Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Outing (2)
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-Creak.
Me and Yuka stopped our bikes in front of a hole-in-the-wall shop about ten minutes away by bicycle.
The name of the shop was...
'Hanaya?'
It was a flower shop.
I thought for a second that we'd come to the wrong place, but soon realized it was my mistake.
The sign read Hanaya (花屋), but in the corner, it also said Hanaya (ハナ屋) in different lettering.
Probably some kind of pun, their own little joke.
While I was thinking that,
-Slide.
Yuka had already opened the door and gone inside.
"Takuya. You coming in?"
"Ah. Right behind you."
Following her inside, the shop had a pretty nostalgic vibe.
More like the kind of old-fashioned charm that stirred up fond memories.
'Feels like a place where I'd remember the taste of snacks from in front of my elementary school.'
Of course, this place looked way older than anything I remembered.
I thought that to myself as I looked around carefully.
The shop was stocked with all sorts of ingredients and snacks.
And among them, one item in the corner especially caught my eye.
It was Umai Stick.
Umai Stick is one of Japan's most iconic snacks—think something like chakanin for reference. Or so I read on a wiki once.
Eh, if that's wrong, you're right.
'Looks tasty. Should I ask her to get me one?'
I'd never tried Umai Stick before, so I was curious about the taste and debated buying one.
'But isn't this kinda too ero for a request?'
Still, asking someone who wasn't even my mom the day after possession for something like that felt a bit off.
So while I was waffling over whether to ask for it or not,
"What're you staring at so hard?"
Yuka came over to me as I was intently eyeing the Umai Stick, grabbed my shoulder, and peered at what I was looking at.
I casually pointed at the Umai Stick with my finger, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, Umai Stick? It's been forever. I ate a ton of these back in school."
Saying that, Yuka picked one up and examined it from every angle.
Very seriously, too.
After inspecting it for a good while, she nodded and said,
"Hmm~ Yeah, hasn't changed a bit."
With that, Yuka grabbed a handful of Umai Sticks.
I was about to say something in surprise when,
she flashed me a bright smile and said,
"Good stuff's better when shared, right?"
I nodded without thinking at that smile, and pleased with my answer, Yuka ruffled my hair.
"Good boy! Alright, let's grab the soy sauce Ayaka mentioned and some snacks."
"Okay."
She pulled her hand away from my head, but strangely, the warmth lingered.
Not in a weird way, of course.
Just...
'Feels familiar.'
Probably just an illusion from how unfamiliar someone touching me like that had become after so long.
Yeah. Gotta be.
After that, we picked out soy sauce, snacks, and ice cream for the walk back, then headed to the counter.
And called out to the owner inside.
"Granny Haruna! Come out here!"
The owner of Hanaya was a 70-year-old grandma. Her husband had died in the war.
Apparently, the unit he got drafted into was the one with that infamous Mutaguchi, and he got thrown straight into the disastrous Imphal Operation and never came back.
No compensation, either, naturally.
That's why Granny Haruna hates the Japanese government.
This was way too much info.
Granny Haruna wasn't coming out, so I'd rummaged through Takuya's memories and ended up blurting out all this useless trivia.
'No, seriously, why isn't she coming? Something wrong?'
Yuka also found it odd that Granny Haruna wasn't appearing and started toward the room behind the counter.
That's when,
-Slide.
The door behind the counter opened, and someone burst out.
Not Granny Haruna.
"Yaaawn..."
A young woman in gym clothes, with messy hair and glasses, yawning hugely.
She wasn't just young compared to Granny Haruna—she looked fresh out of college, like a brand-new working adult.
Caught off guard by the sudden young woman, Yuka asked awkwardly,
"Who are you?"
The woman stopped yawning and answered casually,
"Haruna Michiko here~yo. Granny Haruna's granddaughter, college student~yo. On break from uni, so part-timin'~da."
Her super-detailed explanation left me and Yuka just nodding along.
She must talk to customers like this all the time—words came pouring out like machine-gun fire.
'Her speech is kinda unique.'
Like a dialect, but only the endings are weird. Drawling them out, maybe?
