Ginger Soda

Uesugi Hara finished tidying up and glanced at the time; it was exactly four o'clock in the afternoon. He shook out the towel in his hand and cast a glance at Sakayanagi Arisu nearby. Seeing that the little girl's anger had mostly dissipated, he began chatting with her while wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Are you planning on loitering around me all day today, Miss Arisu?"

"How could Uesugi-kun have such a thought?" Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips, her tone slow and leisurely. "I just happened to be passing by, and I happened to see how flustered Uesugi-kun looked while tidying the room, so I couldn't help but linger for a moment."

She tapped her cane lightly against the floor, her gaze sweeping over the room, which was now significantly neater. A hint of imperceptible satisfaction flickered in her eyes. "However, considering how hard Uesugi-kun has been working, I suppose I can bring myself to 'pass by' for a while longer. After all, witnessing a space that was once a complete mess become orderly is quite an interesting affair."

As she spoke, she looked up at Uesugi Hara, who was still wiping his sweat, a flash of mischief crossing her eyes. "Besides, doesn't Uesugi-kun think that with a 'supervisor' like me present, your efficiency has improved quite a bit?"

Watching the little girl spout nonsense with such a straight face, Uesugi Hara couldn't help but roll his eyes. He draped the towel over a nearby chair, his tone laced with helpless teasing. "Yes, yes, thanks to you, Miss Arisu, my efficiency is indeed 'high' to an absurd degree—things that usually take half an hour have been dragged out until four o'clock today."

He walked to the table to pour a glass of water, his gaze sweeping over the cane resting on her lap, and added deliberately and slowly, "Besides, who 'passes by' from upstairs all the way to downstairs? I'm afraid you've stared at my floor for so long you've nearly worn a hole in it."

Sakayanagi Arisu, however, acted as if she hadn't heard the sarcasm in his words. Her fingertips continued to tap the cane, and her smile deepened. "Being able to make Uesugi-kun go to such great lengths shows that my 'passing by' is quite valuable. After all, watching someone go from flustered to barely presentable—this gradual change is far more interesting than solving a simple equation."

As she spoke, her gaze suddenly fell on his sweat-dampened collar, and her tone took on a hint of imperceptible lightness. "But considering how hard Uesugi-kun has been working, would you like me to 'bring myself' to treat you to a drink? The soda from the convenience store downstairs seems perfect for right now."

Uesugi Hara had just taken a sip of warm water and nearly choked at her words. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Has the sun risen in the west? Miss Arisu is actually offering to pay?" After all, look at how Kamuro Masumi was exploited in the original story.

He set down his glass, his tone teasing. "You wouldn't be trying to get me out of the way so you can pull some stunt in my room, would you?"

Sakayanagi Arisu gently rotated the ornament at the top of her cane, her smile unchanging. "Uesugi-kun is being far too suspicious. It's just a bottle of soda; surely there couldn't be any conspiracy hidden in that?" She looked up slightly, a flash of mischief passing through her eyes. "Or is it that Uesugi-kun is afraid to go down with me?"

"Why would I be afraid?" Uesugi Hara picked up the jacket draped over the chair and tossed it over his shoulders. "I happen to be thirsty anyway, so I won't decline." As he walked to the door to change his shoes, he glanced back at Sakayanagi Arisu, who was still in place. "Well? Do you need me to help you, my lady?"

"Then I shall trouble Uesugi-kun." Her tone was calm, as if this were only natural. Only after Uesugi Hara walked to her side and offered his arm did she add slowly, "But let's be clear: if the soda isn't to your taste, don't blame me for not warning you."

Uesugi Hara helped Sakayanagi Arisu toward the elevator, letting out a soft scoff at her words. "As long as it isn't some strange flavor, it's still better than being 'passed by' by you all day." The sound of the cane tapping against the floor was light, and mixed with his footsteps, it had an unexpectedly harmonious rhythm.

