Souvenirs

When Shun opened his eyes, he saw the usual scenery of his room, and that put a smile on his face.

Shun: "I am back."

Shun sat got up from his bed, feeling the best he had since he had left home for the camp.

He took a deep breath and smiled while exhaling.

Shun: "As I thought, there is no place like home."

Shun opened his wardrobe and pulled out some exercise clothes, wore them, went to the washroom on the first floor, and brushed his teeth.

After freshening up, headed to the roof of the house to do his usual morning calisthenic exercises and flexibility menu, he did every morning.

Shun's mom went to a yoga/pilates class with the other ladies of the neighborhood, whereas Shun's father visited the gym in the morning.

Shun finished his morning routine and headed downstairs for a shower.

The bathroom was idle because Shun's mom yoga session was quite early in the morning, so she was out of the shower before Shun needed it, and Shun's father showered in the gym, before returning home.

He showered and finally saw his parents for the first time of the day. Shun greeted his dad and mom, who were in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

Shun: "Morning!"

Shun's parents looked up and greeted their son back.

Mom & Dad: "Good Morning."

Shun walked near the kitchen countertop, picked up a glass, and filled it with water.

While Shun was drinking water, his dad asked.

Dad: "So Shun, what souvenirs did you bring back from L.A.?"

Shun gulped down his glass of water, his eyed shined as he raised his hand and said.

Shun: "Oh, yeah! Wait a minute. I will bring the things I bought there."

He went out of the kitchen-cum-dining hall and came back with a suitcase with all the souvenirs.

He opened the suitcase and pulled out two identical things. He placed them on the kitchen countertop.

Shun: "Here you go."

Shun's dad picked up the object and asked while laughing.

Dad: "What are these?"

Shun smiled and replied.

Shun: "These are Oscar statuette replicas. Go on, read the inscription on the plaques."

Shun's mom picked up the statuette and read the inscription. A smile appeared on her face as she said the text out loud.

Mom: "This award goes to the Best Mom In The World."

Shun's dad also read his text out loud.

Dad: "This award goes to the Best Dad In The World."

Shun smiled as he bobbed his head, impressed with himself.

Shun: "Yeah, they sell these in Los Angeles. You can have them wrote anything you want on the plaque.

It's nice, right?"

Shun's parents chuckled in response. His mother asked.

Mom: "What else did you buy?"

Shun walked to the suitcase and started to pull out souvenirs.

Shun: "Let's see.

L.A. Lakers gear for my teammates,

Matching Dog-Tag necklaces, some tee-shirts, and sick bracelets for my friends,

Three bottles of Windstream Pinot Noir from San Antonio Winery Wine, one for you two, one for the coach, and one for Momoi Household, don't worry Hattori-san bought it for me and kept it with him until just before boarding the plane,

And, loads of this sea salt caramel candy that I tried there, and ended up buying pounds of this stuff for home.

We can distribute them out to our neighbors. I bought a lot of it."

Shun's mom looked at the things that Shun had laid out and looked at her son with a peculiar expression.

Mom: "Now that I remember, you promised that you would buy something for Satsuki-chan, what did you buy her?"

Shun stared at his mom for a few seconds before pulling out a clutch bag with stars on it and a box.

Shun: "I bought her a clutch bag from the Griffith Observatory and a full-set of different bath salts."

Shun and his mom stared at each other for a while.

Mom: "Hmm, it is good that you didn't forget about your promises, but are you sure that you only bought her those two things."

Shun nodded his head and answered.

Shun: "... Yes."

Shun's mom looked at him with hidden suspicion and said.

Mom: "Is that so..."

Shun's dad broke the stare-off between the mother and son by saying.

Dad: "The breakfast is ready. Shun set up a table."

Shun and his mom got to work, effectively ending the topic of souvenirs.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

In the evening, Shun and his mom went to Momoi household with the souvenirs.

Shun and his mom had decided to visit them in the evening because Shun's mom had to go to work, and, Satsuki too, was going to school almost every day for Teiko's National preparations.

Shun rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door.

He heard footsteps, and then the door opened.

Satsuki appeared from behind the door. Her eyes widened as she caught the sight of Shun.

Shun smiled and greeted her.

Shun: "Good Evening, Satsuki-chan. It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Satsuki stayed silent for a while. Shun had to wave his hand in front of her to snap her out of her trance.

Shun: "Anyone, home?"

Satsuki got out of her trance and answered in a hurry.

