A spring night in Tokyo always brings a slightly biting gust of wind, contrasting with the glow of colorful neon lights from shop billboards lined up along the sidewalk.
After leaving the apartment building and parting ways with Amane in the lobby area, Charlie and Mahiru walked side by side toward a supermarket located about two blocks from their residence.
The footsteps of the two of them kept pace casually.
Mahiru wore a cream-colored knit coat wrapped around her slender body, while her hand tightly held an eco-friendly cloth bag intentionally brought from home.
Beside her, Charlie walked with both hands tucked into his jacket pockets, his gaze sweeping around with a measured vigilance, ensuring there was no suspicious presence lurking in the darkness of the night.
"The air tonight turns out to be colder than I thought." Mahiru murmured softly, her breath forming a thin misty fog as she spoke. She pulled the collar of her coat slightly higher to ward off the wind.
Charlie glanced toward the girl beside him. "Want to wear my jacket? My physique is far tougher than an ordinary human's, so chilly weather like this is absolutely not a big deal for me."
Mahiru spontaneously turned her head, her face blushing slightly pink beneath the glow of the streetlights. She hurriedly shook her head quickly.
"N-No need, Charlie-kun! I am fine. Besides, the distance to the supermarket is already very close. If you take off your jacket on the side of the street like this, the people passing by will definitely stare at us with a strange look."
"Haha, alright if that is what you want." Charlie chuckled casually, appreciating the 'Angel's' shyness.
It did not take long for them to arrive in front of the automatic glass doors of the supermarket, which featured bright LED light decorations.
As soon as they stepped inside, a wave of warm air from the room heating machine immediately welcomed their bodies, instantly banishing the chill that had briefly crept along the way earlier.
The distinctive aroma of freshly baked bread and fresh fruits immediately wafted out, triggering a subtle hunger.
Charlie stepped forward first to take a medium-sized shopping basket located near the entrance.
"Now then, Mahiru, let us start looking for the kitchen logistics. What is the first thing on your shopping list?"
Mahiru removed her thin gloves and reached into her coat pocket to retrieve a small sheet of note paper that she had prepared back at the apartment. She read her own handwriting closely.
"First of all, we must head to the staple food section. The stock of rice in the storage container is truly already at a critical limit. We need at least one five-kilogram size bag of rice to be safe for supplies for the next one to two weeks."
"Understood. The rice section is in the furthest corridor on the right, let us go there."
Thus, Charlie led the way, letting Mahiru walk on the inner side so as not to be bumped by the shopping carts of other visitors who happened to be passing by.
Upon arriving at the staple food corridor, rows of rice bags from various brands and regions in Japan were displayed neatly on top of large wooden shelves.
Mahiru stepped closer, her eyes shrewdly comparing the price as well as the quality of the rice grains indicated on the transparent plastic packaging.
As a girl who was highly perfectionistic in kitchen matters, she was never careless in choosing the food ingredients to be consumed.
"Charlie-kun, which one do you think is better? This Koshihikari rice from Niigata prefecture is famous for having a highly fluffy and sweet texture after being cooked, but the price is slightly more expensive than the standard brand rice next to it."
Mahiru asked for an opinion while pointing at two bags of rice that were of different sizes.
Charlie rubbed his chin for a moment, pretending to think hard before answering. "Personally, I will always choose the food ingredients that have the most delicious taste if it concerns your homemade cooking."
"A price difference of a few hundred yen means nothing compared to the happiness at dinner time. So, just take the Koshihikari one."
That veiled praise successfully made Mahiru smile sweetly, a genuine sparkle of happiness radiating from her pair of beautiful eyes.
"Alright, then let us take this one. But... this bag is quite heavy, is it okay if it is placed inside the basket you are carrying?"
"Just leave it to me." Charlie answered with a tone full of confidence.
He extended his one hand, lifting that five-kilogram bag of rice very easily as if the object were only as light as cotton, then placed it neatly at the bottom of the shopping basket.
Seeing Charlie's physical strength which was so formidable, Mahiru could only exhale a sigh of admiration in silence.
The masculine side of the man beside her always succeeded in providing a sense of security for her, something she had never obtained from anyone all this time.
"Next is the vegetables and meat section." Mahiru crossed out the first line on her note paper. "We need to buy several heads of cabbage, carrots, green onions, and a few packs of thinly sliced beef for tomorrow's miso soup and stir-fry menu."
The two of them then moved toward the fresh food corridor, which was filled with rows of cooling shelves.
The atmosphere in this section was slightly more crowded with several housewives who were also doing late-night shopping. Here, the interaction of the two of them, who looked highly compatible, began to draw the attention of several pairs of eyes around them.
"Look at that young couple... they look so compatible." whispered a middle-aged woman to her friend upon seeing Charlie helping Mahiru choose the freshest carrots. "The man looks very attentive, and the girl seems very smart at choosing food ingredients. Just like newlyweds enjoying a honeymoon."
Even though the whisper was heard very softly amidst the hum of the cooling machines, Mahiru still heard every word very clearly.
Her face instantly flushed deep red like a perfectly ripe tomato.
She hurriedly hung her head deeply, hiding her hot face behind the strands of her long hair while pretending to be highly busy checking the freshness of the green onions in her hand.
"What is the matter, Mahiru? Your face is suddenly so red. Does the temperature in this cooling section make you feel uncomfortable?" asked Charlie, who noticed the drastic change in the girl's facial expression.
