บท 896: This is Quite Funny

Relying on his thickening skin, Shinichi let it stare and calmly walked to the counter.

In such situations, he could say more outrageous things. However, his initial intention was not to anger Kei or intentionally make her hate him. Such behavior was too childish, and he had already felt its pain.

Kei was not foolish; she had her own three views, determination, and thinking ability. So, what Shinichi had to do was to show "truth" and "attitude" and let her understand what would happen if she liked him.

"..."

Kei still didn't speak, her lips very pale. However, she seemed calm now, and her gaze on his profile was no longer sharp but rather wise.

They both walked to the counter, and Shinichi took out all the accessories from the basket, causing the cashier to look at him and Kei beside him in wonder.

Because Kei looked so different from him and had a more mature temperament than her peers, the cashier didn't consider them both as siblings. She scanned the barcode of the products and spoke to both of them while smiling.

"Are you a couple? The boyfriend is very generous. He bought so many things for his girlfriend at once. I can't even exchange it for one item in a day."

"Us?"

Shinichi's hand holding the wallet stopped, not immediately responding to the other party.

Of course, that relationship had to be denied; he had just said those words to Kei, and now he was facing it vaguely, which might cause her to misunderstand.

Furthermore, it was impossible to tell the cashier directly that these were gifts he bought for his "girlfriend." If he told her that, the other party might think he was crazy, and Kei would also be looked at strangely.

Forget it, just find an excuse.

Buying for the school festival was a good reason, and there was no need to explain it to strangers no matter how detailed.

Shinichi remained silent for just one or two seconds, then politely said to the cashier, "You misunderstood, this is for studying—"

"It's compensation because he broke my important hair clip."

Kei suddenly stepped forward, interrupting him and catching the attention of the cashier.

"I just saw it outside. Now there's a couple shopping together, there's a discount, right?"

The cashier smiled and nodded, "Yes. It's the Christmas event, and now couples can get a 30% discount when they come in!"

"No need to prove their relationship?"

"No, no, there's no need to prove anything." The cashier waved her hand, putting the items into the paper bag, and said nicely, "Listen to Onee-san's advice, find a partner as soon as possible if you're fighting. The atmosphere just now was so cold that I was shivering a bit! If you don't want to regret it, better pay more attention and care to the other party, and find a solution that can be accepted by both sides..."

"Ah, it's 7,777 yen, thank you for your support~!"

After handing over the money to the other party, Shinichi's mouth was still moving.

"This cashier talks a lot..."

He glanced at Kei from the corner of his eye. The girl looked at the cashier who was looking for change without expression. She didn't look angry, and she didn't feel embarrassed to be regarded as a couple.

Holding the heavy and delicate paper bag, Shinichi waited until he left the store and found that there was indeed an advertisement paper on one side of the wall that said "On Christmas Eve, couples enjoy a 30% discount."

Walking back to the busy street, Kei still led the way, but Shinichi caught up and asked, "Kei, you just..."

"I can't ignore the possibility of a discount."

Kei only blocked the rest of his words neatly, her tone firm, and she didn't look in his direction.

"Besides, it doesn't mean anything."

"Is that so?" Shinichi wanted to ask, but when he was about to speak, he fell silent again.

Even if Kei just wanted to help him, or did it because she didn't mind being misunderstood, would her answer change?

It wouldn't. So, there was no point in asking, it was better not to ask.

Shinichi slowed his pace and returned to the position where they were both behind each other.

At this moment, Kei suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She turned around and stared at him sharply.

"I'm sorry, Senpai. I'm very angry right now, and I understand that it's my own problem, but I still can't control my emotions."

She spoke so openly that Shinichi didn't react.

"Eh... Sorry?"

"You don't need to apologize to me! Listen carefully to what I want to say—"

Kei took a deep breath and spoke word by word:

"I don't mind if others misunderstand my relationship with you, I won't do it just to get a discount."