Satsuki: "Shun-kun! Come in."

Shun could see the slight flushing of Satsuki's cheeks and that she had missed greeting his mom.

Shun: 'She must be quite flustered.'

Shun and his mom entered the Momoi House and followed Satsuki to the living room.

When they entered the living room, Mrs. Momoi also entered the room from another door.

She looked at Shun and smiled.

Mrs. Momoi: "Fufufu~ Shun-chan, it has been a while since I last saw you. How was America? Did you have fun?"

Shun smiled as he replied to the pink-haired mother.

Shun: "America was just fine, I had a lot of fun. There were a lot of places to see in Los Angeles."

Shun handed over the souvenirs to Mrs. Satsuki.

Mrs. Momoi smiled and said.

Mrs. Momoi: "Ara Ara~ Thank you, Shun-kun. Please sit, I will bring some drinks and snacks."

Shun nodded and was about to sit, but Satsuki held Shun's arm and said.

Satsuki: "Mom, Shun-kun, and I will be above in my room. Please call me when you have them ready, I will come down to pick them up."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and pulled Shun with her out of the living room. And, Shun let her guide him, with a smile on his face.

Shun turned to his head to look at Mrs. Momoi and give her a short head bow.

He could hear he going 'Ara-Ara' as he was lead out of the room.

-*-*-*-

Shun sat on a cushion in Satsuki's room as he looked down around the room.

The room was a mix of pink and white. Shun saw a desktop PC in Satsuki's room.

He also saw a huge bookshelf that covered one whole wall of Satsuki's room. The bookshelf was filled quite a few books.

Shun looked at Satsuki, sitting in front of him and said.

Shun: "This is my first time in your room."

Satsuki watched Shun and asked.

Satsuki: "Is it what you expected?"

Shun nodded and replied.

Shun: "Yeah, pretty much. It suits you."

Shun smiled as he looked at Satsuki, finally getting a good look at her. She hadn't changed much, but Shun could tell that her hair had grown slightly.

Shun: "So, how have you been?"

Satsuki kept on gazing at Shun and answered.

Satsuki: "Busy. Our coach upped the practice, so I have been going to school every day."

Shun nodded and brought out the gifts that he had bought for her.

Shun: "Here you go, I got you a clutch bag and full-set of bath salts."

Shun placed the gifts on the low-table in between him and Satsuki.

Satsuki smiled as she pulled the gifts towards her.

Satsuki: "Thank you."

Satsuki examined the clutch bag for a moment before turning her attention towards the bath salts, her eyes sparkled as she took every single one of the bottles out and read the labels on the bottles.

Shun smiled when he saw her excited and decided to give Satsuki her last gift. Despite what Shun had told his mother, he did buy Satauki another gift.

Shun pulled the last gift out and placed it on the center of the table.

Shun: "This is the last gift."

Satsuki's attention was attracted by a royal blue jewelry case.

Satsuki: "Eh?"

As she picked up the case and opened it, Shun spoke.

Shun: "I got them from Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall. When I saw them, I thought they would look good on you. So I bought them for you, how are they?"

Inside the jewelry case, were a pair of earrings.

Satsuki kept on gazing at the pair of earrings, and Shun thought it was the right time to fulfill his promise.

Shun: "So, I was wondering when is the next time you are free."

Satsuki looked up at Shun and asked.

Satsuki: "Why do you ask?"

Shun placed his chin on the back of his hand and replied.

Shun: "Well, I did promise to take you out. And, seeing that you have been so busy with club practices, I thought it would be a good idea to help you relax, and at the same time have some fun.

How does that sound?"

Satsuki was stunned with how things were turning out.

First, she saw Shun after such a long time, then he brought her a pretty clutch bag and the bath salts that she loved to collect, then he surprised her by gifting her a pair of earrings, and now this.

Satsuki couldn't let the opportunity to have fun with Shun go to so after she caught up with the series of events and comprehended Shun's question, she replied.

Satsuki: "Yes, that would be nice."

Shun smiled and spoke.

Shun: "That's great. You just need to sit back and relax, I will plan the whole day, and you just need to follow along for the ride."

Satsuki let out a beautiful smile with a few soft happy giggles and replied.

Satsuki: "Alright, I will leave it to you."

After that, the two talked about Shun's time in America.

Shun shared all the things he saw and the people he met, and Satsuki listened with interest and asked questions that Shun happily answered.

The two neighbors and friends enjoyed each other's company after almost a month of not seeing each other.