The Fourth Period Is Modern Chinese (Continued)

I looked up Mother's Day gifts on Google and found that flowers or fashionable little trinkets seemed nice, but I had no idea which to choose.

Wouldn't picking something so basic just get me criticized for having no taste? The thought tied my mind into such a tight knot that I couldn't untangle it.

What should I do?

"May I ask what you're looking for?"

I flinched at those words. A clerk had come over to assist me.

"Ah, no, it's fine. I'll just look around myself."

Acting exactly like someone with social anxiety, I backed my way out of the store.

I took a quiet breath. Seriously, why did store clerks always love striking up friendly conversations with people? There had to be customers who didn't want to talk. Wasn't there some kind of sticker for that? Like those "Baby on Board" stickers people put on cars—something like "Person with social anxiety shopping alone"... No, the person wearing that sticker would only end up getting humiliated.

Anyway, please don't talk to me. That was the truth.

"Hey, you—"

Just then, someone suddenly called out to me. Thinking the clerk had followed me, I turned around and saw a tall woman with black hair tinged with blue standing there.

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

That rough tone sounded familiar somehow... Uh, who was she? Let me think—her name was Kawa, Kawa, Kawa...

"Are you even listening to me⁉"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You asked what I was doing here, right? I came to take care of something."

Buying a Mother's Day gift at my age was a little embarrassing, so I hid my purpose.

"What about you?"

"Ah—I came to buy something for my little sister Kyōkyō..."

"Kyōkyō?"

"You remember her, right? She gave you chocolate too."