"…I don't know. I mean is this really the sort of thing I wanna get him?"

"I don't see a problem. A pair of general all-purpose trainers is a perfectly practical gift to give someone."

"Well sure, but it just… it just seems like such a guy thing to get him."

Miura deftly placed the footwear back on the stand it came from. From behind, I suppressed a small sigh at the expected, but still disappointing, verdict. She had previously rejected a pair of well-heeled Oxfords for similar reasons, citing formalwear as something she expected to receive from a parent not a friend.

Walking backwards, Miura stepped away from the shelves and planted her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she surveyed the rest of the wall and the assorted shoes that were on display.

"Miura-san." I spoke as diplomatically as I could. "If you've already decided that sports shoes aren't an appropriate present, then perhaps we should move on and search for something more suitable."

"Hrmmm… yeah. I guess this sort of thing really work out for me either." Miura muttered back without looking at me.

Without another word, she spun around and marched off towards the exit without so much as a backwards glance. She gave no indications or regards to my presence, simply assuming I would follow unquestioned. The fact no longer bothered me like it did in the beginning, I was starting to understand it was simply a part of who Miura was.

"Exactly where are you leading us off to now?"

"I remember there being a really big sports shop around the corner somewhere. I figured that'd be a good place to look at next."

"Would that be wise? Given your earlier objections, I would think that sports equipment also falls under the umbrella of masculine gifts."

"Yeah, well maybe, maybe not. Only way I'll know for sure is to check it out, right?"

"I suppose so."

We fell into silence for the remainder of the journey and soon enough we set foot into the store she was talking about.

Looking about, it was exactly as Miura had described. Sport and exercise memorabilia of all different shapes and sizes were proudly placed on shelves, stands and cages for easy inspection. From baseball bats to tennis racquets. Branded T-shirts, exercise wear, sporting gear and training equipment. I even spied dietary supplements and drink mixes on one of the shelves nearest to us. Everything and anything related to physical exercise and fitness seemed to have a place here.

"How should we begin our search?" I asked, crossing my arms and cupping my elbows with my hands. "This store is quite large and we shouldn't need to go through the entire catalogue to find something that might be suitable."

"Err. I'm not sure exactly. I've never actually been here before." Miura mumbled, glancing around as well. "I only go to these sorts of places for tennis. You got any bright ideas?"

I considered for a moment.

"Based on our earlier searches, I'm confident we can rule out uniforms or footwear." I spoke slowly, glancing at the rather large section devoted solely to tracksuits and other sporting outfits. "And if we're searching based on Hayama-kun's interests, we can at least narrow things down to items we know he enjoys, such as soccer-"

"Hold on. Hayama quit the soccer club though? Didn't we talk about that earlier? And I already told you Tobe's always getting him soccer stuff like new balls or armbands anyway."

"I am aware. I was only using it as an example. Has Hayama-kun not mentioned some other of sports or recreational exercises he enjoys?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, that does remind me of something… hang here a bit, I'm just gonna go ask someone about it."

Without waiting for a reply, Miura darted forward and headed straight for an aisle where a young man in his early twenties was stocking the shelves. I kept my distance and watched as she hailed down the worker and began to describe what she was after, gesticulating in the air as she did so.

As always, I couldn't help but feel befuddled at her lack of hesitation in approaching the employees in a store for help. In many ways it brought Yuigahama to mind, and the way she often had no qualms with chatting with strangers whenever we spent a day out together. No doubt their mutual outgoing natures had played a large role in drawing the two of them together back during the beginnings of high school.

A faint vibration from my bag snapped me to attention. Pulling out my phone, I surreptitiously angled the device and discretely glanced at the screen.

'Yukinon! Did everything work out fine?'

I smiled faintly.

'Yes. Things have recovered quite nicely since we last spoke. Miura and I have resolved our differences, at least for the time being and we are back on track for her request. Thank you for your support.'

And send.

Returning my phone to the bag, I settled myself back into place feeling a little more at ease than I did before.

Seeking out Yuigahama's advice had been the right call. I don't think my attempts make amends with Miura would have gone nearly as well if it hadn't been for her encouragement and support over the phone.


"Oh hey, Yukinon! I didn't think I'd hear from you again today!"

"Yes. My apologises for calling out of the blue like this, but present circumstances have led to trouble that I'm at a loss at how to deal with."

"Trouble? Oh wait hold on, lemme just get some privacy first!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Ok! I'm good now!"

"Am I perhaps disturbing you in some way? If so, there's no need to inconvenience yourself on my behalf-"

"No, no, no, it's fine! I was just surprised is all. I mean it's just pretty rare for you to call like this! I only got home a little while ago and I was just playing with… ah hey. Oh no! Sablé! Let go! That's not a toy!"

