"Finally bought everything we need..."
As they stepped out of the high-end shopping mall, Gokou Ruri spoke in a tone that had lightened significantly, as if she had just been liberated from some sort of heavy labor.
It was still morning when she and Asakura met up outside the station, but now it was already past 2:00 PM. Clearly, shopping in this kind of high-end mall was an unprecedented ordeal for her, both in terms of time and energy.
"Remember to say 'Thank you, Marin-nee' the next time you guys have that community gathering..." Asakura teased from the side. "After all, she helped pick out quite a few things this time."
In addition to the shoes, Kitagawa Marin had specifically taken Gokou Ruri to an underwear shop afterward to buy undergarments specifically designed to be worn under formal dresses.
Although Gokou Ruri had looked drained ever since they left that shop, occasionally muttering things to herself like "Isn't that just a piece of string..." "How can I concentrate all the nutrients into my chest..." and "It clearly didn't look that small when I had clothes on."
It seemed that Kitagawa Marin going into the fitting room with Gokou Ruri to help her choose underwear had dealt a considerable blow to the girl's spirit—or perhaps her self-confidence.
As a side note, after helping Gokou Ruri pick out everything she needed, Kitagawa Marin had left in a hurry. According to her, she was rushing to a "Wet Girls Series Only" cosplay event.
While Asakura couldn't help but think "Is that thing really that popular?" when he heard this, based on his experience, it was actually a bit late to go to an event at this time. Limited edition merchandise at those venues would likely be sold out by now.
Thinking of it that way, Kitagawa Marin being willing to give up the limited-edition merch of an event she liked just to help Gokou Ruri pick out clothes certainly deserved a word of thanks.
"Although it was humiliating for me in many ways, I'll acknowledge this help..." Gokou Ruri sighed, saying in a tone of 'she did a good job, but don't do it again next time': "Next time, I'll throw a papaya at her head."
"Don't throw it! That's a waste of food! Wait, why a papaya?"
"Is the focus 'wasting food'...? I recall there's a saying from the Huaguo across the sea, something about repaying a debt of gratitude with a papaya..."
"The Classic of Poetry?!" Asakura was startled. "No, that's 'She threw me a papaya, I requited her with a fine girdle-gem,' not throwing a papaya at someone's head! Also, why do you know the Classic of Poetry?"
"Back when I wanted to write light novels, I collected myths and proverbs from many countries..." the girl replied nonchalantly. "Nowadays, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call me a polymath."
That usually isn't a title of respect, but a nickname used to tease those who read too many extracurricular books.
"You've written light novels too?" Asakura asked with interest.
"I 'wanted' to write them, but due to various reasons later on, I didn't actually write them out..." Gokou Ruri said flatly.
The girl's expression didn't change, so even Asakura couldn't tell if Gokou Ruri had given up on light novels or if she had simply lost interest in writing.
Regardless, it clearly wasn't a good topic for conversation.
So Asakura casually changed the subject: "Are you really going to take that dress back and modify it yourself? Wouldn't it be better to leave it to the professionals in the shop?"
Actually, Gokou Ruri's dress fit her quite well, with only one or two places needing minor adjustments, which was why Asakura felt a bit puzzled by her choice.
"I asked the clerk while Takuma-kun was paying. They said the modification process here involves leaving the dress at the shop and picking it up the next day. If I wanted it rushed, it would require an extra fee."
Gokou Ruri replied: "Since it's not a troublesome modification, I'd rather do it myself than spend that money."
Since she had put it that way, Asakura naturally wouldn't object. Anyway, there was still time, and it wasn't much trouble to accompany the girl back to the Gokou residence.
Only when standing at the entrance of the Gokou house did Asakura subconsciously straighten his clothes.
When Gokou Ruri opened the door, the first person to appear wasn't her father or mother, but Gokou Hinata, who was staring at the two at the door with eyes full of a mix of slyness and mischief.
"Oh ho~" the little one said in a strange, singsong voice, "Isn't this Ruri-nee and Asakura-nii? You guys are back from your date~"
Gokou Ruri's brow twitched. She dropped the shopping bags in her hand, grabbed the girl's cheeks, and began to pull them outward.
"Where is Mom?"
It had to be said that a child's face is soft. Clearly, Gokou Ruri wasn't using much force, but Gokou Hinata's little face was still stretched out of shape like a piece of dough, even giving Asakura the illusion that he could hear the sound of collagen snapping.
"It hurts! Mom had something to do and went out! Now only I and Tamaki are at home!"
The little one pleaded with tears in the corners of her eyes: "I was wrong, Ruri-nee, let me go!"
Does this kid just never learn?
Gokou Ruri finally let go, and Hinata's little face immediately snapped back to its original shape, looking quite elastic.
While rubbing her reddened cheeks, she said: "So it doesn't matter what you two do at home alone~"
"... (Anger)"
"It hurts! I won't do it again, don't pull anymore, I feel like my face is going to be ripped off!"
Retracting my previous thought, could this child be a masochist?
The girl's house wasn't large. Following Ruri into the inner room, one could see the youngest child of the Gokou family, Gokou Tamaki, sitting properly on the tatami, watching Stardust Witch Meruru on the TV with rapt attention.
Asakura glanced at the DVD running in the cabinet under the TV and couldn't help but be surprised: "You actually still buy this kind of disc?"
He had thought the girl would only collect discs like Maschera, which were full of 'Chuunibyou' settings and dark aesthetics.
"The yellow one forced it on me." Gokou Ruri muttered unclearly while placing the shopping bags on the table and rummaging through a nearby cabinet for sewing tools: "But Tamaki likes it, so I kept it for now."
The yellow one?
Asakura was stunned for a moment before he realized who she meant.
"It's Kousaka Kirino..." he said with sudden realization.
Gokou Ruri turned her face away, seemingly unwilling to admit that she had a good relationship with Kirino.
"Whether it's the yellow one or Kitagawa, I feel like everyone around here is a clingy fellow..." the girl grumbled.
"Do you hate it?" Asakura asked.
The girl looked at him fixedly for a moment, then quickly looked away as if trying to hide something, speaking in a soft voice.
"It's not like... I dislike it."