Chapter 11: Orenji

I turn to see a man with bright orange hair. The tips stop just short of his eyes, which are a stunning violet. They remind me of Tsubaki's eyes, but they're more subtle. 

Also similar to the twins, this person has a beauty mark, though his is below his lower lip on his chin. If I remember correctly, Tsubaki had one under his left eye, and Azusa under his right.

That can't be a coincidence, can it?

I shake my head. No way. I guess I just haven't met my doppelgänger yet.

"I must apologize," he says. "I wasn't paying attention."

Well, neither was I.

"Do you like cats, too?" I ask. Better not to get into an apologizing battle or we'll be here all night.

He stares like he's unsure of how to explain it. 

"It's not that I don't like them..." He glances at the nyanko towel. "It's just that it reminded me of my cats."

I feel my eyes widen. "You've got cats?" As in, "cats" with an "s"? 

"Ginger cats are the cutest!" I gush. "Theres a couple at my workplace who look like that. They've got the softest white bellies and paws. I find that the orange ones are always really plump and food-motivated, though."

I pause and panic.

I hope he doesn't think I'm commenting on all the orange haired.

To my relief, he chuckles. It's a deep, mellow sound that puts me at ease.

"My cats are definitely more on the chubby side."

"In that case, here." I pull the towel off the shelf and hand it to him. "For your kitties."

"Oh, no it's fine, you take it." He pushes the towel back. "You were here first, and I shouldn't spoil my cats too much."

"Eh? It's okay to treat your cats, and yourself. I think it matches your hair nicely."

He brushes part of his bangs self-consciously. "Does it?"

"A little." Not going to lie, I wasn't sure how I felt about orange-redheads, but on him it works. 

"I can always find another one," I say. I grab a grey towel set off one of the lower shelves. "This one's more in my budget range, anyway."

He presses his lips into a tight line. He might be frowning, but it might also be his thinking face.

"In that case–"

He's interrupted when my phone suddenly rings. We jump, startled by the vibrations.

The caller ID reads EMA. She and Yusuke must be done their shipping–I mean, shopping.

"Ah, sorry about that. I have to take this. Take the nyanko towel for your cats!" 

"...Hai."

Before he can say more I turn away and answer the call. 

"Moshi moshi?"

"Yo, where are you?"

"Yusuke-kun? Why do you have Ema's phone?"

Behind me I hear the orange-haired man startle.

"Ah, Ema-san is trying to figure out which brand of seaweed to buy, but she said to give you a call. We're almost done. Are you?"

"Un. I've only got one more thing. Meet you guys at the front?"

"Sounds good. Oi, Ema-san, abunai!!"

I hear a crash.

"Ano... Is everything okay?"

Yusuke returns. "Eh... Ema-san accidentally knocked over some boxes. We might be a while. Sorry."

I purse my lips together, trying to picture a clumsy Ema. Usually that's me.

"That's fine. I'll come and find you guys when I'm done."

"Okay. Jaa."

"Jaa ne."

I hang up. 

Right. 

Slipping my phone into my pocket, I push the cart out of the aisle. It feels like I'm being watched, but the orange-haired guys is probably long gone. 

The feeling after you finish small talk with a stranger is weird. On one hand, it's nice to make idle conversation. On the other, it feels awkward, like what are you supposed to do now? Would it be rude to be the first one to leave?

It better not be. I've got to find another pair of chopsticks and then meet up with the others.

In the next couple of aisles I pick out a couple pairs of cute chopsticks. I probably would've had better luck price-wise if I'd gone to a 100 Yen store* instead, but at least I know these ones will be super good quality.

Now that that's all done, I head off to find Ema and Yusuke.

If they were looking at seaweed I think I know where they are. I cross into the food section and go down the aisle where all the dried goods are.

I find poor Ema rushing to put a bunch of boxes back on the shelf. Yusuke is crouched next to her helping out. Their cart sits nearby, filled with groceries.

Seeing the two of them together, I feel a slight twinge. Maybe it's because of how Ema looks so flustered, and how Yusuke is telling her not to worry about it. 

"No one got hurt, and we're putting it all back."

"Ah, but still. I don't want to leave the mess for too long."

"Even if we did leave it, it's not our job to keep the aisles clean."

"But it is the nice thing to do."

"... Yeah. I guess."

They look kind of cute together. Really cute. 

I duck back into the next aisle. Better give them a minute. 

They don't seem to have enough time when it's just the two of them. At school they're always surrounded by other students (I'm guilty of this). And as I've seen at home Ema is in Big Sister Mode, so she doesn't have time to think about romance or relationships.

I heard from Ema's friend Maho that Yusuke's been acting like this around Ema since the beginning of high school. Apparently, he got more excited whenever she was around, and he liked being complimented by her. 

Just watching them makes me feel like I'm in a high school drama. 

I hope he finds the courage to tell Ema how he feels. Hopefully he finds the right moment soon, since Ema's the cute type who attracts a lot of attention. If he doesn't make his feelings known soon he might lose his chance.

"Ganbatte, Yusuke-kun." I pump my fist in support.

My attention is then diverted as I notice I'm in the tea aisle. I find the brand Ukyo served earlier. It was pretty good, so maybe I'll stock up now. I also grab a box of mint tea. That'll be good as iced tea.

I decide to ring my stuff through first. I'll give Ema and Yusuke some alone time, since they won't get much of it at home.