"*BARK* *BARK* *BARK*"

"!"

"…haah! Sorry, sorry! Sablé followed me into my room just now. He doesn't like being ignored when I'm on the phone! He didn't scare you or anything, did he?"

"…not in the least. But to get back on topic, I'm having difficulties with Miura-san right now and I could use your help."

"Difficulties? Is Yumiko doing okay?"

"I don't think she is. It's why I'm need of your advice. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Oh it's no trouble at all! It actually makes me little happy to be relied on by Yukinon like this! Ehehehe."

"Yes. I'm grateful that I can talk to you about things like this too. Miura-san could be back any minute however, so I'll get straight to the point. We've had a disagreement about the current direction of our trip and I'm at a loss at how to proceed."

"A disagreement? What happened? How bad was it, exactly?"

"Well, our confrontation reached a point where we'd begun attracting attention from several other people in the store."

"Wow! Really?! Ugh! I don't know what I'd do if that was me! What store were you two in exactly?"

"I… can't quite recall the name right now, actually. It primarily deals in clothing with an assortment of other accessories available. I believe Miura-san mentioned she was part of their membership program and regular visitor."

"Oh! I think I know whivh store you're talking about! I've been there with Yumiko and Hina-chan before! We actually go there a ton! I've actually been thinking of getting a card of my own too! Y'know, when this is all over, we should go there ourselves when we have a chance! There's also a great place nearby to get drinks, plus-"

"Yuigahama-san. Please focus."

"Ah, sorry! Sorry! I got a bit distracted there!"

"It's alright. Anyways, it shames me to admit, but I allowed my temper to get the better of me and I may have been overly harsh with my words in our argument and caused Miura-san some emotional distress in the process."

"Oh, uh, okay. So, um, what exactly did you say to her?"

"I… may have insinuated that Miura-san's thoughtlessness was the cause of her present troubles with Hayama-kun."

"…uwah, Yukinon that's…"

"Yes, I know! What's important now is that I find a way to make amends and salvage the situation while there's still time. I already plan to apologize to her as soon as she emerges but I was hoping you could offer some further insights that could help smooth things over."

"Oh, well, in that case, I think you're fine as you are, aren't you?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean you're sticking around because you feel bad and want to make things better, right? If you're already going to say sorry that's pretty much all you need to do! Just be honest with Yumiko and everything will work out!"

"…that's it? Are you certain it'll be enough?"

"It'll be fine! I mean, don't tell her I said this, but you know how Yumiko can be really easy to upset sometimes, right? She gets really passionate about stuff and when things don't go well, she usually tries to find a place to sulk for a bit but, afterwards, she always forgives people really quickly! Once she's calmed down a bit, it doesn't take much for her to give you another chance, just so long as you make it clear you're really sorry… um, you are really sorry aren't you, Yukinon?"

"Yes of course. I only wanted to try and steer Miura-san back onto what I believed was important. I never intended for my words to hurt her the way they did."

"Well, great then! That's all you need to say when she comes back! It'll work out. Trust me on this!"

"Well alright, if you're sure…"

"Good then! Um, by the way…"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering… has Yumiko said anything more about what's going on? Between her and Hayato, I mean?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Oh. I see."

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of good news right now."

"Oh, no it's okay! It's not your fault this is happening! But um, Yukinon, actually… can you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

"…if Yumiko ends up looking sad, or if she just looks like she wants to talk about what happened. Can you promise me you'll try to help and, y'know, hear her out? Like don't be afraid to ask if it looks like something in on her mind!"

"…I rather doubt that Miura-san would ever feel any kind of desire to confide in me, much less be receptive to any form of emotional comfort I could offer."

"Even so! It's just… she had to asked you for help for a reason, right? Yumiko's always pretending to be tougher than she is, but she's actually really sensitive inside! I'm sure she really, really wants someone to share with even if she doesn't act like it. I mean you know how hard it can be to talk about personal stuff like that, even when you really, really want to, right?"

"…I can relate to that at least."

"Right! So that's why... I mean, I know it's a lot to ask for but… Just… be there for her. Y'know, if she needs it. Okay? Please? For me?"

"…I still don't think things will come to that, but if they do, I'll try my best."

"Great! We'll talk about it next time at school then! Good luck!"


Despite the simplicity of Yuigahama's advice, things had turned out well after all. I suppose some of my apprehension could be attributed to my own biases of Miura as a person as well.

I couldn't help but suppress a shudder from the memory of our last confrontation. Even now, I could vividly remember the expression she'd made before storming away. Simply thinking back to it was enough to make my heartbeat pulse with discomfort. It hadn't been her anger or even the near act of physical assault that had given me the most pause.

Rather, it had been the naked expression of hurt on her face that had made me realize I'd crossed a line.