"I feel very uncomfortable with you having so many girls needing to give gifts, because it's beyond my values, and I don't understand why you can say that naturally."

"This is my feeling."

"It has nothing to do with what you think. I'm just stating the facts to you."

Her eyes serious, her tone serious.

Different from Shinichi who was just in the store, if he threw a curved ball at her now, Kei would respond with a straight ball.

"Senpai, I have another intention for you."

While putting her hand on her chest, Kei could feel her hard heartbeat and the embarrassment that made her whole body hot.

Even so, her pride did not allow her to escape here.

"After knowing this, will you still continue to buy something with me?"

Her voice was not loud, and she didn't plead with him, but stood in the same position as him, asking what he thought.

Caught by that sharp gaze, Shinichi had no room to escape.

"..."

Long silver hair fluttered calmly in his field of vision, and the crowd around him seemed to disappear at this moment, making him focus entirely on the girl in front of him.

After a moment, Shinichi sighed softly.

"So that's it."

He adjusted his mentality and responded seriously to her waiting in front of him.

"I won't deny my promise. However, I want to be harmonious with you with the same attitude towards a younger sister."

"This is my true thought. I didn't say it directly because I was concerned about your mood."

"Younger sister...?" Kei opened her mouth slightly in surprise, then rolled her eyes, showing a very disgusted expression.

"Well, I already have a very annoying older brother. If I have to add one more, it will be a bit..."

"I think it will be a bit different." Shinichi felt sorry for Shirogane in his heart.

With a sister who really dislikes him, she must not have a good life at home, right?

"Like this... Besides, you and Rui are the same age. No matter how immoral I am, I can't seduce you just because you like me."

"S-Seduce..." When she heard that word, Kei's entire face turned red, and she panicked and wanted to refute, but she didn't know where to start.

"Ck!"

Finally, she tapped her heel on the floor with a little annoyance, barely maintaining her composure.

"Forget it, Senpai wants to treat me like Rui. I don't mind. It's your freedom."

"On the contrary, I will also act according to my own feelings and consider you as an older opposite sex, not as a sibling."

Seeing the undisguised dissatisfaction on Kei's beautiful face, Shinichi smiled and nodded reassuringly.

"Well then, let's go to the next location."

As he said this, he couldn't help but feel happy. Fortunately, Kei didn't know what had happened between him and Rui personally, otherwise, she would definitely misunderstand his explanation.

"Yeah, but before that..."

Kei looked at his left hand, stepped forward, grabbed his arm, gently leaned on her slim and soft arm, and stood like a little bird.

"Kei?"

Shinichi didn't avoid it but bowed in surprise.

With her head bowed, Shinichi couldn't clearly see her expression, and he could see her beautiful ears turning red from between her hair.

It seemed that all the courage in her body was drained just by making this move. Her limbs were so stiff that they both stopped on the sidewalk, causing passersby to throw strange glances.

After a while, Kei finally calmed her breath and pretended to be casual:

"It's just holding hands. For Senpai who doesn't want to see me as the opposite sex, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

After saying this, Kei lifted her face to look at Shinichi.

She slightly lifted the corner of her mouth, showing a more provocative cold smile.

"Or is it just because the distance is a little closer, and you can't help but overthink?"

"Senpai is... Really cute."

The more she talked, the deeper she got into a state. When the last words fell, Kei stroked her long hair with her hand, her expression confident, and even a little more arrogant.

Like... facing defeat in a war.

"Kei?"

Shinichi's face was full of strangeness, and he fell silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

He suddenly wanted to call and ask Shirogane—Has your younger sister been involved with strange and evil men lately, so she can say such inexplicable words?

I've been on many boats, so it's a bit inappropriate for me to play love wars now, isn't it?

However, Kei didn't pay attention to Shinichi's expression of complaint. When she had become accustomed to this first intimate contact, she pulled him and walked towards the next shopping destination.

It seems like they both will go shopping and continue it.