After finishing their meal, Yuzuru and Arisa split up with Hijiri and Tenka.
After seeing them off, âŠâŠ Arisa muttered to herself.
âThey backed off so easily.â
âI guess so. Well, both of them understood pretty quickly, which helped a little.â
The only clear thing was that Yuzuru and Arisa were not lovers.
However, they seemed to have a hunch that we were not just friends, but Yuzuru was very grateful that they did not pry from that point.
âBut, Yuzuru-san. âŠâŠYouâve told Satake-san, but not Ryozenji-san. Is that okay?â
âAre you talking about our friendships?â
âYes.â
âHe wouldnât make a fuss about something like that. Well, I do feel bad about that.â
Both Hijiri and Soichiro are equal friends to Yuzuru.
If so, it makes sense to talk to Hijiri as he talked to Soichiro. âŠâŠ
However, you never know where information will leak from, so if you can keep it secret, it is safer to keep it secret.
In the case of Soichiro, they were in a swimsuit in a swimming pool, a situation that could not be excused.
And there was Ayaka, who was very intuitive and perceptive.
In contrast, this time, to some extent, the deception was effective.
In addition, âŠâŠ
âIâve known him for a long time, so I can trust him. But I donât know anything about Nagiri-sanâs personality.â
Not only was Hijiri there, but Tenka was there as well.
Yuzuru can vouch for Hijiriâs character, but not so much for Tenka.
âNagiri-san didnât seem like a bad person, though. âŠâŠHer character isnât very good, however.â
Apparently, she was a little upset about being laughed at so much.
Arisa arched her beautiful eyebrows.
Yuzuru chuckled.
âWell,âŠâŠ unless both sides are deemed to be credible, the policy of keeping it under wraps is probably safe. By the way, if I get pursued by the Hijiri at a later date, and if there is no way to cover it upâŠâŠâ
â Yuzuru-san trusts Ryozenji-san, right?ăThen itâs okay. I canât trust Ryozenji-san, but I can trust you, Yuzuru-san.â
âThank you for saying so.â
Of course, she trusts Yuzuruâs eyes to see people, but âŠâŠ
But more than that, she probably worries about Yuzuruâs relationships.
Perhaps she was worried that Yuzuruâs friendships would be destroyed in order to protect her, but even so, he was grateful for Arisaâs thoughtfulness.
It would be too tasteless to just say âyes, goodbyeâ there, so Yuzuru and Arisa decided to take a look around the nearby shopping mall.
âYuzuru-san, is there anything you want to see or buy?ăIâm thinking of buying some autumn clothes âŠâŠ and a coat if my budget is sufficient.â
âThatâs rightâŠâŠ. I want to buy some accessories.â
When Yuzuru replied that, Arisaâs eyes widened, a little unexpectedly.
It wasnât that he didnât care about his clothes, but it was surprising that Yuzuru, who didnât seem to like fashion, would want something like that.
Yuzuru also had his own thoughts, and feeling a little embarrassed, said deceptively.
âNo, see, âŠâŠ, youâre trendy, arenât you?ăAs long as we are walking side by side, I have to raise my level. I thought it would be rude of me not to.â
âThatâs a good mindset.â
Perhaps she was pleased by Yuzuruâs words, Arisa said in good spirits.
Yuzuru chuckled at the joking, but somewhat pompous tone.
Since Yuzuru had already decided what he wanted to buy, the two of them headed for the area where watches, jewelry, and other precious metals were sold.
There is a wide range of precious metals.
What Yuzuru wanted to buy was something cheap that a high school student would feel comfortable wearing.
âWhat kind of items do you want to buy?â
âWell, I guess. Well, I have a watch on my wrist, so I guess Iâll go for something for my neck âŠâŠ. I think the price should not exceed 10,000 yen.â
When Yuzuru answered, Arisa pointed to a corner of the store.
âHow about that?ăI think itâs cool.â
âI like the simplicity of it.â
What Arisa found was a simple necklace made of black spinel, a black gemstone.
