You were looking down slightly while we were talking.
Speak to me softly.
I tried walking a step closer than usual to you.
Like the hands of a sundial,
Our shadows gradually lengthen.
On the bustling street, I heard the voice of the next season.
Listening to the music inside the convenience store, Tokai Shizen turned her head. What she saw was Rudolph Symboli, whom she was holding by the hand, slowly walking forward.
Rudolph Symboli, held by Tokai Shizen, was scrolling through her phone with her other hand, looking at things from Tracen Academy.
Knowing this, Tokai Shizen didn't interrupt her. She simply and naturally placed the shopping basket she was holding into Rudolph's hand, then walked towards the shopping aisle.
Tokai Shizen's actions went unnoticed by Rudolph.
Her attention was still on the matter Tokai Shizen hoped she could resolve.
Tokai Shizen didn't mind Rudolph's behavior; she just casually selected groceries and placed them into the shopping basket in Rudolph's hand.
Soon after, Tokai Shizen finished her task.
Then, she turned to look at Rudolph, only to find that Rudolph, who had put away her phone at some point, was already looking at her.
Saying "love"...
When put into words, it feels so anticlimactic.
If I wasn't alone,
I thought I would understand.
Looking at Rudolph looking at her, Tokai Shizen was silent for a few seconds. Then, she responded, "Come help me!"
"Aren't I already helping you?"
Saying this, Rudolph slightly raised the shopping basket in her hand, then walked over to Tokai Shizen's side: "Or do you want me to choose something?"
"No way!"
Tokai Shizen said, her face full of exasperation: "Your place only has one induction cooker and one rice cooker. Don't even dream of cooking anything elaborate!"
Rudolph nodded at the complaint: "Yes, that's right. After all, it's not that big, and there isn't that much demand, so I didn't prepare more."
"Then what about that 'One Hundred Easy Home-Style Dishes' book you have?"
"That..."
As if her throat had been squeezed, Rudolph Symboli didn't know how to explain, as she had bought that book at Mejiro Sanfeng's suggestion.
And Mejiro Sanfeng's suggestion, if mentioned in front of Tokai, she might not have cared. But... looking at Tokai Shizen in front of her, after thinking for a long time, Rudolph still gave an answer: "It was Mejiro Sanfeng who suggested it."
Rudolph's words made Tokai Shizen frown.
And in Rudolph's heart, only the thought appeared: [See, she's angry after all].
But the anticipated events didn't happen afterward.
Tokai Shizen just stared at Rudolph for a few seconds, then looked back at the shelves.
"Do you want to buy more?"
"No, I can't!"
"I don't have a refrigerator at my place."
"So annoying!"
Looking at Tokai Shizen's response, Rudolph Symboli just walked over to Tokai Shizen's side, then reached out and took out two packaged carrots: "Don't you want some carrots?"
"Do you eat them?"
"If you make them."
"Then put them in."
After placing the packaged carrots into the shopping basket, Rudolph Symboli turned to look at Tokai Shizen.
And then, just as she had been looking at Tokai Shizen earlier, she was now looking at herself.
The two looked at each other, and eventually, Tokai Shizen was the first to laugh. She looked at Rudolph Symboli, with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes: "It was like this back then too, when we were struggling with what to eat, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was."
Saying this, Rudolph Symboli looked at Tokai Shizen: "Are you buying more?"
"No need. Don't you not have a refrigerator at your place?"
"Indeed," Rudolph Symboli said, walking back to a parallel line with Tokai. The two of them slowly walked forward along the road.
Walking beside Rudolph, Tokai Shizen said a few words:
"My cooking doesn't suit Japanese tastes."
"I've known that for a long time."
"You actually got used to it..."
"Then I should act very surprised later, shouldn't I?"
Saying this, Rudolph Symboli sighed, and then the two walked together to the checkout counter. It was time for them to leave.
After paying, the two carried their convenience store bags and walked towards the apartment.
Planted on both sides of the road were cherry blossom trees, which are common in most parts of Japan.
Perhaps it was because it was already nearing March, or perhaps because this was Okinawa Island, closer to the tropics, or perhaps because of Okinawa Island's temperature.
The cherry blossoms here had already begun to bloom.
And the two of them slowly walked forward on such a road. They didn't speak; they just walked slowly at a moderate pace.
"It's almost spring."
"It's already spring."
Such words were spoken from the mouths of the two.
And as they spoke, they turned to look at each other.
The cherry blossom season only lasts about fifteen days; such a fleeting time seemed to be foreshadowing something for the two of them.
But both of them ignored those hints. They just looked at each other, then simultaneously withdrew their gazes.
"Going back to Central Tracen Academy at this time, it feels like it would have a great atmosphere."
"Are you talking about entering with the new students amidst the cherry blossoms?"
"Mhm."
Without correcting Tokai Shizen's lack of knowledge that cherry blossom trees in Tokyo actually bloom from March to April—a common sense error—Rudolph Symboli simply agreed with her words:
"Indeed, that would certainly have a great atmosphere. And if we entered the school with the new students, we might even be recognized."
"That's right, you're a Triple Crown winner."
"It's a Triple Crown undefeated."
"There's not much difference. As long as they recognize you, that's fine, right?" Saying this, Tokai Shizen pinched her chin with her free hand. She seemed to have thought of something.
And after a little while, she spoke what she wanted to say:
"Speaking of which, Teio also wants to achieve a Triple Crown undefeated. That child seems to be aiming for you."
"Actually, a Triple Crown undefeated is quite difficult."
"But you don't think Teio can't do it, do you?"
Turning to look at Rudolph, Tokai asked a question to which she already knew the answer.
And just as Tokai Shizen said, Rudolph merely nodded: "That child, Teio, will definitely be able to do it, although I still don't know what her talent truly is."
"She might even surpass me."
Rudolph's affirmation did not make Tokai Shizen reveal Tokai Teio's predicament; she merely nodded slightly:
"Yes, if it's her, she might even surpass you."
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