Just thinking about it was enough to bring back the uncomfortable roiling sensation of guilt in my gut.

In the distance, Miura appeared to have finished consulting with the assistant. With hurried steps, she made her way back quickly, arriving slightly out of breath. Whether from exertion or excitement, I couldn't be sure.

"They got what I'm looking for. It's off in the back somewhere."

"I see. Lead the way then."

As we made our way along, we passed by a number of people all along the way, some highschoolers our age and others college aged and older. The store seemed quite popular, given the amount of people milling about. While I was never very comfortable with crowds, Miura cut through the various bodies with an ease that suggested long practice. Moreover, whether it was the confidence in her stride or some other aspect of her body language, everyone we walked by seemed to shrink back and give way as she passed by. I followed more gingerly, doing my best to avoid entering anyone's personal space.

"If I may ask, what exactly is it that we're searching for?"

"Okay, get this. Hayato's gone on about he's gone snowboarding before. It never came up too much, since nobody else in the group is into it, but if that's the case I thought maybe I could get him a new snowboard or something?"

"Really? Hmm. I believe I recall his family having vacationed in Nagano on occasion. The prefecture is rather well known for its snow sports. It's not out of the question Hayama-kun would have picked it up during his time there."

"Right? That could be something I could get he might really like! I bet he wouldn't see it coming either, so it'll be a great surprise for him too! He can take it with him and use it whenever he wants. It's perfect!"

Miura's excitement was as clear as day. Compared to how she'd been before, she was rather alike to Yuigahama in how quickly her temperament could shift from one extreme to another. Her exuberance was such that I could almost feel my own mood lifting ever so slightly in answer, despite my having no personal stake in the matter.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself." I cautioned. While it was good to see Miura finally in somewhat good cheer, her previous still weighed heavily on my mind. "For now, you should wait until we've actually seen the snowboard selection before deciding whether or not it would make an appropriate gift."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say." Miura answered back, rolling her eyes as she did so. "You know it wouldn't hurt for you to say something a little positive every once in a while."

I bit back a somewhat, sharp rejoinder about the dangers of unfounded optimism and complacency. I suppose my attempts to keep our expectations grounded could make my observations come across as overly pessimistic at times. I just thought it better remain tempered and be pleasantly surprised than have high hopes only to be disappointed.

Still, the discovery appeared to have put Miura in good humor. As I looked over her rather good cheer now, I pondered over Yugahama's parting words, and the promise she asked me to make.

With how distraught Miura had been when we parted ways it was remarkable how much she's been able to bounce back. It didn't seem as though any of Yuigahama's worries were in danger of materializing, at least for the for the moment. I had to admit I was rather relieved that things haven't come to that.

I doubt I would have been much good at being a confidant. I am aware that, by many metrics, I am not a nice person. I was neither warm nor welcoming, especially to strangers. I had difficulty communicating my intentions, and understanding the intentions of others. I struggled to make people feel at ease and I was often exceptionally harsh with my words, even during times when I sincerely wanted to help, something the events of today have already highlighted all too clearly.

Miura herself seemed determined to put her prior distress behind her. I should try and do the same. The best I could do now was to help see her request through to the end, as I'd promised. We were hardly close enough to share confidences after all.

Soon enough the two of us found ourselves standing before a wall almost entirely dedicated to snow gear and winter sports for people of all different sizes, ages and sexes. The snowboards in question were all neatly lined up and arranged in orderly fashion for easy viewing. They all seemed quite high-end in terms of manufacture, at least from what I could judge, and were quite stylish in their design too. Taken by themselves, they were more than adequate as a gift item, fulfilling Miura's need of being both eye-catching and practical.

But another problem seems to have presented itself.

"Uwah! These are all so expensive!" Miura muttered to herself, eyes wide and firmly fixed on the intimidating price tags cheerily displayed next to each and every board.

At a cursory glance, even the cheapest pieces on display costed over forty thousand yen apiece while the most expensive ones neared a hundred thousand. I knew from experience that the price range for high end sporting gear could easily reach well into five, even six, digits depending on the quality and brand name. It would be unthinkable for the average high school student to splurge such an amount of money on a gift for a single individual, even assuming that had such funds on hand to spare.

On that note, exactly how much money did Miura have available?

"Miura-san. Forgive my lapse in not asking this from the beginning, but what exactly is your budget for gift shopping?"

"My wha-?"

"How much are you willing and able to spend for your gift?"

She told me.

Hmm. More than I expected, but still far less than what was needed here. The despondent expression on Miura's face made her unhappiness at the fact clear.

"Perhaps we could try our luck at another store?" I suggested. "I doubt this is the only shop in the complex that stocks snowboards for sale. I'm sure we could find another store that offers a similar product for a much lower price."