The price is about three thousand yen.
Itâs relatively affordable, and a high school student can wear it without feeling out of place.
After getting permission from the clerk, Yuzuru took the black spinel in his hand.
He held it up to his neck and asked Arisa to take a look.
âWhat do you think?â
âIt looks good on you. âŠâŠ You looks a little sexier.â
Arisa said while slightly lowering her jade green eyes covered with beautiful eyelashes.
It seems that she was not saying it as flattery.
âSexier, huh? âŠâŠâ
What exactly does it mean for a man to be sexy?
Yuzuru couldnât quite understand why he was even sexy in the first place. âŠâŠ.
Believing Arisaâs words, he decided to buy it.
âUm, Yuzuru-san.â
âWhat is it, Arisa?â
ââŠâŠ You canât wear that necklace unless youâre with me. Also, you canât wear it to school.â
âHuh. âŠâŠ Well, thatâs fine. Why?â
Yuzuru tilted his head, wondering why she said such a strange thing.
âIâm not exaggeratingâŠâŠ. Besides, Iâm the one who chose it.â
Absolutely not!
Arisa glared at Yuzuru, as if to say that.
Her well-formed eyebrows are drawn together, her emerald eyes are lifted, and her mouth is bent into a curve.
âAll right, I promise.â
Yuzuru was a little puzzled by Arisaâs strange possessiveness, but he replied.
Then, since they were in the accessories area, they looked around at the womenâs ornaments as well.
âItâs beautiful, isnât it, âŠâŠÂ that jewelry?â
With an enraptured expression, Arisa looked at the beautiful emeralds.
Although Arisa is a little out of touch with the rest of the world, she seems to like this kind of jewelry.
âThey are, like your eyes.â
Yuzuru jokingly said as Arisa looked at the emerald.
Then Arisa smacked Yuzuru on the chest.
âPlease stop doing that!ăWe look like an idiot couple.â
Arisaâs face turned bright red.
Yuzuru also scratched his cheek, feeling his face getting a little hot.
âWell, âŠâŠ after I said that, I thought it was too cheesy.â
âTotally, âŠâŠâ
Arisa seemed to be trying to say she was angry, but her mouth was a little loose.
She seems to like this kind of cheesy dialogue.
âBy the way, âŠâŠ, what do you think about this one?ăLet me know for future reference.â
âYeah, sure.â
Walking around the store, Arisa evaluates each piece of jewelry, saying âI like this oneâ or âThis is not my tasteâ.
She seemed to like both the cute designs as well as the gorgeous and flashy ones.
And they all have one thing in common: they are expensive.
Of course, if it has a good design or uses high-quality stones, it will naturally be more expensive, which is a sign that Arisa has a good eye for appraisal. âŠâŠ
It was a surprising discovery for Yuzuru that Arisa, who was rather frugal when it came to shopping at the supermarket, preferred to buy something that looked reasonably expensive.
(I mean, normally sheâs repressed in many ways and doesnât get this kind of thing at allâŠâŠBut she really wanted this kind of thing huh.)
His tear glands welled up a little.
âI donât know much about jewelers and their names. âŠâŠ Do you know about them, Arisa?â
âNo, not really. I know about as much as anyone.â
âWhat are some of the most famous ones?â
âTiffany, Cartier, Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston are the five most famous jewelers.â ( TN: Brand names seems to have been modified)
âWow.â
Arisa said the names effortlessly.
Of the five, Yuzuru only knew about Tiffany and Harry Winston.
Arisa named several other brands.
She knows more than he thought she would.
âIn Japan, itâs 4â or something. âŠâŠ Whatâs wrong?ăYuzuru-san. You have a strange face.â
âNo, itâs nothing.â
Remembering that Arisa was the kind of girl who couldnât even afford (or was too shy to ask for) a little expensive soap, he couldnât bring himself to say that he felt so sorry for her that he almost cried.
It would hurt Arisaâs self-esteem.
âShouldnât we go look at some clothes soon?â