I don't know why Hina offered to take me with them. They only knew me by name and face; they had no idea about me, except for Otsuki, even if only a little.
I don't know why I accepted so quickly either. In hindsight, I should have at least thought about it a little more and not jumped in blindly.
We're going shopping. Mainly for what Hina needs to paint and decorate with, then whatever happens, happens… which will probably be buying clothes.
I'll be damned for being prejudiced, but that's the loudest cry you hear when you put 'girls' and 'shopping mall' together. And a guy has little to no place in that group, especially me, since I have no idea how to dress.
They must have noticed too, and do they want me here as well? What if they've actually invited me to use me as a mannequin? I'd better stop thinking about it.
"Could we go to the stationery store first? I have several things to buy."
The four of us had entered the building, greeted by several shops on both sides and floors. The stationery store Hina needed to go to was roughly in the middle of the mall, so it would be a short walk.
"Of course, I'm not in a hurry."
"Afterwards, I'd like to look at clothes; I don't like the ones I have anymore..."
Tsukiyomi set the plan for later, which was exactly what my prejudices told me. Now I really had nothing to contribute.
"You don't like it because half the clothes… I'd forgotten Riku was here. I wasn't saying anything."
"I'll leave if you want."
So that's how you treat the guest. I'll make a note of that.
I preferred not to answer by name. If I did, I'd only have complaints to make. And a question, too.
It was the second time I'd been to a stationery store this year; I come here once a year to buy new notebooks. This particular store was quite large, and the section we went to was an entire row of art supplies. I hadn't been to the one in the mall, so I was amazed. Neither Otsuki nor Tsukiyomi had the same reaction.
"What do you need today?"
"Let's see, it was a new wooden palette, because the one I have scratches my hand a bit, yellow, green, red and purple paint, I only have half the pot left, spare brushes for when the ones I opened recently wear out, and also gesso to have plenty."
"And wasn't gesso what you use in your paintings…?"
"Yes, but since I'm here. Now that I think about it, I also need to pick up some things at the farm shop. Shall we go later?"
Hina was off in her own world while giving us the list of everything she needed. I couldn't even tell what a palette knife or gesso was. What I paid most attention to was the last thing Tsukiyomi said.
"Hey, but you just said you have everything at home perfect for painting."
"And when did I say it was necessary for today?"
"How you take advantage."
"You know I have a sweet tooth. Well, Riku didn't know that."
I store information like that in my folder of things I'm going to forget in half an hour…
It was here that I started noticing the dynamic between Hina and Otsuki, and I also got the idea that they were best friends. Now I like Tsukiyomi better. I glanced into her eyes without meaning to, and looked away when she looked back.
With a cloth bag in hand, she gathered each of the things she needed, one by one, while the three of them chatted amongst themselves. Hina was answering another question from Otsuki.
"The play is going to be a fantasy comedy, or something like that, he told me. I have it half-finished, but I think I'm going to redo it. It turned out really bad. I'd rather not ruin the act by using 'churros' as decoration."
"Now's the moment when you say 'churros... I could eat one~'," Otsuki thought.
Hina was rather excited talking about what a class was going to do this year; they hadn't said which one, only the name of someone called Ikōchi. It would be someone from her class.
"Aren't you joining in? You're such a clown."
"At least I'm funny."
"… hehe."
With sword and shield in hand, Hina and Otsuki's words clashed. Natsuki broke her silence with a small laugh that escaped her. Otsuki found it unprecedented.
"Natsuki, how can you laugh at that? I suppose you're not laughing at me!"
"S-sorry…", the reprimand discouraged her a little, apart from her regret for not having held back.
"You don't have to apologize, people laugh when a joke is funny. Right, Riku?"
"Huh? Well…"
Once again, they drew me into the conversation. They wouldn't let me be left behind, which is what I'd been relegated to out of shame. Now, on top of everything, Hina had me in a difficult position.
I say yes and Otsuki kills me, or I say no and Hina might kill me.
"Not always."
"Well, maybe." "What a liar."
Or they can both kill me, okay.
I wanted to go and be depressed with Tsukiyomi, but she'd kill me if I did, and I've already died twice. In a row. Not knowing if they were still joking or not made my mood even worse.
Seriously, I don't know why I came... I should have left. No, no. I want to stay. If you're going to take advantage like a selfish person, take advantage until the very end.
"I'm still funnier than you, though."
"You wish."