"I don't know." Miura bit at one thumb nervously. "I mean if it's cheaper doesn't it also mean it's not as good? The last thing I wanna get is something that'll break after a couple of uses."

"Not necessarily. Quality is only one factor when determining price. There are others like brand recognition, cost of sourcing materials, competitor rates-"

"Alright, so does that mean you can help me pick out a good one for cheap then?"

"I… don't actually know all that much about snowboarding or assessing their quality, unfortunately. I'm sure you won't have any problem asking the staff for assistance, though? That is their job after all."

"Nrrgh. But isn't it also their job to make a sale? I've never really shopped at a lot of sports stores before. It'll be hard to tell if they're actually being honest with me or if they're just trying to get me to buy something."

"You're… not wrong about that."

"And that's another problem. I don't wanna get Hayato something cheap and crappy just to save on money. What would that say about me if I did that? That's not the last thing I want him to remember about me."

"Remember about you? I expect that many of us will go our separate ways upon graduation, but aren't you exaggerating the importance just a little? As long as you maintain regular contact, you'll still be able to see each other on your own time after all."

"Huh?! O-Oh right! Yeah! I mean-"

Miura coughed into her fist.

"Anyway! The point is I can't get him something that might fall apart and break when he tries to use it. I mean his family is pretty rich, aren't they? So there's gotta be a standard he's used to, right?"

I held back the urge to, once again, point out how highly unlikely it was for Hayama put much value in the material wealth of his gifts. I've already brought it up enough times already that I doubt doing so again would make a difference at this point.

Miura, meanwhile, had gone back to staring at the line of snowboards, her eyes darting back and forth between each one. From the heavy crease of her forehead and the tight fists her hands had clenched into, the signs of her vexation were plain to see. I imagine she felt particularly galled here, since the barrier in this case was something so frustratingly simple. On a certain level, I could even empathise with the desire to please someone precious by giving them the absolute best she could afford.

"Could you perhaps borrow the required money from your parents?" I put forward tentatively. "Surely they'd be willing to offer financial aid, so long as you made it clear how important the matter is."

"Yeah, but then they'd ask what do I need it for? Why do I need something so expensive? Then I'd have to explain everything that happened. My dad 'll probably make a stink over this, and they might not even give me the money anyway! Ugh!"

She promptly covered her face with one hand.

"It'll just make things so much more complicated."

I was no stranger to keeping my father and mother separate from my personal life, so I chose not to press the matter further.

What other options did that leave us? It wasn't as though a great many avenues for financial aid existed for the average highschooler. Given the short amount of time available. It was far too late to attempt to earn additional money herself through part-time work and asking for aid from her friends would present the same problem of needing to explain her circumstances.

Unless…

"If it's absolutely necessary, I'd be willing to lend you the difference." I offered carefully.

"Huh?!"

Miura lifted her head up and turned to me, wide-eyed in naked shock.

"It wouldn't be much of a difficulty for me." I pointed out further. "I don't see any large expenses coming up in the near future, and my savings are sufficient to take the loss without causing myself any undue distress regardless."

"You're… you're actually being serious? You'd really do that? For me?"

Her… I wasn't actually sure how to describe the look Miura was currently giving me. It wasn't quite gratitude or disbelief. If I had to put a word to it, I would say it almost looked like… wonderment. It wasn't an expression I was used to seeing from her, much less directed towards me.

I was beginning to grow oddly discomforted with the situation.

"It wouldn't be a gift." I muttered. Feeling self-conscious, I turned away slightly. "I fully expect you to pay back me back at your earliest convenience."

"Haah? Just what kind of person do you take me for? I know I'd have to do that much!"

I couldn't help but release a small, quiet breath of relief at the return of the belligerent Miura I was used to.

"Then I believe the matter is settled. Will this be alright then?"

"Hrmm."

Miura crossed her arms and looked towards the ceiling, her expression conflicted. I watched as she rocked back and forth in place. She chewed at her lip, the agitated motion betraying how furiously she must be thinking. Once or twice, I saw her look towards me before hurriedly facing back to the rows of equipment.

I waited quietly beside her, keeping my stance and expression carefully loose.

"…y'know maybe it wouldn't hurt if we looked around a bit more first." Miura finally decided after several minutes, throwing another brief, furtive glance in my direction as she did so. "I mean… we have still have time. No need for us to rush. There's bound to be other stuff we can check out, right? If we can't find anything else, we can always come back here later."

I stared back.

Her words were utterly incongruous with all her actions up until this point. Did she think my offer was somehow being made in bad faith? It wasn't as though I somehow relished the idea of having Miura in my debt. Was the idea of owing me a debt, even one as straightforward as monetary restitution, one she found distasteful? Or was it mere pride then that made her refuse my offer?

