They left the cafeteria.
They walked side by side.
The early April sun wasn't as harsh as it was in July or August. Its warmth felt pleasant against their skin.
Sakayanagi Arisu leaned on her cane with one hand and lightly hooked her other arm around Uesugi Hara's as they walked, greeting people she knew along the way.
For some reason, the little girl preferred linking arms with Uesugi Hara for support over holding his hand.
"Are you and Uesugi already together, Classmate Sakayanagi?" came a voice from beside them. Uesugi Hara looked over and saw Yamamura Miki, the invisible girl.
"Yes, we are, Yamamura," Sakayanagi Arisu replied with a smile, looking in the direction of the voice. She tightened her hold on Uesugi Hara's arm.
Uesugi Hara felt it. How should he put it? It was a little uncomfortable. After reproaching himself for one second, he thought, If the little girl wants to play, I may as well play along.
Uesugi Hara thought it over briefly, then made his move.
He took the beret off the little girl's head and ran his hand over her hair. It felt soft and fluffy, like a marshmallow that had just been warmed in the sun. Her locks had a slight fluffiness to them, tickling his palm.
He felt the little girl's arm stiffen around his, but she still kept up her act. Uesugi Hara couldn't help wanting to laugh.
That feels really nice.
"Yamamura, we're on a date," Uesugi Hara said firmly.
"Oh! Oh! Then I won't bother you two. See you tomorrow!" Yamamura Miki said, blushing as she fled.
Once Yamamura Miki was gone, Sakayanagi Arisu wordlessly snatched back her beret and put it on again.
"You really do have a mean streak, Uesugi."
Feeling the little girl's tone change, Uesugi Hara fought hard to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up. "I was just playing along with your performance, Miss Sakayanagi!" His voice carried a hint of suppressed laughter. All right, fine. I couldn't hold it in.
"Ha ha ha... I can't... Ha ha... I can't..."
Sakayanagi Arisu stared expressionlessly at Uesugi Hara, who was doubled over laughing beside her. She couldn't stop herself from imagining punching him or grabbing her cane and whacking him with it.
Just as Sakayanagi Arisu was about to act, Uesugi Hara interrupted her. "All right, all right. I'm sorry you had to see that, Miss Arisu. Let's keep going." — A last-second interruption. Will our Miss Arisu really be able to keep all that bottled up?
Sakayanagi Arisu expressionlessly let out two words. "How charming."
"All right, Miss Arisu. Let's keep going." Uesugi Hara stopped teasing the little girl, who was about to blow her top.
Sakayanagi Arisu quickly composed herself, put her usual polite, faint smile back on, and linked arms with Uesugi Hara again.
"I'm going to buy some things for my room. Where are you headed, Miss Arisu?" Uesugi asked.
"My father has already taken care of everything in my dorm room. I don't have anything to do, so I can go with you, Uesugi~" The little girl never learned her lesson. She'd already gone back to her earlier tone.
"Then would you be willing to come with me, Miss Arisu?" Uesugi Hara replied helplessly, thinking that having a father who was the chairman sure made a difference. Still, he didn't think much of it; the little girl wasn't in good health, after all.
"Sure~"
The convenience store beneath the dormitory.
Uesugi Hara was picking out the things he needed, while the little girl beside him leaned on her cane and watched curiously. So these are the things boys use?
Uesugi Hara glanced at the curious little girl beside him, the corner of his mouth twitching. Girl, why are you so curious?! A new idea came to him. What would the little girl do if he picked up a box of condoms right now?
Would she blush immediately? Or would she not recognize them, then be unable to resist her curiosity back in her room, look them up, and blush afterward? What if she went back and asked her father... No, no, best not to think about that.
Uesugi Hara quickly cut off that train of thought.
He looked over the things he'd picked out: a comforter, two towels, toothpaste, a toothbrush... and, most importantly, a bottle of 13-in-1.
The little girl watched as Uesugi Hara picked up a bottle of that 13-in-1 stuff. Curious, she picked up a bottle herself and inspected it. After reading it, she was left stunned. She couldn't understand why anyone would make such a... well, such a great invention. The little girl didn't understand it, support it, oppose it, accept it, or approve of it. And that was that.
