Have You Started to Like Me a Little? (4)
Have You Started to Like Me a Little? (4)
I was walking side by side with Seo Arin.
My hand remained attached to her arm as we kept walking.
I had no intention of letting go, so I held on tight to make sure it wouldn't slip off.
"...Hoo."
"...?"
"It hurts when you hold on that tight."
"...I'm not letting go, though.."
"Ha.."
She let out a short sigh, but she didn't pull her arm away.
Since she said it hurt, I loosened my grip just a little, ever so slightly, but kept holding onto her arm.
We kept walking until we arrived at a building that looked swarming with people even from the outside.
The glass doors opened automatically, and a blast of cool air rushed out.
"...Here."
"It's a [Department Store]."
"[Department Store].."
The word itself was familiar, but I had never been to a place like this before.
I tilted my head, wondering why we had come to a place like this, and Seo Arin added.
"I came to buy things you need."
"..."
Ah, so she came because of me.
After a brief moment of realization, I stepped inside the [Department Store]. It was bright inside.
It was so bright it was dazzling.
And.
"Wow..."
An exclamation slipped out before I could stop it.
It got even noisier once we went inside.
To my heightened senses and ears, it was almost unpleasant.
The gazes looking at Seo Arin and me, the chatter of people, even the music playing from somewhere.
It felt like I was suffocating. I needed to calm down, so I clung to her a bit more.
"Don't you think about letting go a little? It's a bit uncomfortable for me."
"...No."
"Hoo.., fine. Alright."
Seo Arin hesitated for a moment, but she seemed to give up in the face of my stubborn attitude.
She was the one who told me to stick to her in the first place...
I felt a bit spiteful, so I clung even tighter, to the point where my face was buried in Seo Arin's arm.
Seo Arin pulled over a cart.
The sound of the wheels rolling was strangely annoying, but it didn't matter.
Seo Arin asked if I wanted to ride in the cart to travel comfortably, but I just let it go in one ear and out the other. It was a relief that she didn't seem particularly upset.
We kept walking like that until she stopped for a moment.
"This."
It was a display case filled with [Towel]s that looked like they were made of high-quality material just by looking at them.
Seeing the folded, stacked fabric, I had a huge urge to dive right in, but I held back.
It's fine to do what I want, but I didn't want to do anything that would embarrass Seo Arin.
"How's this?"
"...I think it's nice."
I picked up the [Towel] she handed me and touched it.
Whether it was the quality or not, the soft texture felt addictive.
I rubbed it a few more times for no reason, enjoying the feeling, when Seo Arin stopped me and said.
"Don't rub it like that."
"...Because it feels good."
"Just put one in."
"Can't I have two?"
"Why? We have plenty at home anyway."
"One for me to use, and one for me to touch."
"..."
Seo Arin looked at me for a moment.
When I lifted my head to quietly meet her eyes, she looked up at the sky for a moment, let out a sigh, and said.
"..Fine."
"Huh?"
"..Put two in."
Excited by Seo Arin's words, I picked two [Towel]s from the display case and put them in.
The next place we went was where rows of colorful plastic bottles were lined up.
"What's this?"
"[Shampoo]."
"..Then what about this?"
"[Body Wash]."
"What about this?"
"Why are you asking about every single thing?"
"...Because I don't know."
A moment of silence.
Then Seo Arin picked one up and gave it to me.
"Ha..., use this."
"Why this one?"
"It's the one I use, and it smells nice."
At those words, I briefly pressed my nose against Seo Arin's body and started to sniff.
"...Sniff."
It was subtle. A scent that could be described as slightly sweet and soft mixed with her natural scent, and it was nice.
"...I like this."
"..."
Seo Arin seemed stunned, as if she didn't understand what had just happened, but she quickly came to her senses, checked it once more, and put it in the cart.
"Then we'll go with this."
I nodded vigorously at her words.
We walked for a while longer and arrived at the [Clothes] section.
"This."
Seo Arin held up a piece of [Clothes].
"...Do I have to wear this too?"
"I'm buying it because you need it."
"I don't want to..."
"Hey."
I tried to express my opinion for a moment, but as expected, my opinion was ignored.
"...Okay."
I pouted my lips, but I still nodded.
We brought over a few pieces of [Clothes] and I repeated the process of changing.
"Try this on too."
"Here?"
"Just the top."
"...Okay."
I awkwardly put my arms in. I was confused again.
