Found a Gift for Kushida

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Because Xiao Mei is actually infatuated with Hirata, but Karuizawa suddenly appeared and became Hirata's girlfriend, so Xiao Mei has never liked Karuizawa."

I see. Your circle is really messy. But this does remind Shuichi Kanda that Karuizawa has attracted quite a few enemies just by dating Hirata.

Perhaps we should remind her, lest she unknowingly become the target of even more hostility.

Since I promised to take care of her, I should still do these things.

Good morning, Karuizawa, Matsushita -san, Shinohara- san.

Kushida walked quickly to the group and greeted them first.

"Ah, hello, Kushida." Karuizawa was the first to react and greeted Kushida, then he saw Shuichi Kanda walking over from not far away.

"Huh!? Kushida really called Kanda- san out? Could it be that you two are... you know...?"

The girl named Matsushita noticed Shuichi Kanda at that moment and immediately showed a surprised expression.

"Haha, actually, we talked during the exam on the ship, so Kanda isn't such a difficult student to get along with."

Kushida decided to play dumb and get away with it.

Shuichi Kanda took this opportunity to walk over to them and said in as approachable a tone as possible, "Hello, it's so sunny outside, I'm glad you went out."

"Good morning, Kanda. About this, hehe, I brought a parasol." Matsushita Chiaki said proudly, taking out an exquisite parasol from her handbag.

"Oh! I'll have to borrow it later."

Perhaps because he wasn't familiar with Shuichi Kanda yet, he was quickly left aside after exchanging greetings.

Meanwhile, Shuichi Kanda was also observing these three people. He hadn't had much contact with them before, so Shuichi Kanda didn't know much about them either.

However, even with just this simple contact, Shuichi Kanda discovered their individual characteristics.

Although Kei Karuizawa appears very assertive, she values the relationships within her small group and considers things very comprehensively. Matsushita Chiaki, on the other hand, seems to be deliberately cooperating with the two of them, acting as a mediator. As for the remaining Shinohara, Shuichi Kanda's opinion is that she is an ordinary person.

As for Kushida, Shuichi Kanda already knew her background, so although he had observed her, there was no need to analyze her.

After chatting for a few minutes, the group of four women and one man headed towards the Keyaki Mall.

"Speaking of which, have you decided what gift to buy?"

Shuichi Kanda wasn't interested in the girls' conversation; what he was interested in was when he could go back. Shopping with just one girl was tiring enough, let alone four.

I'm sorry, I can't take it!

"Hmm, there's a shop in the Shopping Street that specializes in gifts for girls. Let's go check it out."

That's good. Having a destination makes things much easier. With a destination in mind, choosing gifts becomes a minor issue. We can simply use our money to buy them everything they're hesitating about.

Aside from the gift given to Inogashira, the rest were given to them as gifts.

Kushida has been a great help to me, and he's still working hard, so it's only natural to reward him.

As for Kei Karuizawa, it's her sense of responsibility as the owner that she occasionally needs to soothe the other person's emotions to prevent her from developing a feeling of being abandoned and causing unnecessary trouble.

Chapter 147 The gift for Kushida has been found

Despite being pointed at and whispered about by passersby, Shuichi Kanda remained unfazed and followed Kushida and the others to the shop they recommended.

As soon as he stepped into the shop, Shuichi Kanda felt that it was designed for girls, especially high school girls.

The shop is decorated entirely in pink, exuding a cute, girly vibe. If a guy comes to this shop alone, unless he has a specific purpose like 'picking out a gift for a girl,' there's a greater than 50% chance he's a pervert.

In any case, judging from Shuichi Kanda's own perspective, he most likely wouldn't enter such a shop alone. Even if he had no choice but to come in to pick out a gift for a girl, he would definitely make a quick purchase and pay...

Wait a minute, if you think about it that way, then this shop not only encourages girls to spend points, but it's also taking money from guys' wallets!

The shop assistant was also a very beautiful woman, but she wasn't quite as attractive as the others he knew.

Welcome!

Welcomed by the pretty shop assistant, Shuichi Kanda followed Kushida and the others into the store. However, once inside, they all split up to choose gifts.

Soon, Kushida and Shuichi Kanda were left alone.

"Speaking of which, have you guys done any research on what Inogashira likes?"

"Of course! Wouldn't it be a waste if people spent money on gifts that didn't suit the recipient's taste?"

Kushida said it as a matter of course, but then looked at Shuichi Kanda with a puzzled expression. Had this guy never even given a gift before?

What a great opportunity!

"Shuichi, let's go inside and take a look. There are lots of good things inside, like phone cases, keychains, and plush toys."

Seeing Kushida so excited, Shuichi Kanda had a strange feeling.

These things aren't what Inogashira wants, but what you want, right?

But since we're already inside, we might as well take a look around.

But before he and Kushida had taken two steps, they heard a familiar voice coming from around the corner.

"Listen carefully, that's Shinohara! If I were to date a woman who's so arrogant and unlovable, I'd be so ashamed I wouldn't even dare to leave the house! That's a complete compromise! I absolutely refuse."

Shinohara, are you referring to that Shinohara?

Shuichi Kanda glanced at Kushida and whispered, "That voice sounds familiar, who is it?"

"It's Ike-kun, Kanji Ike. But I remember he seemed to care a lot about Shinohara when he was on the Uninhabited Island." Kushida answered in a low voice, mainly because the atmosphere wasn't suitable for speaking loudly.

