Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

He had picked up Mashiro in the past and nonchalantly explained where he picked her up.
I looked sideways at Mashiro, and she looked at me and gave me a small nod, so he didn’t seem to be lying.

“And well, that’s about it, is that good enough?”
“Yes, it’s detailed enough.”

His explanation was unexpectedly polite and easy to understand, although he was a bit snide in some parts.
However, I don’t think it would be good for the mentality of both Mashiro and me to stay here any longer.
Let’s end the tour early and take a break somewhere.

“Thank you very much for your kindness. We will now go…”
“Oh, wait a minute. I have something for you.”

Contrary to my desire to leave as soon as possible, for some reason, I was stopped.
Leaving the front door open, he walked back toward the back of the room.
Unexpectedly, I made eye contact with Mashiro, and we both shrugged our shoulders.

For a while, a rattling noise continued from the back of the room, and then we hear a happy voice saying, “Oh, there it is.”
And then the sound of footsteps approached again, and he appeared again.

“Here you go. It’s for you.”

Saying this, he held out something that looked like a small black ribbon.
The texture was nice, and the fabric was of such good quality that even the smallest size was recognizable.

“It’s the one that fell near the cat, but I don’t know if it’s related.”
“H-Haa.”

Ignoring my confusion, he closed the door and said, “Well, I don’t know what’s going on, but good luck.”

Mashiro and I stood there, the end of the conversation was quite sudden.
We had achieved our original goal and were able to end the meeting early, but I couldn’t deny that I felt a sense of confusion.

“L-Let’s go first, Mashiro.”
“Y-Yes.”

We left that apartment, walked around a bit for now, and sat down on a bench in a nearby park.
I guess I was more nervous than I thought I would be, both Mashiro and I sighed at the same time as we both felt weak.

“…What a strange person he was.’
“Yes…he was like that when I first met him.”

To put it in a bad way, I got the impression that he was a selfish person, but the more we talked, the more I felt he was not a bad person.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel anything about the way he treated Mashiro in the past…but his kindness didn’t seem to lie.

“By the way, Satou-san, what was that thing you were received earlier?”
“Hmm? Oh, this?”

I spread the thing out on my hand for Mashiro to see.
It was a black ribbon that fits in the palm of my hand. The quality of the material gave the impression that it could have been used as part of a dress.

“This…”

Unlike me, who had no idea what to expect, Mashiro touched the ribbon with a surprised expression on her face.

“Mashiro, do you know anything about it?”
“Probably…no, there is no doubt about it.”

She took the ribbon from my hand, looked at it carefully, and finally smelled it and was convinced.
She gently clutched the ribbon to her chest and her expression changed to one of peace.

“It smells…like a good old time.”
“By that time, do you mean that house?”
“Yes…It’s still around.”

He said it had fallen nearby when he picked up Mashiro.
In other words, it must have been in Mashiro’s possession until just before she was picked up.

“Was that ribbon the one Mashiro was using?”
“I borrowed it…this is the ribbon attached to the neck of the dress I was wearing at the house.”

Seeing her lovingly embracing the ribbon, I imagine a little bit of her past.
I’ve heard that Mashiro used to work in what is commonly referred to as a maid’s uniform. If it’s that ribbon, then the size and color make sense.
It would have looked great on her.

…But, I was surprised to see that he had kept it all these times, even though Mashiro had probably dropped it.
It was surprising, if I may be honest, and say so because I had thought he was a heartless person about Mashiro.

“Mashiro kept that ribbon all these years?”
“It was just a series of coincidences…I myself didn’t want to remember that house at that time.”

I was uncomfortable with the fact that she was trying to forget but kept the ribbon with her, but I guess she had an unintended reason too.
A little concerned, but Mashiro looked sad, so I didn’t pursue the matter any further either.

“I should be grateful to him as well.”
‘Well…sure. I’m a little reluctant to do so.”
“Fufu, Satou-san, your eyebrows are raised.”
“I-I can’t help it.”

Mashiro put her finger on my forehead and smiled.
Combined with the fact that I was the only one who was not satisfied with the situation, I turned away from Mashiro’s face.
　
“I understand how you feel, Sato-san. But I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not my place to say anything…”
“Don’t be. I am very happy that you are thinking of me.”

Saying this, she approached me sitting on the bench and leaned close to me.
Mashiro’s body heat was warm as usual, and I felt my somewhat agitated heart calm down.

“Besides, the only reason I’m okay is because Satou-san is here.”

Her hand, still holding the ribbon, was placed in my palm.

“As long as Sato-san is with me, I’m fine no matter what.”
“Mashiro…”
“So you don’t have to have to put on that scary look. It’s a waste of your handsome face.”
“I don’t think so?”
“Mou, why would you think so. Satou-san is very cool.”

I was embarrassed and started to deny it, and Mashiro put on a serious face and said her thoughts straight to me.
It was nice of her to give me compliments like this, and it was also something I was having a hard time with…

“Now that we have a good idea of our next destination, let’s take a little stroll around town, shall we?”
“I don’t mind, but…Are we alright on time?”

I looked at the clock, but the time was still past noon. I don’t think we’re in such a hurry…

“It would have been a long way from the place he just told us about. I don’t think there is much time to spare…”
“Don’t worry about time. Some time money can buy.”

If it’s the place he just told us about, we can take a cab and be there in no time.
If we’re going to stay the day, we can stay somewhere else, and if we’re just going home, this is also no problem if we call a cab.
Rather than that, I had to enjoy the day to the fullest because I was traveling with Mashiro.

“Satou-san, please be more careful with your spending. …Don’t waste it, okay?”
“How rude to call it wasting. It’s a fine investment for Mashiro.”
“Goodness…”

Mashiro pressed her temples in disbelief.
In fact, the spending has increased since Mashiro’s arrival. The actual problem was that the expenses for Mashiro’s personal belongings and food doubled, which is a given.
I felt that I was getting more in return from Mashiro than I was spending, but I think she felt the opposite.

“We’ve come all this way. It would be a shame not to make our lives easier now.”
“…I understand. It’s just for today.”
“Alright.”

Hearing Mashiro’s affirmation, I got up from the bench with a great deal of energy.
And just as I did this morning, I extended my hand toward her.