Could I trust her enough to believe in her words?

I studied her carefully, trying to find any signs of what she might've been thinking. On her part, Miura seemed aware of my confusion and refused to meet my eyes.

"It really wouldn't be a problem for me." I tried to assure her. "You don't have to hold back out of consideration for me."

"Who's being considerate here? I just wanna keep my options open for now! Let's get going already!"

Without giving me a chance to retort, she spun on her heels and walked back the way we came. With no opportunity to probe further, I had little other choice but to follow.

We made our way back to the front of the store before exiting back into the crowds of people once more.

As we walked, I wondered what store Miura would take us too next? We've managed to find a few, tentatively, promising choices but so far, nothing seemed to truly satisfy her. By this point, we've covered most of the obvious choices as well, at least the ones I could see.

"Where exactly are you taking us too next, Miura-san. We've been to quite a few different shops already, and we're barely any closer to your goal now then we were at the beginning."

"Yeah, see I was thinking…"

Abruptly spinning around, Miura eyed me with an expectant expression.

"…maybe you should pick where we go next."

The sudden, out of the blue, suggestion brought me to a halt.

"…pardon?"

"Think about it. So far, I've chosen every single place we've gone, right? It hasn't really worked out, so I figured it's about time you gave it a shot. See if we'll have any better luck."

I didn't answer immediately, still caught off guard by the sudden suggestion. With how insistent Miura had been in taking charge of everywhere we've gone, not to mention her forceful personality in general, I'd assumed she had no interest in hearing any of my suggestions. Perhaps I was wrong.

"I have no problems with choosing our next location." I spoke slowly. "However, the shops I may choose are unlikely to be the kind I expect you to frequent, so try to keep your expectations tempered."

"Look I'm not gonna give you a hard time if we don't find anything good, if that's what you're worried about! Even things don't work out, I might get some new ideas from the experience. Y'know, see things from a new angle or something? Just give it a shot already!"

Huffing slightly at Miura's impatience I, nonetheless, walked past and took lead of our direction. With nimble steps, Miura fell into step beside me.


"…a book store? Really? I thought I made it clear school stuff is a no go?"

Looking around, I tried my best not to sound disappointed but I don't think I quite managed it. Why else would Yukinoshita be giving me that annoyed look?

"Textbooks only make up a very small percentage of a bookstores stock, and a good novel is easily one of the most economical, long-lasting and fulfilling gifts that can be given."

"Well, I'll take your word for it…" I muttered, turning my head this way and that as I checked things out.

Taking in the place, I can at least say this place looked pretty cushy. The shelves were all so neat in the way they were lined up in rows one after the other. Nobody in the store was loud. There was a bunch of chairs and cushions just lying around for people to sit on. I even saw a small play area with toys in the corner for little kids to mess around with. And, of course, books, books and more books. So many books I'm not sure what someone could do with all of them. It reminded me of being in the school library.

But wasn't all this bad for business? I mean it's not like people are shopping for clothes here. Unless they had someone stalking them the entire time, what exactly was going to stop someone from just reading whatever they want in the store and then leaving after they're done?

I asked Yukinoshita just that.

"Good service and a comfortable experience can go a long way in ensuring a loyal customer base. Of course, the honor system is dependent on customers acting in good faith and there will always be people who will exploit the store's good will for their own benefit, but the hope is the number of return customers will outweigh the good-for-nothing degenerates who take advantage."

I guess that was fair enough. Still, the big problem right now was that I really had no idea where I was even supposed to start looking. There were just so many books! I mean, it was in the name and all but still! You could probably fit all the books in my house on just one of the shelves here and still have room for more! There was no way we could go and look through each of them one by one.

"So… how are we gonna do this? I mean you're more familiar with these sorts of place then I am, right? You got any good ideas where to start looking?"

"Well firstly, we should first determine exactly what kinds of books Hayama-kun might enjoy. Has he ever mentioned a particular novel that he's fond of or made an impression on him?"

"Uh…no? I mean, if he did, I don't think I really paid that much attention." I muttered, crinkling my head in thought.

"I mean reading isn't really the sort of thing that comes up with us. I mean ever! None of us are really that into it, except for Ebina and the stuff she likes is kinda… well y'know."

There was a reason everyone always tried to change the subject whenever she started going on about her "hobbies" after all.

"Why are you asking me this anyway?" I asked, crossing my arms. I don't know why exactly but I was starting to feel a little put off with where the conversation is going. "Are you saying Hayato actually likes to read a lot or something?"

Yukinoshita face went thoughtful.

"I can't actually say for certain. We did have some exchanges in storybooks we liked back we were children but, even back then, he was never as invested in the hobby as I was. I have no idea how much he's kept up the habit since then."