Anyway, after her self-introduction, we started checking out.
Surprisingly sharp, she tallied everything super fast and told us the total.
"Comes to 600 yen total~yo."
Yuka nodded and fished coins out of her coin purse.
And in the meantime,
'What's this?'
Another weird screen popped up in front of my eyes.
Specifically,
'Why's that in front of Haruna?'
Right in front of Haruna.
It looked suspicious as hell, but I was dying to know what happened if I clicked it.
'Honestly, super curious...'
Might trigger some event or whatever, but with Yuka here, it was awkward to check.
While I was pondering the window in front of Haruna, Yuka finished paying and headed for the door.
"Takuya. Let's go."
"Ah. Yeah!"
Looked like I'd come back later to check it out.
Thinking that, I stepped out of the shop.
"Come again~"
Haruna's half-hearted send-off was the cherry on top.
Outside, I walked with Yuka, each peeling open an ice cream.
Step. Step.
-Slurp.
We licked our ice creams in silence on the way.
Might look awkward to an outsider, but this was the usual vibe when original Takuya walked with her, so I didn't think much of it.
After a short walk,
we arrived at the park I'd mentally planned to part ways at.
For reference, it was the same park I'd played at with Souta last time.
They usually split up here anyway, so that's what I went with.
I was about to say goodbye and see you at dinner when,
a strong floral scent suddenly wafted over,
"Hold on."
and Yuka's slender finger brushed my ear.
Stunned for a moment,
I looked at Yuka, and she picked off a speck of dust like it was nothing.
"Had some dust. Phew~"
She blew it away, then smiled casually.
"See you at dinner~ Be careful not to get hurt!"
I answered without thinking.
"Yeah..."
"Good, good. Takuya's such a good boy."
Yuka ruffled my hair again, picked up our Hanaya purchases, and headed home.
I watched her go for a bit, then once she was out of sight, turned my bike around and headed back to Hanaya.
-Slide.
Opening the door and stepping back inside, I saw Haruna dozing off at the counter.
"Wha—? Somethin' you need~?"
She looked at me questioningly, and I nodded casually.
Without a hint of suspicion, she nodded back.
"Then go ahead and look for whatever ya forgot~"
Haruna started dozing off again halfway through, and I quickly clicked the screen floating in front of her.
🛒 SHOP 🛒
[Virility Potion]
[Stamina Potion]
[Luck Potion]
[Aphrodisiac]
[Conversation Potion]
[Elixir]
...
'No way... This a galge shop?'
It was exactly the kind of shop window you see in eroge.
And,
'Jackpot. Scroll goes on forever. Most prices are hella cheap, too?'
An endless list of items at bargain prices.
I was tempted to scrap my plans and browse the inventory right there,
but,
'Can't linger too long or it'll look suspicious. Better wait till we're closer.'
Thinking that, I turned to leave when,
'Oh yeah, what's that next to the shop window?'
There was another one beside the shop, so I clicked it.
📜 SUB EPISODE 📜
Purchase the Hole-in-the-Wall Shop Granny's Granddaughter Haruna Michiko
A ridiculous screen popped up.
I wondered what nonsense this was for a second when,
an explanation auto-popped from the screen.
TIP 1. Give her 10 yen and say, "Sis, my dick feels weird." She'll take you to the back room.
Unlike with Miyuki, a very helpful explanation.
The only issue was how embarrassing it sounded...
'But it says she'll do it... Can I really pass this up?'
I swallowed hard, steeled myself, handed Haruna the 10-yen coin from my pocket, and said,
"S-Sis..."
"Huh? What's up~?"
"M-My di-dick feels weird..."
Fuck, having to say this crap after 20+ years of life.
I couldn't even look up from the shame.
But did my words actually work?
"Hmm~ Is that so~?"
Her sleepy face vanished in an instant, replaced by the grin of a lioness eyeing prey.
"Then come to the back room. I'll help ya out~?"
"Y-Yeah!"
Grinning inwardly at her words,
I thought,
Screens are invincible. God-tier.
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[Sub-episodes can be triggered with any woman.]