Imagine what it would be like if A were talking badly about B behind B's back and B happened to overhear it. If A and B happened to be of the opposite sex and B had feelings for A, what terrible things would happen?

In order not to miss this scene, Shuichi Kanda pulled Kushida along quietly.

Then he discovered that not only Ike, but also his classmates Yamauchi and Ayanokoji were there. Moreover, the two of them were constantly giving Ike winks, but he couldn't see anything wrong with them at all. They were turning their backs to Shinohara and belittling Shinohara.

"Just... just say I understand! Stop saying it! Kanji! Because, um, behind you—"

"Huh? Behind?"

Finally, after Yamauchi's desperate reminder, Kanji Ike slowly turned his head and saw Shinohara eyes were practically spitting fire.

Just as Shuichi Kanda was waiting to see a good show, Shinohara simply said angrily, "Ike, you'd better die!" and then left in a huff.

Sigh, that wasn't enough.

If Horikita were being insulted like that behind his back, he would definitely have elbowed him.

After Shinohara left, Karuizawa glared at Ike and chased after Shinohara out of the store, followed by Matsushita Chiaki.

After they all left, Kushida hesitated whether to chase after them.

What would Shuichi Kanda do if she chased after her?

She knew perfectly well that Shuichi Kanda couldn't keep up with them.

"Why don't you go take a look too? I'll just wander around here a bit more." She instantly sensed the other person's hesitation and offered the best option.

Kushida nodded and then left the shop.

As he had said, Shuichi Kanda browsed around the store, showing no interest in Ike and his group.

It was actually quite strange to Ayanokoji Shuichi Kanda that Ayanokoji would hang out with them.

After looking around at the trinkets, Shuichi Kanda shook his head, not very satisfied. Kushida had helped him so much, it was too stingy to give him these things.

Just as Shuichi Kanda was about to walk further into the store, he saw a familiar figure... or rather, not a figure, but a head.

Katsuragi Kohei, I heard, lost his hair because of some kind of illness.

However, the other person was wearing a school uniform at the moment. It's summer vacation, so they usually wouldn't wear a uniform if they weren't going to school, right?

Feeling something was off Shuichi Kanda decided to go up and strike up a conversation.

"Katsuragi, it's been a few days."

Upon hearing Shuichi Kanda's voice, Katsuragi, who was selecting a gift, immediately turned around and looked at Shuichi Kanda with a wary expression.

"What you up to?"

Seeing the other person's expression, Shuichi Kanda found it somewhat amusing.

"There's no need to be so wary of me. It's summer vacation now, and we have no conflict of interest. I just happened to see you here and came to say hello."

After listening to Shuichi Kanda's words, Katsuragi seemed to think there was some truth to them, so he nodded and focused his attention back on the shelf in front of him.

Shuichi Kanda picked up the small item in front of him and looked at it. It was a box of chocolates, but it was too cheap. And shouldn't something like that be given on Valentine's Day?

Is this a gift for your girlfriend?

As Shuichi Kanda was pondering how to begin, Katsuragi spoke first.

"No, we're just good friends for now. She's helped me a lot recently, so I wanted to give her a gift to thank her."

Katsuragi nodded and didn't press further, instead turning his attention to the shelf next to him.

"And you? Are you my girlfriend?"

"No, I didn't plan to have a girlfriend during high school." Katsuragi shook his head, his serious expression suggesting he wasn't lying.

"I see."

Since the other party was unwilling to talk, Shuichi Kanda did not intend to continue to ask. It was pointless and would only annoy people.

So he ventured deeper into the shop, searching for the gift for Kushida.

Then he saw something that girls, or even boys, might like.

Giant panda plush toy!

Kawaii!

This is it!

As a Chinese person, I have absolutely no resistance to pandas. In my previous life, I loved watching videos about pandas. I never expected to encounter panda plushies here!

Moreover, I've heard that the Japan seem to have no resistance to giant pandas; who wouldn't love an adorable panda?

Moreover, the size of this plush toy seems just right, probably around 1.2 meters tall, which makes him want one too.

Looking at the adorable giant panda, Shuichi Kanda serious expression.

Hairy!

The texture is fantastic, and it's incredibly soft! Even just by touching it, you can tell that the craftsmanship is excellent.

Even Kushida would like this, right? Even if she doesn't want it, keeping it for yourself wouldn't be a loss at all!

Yes, that's it!

Having made up his mind, Shuichi Kanda carried the 1.2-meter-long panda plush toy to the checkout counter.

When the shop assistant saw Shuichi Kanda carrying the only giant panda plush toy in the store, they quickly said, "Sir, would you like us to pack it up?"

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Then, the shop assistant produced a large plastic bag from somewhere, took the panda from Shuichi Kanda, and prepared to stuff it into the large plastic bag.

Seeing this, Shuichi Kanda's eyes widened, and he immediately spoke up to stop him.

"Wait a minute! Are you planning to put such a huge panda into this plastic bag?"

"Yes, is there a problem? This is a vacuum compression bag. After removing the air, it will be perfect for you to carry."

The shop assistant looked at Shuichi Kanda had a shocked expression, with some confusion.

"You're saying you want to put the giant panda in an air-compressed bag and then remove the air? Wouldn't that just flatten it?"

How could anyone do something so cruel to giant pandas?

Damn it!

The giant panda will cry!

"No! Absolutely not! Isn't there a box big enough to hold it?"

Shuichi Kanda was absolutely unyielding on this point.

"We do have a box, but if it's packed in a box, it might be difficult for you to carry it all by yourself."