Chapter 41 | Relaxed Shopping Together

We were at a shopping mall in Kawasaki.

We parted ways with Dahlia on the way to the mall, and Rika and I decided to look around the mall together.

“Where shall we go?”

I said as I came back to Rika.

“I don’t care where we go ♡ I’ll be happy just to be with Shin-chan ♡”.

Rika giggles, “Ehehe,” she says.

“I’m fine as long as Rika is here too.”

“Shin-chan, you’re so cute! It’s like we’re in love with each other!”

“Oh, really. We’re the same.”

“Right♡.”

Fufufu, we laughed.

“Well, let’s take a look around, shall we?”

“Okay! Then…nn!”

Rika holds out her hand.

“Hmm.”

I immediately understood her intention and squeezed her hand.

“Shin-chan’s hands are warm♡”

“Rika’s hands are so warm, too.”

“I wonder if my hands are sweating. I’m very nervous.”

“No sweat at all. It’s beautiful.”

“I see♡.”

We started walking hand in hand.

Of course it’s meant to be like before…not to get lost.

But now…it’s different.

We want to stay connected.

I want to touch her, even if just a little.

When we are apart, I feel very uncomfortable.

When we are together, we feel at ease.

“It’s strange. Even though I’m just holding hands with Shin-chan, I feel nervous all the time.”

Rika squeezed my hand two or three times.

I squeeze Rika’s soft hand back as if to answer her.

“Ehehe ♡♡”.

Squeeze.

Squeeze.

“”Hehehe.””

We kept squeezing tightly together.

“Oh, Shin-chan, there’s a bookstore. I’d like to check it out.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

We stop by the bookstore.

We headed for the manga section.

There was a large poster.

Digital Masters of the Movie: Infinite Sky arena version, airing in 2021!

“It’s a Digimas movie!”

“I’m so excited! I want to go see it!”

“Oh, me too! Then we’ll go together.”

“Yes!”

But everywhere I looked, there were Digimas products.

Manga books were in short supply, with posters saying they were not yet in stock.

“What kind of manga do you read, Rika?”

“I read a lot of different things. I read shounen manga, and I also read original novels.”

“What about shoujo manga?”

Rika’s face turns red.

“Eh? What?”

“Shoujo manga… well… lately there have been a lot of extreme depictions… and I’m not very good at it.”

“Extreme… like sex?”

“Mya..! Oh, baka… oh, mouu…”

Rika lightly tapped me on the shoulder.

Oh, does this make you feel embarrassed?

“Rihana is a shy girl, isn’t she?”

“Yes, I am. Is it bad?”

“No, it’s cute.”

“I see… ♡ Ehehe~… then I forgive you… ♡”.

Rika smiled again, her smile melting into a soft smile.

We came to the Shoujo manga corner.

There was a standing booklet, so I flipped through it.

“I see… that’s pretty bad, isn’t it?”

“Right? That’s why I like Shounen manga more. I like Digimas and so on. Or AMO if it’s a romance novel.”

“That’s surprising. You read a lot of Shounen manga.”

“Yes, and the author of AMO is also very nice, isn’t he?”

She pointed to the magazine section.

On the cover of an information magazine about Light Novel, there was a [Hakuba: Prince Special].

He is the author of AMO, a very cool Light Novel author.

”Hmmm…Rika likes handsome guys like this, hmmm.”

…I wonder. I’m frustrated.

I wonder if it’s because Rika praised other guys.

”Oh Shin-chan, are you jealous?”

Rika asked me with a laugh.

“Maybe. I don’t like it when Rika compliments other guys.”

“Mo~♡ I see~♡ You’re getting jealous~♡ Ehehe~♡ I see~♡”

Rika hugs me tightly in her arms.

“I’m not interested in any other guy besides Shin-chan. I only love you, Shin-chan.”

Her breath is on my ear.

A shiver of pleasure runs down my spine.

The words Rika murmured to me in a muffled voice brought me peace of mind.

“Oh, thank you…”

“Ehehe~♡”

Kaa… Rika murmured her face blushing.

“Ah, such an embarrassing line… I can’t say it in public.”

My girlfriend is very shy.

Rika’s shyness is so cute that it makes me feel a little naughty.

“But didn’t you say it earlier?”

“That’s okay because it’s Shin-chan.”

Rika turns away from me.

She’s red all the way up to her ears, which is really cute, and the way she keeps holding my hand without letting go is also teasingly adorable.

“That’s not good.”

“What’s wrong?

“When I’m with Rika, my feelings of love for you increase every second.”

The meter is already over the limit.

“How can you say such an embarrassing thing?

It was biting.

Rika is cute when you tease her.

But I feel sorry for her if I tease her too much. There’s a limit to what you can do.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was teasing you.”

“Nah! Shin-chan, were you kidding when you said you liked me?”

Rika’s cheeks puffed up, and I laughed and shook my head.

“That’s the truth. I love you.”

“Then…okay ♡ ehehe ♡”

I leave the store, thinking that standing around in the bookstore too much would be a nuisance to those around me.

Suddenly, Rika notices.

“Look, Shin-chan, there’s an arcade.”

“Let’s stop by.”

There is an arcade right in front of the bookstore, and we go in.

We enter the arcade and my girlfriend stops in front of the crane game.

“Digimas…Chobi’s plushie…”

Rika stops in front of the game machine.

“Can I play a little?”

“Yes, I’ll wait for you.”

I stay behind Rika and stay out of her way.

Rika puts in the money and moves the crane.

“The arm is surprisingly weak. This is a tough long game…”

Mumbling…, she tries a second and third time.

But she fails.

“Umm… it’s hard…”

“Do you want this Chobi’s plushie so badly?”

Chobi is the name of the heroine in Digimas.

She is a cute little beast of a female character with Siberian husky ears and a tail.

“No, it’s not for me. It’s for Dahlia.”

“Dahlia-san?”

“Yes, she likes Chobi. So I thought it would make her happy if I took it for her.”

Rika puts in the money again and starts the game.

She fails again.

But Rika tries again.

I guess she wants to get it…

She wants to get it because it will make her friend happy, that’s all.

The two of them are really good friends.

What can I do?

I can lend them money, of course.

But…

“Rika.”

I put my hand on her free hand.

“Good luck!”

Rika rolls her eyes and giggles.

“Thanks! Okay, I’m going for it!”

Rika puts in the money and tries again.

The crane moves, and the plushie bends over nicely.

“Good, good, good.”

“Go for it!”

Perhaps our thoughts had been heard, and the plushie fell into the hole.

“Shin-chan!”

“Rika!”

We clasped our hands together.

“Thank you! It’s thanks to Shin-chan!”

She said with a bright smile.

She must be really happy to get her friend’s favorite one.

She’s such a sweet girl.

“No, it was Rika who took it. You’re amazing.”

“No, it was Shin-chan who injected me with power. Thank you.”

Rika lifted the plush and hugged it tightly.

“Dahlia, I hope she’s happy.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very happy.”

When I said this to Rika, she nodded her head in delight.

“I’ll go get a bag from the clerk.”

Nowadays, arcade arcades give you a plastic bag to put your goods in.

“No!”

Rika grabbed my hand and shook her head.

“I don’t want to be away from you even for a moment while we are on a date.”

Rika’s cheeks puffed up.

I can’t help but smile.

“What about when I go to the bathroom?”

“That’s…oh, mouu! You’re so mean!”

I said, “Sorry, sorry,” and she laughed again.

In the end, we all went to the counter together and got plastic bags.

Of course, the clerk looked at us like we were a stupid couple.

Well…I guess it can’t be helped.

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