Chapter 25: Blue or Pink

"Um..."

The door creaked open with a faint bell ringing, revealing the worker's face peeking out, a mix of caution and hesitation in their expression.

After a long pause, they stepped aside, motioning for him to enter.

Shido quickly slipped inside, his eyes scanning the shop's interior. It felt cramped, with staff scattered around the entrance. It made sense—they were about to close. 

It felt rather rude to barge in while they were closing, but he had no choice. It was either this or deal with Tohka.

"Wah...That brings so many memories..."

The familiar wooden shelves, slightly tilted from years of wear, lined the walls. Each was packed with an assortment of jars, colorful packaging, and the occasional hand-written label. 

His gaze immediately drifted to the back of the store, where he had always believed the old arcade machine would be—and there it was, sitting in the corner, covered by a dusty plastic sheet.

The little bell above the door gave a soft jingle as it swung shut behind him.

"H-How can I help you, sir?"

But Shido didn't respond right away. For a moment, he stood still, overwhelmed by nostalgia. He remembered the carefree afternoons spent here—playing games, eating ice cream, and losing himself for hours trying to beat the top score on that very arcade machine.

It was almost enough to distract him from the fact that someone was now staring at him expectantly.

"Um, sir?"

"U-uh, yeah," he blinked, snapping back to reality as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I need some spices, um..."

His gaze settled on the worker, unsure how to address them.

They were dressed in a plain green tracksuit—the kind with a slightly shiny fabric that caught the light at odd angles. Dirt smudges marred the outfit, giving it a worn-in look.

The jacket's zipper was pulled halfway up, revealing a simple, slightly dirty white shirt underneath. 

The matching pants hung loose, with faint scuff marks near the hems. The outfit was far from flattering, offering little clue about their gender.

Their messy, shoulder-length hair—thick and brown with a subtle wave—cascaded down, partially obscuring their face. The uneven strands covered their eyes, making it hard to tell their expression. 

Long hair had become increasingly common among boys lately, adding to his uncertainty.

Shido eyes roamed, settling for a moment in a place he thought might give him a clue.

"Flat..."

"E-Excuse me, sir?"

Shido's face burned red as he straightened up, waving his hands in a panicked attempt to explain. "Ah, no! I didn't mean—I wasn't—um! Spices! I-I need spices! For cooking!"

"R-Right. Spices..." they said nervously, turning toward one of the shelves. "What kind, exactly?"

Shido swallowed hard, wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

"Y-Yeah... I'll need..." His eyes darted over the jars and labels, scanning the shelves in a growing panic. "Let's see—250 grams of pepper... and cinnamon. Uh, I'll take 500 yen's worth. Oh! And a small sachet—500 grams of ginger."

"A-Alright, sir... right away," they stammered, moving quickly to gather his request.

Seizing the moment, Shido let his gaze wander to the far corner of the shop. His eyes settled on an old arcade machine sitting silently beneath a dusty plastic sheet.

For a moment, he forgot the awkward exchange, as he slowly approached the machine. With a hesitant hand, he pulled the plastic sheet back, releasing a small puff of dust into the air.

"Wah... it's really still in one piece..."

The machine's worn exterior came into view—its once-bright colors dulled by time, but its charm was unmistakable. The screen, though smudged and cracked in one corner, still bore the faint imprint of a long-forgotten title screen.

Shido glanced back at the worker, who was now holding two plastic sachets—one labeled cinnamon, the other cumin—their eyes darting between the two in sheer panic, as if the fate of the world depended on their choice.

What... are they doing?

"Anyway..."

Shido brought his attention back to the arcade machine.

"I wonder if it still works..."

He leaned in closer, studying the machine intently. Tilting his head from side to side, he searched for any visible damage.

But aside from a few cracks and a thick layer of dust clinging here and there, everything seemed surprisingly intact.

Scratching the back of his head, he briefly wondered if it was okay to ask the worker to turn it on for him. The thought lingered for a moment before he quickly dismissed it. 

It was already enough that he'd made them take his order when they were clearly getting ready to close. Asking for another favor—especially something as childish as this—felt like pushing his luck.

In the first place, just removing the plastic sheet from the machine without permission was reason enough to get him kicked out.

Sigh.

He reached for the plastic sheet once more, carefully placing it back over the machine before making his way to the counter to wait for his order.

"Hm?"

As he did, his eyes landed on two small plastic sachets resting on the counter. He tilted his head, picking them up to inspect the labels—one marked "Paprika," the other "Cumin."

"I didn't order these—huh?"

Before he could finish his thought, his words froze on his lips.

"250 grams or 500 grams...? Did he say pepper or ginger? N-no... Uh... didn't he say prepackaged ginger...?"

The worker mumbled frantically to themselves, scratching the top of their head with one hand while gripping a scoop scale in the other. Their eyes darted back and forth between the spice baskets, as though trying to solve a complex puzzle.