The material of the [Clothes] seemed nice, but it was very uncomfortable. It felt like I was being choked.
"It's the other way around."
"...Yeah."
Took it off, put it on again.
"As expected.., it's hard."
"What's so hard about that?"
"It's very hard for me.."
Seo Arin finally reached out.
"Stay still."
"...Okay."
Slowly, one by one. She grabbed my arms, aligned them, and pulled the [Clothes] down.
Then, when our hands touched for a moment, Seo Arin flinched and paused.
"...Why did you stop?"
"..."
"...?"
"...It's nothing."
She shook her head for a moment and then started moving again.
We picked out a few more pieces after that, but Seo Arin chose most of them.
"This is nice."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"...Then I'll go with this one."
"Okay."
She looked like she was enjoying picking out the [Clothes], so I was happy too.
This time, our footsteps stopped in front of the snack section.
A sweet scent wafted over, and there were snacks of all different colors.
There were many things that looked pretty. Especially the ones that sparkled.
The ones shaped like jewels that sparkled were really pretty.
"Sigh.., pick only one [Candy]."
"...One?"
"Yeah, it's not good for your teeth."
"...Are you buying this for me too?"
"Yeah."
At those words, I moved my eyes to the [Candy] section and started looking at this and that.
As I kept looking at this and that, touching the wrappers, or smelling them.
"Hey, you really..."
"...I'll just look a little longer."
It was only after about 10 minutes of saying that that I finally chose one.
It caught the light like a jewel and sparkled, so it was really pretty. I should keep this forever when I get back.
Seeing me jumping up and down with joy, Seo Arin sighed and picked out another [Candy] from next to it and gave it to me.
"...Huh? Didn't you say to pick only one?"
"This is delicious. Don't eat both at once, try them later."
Seeing the [Jewel Candy] I picked and the [Gummy Worms] Seo Arin picked for me, I felt even better.
Of course, it was quite hard to try not to show it on the outside.
We looked around a bit more, finished paying, and when we came outside, the sun had already set quite a bit.
The sunset was setting, and a pretty orange light was spreading between the buildings.
"......It's pretty."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
We stood for a moment and watched the sunset.
Then, my hand was pulled.
"Let's go. There's one last place we need to go."
"...Okay."
I was a little disappointed, but since I was with Seo Arin, I just followed.
The place we arrived at was the [Riverside] where clean water flowed.
A place where you could see the city's night view at a glance. It was wide and quiet.
A cool breeze blew by, and my hair fluttered from time to time, but even that felt good.
"...Where is this?"
"Sit down, it's a place I thought I should bring you to at least once."
Seo Arin said that and sat down on the grass with her knees pulled together first.
I sat down quietly next to Seo Arin.
This time, instead of her arm, I tried leaning slightly against her shoulder. Without saying a word.
The sound of the wind blowing, the sound of the water flowing. Those things came into my ears.
As I watched the city lights flickering on the flowing river, my heart felt at ease.
"...You know."
"Why?"
"Today..."
I swallowed the words I had been debating whether to say or not, and then let them out.
"...It was fun."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
A response that didn't change much no matter what I said every time.
But now, the voice was a little different, so I looked to the side for a moment.
She was smiling.
It wasn't a big smile, but it was definitely there.
Her face, which was always blunt, had relaxed a little.
"...It's the first time."
"What is?"
"...Seeing you smile like that."
"What are you talking about."
She chuckled and turned her head back. Nothing had changed, but the atmosphere seemed to have softened a bit more.
We looked at the [Riverside] a little longer, and the sun set quickly, bringing the night.
The river, which had been reflecting the sunset and hiding the city lights, was now clearly holding the city's lights.
"..."
Neither of us said anything.
It wasn't awkward, though; I was just thinking back on the whole day because it was so good.
Buying me the [Towel], buying me the [Body Wash], buying me the [Clothes].
Buying me the [Candy] I was interested in. Thinking about those things that happened today, it felt like something was resonating.
Something deep, a feeling of vibrating inside my chest. It's hard to express in words.
"..."
I moved my hand slightly and touched the back of Seo Arin's hand, ever so lightly.
I didn't hold it, just touching it was enough to make me feel something welling up inside my chest.
We stayed like that for a few minutes, and after a moment of hesitation, I opened my mouth.
"... You know."
"Why?"
"...Now..."
My words got a little stuck, but since it was something I had wanted to ask for a long time, I gathered my courage and continued.
"...Have you started to like me a little?"