Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

Chapter 56 The Cat And Candy

Recently, I’ve been going out with Mashiro more and more.
Ever since the day I asked her to accompany me on a walk and go shopping a while ago, I’ve been trying to invite Mashiro to join me on these little outings.
Of course, this was only on the premise that Mashiro wanted to go out, and I told her not to push herself too hard, but she was always happy to come along.

On the contrary, she always asked me if it’s really okay for her to come along. I wished she would stop being so reserved, but at the same time, I’m relieved that it was just like her.

As for me, the walk that I used to take alone just to exercise my body has turned into a meaningful time that I can spend with Mashiro.
Mashiro also knew a lot more about shopping than I do, so just having her around has been a huge help.

One holiday, I was out for a walk with Mashiro as usual, but today we took a detour from our usual walking course.
Normally, I would have gone to the supermarket right after taking a walk around the neighborhood park, but I came to a nearby convenience store to do a little business.

“So this is what it looks like in the store…”
“Is this your first time in a convenience store?”
“I’ve never actually been in one before.”

With a curious look on her face, she scurried around the store.
She was usually very reliable when it comes to housework, but when she shows this cat side of her that was interested in everything, I can’t help but felt protective of her.

“I’m going to go and finish my business, so you’re free to go and look around.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”

When I called out to the fidgety Mashiro, she smiled happily, thanked me, and went to explore the store.
After watching her go, I headed for the cash register. Perhaps it was because it was a holiday, but there were several customers lined up at the register.
After paying the bill, I walked around the store looking for Mashiro, and soon found her.

She was, surprisingly, sitting in the candy section, looking at the shelves.
The store was quite small compared to a supermarket, but the number of items available was quite impressive.
As far as sweets are concerned, the variety of products they have was probably as large as that of a supermarket.

“There are so many different kinds.”
“Yeah. If there’s anything you want, I’ll buy it for you.”
“N-No, I didn’t mean to look at it like that…”

Mashiro shook her head. But even as she said this, it was easy to notice that her eyes were shaking slightly.
It was like a child who has been raised too well to be spoiled properly.

“Okay, I’ll…buy this, this, and this.”
“S-So, I don’t intend to do that…!”

In front of Mashiro, I dared to pick out some sweets and pull them out, and she stopped me, looking extra flustered.

“I just felt like eating them. That’s fine then, right?”
“…Satou-san, you don’t usually eat sweets at all.”
“I’m in the mood for it today.”

Ignoring the disgruntled Mashiro, I took the sweets I had picked up and went back to the cash register to pay for them.
After that, we headed to the supermarket to buy food as usual, and Mashiro led me through the shopping process.
…Was it my imagination, or does it seem like she put more ingredients for my favorite dishes in the basket than usual?

When I got home and finished putting away the shopping, the hands on the clock were pointing to snack time.
I immediately took out the snacks I had bought at the convenience store and decided to eat them as my snack for the day.

I invited Mashiro to eat with me, but as I suspected, she wasn’t keen on the idea and gave me a quizzical look.

“…If you’re hungry, just let me know and I’ll make you something, okay?”
“That’s a tempting proposition, but sometimes it’s nice to take the easy way out.”
“There’s nothing much about what I do for you, Sato-san.”

She started saying that with a straight face, and I couldn’t say anything back.
It was true that if I asked her, she’ll make me something that tasted better than any candy sold in the store.

When I made cookies with her not too long ago, I couldn’t believe that it was the first time for her to make something so beautiful and delicious.
I’m happy that she’s doing so much for me, but I’d like her to be a little more lenient — a little more relaxed.

“I think it’s necessary for Mashiro to taste commercial products as a reference for her future sweets making.”
“Satou-san, did you think that saying something like that will convince me?”
“Okay, now that we’ve decided that, let’s eat and study together.”
“I-I still haven’t said anything…!”
“Come on, come on, don’t be shy.”

Mashiro was still reluctant to eat sweets, so I grabbed her hand and took her to the couch.
Even though she wasn’t keen on the idea, she seemed to be a pushover after all, and when I let her sit next to me, she said, “I can’t help it.”

Mashiro looked at the sweets in her hand for a while, then looked at me for confirmation.
I put the same candy in my mouth that she took. I chew it to taste it thoroughly, and the sweet aroma spreads in my mouth.

“Mmm, that’s good.”

As Mashiro said, I don’t usually eat sweets from the market.
It was not that I’m health-conscious at all, it was just that I haven’t eaten much in the past.
That was why when I ate sweets for the first time in a long time, I felt a deep sense of emotion, and my voice naturally leaked out.

Mashiro, who was watching the scene, compared my face with the candy in her hand once more, and then threw it into her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

“…Mmm!”

At that moment, Mashiro’s eyes widened and her expression brightened. I was so happy to see that expression that I couldn’t help but relax my cheeks along with her.
When she saw me, she looked embarrassed and quickly looked away while her mouth moved in a squirming motion.

“How was it?”
“…I feel like I lost, but it…was delicious.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”

I felt as if I had forced her to say it, but I knew she wasn’t lying when she said it.
After that, she and I both proceeded to eat the sweets we had bought, but she stopped in the middle of eating them.

She puffed up her cheeks slightly and looked at the sweets as if she was not happy.
I asked her if it was still not to her taste, but she shook her head.

“It was really good. I could understand why Satou-san wanted to eat it.”
“Really? Well that’s fine…”
“…I can’t lose…”
“Eh?”

I thought I heard Mashiro mumble something, but the words didn’t reach my ears, and as soon as I asked her back, she didn’t answer because she had eagerly started looking something up on her phone.

I didn’t know what she was doing, but when I saw her looking at her phone so intently, I had an idea.
After confirming that I had no plans for tomorrow’s holiday, I finally got up the nerve to talk to her.