She gave me a pointed look.

"Frankly, you should have a much clearer idea about this than me. You spend much more time with him than I do after all."

I tried, and failed, to hold back a wince.

"Yeah, I suppose I should." I mumbled unhappily to myself, and that uncomfortable feeling in my gut only grew stronger.

"Well regardless, I have a fairly in-depth knowledge of a wide number of genres so I can offer a few suggestions based on my own experiences alone. I'm sure I'll be able to pick out a few good choices. The biggest risk would be the possibility that Hayama-kun already owns or has read the book in question."

"Yeah." I muttered again. "Yeah, that'd look pretty bad."

"Good. To begin our search perhaps we can look at some classics? Perhaps some of the more obscure works of Natsume Sōseki for starters? I Am a Cat and Kokoro were assigned reading so there's already some familiarity with his work. Following up we could perhaps try some foreign titles. I'd suggest…"

To be honest I was only half-listening to her.

Now that it's come up, I couldn't help but wonder… does Hayato read?

I thought back to all the times I've spent with Hayato, going over each moment I could think of in my head trying to remember a time he's brought up a book he liked enough to talk about or something. No matter how hard I racked my brain, nothing was coming to mind.

I mean I already knew he was really smart. I could name plenty of times when he'd go on about some really complicated topic or other that nobody else really understood, even if we all did our best to pay attention. Tobe always made a big deal about how he always knew exactly what he was talking about when it happened, and with the grades he gets it's obvious he studies a lot, even outside of school stuff. But reading just for fun? With everything I did know about him, it wouldn't be the weirdest idea to find out he liked reading but the fact I didn't actually know bothered me much more than it should have.

It was such a small thing that it almost felt silly worrying so much about it but at the same time… it was just one more side of him it turned out I knew nothing about. Something I've never even thought about until Yukinoshita brought it up.

Without even realizing it, my hands had moved and grabbed hold of the sides of arms.

"Hey… Yukinoshita?"

"Yes?"

"Actually, do you mind if we hold off on that for a bit? I kinda want to go and take a look around here by myself first? Y'know just to get a bit of an idea about this sort of stuff first."

She blinked.

"I… don't have a problem with that per say but… do you really think you'll be able to find anything worthwhile on your own? You've already admitted to being unfamiliar with browsing in these kinds of stores."

"Well yeah! But it wouldn't hurt if I at least gave it a shot, right?"

From the doubtful look on her face, I really don't think she really believed me. That annoyed me a bit. I mean sure I don't go to bookstores specifically, but I have a lot of experience when it comes to shopping! It couldn't be that hard to at least find something interesting, right?

"What do you expect me to do in the meantime then?"

"Well… just… look around too. See if there's anything you like. Take a breather. It's been a pretty long day and I know you like hanging out at these sorts of places, right? It shouldn't be too hard for you to find something to keep busy with."

"Of course. It would be a simple task to occupy myself here, but that's not what I'm referring to. I'm here to help you, not idle about for my own leisure."

"Well okay, then I'm giving you permission to look around! You seriously need to learn to relax a bit more!"

I walked off without giving her a chance to argue back. Sometimes, the best way to not lose an argument with Yukinoshita was to not get into one with her in the first place. Yeah, maybe ignoring her like that wasn't the best idea, but she doesn't make talking to her easy either!

Wandering off to a different part of the store, I looked left and right, taking the whole place in. This store didn't look that big from the outside, but now that I was actually inside it felt a whole lot bigger. Maybe it had something to do with all the shelves? They were all pretty tall and all of them were stacked full. Right away, I noticed that each of them had a sign over them, telling you what each one was about. Walking about, I skipped right over the ones labelled business, economics, biography, non-fiction, until I found something more interesting.

"Romance, huh?" I mumbled, looking at the titles of the books closest to me.

I didn't think I was gonna find anything Hayato might like here but I suppose I could at least take a look. If I'm going to start browsing through stuff I'm not familiar with, might as well try with something that might interest me, right?

I reached out and picked out the first thing that stood out to me. Unlike all the other books, it was set out facing forward in a way that made it stand out and, all around it, were more copies of the same book. That had to mean it was good, or at least popular, right?

Turning it over, I silently mouthed the title to myself as I glanced over the cover. Not seeing anything interesting about the front I flipped it over to check the back. Apparently it was famous, or at least good enough to have been made into a movie.

Shrugging, I turned it back around, opened it and began to flip through. Stopping at a random spot, I started reading from the top. Almost straight away, I frowned. I'd only just finished the first page and I was already starting to skim over the script of the next without really taking in the words. I know I'm not a book person but I can't really be that bad at reading, can I?

