May I Call You Kei-chan?

"Um, did you finally switch to this..."

After bidding farewell to Hayasaka at the convenience store, Shinichi looked at the bear charm in his hand and couldn't help but pout.

Hayasaka mentioned that it was a casually picked-up gift while at the amusement park. Since it wasn't too important, she said he could do anything he wanted with it after giving it to him.

Shinichi, of course, also shared the story of his bartering adventures today, full of coincidences, but Hayasaka wasn't interested in that, so he chatted with her for a few words, grabbed the udon, and headed back to the Shinomiya residence.

All that remained was the bear pendant and a kiss secretly imprinted on the face when no one was paying attention.

"...Never mind, it's no big deal."

Shinichi couldn't contain his laughter; what he exchanged for the udon wasn't a small pendant but a girl's bold affection.

Seemingly literary to say this, but truthfully, using instant noodles as a substitute for profit, he was sure to gain something this time.

With satisfaction, Shinichi found a roadside bench and sat down before the day got completely dark, preparing to attach the pendant to his phone.

"Asada-senpai?"

A surprised voice came from the side, Shinichi raised his eyes and stared into the eyes of Shirogane Kei, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Kei carried many bags in her hands, seemingly on a shopping spree. Her long, smooth hair was tied into a ponytail hanging down her chest.

"Shirogane, why aren't you home by this hour?"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Shinichi put his phone and pendant down and asked hesitantly.

"I'm on my way home..."

Kei tilted her head, her blue eyes showing curiosity. "Senpai, are you still sitting here until late at night? Are you waiting for someone?"

Shinichi picked up the pendant in his hand. "I just got a small item, and I'm going to attach it to my phone."

"A small item..." Kei murmured again, looking at the small bear pendant in her hand, her eyes widening in surprise. "Is that a gift from the amusement park I visited during the summer vacation?"

"That's right..."

Shinichi looked at her strangely. Kei's expression seemed as if Itsuki had seen a rice voucher. Could this item have accidentally hit her attack zone?

Today was truly full of coincidences. Although not surprising, Shinichi's current mood was still somewhat delicate.

"Sorry, can you lend it to me?"

Shinichi didn't refuse and placed the pendant in her outstretched hand, helping her put the bags hanging from her wrist on the chair so she wouldn't be too tired for now.

The portion was quite heavy, and Shinichi wondered whether to bring it back for her, but a self-respecting junior high school girl like Kei might not agree.

"Thank you...!"

An unintentional and natural action made Kei slightly surprised. After thanking him with a soft voice, she looked at the pendant in her hand with a blushing face.

The more she looked at it, the more serious her expression became. With emotion, Kei sighed:

"This is truly authentic... I didn't expect this item to end up in Asada-senpai's hands."

"Is it really valuable?" Shinichi took the bear pendant he carefully handed over and looked again at the items Hayasaka used as a substitute for Cup Noodles.

Although the craftsmanship was beautiful, whether it was the material or the function, it was just an ordinary clay doll and didn't look enchanted or upgraded to +10...

In Shinichi's eyes, the value of this item might not be that great.

If Hayasaka didn't personally give it to him, Shinichi wouldn't have thought of hanging this useless but cute pendant.

"Is it valuable... Its cost might not be high, but it's something many people desire but can't get... So, it should be called a 'treasure.'"

Kei was uncertain, glancing at the pendant, then adding to Shinichi.

"Moreover, in the electronic amusement park, all the points from all the machines had to rank first to get this pendant... I heard the amusement park has only given out five since it was established ten years ago.

"In the eyes of some people, its value might be equivalent to defeating Bess in Duel Kingdom. It's quite impressive."

Shinichi glanced at Kei, who was explaining seriously.

"Senpai, you're just complaining."

They looked at each other and smiled, and there was a silent understanding that couldn't be explained.