Uesugi Hara had finished picking things out and was about to pay when he noticed Sakayanagi Arisu was no longer beside him. He looked back and found her standing there, staring at a bottle of 13-in-1. Uesugi Hara didn't quite understand. Did this rich little girl use this stuff too? He didn't get it, but he accepted it. After all, he'd never seen anyone leave a bad review for it in his previous life, and he used it himself.
"Miss Arisu, I'm ready to go. What about you?"
Uesugi Hara's words brought Sakayanagi Arisu back to herself. She put the 13-in-1 bottle back and looked at him, her expression complicated.
"Let's go together."
What's gotten into this little girl? She's talking without her usual provocative edge.
Uesugi Hara didn't think too much of it, though. It wasn't the first time the little girl had acted strangely.
"Hello. That'll be 5,000 points. Please scan here."
After paying, Uesugi Hara planned to return to his room and get settled.
The elevator reached the fifth floor. Uesugi Hara noticed Sakayanagi Arisu following behind him. He remembered that the little girl's room was on the ninth floor. Seeing that she didn't seem to be heading back to her room, he didn't stop, but slowed his pace.
Uesugi Hara asked, "We only met for the first time today, Miss Arisu. Are you already unable to stop thinking about me?"
"That's a nice thought, Uesugi, but unfortunately, no~" Sakayanagi Arisu replied nonchalantly.
Seeing Uesugi Hara slow down, Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled and caught up with him.
"I'm just bored. I don't know many people, and you're the only one I can talk to, Uesugi," Sakayanagi Arisu said, putting on a pitiful expression.
Well, he had to admit, the little girl looked pretty amusing when she was acting all forlorn.
"Is that so? I can't promise I won't give in to my baser instincts and do something to you once you're in my room."
"Really? I'm so scared~" She covered her chest with her hands, but her tone was provocative.
Uesugi Hara glanced at her. "Tsk. You have anything to hide? Why are you covering it up?"
— A finishing blow!
Sakayanagi Arisu's face darkened at once. She raised her cane two or three times, as if struggling to hold herself back.
"You're getting mad." Uesugi Hara still wasn't going to let her off.
The little girl was fuming. She wasn't going to hold back anymore. She swung her cane at him.
But with her strength, hitting Uesugi Hara felt more like she was tickling him.
Uesugi Hara hadn't planned to respond, but then he thought that he might really make the little girl sick with anger. So he began showing off his terrible acting skills.
"Ah! That hurts! That hurts! Please stop, Miss Arisu! Spare me, I was wrong!" Uesugi Hara hopped and dodged.
"Hmph!" Sakayanagi Arisu snorted and stopped swinging her cane.
At the door to Room 506, Uesugi Hara took out his room card and opened the door.
"Please come in, Miss Arisu," Uesugi Hara said respectfully.
Sakayanagi Arisu ignored him and walked straight in.
Uesugi Hara didn't mind. He knew the little girl was still angry.
Once inside, Uesugi Hara began tidying up. The room was very clean; the school must have hired someone to clean it. He didn't need to spend much time on that himself.
Sakayanagi Arisu sat elegantly off to the side, watching Uesugi Hara unpack. This was the first time she'd ever been in a boy's room.
She looked around and compared it to her own room. It suddenly struck her that boys were such simple creatures.
Take that bottle of 13-in-1, for example. One bottle was enough for Uesugi Hara's bathroom; a squeeze of it could wash him from head to toe. Meanwhile, she needed citrus-scented body wash, cherry blossom shampoo, a gentle amino-acid face cleanser with fine foam, exfoliating scrub, moisturizing body lotion, and so on. The bottles and jars alone filled one corner of the sink, and she even had two kinds of conditioner: one for everyday use and one for deep repair. (This is only meant to emphasize how powerful 13-in-1 is, and nothing else.)
She couldn't help smiling. So in a boy's world, the words "good enough" cover everything. It's as simple as an arithmetic problem whose answer you can see at a glance.