Saki's POV
I had friends, my first friends. I really loved it. I thought those words while walking with Hoshi and his childhood friend and classmate, Bokuto. We went to a strip mall near a train station to grab a quick snack. It was the same place where I go for an ice cream almost every afternoon. So that means we had something in common. I then asked them, "So, you two, do you go here often every afternoon?"
We then stopped walking, and the two boys glanced at me.
"Yes, mostly for snacks," Bokuto responded back.
"And for shopping, too, like stationery!" Hoshi interjected.
"Oh, okay then," I meekly replied.
We then resumed walking and eventually, stopped in front of an ice cream shop.
"This is our one-stop place for ice cream," Hoshi said to us.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, me too as well."
He then looked at me. "Do you eat ice cream?"
Not wanting to lie or hide, I nodded. "Yes, matcha is my favorite flavor."
"Oh, nice choice," Bokuto responded back. "Ours are cookies and cream and mango cheese."
I was surprised to hear such a strange flavor. "Is there such flavor exists?"
"Yeah, I mean, they had been offering that type of flavor for as long as I remember."
"It's my favorite," Hoshi added.
And so, we entered the ice cream to eat out, albeit cold ice cream. We ordered 1 bowl of matcha ice cream, 1 bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, and 1 bowl of mango cheese. Each of their prices has a 100-yen price difference, but it's still cheap like the ones you can find in a typical ice cream shop anywhere.
Later, after we settled down at a table for four, we waited for our order to come. When that happened, we saw the beautiful aesthetic presentation of the ice cream bowls complete with some sweet decorations.
"Wow, typical for me," I commented.
"Yeah, dig in," Bokuto said to me.
I then nodded, before grabbing a metal spoon to get a piece of my order.
I then shoved that spoon to my mouth, tasting the sweetness of the green ice cream and the smooth texture of it.
This takes me back to my childhood.
In the past, my parents used to take me for ice cream almost every weekend, in the same store me and my new friends are now.
And that's where my love for matcha ice cream started and developed.
That makes me happy and feel some comfort from my social anxiety.
Back to reality, Hoshi asked, "How was it? Was it good?" I then snapped out of my trek down the memory lane. "Y-Yes, it's so good." With that, he and Bokuto grabbed their spoons and tasted their order.
"Wow, the combination of mangoes and cheese really makes a good combo!"
"Hmm, cookies and cream are my classic."
Looking at them, I began to embrace this moment of being with friends, for the first time in my life.
We stayed at the shop until 5:33 p.m.