Day 5
"Riri-chan, you don't have school today, right? Let's go on a date!"
"I say we shouldn't be going to crowded places."
"People still go outside?"
I've been thinking what a surprise it is that, even with the world ending soon, people are still going on with their lives as normal. Though I do wonder if there's any rioting, house burning, and the like going on. I haven't been watching the TV and stopped paying for my mobile data, so I've been out of the loop.
Anyway, it's apparent that people like me, going around with plans to kill their ex-lovers, are in the minority.
"Lots of people at the local mall, at least from what I heard."
"The hell's that, a zombie flick?"
With me jokingly insisting that I want to go, she eventually, reluctantly agrees to. Since today is her day off, she's dressed in jeans and a hoodie instead. She does look cute this way, giving off the fitting image of a local highschooler.
"If you meet someone you know, please don't say anything weird, alright?"
With all that said and agreed with, she has me put on a cap, a face mask, and a pair of sunglasses; now I look like a total creeper. She also wears a face mask in addition to her usual glasses.
Once we're outside, I can see that many people are dressed similarly. Traffic, both vehicle and pedestrian, have greatly thinned down, and a majority of establishments are closed. Now I'm actually feeling that the world is coming to an end.
This shopping mall she's brought me to is one I've never checked out before. It looks huge, kind of like an apartment complex.
"Cool! They've got everything here!"
"You're not a kid anymore, so don't get overexcited!"
According to the information board, it looks like the place does have everything; a movie theater, an arcade, a supermarket, a book shop, an apparel store, whatever else. Exactly as Riri said, it's crowded with people, some in groups or with their families, all wearing face masks. I wonder what they all are up to, what with the world's end coming up.
Just as I think I'm about to find myself lost in the crowd, I'm pulled aside by the arm.
"Anything catches your eye?"
"Not really. Since we're on a date, I'm fine with whatever you want, Riri."
"I don't have any plans."
"Then let's check out the arcade."
And just like that, Riri tugs me along by my arm.
"Wanna hold hands?"
"No."
But then, when we reach the arcade, we see that it's closed.
"Aw, shucks... I thought this might be the case," Riri grumbles.
So shopping is fine, but playing games in a no-no, apparently. The movie theater is closed, too, and the book shop here goes on break during weekends. At first I thought this place would have everything, but turns out it's got nothing at all. This isn't what I expected.
"What to do, what to do..."
As I go over our options, I can feel my initial excitement quickly die down. Riri, still grabbing on to my arm, whispers,
"How about we get some crêpes?"
The shop in question just happens to be diagonally in front of us. Looks like it's open for business.
"You're all about food, huh, Riri?"
"I just can't help it! With what's going on with the world, eating is just about the only thing I can look forward to."
Riri's still slender and well-proportioned despite how much she's been eating. Ah, the unfair advantage of being young.
Although the crêpe place is indeed in business, we are told that it's no longer open for sit-down dining, so we settle on ordering some to take home.
"Ah, wait, let's go this way."
"Why?"
Seeing how Riri is obviously trying to hide herself, I take a look around.
"Hey there, Riri."
A highschooler-age girl approaches us from the front; she's wearing a particularly short skirt. Even though much of her face is behind a black mask, I can still tell that she's totally adorable. Looks a little more mature than Riri, but ultimately the difference isn't that great. I wonder if she's her classmate.
"You're living at home alone, right? You said a while ago that we'd hang out at your place, so when's a good time I can go?"
"Sorry, things happened, so you can't right now."
"Eh, why not?"
My parent-like mindset kicking in, it feels nice knowing that she does have friends just like everybody else, even though that girl comes off as a bit unusual. I'll have to prepare more snacks if her friends are coming over, so I wonder how many there are.
"It just happened! Sorry, but I've got to go."
Saying that, Riri grabs my arm again. Her friend is still saying something, sounding disgruntled.
"You should've just invited her over. It's almost the end of the world, so it's now or never, you know?"
It's totally possible that they'll never meet again, yet she's giving her a cold shoulder; I can't help but wonder if she'll regret it down the line.
"I wouldn't mind at all, you know, having another high school girl hang around. Besides, she's pretty cute, don't you think?"
"But I do mind!"
"Why?"
"You're staying over; how would I explain you to her?"
"Say I'm your sister's ex-girlfriend."
Riri, looking like she's got her mood ruined, shuts her mouth. Then she lets go of my arm and walks ahead on her own.
"Hey, wait up."
"I hate people like you, Yune-san."
"C'mon, isn't that a bit harsh?"
I thought Riri has already opened up to me, but now she's not even looking me in the eye.
And so the date ends up being quite a short one, taking up not even an hour.
Back at the house, I pour us some black tea and serve the crêpes on our plates; they're delicious.
"Look, I won't say anything out of line, so how about you call your friends over? Or would you like me to hide while they're here?"
"It's fine, really!"
Riri is insistent. But since she did invite them over at one point, she doesn't seem to dislike having people over at her house, though.
"I'd feel bad hogging you all to myself, Riri."
Riri shuts her mouth completely, not giving me a single word in response to that.
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