{Our Shopping Trip 1}

After a late breakfast, Satou-san and I headed to the shopping mall together.

We’d been coming to this mall on the outskirts of town since our high school days. It’s a convenient place for students, with stores where we’d browse clothes, a bookstore with a wider selection than the ones in town where we’d read for free, and a food court where we could rest cheaply when we got tired. The first time I went to the movies with Satou-san was at the cinema on the top floor here, and every time we come, I can’t help but remember that.

But today, we weren’t here for clothes, books, or a movie—we were grocery shopping.

It’s just one bus ride from our apartment to the mall, and when we have a bit of extra time, we can also take care of other errands. Plus, we can grab lunch while we’re here. Even now, at twenty years old, Satou-san and I often come here.

We walked through the slightly chilly grocery section, pushing a cart together.

“Atsushi-kun, what do you want for dinner tonight?”

“I’ve got work later, so something quick would be good. I’ll make it.”

Making dinner is mostly my job. Since I get home earlier than Satou-san, who works during the week, I usually cook something that’ll still taste good when reheated. If she finishes early, we sometimes eat out, and on weekends, she cooks for me. Her specialties are curry, yakisoba, yaki-udon, and okonomiyaki. It’s not the season now, but she’s also pretty good at cooking somen noodles. I’ll have to ask her to make them once summer comes.

On the days I cook, I pick something that’s not one of her specialties.

Since it’s still cold today, I’m thinking of making gratin. I can make the sauce in a pot, and after that, it just needs to be baked, so we can eat whenever we’re ready.

“Alright, let’s start with onions and…”

“Onions, got it.”

“Broccoli and…”

“How about this broccoli?”

“Maybe some mushrooms, too, something cheap.”

“Bunashimeji mushrooms are on sale.”

Satou-san ran over to the shelves and carefully selected the items I mentioned before putting them in the cart. It felt a bit like she was fetching a frisbee someone had thrown—though I couldn’t say that out loud.

“Oh, we also need orange juice.”

“Right! Atsushi-kun, you’re so good at remembering!”

“Well, yeah.”

We only get to go shopping together twice a week. We have to buy not just tonight’s dinner but also groceries and other necessities for the whole week. Of course, we could always pick up more things later, but sometimes I don’t feel like stopping by the supermarket on my way back from university.

That’s why I wanted to make sure we got everything we needed today. We left the produce section and headed to the drinks aisle, which was even cooler than the rest of the store.

We stopped the cart in front of the refrigerated section with paper carton drinks.

Satou-san’s favorite orange juice is 100% juice, not from concentrate. I’ve tried it a few times, and the sourness really hits you, especially first thing in the morning.

“There are so many options, but you’re set on this one?” I asked, as she picked up her usual carton of juice.

There’s an impressive variety of orange juice. Even here, there are at least three or four different kinds, and if you look in the bottled drinks section, there are even more. Every beverage company seems to have its own version.

I wondered what it was about this particular brand that caught her eye. She answered my question with a proud smile.

“I tried a few different ones, but this one seems to give me the biggest boost. It’s not too sweet, and it really wakes me up.”

That sourness would definitely jolt anyone awake. I couldn’t imagine drinking it every day, though.

“It must be an important energy source for you,” I remarked.

Satou-san laughed, clearly amused. “Yeah, without it, I’d run out of fuel and stall!”

“That’d be a problem. Better make sure we never run out.”

I smiled at her playful imagination, and when I played along, her face lit up.

“So, what keeps you going, Atsushi-kun? Coffee?”

“What, me? That’s pretty sudden…”

Unfortunately, I’m not as imaginative as she is. And I’m not as into coffee as she is with her orange juice. It’s not like I can’t function without it in the morning.

Still, since she asked, I gave it some thought.

What’s my energy source? What’s something I need to get through the day? Something I’d be in trouble without… The more I thought about it, the more one thing stood out.

“You look really serious, Atsushi-kun,” Satou-san said, her eyes widening as she watched me think.

“Is there something besides coffee? I’d love to know if there’s something you really like.”

“Well, there’s a lot of things I like, actually.”

Of course, I didn’t blurt out, “That would be you.” I mean, who can say something like that without hesitation?

Naturally, I couldn’t either, so I dodged the question.

“There are just too many things I like. I can’t pick just one.”

“Is that so?”