Chapter 111 – Selecting Present (2)

Meeting Amami-san here is a nice coincidence… Or so I thought, until I realized that it wouldn't be strange for her to be here as well. Like me, she was probably looking for a gift.

"You look cooler than usual, Maki-kun! I couldn't tell that it was you from a distance!"

"I thought I'd dress up a little since I'm going out… Though, you also look cooler than usual, Amami-san."

"You think so? Well, I love to dress myself up like this once in a while, you know?"

Amami-san was wearing a denim jacket, skinny pants and a pair of branded sneakers. She also wore a couple accessories like her sparkling earrings and a watch.

She dressed like any other girl would, but a few details made her stand out from the other girls. Well, the fact that she was a beautiful girl also contributed to this.

"Umi isn't with you today? Don't you feel weird being here by yourself?"

"Yeah… A little… Anyway, what about you? You came here by yourself, Amami-san?"

"Nope~ Ninacchi is with me! Ninacchi, over here!~"

Amami-san waved her hand and called out to Nitta-san, who was standing a little further away. The latter noticed us and approached.

The more people here the better. I still felt kind of awkward being alone with Amami-san, so Nitta-san's presence here was a godsend.

"Woah, you're here, Rep? How rare~ Are you maybe, lost? The game corner is on the next floor."

"No, I'm not lost… That thing in your hand, is it a present for Umi?"

"This thing? Mhm, it's for her. Well, it's just a cheap accessory… She's been hitting me a lot lately, so I'll give her this as payback~"

"You brought it upon yourself though."

Apparently the price of the accessory she was about to buy was 980 yen (after a discount). The way she said it, it sounded like she was just buying it randomly, but I could tell that she put some thought into it.

Meanwhile, Amami-san…

"What do you guys think of this one? Isn't it cute? It's quite big, but it feels fluffy~"

She was holding a large stuffed bear.

The stuffed bear enhanced her cuteness, but this airhead magnificently forgot that she was supposed to buy a gift for Umi.

Also, it was expensive. 7800 yen, are you kidding me?

"…C'mon, Rep, do your role properly, tsukkomi her!"

"…Spare me…"

Nitta-san poked me with her elbow as she said that. Well, here goes…

"Uh, a question, Amami-san. Do you have any criteria for buying gifts? Like, do you buy a gift based on the recipient's taste or yours?"

"Well, I tend to choose things randomly. If I like something, then I'll buy it as a gift! I don't really think about whether the person really wants it or if the gift is something they could use…"

"I see… But, won't they reproach you for giving the wrong gifts?"

"That happens sometimes, but you see! If I give them something that I like, it means that I care enough about them, right? It's a way for me to tell them that they are dear to me!"

"I see. So your feelings should be counted as a consideration when selecting presents…"

"Yes!"

Do you pick a gift based on the other person's needs or based on what you thought was good for her?

I always thought that the former choice was the best choice, but what Amami-san said was reasonable.

Her opinion wasn't in the minority either, if you scour through social media, you could find a lot of people who shared the same opinion as her.

However, I still couldn't bring myself to agree with that opinion.

"That's what I think at least… So, was that helpful to you, Maki-kun?"

"…Mhm. Thank you, Amami-san, that was helpful."

"No problemo~"

Well, I still needed to think about it, but thanks to her, I knew what kind of direction to take.

Guess this was what friends were for.

"So, have you two decided on what to buy? If so, let's pay for them… Still, Yuuchin, are you sure you're going to buy that?"

"Eh? Yeah, of course! This one looks cute and comfy to cuddle with! It's second to none compared to the other stuffed animals!"

"…Rep, your verdict?"

"…Just let her be."

The stuffed bear had an unsociable expression, reminding me of a certain bear that appeared in a foreign cartoon show. I'm not sure about giving Umi this kind of thing, but if Amami-san thought that this would be a good gift for her, who am I to say otherwise?

They've known each other for years already, Amami-san should know Umi better than I did.

"What about you, Rep?"

"I'm going to look around a little longer. Don't mind me, you two can just go ahead."

"Okay then. Let's go, Yuuchin!"

"Mm! See you later, Maki-kun!"

"See you. Thank you for helping me out."

"No problem! Also, if you need more help from me, just give me a call! …Now that I think about it, we've never really texted or called each other, have we?"

"…Uh that's…"

"Are you shy? Don't be! We're friends! I want to text you more, you know? Also, stop calling me 'Amami-san' already! Just address me casually like how you addressed Umi!"

I would, but the other classmates (especially Nozomu) would probably murder me. I wanted to keep her relationship as a 'friend of a friend', at least for now.

Besides, I felt reluctant to get close to another girl aside from Umi. 

"Muu… Anyway, let's talk about this another time. Bye bye~"

"Mm. Bye."

After parting with Amami-san, who sent me off with a wry smile, I faced the flashy accessories in the store once again.

My initial plan was to be home by lunchtime, but it seemed like this would take a little longer.