I forced my eyes back to where I left off and started over again, only for the same thing to happen again, and again. This kept on going a couple times until I finally gave up and just started skimming from page to page, chapter to chapter, all the while trying to find something that might be able to hook me in some way but I just felt more and more lost. I even pulled out my phone and looked up the story, trying to see if I could find a summary of the story somewhere.

I frowned harder.

I just don't get it. This was supposed to be a pretty good story, at least from the reviews I found, but nothing about the writing was grabbing my attention. Sure, I'd skipped around a bit but if the writing was good, it should at least feel interesting to me as I was reading. From what I've picked up so far, the story doesn't even feel all that romantic to me! It mostly just seemed depressing, especially going off what I found about it online.

Sighing, I shut the book and put it back where I found it.

Looking down over the row on the shelf one level below it, I brushed past each of them with a finger. So many books with names that just flew over my head. I had no way to tell anything about them from just the titles. Still trying to feel optimistic, I pulled out another book and opened it.

This time I tried reading it from the beginning but soon, my eyes started drifting away again and before I knew it, I was flicking through it same as before. No luck. I put it back just like I did the first one. Sighing again, I blew out my cheeks, turned around and walked away.

I went back and forth between some of the other shelves for a bit, stopping every so often and looking over what they had on the shelves, sometimes pulling something out, flicking through it before putting it back.

Honestly, did I really think I was going to get anywhere on my own like this? The more I looked around, the more it hit me just how much I didn't know what I was doing. It wasn't like I thought I'd become some kind of bookworm overnight but I never realized how much I didn't know about reading until I tried today. Anyone who knows me can tell I'm not a book person and even if I did get Yukinoshita to pick out something, what good would that be if I didn't even have anything to do with the gift?

I was starting to feel bored of walking around in circles so I went and pulled out my phone again. I frowned a bit when I noticed the time. It was getting kinda late. There was still quite a long way to go before the mall closed, but it was past time I was normally home by.

I tapped out a quick message to my mom, letting her know I was out shopping and that I'd be home late, and sent it. She didn't like it when I stayed out like this but it's happened enough times that she doesn't make a fuss about it anymore as long as I let her know what I'm doing. This was important after all.

After that, just out of habit, I checked my LINE account for a bit but there really wasn't much going on. My phone didn't have much power left either so I put it away quickly once I was done.

I looked around a bit more but I don't think there was really anything more for me to do here. I should probably just go and find Yukinoshita so we can leave.

I went back and forth along the aisles until I finally caught sight of someone in our uniform with a long black hair looking pretty intensely focused on a big book she had her hands. As I headed towards her, Yukinoshita seemed to realize I was coming, and quickly closed the book and put it back on the shelf. I looked up at the shelves to see what she'd been checking out.

Pets and animals, huh?

"Miura-san, you're back earlier than I expected. Have you found anything worth considering?"

"Not really. I took a look around but nothing I saw really hooked me." I muttered, coming up and stopping right next to her. "You find anything you liked?"

"Oh… some interesting selections, nothing relevant to your search, unfortunately."

"Mmm."

"If there's nothing else, shall we get started then? I've already compiled a short list we can begin with. I can give you a description about each author, their work and the themes of their writing and you can pick the ones you think may be most promising."

I shuffled in place uneasily. This was gonna be awkward. I'd kinda been hoping I could find a way to slowly work my way to what I wanted to say but that wasn't happening. Best just to rip the bandage off and get it over with I guess.

"So about that… look, I'm really sorry about this, but I don't think this is gonna work out for me after all."

Yukinoshita gave me a questioning look and I lifted a hand to my head and ran it through my hair nervously.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now, and… well a book isn't really the sort of thing I want to give to Hayato is all."

"Aren't you being a little hasty in that judgement? A perfect match may not be feasible but there are still plenty of options we should at least explore first. You can consider my recommendations and-"

"No, don't you see?" I interrupted, shaking my head. "That's the entire problem! Any kind of book I can give him will obviously be something I couldn't have picked out myself. Hayato will know a book is something I'd never come up with on my own. I'd look so stupid, giving him one!"

"…I don't understand. Isn't that the entire reason why you wanted my advice in the beginning? You wished to find a gift that would never have crossed your mind under normal circumstances?"

"Well… yeah, that's true but…"

Ugh. How do I put this in a way ?

"Okay, look. Maybe it'll come as a bit of a shock to you cause you like books so much, but see, I don't really spend my time sitting at home reading-"

"On the contrary, that information doesn't surprise me in the least."

"Will you be quiet and let me finish?!"

"…my apologies. Go on."