"N-No! It is nothing! I just... I just think that the beef on the shelf over there looks very good! Let us go there quickly before it runs out!" answered Mahiru half-panicked, speaking nervously while walking at a half-run toward the meat shelf to avoid the increasingly peaking embarrassment.
"..."
Charlie, who possessed a high level of sensitivity, actually knew perfectly well what Mahiru had just heard from the whispers of the housewives earlier.
However, instead of teasing the girl and making her even more flustered, he only smiled understandingly and followed Mahiru's footsteps from behind casually.
In the meat section, Mahiru slowly succeeded in mastering her emotions again. She picked up two packs of high-quality sliced beef and placed them into the shopping basket, which by now had begun to feel full and heavy.
After that, they stepped toward the kitchen seasoning section to replenish several bottles of soy sauce, mirin, and mushroom bouillon that were also almost depleted at home.
While walking along the seasoning corridor, Charlie's footsteps suddenly ground to a halt in front of a shelf displaying various kinds of night snacks and chocolate bars.
His eyes were fixed on a box of chocolate-coated biscuits that looked quite appealing.
"Mahiru, can we buy this too?" asked Charlie while lifting that biscuit box.
Mahiru turned and stared at the snack box in Charlie's hand with a slightly interrogating look, folding both her arms in front of her chest just like a wife who was controlling her husband's financial expenditures.
"Sweet snacks at an hour like this? Charlie-kun, eating sweet food before sleeping is not good for the health of your teeth and digestion, you know."
"Come on, this is only for supplies when I read manga or watch television at night if I suddenly feel bored." Charlie coaxed with a slightly pleading, playful tone. "Besides, like I said earlier, my body will not be affected by trivial things like excess sugar."
Mahiru exhaled a long breath, staring at him with a helpless look, yet a flash of affection was implied within it.
"My intuition tells me that your strength is only being used by you as an excuse to be able to eat carelessly. Alright, it may be taken, but you are only allowed to have one box! Do not let this thing make you lazy to eat vegetables during the main meal hours."
"Aye, understood, Madam Kitchen Manager." Charlie joked while putting the biscuit box into the basket with a face full of victory, making Mahiru again snort softly, holding back a smile due to the new title pinned on her.
After ensuring all the items indicated on Mahiru's small note list had been gathered completely without a single one missed, the two of them walked toward the row of cashiers which happened to be empty to perform the payment process.
The cashier clerk, a part-time teenage boy, began to scan the barcodes of their shopping items one by one with dexterity. The bag of rice, fresh vegetables, meat, kitchen seasonings, right up to the biscuit box of Charlie's choice alternately passed the scanning machine with a regular clicking sound.
"The total for everything comes to 5,420 yen, Sir." stated the cashier clerk politely after finishing placing all the items into a large, thick plastic bag.
Before Mahiru had time to open her small bag to retrieve her wallet, Charlie had already stepped forward first and pulled out several yen banknotes from his jacket pocket, then handed them to the cashier clerk with a very fast movement.
"Charlie-kun! Wait a moment, let me pay for a portion of it! This is for our mutual food necessities, after all." protested Mahiru uncomfortably, trying to hold back Charlie's hand.
"I told you earlier, didn't I, that I am staying for free at your place and always eating the delicious meals made by you every day without paying any room rent costs." answered Charlie firmly yet gently, turning down Mahiru's rejection softly. "So, letting me pay for the entirety of the food logistics costs like this is the most minimal thing I can do to repay your kindness. Please do not argue with me on this particular matter, Mahiru."
Hearing the firmness inside Charlie's tone of voice, Mahiru finally gave in.
She lowered her wallet back down and hung her head with a red blush coloring her cheeks once more, feeling highly appreciated and protected by the man's attitude.
"If that is the case... thank you very much, Charlie-kun. I promise I will cook a dish that is far more delicious than usual using these ingredients."
"I will be looking forward to it very much." answered Charlie warmly while receiving the change from the cashier clerk.
After the payment process was finished, Charlie lifted that highly heavy grocery plastic bag with his one sturdy hand, while his other hand held Mahiru's eco-friendly cloth bag.
The two of them stepped out from the supermarket, retracing the quiet highway sidewalk beneath the sprinkle of beautiful night moonlight.
The journey home felt far more tranquil and familiar.
The burden on Mahiru's mind that had briefly piled up due to the succession of terror events at her school seemed to have evaporated completely, replaced by a warm feeling welling up inside her chest.
As they walked close together beneath the silence of the Tokyo night, Mahiru stole a glance toward the profile of Charlie's face from the side, giving thanks in her heart for the destiny that had brought her together with a protective figure who was so extraordinary.
👨🏻💻Support me by reading on my Patreon: Patreon.com/cw/transenden or bit.ly/4uObLvf
☕Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/lovefanfiction
🛍️Benefits:
🎁Access 210+ chapters: [Anime Crossover: Making Money in Classroom of the Elite]
🎁Access 50 chapters : [Sharingan from the Start: Infinite Death-Seeking in Demon Slayer]
🎁Access 30 chapters: [Journey to Planar Word]
🎁Access 130+ chapters: [Infinity Reincarnation]
📜Update Schedule:
📨Translated Fanfiction: 3 chapters per day
📨Original Fanfiction: 1-2 chapters per day
👍🏻Thank you so much for your incredible support, everyone!👍🏻