Kasumigaoka walked to Hoshimi's side, and the two strolled together through the streets of Shinjuku.
Hoshimi didn't take the initiative to hold Kasumigaoka's hand, and neither did she.
Even though they were walking side by side, their hands were so close that they could easily hold each other with just a little movement. Yet, neither of them made the first move, leaving their hands awkwardly hanging in the air.
"Hoshimi."
"Hmm?"
With just a call and a response, the conversation began.
Watching Hoshimi curiously take in the surroundings, Kasumigaoka asked, "Hoshimi, have you been to Shinjuku before?"
After searching through the scant memories of his previous life, Hoshimi shook his head, "No, I haven't."
"Really?" Kasumigaoka's eyes lit up, "So this is your first time seeing Shinjuku Station too? How is it? Impressive, right?"
Hoshimi smiled wryly, "Impressive? I'd say it's more complicated than impressive."
The scale of Shinjuku Station is indeed large, but calling it impressive might be an overstatement.
"Heh~" Kasumigaoka chuckled lightly, glancing at Hoshimi's profile, "How did it feel trying to find your way around the train station alone?"
"It was okay, manageable." Indeed, it was manageable, much better than in his past life.
In his previous life, whenever he took the subway in a big city, he was always in a hurry. There was no time to leisurely plan his route once he arrived at the station. He had to confirm the route on his phone while still in the train car and then dash out of the station in a frenzy.
Now, things were much better—no need to rush, just taking it easy and leisurely.
"As long as it was manageable." Kasumigaoka brushed her hand against Hoshimi's, then turned slightly to look at his profile with a playful smile, "I was ready to laugh at you if you had looked flustered. I was prepared to come to the station to fetch you, but you didn't reply to any of my messages and just quietly showed up at the bookstore."
Kasumigaoka paused, her delicate eyebrows arching as she looked at Hoshimi with a mix of scrutiny, teasing, and curiosity, "Hoshimi, were you trying to surprise me? And then, when you saw the eight-story Kinokuniya Bookstore, you quietly gave up?"
Hoshimi maintained an embarrassed yet polite smile, "Actually, it's nine stories. I heard there's another level underground."
"..." Kasumigaoka didn't respond; she was staring at Hoshimi's profile with an odd expression.
As she thought... Hoshimi did plan to surprise her, but he backed out because the bookstore was too big.
Phew... Thankfully, she anticipated this and chose the Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store. If she had picked another place and Hoshimi had managed to sneak up on her, it would have been troublesome.
She had been keeping an eye on her phone, analyzing Hoshimi's movements... If he had caught sight of her, he might have guessed her plans.
That would have been a disaster...
Good thing she was prepared...
After silently congratulating herself for a moment, Kasumigaoka switched topics, probing for more information.
"Hoshimi, did you notice anything interesting on your way from the station to the bookstore?"
"No, I took a taxi."
"Huh?!" Kasumigaoka's eyes widened in surprise, "Why did you take a taxi? It's only a two- or three-minute walk from the station exit to Kinokuniya. Did you take the wrong exit? Which exit did you use?"
Realizing something might be wrong, Hoshimi blinked and said, "The East Exit, the one marked on the map as the closest to Kinokuniya. I spent over ten minutes studying the map, so I'm sure the exit was correct."
"East Exit... East Exit..." Kasumigaoka muttered to herself, then asked in confusion, "The exit is correct, so why did you take a taxi? It's just a short walk away..."
Suddenly, a flash of realization struck Kasumigaoka.
She stopped in her tracks, grabbed Hoshimi's hand, and stared at him as she slowly enunciated, "Hoshimi, did the taxi driver scam you?"
"..." Hoshimi remained silent.
At this point, he had realized the problem.
After leaving the station, he wasn't feeling well and wanted to take a taxi to the bookstore while resting his eyes for a bit.
As a result, he got caught by a "friendly" Tokyo taxi driver.
No wonder that driver sped off so quickly—so that's why!
This is like the hunter being hunted...
Hoshimi's already pale face turned even worse.
"Pfft~" Kasumigaoka couldn't hold back her laughter as she saw his expression darken.
She squeezed Hoshimi's hand, gloating, "Hoshimi, I never thought you'd end up like this! Come on, tell me, how long did that driver make you circle around?"
Feeling a bit frustrated, Hoshimi gripped Kasumigaoka's hand back and pulled her along, "Let's go, let's go. I'm hungry, let's eat."
"Don't rush~ Hoshimi, tell me, how much did you get scammed for?"
Holding onto Hoshimi's hand, Kasumigaoka's mood visibly improved.
On top of that, learning that Hoshimi had been scammed made her even happier. She couldn't hide her excitement and kept pestering him with questions.
Of course, it wasn't just about gloating or satisfying her curiosity. She needed to know exactly how long that terrible driver made Hoshimi circle around!
If it was a long time and Hoshimi didn't tell her, it would severely impact her plan to narrow down the range!
So, no matter what, she had to find out how long Hoshimi spent in that taxi.
"Hoshimi~ Hoshimi, please tell me~" Kasumigaoka, full of mature charm, clung to Hoshimi's arm and playfully pleaded.
Her coquettish demeanor caught the attention of the men around them, who couldn't help but look at Hoshimi with envious and resentful glances.
"I'm not telling, I'm not telling. What's the point if there's no reward?" Hoshimi's frustration was evident.
At this moment, he wasn't so concerned about the money; he was more annoyed at himself for falling into such an obvious trap!
Have I really let my guard down so much after all this time?
"Hoshimi~ Hoshimi~" Kasumigaoka leaned in close, whispering seductively in his ear, "There's a reward, you know."
"Oh?" Hoshimi's eyes flickered with interest as he turned to ask, "What kind of reward?"
Kasumigaoka blinked suggestively, "Hoshimi, after we eat, let's go shopping. I plan to buy some clothes, so I'll definitely need to use the fitting room..."
Kasumigaoka's cheeks flushed, and she didn't finish her sentence.
Hoshimi immediately understood, and he eagerly recounted the entire story of how he was scammed to Kasumigaoka.
He suddenly realized that being scammed wasn't entirely a bad thing—after all, a curious little girl had just offered him a reward!
Hoshimi's heart warmed with anticipation, looking forward to their upcoming shopping trip.
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