The elevator doors closed slowly, leaving only the sound of their soft breathing in the cramped space. Uesugi Hara could feel her hand lightly tucked into his arm; the pressure was faint, like a feather resting on his sleeve. He glanced at the little girl beside him; she was tilting her head slightly, watching the numbers jump on the elevator panel.

"Come to think of it," Uesugi Hara broke the silence, "don't you usually have attendants with you when you go out, Miss Arisu?" In his impression, given her family background and her poor health, she should always have someone accompanying her.

Sakayanagi Arisu withdrew her gaze and tapped her fingertips lightly against his arm. "Sometimes I want to experience the life of an 'ordinary person.' Being surrounded by people all the time actually takes away a lot of the fun." She looked up at him, the curve of her lips hiding a touch of playfulness. "Like right now, going to buy soda with Uesugi-kun—isn't that quite novel?"

The elevator chimed as it reached the first floor.

"Let's go. I don't want my soda to be bought by someone else." She took the lead, clutching his arm as they walked toward the convenience store. Her pace was not fast, but it carried an air of natural intimacy, as if such a walk together were the most ordinary thing in the world.

The automatic doors of the convenience store slid open with a chime.

Entering the store, Sakayanagi Arisu scanned the shelves and quickly locked onto a brand of soda that was in short supply—ginger-flavored soda.

"Look." She pulled Uesugi Hara toward the freezer.

A blast of cold air hit them as the freezer door opened. Sakayanagi Arisu instinctively leaned closer to him.

Uesugi Hara watched her stand on her tiptoes to reach for the soda on the top shelf, her skirt swaying gently, and couldn't help but reach out to grab a bottle for her. "Can you reach it, shorty?"

"Uesugi-kun is still as impolite as ever." Sakayanagi Arisu took the soda, let out a soft hiss as her fingertips touched the cold bottle, but still held her beautiful chin high. "However, considering you were at least considerate, I won't hold it against you."

Afterward, she grabbed a bottle of milk from the bottom shelf—Wangzai Milk.

Uesugi couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He hadn't expected this; the little girl actually liked drinking this?

After paying and leaving the convenience store, the little girl couldn't wait to pop open the soda. "Here, Uesugi-kun, yours."

After handing it to Uesugi Hara, the little girl inserted a straw and began to drink. Her gaze toward Uesugi Hara was not only mischievous but also urging.

Uesugi Hara had never seen Sakayanagi Arisu "curry favor" before. He looked down at the soda in his hand—ginger-flavored soda? A brand he hadn't seen before. Was it made of ginger? He didn't pay much mind to it; after all, he had drunk plenty of sodas in his past life. How bad could it possibly be?

Uesugi Hara took a sip, and his normal facial expression shifted into the "subway old man" meme. The little girl beside him burst into laughter on the spot. Sister! Where is your persona?

It took Uesugi a long while to recover. He looked at the ginger soda in his hand with horror. What kind of genius invented this?

"Is this stuff... even meant for human consumption?" Uesugi Hara gripped the bottle, feeling a lingering, strange, spicy, and bubbly taste on his tongue, as if ginger had been boiled in carbonated water. It was so pungent that his temples were throbbing.

The little girl's shoulders were shaking with laughter. She had to lean on Uesugi Hara to keep from falling over, tears nearly streaming down her face. "Pfft... Uesugi-kun's expression is even more spectacular than when you can't solve a difficult problem."

She finally managed to stop laughing and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her fingertips still cool. "Who told you to make me angry today? This is a very fair revenge, you know~"

Uesugi Hara swatted her hand away and moved to toss the soda into a nearby trash can with a look of disgust, but he paused—after all, she had paid for it, and throwing it away seemed a bit rude. His conflicted expression made Sakayanagi Arisu chuckle again.

"Uesugi-kun, just throw it away." Sakayanagi Arisu had regained her composure, her face once again wearing a polite, faint smile.

Hearing this, Uesugi Hara stopped hesitating and tossed it away.

He hadn't expected this little girl to have such a strong desire for revenge. Uesugi Hara made a mental note of it, planning to find an opportunity to get even later.