ALL NOVEL Chapter 3 - Secret Work
“Phew, it’s cool in here, isn’t it?”
“It is. It’s unusually hot for this time of year.”
As soon as they entered the shopping mall, they began to exchange such conversations. From the moment they called each other’s names, the tension had eased a little. Or rather, they might have gained enough composure to appear calm. Both of them were still quite nervous on the inside.
“Is there any place you’d like to go?”
When Haruya asked, Akiba looked around and thought for a bit. The shopping mall was a three-story structure, with clothing stores, general stores, sporting goods stores, restaurants, supermarkets, and so on, lined up in a row. There were also cinemas and game centers, and because it was relatively close to the university, it was a popular dating spot for couples.
Worried about potential misunderstandings if they ran into acquaintances, Haruya also looked around, but fortunately, he didn’t see anyone he knew. That being said, it was a large shopping mall, so there was always a chance they might run into someone else.
“Would you like to just walk around aimlessly for now? We can go into any store that catches our eye.”
“Of course.”
If they were to enjoy window shopping, the second floor, which had many clothing and general stores, would be suitable. They took the escalator and moved up to the next floor. Despite the awkward distance between them for a couple, they began to walk through the cool interior of the store side by side.
Akiba seemed particularly interested in clothing stores and swiftly entered any store that seemed good. In this unexpected situation of their first date, Haruya, who was not confident about leading well, followed Akiba around with a sense of relief tinged with a little shame.
“Akiba, I bet anything would look good on you.”
“Eh, that’s not true. I’m not really into flashy things.”
Akiba was wearing a white blouse and simple wide chinos. Rather than being flashy, she had a mature and calm impression. Her silky black long hair, fair skin, and slender figure combined to exude an incredibly pure and elegant atmosphere.
However, she was never overly cool, always showing a soft expression, and her laughter was classy and seemed very joyful. Of course, Akiba wasn’t intentionally trying to charm men, but they were irresistibly drawn to her smile, only to be defeated helplessly. In a sense, this may be worse than if she were doing it intentionally.
“Haruya, you also prefer a calm style, don’t you?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t really understand fashion, so I always play it safe.”
“I totally get that. Clothes can be so difficult. I always end up with similar ones.”
“But you look good in them.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Holding a dress in one hand, Akiba smiles happily. The dazzling smile caused Haruya to inadvertently look away. Akiba too, seemed to lower her eyes shyly.
“She’s too cute…”
“I was complimented…”
Both blushed and their heartbeats accelerated. Of course, each thought they were the only one feeling this way. Before the silence could stretch, Haruya cleared his throat and forcefully reset his emotions.
“Are you going to buy anything?”
“Maybe not today. I didn’t bring much money…”
With that, Akiba returned the dress she was holding back to its place. They left the store and started looking for the next one to enter. As they were walking leisurely, a sudden heavy impact ran through Akiba’s right foot, followed by a voice.
“Mommy!”
When they turned around, a small girl was clinging to Akiba’s right foot. She was about 3 or 4 years old, wearing a backpack with a popular animation character like Pretty Cure.
“Uhm… Is she your secret child?”
“Of course not!”
“So, she’s not a secret?”
“She’s just a child!”
As Haruya and Akiba traded jokes, the little girl’s eyes filled with tears and she eventually started crying loudly.
“Waaaah! Where’s mommy?”
“It seems like she’s lost.”
Haruya crouched down to match the girl’s eye level and spoke in a gentle voice while gently stroking her head.
“Alright, alright. Don’t cry. It’s okay, we’ll find your mommy for you.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. It’ll be fine. Can you tell us your name?”
“Mari.”
“Mari, huh? That’s a cute name. Do you know your last name?”
“Higashino.”
“Higashino Mari, huh? How old are you, Mari?”
“I’m four years old.”
“You’re so mature for a four-year-old. You stopped crying so quickly. That’s really good. Shall we go and look for your mommy together?”
“Yes.”
In no time at all, Haruya managed to soothe the little girl, now known as Mari, and naturally extracted all the information they needed to look for her mother. Akiba quietly watched Haruya do this.
“Haruya is amazing… He spoke with such a kind voice and expression…”
When Mari started crying, Akiba was almost panicked because she didn’t know what to do. Within her, honest feelings of respect for Haruya welled up.
“Carry me.”
“You want me to carry you?”
“Yes. Carry me, big brother.”
“Well, can’t be helped.”
With a smile, Haruya picked up Mari and turned to Akiba.
“Let’s go to the information center. They should be able to make an announcement about a lost child from there.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Carrying the unexpected little intruder, the two of them headed for the information center.