Uesugi Hara finished tidying up and glanced at the time. It was exactly four in the afternoon. He shook out the towel in his hand and glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu beside him. The little girl seemed to have mostly cooled off, so as he wiped away his sweat, he made some casual conversation.
"Miss Arisu, are you planning to cling to me all day?"
"How could you think that, Uesugi-kun?" Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint smile. Her voice was unhurried. "I just happened to be passing by, and happened to see you flailing around while tidying your room. I simply couldn't help staying a little longer."
She tapped the top of her cane lightly with a fingertip, her gaze sweeping over the room, which was now considerably tidier. A hint of satisfaction, difficult to detect, showed in her eyes. "But since you've been working so hard, I suppose I can make an exception and 'pass by' a little longer. After all, watching a messy space gradually become orderly with my own eyes is rather interesting.
As she spoke, she looked up at Uesugi Hara, who was still wiping off his sweat. A glint of mischief flashed in her eyes. "Besides, don't you think having a 'supervisor' like me around has made you much more efficient?"
Watching the little girl spout nonsense the moment she opened her mouth, Uesugi Hara couldn't help rolling his eyes. He draped the towel over a nearby chair and said with exasperated amusement, "Yes, yes. Thanks to you, Miss Arisu, my efficiency has been 'incredible.' Something I could usually finish in half an hour dragged on until four today."
He went over to the table and poured himself a glass of water. His gaze skimmed over the cane resting across her thighs as he deliberately added, "Besides, who can 'pass by' from upstairs all the way downstairs? You've been watching for so long, I bet you've nearly worn a hole in my floor."
Sakayanagi Arisu acted as though she hadn't heard the teasing in his voice. Her fingertip continued to tap lightly against her cane, and her smile deepened. "If I made you put in so much effort, that just means my 'passing by' was very worthwhile. After all, watching someone go from flailing around to looking halfway decent is a gradual transformation far more interesting than solving a simple equation."
As she spoke, her gaze suddenly settled on his sweat-damp collar, and her tone turned subtly playful. "But since you've worked so hard, would you like me to 'make an exception' and treat you to a bottle of soda? The soda at the convenience store downstairs seems perfect for the moment."
Uesugi Hara had just taken a sip of lukewarm water. At her words, he nearly choked, then raised an eyebrow at her. "Has the sun started rising in the west? Miss Arisu is actually offering to treat me?" After all, look at how badly Kamuro Masumi had been exploited in the original story.
He set down his glass, his tone teasing. "You're not trying to get me out of here so you can pull some sort of stunt in my room, are you?"
Sakayanagi Arisu gently turned the ornament on top of her cane, her smile unchanged. "You're being much too suspicious, Uesugi-kun. It's only a bottle of soda. Could it really be hiding some sort of conspiracy?" She lifted her eyes slightly, a glint of mischief flashing in them. "Or are you afraid to go down with me?"
"Why would I be?" Uesugi Hara picked up the jacket draped over the back of the chair and casually tossed it over his shoulders. "I'm thirsty too, so I'll accept." As he went to change his shoes by the door, he glanced back at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was still where she'd been. "What, do you want me to help you, young lady?"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uesugi-kun." Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if it were only natural. Once Uesugi Hara came over, she took his arm and added leisurely, "But I should warn you first: if you don't like the soda, don't blame me for not telling you."
Uesugi Hara helped Sakayanagi Arisu toward the elevator. At her words, he gave a quiet scoff. "As long as it's not some weird flavor, it'll still be better than having you 'pass by' me all day." Her cane tapped lightly against the floor, blending with his footsteps in a surprisingly harmonious rhythm.
The elevator doors slowly slid shut, leaving only their soft breathing in the cramped space. Uesugi Hara could feel her arm looped lightly through his, as delicate as a feather resting on his sleeve. He glanced at the little girl beside him. She was gazing slightly to the side at the numbers changing on the elevator panel.
"By the way," Uesugi Hara said, breaking the silence, "when you go out, Miss Arisu, don't you usually have a servant with you?" As far as he knew, someone from a family like hers, especially with her poor health, should have someone accompanying her.
Sakayanagi Arisu drew her gaze back and lightly tapped his arm with a fingertip. "Sometimes I want to experience life as an 'ordinary person,' too. Being surrounded by people all the time takes away a lot of the fun." She looked up at him, the curve of her lips concealing a hint of amusement. "Like this, going to buy soda with you, Uesugi-kun. Isn't it a nice change?"
The elevator chimed as it reached the first floor.
"Come on, or someone might buy up all my soda." She stepped forward first, still holding his arm as they headed toward the convenience store. Her pace was unhurried, but her easy familiarity made it seem as though walking together like this were perfectly ordinary.
The convenience store's automatic doors slid open with a chime.
Inside, Sakayanagi Arisu scanned the shelves and quickly spotted one of the few bottles of a certain brand of soda left there—ginger soda.
"Look," she said, leading Uesugi Hara toward the refrigerator.
As soon as the refrigerator door opened, a rush of cold air washed over them. Sakayanagi Arisu instinctively edged closer to him.
Uesugi Hara watched her rise onto her toes to reach for the soda on the top shelf. Her skirt swayed lightly, and he couldn't help reaching over to grab a bottle for her. "Can you reach it, shorty?"
"You're still so rude, Uesugi-kun." Sakayanagi Arisu took the soda. Her fingertips touched the cold bottle, and she let out a soft "tss," but still held her chin up proudly. "But since you were considerate, I'll let it slide."
Then she picked up a bottle of milk from the lower shelf—Wangzai Milk.
Uesugi couldn't help twitching his lips. Who would've thought this little girl liked drinking that?
After paying and leaving the convenience store, the little girl eagerly popped open the soda. "Here, Uesugi-kun. This one's yours."
After handing it to Uesugi Hara, the little girl stuck a straw into her own bottle and began drinking. Her gaze, fixed on Uesugi Hara, held not only mischief but also a note of impatience.
Uesugi Hara had never seen Sakayanagi Arisu "trying to curry favor" with anyone. He looked down at the soda in his hand—ginger soda? He'd never seen the brand before. Was it made with ginger? He didn't think much of it. He'd tried plenty of kinds of soda in his previous life; how bad could it be?
Uesugi Hara took a sip. His face went from perfectly normal to the exact expression of a subway grandpa meme, and the little girl beside him burst out laughing. Girl! What happened to your image?
Uesugi took a long while to recover. He stared at the ginger soda in his hand, fear in his eyes. What kind of genius had invented this?
"Is this stuff... actually fit for human consumption?" Uesugi Hara gripped the bottle, feeling the bizarre, spicy, fizzy taste still lingering on his tongue. It was like someone had tossed ginger into carbonated water and boiled it, and the stuff made his temples throb.
The little girl's shoulders shook with laughter. She grabbed Uesugi Hara to keep herself from swaying, tears almost spilling from her eyes. "Pfft... Uesugi-kun's expression is even better than when you can't solve a problem."
After finally managing to stop laughing, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her fingertips felt a little cold. "Who told you to make me mad today? This is perfectly fair revenge~"
Uesugi Hara slapped her hand away, then held the soda out toward the nearby trash can with a look of disgust—only to pause. She'd paid for it, after all. Throwing it away didn't feel right. Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled again at his conflicted expression.
"Go ahead and throw it away, Uesugi-kun." Sakayanagi Arisu had already regained her composure, her polite, faint smile back in place.
After hearing that, Uesugi Hara stopped hesitating and tossed it straight into the trash.
He hadn't expected the little girl to be so vindictive. Uesugi Hara mentally added another mark against her, planning to get his revenge when the opportunity arose.