"Right. Anyways, my point is I don't read books. Ever. Not unless it has something to do with school. Heck, the last time I read something for fun was probably back when I was a little kid, and those were all picture books! If I walk up to Hayato and hand him some really fancy, smart sounding book, he'll know right away that I couldn't have picked it out. Best case, it'll look like I just grabbed something without knowing a single thing about what I was even buying. It'd just look shallow. Like it was coming from somebody else entirely and I was just the one delivering it…"

I trailed off as I noticed Yukinoshita was staring at me with a weird expression on her face. She mostly looked surprised, but there seemed to be a bunch of other feelings mixed into it that I couldn't describe. It was starting to creep me out a little.

"Hah? Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's just…" She coughed into her fist. "My apologies for staring, it's just… what you said just now simply reminded me of something I've heard before."

"Heard before? From who exactly?"

"My- it's not important. I think I can understand what you're trying to say. You want your gift to convey a sentiment that's wholly yours, not something piggybacked off the expertise of a stranger."

"Right! That's basically it!"

"I can appreciate that you've considered the matter so thoroughly then. If there's nothing else for us here then let us move on to the next store."

"Huh? Oh sure, that's what I was gonna say next anyway. Let's go."

"Ah, just a moment please. I simply need a minute to go the front counter and make my purchase."

"Purchase?"

Now that she said it, I noticed that Yukinoshita had a different, smaller, book held tightly in her hand. With the way she had it pressed against her body, I couldn't make out the cover no matter how I squinted at it.

"Did you find something you wanted?" I asked, tilting my head to try to get a better look.

"Ah. Yes. I stumbled across it while I was coming here and I remembered an errand I'd been meaning to find time to run. Given the circumstances, I thought it wouldn't hurt to pick it up now. I'd actually thought about going to the counter earlier, but became somewhat… distracted. And then you found me earlier than I expected. That's all there was to it."

She lowered the book down a little further.

"It's just a coincidence is all." She insisted again.

"Hey you don't have to explain anything to me." I shrugged. "You're here. You saw something you liked. You got it. Nothing wrong with that."

If anything, I'm actually a little glad she was acting more like a normal person on this trip.

"So apart from the book, you're good to go?"

"Yes. There's usually not much of a line, so this shouldn't take very long, I think."

She paused.

"If you wish however, there's no need for you to wait in line with me. I believe there's a directory outside you can browse while you're waiting"

I tilted my head.

"Huh? Why in the world would I do that? You said there isn't much of a line, right? I'll just wait with you."

Yukinoshita bit at her lip.

"I simply don't wish to cause anymore unnecessary delays at this point."

"Didn't you say there's not that many people though? It's barely any time at all, so I don't see why we should go through the trouble of splitting up for a few minutes?"

A suspicious idea suddenly popped into my mind and my eyes narrowed.

"You're not just trying to get rid of me, are you? Are you, like, embarrassed about that book or something?"

"No! I-"

Yukinoshita broke off, an annoyed look on her face.

"I just do not wish to waste any more time on unnecessary delays. Half the day is already gone and we still have little to show for it."

Right so she was just being, annoyingly, considerate in her own way again. No need to overthink this.

"Well… thanks for the thought but, look, you said it yourself there isn't that many people. This won't take any time at all. And besides, it's not like I'm some first timer shopper who's never been held up in a line before. I'd really feel better with us sticking together is all."

"I see." She answered back. She didn't say anything more after that.

I twisted back and forth a bit. Was I supposed to head over to the counter now? Or do I wait and follow her? As usual I couldn't tell a thing about what she might be thinking from her face. It's so frustrating because I'm usually good at reading other people!

Yukinoshita finally seemed to get the message. With just a brief, awkward look at me she set herself off and I followed. We got to the counter and I stood back and watched as she paid for her book. Apart from a brief yes when she was asked if she only wanted the one book, she didn't talk at all to the cashier, even as they scanned and bagged her book for her.

I suddenly realized that this was basically the opposite of what happened before, back when Yukinoshita got so mad that I was buying something for myself. I wonder if this was a sign that she's finally loosening up a little? Huh, maybe this was the reason why she was acting so weird earlier?

Should I bring it up? Just to point out how funny it was how she ended up doing the same thing she gave me such a hard time for earlier? Nah, maybe not. I mean I did tell her to go for it if she finds something she likes after all, not to mention she really wasn't the kind of person who knew how to take a joke.

"Here you are. Please come again."

"Thank you."

The next moment Yukinoshita was in front of me, bag in hand.

"My apologies for the wait. Shall we be off then?"

I blinked a bit, a little surprised after getting knocked out of my daydreaming. Yukinoshita was giving me an expectant look.

"Yeah, sure. Let's get going then."


Well, it's been a while.

So short answer, the chapter ended up getting away from me, again. I was really hoping to get to the reveal but I couldn't quite make it work without making the whole thing feel disjointed. Rest assured though the next chapter is absolutely where everything is finally laid out. Hopefully I won't have too many difficulties finishing it.