A Cup of Milk Tea for the Couple
"Want to go in and take a look?"
The two wandered together for a while, and Itsuki spotted a peculiar-looking bookstore. Intrigued, she sought Ren's advice.
"Um."
Ren didn't refuse.
Seeing his agreement, Itsuki led the way inside, while Ren followed behind, observing the bookstore's interior.
The bookstore had a relatively spacious area, making it comfortable to move around.
Moreover, he had never read or heard about the books inside.
Hence, these peculiar books were entirely new to him.
"Itsuki, do you have any books you want to buy?"
Ren asked curiously, walking a bit faster to catch up with Itsuki, who was about to disappear.
"No, I just wanted to come in and browse. I feel a bit nostalgic." Itsuki turned around and replied, "I haven't bought a book from a bookstore in a long time."
"Do you often come to bookstores to buy books?"
Ren tried his best to analyze her words to provide a common answer and continue the conversation.
"I used to come here frequently to buy reference materials, but most of those books didn't have much impact on my academic performance."
Itsuki stopped and pulled out a guidebook she bought from the bookshelf, sighing with a somewhat exasperated tone.
Her words left Ren uncertain how to respond, so he pretended to be looking for a book and strolled around the bookstore.
It was his first time visiting a bookstore; he usually went to the library.
And he found many types of books in this store that he had never seen in the library.
For example, there were peculiar comics with beautiful girl covers and strange novels with very long names.
"Kamikawa-kun, what are you looking for?"
Putting back the pulled-out books into the bookshelf, Itsuki noticed Ren looking around and walked toward him.
"I see many books here that I've never seen before."
Ren didn't know if these book types were common for regular people, so he spoke vaguely.
"What kind of books? Can I read them?"
Itsuki became interested in what Ren said and approached him, intending to read a book he had never seen before.
"This type."
Ren randomly took a book from the bookstore shelf and handed it to Itsuki.
"This?!"
Taking the book from his hands, Itsuki unconsciously glanced at the cover and saw a beautiful woman in a seductive swimsuit pose.
In an instant, she realized what it was.
Swimsuit photography!
No wonder he said he had never seen it before.
"You...!"
Itsuki's face reddened, not knowing what to say. The swimsuit photos in her hands felt like a ticking time bomb ready to explode.
"What's wrong?"
Ren didn't quite understand her strange reaction.
"...No, come with me."
After a moment of silence, Itsuki forced herself to hold back her embarrassment, quickly checked the area they reached.
After confirming that most of the books here were clearly marked with age classification and restrictions for minors, she quickly returned the book to the shelf, shrugged his shoulders, and left.
After making sure that the place they reached was a normal area, Itsuki released his shoulders.
"Is there a problem there?"
Seeing her reaction, Ren realized something.
"Very dangerous."
Itsuki could only describe it with these words. Besides, she truly couldn't find any other words to describe those books.
"So that's it."
Although he didn't quite understand what was dangerous about a book, Itsuki said it, and Ren chose to trust her words.
"Let's go somewhere else."
After the embarrassing incident, Itsuki's desire to visit the bookstore and reminisce about the past suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Um."
Ren didn't refuse.
Itsuki seemed to be running away, pulling him as far as possible from the bookstore.
Only when the bookstore was completely out of sight did she reluctantly stop.
"Kamikawa-kun, let's just take a leisurely stroll."
Patting her still slightly warm cheek, Itsuki calmly said.
After the embarrassing experience earlier, she didn't want to drag him into a bookstore for a stroll anymore.
"Okay." Ren still didn't refuse.
"Um... Kamikawa-kun, have you been to the beach lately?"
After walking in silence for a while, Itsuki couldn't help but think of the swimsuit photobook she saw and asked this question inadvertently.
"This..."
"Wait, don't answer. I accidentally asked the wrong question."
When Ren was about to answer, he was interrupted by Itsuki.
No matter how he answered this question, she would look strange as the one asking it.
Especially after what just happened.
"Oh."
Ren could only close his mouth and stop talking.
"Do you drink milk tea? Should I buy you a cup?"
Itsuki continued to scan the surroundings, searching for a topic to cover up what had just happened.
And the newly opened milk tea shop seemed like a good choice.
"Let me treat you."
After a moment of thought, Ren had an idea in his mind.
She gave himself a cafeteria ticket as a thank-you gift, so it would be more fitting for him to do something like this.
"No, I'll do it."
"Together?"
Ren suggested proactively.
"It's fine."
After hesitating, Itsuki agreed.
So, the two walked towards the milk tea shop.
"Welcome, what do you both need?"
As soon as they entered the milk tea shop, they were greeted by the staff.
"Any drinks you recommend?"
Itsuki looked at the menu and asked the staff.
As a food critic, it was her habit to inquire about the delicious signature items of a shop.
"For you both, I personally recommend this couple milk tea. Perfect for two people to enjoy together. Not only do you get a discount if you buy it now, but you also get a free blind box as a gift."
The staff looked at Ren and Itsuki, then gave them the most suitable recommendation.
"We're not a couple..."
Just as Itsuki was about to deny it, Ren's voice was heard.
"What's a blind box?"
"The blind box included with the purchase of couple milk tea is a limited edition in our store and cannot be bought elsewhere." The staff misunderstood his intention, thinking he was asking about the type of blind box.
"A cup of milk tea for the lovers, thank you."
As he didn't get the answer he wanted, Ren decided to see for himself what the blind box was.
Itsuki: "Huh?"