||Homura Wagashi Shop||
When Nohara Sato stepped into the store, the shopkeeper instantly recognized him, which caught him slightly off guard.
"Hmm? You're that young man from last time, aren't you?"
"Hi there."
Sato smiled and greeted her. "Could you prepare two sets of sweets for me? No need for gift packaging, just the usual wrapping is fine."
"Oh? Bringing them home to family this time?"
The shopkeeper asked with a grin.
"Yes. I'm surprised you remembered."
"Haha, I've always had a good memory."
She chuckled and told him to wait a moment before turning around to start preparing the order.
Sato stood there quietly, waiting.
Back when he first came, he'd had a chat with her. She knew he lived alone, so when he now asked for normal packaging during Golden Week, it wasn't hard for her to guess he was bringing them home.
In Japan, Golden Week spans over a week, but it doesn't have much to do with Labor Day. Several national holidays just happen to line up around May 1st, giving people extended time off.
Now already the third day of break, Sato had spent the first day dealing with Gokou Ruri's situation and the second on a club activity. If he didn't head back soon, the holiday would be over.
While he was waiting, the noren curtain at the back of the shop was suddenly pushed aside.
Kousaka Honoka stepped out, about to greet her mother, when she caught sight of Sato at the counter. She blinked in surprise and called out.
"Ah, you're that student from last time!"
Hmm?
The shopkeeper, busy with the order, turned around in confusion.
"Hello, I'm Nohara Sato."
Sato greeted her politely.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Kousaka Honoka. Thank you so much for your help last time."
The cheerful girl gave a slight bow, and when she straightened up, her eyes, like sparkling sapphires, gazed earnestly at Sato.
"And you two are…?" the shopkeeper asked with a blink.
"Mom, remember that rainy day I told you about? That's him!"
The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
"Oh! I remember now... That was really kind of you. Thank you, young man."
"It was no trouble at all."
Sato smiled as he accepted the packaged sweets from her.
"Here's the payment. I'll be heading off now."
"Take care, young man!"
As he left, the curtain swayed gently behind him.
The shopkeeper sighed in admiration. "What a nice young man… I wonder if he has a girlfriend."
Huh?
Honoka looked at her mom oddly. "Mom, what are you thinking?"
She gave Honoka a side glance. "Don't bother. You're not in his league."
"Wha—?!"
…
Asahigaoka.
A small village nestled in the mountains, also where Sato had lived for sixteen years.
A single-car train trundled along the mountain path. It was the only car running due to the light traffic between remote stations.
All around were lush green hills, offering a soothing view.
"Young man, we're almost there!"
"Got it!"
The driver's voice came from the front, and Sato snapped out of his thoughts, grabbing his things.
He stepped off the train and looked around, the place was practically deserted.
The station was small, surrounded by mountains with no buildings in sight.
"Where is everyone?"
He frowned. Wasn't someone supposed to be here already?
Carrying his bags, Sato slowly made his way out of the station.
…
"Haha! There really is a lot up here in the mountains!"
"Whoa… I've seen this before! Didn't expect even this to be worth studying."
"Excuse me, sir, but we still need to…"
"It's fine, I—"
"Ugh!"
Sato bowed deeply to the group of confused and slightly terrified female university students before him.
"I'm very sorry! I apologize for the trouble!"
"Um… it's okay!"
The students, who seemed to be there for sketching or research, cast uneasy glances at the man now locked in a half-headlock under Sato's arm.
"Is he okay?"
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. You ladies go on ahead."
"O-okay. We'll be going now, then."
"Goodbye!"
After they'd gone, Sato gave a long-suffering look at the old man in his grip.
"Dad, you're not young anymore. Why are you still acting like this? Just look what kind of influence you've had on Shinnosuke."
"Ahem, I was just paving the way for your future," said Nohara Ginnosuke, trying to sound serious as he coughed.
Sato stared at him, unimpressed. Who was he trying to fool?
…
There was still some distance from the station to home. Riding in Ginnosuke's car, Sato looked out at the fields.
"Dad, did you get all the rice planted?"
"All done! I bought a new tractor. Thing's a beast! You'll love driving it."
Sato ignored him.
Asahigaoka, being deep in the mountains, relied heavily on agriculture. In Japan, being a farmer, especially one with a lot of land, was actually a respectable profession.
The Nohara family fit that category, or else they wouldn't carry that surname.
Their family was quite well-off, owning many fields and several mountain plots. Together with neighboring villagers, they had established a forestry corporation that paid annual dividends.
Remote as it was, by the time Sato got home, it was already evening.
After enjoying a hearty family dinner and chatting about school life, he showered and returned to his room for some rest.
Bzz bzz—
While browsing [Gensokyo], Sato glanced at his chat app and smiled.
[Konomi]: Sato, are you back yet?
[Sato]: Yeah, arrived tonight.
[Konomi]: You made it! Another day and Golden Week would've been over.
[Sato]: Got held up by a few things.
[Konomi]: Haha, well, you've always had your own way of doing things.
[Konomi]: Let's meet at Komari's place tomorrow.
[Sato]: See you then.
(A/N: If you haven't watched Non Non Biyori, I highly recommend it! A pure slice-of-life anime! If you don't love it, feel free to come back and yell at me!)