Tokyo: Oreimo

The Suzuki clerk glanced at her flushed face, then at Ryosuke standing calmly beside her, and a subtle smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, so... you're still pursuing her?"

Ling Nai's fingers suddenly dug into the edge of the counter, making a screeching sound like fingernails scraping against glass.

"What...what are you saying?!"

Her voice was tinged with obvious panic, her ears were so red they were almost bleeding, and she looked like a small animal cornered against a wall, wanting to run but unable to find a way out.

The Suzuki clerk thought he had guessed correctly, and his smile became even brighter. He turned to Ryosuke with an encouraging look in his eyes, as if to say, "Keep it up, young man."

"Sir, your girlfriend is really cute."

Ryosuke turned his head and glanced at Ling Nai.

The girl had her head down, her hands gripping the edge of her scarf, her knuckles white, and her golden bangs hanging down, covering most of her face, revealing only her two bright red ears.

He did not deny it.

"Yes, she is indeed very cute."

Ling Nai's shoulders jerked violently.

She looked up at him in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Those eyes were wide open, and tears were already welling up in their sockets.

"You...you bastard..."

Her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, completely lacking her usual fierce demeanor.

The Suzuki store clerk's eyes lit up when he saw this.

"In that case, I highly recommend that you two take a look at our store's limited edition couple's items."

She took out two cell phones, one black and one white, from the back of the counter, which were placed side by side.

The black phone had a slender body and simple lines, and its screen was twice the size of his old flip phone.

The white one has the same design, except that it has a faint gold pattern around the back of the device.

When the two phones are placed side by side, the curves of their bodies fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces.

"This is a special Christmas limited edition, with only 5,000 units available nationwide. Our store was allocated 10 units, and now this is the last pair left."

Ling Nai stared at the two phones, her blush spreading all the way to the base of her neck.

"Who, who wants to use matching items with this guy...?"

Her voice was completely unconvincing because her eyes never left her phone.

The Suzuki clerk glanced at her, then at Ryosuke, before pushing the white one in front of Ayano and the black one in front of Ryosuke.

"This phone has the best camera on the market, especially the group photo mode, which automatically optimizes the lighting on the faces of two people, making the photos look warmer."

As she spoke, she picked up the white camera, aimed it at Ryosuke and Ayano, and pressed the shutter.

Click.

A photograph was frozen on the screen.

Ryosuke tilted his head to look at Ling Nai, while Ling Nai secretly looked up at him. The two were half a step apart, and the light from the counter shone down from above, casting a warm yellow halo on them.

The Suzuki employee turned the screen around for the two of them to see.

"How is it? The effect is great, isn't it?"

Ling Nai stared at herself on the screen.

That version of myself secretly watching Ryosuke.

It was photographed.

Moreover, that look in his eyes didn't seem like the look one would give to an "elder brother."

She picked at the edge of the counter with her fingers again.

"...This one will do."

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

The Suzuki sales clerk smiled even more broadly.

"Okay, and what about this gentleman?"

She turned to Ryosuke.

Ryosuke glanced down at the black phone.

He reached out and picked it up.

"I have this one too."

Ling Nai suddenly looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, and her lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

But she didn't say anything in the end, and just buried her face back in her scarf.

The Suzuki clerk quickly completed the formalities for the two of them, and put the two mobile phones into two small paper bags with Christmas patterns. The white bag was handed to Ling Nai, and the black bag was handed to Ryosuke.

"Merry Christmas to you both, and may you be happy!"

Ling Nai took the paper bag, hugged it to her chest, lowered her head, and quickly left.

Ryosuke followed behind her, watching her back as she almost moved in unison.

"Ling Nai."

no respond.

"Ling Nai."

".....what."

Her voice was muffled behind her scarf, with a slight nasal tone.

"You're going the wrong way, the exit is this way."

Ling Nai's body stiffened for a moment.

She turned around abruptly, lowered her head, and walked past him.

Chapter 202 Smile

The snow outside was even heavier than when we came in.

The sky was dark, and the streetlights came on early. In the warm yellow glow, large snowflakes fell silently.

Ling Nai seemed to have calmed down and was no longer as flustered as before.

Ryosuke walked to her side and opened the umbrella.

Ling Nai naturally leaned closer, her shoulder resting against his arm.

"What's next?" he asked.

The blonde girl did not answer immediately.

She looked down and fiddled with the phone she had just bought.

Then Ling Nai looked up and held her phone in front of the two of them, with the screen facing them.

"Let's take a picture first."

"Now?"

"Otherwise, why buy a camera phone?"

She held her phone up high, leaned closer to him, and her head almost touched his shoulder.

Two faces appeared on the screen. Ling Nai was facing the camera, while Ryosuke tilted his head slightly. Snowflakes fell on their hair and on her red scarf.

"Smile at me," she said, staring at him on the screen, her tone displeased.

"There's nothing funny about it."

"Then think of something funny."

Ryosuke thought for a moment, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

At the same moment, Ling Nai also smiled.

She pressed the shutter.

With a click, the image freezes.

The two people on the screen stand side by side at the entrance of the electronics store, with heavy snow falling behind them and the warm yellow lights of Central Avenue.

Ling Nai smiled, her eyes crinkling, while Ryosuke's lips curved into a slight smile. Snowflakes fell between them, blurring the boundary between the two.

Ling Nai stared at the photo for a long time.

"...It's alright." She put her phone back, swiped her thumb across the screen, and set the photo as her home screen.

The movements were very natural, as if they had planned it all along.

Then she looked up at him, her eyes filled with a hint of smug satisfaction.

"Let's go eat."

She stepped into the snow without waiting for him to open the umbrella.

But after taking two steps, she pulled her hand out of her down jacket pocket and let it hang at her side with her fingers slightly spread.

Ryosuke looked at the hand, then at her back.

Snowflakes covered the girl's golden ponytail, her red scarf fluttered gently in the wind, and her steps were neither fast nor slow, as if she were waiting for him.

He held up his umbrella and walked quickly to catch up.

Then the girl quietly reached out with her hand hanging by her side and hooked her little finger around his.

Ryosuke glanced down.

Ling Nai's hands were a little colder than they had been on the tram, but the grip between her fingertips and his fingers was so tight that it was trembling slightly.

She stared straight ahead, pretending to be looking at the snow.