After arriving at the store, the first place we visited was the bedding section.
On the spacious floor, beds were lined up in long rows. There were wooden frames, steel ones, folding beds, and beds with storage. Around them, related items like sheets, duvets, and pillows were piled up everywhere.
The white light from the fluorescent lamps spread across the room, and everything smelled like new products. The scent of wood, the smell of freshly washed fabric—all these mixed together, making me feel a bit restless.
“We can get everything all at once here!”
Sakura looked around, her eyes sparkling. She’s not really at an age where she should be this excited about a furniture store.
“You look like you’re having fun.”
“Eh? W-Was I really that excited!?”
“Yes. It’s a bit much to say, but you’re like a child.”
When I said that, she scratched her cheek looking embarrassed.
To be honest, I wasn’t very eager to buy new things. The duvet and pillow she lent me last night were good enough. Unlike the old things I used to use, they felt calm and comfortable for some reason.
However, since she was buying them for me, I decided to compare them first. I checked the feel of the sheets and the bounce of the mattresses by lying down on each bed one by one. When I actually lay down on the display beds, a soft sinking feeling and a comfortable touch spread from the back of my head.
“Kyoko, how is it? Do you see anything good?”
“Well… this bed is probably the best, but the pillow…”
Surprisingly, I found a bed I liked right away. It wasn’t too soft or too hard, and it didn’t let my waist sink in too much. But I just couldn’t decide on a pillow. Maybe the height wasn’t right, or maybe it was the material.
Even after trying a few, something felt wrong and I couldn’t settle. It was a physical feeling of not being “right” that I couldn’t put into words.
“Pillows really depend on the person. How was the pillow last night?”
“Hmm… it felt slightly off, but I still felt very calm using it. I wonder if it was the texture or the difference in scent.”
When I said that, Sakura’s shoulders shook slightly. When I looked at her from the corner of my eye, her cheeks were a little red.
“H-Huh… the scent…”
“…What?”
“N-No, nothing! Nothing at all!”
Her face has been red for a while now; I’m starting to suspect she secretly had a drink at home before we came. She didn’t act like it, but…
“Um… if you like, I can give you that pillow!”
“Eh?”
“It’s an old favorite of mine, but if you don’t mind, Kyoko!”
“Really? …Then maybe I’ll take that. It’s a waste to buy a new one if I don’t need it.”
“Yes!”
Her smile was as happy as a child giving a present.
In the end, we decided I would use her old pillow and duvet, and we would only buy a new bed. This should do less damage to her wallet.
After finishing the paperwork, I asked for the bed to be delivered. It was too big to take home ourselves, so that was obvious.
Next, we headed to the rice cooker section in a corner of the appliance department.
The rice cookers were in many shapes and colors—white, black, silver, and even wooden designs. They all looked similar, but the prices were very different.
“Do rice cookers depend on the person, too?”
Sakura tilted her head while comparing the products with great interest. Her face was strangely serious; I couldn’t believe she was the same person who was acting like a kid in the bedding section.
“Hmm, you can’t really tell until you cook with it, so I just have to choose based on feeling. Since it’s for two people, a three-cup size is fine, but I want to see the difference in pressure and the material of the inner pot… I’ve heard that if the price is too low, the rice doesn’t taste good.”
“I see… got it!”
She started looking at the rice cookers with a serious expression. But since she doesn’t usually cook, I could tell she didn’t really understand what the inner pot materials meant. Well, I couldn’t explain the difference very well either.
As expected, within a few minutes, her eyes started wandering.
She read the product descriptions seriously and nodded, but her face looked a bit awkward.
“This one has a black thick pot, and this one is a copper pot… hmmm… I see.”
“Then, can you explain it to me?”
“Don’t ask for the impossible!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her puffing out her cheeks. Even though she said “I see,” she definitely didn’t understand.
In the end, we called over a staff member and had them help us choose a recommendation. A professional’s opinion shouldn’t be wrong.
After comparing a few models that were “popular,” we finally chose a mid-range model that was reasonably priced and easy to use. This wouldn’t be a burden to use every day and shouldn’t break easily.
“Now I can eat the rice you cook every day, Kyoko!”
“I’d like you to cook it on your days off, though…”
“…Can I do it by myself?”
“I’ll teach you how, and the taste doesn’t change much no matter who does it, so don’t worry. By the way, what kind of rice do you like?”
“Let’s see… I like it fluffy!”
“Me too. I’m glad we have the same taste.”
“Ehehe…”
Sakura narrowed her eyes happily. Seeing her expression made me smile too.
If she had said “I like it hard and dry,” I would have been in trouble. We couldn’t really buy two machines or cook twice every time.
However, even with a rice cooker, we can’t start without rice. So, we put the boxed rice cooker in the cart and headed to the grocery section to stock up on food.
When we reached the shelf with bags of white rice, Sakura suddenly stopped and turned back to me.
“…Somehow, this feels like a newlywed couple.”
“I wouldn’t know about that. Besides, we’re just pretending.”
“True. …But it’s a little fun.”
I struggled to find words to reply to her shy smile.
In the end, I said nothing, picked up a bag of white rice, and continued shopping while pushing the cart.