to music on my own.
I may have heard the latest hits or famous songs on TV, but that's about it. I'd never bought an album myself, and I wasn't particularly keen on doing so now.
That was why I decided to explore the music section, hoping to discover something new.
I had initially thought there was no one else in the rental shop, but it turned out there was another customer.
A petite student, with their back towards me, was wearing headphones.
They didn't notice my presence due to the background music playing in the shop. At first, I didn't know who it was, but I recognized them as I got closer.
It was Shiranami Chihiro from Ichinose's class. Although we hadn't interacted much, we attended a few unusual events together in the past.
Recently, we were close by during the uninhabited island test and on the ship afterward.
I wondered what she was listening to.
My knowledge of Japanese music was limited, so I was curious. But since Shiranami was engrossed in the music, she wouldn't have noticed me if I spoke softly. And if I abruptly entered her line of sight, it would most likely startle her.
I could have waited for the song to end, but it wouldn't have been easy to strike up a conversation afterward. So, I decided to go closer and eavesdrop on her music.
To avoid looking suspicious, I casually pretended to browse the items on display.
"Ah...⁈"
Oh, no. Did I startle her? I might have gotten too close out of curiosity about the music.
The girl quickly took off her headphones.
"Ah, Ayanokōji-kun⁈"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
With the headphones removed from her ears, the music was clearly audible.
Along with a somewhat melancholic guitar tone, the female singer's voice and lyrics reached my ears: 'A broken heart can only be healed by time. That person is now with someone else...'
It seemed to be a heartbreak song. As the lyrics played, she quickly pressed the stop button, and the song came to an abrupt halt.
"W-w-what do you want?!"
The girl, still quite surprised, asked nervously.
"Well... I don't need anything. I was just wondering what you were listening to. That's all." Even though I answered honestly, it remained to be seen whether she would believe me or not.
She was from another class, and we didn't have a particularly close relationship.
We wouldn't talk unless there was a reason, let alone by mere coincidence. Additionally, given the differences between boys and girls, my behavior might be considered suspicious.
<Illustration>
"Sorry for bothering you. I'll leave now."
I realized that staying any longer by Shiranami's side would only cause her discomfort.
Withdrawing as quickly as possible seemed like my only course of action.
"Um... well..."
Shiranami seemed to want to say something.
At the very least, she wasn't the type to engage in conversation with someone she wasn't close to.
If I tried to prompt her to speak more quickly, she might've ended up swallowing her words.
So, I didn't look directly into Shiranami's eyes and instead averted my gaze elsewhere.
I tried to create the least intimidating atmosphere I could and waited for her to speak.
"Um... do you have a little time... right now...?"
Unexpectedly, Shiranami asked if we could spend more time together.
"If you think this isn't a good place to chat, do you want to go somewhere else?"
Although the rental shop wasn't crowded, it wasn't an ideal spot for off-topic conversations, especially if we had no intention of making a purchase.
"Yeah... let's go somewhere else. I don't think it'll take too long."
"Well, then—"
"Ah, but... I'd prefer it if it wasn't a place that stands out too much. I don't want people to get the wrong idea."
I was going to suggest a random café, but she quickly expressed her concerns.
"What should we do, then? I'm open to whatever you feel comfortable with."
"...I'll leave it up to you, Ayanokōji-kun."
She left the decision to me, albeit with certain restrictions.
It seemed a bit unfair, but as the one who started this conversation, it was my responsibility to find a suitable location.
I had to think of a place that met all her requirements.