"Shizune, here!" Mei shouts from the sidewalk on the other side of the road. She buys some snacks and other groceries for our lunch later and just meets me at the road nearest to my home. I hurriedly crossed the road when the stoplight signaled to go on.
"Hey, let me carry some," I offered.
"Sure," she said handing me one of the eco-bags. We started walking to their place.
"Isn't Saito your neighbor? Why didn't he accompany you?" I asked to break the ice. I'm not good at conversations, so I need a topic.
"Oh. He is currently helping his Mom replotting their flowers but he said he'll come when they finished," her face beamed when she replied, biting her gum to form a smile.
But really? Saito helping his Mom in the garden? That could be a rare sight. He isn't even watering the plants at school.
"What a good kid, huh?" That's really unbelievable.
"Seems like you're not convinced. He always helps his Mom every weekend," she said winking at me.
"I bet their garden is beautiful. His mother is so hands-on in cultivating it," I said, suddenly being curious what it looks like.
"Ah, yes! It's so beautiful. They have different kinds of roses blooming in there now," she replied as we take a turn to another street.
"I like roses. I tried to plant it on the pot beside our doorway but it's not flowering yet," I said feeling down. I hope my roses will bloom flowers, too.
"Oh, we're here! And that's is Saito's house. Their garden is at the back. We'll take a look at it there some other time, okay?" She said pointing at the two-story house on the left side of her house.
"We can take a look? Will his mother allow us?" I felt excited with the thought. I always like to plant flowers but our lot isn't that wide. It's just purely for residential. The only space to plant is beside the doorway where I can only plant on pots.
"Of course, she will. I always take a look when I have time, and sometimes she would give me a rose."
"Wow, you sure have a good relationship with Saito's family," I said half envious. I never make friends with our neighbors. What does it feel like, huh?
"Yes, yes! Okay, that's enough. Let's go in now," she said and open the door. I just follow her lead. A woman walks toward us with a huge smile.
"Sweetie, you're back! So, this is Saito's girlfriend?" She asked with gleaming eyes aiming at me.
WHAT???
"Ah, Auntie, I'm --..."
Mei grabs her Mother to the other door before I even finish what I'm saying. What is exactly going on? Why did she mistake me as his girlfriend? I'm just plain, not even in Chou's level.
"Shizune, come here now!" She said slightly laughing, with her Mom waving at me to come over there.
"Put the eco-bags at the counter. Thanks!" Mei points where I should put it. I just followed.
"Let Auntie do the tasks here at the kitchen. You two start studying already. I'll call you when lunch is ready," her Mom said as she opens the eco-bag I just put and take out the veggies Mei bought, one by one.
"Okay, let's go to the study room," she grabs my wrist and leads me upstairs. Their house is bigger than ours and they have a separate study room. We don't even have that, so I just bring Saito to the living room to study back then. I guess Saito's house is much bigger than this, let alone they have a garden.
The study room is between her room and her parents. When I go inside, I'm amazed. There are too many books in there. It's like a mini-library at home. On the right side at the edge of the room, there are the tables and chairs intended for study. It's quite comfortable to study here just by the looks of it. If ever we have this at home, this would be my hideout.
On one of the shelves, some picture frames are being displayed. I'm that curious, so I head straight towards the area and take a look.
Oh. This is Mei, Saito, and Sora when they were kids. It's like they were swimming on the beach. The rest is Mei's family members and relatives.
"Hehe, aren't we cute when we were kids?" Mei asked a little bit shy.
"Ah, yes that's why it attracted my eyes instantly when we enter, hehe," I said honestly.
"Haha, you flatter me, Missy. You can take a seat now, you know."
I sit and take out my notes from my bag. I started flipping some notes and read some lessons. In the meanwhile, Mei is just staring at me with a sweet smile.
"So tell me, how did you and Saito become close with each other?"
"Huh? We're not that close," I replied then continue reading.
"I see you're not that friendly since middle school. So how did he approach you?"
"Uhmm... Well, it started the day I accidentally witnessed Chou's confession at the rooftop. Then, we had a little conversation."
"Then...?" She is so attentive with this.
"Then, we got a quiz later on after that, and he suddenly peeks at results and then praised me. But then, when I'm going home, I didn't expect that he would ask for my help to review for the upcoming exams. He even said that he'll repay me for helping him."
"Huh? Why will he ask your help?"
"Well, he said his parents are blaming his friends for his low grades and will stop him from drawing if he doesn't pass the exams. I refused several times but he is pestering me, so I gave in."
"Hmm... So, how did he repay you after that?"
"I said it's not needed. But, he treats me to the movies together with you and Sora, so I guess we're even after that."
That's five questions already and she's asking me continuously. Is this just some kind of interrogation? Why isn't she taking out her notes? We're supposed to be studying, right?
"I see. So, that's how he approaches you. How lame. Hahahaha!" She laughing alone now and I can't understand why.
"What? Why lame?" I'm too curious about what going on here?
"Oh, no. Nothing. Just continue where you left off. I'll take my notes."
She stands up, laughing as she walks out. Seriously, did I said something funny?
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If you enjoy this chapter, please read other chapters as well to understand the whole story.
Here is the previous chapter:
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Thank you for lending your time to read. Stay safe and God bless!
Thanks, @zhoutong for the generous upvote. God bless you!