The cold wind in October twisted her hair. Kei pressed down her fluttering skirt, looked at him, and continued with a bit of nostalgia:

"Senpai, do you know? At that time, Moeha and Chika-nee, we played together, and we played all the machines with this pendant as our goal. As a result, we couldn't even make it into the top ten, and Chika-nee got angry, yelling 'Are all the players in this town monsters?' and said that next time we come here, we should write the name [CHIKA] on all the lists here, causing us all to be stared at strangely by people."

"Yeah, it must have been difficult for you to follow her everywhere..."

Shinichi himself would never want to face a situation that would make him embarrassed just by thinking about it.

He shifted his gaze to the pendant in his hand, and suddenly suggested:

"By the way, are you interested in this pendant?"

"Interested?"

Kei tilted her head.

Although she didn't express it, she still had the childishness and cuteness that she should have at her age.

"It's not that there's nothing wrong with it; it's very cute..."

Women's aesthetics are always a bit different from men's. At least Shinichi didn't find this too funny.

"If that's the case, do you want to come and exchange with me? It's like communicating, even though it's not progressing."

"Senpai, forget these intentionally exaggerated metaphors..."

After complaining, Kei asked hesitantly, "But exchanging or something, isn't that too sudden... Ah, I don't mean to let Senpai give it to me directly, even though I don't want to pay for it. I think it's weird."

Seeing the young but elegant Kei in front of him, Shinichi suddenly felt that she would surely be a good and diligent wife in the future.

Of course, words like that would never be uttered; lest someone report him for mistreating a 14-year-old girl.

"Actually, I got this pendant as a replacement..."

Shinichi explained his straw millionaire experience to her. Kei opened her mouth in confusion, then her eyes sparkled slightly, showing interest.

"Senpai always encounters some strange things, and people like this..."

Shinichi was wary: "What kind?"

Kei's expression remained unchanged.

"This... the common male protagonist feeling in novels."

"Are you praising me?"

"Haha, it's hard to say..." Kei turned her eyes away and laughed with an unknown meaning, then looked at the pendant in his hand as if hiding her embarrassment.

"If it's a replacement, it's not impossible..."

She stepped forward, rummaging through plastic bags that looked almost the same in Shinichi's eyes, took one of the paper bags that he couldn't distinguish, and handed it to him.

"This is a puff I planned to eat as a snack... I regret buying it. Moreover, it's quite high in calories, but I still can't control myself."

As if enduring the pain of cutting meat, Kei slowly released her fingers from the paper bag, took a step back, and sighed deeply.

"This way, I separate myself from my own desires... Thank you, Senpai."

"No, I want to thank you," Shinichi took the paper bag, which was somewhat strange and funny.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in a long time. Shirogane has changed a lot."

"A lot has changed?" Kei was surprised, "Really?"

"Before, you were calm, polite, and straightforward, but now you like to complain and act silly. Isn't that excessive?"

Kei puffed up her cheeks, and she exclaimed, "It's not because of Senpai..."

"Because of me?" Shinichi looked innocent.

"...It's very noisy, and it's not because you say a lot of weird things!"

For some reason, Kei blushed in anger, stomped her foot on the ground, took all the bags in her hands, and turned her body half-circle.

"I'm going home. Be careful on the road, Senpao!"

"Oh, you too, be careful on the road..." Shinichi stared blankly at her rushing away. When he realized, he quickly shouted loudly, "Wait a minute, Shirogane! You forgot to take your pendant!"

Kei stopped, turned around, and quickly walked back, took the pendant, and snorted.

"Goodbye!"

The arrogant and charming farewell made Shinichi unable to hold back his laughter.

"Goodbye. By the way, can I call you 'Kei-chan'?"

"Of course, you can't do that! Please let me refuse!" Her tone sounded confused, with a face that looked as red as the sunlight burned by the streetlights. Kei accelerated her run out of sight.

Watching the girl leave, Shinichi smiled. He lazily leaned on the chair, gazing at the dark sky with stars and the moon, and sighed slowly.

"It's so enjoyable to tease a little girl..."

He honestly revealed his feelings when no one was around.

As for the fact that the millionaire day officially ended in a puff, Shinichi had long forgotten about it and was too lazy to care.