Shido could see why their hair was such a mess—if this was how they handled every order all day, it was no surprise.

Reaching that conclusion, he realized he needed to step in, or he'd be stuck there all night before anything got done.

"Uh... um, that's wrong... Why do I always forget things this simple? I should've listened to the boss and used a notebook... even for small orders—"

"Hey, looks like you're having some trouble there."

"EEK!"

The store clerk let out a startled yelp, nearly dropping the scoop scale. They spun around to face the source of the voice, eyes wide with panic.

"Whoa, easy," Shido said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Didn't mean to scare you. Just thought I'd lend a hand."

The store clerk stared at him for a moment before lowering their gaze, guilt flickering across their face.

"I-I'm sorry for making you wait... I-It's my first week here, a-and I don't have a good memory... I didn't realize it was this bad before..."

Ore? he's a boy, huh? A girl wouldn't use 'ore' if she were that shy... Case closed, I guess.

Having settled the question of the worker's gender, Shido pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at the disorganized array of spice baskets. "It's no big deal. Everyone starts somewhere, right?"

"...I-I guess"

"Well, if you're stuck, why not let me help? What do we need to measure out first?" Shido asked, deftly snatching the scoop from the worker's hand as he stepped closer to the spice baskets.

The store clerk blinked in surprise, following the scoop trace as if it had been stolen. 

Slowly, he nodded, his hand rising once more to grip their forehead as if trying to squeeze the answer out. 

"It was... um... 250 grams of pepper... or was it ginger? No, no, wait—it was prepackaged ginger!"

He realy forgot my order...

"I ordered 250 grams of pepper, 500 yen's worth of cinnamon, and a small sachet—500 grams of ginger. Did you get that now?"

"Ah, um..." The worker's eyes widened in a mild panic as he suddenly glanced down at his fingers. Slowly, he began raising one, then two, then a third finger, murmuring under his breath as though counting an invisible checklist.

Suddenly, his expression brightened with a burst of joy as he looked up, locking eyes with Shido, who could only offer a wary smile...

Did my heart just go doki doki because of that guy? No, no, Shido, get a hold of yourself!

"Um, something wrong?"

"Ah, no... nothing wrong."

He sighed, pushing aside his wandering thoughts to focus on the task at hand.

"Okay, so um... 250 grams of pepper, 500 yen's worth of cinnamon... and the sachet of ginger—500 grams, right?"

"Yeah..."

Shido scratched the back of his head. "Look, to speed things up, I'll handle the pepper and cinnamon, and you take care of the ginger, okay? You can double-check the measurements at the end if you're unsure. That way, you'll finish up faster and close on time."

The store clerk blinked, a bit surprised, but then gave an appreciative nod. "T-Thanks, t-that really helps a lot."

Shido offered a small smile in response before rolling up his sleeves. He made quick work of the pepper and cinnamon, carefully measuring each portion while keeping an eye on the clerk beside him.

Whom, on the other hand, fumbled slightly with the ginger, pausing now and then to double-check the weight on the scale.

After a few more minutes, everything was measured out and packed. The clerk sealed the last sachet, exhaling in relief.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Shido said, picking up his plastic bags, which this time contained the spices they were missing.

"Y-Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the help... and Uh..mm... S-Sorry for the trouble."

"Mm? No worries." Shido waved off his apology with a casual shrug. "Well, good night."

"Y-Yeah, good night, sir."

As he reached the exit, the soft chime of the door rang behind him. Just as he stepped out, he hesitated, mid-stride, as if something had just occurred to him.

"Oh, by the way—"

"Hm?"

"How's Granny? I heard she hasn't been in good health lately."

"Ah, you mean Boss? Well... S-She wasn't looking too good when I first started working here, b-but she's doing better now. I gave her some herbs I used to take long ago..."

"I see. That's a relief. Thank you for taking care of her."

"N-No, that's my responsibility."

Shido gave a small nod, offering a reassuring smile. "Still, it means a lot. I'm sure she appreciates it."

"I-I hope so..."

A brief silence settled between them before Shido gave a final wave. "Well, I should get going. Tell her the boy from the Itsuka house sends his regards. Take care."

"O-Of course! I'll be sure to tell her. Good night, sir."

With that, Shido stepped out into the cool evening air, the door chime ringing softly behind him. The streetlights flickered to life as he adjusted the grocery bags in his hands and started the familiar walk home.

"I-I'm so tired..."

As Shido trudged along the quiet street, he let out a weary sigh, shifting the grocery bags between his hands whenever the weight became too much for one to handle alone.

Dealing with Spirits was one thing. Keeping them fed? That was an entirely different kind of struggle.

He glanced up at the sky. The moon hung high, casting a pale glow over the empty road. It was peaceful—for now. He'd learned never to take that for granted.

Just as he rounded a corner, emerging from the narrow hallway onto his home street—

"Hmm?"

