To be honest, Yukino Yukinoshita would have come up with this idea even without Ren Asakura's reminder.
Though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she had already accepted her club members as friends.
A kind girl is well-liked everywhere.
"Actually, you guys must have noticed by now—Miss Dango's email username contains '0618.' Of course, with your levels of social awkwardness, you'd never ask about it. But I would!"
Ren declared proudly.
Megumi Kato clapped politely.
"Alright, we have to take this chance to bring Miss Dango back into the Service Club. Otherwise, once I start skipping class again, there'll be no fun left in the club! We're students—we need to enjoy our youth. If our youth is full of regrets, we'll end up like that unlucky guy, Lu Mingfei!"
Ren spoke loudly, expressing everything on his mind.
It wasn't easy to be this outspoken, no matter who you were.
Megumi's lips curled into a faint smile as she thought to herself, 'Ren Asakura is still as impressive as ever—like a shining sun.'
Yui Yuigahama hadn't been coming to the club for quite some time.
Without her, the atmosphere had become much quieter.
Megumi had a fondness for kind-hearted girls, but she couldn't think of a way to fix the situation.
Yukino nodded, voicing her thoughts.
"That's right. But even if Yui really plans to leave the club, I still want to celebrate her birthday and properly thank her for everything she's done for me."
Ren chuckled as he walked over to Hachiman Hikigaya.
"Old man, nobody was really at fault back then. I know you have a lot of history, but trust me—Miss Dango is a good girl. A really kind girl. So just thicken your skin a little and say what's on your mind. Don't wait until you lose this friend and end up full of regret."
Ren patted Hachiman's back firmly.
Hachiman twitched at the impact.
"I… I'll try."
Ren kept grinning.
"You're a great guy. Sure, you like to self-destruct and take all the damage alone, but I gotta admit—your thick skin is impressive. Just don't go losing such a good friend."
Hachiman nodded.
Ren then turned to everyone and raised his voice.
"Alright, that settles it! On our day off, let's meet at the mall to pick out a gift. We're sure to find the perfect gift!"
Everyone thought for a moment—her birthday was coming up fast.
The weekend was their only chance to find something suitable.
Since no one had prior plans, they all agreed.
---
Weekend – Early Morning
The group gathered in front of the shopping mall.
Outside of school, everyone was dressed casually.
Ren wore a tracksuit.
Hachiman did the same.
The two girls, on the other hand, were in dresses.
Yukino had her hair tied into twin tails.
Ren cheered.
"Ohh! Everyone's here!"
Yukino looked at the massive mall, lowered her head in thought, and then spoke.
"The mall is huge. Where should we go first? Does anyone have a plan?"
Hachiman glanced at the mall directory and pointed.
"Let's be efficient. I'll start exploring from this side."
Yukino pointed in the opposite direction.
"Then I'll take this side."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Splitting up is definitely efficient, but wouldn't it be better to have someone else's opinion? Otherwise, we might end up picking the wrong gift!"
Yukino Yukinoshita thought about her own sense of aesthetics, then nodded.
"You're right. Sometimes, choosing a gift requires listening to others' opinions. My values are quite different from the average high school girl."
Ren Asakura continued,
"How about we pair up? That way, we can get a second opinion on the gifts we choose."
It was a good idea, and Hachiman Hikigaya agreed.
"How should we split the teams?"
Ren glanced at everyone before casually suggesting,
"I'll team up with Megumi, and Yukino will go with Hachiman."
Yukino and Hachiman exchanged glances.
"Why are the two of us paired together?" Yukino asked.
Ren sighed.
"Because if I leave Megumi with you two, there's a good chance she'll get lost while you're browsing. Her presence is so faint that it could actually happen."
At that moment, Yukino suddenly realized something.
"Wait… where's Megumi?"
Ren replied casually,
"She just went to buy ice cream. Didn't you guys notice?"
Hachiman looked a little embarrassed.
"Honestly… no, I didn't."
Ren clapped his hands.
"Alright then, this will be the team setup. We'll listen to each other's opinions while picking gifts, then regroup and give feedback. That way, we'll find the best possible present."
Just then, Megumi returned, holding four ice creams.
"I saw a nice ice cream stand over there, so I bought some. Try it!"
No one refused.
And with that, they began their search around the mall.
---
Ren and Megumi walked through the first-floor shopping area.
There were plenty of clothing stores, and many shoppers were trying on outfits in the fitting rooms.
Megumi carefully scanned the area.
"I don't know Yui's exact size, so the clothing section might not work."
Ren, full of energy, responded,
"Alright, let's move to the next floor!"
The mall was filled with couples strolling around, making Ren and Megumi blend right in.
They took the escalator up to the second floor, where there were lots of snack shops on one side and jewelry stores on the other.
Ren pointed toward the jewelry section.
"Let's check that area out!"
Megumi nodded.
"Okay!"
They browsed through the selections, exchanging opinions on different pieces.
Whenever they found something suitable, they took note of it but didn't buy anything just yet. After all, they had only just started, and there might be even better options later.
As time passed, more and more people filled the mall, and soon, it became crowded.
If it were anyone else, they might have lost track of Megumi in the crowd.
Her ability to seemingly disappear in a crowd was almost supernatural.
Ren placed a hand over his forehead as he looked at the bustling scene ahead.
"Wow, as expected on a weekend—so many people! Don't get separated now, or it'll be a pain to find each other."
Megumi stood close to Ren, their shoulders almost touching.
"Mm."
This floor appeared to be a toy store section. Many shops had employees dressed in mascot costumes at their entrances.
Children ran around excitedly, gathering near the mascots.
"Look, look! There are balloons!"
A child suddenly shouted.
In an instant, a swarm of kids rushed toward the mascot holding the balloons.
Amid the chaos, a few children accidentally bumped into Megumi as they passed by.
She lost her balance and stumbled backward.
Ren reacted quickly, catching both Megumi and the children.
Once Megumi steadied herself, he gently let go.
Then, crouching down, he ruffled the little boy's hair.
"You shouldn't run so fast—you might bump into someone."
The boy nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
Ren smiled.
"Alright, go have fun! Just watch where you're going next time."
"Thank you, big brother!"
The child beamed before running off to join his friends at the balloon stand.
Ren watched them go, a nostalgic expression on his face.
"Ah… being a kid was great. So carefree."
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.