chapter 365: A Conversation at the Supermarket
On Sunday, Kaede woke up promptly at nine.
However, Eriri beside him was still sound asleep, the reason, of course, being that she was exhausted last night.
After changing his clothes, Kaede leaned down and kissed Eriri on the lips, then smiled and left the bedroom.
The door closed, and Eriri groggily opened her eyes for a moment, then pulled the covers up, turned over, and went back to sleep.
After exercising and eating breakfast, Kaede played with the Cat for a bit, then went out to buy groceries.
There was a significant consumption of ingredients yesterday, and several seasonings had also run out, so he needed to restock.
Oh, and he also needed to buy some other things, like the "little tools" that had run out again last night.
Arriving at the supermarket, Kaede pushed a shopping cart and began to browse the aisles.
He first went to the seasoning section, picked up a bottle of soy sauce, a bottle of oyster sauce, and finally, an ubiquitous bottle of Lao Gan Ma.
Lao Gan Ma is great; it goes with everything.
Needless to say for cooking, if you don't feel like spreading jam on bread, a little Lao Gan Ma offers a unique flavor, and it can also stimulate your appetite if you're not hungry.
With the seasonings found, Kaede went to the vegetable section and picked out some vegetables for today's and tomorrow's meals.
Unlike meat, which can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time, their household only buys two days' worth of vegetables at a time, restocking after they're finished.
"Cabbage... bok choy... Hmm? Green peppers?"
Kaede saw green peppers for sale ahead, went over, picked up a box, and observed them, finding them quite fresh, so he put them into the shopping cart.
"The last time I cooked green peppers was about a week ago. I'll make them today.
I must help Eriri change her picky eating habits; making it only once or twice isn't enough, it needs to be done regularly."
After choosing green peppers, the carrots he originally intended to buy had to be given up for now.
Kaede then bought some yam and headed to the meat section.
Although there was still some meat at home, Kaede, with the thought that since he was here, he should certainly take a look, went to the meat section and couldn't resist buying two excellent fresh steaks, planning to cook them tonight.
After buying meat, he went to the fresh seafood section and bought some shrimp for today's lunch.
"Hmm... that's quite a lot I've bought already."
Looking at the items in the cart, Kaede muttered to himself, "A carton of milk, and then I'll buy some snacks, otherwise Eriri will definitely complain when I get back that I didn't buy any."
Pushing the cart to the snack aisle, Kaede saw Kawashima Ami there, wearing sunglasses and also shopping.
She hadn't seen Kaede yet and was choosing between two bags of snacks.
Pushing his cart over, Kaede greeted her directly: "Yo, good morning."
Suddenly hearing someone greet her, Kawashima Ami, who was already trying to shop incognito, was startled.
She turned around, saw it was Asakura-kun, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew... It's Asakura-kun, good morning, you really scared me."
"Is it that serious? You wear sunglasses just to buy groceries?"
"I can't help it, I'm used to it. I feel uncomfortable without them."
Kaede could still detect a slight unnaturalness on her face, even though the sunglasses covered the upper half of her face as she spoke.
However, since she didn't mention it, Kaede wouldn't ask further, as they had only known each other for a short time.
Even if Kitamura Yusaku had asked them for help, Kaede didn't consider himself a busybody who would care about everything.
No matter how many people reach out to help, if the person involved doesn't want to accept it, it's not going to work out.
Glancing at the large pile of snacks in Kawashima Ami's shopping cart, Kaede said helplessly, "So many snacks. While I know girls generally like snacks, you should still pay attention and not eat them as your main meal."
"Thank you for your concern, I am aware of these things."
Pushing up her sunglasses, Kawashima Ami smiled and said, "It's precisely because I work as a model that I like snacks and sweets even more.
Now that my workload has decreased, I finally have the chance to eat more."
Well, it seems there's no stopping her.
Without saying more, Kaede also began to pick out snacks for himself.
Kawashima Ami saw that Kaede was alone today and asked curiously, "Asakura-kun, are you out shopping by yourself? Usually, you and Sawamura-san are always together."
"Ah, Eriri is still sleeping right now.
Today is Sunday, so I didn't disturb her and let her sleep in a bit longer."
While explaining, Kaede put two bags of Eriri's favorite potato chips into the shopping cart.
"Hmm~~~ I see."
Kawashima Ami nodded and sighed, saying, "I knew I shouldn't have asked. As soon as I asked, I remembered I live alone, and the comparison really makes me feel a bit miserable."
"It's not that bad. Living alone and living with someone both have their different advantages."
Kaede said with a smile, "Living alone, of course, offers more freedom.
The house is all your own space; you can do whatever you want without worrying about being disturbed.
Living with someone means there are many more things to consider, such as shared spaces and individual private spaces, and so on."
As a 17-year-old girl, Kawashima Ami was naturally very curious about such matters.
With no one else around, she couldn't help but ask, "Asakura-kun, have you and Sawamura-san ever had conflicts since you started dating?
Although I haven't been in a relationship myself, I've seen many dating couples around me who argue from time to time.
They haven't even started living together yet and already have conflicts, so for those like you who have already started cohabiting..."
"Conflicts, huh? You've certainly asked a good question."
Kaede didn't avoid the question, and it wasn't something that couldn't be discussed.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Of course, there are conflicts, but Eriri and I are very compatible in personality, and our hobbies don't conflict much.
So, our usual conflicts are minor ones, similar to being lazy and not wanting to clean, for example.
As for bigger arguments, there really haven't been any; I spoil her too much to argue.
Eriri is also very sensible and doesn't throw tantrums haphazardly; when something comes up, we always discuss it properly."
The more she listened, the more sour Kawashima Ami's expression became.
"Tsk, I think I shouldn't have asked."
"Hahaha, so you're saying you brought it upon yourself?"
Kaede laughed, "I'm not the type to be shy when talking about my relationship.
While I won't bring it up proactively, if someone asks, I don't mind sharing things that make me happy."
Kawashima Ami nodded: "In the week I've known you, I've pretty much figured that out."
Then, she exhaled and whispered, "I really envy you two..."
"Envy? Actually, there's no need.
Everyone's experiences are different; you might just not have reached that point yet.
So, don't sigh and complain; you should look forward with hope."
Picking up a bag of jelly and putting it into the cart, Kaede said, "Alright, I've got everything I need.
I'll be going now.
See you at school tomorrow."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
After watching Kaede leave, Kawashima Ami looked at her shopping cart, shook her head, and continued to browse.