He stopped in his tracks.

Up ahead, a small shadow stood illuminated under a lamppost.

A tiny girl wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a light-colored dress. Her striking blue eyes and the rabbit puppet adorning her left hand made her unmistakable. She was staring at a poster on the wall, her wide eyes widening even further in fascination.

"Yoshino?" he called.

"...!"

The girl—Yoshino—jumped slightly, turning her gaze toward him.

"Oh... Shido."

"Oh! Found youuu!" came the high-pitched cry from the puppet on her left hand—Yoshinon.

"What's up? What are you doing here? It's already dark."

"Uh, um... I went to your house, but... you were late coming home, and Kotori... was worried... so..."

It seemed she had come to check on him. Shido scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah? But it's already dark out. You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself."

Yoshino's shoulders slumped apologetically. "O-ohhh..."

"Don't be mad at her!" a small voice interjected. "Yoshino didn't mean to cause any trouble. She's just worried about you!"

"I know. Thanks, Yoshino."

"S-sure!" She bobbed her head up and down. Because of the large straw hat, her face kept disappearing and reappearing in Shido's view.

"You haven't had supper yet, have you?" he asked. "It's a bit late, but stay and eat before you go home."

"Okay... thank you very much. And, um, I wanted to ask you something..."

She slowly pointed at the poster she'd been looking at.

"What... is this...?"

Yoshino's small hand pointed at the colorful poster plastered against the wall. Shido leaned in, scanning the bright, bold letters at the top:

"Tenou Festival—Three Days of Fun!"

Ah. That time of year again.

The festival was a big deal—food stalls, stage performances, a fireworks display. It was a joint event for ten high schools in Tengu City, and each school always went all out, making it one of the city's most anticipated celebrations. It was so popular that tourists from all over Tokyo would come just to attend.

Shido glanced at Yoshino. She was still staring at the poster, her rabbit puppet tilting its head as if deep in thought.

"It's a festival," he explained. "It happens every year at my school. There's food, games, all kinds of events. It gets pretty lively."

"Whoa, sounds like fun."

"Yeah, it is," he said. "You guys should come, too."

Yoshino's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "A-are... you sure...?"

"Of course. My school's going to have a bunch of events. Come hang out."

"Oh, wow! That's great, isn't it, Yoshino?"

"Y-yeah...!"

Yoshinon poked at Yoshino's cheek, and she nodded happily.

Seeing her so pleased, he couldn't help but feel a little cheered up himself. More or less in good spirits again, he headed toward his house with her.

"I'm home!" he called down the hallway after Yoshino opened the door for him—his hands were still full.

He set his bags down in the entryway and was in the middle of taking off his shoes when—

BANG!

The living room door flew open, and a girl with long hair tied up with black ribbons burst out.

"You're laaaaaaate!" she shouted before launching a magnificent dropkick straight at his solar plexus.

"Hgah?!"

The sudden impact sent him crashing to the ground, clutching his aching stomach.

Still groaning in pain, he forced his eyes up—only to find his little sister standing over him in a daunting pose, looking extremely displeased.

"Hmph..."

"Wh-what was that for...?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Why are you so late, I wonder? And without a single phone call."

Bringing his gaze downward again, he fought against the pain before forcing himself up onto his hands.

Shido let out an awkward sigh.

True, he was late, but it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.

"Sorry... I forgot the spices and had to go out of my way to get them from a nearby store."

"Spices?..." Kotori let out a sigh for some reason. "So it wasn't that you got sick or anything like that?"

"Huh?"

"...Never mind. Anyway, which store are you talking about? I don't remember there being one around here."

As the pain finally eased, Shido got to his feet, scratching the back of his head.

"Ah, you remember that store we used to visit as kids? The one run by that old lady...."

"Oh, yeah... I remember." Kotori rested a finger on her chin. "I forgot she hired someone to help run the store."

"Hm? You knew about that?"

"Well, of course. Her health wasn't the best, so I visited her from time to time to check on her. She used to let us into her house and give us treats more than just a few times."

"Oh..."

For some reason, Shido suddenly felt guilty that he hadn't done the same. He really should visit her later and apologize...

"Anyway, the guy she hired seems trustworthy, though... his personality might make things difficult for him."

Shido turned his gaze toward Yoshino with a wary smile. The little girl tilted her head in confusion.

"A guy?"

Kotori repeated after him, knitting her brow. Noticing her reaction, Shido turned his eyes toward her.

"Yeah... the one she entrusted the shop to... Something wrong?"

Kotori let the silence stretch for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

"Long, messy brown hair, bangs covering the eyes, shy personality, and old track clothes... am I right?"

"Uh—Y-Yeah. You already met him?"

Letting out a deep, displeased sigh, Kotori slapped her forehead.

"Shido... she is a girl, not a boy."

...

"Eh?"