Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat - Chapter 61

Chapter 61 What The Cat Wants

It had been a few minutes since Mashiro and I ran away from the mall after regrettably becoming a spectacle in the mall.
After a few minutes of running and nervousness, our disordered breathing had recovered and we had finally calmed down and were able to correct each other’s misunderstandings and get back to normal.

Well, I was the one who misunderstood, and I felt a bit hesitant to even make eye contact with her, but I couldn’t worry her any more.
We were both sitting on the bench to catch our breath, and I took a breath before calling out to Mashiro, who was sitting beside me.

“We’ve moved around a bit, but we still have time to look around some more.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. There’s not much to do back home, so I’ll go with Mashiro.”
“Thank you very much. Actually, there was one store I wanted to visit…”

Mashiro thanked me with a sly smile and, unusually, made a suggestion of her own.
I was feeling like a fool and was touched by her honest feelings, when she stood up beside me.

“I saw that store just passing by. Would you like to go?”

Pointing in the direction we had run, Mashiro explained, and then held out one hand to me as she asked.
I put my own hand over hers and sat up from the bench. It was not just my imagination, but I think she’s becoming more aggressive than before.

“Yeah, of course.”

I replied with more intonation than usual, trying not to let Mashiro’s change make my heart race.
Then, I slowly walked alongside her down the aisle we had just dashed past.

Lately, it has become a habit for us to walk together like this in the neighborhood park, but the difference in location made it strangely fresh.

Since graduating from school, I’ve had fewer opportunities to hang out with my friends, and only occasionally go out with my male friends.
I had never even imagined going out with the opposite sex.

I was surprised to find myself walking hand in hand with a girl in a shopping mall.
And more than that, the fact that the other girl was Mashiro. And the fact that I’m able to give her a little freedom.
I couldn’t have been happier with those two things from the bottom of my heart.

“By the way, may I ask where we are going?”
“Hmm, you’ll have to wait until we get there…”
“Haha, that’s fun.”

She smiled happily, and I naturally smiled too.
I’m sure this kind of frank conversation would have been unimaginable for Mashiro a while ago.

Spending time together in the house was more fun and relaxing than anything else, and it has become an important and indispensable part of my life.
However, the time when I can see the outside world while talking with Mashiro without any hesitation, which was different from the usual time, seems to be just as enjoyable.

Without worrying about her cheeks, which naturally loosened up, I let my conversation with Mashiro go on.
As if in response, Mashiro smiled back at me, and I’m left alone with a feeling of happiness that can’t be beaten.

“This is the shop you’ve been waiting for.”
“Does this place sell…household goods or something?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Perhaps because I hadn’t been to this kind of store very often, I couldn’t make a judgment about the kind of things they sold just by looking around the store.
I don’t even know if the expression “household goods” was correct, but there were dishes, cooking utensils, furniture, interior decorations, and other items of various categories all over the large store.

There seemed to be a wide range of customers, from young couples and single women to elderly couples.
However, the store was not so crowded that we could take a leisurely look around.

“Was there something you wanted to buy?”
“No, I just wanted to take a look at something.”

Mashiro then began to stroll around the store, and I followed behind her, not knowing what she was looking for.
Her steps are light and she was a little energetic as she moves along. It’s not so bad to watch her with a smile on her face.

“Ah, there it is!”

Mashiro shouted, running up to the product section. I followed her and peeked in from behind, only to see a line of items I didn’t recognize.

“Is this…””
“It’s a cookware. It’s more for baking.”
“Ah, I see.”

When I first saw it, I thought it was a strange piece of equipment, but when I was told, it looked like it.
I can’t cook, much less bake, so I have no idea what these things are for.

Mashiro has always shown a level of cooking skill that makes me doubt that she’s a cat, and just the other day she tried her hand at making sweets, as if she was interested in it from TV.
Since then, when she has time on weekends, she sometimes makes some kind of sweets for me. Mashiro says it’s nothing special, but the finished sweets are always really delicious.

I guess that’s what got her excited about baking, and that’s why she came here to see the equipment that would allow her to expand her repertoire.

“There are quite a few types of equipment for making sweets, aren’t there?”
“Yes. There are a lot of useful things.”

She happily picked up various items and showed me what she could make and how to use them.
She seemed to be glowing and full of life as she explained things to me with an air of excitement. No, I think she actually is.
I think it’s very important to have at least one thing that people are truly interested in.

“With all this, we can really make a lot of things, can’t we?”
“Yes, we can. That doesn’t mean I want it, though.”
“What, you don’t?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that I don’t want it, but I just don’t have the means to do it…”
“…”

Ehehe, Mashiro made a cheek-scratching gesture and looked troubled. She made this face whenever she lets go of something she was guilty of or unsure of.
I think I understand Mashiro’s feelings, but from my point of view, I wish she would be more honest with me.

“Well, what if I say I want to eat a new sweets?”
“Eh?”
“I’m in the mood to try a variety of different sweets, unconsciously.”

“Satou-san…”
“No, don’t look so scared. I’m just kidding, a joke…”

I tried to play it off as a bit of a joke, but Mashiro’s reaction wasn’t that good, and she just narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

“Well, it’s not really a joke, but I really want to eat the sweets that Mashiro makes.”
“But…”
“I’m not kidding, but I really want to eat the sweets Mashiro makes.”
“…”

It may sound a little mean, but I am not lying.
Of course, on the inside, I’m filled with the desire to let Mashiro do everything she wants to do, and I’m sure she understands that.

Mashiro stared at the equipment once, and then looked at me. In response, I pretended to be a little clueless, “What’s wrong?”
She seemed to be quite conflicted, but she took her time and slowly opened her mouth.

“…Are you sure?”
“Yes. But if you’re really going to buy it, you’ll have to make sure you make the right sweets.”
“Yes, of course!”
“Well, that’s settled then.”
“Ah…”

When I saw that she had been taken in by my words, I laughed a little and snapped my fingers as if to say that we had reached a conclusion.